A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Cliff Offices, January 2, 5713
3:30 pm

The Chancellor was shown in to the living room, where the Empress sat in a ratty t-shirt that possibly said, at one point in time "Kaliburg Polytechnic Volleyball" but which was so faded now that it really could be anything, and light gray baggy sweat pants. Her long, curly hair was tied into a low loose pony tail that hung straight down her back, and she wore no make up at all. For a woman who never left the house in anything other than couture or the finest linen, when the Empress is at home, not working, she sure dresses down. The Chancellor, who was a blue blood generations deep and spent tens of thousands on her wardrobe annually, looked like an aristocrat compared to this person who, if Lady Alvarez didn't know better, would be mistaken for a graduate student doing a babysitting gig for extra money.

But she did know better. This was literally the most singularly powerful woman in the entire world: All law comes from her very breath. The Chancellor supposed Her Imperial Majesty didn't need to dress up when on home staycation, because the power was not in her clothes, but in her existence. She showed her proper genuflection as per the protocol and was invited to be seated.

"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Lady Melanie," said the Empress.

"I am glad you did not ask me here yesterday," said the Chancellor. "I was quite hung over, and the individuals I had over from the night before refused to leave. I shall say no more lest my reputation suffer."

"We do not judge, Madame," said the Empress. "Our business lies more abroad today. We are concerned about this New Englian situation, and wish to have your council on the matter."

"How candid would you prefer, Your Imperial Majesty?" asked the Chancellor.

"Be direct and be honest. We could ask for nothing more."

"Very well, Madame," said the Chancellor. "You always knew it was a long shot, so at least you were prepared for it."

"Do you really think it is so long as all that?" asked the Empress. "Is it really so unreasonable that a nation would want to choose to keep their air and water clean?"

"Madame," said the Chancellor. "Yes. We had the opportunity to do so, but moving away from petroleum was sort of forced upon us when the Straits formation dried up."

The Empress thought for a moment. "Well, that's true. But we kept the Suldanor reserves, and we don't exploit those at all."

"Well, not every nation is Kalistan," said the Chancellor. "It was an immense effort that took decades to fully escape from the Oil curse. And we were not in the precarious position that a developing nation like New Englia is in. The smart money goes to rapid development of that reserve. New Englia will likely take a much quicker pay out. If I were in that situation, making that decision, I would too. Proposing environmentalism is a privileged proposition, one we can afford to make, but one that the developing world cannot realistically even consider."

"But this is the opportunity for them to skip that part," said the Empress. "We destroyed our seas and our land and water with oil production. We destroyed our fishing and aquatic stocks because our oil drilling in the Strait disrupted their migration patterns, and the oil spills and the toxins that went into the water destroyed our barrier reefs. It's taken more than a century to even begin to undo the damage centuries of drilling out there caused, and we are giving them the chance to just skip that whole part."

"Madame," said the Chancellor. "You are certainly not naïve. The developmentalist argument is that the first world became the first world by destroying the environment, and now that they are in the first world, they are asking those who are trying to follow our example to not do that. But its like these nations have been waiting for centuries for their chance to join us, and they have seen how we got here."

"Well, they lack imagination then," said the Empress.

"Perhaps, but no more than we did when it was our turn to pollute the entire world," said the Chancellor. "I'm just being realistic, Empress. If they reject our bid, I certainly can understand why they would. Your do not offer them jobs, which they think is the only way to enrich their population. You do not offer them the opportunity to leverage their one natural resource on the global stage, which they seem to think will improve their status among their neighbors. These are ways we developed, they paid for our cities, and for our Universal Income, and for our trade balances and for our technological advancement, and you are paying them to not follow the only path they seem to be able to imagine to get to where we are. If I was in that government, I might be insulted."

"Lady Alvarez, wouldn't it have benefitted us for you to express these reservations when we were instructing you to make the bid?"

"Your Imperial Majesty, I expressed caution. Kalistan has literally no interest in New Englia. None whatsoever. We do not trade item one with that nation. I had to look at a world map to even figure out where they were. Kalistan's interests are in Seleya, not in Dovani, and as a Nationalist, I do believe I literally said 'Why would Her Imperial Majesty give two thoughts about New Englia? They are so far off our radar at this longitude that they may as well be on the goddamned moon.'"

"Yes, we remember this," said the Empress.

"It was my advice that Your Imperial Majesty let them alone: They are going to be exploited by some imperialist nation or another, whether it is Luthori or Egelion or anyone else, because that is the fate of developing nations. And as I recall, it was your desire to promote, shall we call it a post-materialist position in our bid. Her Imperial Majesty has more money than she knows what to do with: She could use that money to promote a cleaner environment, cleaner industry, species reintroduction, more reef restoration, etc, all these good things here and in Northern Seleya, and just let New Englia drown in their sea of oil if they like. Instead she uses her money to put Kalistan into situations where we have no business, and where our very presence there makes us look like some imperialist nation of the Luthorian or Egelian cloth, when we are none of the sort. As I said, Your Imperial Majesty, your focus should be on Kalistan first, last and always."

The Empress sat quietly. "You did say all of that to us," said the Empress. "We did not want to listen. We thought we could do some good."

The Chancellor got up and moved next to the Empress on the couch, a privilege she obtained when she was inducted into the Ancient Order last fall. "Don't worry about it, Your Majesty. You may still win your opportunity to promote conservation anyway: It would be really dumb for New Englia to accept that bid, but they might just be that dumb, or... they might be that visionary after all. It would really torch a lot of people if they went with Kalistan: this is also probably something they are dealing with. There are a lot of people backing Luthori for some reason. Even some people who shouldn't be. A lot of people would be very upset with New Englia if they opted to become a green energy producer, because the liberals wouldn't get the chance to exploit yet another nation like they love to do."

The Empress smiled at the thought of damaging Luthorian interests yet again. "If Luthori loses, whoever it is to, we will publicly offer a toast to the return of Athosia," said the Empress.

"I would like that very much, Your Imperial Majesty, and I will drink to that every single day until I die."

The Empress looked at her, "You will likely die before Kalistan is ever allowed to reclaim that territory."

The Chancellor screwed her face up and landed on a sad smile. "I know, Majesty. But a girl can dream..."

The Empress nodded. "Yes, she can."

The Chancellor clapped her hands on her knees and stood back up, taking the opportunity to move back to her own seat. There was something that was just discomforting about sitting that close to the sovereign to her. She had the right to do it, but she never liked to ever get close to the Empress--it always felt like little shocks, just below the skin. She had no idea how the Prince Consort or the Minor Princelings managed it, but the Chancellor had heard reports from others, even the Empress' close friends, of a similar sensation: Almost like your leg feels like when it goes to sleep. Upon returning to her chair, the sensation had disappeared. The Empress understood this and had learned long ago to not take it personally.

"What of the Bianjie alternative?" asked the Chancellor. "Have they contacted you at all?"

"No," said the Empress. "We have not heard from Bianjie. The offer remains on the table however."

"Well," said the Chancellor. "I have asked Sir Harney to try to contact them through the the Xsampans. But he's been out for the Holiday too. We still have a long time. And if they don't call us back, Your Imperial Majesty has already raised 15 Billion from KPO and the Private Sector that she can fund Kalistani programs with, so we can still do a lot of good."

"We suppose you are correct," said the Empress. "Kalistan wins either way."

"Those are the kind of options I tend to support," said the Chancellor. "But I am a nationalist, after all. Kalistan's interests come first, last and always."

The Empress smiled, "We can agree at least on that."

The Chancellor, feeling the win said, "About Kalistan's interests?"

"That you are a nationalist," said the Empress.

"Well, Majesty, it is better than being a metzist," said the Chancellor.

"If you said liberal, we could more readily agree with you," answered the Empress.

"If Her Imperial Majesty is not careful, the name Red Empress might stick," said the Chancellor, only half kidding.

"What do the anti-communists say? If it walks like a duck..."

The Chancellor laughed nervously. "But a communist Empress certainly is not a thing..."

"Yes," said the Empress. "They would vivisect someone like me... sadly... Not even the Metzists can maintain external coherence in their ideology. Let's speak no more about communism. We are having pizza tonight and you are invited to stay for dinner."

Pizza! thought the Chancellor. How common! The Countess of Lucid does not eat pizza, even if the Empress does. And the Empress still had not gotten the hint that the Chancellor did not intend to be buddies with the Empress, so she would not be making an exception. "I beg Your Imperial Majesty's Pardon, but I have dinner plans with my, mother, tonight."

The Empress, hearing the hesitation in the Chancellor's speech decided to not push the matter. "Well, if that is the case, then, please give our regards to your mother."

The Chancellor said, "Of Course Madame," as she internally kicked herself, because now she would have to call her mother and invite her out to dinner, even though she was still suffering from a hangover that started sometime yesterday afternoon. "If I may, Your Imperial Majesty."

"You are excused, Lady Alvarez," said the Empress. "One more thing, though. Do you play Go?"

The Chancellor instinctively answered "No Your Imperial Majesty. I do not. I am more of a card player,"

"Then we shall invite you over again so that you may learn. How does Friday afternoon sound?" The Chancellor correctly understood this as less of a question, and more of a command.

The Chancellor smiled politely, but rather flatly. "Friday sounds fine."

"Then we shall wish you a good afternoon Madame Chancellor," said the Empress. "Heidi will show you out. We have some dough to make. The secret," she said with a wink, "is minced garlic in the crust." The Chancellor shuttered--it sounded overwhelming.