[Democratic Republic Of Eiria]

(Joint Post with Xiomera)

Lumiere, Auria

"And are you sure that this is the final list? This morning there were three vastly different lists floating around, all claiming to be the full consolidated list. Please tell me that you've done your job this time." Prime Minister Sarah Berenstein stared up from her desk at the poor staffer who had brought her a thick folder. The staffer quickly nodded her head, causing her boss to give her a small smile. "Good. This better not change."

Another aide knocked on the door to the study as the first one was leaving. "Come in, come in." Sarah Berenstein glanced through the folder as the staffer made his way to her desk, carrying an open laptop. "You've established a safe link, I assume?"

Her aide nodded. "The Intelligence agent said that it's not perfect, but it's the best that we can get on our end. Plus, I'm sure the Xiomerans have more security protocols in place on their end. All you need to do is press that call button there." He delicately placed the laptop down on the desk before standing straight, waiting for instructions.

"That'll be all. Leave, please." As he turned to leave, Berenstein exhaled, trying to compose herself. This call could decide the fate of my country. No pressure, though. She donned a neutral expression before clicking the call button, the obnoxious dial tone mildly annoying her.

At the other end of the line, at the Palace of Flowers, the Imperial Attendant to the Empress received the call. After a brief conversation and verification of the security of the call, Berenstein was patched through. "Good morning, Prime Minister. It is always a pleasure to speak with you, although I must admit I was not expecting a call." Calhualyana placed her coffee cup on the table next to her; a small dish of pastries clinked slightly as she laid it down. "How can I help you?"

"Good morning, Madam Empress. Unfortunately, this is not a social call." Berenstein paused, choosing her words carefully. "I take it you have seen the recent report from the front lines? Unfortunately, it seems that CSSC has had to bear the brunt of the cost of the fighting, given the Garda's recent... Shortcomings. And I'm not one to make my allies do my job for me. So, I have a bit of a proposition."

Calhualyana raised an eyebrow. "The situation on the ground has become a bit muddled, yes. What do you propose?"

"Well, simply throwing troops at the front lines won't get us any further than it has, and with the blockade in effect, so I propose that we take a step back to regroup and reassess. If you'd be willing to host an exile government, we could use remaining loyal Garda troops as a network of agents across the country. We could, essentially, force Queen Katherina and her allies to rebuild the nation while we work to find ways to exploit the unrest from abroad. They pay the price for rebuilding the country, and we can reap the benefits when the time is right."

Calhualyana pondered a moment, balancing a pastry in one hand idly while holding the phone with the other. "In truth, things have not gone as well as we had hoped. A step back to provide time for a new plan does seem prudent. We would need to transport you out by air, as their annoying naval blockade is still in place. However, arrangements can certainly be made to host you here in Xiomera. The only thing we would need to account for is the loss of the resources we currently have access to in Auria."

Berenstein nodded. "Of course. As we speak, a group of my staff is working tirelessly to catalogue and transport every resource that we have access to from the west to Lumiere. I can assure you, we'll be bringing everything that we can with us, in one way or another. I have arranged for a..." The Prime Minister trailed off. "I'm not sure how much you know about Lei Rekēsei dei Jur, so I'll just say that I've arranged for a smuggler to transport any additional resources once the blockade is down. You will only see a light interruption in shipments, not a total cessation. In addition, I will be bringing with me certain items of monetary and sentimental value, to present to you as a token of your friendship. They'll be in far better hands with you than they will be with that child Queen Katherina."

The Empress smiled, putting down her pastry and beginning to take notes on her nearby tablet. "That is most generous of you. When are you seeking to depart Auria?"

Berenstein gave the screen a slight smile, pleased to have gotten a positive reaction from Calhualyana. "As soon as the arrangements can be made. I'll gather my most valuable officers and staff to take with me, and I'll organize the rest into a network." A glint of humor came to her eyes. "My apologies, I will have to brush up on my Xiomeran. But I am glad that you are receptive to this... reset, of sorts. Your generosity truly knows no ends." The Prime Minister made sure not to make her tone too sweet. She knows I'm no pushover, so any attempt to prostrate myself isn't going to look genuine. I just need to walk the line of flattery.

Calhualyana had not exactly fallen for the flattery. She was more than smart and experienced enough to get the gist from the ongoing wave of intelligence reports coming back from Auria. The CSSC gambit simply hadn't paid off. It was indeed time for a reset. Berenstein was offering the best option remaining for Xiomera to extricate itself from the current fighting in Auria, while remaining poised to make a play for the country again in the future. But she knew how to play the game, so she would go along with Berenstein's soft touch. "It is nothing, don't trouble yourself about it. Xiomera remains committed to you and your cause, and we will continue to do whatever we can to assist."

"I appreciate that. I will let you get back to your day. I need to go supervise the plans for the strategic fallback that will allow our agents to safely get into position. Thank you for your time and hospitality, Your Majesty."

"Of course. We look forward to seeing you in Xiomera." With the call ended after a few more pleasantries, the Empress immediately shifted to damage control mode. Her ploy to use mercenaries in Auria hadn’t worked as planned. But with a pretender government in exile to wield, Xiomera wasn't dead in Auria just yet.