A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Audience Side Chamber, Imperial Seat, Kaliburg
12:30 pm, February 21, 5680

Jacob Maxwell, new director of the Anantonese Yeudi Interest Committee was shown into the outer sitting chamber. There waiting for him was the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue.

"Come on in, and sit down," said the Chancellor.

"Thank you Madame," said Maxwell. "Will we be joined by either of Their Imperial Majesties today?"

"His Imperial Majesty will be joining us shortly, but let me make sure you are ready." Maxwell sat at the small table with the Chancellor. "It's about protocol. Are you familiar with the Informal Audience?"

"I--- I think so," said Maxwell, not quite sure what she was getting at. "When the Emperor comes in I..."

"Look, I thought you had been briefed before now. But I'll make this quick: First, the Tea is drugged. Drink it if you like or don't. He just has to offer it to you. Second: Your meeting is with me. This is an informal audience, but audience means listening: The Emperor will likely not say a word during the entire thing. But he wants to get the measure of you, so you're meeting with me. Otherwise, just follow what I do..."

Jacob Maxwell suddenly felt dread rising in his throat. "Wh---what?" He stammered, followed immediately by the sound of three knocks. The door opened and in walked The Emperor. The Chancellor immediately jumped to her feet and lowered her head. Maxwell saw the gesture, and nervously he also rose, rather too quickly it would seem as his chair flew back several feet as he straightened his legs right into the seat. It clattered across the floor. He instantly dropped his head in a low bow.

The Emperor, who was dressed modestly, stopped his gait as he watched the chair skitter across the room. When it stopped, he pivoted and went to pick it up and replaced it directly behind Jacob Maxwell. He then went to the tea service and simply said "We welcome you, Mr. Maxwell."

Maxwell, with head still bowed, muttered "Thank you Your Imperial Majesty..." almost under his breath, and he happened to glance up to see a Chancellor glaring at him, slightly shaking her head. The Emperor laughed quietly and said, "Madame, please be seated. Tea will be with you both shortly."

"Aye my Lord," answered the Chancellor, and then she turned to Maxwell, who was watching her for any cues, and she said "You may be seated." As they both sat, she whispered, "You're doing fine. Don't speak to him, speak to me. And remember to breathe or you will pass out."

As they both sat, Lady Donahue said "Mr. Maxwell, His Imperial Majesty would like to welcome you to The Imperial Seat. The Anantos are great supporters of your organization and His Imperial Majesty has been very interested in meeting with you and discussing some of your ideas for Kalistani foreign relations, in regards to the Yeudi Diaspora in Terra."

"Well... please tell His..." Maxwell was cut off as the Chancellor cleared her throat unmistakable. "Ask His Imp...." she quickly shook her head... and started mouthing some words silently. "I... I can't understand..." he whispered...

"Mr. Maxwell, Lady Donahue here is trying to tell you that you should speak directly with her and not to us," interjected the Emperor. "Madame, do you mind if we just dispense with protocol for this meeting, so that we may have a candid conversation with Mr. Maxwell?"

"Your word is the law, Your Imperial Majesty," said the Chancellor. "I was just..."

"Yes yes, I know," said the Emperor. "And you are a fine Chancellor. We shall officially suspend the protocol so we can talk like two people, but only for this meeting," said the Emperor, as he brought to the table three tea cups, saucers, small silver tea spoons and a porcelain tea pot on a mirrored platter. Into the cups, he poured a very aromatic and flowery tea. It was steaming hot, but not scalding, and almost as dark as coffee, but smelled of poppies. He set a cup and saucer before each place at the table and pulled up another chair and sat between the Chancellor and Mr. Maxwell.

"We are glad you came here," said the Emperor. "If its ok, our Chancellor needs to remain with us here, to ensure that anything we say, and by we, we mean you, stays within the bounds of the law. Is this ok, Mr. Maxwell?"

Not knowing who to speak to, Maxwell looked back and forth between the Chancellor and the Emperor, and then back to the Chancellor, who was by now urgently signaling with her eyes, to answer the Emperor directly. "Y-- yes, um, Yes it is Your Imperial Majesty."

The Emperor smiled and said "Are you quite alright, Mr. Maxwell?"

Maxwell gulped and then answered, "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I am just nervous. I've never met a real Emperor before." He immediately realized how ridiculous this sounded as he said it.

The Emperor smiled and said, "Neither have I, outside of Kalistan! We have this in common." The Emperor sat stirring his tea and sipping it from the metal spoon. Maxwell himself nodded, and took a drink of the now rapidly cooling tea. It tasted surprisingly good: A black tea with jasmine, hibiscus, lemon peel, and some other... he couldn't quite get the last flavor. So he drank another draught, this time larger than before, and the Emperor looked at the Chancellor who looked concerned all of a sudden.

"Mr. Maxwell... you are meant to drink that slowly," said the Chancellor.

"I must admit: I don't drink a lot of tea, but there is something about this tea that makes me want to drink a lot more of it. What brand of tea is it?"

"Mr. Maxwell... its opium tea. You should be advised... you will begin feeling it in a few minutes, so please, take it slowly."

Opium? gasped Maxwell. "Do you mean to tell me I've taken a narcotic? I... I have Temple this evening, its Shabbat tonight..."

"Mr. Maxwell, you were warned... But I think you'll be fine," said the Chancellor. "Just relax... everything will be ok."

As soon as she said it, Maxwell felt a calm come over him, as his nervousness almost gave way. "Mr. Maxwell, we are interested in your ideas for making connections to Yeudi Communities around Terra. Specifically your ideas for the Hulanevek Diamond," said the Emperor.

Maxwell took a second to process the words of the Emperor, but then, as if he suddenly snapped back to utter clarity, and with a new sense of confidence in himself and his organization's message, he looked at the Emperor and said "Your Imperial Majesty-- I believe that Yeudis world wide would like to see that Diamond. You may not be aware of this, but I think Yeudis in our world really admire that the House Ananto has done such an excellent job of keeping what many of them believe to be a Cultural relic safe through all the turmoil in the world. I think with Amudim in chaos, as it certainly is, Yeudis in the diaspora could really benefit from a unifying symbol, a clear message that they have a shelter from all the anti-Yeudism we are seeing rising in the world today. Kalistan can be that center for the Diaspora. And the Hulanevek Diamond could conceivably serve as a symbol of that Safe Haven."

The Emperor smiled, apparently satisfied that the drugs were having their effect. "But Mr. Maxwell, that diamond is utterly cursed. It will kill all men who wear it, and our wife, the Empress is also not interested in taking chances either. It was presented to Empress Pavlina as an effort to keep it safe from the fascists in Kundrati, not to be paraded around. So it remains in safe keeping."

"Your Imperial Majesty," said Maxwell, now slowly sipping his tea to maintain its strangely comforting effects. "I don't mean for you to wear it. I think it is important for the Empire to acknowledge it for what it is: A Yeudi cultural artifact that you and the Empress merely maintain a trust over, to keep it safe for the Yeudi people until such a date as it is time to return it home to where it belongs."

"And when do you think that date is, Mr. Maxwell," asked the Emperor.

"Tomorrow, yesterday... The year 9500, who cares, Your Imperial Majesty," answered Mr. Maxwell. "You have the trust and good will of the 3 Million Yeudis who live in this nation. What I am talking about is more like making it available for 10s of millions of Yeudis world wide to come and see. The Empress was gifted the Diamond from the Hulanevek. Its really unimportant how they got it. What is more important, I think is that you have it now. And you may think its cursed, but hiding it in a vault 50 stories in the ground or whatever, it does you no evil there, but also it does you no good either."

The Emperor sat back, a considering look on his face. The Chancellor took the opportunity then to raise the question, "Who's to say someone won't try to steal it?"

"Madame Chancellor," said Maxwell after another sip. "Their Imperial Majesties posses fifty diamonds of larger size and better clarity. We read the annual reports from House Ananto. If someone steals it, and there is a curse on it, they lift the curse from this House."

The Emperor laughed. "That is a very simple answer, Mr. Maxwell," responded the Emperor. "If that diamond is stolen, we have failed to protect it for the Yeudi People. So there seems to be a contradiction in your logic on this point."

Maxwell was silent as he thought about the words of the Emperor. "Your Imperial Majesty: Security is a superficial concern. You can put a militia on that diamond, but if someone is determined to steal it, they will find a way. I assure you, the benefits of displaying it, and using it as a touchstone for the entire Yeudi diaspora will yield far greater benefits in terms of good will of the Diaspora than any danger of it being stolen can outweigh."

The Emperor folded his arms. "Mr. Maxwell, your pitch is compelling... but... it does not yet convince..."

Maxwell took another maintenance sip of his tea and thought for a moment. "Your Imperial Majesty, I mean no disrespect or disparagement here, but: you may not know our stories, and for it, you can be forgiven. There are some people in this world who would kill to get their hands on that stone. As long as you have it, they cannot touch it. But to use an analogy, the Hulanevek is to them what Athosia is to you. Those are the people who work in the shadows, and spend their days and nights moving large chess pieces around on the global scale. They have found their way into the governments of many of your own adversaries through bribes, subterfuge and outright intimidation, and though many of them were wiped out recently, they always find a way to come back. Yeudis of the Diaspora believe they are that first group's blood enemies. We may have won this round, but these others will be back. Openly displaying that Diamond will be a constant reminder of what they cannot have. You can spin it however you want, but the Diamond has a far different significance that you can ever imagine, and its really not your fault. You are not a Yeudi: you couldn't be expected to know."

The Emperor slowly refilled Mr. Maxwell's now empty tea cup, and his own. The Chancellor had helped herself to seconds a while ago. "This is a wild story, Mr. Maxwell, and you will forgive us, but it is a bit difficult to wrap our own imagination around."

"It's more like a legend," said Maxwell. "Who knows if its real or not. But I am pointing out the significance of that diamond as a symbol for my people. Displaying it shows first that the Empire is not afraid of those forces which have so often infiltrated Kalistan's adversaries, and also provides Yeudis in the Diaspora yet another flag to rally ourselves around. People will come from around the world to gaze on this diamond. Yeudis worldwide will pay attention. It can do you no good locked in a basement in a dark gem vault."

The Chancellor, as if receiving an imperceptible sign from the Emperor, rose and said, "I thank His Imperial Majesty for his time today. Mr. Maxwell, we shall wait here until His Imperial Majesty departs." The Emperor drained his second cup and rose. "Mr. Maxwell, you have given us much to think about today. We thank you for coming here to talk with us, and will most certainly want to speak more with you, perhaps next time at our home. Have you ever been to Cliff House, Mr. Maxwell?"

Maxwell, standing as he followed the Chancellor's actions smoothly and carefully now, said "No Your Imperial Majesty. I have not had the pleasure."

"Next time at Cliff House, Madame," said the Emperor.

"If it is Your Imperial Majesty's Will," said the Chancellor.

"We wish you a fine rest of your day and good luck getting to Temple tonight," said the Emperor. "We may advise a nap first."

Maxwell, who felt the second cup of tea starting to take effect smiled dreamily, and said "As your Imperial Majesty wishes." The Emperor then turned and left the room, before the Chancellor came to him and said, "We have a taxi to take you back home."

"Do you think I did alright?" he asked the Chancellor.

"I think you did very good for your first time," she said with a smile. "Next time, don't drink so much of that tea. You don't have a tolerance for it yet. And next time as Their Imperial Majesty's guests, you will not be served tea. The Anantos tend to serve underproofed rum to their guests."