03-23-2022, 09:13 PM
Royal Offices, Aurian Royal Palace, Lumiere
"Metdi! Kašiet casei konadei Xiomeran!"
King Andrew Laurent-Cordonnier shouted obscenities in Aurian accented Eirian, cursing his mercenary allies. Those bastards think they can operate in Auria, against our people, without our permission? Who do they think they are? He picked up the intelligence dossier he had been reading, which was now lightly coated in spit from his outburst. He wiped it off and read it again, grinding his teeth together. Someone's gonna pay for this.
He picked up the older phone on his desk and brought it to his year. "Elena? Get me a line to the Xiomeran government, preferably the Empress, if possible. We have some urgent matters to discuss."
Empress Calhualyana was at the Palace of Flowers when the phone call from the Aurian monarch came in. She sighed slightly, before seating herself at her massive desk and ordering the call to be patched through. “Good morning, King Andrew. This is Empress Calhualyana. I was told that you were asking to speak with me,” she said in a deliberately calm and unconcerned tone to annoy him. If the puppet believes he’s capable of cutting his strings, let’s make it clear who is actually in charge here, she thought. Calhualyana was no longer in the mood for diplomatic niceties or illusions.
"Good Morning, Your Majesty. And yes, I was wishing to discuss the growing situation in Côte-Verte. I take it your intelligence has informed you of the events of the past few days?" Andrew spoke with canned politeness, hiding his wrath behind a plastic wall of formality.
”Of course. Imperial Intelligence is quite alert about current events and keeps me fully informed,” Calhualyana replied. She said nothing further, waiting for Andrew to respond in a further deliberately baiting manner.
"I was just curious why CSSC acted without the approval or even consultation of me, General Michelin, or the leadership of the Garda Nacōnals. Their actions, while commendable, endangered Aurian lives and have critically undermined respect for royal authority in Auria. I was wondering if you could exercise your authority with the CSSC leadership and ask that they regroup and consult us immediately, as well as for any situation in the future." Cordonnier's curt tone made his current opinions on the CSSC leadership abundantly clear.
”I can certainly speak with General Teoctlehue and his commanders, but tying the hands of CSSC in the field seriously inhibits their ability to assist your government and maintain the peace. I would also point out that the situation was critical. There is only one reason the opposition would need a naval base - if they were expecting foreign help soon, and needed a way to get it into Auria. Securing control of the base is essential and we had not heard anything from your government in relation to the takeover. CSSC therefore acted as necessary to fulfill their mission, which is part of their contract with your government.” The tone of the Empress remained notably unbothered by King Andrew’s curtness.
The Aurian monarch sat back in his chair, growing more exasperated. "I understand that, but CSSC's promptness to bombard the base could've endangered any Garda personnel who could've retaken it. After all, we were planning a recovery operation to retake Queen Marija's before those Mercenaries jumped the starting gun. I'm glad my soldiers weren't caught in the crossfire. This lack of communication will only enable the resistance to gain strength at our expense." He blinked and smiled spitefully, a particular phrasing passing through his mind. "In addition, I fail to see how communicating with their allies would inhibit CSSC from performing their contractual duties."
”I quite agree that communication is essential, and CSSC will endeavor to keep you informed appropriately in the future. Since communication is so essential, I assume that in the future when a critical situation such as this occurs, your government will not wait for several hours, or even longer, to keep us informed. This is the first communication we have received from you about the incident in question, after all. We only discovered it via reports from Imperial Intelligence.” Calhualyana allowed a small smile to cross her face. Her opinion of the King, his government, and their competence was as low as, or perhaps lower, than Andrew’s opinion of CSSC. The Empress didn’t feel particularly compelled to hide it at that point.
"We will be more transparent in the future. However, we were not the one's who acted without communication. But that's in the past now, whether we like it or not. In the future, I will expect that an adequate amount of respect is shown to me and the rest of my administration. After all, as you said, their contract is with my government. They draw their jurisdiction from my authority. If you could, do pass that along to General Teoctlehue. Or I could always speak to him myself, if I must." Cordonnier's tone had shifted from tense anger to cooler frustration, as he began to realized the position he was is in and how Calhualyana regarded him.
”We shall be sure in the future to show you and your administration the appropriate amount of respect.” Calhualyana made that statement blandly, letting it speak for itself. “There is also no need to trouble yourself, I will speak to the General on your behalf. Of course, if the performance of CSSC is inadequate, we can always ensure they withdraw from Auria and terminate their contract with you without penalty. That could, however, lead to undesirable outcomes.” Like your head on a spike outside your palace once we withdraw and let Sophie and her followers have you, the Empress allowed to go without saying.
"Of course. Their performance has been more than adequate thus far, so that will not be necessary." Andrew made note of the ambiguous threat, growing more concerned with each passing moment. "I will consult with Generals Michelin and Teoctlehue on a plan of attack for Côte-Verte. Thank you for your time."
”Not at all, I am always happy to have these conversations. I do hope the rest of your day goes well. Goodbye for now,” the Empress said, ending the call. Once the call was disconnected, she contacted her Security Minister. “Tochuitli, have Imperial Intelligence begin making those contacts in Auria we discussed previously. I fear that King Andrew is….having second thoughts about our arrangement.”
"Metdi! Kašiet casei konadei Xiomeran!"
King Andrew Laurent-Cordonnier shouted obscenities in Aurian accented Eirian, cursing his mercenary allies. Those bastards think they can operate in Auria, against our people, without our permission? Who do they think they are? He picked up the intelligence dossier he had been reading, which was now lightly coated in spit from his outburst. He wiped it off and read it again, grinding his teeth together. Someone's gonna pay for this.
He picked up the older phone on his desk and brought it to his year. "Elena? Get me a line to the Xiomeran government, preferably the Empress, if possible. We have some urgent matters to discuss."
Empress Calhualyana was at the Palace of Flowers when the phone call from the Aurian monarch came in. She sighed slightly, before seating herself at her massive desk and ordering the call to be patched through. “Good morning, King Andrew. This is Empress Calhualyana. I was told that you were asking to speak with me,” she said in a deliberately calm and unconcerned tone to annoy him. If the puppet believes he’s capable of cutting his strings, let’s make it clear who is actually in charge here, she thought. Calhualyana was no longer in the mood for diplomatic niceties or illusions.
"Good Morning, Your Majesty. And yes, I was wishing to discuss the growing situation in Côte-Verte. I take it your intelligence has informed you of the events of the past few days?" Andrew spoke with canned politeness, hiding his wrath behind a plastic wall of formality.
”Of course. Imperial Intelligence is quite alert about current events and keeps me fully informed,” Calhualyana replied. She said nothing further, waiting for Andrew to respond in a further deliberately baiting manner.
"I was just curious why CSSC acted without the approval or even consultation of me, General Michelin, or the leadership of the Garda Nacōnals. Their actions, while commendable, endangered Aurian lives and have critically undermined respect for royal authority in Auria. I was wondering if you could exercise your authority with the CSSC leadership and ask that they regroup and consult us immediately, as well as for any situation in the future." Cordonnier's curt tone made his current opinions on the CSSC leadership abundantly clear.
”I can certainly speak with General Teoctlehue and his commanders, but tying the hands of CSSC in the field seriously inhibits their ability to assist your government and maintain the peace. I would also point out that the situation was critical. There is only one reason the opposition would need a naval base - if they were expecting foreign help soon, and needed a way to get it into Auria. Securing control of the base is essential and we had not heard anything from your government in relation to the takeover. CSSC therefore acted as necessary to fulfill their mission, which is part of their contract with your government.” The tone of the Empress remained notably unbothered by King Andrew’s curtness.
The Aurian monarch sat back in his chair, growing more exasperated. "I understand that, but CSSC's promptness to bombard the base could've endangered any Garda personnel who could've retaken it. After all, we were planning a recovery operation to retake Queen Marija's before those Mercenaries jumped the starting gun. I'm glad my soldiers weren't caught in the crossfire. This lack of communication will only enable the resistance to gain strength at our expense." He blinked and smiled spitefully, a particular phrasing passing through his mind. "In addition, I fail to see how communicating with their allies would inhibit CSSC from performing their contractual duties."
”I quite agree that communication is essential, and CSSC will endeavor to keep you informed appropriately in the future. Since communication is so essential, I assume that in the future when a critical situation such as this occurs, your government will not wait for several hours, or even longer, to keep us informed. This is the first communication we have received from you about the incident in question, after all. We only discovered it via reports from Imperial Intelligence.” Calhualyana allowed a small smile to cross her face. Her opinion of the King, his government, and their competence was as low as, or perhaps lower, than Andrew’s opinion of CSSC. The Empress didn’t feel particularly compelled to hide it at that point.
"We will be more transparent in the future. However, we were not the one's who acted without communication. But that's in the past now, whether we like it or not. In the future, I will expect that an adequate amount of respect is shown to me and the rest of my administration. After all, as you said, their contract is with my government. They draw their jurisdiction from my authority. If you could, do pass that along to General Teoctlehue. Or I could always speak to him myself, if I must." Cordonnier's tone had shifted from tense anger to cooler frustration, as he began to realized the position he was is in and how Calhualyana regarded him.
”We shall be sure in the future to show you and your administration the appropriate amount of respect.” Calhualyana made that statement blandly, letting it speak for itself. “There is also no need to trouble yourself, I will speak to the General on your behalf. Of course, if the performance of CSSC is inadequate, we can always ensure they withdraw from Auria and terminate their contract with you without penalty. That could, however, lead to undesirable outcomes.” Like your head on a spike outside your palace once we withdraw and let Sophie and her followers have you, the Empress allowed to go without saying.
"Of course. Their performance has been more than adequate thus far, so that will not be necessary." Andrew made note of the ambiguous threat, growing more concerned with each passing moment. "I will consult with Generals Michelin and Teoctlehue on a plan of attack for Côte-Verte. Thank you for your time."
”Not at all, I am always happy to have these conversations. I do hope the rest of your day goes well. Goodbye for now,” the Empress said, ending the call. Once the call was disconnected, she contacted her Security Minister. “Tochuitli, have Imperial Intelligence begin making those contacts in Auria we discussed previously. I fear that King Andrew is….having second thoughts about our arrangement.”
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