A Battle Unseen

[hyraemous]

Alexei Staxos was listening to some Davostager music while he was on the high speed train to Fort William, Luthori. He had spent the last year preparing notes for his meeting. These notes, though they were being developed by the office of the President of the Kundrati Union, would according to said President not be enough as a regular reintroduction of Kundrati to this country he was about to meet it's representative of.

The train entered the main station of Fort William. Staxos stepped off the platform and walked across the hall where a group of Luthorian Liberals were giving an exhibition in memory to their dead former leader Patricia Holmes. But Staxos wasn't here to pond over the memory of Holmes or her successor Alexander Hawthorne. He got a bite to eat before walking to a cab. He hailed the cab and entered, paid a few local currency, and then they were on their way south. Then east. Then south. Then a little north. It was a bit of a winding journey. He arrived at his hotel room shortly before midnight.

Staxos immediately took off his suit, freshened up, and went straight to bed.

Unlike a member of the Kalistani embassy staff.

You see, political officer Edward Hendricks was preparing for the meeting too. Listening to his own Davostager music for some reason, Hendricks was preparing his notes. His superiors had informed him of the top developments of Kundrati, their latest income doubling plan, political developments, and the like. Hendricks was somewhat impressed with these measures, after all not long ago Kundrati was calling for the death of every Kalistani, yet in less than ten years the political situation had completely flipped over. Hendricks, Kalistan, and really the entire world, could never have believed it. It was the world of particracy after all. So Hendricks, and Kalistan, were there to see it for themselves - and if things were true, maybe start to open things up just a tiny bit.

But this meeting was only to facilitate that if things actually went well. Kalistan remembered what the years were like before the current administration. It was in living memory. Their boys had died trying to liberate Kundrati and they had only watch it fall to neo-Ordosocialism. Again. As if they didn't spend hundreds of thousands of lives to try to prevent that. No way, Jose.

But Hendricks would have to deal with that in the morning. Eventually he fell asleep. 

And Fort William moved on...

...to the next day, when both of our characters would have to meet up. Hendricks freshened up and went to his embassy. Staxos freshened up and waited for the call.

The lobby, strangely enough, was playing some more Davostager music. Staxos was standing right next to a payphone. The phone ringed soon after and he was given a location and time. As soon as the lobby music changed to some Luthorian music, Staxos left. He hailed another cab and was driven to that location. He was wearing a suit and was prepared for the meeting after having gone over it in the cab. By himself, of course! But the cab ride took a while. Eventually they ended up in a sushi restaurant. Hendricks arrived shortly thereafter, himself prepared and ready, just as the restaurant music was playing some local music. It was requested that the music be lowered for this occasion which was done. 

So the meeting began.

(A)lexei Staxos, Kundrati: Good afternoon.

(E)dward Hendricks, Kalistan: Likewise.

A: Our countries have not been on the best of terms, so to say, for more than our lifetimes. I will start by saying that. For within our lifetimes my country has, among many other phrases, called our hosts and called your country devils and unworthy of life. Among many other terms, again as I say. I have here prepared a presentation on what we have done to try and mend over this shameful portion of our relationship. A shameful portion that should never have happened in the first place.

E: Of course. And I will reiterate Kalistan's position that we will have to wait and see. We can't simply take your word for it. We've been down that road before and it has led to hundreds of thousands more of our boys and girls entering your country and having their fight be in vain. 

A: Of course. Now, as of 16 September 5673, when our country began our legal purge of Vanguardists, we have apprehended around 23,000 individuals suspected of being in the Vanguardist faith. This was done via the examination of old Vanguardist party records that we've managed to find and prepare for their trials. These individuals were, for example, local members of the party that managed their blocks or districts, local village mayors, members of party associations that managed others, and the like. The highest ranked individual in these trials will be an individual who headed the Vanguard party in Takozvani, the capital of the state of Peghonai that is our northernmost state. His trial is expected shortly as we are beginning to wrap up these trials. 

E: What will happen to them?

A: Some have already pled guilty and have received their loyalty oaths and loss of rights for at least ten years. At least a few of them have gone out of their way to rat out their fellow Vanguardists which has helped us to go after an additional 12,000 people. They will receive a loss of rights for only five years. Everyone will have to sign their loyalty oaths of course.

E: Loyalty oaths?

A: Yes. They will have to sign them at the start and it will tie them to loyalty to democracy and Kundrati permanently. Otherwise they will end up in a prison.

E: Alexei, we all understand that the rule of law is important and paramount to the safety of the world. This loyalty thing may undermine that. Aren't they concerned about that?

A: They are always concerned, Edward. We don't force them to sign their oaths at the start of trial, no, they have to sign it after they get their guilty verdict. If they're found innocent then they don't have to sign that oath.

E: I see. I would have picked another option... still, go on.

A: We have managed to receive word on the status of two cabinet members of the old Vanguardist administration, those being the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Communications. They are still in the country as we have blocked their ability to leave. They are currently in house arrest preparing for their trial. If found guilty, which given their actions and rank is a certainty, they will be shot. 

E: I see.

A: Alright. We have also passed a sweeping disabilities law that will recognize disabilities of any nature upon the body and mind, provide them with treatment to assist them where necessary, allow them resources to easily find a job or otherwise find resources that will help their life and their family. We will also be mandating our locations to provide easy access to the disabled via ramps, elevators, and other various ways.

E: I see.

[They both begin to eat their meals. They both enjoy the meal before sharing the bill and leaving.]

A: Let's both go for a walk.

E: Of course.

[The walk begins. While the conversation is taking place, they both take a walk to a park, then via the streets past the Kalistani embassy and via various embassies before ending the walk at the park.]

A: How is your family?

E: They are doing fine. Our family contributed to the war, you know? They were intelligence officers and provided valuable intelligence to our troops. My mother fought bravely in Aethansk.

A: Is that so? Did they start in Etxea or did they land directly?

E: This was after the Etxeans and Kalistanis secured the beachhead. So many lives were lost there. The inner regions weren't much better. I remember this time when my mother was with her unit and they approached this village. It was a beautiful village with the exception that it was a pile of rubble next to some fields. It was on the road to Aethansk. The smell of chemicals was ripe... but there were boys very young that had rifles and grenades. They threw those at our unit and the units ahead. 

A: I see.

E: We were forced to take them down. 

A: [Nodding.]

E: I have siblings yet I am the oldest. And my mother treated me like, as a Baltusian would say, a helicopter parent would. I understand it, of course, but...

A: I know. Every southern Kundrati has had at least one relative or one friend with a relative that has fought in the war, who has had to deal with that... 

E: To see your country go down the same path that led those children to do that can only cause so much pain for you. When your country has had to deal with fascists who train children to be soldiers instead of training them for a job or just to be children, that is truly a waste. When you have to fight in that environment? And see it all go to waste? I never went to Kundrati, I never served... but it makes you think.

A: I cannot speak for 40 million plus Kundrati in saying we share your grief. We still have to root out those who don't understand your grief and who only see you as Kalistani. That will take time.

E: Did you serve?

A: Not in the war, but I was in the armed forces. I was keeping guard in bases so I never got any significant war experience. You?

E: Well... I'd like to keep that part in my heart for now.

A: Of course.

[They arrive and sit down at a bench.]

E: I've had a thought of the situation in Kundrati. I'm curious about the income doubling plan. How can you do that by yourselves?

A: Of course. Well, we recently found gold resources in the mountain area. We are also working to restart our nuclear power plants and our prior industries. The finding of gold has given us hope that there may be more secret resources of other things that may be useful for the general population like silicon. Dundorf has a lot of silicon, maybe we might have some too, but we will have to see. But our focus is also on having everyone get a job. A job corps, per se. We will be using that job corps, for example, to repair our roads and buildings, repair the dams and highways, et cetera. It will be equalized between north and south so nobody feels their part of Kundrati will be given less benefits. Of course, housing will also be there as well.

E: I see.

A: We will of course need foreign investment to help us there.

E: Were things to go well, of course we would be interested. But we will have to wait and see. I will bring all of this information to my superiors and see what they think.

A: I see. We will await your response.

[They exchange telephone numbers before departing.]