Palazzo Cerveleri
10:25AM
Grazia Marelli had never felt at ease in the Senate. She had served in the Foreign Service for twenty five years, and in that time had grown accustomed to the indirect, perhaps even hypocritical, custom of being courteous to others while secretly wanting to stab them in the back. That was not to say she felt that way towards all foreign representatives, but it was to be expected that disagreements would be expressed in a diplomatic manner. That was not the case in the Senate, where the rules of decorum were no impediment for senators to openly and explicitly express their disagreements with any given bill or policy proposed by one of their colleagues or a government minister.
"The Privy Councilllor for the Foreign Office." Said the Speaker. Arianna Ventresca was a staple of the Senate, having served for nearly 5 terms and being one of the few senators not subject to term limits, since incumbents had been excused when the particular law went into effect.
Grazia stood and approached the podium. "Madam Speaker, I understand the reluctance of many honourable members to entertain the thought of involving ourselves in a conflict much removed from the direct concerns of their constituents, but I urge them to consider the implications of not acting. While we hold this debate, Sach'aqa has commenced an attack on Bawwaba Medina. Countless lives are being lost and a close ally of ours has seen their sovereign territory being threatened by a power unconcerned with the basic rules of diplomacy or international relations. This is yet the latest aggression by them, but surely not the last, unless we make a determination to assist our ally in this time of need. Yesterday First Councillors Valerio and El-Ghazzawy agreed through a phone call about the need for both our countries to work together to contain Sach'aqa while they remain an aggressor. With your permission, I would like to quote from the statement released last night by the Palazzo Malzo:
'First Councillor El Ghazzawy of Alssahra confirmed that the Sach'aqan invasion has the goal of ultimately invading the capital and taking control of the Nahr River. First Councillor Valerio agreed with her that it is in the best interests of both Sartoria and Alssahra to contain any aggression by Sach'aqa so that the world can be made safe for all free peoples.'
I urge the Senate to stand by the Privy Council in supporting the measure proposed, one that is limited in scope but would make an important difference in the growing military conflict."
Just as she sat, Grazia saw several senators stand, but after two seconds one one remained standing, a middle-aged man with a balding hear and glasses. He wore a grey suit with a red tie and a handkerchief of the same colour in his breat pocket, the suit comfortably hugging his wide body, though she was not sure if the shirt hugged his neck as comfortably. His name was called by the Speaker, and he learned forward to speak into the microphone on his desk.
"Madam Speaker, I have to express my concern for the eagerness of the Foreign Councillor to propose military action as our first option. Have there been any approaches with the Sach'aqan Government? Has the Councillor attempted to establish negotiations between the belligerents? Are we certain beyond doubt that a diplomatic solution is no longer an option? We have all received a brief detailing the events in Alssahra and the policy positions of the Privy Council, yet nowhere in this document is there any indication that our Government has tried to avoid military involvement. I question the commitment of the current Council to international peace, if their solution to military aggression is even more aggression on our part."
Mario Salucci sat, as several senators gently hit their desks twice, the conventional way of expressing support in the chamber. Also a staple of the Senate, Salucci was widely seen as one the main opposition leaders to the Valerio Council, certainly one of the more powerful ones from his seat in the Senate. He constantly opposed and criticised many policies put forth by the Council, but in the tradition of his constituency, made sure to compromise where compromise was possible, and was also regarded as an excellent link between goverrnment offices and his constituents, treating both corteously and making sure each felt he was on their side. He was, in short, one of the most skilled and powerful senators in the realm.
"Madam Speaker" Said Grazia as she stook again. "I thank my honourable colleague for his candor, but I must remind him that his assertion that we aim at engaging in any aggression is a misrepresentation of our position. If you turn to page twenty seven of the brief that my colleague was kind enough to mention, you will see that our position is to encourage a diplomatic solution to this crisis, but only insofar was our ally does not find itself in a position of disadvantage. That can only happen if Sach'aqa is contained within their borders, rather than allowed to continue invading and annexing foreign lands. Our presence would be limited to helping Alssahra restore their territorial integrity and ensure their borders are secure. Just like my colleague, we have no interest in engendering needless conflict."
In her mind, Grazia sighed, bracing herself for the unending questioning by her colleagues. Curious, was it not? They were not even members of the same legislative house, but protocol still dictated they should refer to each other as colleagues. She knew for a fact that Madam Speaker would have said quite a few things about her
colleagues, were she not prevented by protocol. A friendly senator had just made a comment on the bill; she rose to respond.
Il Quotidiano Main Office
4:10PM
Chief Editor Ennio Toselli was for the most part calm. It was still a quiet time at the office, most important articles ready for publication, and the only activity came from journalists working on some smaller stories to fill the back and editors checking the latest articles. He was playing a quirky simulation game he had found the other day, though he felt slightly quilty for not checking on his Chief Political Correspondent, who was covering the vote at the Palazzo Cerveleri. He suddenly stopped playing for a when he felt his phone buzz. It was Claudio Paricelli, the one person whose call he was expecting, and he brought some breaking news. He rose the phone to his ear and listened with a serious expression on his face, taking all in and quickly processing the information, thinking of story angles, figures to be researched and headlines to be written. He quickly nodded and then the call was finished, almost as soon as it had begun.
He rose and walked towards the door, opening it and leaning forward, so that half his body was outside. He called out:
"Carolina! I got the call, please start working on the cover for tomorrow."
A woman to the right of his office looked up and nodded, trying to keep a straight face, though it was obvious she had been hoping for a different kind of news. She opened a file on her computer and started writing the headline for tomorrow's paper:
WAR IN THE NAHR
Senate backs proposal to deploy the Navy to support Alssahra