Old Friends Again [Attn Sekia]

The Presidential Palace


          The greetings were warm as ever and for Satine it was a pleasant break after a whirlwind session of the Imperistarium a few days prior. She was quite pleased to be able to sit down even though the several hour flight had seen her sitting and reading a book the entire time anyways. These days she was growing more exhausted and tired far more easily than she used to. To the onlooker though she might appear tired but not too noticeably. She had a job to do, even if she was going to give up that job sooner than later. The Empress briefly drifted off into her own thoughts while some small talk was made by Minister Otranto with her Sekia Defense Counterpart. “Well I guess we all know the elephant in the room so I shall tap the thing on the trunk.” Satine said placing her hands on the table and exhaling rather exaggeratedly. “We are at war.” She said looking from Oliva to Zhulis. There was not a smile on her face nor an expression of joy at this circumstance that Noveaux had found itself in.

            “The Imperistarium in all its infinite wisdom decided to honor the clause in an agreement with Alssahra.” Satine said continuing her minor rant about the situation.  She could truly go on and on about how Noveaux shouldn’t have signed the agreement in the first place, let alone it shouldn’t have honored the defense clause, but this came from someone that had overseen a large era of peace only briefly interrupted by a conflict with Noveaux’s northern neighbor, Belka. Even that war was relatively minor, though the Belkans might say otherwise considering how they failed to dent Noveaux’s northern frontiers too much after the initial push. Now Noveaux found itself in a foreign war, in a foreign land fighting what many believed was a war it had no business in sending its young men and women off to die in. “I doubt the High Chancellor will win re-election, let alone her party.” She added though this was accompanied with a rather devious smile. The Empress was a member of the Grand Order Party while the Chancellor was the head of the National Liberal party. The National Liberals along with the United Greens had been ruling in a coalition for about sixteen years having knocked the Conservative Front out of a thirty-year power run. The idea that the war had come under the High Chancellor’s leadership, and during the time her party ran a coalition was appealing for all her political enemies come the General Election in March of the coming year.

            The Empress now turned her attention back to Zhulis and his Minister of Defense. This whole visit was supposed to be about briefing one of Noveaux’s closest allies on the situation in the Nahr, though for the Empress it was more about seeing an old friend. “We are sending thirty-thousand soldiers over a three-week period to the Alssahran Capital City to act as a staging point. From there we intend to occupy the liberated Alssahran cities that have been under the control of Sach’aqa. Distribution of aid along with the restoration and subsequent keeping of the peace will be our soldiers’ mandate. Offensive operations will be left to the Alssahran, Fornoirean and Sartorian militaries present.” The Minister of Defense concluded. Noveaux was capable of a short conflict without causing issues economically back home but a sustained and drawn out conflict in Alssahra would mean Noveaux would be faced with either raising taxes and beginning war time measures to ensure economic stability or withdrawing soldiers from the conflict zone and pushing them into the Civil Reserves. That would really only come about though if Noveaux found itself stuck in Alssahra for four years. “Questions are welcome whenever,” Minister Tranto said with a smile and then it hit her. She forgot to give them their dossiers. “Pardon me!” She said rather startled and reached into her black back and pulled out two neatly made up black folders bearing Noveaux’s fleur-de-lys on the front. “Inside the dossiers is the strategic information detailing our plan and mandate in Alssahra along with the short term effects on our government.” She added now pleased with herself.