Caxcana Beats in Unison
#1

(Joint Post with Xiomera)

Taugen Airport, Northwest of Geminus, Eiria
October 6th, 2021

A number of Eirians stood on the concrete outside Taugen Airport's private wing, patiently waiting for a number of esteemed guests to arrive. A Chancellor, a pair of ministers, and two Senators stood in a roughly double-file fashion, the Eirian head of state standing in front. The area was surrounded by swarms of Solar Guards, aiming to keep the key members of multiple governments safe from anyone who wished them har

"It feels almost too quiet without the press watching." Alice Lancaster observed, glancing around. Usually the silence would be filled by Leah Stendē, the cheerful Vice Chancellor, but she was waiting at the venue. Having all of the major members of government in a single unsecure place wouldn't exactly be the best idea, given the state of the worl

Alice glanced at Senator Lynn Morrin, who looked relatively uncomfortable in the awkward silence. Why did Will choose her for a diplomatic welcome? The members of the delegation were also members of the fragile Serso Coalition, a union that was already stressed by the recent death of a High Court Justice. How are we going to be able to keep it together enough to form a union?

The first group to arrive were the Huenyan delegation. While Texōccoatl had engineered the idea of talks, it was decided that the embattled Vice-Speaker of Huenya needed a signature accomplishment. Anything to help him fend off rivals from both his own party, and opposition parties, in the final run-up to the Huenyan elections would be beneficial.

As his official plane came to a halt, Tiacihitli was briskly finishing up his briefing with his advisors. Representatives from the Defense, Trade and State Departments had made the trip with him. With a nod, the Vice-Speaker led his team down to the tarmac. It was the first official state visit by a Huenyan leader since the IWC, and the Huenyans managed to make it look good. A small group of Shorn Ones in their face paint and simple uniforms, and dark blue-suited FIS agents, shadowed the Huenyan officials as they reached their hosts. “Good morning, and thank you all for greeting us. We are very happy to be visiting Eiria on such a momentous occasion,” Tiacihitli said.


"We are glad to welcome you to Eiria! This is truly an amazing moment in history. I hope you find our hospitality satisfactory." Lancaster turned and gestured to the four Eirians behind him, each one giving a nod or shallow bow to the Vice Speaker. "May I introduce you to my fellow delegates? I expect you know of Ministers Alice Lancaster and Derrick Hale by now. Joining them we have Senators Lynn Morrin and Lira Castillo, two esteemed members of our government."

”I am honored to meet all of you, and to be here representing a free Huenyan state. Please allow me to introduce our Secretary of State Huitzilhuani and our Secretary of Trade Yaochtzin,” Tiacihitli said. “You may also be familiar with our Defense Secretary, Tlanexchel, from his role during the civil war.” Unlike the other Huenyan leaders, who were dressed in business attire, Tlanexchel was wearing a dark blue outfit styled similar to a Huenyan dress uniform but without insignia. Tlanexchel nodded politely to the Eirians.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, and to see you again, Mister Secretary." He bowed to all three Secretaries before turning back to Tiacihitli. "Would you like to head to the venue now? We have to wait for the Milintican delegation to arrive, but you could always go ahead. Alternatively, you could wait with us. We have plenty of drivers for either option."

”I don’t mind waiting,” Tiacihitli said. “The Milinticans can be a touchy lot sometimes. It’s probably best if we greet them together.”

They wouldn’t have long to wait. Soon, the official Milintican state jet was touching down. It was a bit smaller and older than the Huenyan one, but very brightly painted in the Milintican national colors. Once it pulled to a stop, the Milinticans began walking down. President Matōchmizalo was leading the group, followed by several Milintican officials and a few blue-and-red uniformed National Police. A single man in a black suit with red tie followed at a distance.

“Hello!” Matōchmizalo said in an eager tone as they arrived. “Thank you for greeting us with such a large group, Chancellor. We have been looking forward to our visit.” Matōchmizalo looked over to the Huenyan delegation. “And greetings to you also, Vice-Speaker. We’re pleased to see you as well. I am surprised the Great Speaker has not come though.”

“Texōccoatl sends his regards. He is quite sad to not be able to attend. However, given the security situation in Huenya right now, it was deemed best that at least one of us remain in Chuaztlapoc.” Tiacihitli’s expression was one of perfect blandness.

“Of course,” Matōchmizalo said, his slight smile indicating that he had a good idea why Tiacihitli had been the one to make the trip.


The Chancellor looked between the two world leaders with a small smile, attempting to reveal no emotion except for casual, polite satisfaction. "Our vehicles are waiting outside, if you and your delegations would like to head to the venue. It's a bit outside the heart of Geminus, but still well inside the city. I haven't been to Mazoir dei Solovs before, but I've heard it's a beautiful place."

 Both leaders nodded in agreement, and soon they were in their vehicles heading to the venue.

Tiacihitli couldn’t help but admire how peaceful and orderly everything seemed in Geminus. It was a far cry from the chaotic nature of things in Huenya at the moment. He genuinely hoped that his own country would stabilize and redevelop quickly so that it could be as peaceful and prosperous.

Matōchmizalo, meanwhile, viewed the Eirian capital with mixed emotions. It was very nice, but he still felt that capitalist systems tended to be exploitative. He wondered what the poorer sections of Geminus really looked like, and if the image of pleasant prosperity was a facade for the lucky few.

The highly-guarded motorcade took a more scenic route through Borean and the wealthier northern suburbs, keeping the famous Geminus skyline close, but still distanced. The cars turned onto a long uphill driveway, passing through a large metal gate surrounded by guards.

The Chancellor waved to the delegates as they exited their cars. "Welcome to Mazoir dei Solovs, or in English, 'Solovs Manor'. This was previously owned by a wealthy baron family for centuries, but after unification, the family couldn't afford to maintain it. So, it was sold to the Eirian government for a quarter of what it was worth." He gestured to the well-maintained but visibly old façade. "It's quite old. Now, it's rented out for galas or art auctions, and maintained by the Eirian government."


”It’s a worthy thing that such a building, once owned by a wealthy elite, has been repurposed for the public good,” Matōchmizalo said approvingly. Tiacihitli maintained his bland expression from earlier, and silently congratulated himself for not rolling his eyes at Matōchmizalo. “It’s a very lovely building. Preserving historic structures is always admirable, especially ones as elegant as this,” the Vice-Speaker said.

"I couldn't agree more. Now," The Chancellor took a few steps toward the door. "Shall we?"

The Solovs Manor had a large foyer, with tall ceilings and murals running up and down each huge wall. It was evident that the manor had seen many remodels, as little bits and pieces of each time period's design style could be seen all throughout the room, seeming slightly out of place.

Lancaster lead them down an equally grand hallway before making a left turn, waiting a moment as the stationed guards opened the doors. "This is where we'll be meeting today. Please, take a seat."

The room looked as if it had previously been an extravagant ballroom. Polished dark wooden floors and a large, intricate chandelier created a contrast in lighting, making the entire room very slightly yellow in tint.

In the middle of the room, there sat four large tables, each one curved towards the others to allow for conversation. Seated at one was Eirian Vice Chancellor Stendē, who stood quickly as they answered.

Another one of the tables was filled with the Aurian delegation. Queen Sophie and Acting Prime Minister Arquette bowed to the incoming delegations as they entered. "Vice Speaker, Mister President. It's a pleasure." The Queen spoke, appearing grateful, but exhausted.


”The pleasure is ours, your Majesty,” Tiacihitli said. “I’m glad to see you and your team here. Please know that the Huenyan people stand with you and will do everything we can to help you restore the legitimate government of Auria to power.”

Matōchmizalo nodded. “As will the Milintican people. We all have to stand together against this shadow war being waged by the Xiomeran Empire, so it’s good we’re all here today.”


 The monarch nodded her thanks. "That's great to hear. And I'm glad to have been invited here. We are glad to stand among the democracies of Caxcana against Calhualyana." She sat back down. "I was quite intrigued to hear of a potential union. An alliance like this is unprecedented."

”It truly is,” Tiacihitli said as he sat down. “I don’t think anything like this has been tried before in our world. If we can convince other nations in Caxcana to join us, this potential union could be a game changer.”

“Let’s start by convincing each other first,” Matōchmizalo said with a laugh as he also sat down. “We have a lot of details to work out for this to succeed."

"Yes, we do." The Chancellor folded his hands. "Let's start with the basics. First off, name and languages. Although it may not be the most important thing, a good name or abbreviation could boost this union's public visibility greatly. And it has to be a name that works well in all of our languages. English isn't exactly a good indicator for what may translate well into other languages..."

 ”I would also add that we want to avoid any name that would have militaristic or aggressive overtones. Anything like ‘alliance’ or ‘coalition’ or ‘defense’ or ‘pact’ would be best to avoid. Perhaps something with the words ‘union’ or ‘organization’ would be more benign,” Tiacihitli said.

"Agreed. I personally like the word 'union' in this instance. It's short and to the point, plus it sends a message. Now, the adjective to attach to it may be a bit harder to pin down. 'Democratic Union' might insult some of our non-Caxcanan friends, so that's off of the table I think. How long should the name be?" Lancaster spoke precisely, eyeing everyone in the room for any potential input.

”A shorter name is better for convenience and name recognition. Perhaps something like ‘Southern Union’ or ‘Union of Caxcanan States?’ Tiacihitli suggested.

Prime Minister Arquette nodded. "I like the latter one. Plus, it'll piss off Calhualyana a bit. I heard about Calhualyana's wedding. Two 'Unions' in a short period. That should put a scowl on her face." He said, framing his comment like a joke. The humor didn't reach his eyes, which were filled with loathing.

”We can only hope it does, and that our union lasts far longer and is far more fruitful than her so-called marriage.” Matōchmizalo nodded to Arquette. “Anything that makes that tyrant upset is well worth doing. The latter name suggestion works for me also.”

The Eirians looked amongst themselves, slowly nodding. "That would work. Now, let's move on a bit to the Military parts of this union. Joint drills, I assume, as well as some joint bases?" Lancaster asked, carefully monitoring the faces of the other Eirian delegates. There had been some reservation about how integrated a joint military would be, so he was careful to watch and talk through any hesitation.

”Joint drills, definitely. Joint bases in Milintica will be a tougher sell. Some of my people are very protective of our sovereignty. But when I explain that this union will make us all better able to resist both Xiomeran aggression, and any potential aggression from outside of Caxcana, that should make it work,” Matōchmizalo said.

Tiacihitli nodded. “We also have no reservations concerning joint bases and drills. We are already working on joint projects with Eiria, so adding Milintica to the group and making it more of a Union initiative just makes sense. What we may need to consider is just how far we want to go with military integration.”


The Eirians glanced among themselves. Leah Stendē spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. "Some in Eiria, including myself, are hesitant to completely integrate our military forces. We would potentially support a joint command or partial integration, but we would prefer to keep a national security force of our own." She paused. "We would also like significant checks and balances on Military action, for obvious historical reasons."

”We have the same issues,” Matōchmizalo said. “We could support a joint command, with standardization of equipment, and strong checks and balances for when and where our joint forces will act.”

Tiacihitli nodded. “I would personally favor a closer integration, but I already know many in Huenya will not. A joint command, subordinate to some kind of civilian control within the Union, would be best.”

"I'm glad others share our concerns. This makes everything much easier." Lancaster quipped, attempting to quietly fidget with a pen. "It seems we are mostly on common ground regarding military action, which is great. Now, I have a feeling the economic and diplomatic aspects may be slightly more complex."

”The economic aspects will be challenging,” Matōchmizalo said. “I have to modernize our economy, but if I make too many concessions too quickly, there will be domestic opposition. We cannot be seen as being overtly capitalist.”

Tiacihitli looked concerned at that. “This hopefully will not be too difficult an issue to resolve. For our part, Huenya does favor a free trade model, with modifications to ensure workers’ rights and environmental protections. We also do not favor some kind of dual structure where Milintica falls under a different set of standards. In trade it is important that everything is standardized and that everyone is on the same page.”


 Lancaster glanced between the Huenyan and Milintican leaders. "I would agree that standardization is ideal in this situation. We could use a gradual rollout of some programs in order to reduce hesitation. We do also favor a modified free trade model, and would prefer if it was consistant. That being said, we are open to hear any ideas the Milintican government may have to reduce public outcry regarding united economic policy."

”If we position these arrangements domestically as more of a modernization and shift towards a social democracy model, that should hopefully prevent too much outcry within my country,” Matōchmizalo said. “While the public services and the collective ownership of many institutions is popular in Milintica, our economic struggles over the years are….not as popular,” Matōchmizalo said with a shrug.

 Senator Lynn Morrin spoke up after a moment, after swallowing one of her trademark snarky comments. "Economic hardships are never pleasant, for anyone involved. We are glad that we can overcome our collective issues together, in a way that will benefit all of us." She paused. "Worker's rights are incredibly important to protect with this union. We don't want corporations to be able to take advantage of workers via a loophole. I also don't want Eirian businesses to shift all of their manufacturing to somewhere where they can pay their workers much less for the same work. It's a delicate balance, and we will have to be incredibly careful that we don't sell workers down the drain with this union."

”That will be a concern for Milintican workers as well, for the reverse reasons. Our industries are admittedly uncompetitive at the moment, and we would fear them being driven into failure by foreign products,” Matōchmizalo said. “Measures to prevent outsourcing and protect domestic industries may be desirable.”

“We would agree with this, simply because Huenyan industries are just barely returning to functionality due to our partnership with Laeral,” Tiacihitli added. “We will also need some time to return to full competitivenes."

"I'm glad we're in agreement. Without domestic industry, the economic portion of this union would be almost pointless. Although Eiria's economy is running at full force, due to years of rebuilding, our growth is regrettably stagnating." The Chancellor sighed. "It's a bit of an unfortunate admission to make, but it's still true nonetheless. We've had nowhere to go but up for years, we were bound to plateau out. Hopefully this union could remedy this." 

He continued. "Now, if you all don't mind, it may be prudent to discuss some more diplomatic matters, such as free movement, joint passports, and other benefits for our citizens."

”An excellent suggestion. Milintica favors free movement and joint passports,” Matōchmizalo replied.

“We agree with that, and would also recommended expedited customs for member states and an expedited entry queue at ports of entry. As for additional benefits, we would like to suggest opening up each others’ colleges and universities to joint research and study abroad programs. I think we would all benefit from that.” Tiacihitli had a hopeful expression on his face at that last point. “Perhaps in the future, we could even have some sort of Union-wide university.”


"Those are all excellent ideas, and Eiria will support them. I also personally love the idea of a lingual exchange. Languages like Paora aren't commonly learned in Eiria, which is quite a shame. This whole union would work much more efficiently with a lingual exchange and joint education programs." Lancaster smiled fully, glancing around at the other leaders.

”We seem to be in agreement on the basic foundations of this union, at least. There is one other matter of interest to Huenya. If we decide to offer membership to other nations in Caxcana in the future, is there a set of basic standards we should establish? At a minimum, I believe we should set a baseline expectation that any prospective future members have a democratic and representative system of government, a free judiciary and press, and an acceptable record on civil and human rights as well as worker’s rights and environmental issues,” Tiacihitli said with his own smile.

The Eirians looked among themselves, nodding. "That set of expectations is a good idea. Unifying our democratic Caxcanan allies against aggressive forces is the true point of this, after all." Leah Stendē as content as the rest of the Eirians, speaking with reserved excitement. The Aurian delegation also looked content, if not slightly afraid to speak up.

Matōchmizalo seemed as pleased as everyone else. “I think we have a pretty good baseline foundation for the diplomats and the bureaucrats to finish with, then, unless anyone else has any suggestions.” He had noticed that the Aurians hadn’t spoken much, and looked at them with a pleasant expression as if inviting them to speak.

The Aurian Queen cleared her throat. "We are quite content with these developments. Unifying our nations is an amazing cause. However..." She seemed to glance at her compatriots before continuing. "I do have one concern. If integrating our military forces takes precedent, I'm worried that Auria may be set on the back burner."

”I can assure you, we won’t let the matter of restoring your government to power be forgotten or pushed aside. In fact, we have to ensure that we do everything we can to reverse the coup no matter what.” Tiacihitli’s voice took on a very sober tone. “If the coup in Auria is allowed to stand, it will set a precedent. And then we will all find ourselves on Calhualyana’s list of potential vassals. I do not personally believe her one bit when she claims she no longer seeks control over Huenya. I also don’t believe that Huenya alone is her goal. Merely restoring the old pre-civil war Empire is not her plan at all. She seeks an even greater Empire, and we are in her way. So, your Majesty, we can never yield on the matter of your return to power. Our own survival depends on it.”

Matōchmizalo nodded grimly at the Vice-Speaker’s words.

The Queen nodded. "Thank you. Other than that, I don't believe we have any further objections. I am quite glad we are mostly unified on how we want to unify."

Chancellor Lancaster tapped his pen on the table. "Well, that's most of the basics covered. Shall we break for lunch? I was informed the kitchens are up and operational, so I can inform them that we're ready at any time." He looked around the room. "I can't fully express my appreciation that you all were willing to meet here. Thank you all for making the trip."

”Lunch would be ideal,” Matōchmizalo said with a laugh. “Building alliances can be hungry and thirsty work.” Tiacihitli nodded at that sentiment. “I would agree, and thank you for the invitation as well.”

"Of course." The Chancellor stood and spoke to an aide for a moment, before taking his seat again. "I hear they have quite the feast planned. I hope it is to your satisfaction."

---

After a short wait, the tables were filled with elegant plates and bowls, with fine silver set out for each guest. Each occupant was given a bowl of a creamy soup and a light salad of greens and oils, as well as thin slices of cheese. The main courses were large portions of fish in a fragrant garlic sauce, cuts of steak with a tomato-based sauce, or large dumplings filled with vegetables. Each course was accompanied by a fair helping of stewed vegetables and slices of flavorful bread. Fine wineglasses filled with water sat to the right of each dignitary.

The waiters worked fast, quick to recall each dietary need and order of each guest. After a minute, they disappeared, leaving the hot feast behind for the representatives to enjoy.


 ”This is quite a dinner,” Matōchmizalo said. “We greatly appreciate the extensive courtesy you have shown us on our visit.” And in truth, the Milinticans did. It was rare that representatives from the PDRM were even asked to be state guests, much less shown any grand courtesies. Everyone they visited tended to assume that Milinticans were content with basic food. They were content with it, but sometimes, it was nice to have a bit of a nicer meal.

“It is quite exceptional, indeed. Everything is most excellent,” Tiacihitli said. The Huenyan leader had experienced fine dining before. He had also experienced the worst food that Xiomeran Imperial prisons could offer (if it could even be called food), and everything in between. This meal was, thankfully, on the much higher end of his experience.

“I would like to propose a toast,” Tiacihitli said, raising his wine glass. “To friends, new and old, and to a new and promising greater friendship to come for all of us.”

"Cheers to that." The Eirians and Aurians raised their glasses, before taking the customary sip and setting the glasses back on the table. "Well, if this meeting is any indication, I believe this union will be quite agreeable. I can't remember the last time a group of politicians agreed on this much." Lancaster quipped, looking at Lynn Morrin for a moment before taking a bite of his garlic salmon plate.

”Especially a group of politicians from different countries as well as ideologies,” Matōchmizalo said, with a soft laugh. “But this meeting is a promising sign.” The expressions on the faces of both the Milintican and Huenyan delegations echoed that sentiment.

The Eirian and Aurian delegations had similar expressions of reserved optimism. "Honored guests, we are making history today. As we sit here, we are one step closer to a Free Caxcana, and one step closer to overcoming leaders that wish us harm." Lancaster had adopted his articulate speech tone, making his voice almost echo in the open ballroom. "My friends, welcome to the new era of Caxcanan prosperity!"

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