04-15-2023, 11:37 PM
"I think we can prevail upon Lauchenoiria to accept the Xiomeran terms, but it'll probably come better from you", Foreign Secretary Stewart said frankly to Ethan Ringrose, Chancellor of Sanctaria, in his office shortly after she finished her call with the Sanctarian Ambassador in Xiomera. "We can play this in the press as Sanctaria brokering a deal with the two nations to reduce escalations, but it is true that it means three potentially very dangerous individuals may be released to the public at large. We did anticipate the Xiomeras would demand high-profile prisoners, and the SIS doesn't think they'll pose a threat to our interests."
"Will they pose a threat to Lauchenoiria or her interests?" Ringrose asked, flicking through the dossier that Stewart had given him. "Or any other nation? I don't want to endorse a deal that will come back to bite us in the ass."
"We can't promise that", Stewart replied. "I think it's most likely that Xiomera will milk them for any intelligence they have, and then discard them as being of no use to them because they're too notable. It's easy for any IDU intelligence agency to keep eyes and ears on them. But look, they could want revenge and take it out on Lauchenoiria, that's always a possibility."
"Who's worse? WOE or these three?", Ringrose probed.
Stewart sighed. "Depends what you mean by worse. Fundamentally, it's likely the three Xiomera have are more-or-less innocent civilians who just want a cause to fight for. The three Xiomera want, on the other hand", she paused, "mentally unstable guns-for-hire is how I'd put it. Who knows what prison has done to them."
Ringrose looked through the dossier again. "So either we condemn three naive idiots to certain torture and probable death, or we allow three hardened criminals into the hands of a lunatic regime who could set them loose on anyone." He sighed. "Can we take them out in future if we need?"
"That's for the SIS to answer", Kathryn said, her tone impossible to perceive.
"You were Homeland Security Secretary until a couple of months ago. If I got Alexandra Maye in here right now what would she say?"
"She'd say we have people who could take care of that if it came to it."
"Alright, set up a call with Alvarez. I'll tell her the terms."
****************************
"They want WHO", Alvarez bellowed at the phone in her office. Her face, and the faces of her advisors, turned an uncomfortable-looking pallor when Ringrose's voice came over the phone, on loudspeaker, with the names of the prisoners for an exchange. "No. Absolutely not. They have a bunch of college-aged kids, we're not turning over actual terrorists for some kids, it's totally disproportionate. We didn't even agree to a prisoner exchange, why didn't you run this idea past me first?"
"You lost all credibility on the WOE issue weeks ago", Ringrose snapped back. "You came to us to clean up your mess, yet again, and we have. We warned you to get a handle on this. Those three 'eco-warriors' they have, their lives are on you Josephine, not me. They die, it's on you. They wouldn't be there if you bothered to take an actual interest in your own national security and against your own domestic terrorists. This is the deal you have. Take it or leave it. I'll give you an hour to talk to your people. Kathryn will be in touch." The line went dead.
There was silence for a couple of minutes. "Obviously we're going to say no", Foreign Secretary Juan Pablo Estevez said breaking the silence. "Sanctaria, and Xiomera, can't force us to release actual terrorists for ... three idiots. We had a travel advisory against going to Xiomera, it was their own fault!"
"Don't be ridiculous", Domestic Affairs Secretary Adelita Cabello said. "They're 20-something year olds, they're kids. We can't leave them in Xiomera. Their families will mount efforts to release them, there will be public and media pressure. It'll look awful for us". Silence again.
"What a position we're in", Alvarez said quietly. "We're fast losing friends on the world stage. Ringrose is right, WOE has been a problem, and other governments are losing patience". She looked around the room. "We don't know who is in Warriors of Our Earth. It could be any young person we pass on the street. At least with these three ... mercenaries, we know their names. We know what they look like."
"Releasing terrorists though, Josephine", Estevez said quietly. "We can't stoop to that."
"A terrorist exchange", Justice Minister Paquito Tosell interjected. "We'd be taking responsibility for homegrown terrorists who went to another country, by taking them back and putting them through our justice system. And we get rid of dangerous terrorists from Lauchenoirian cells, and make them Xiomera's problem. That's how we sell it."
"Ok. I need half an hour". Alvarez motioned for everyone to leave the room.
****************************
Kathryn Stewart was just stepping out of her car when her ministerial phone bleeped. She checked her smartwatch to see what was up. A message through from one of her aides. "Alvarez is a yes", was the simple and direct message. She turned to her private secretary who had also left the car. "Tell Densi we're on", she said before walking off with her security detail.
"Will they pose a threat to Lauchenoiria or her interests?" Ringrose asked, flicking through the dossier that Stewart had given him. "Or any other nation? I don't want to endorse a deal that will come back to bite us in the ass."
"We can't promise that", Stewart replied. "I think it's most likely that Xiomera will milk them for any intelligence they have, and then discard them as being of no use to them because they're too notable. It's easy for any IDU intelligence agency to keep eyes and ears on them. But look, they could want revenge and take it out on Lauchenoiria, that's always a possibility."
"Who's worse? WOE or these three?", Ringrose probed.
Stewart sighed. "Depends what you mean by worse. Fundamentally, it's likely the three Xiomera have are more-or-less innocent civilians who just want a cause to fight for. The three Xiomera want, on the other hand", she paused, "mentally unstable guns-for-hire is how I'd put it. Who knows what prison has done to them."
Ringrose looked through the dossier again. "So either we condemn three naive idiots to certain torture and probable death, or we allow three hardened criminals into the hands of a lunatic regime who could set them loose on anyone." He sighed. "Can we take them out in future if we need?"
"That's for the SIS to answer", Kathryn said, her tone impossible to perceive.
"You were Homeland Security Secretary until a couple of months ago. If I got Alexandra Maye in here right now what would she say?"
"She'd say we have people who could take care of that if it came to it."
"Alright, set up a call with Alvarez. I'll tell her the terms."
****************************
"They want WHO", Alvarez bellowed at the phone in her office. Her face, and the faces of her advisors, turned an uncomfortable-looking pallor when Ringrose's voice came over the phone, on loudspeaker, with the names of the prisoners for an exchange. "No. Absolutely not. They have a bunch of college-aged kids, we're not turning over actual terrorists for some kids, it's totally disproportionate. We didn't even agree to a prisoner exchange, why didn't you run this idea past me first?"
"You lost all credibility on the WOE issue weeks ago", Ringrose snapped back. "You came to us to clean up your mess, yet again, and we have. We warned you to get a handle on this. Those three 'eco-warriors' they have, their lives are on you Josephine, not me. They die, it's on you. They wouldn't be there if you bothered to take an actual interest in your own national security and against your own domestic terrorists. This is the deal you have. Take it or leave it. I'll give you an hour to talk to your people. Kathryn will be in touch." The line went dead.
There was silence for a couple of minutes. "Obviously we're going to say no", Foreign Secretary Juan Pablo Estevez said breaking the silence. "Sanctaria, and Xiomera, can't force us to release actual terrorists for ... three idiots. We had a travel advisory against going to Xiomera, it was their own fault!"
"Don't be ridiculous", Domestic Affairs Secretary Adelita Cabello said. "They're 20-something year olds, they're kids. We can't leave them in Xiomera. Their families will mount efforts to release them, there will be public and media pressure. It'll look awful for us". Silence again.
"What a position we're in", Alvarez said quietly. "We're fast losing friends on the world stage. Ringrose is right, WOE has been a problem, and other governments are losing patience". She looked around the room. "We don't know who is in Warriors of Our Earth. It could be any young person we pass on the street. At least with these three ... mercenaries, we know their names. We know what they look like."
"Releasing terrorists though, Josephine", Estevez said quietly. "We can't stoop to that."
"A terrorist exchange", Justice Minister Paquito Tosell interjected. "We'd be taking responsibility for homegrown terrorists who went to another country, by taking them back and putting them through our justice system. And we get rid of dangerous terrorists from Lauchenoirian cells, and make them Xiomera's problem. That's how we sell it."
"Ok. I need half an hour". Alvarez motioned for everyone to leave the room.
****************************
Kathryn Stewart was just stepping out of her car when her ministerial phone bleeped. She checked her smartwatch to see what was up. A message through from one of her aides. "Alvarez is a yes", was the simple and direct message. She turned to her private secretary who had also left the car. "Tell Densi we're on", she said before walking off with her security detail.