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Divestment


iamthey

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*100 year time warp*

[b]Year 180 Avalon:[/b]

It had been a century since Michael Atrevier I had ascended to the throne, and yet he remained unaltered in physicality. His perfectly youthful form like those of his Seraphim had been elegantly preserved and held fixed by the advanced wisdom accumulated years prior, and with time he- even amongst his informed guard- had come to occupy a state of defied mythic status. In spite of this Atrevier had been captured by a deep melancholy. Everyone he had once known was dead. He had already passed through five generations of advisors, and at least fifty renditions of the most recent legislature the, house of representatives, a statistically representative body that was randomly drawn from a pool of qualified citizens. Nonetheless, his empire had stagnated.

In his seniority and permanence, he truly was the fixture and lynchpin of the imperium, his rule being the only truly static element of his government. All legal framework originated from him, and would die with him- and all avenues to political power had been firmly centralized under his rule.

The only remaining hope rested with Avalon, now the true center of the realm - everything else was… an anachronism. As the rest of the kingdom languished Avalon had continued in its development and more and more resembled a sequestered technological paradise. While he had never actually intended for it to happen, Avalon became the center of advancement in Pacifica- it had the most adept craftsmen, the highest quality control, the greatest minds, and was the key holder of precision heavy machinery. Standards of living among the subterra population had steadily grown building with every year, and with them the more selective and exclusive immigration to the island became. While the shift was certainly not unwelcome, the growth of Avalon had filled his treasury with immense dividends and interest payments earned from both his share of the ownership and debt held by the quasi-corporate state, it came at a considerable cost. The mainland was no longer an important center of production infrastructure, pedagogy, or even governance, instead it was akin to a backyard play house in which spoiled children role played. It was a brain drained, decaying husk of its former self, a strip mine from which resources could be extracted and poured into the Avalonian fire. Two decades prior the Wellington decadence and delusion had grown so great that he had simply abandoned permanent residence there and moved his personal offices, staff and household to a newly built honeycomb vault installation deep beneath and straddling the cities of Avalon. And yet this decadence and degeneration of the mainland was a symptom not a unique phenomena in itself one that had been troubling him for some time.

Years ago he had made the case for centralization, charging that a larger more unified pacific could produce a more vibrant industrious society- instead it had simply rendered the artistic capacity of his people sterile. He would keep his gem, Avalon, but he realized now that the rest of the empire needed to be slowly broken up and divested into smaller concerns. Infinity, and conflict brought creativity- not the passivity of unity.

Edited by iamthey
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*Private missive to the UFE*

[i]"Esteemed allies, his royal majesty the King wishes to arrange a low profile bilateral summit between Greater Pacifica and the United Federation of the East. The meeting would concern a territorial arrangement encompassing the north pacific. If you accept our invitation, a arrangements will be made for your reception in Fiji."[/i]

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[b]Dispatch from the United Federation of the East[/b]:

August Imperator Yuan Jia shall personally attend the meeting with one of our oldest allies. We are eager to see the security of the North Pacific remain in safe and reliable hands.

[b]Classified[/b]:

Yuan Jia's plane along with a Squadron of F-1 fighters and F-3 fighters was dispatched to Fiji for the operation, avoiding by several hundred nautical miles the Northern limits of Guinean Air space.

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Michael was already waiting with several of his accountants, and the chairman of the Royal Treasury when the August Imperator Yuan_Jia was escorted into the room, he himself flanked by an equal number of staff members. Once they were seated the meeting began.

[quote]<Yuan_Jia> King Atriever thank you for seeing us on short notice, we are eager to discuss the fate of Northern Micronesia and Hawaii.
<Michael_Atrevier> Indeed, I asked you to fly out there in person so that I may offer a proposal regarding several territorial assets the UFE will no doubt consider key strategic points.
<Yuan_Jia> Excellent, our interests primarily focus around the areas starting the Marianas Islands and extending out to Hawaii. Our concern here is the potential for disruptive influence particularly by the Guineans and their outright hostility as well as glorification of the Third Reich, what did you have in mind?
<Michael_Atrevier> For various reasons I have decided to begin unwinding the monpoly my nation has on the pacific, those reasons are for the most part economic.
<iamthey> We simply no longer have the resources to continue maintaining such an extensive empire.
<iamthey> To that end I would like to propose a turn over of the north pacific to the UFE, that turn over would include the Mariana's, Wake, Johnston's Atol, Hawaii, and Palau
<Yuan_Jia> What terms are you looking for for such a transfer?
<Michael_Atrevier> As we are turning these over for economic purposes, we are looking to extract at least a part of the future economic value they can be projected to produce.
<Yuan_Jia> Hmm... they do have significant strategic value, perhaps 100 billion bancors in precious metals could be sufficient?
<Michael_Atrevier> That will suffice. *look to accountant*
<Michael_Atrevier> Accoutant: That would be 63,500,000 Troy ounces of gold sir. *Atrevier Nodded*
<Yuan_Jia> Execellent, I shall instruct the treasury to make the conversion to gold and send it to your nation.
<Michael_Atrevier> Very well, I think that concludes our negotiation
<Yuan_Jia> Excellent, thank your for your time, and good luck with your economic situation.
<Michae_Atrevier> Thank you Imperator.[/quote]

The two shook hands to confirm the bargain and both statesmen departed.

Edited by iamthey
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  • 2 weeks later...

*Private*

Preparations had been in order for weeks, the adjunct royal offices in wellington, and the western pacific had been a flurry of activity as local leaders and political coalitions negotiated and prepared to legally exit the empire. It had been decided that the formal structure in place after exit would comprise of a mixed government with local representative returning to their respective regions and prefects as well as the relevant sector controllers acting as local executives under a protectorate government. While Michael was eager to curtail the dead weight from his holdings he wanted to ensure that the human element was at least addressed- it would be wholly irresponsible to allow territories stable for centuries to descend into anarchy. Regardless one thing was absolutely certain, both areas on question were utterly uninterested in being annexed by an existing power, both were instead interested in eventually reforming into their own nation. However, lacking proper infrastructure and leadership, they would have to settle with a protectorate for now.

The legal realities of oceania were complicated and so he had realized almost immediately that in order for parts of the pacific beyond simply midway to be maintained he would have to maintain in the interim a new governmental headquarters that would need to be established within the OU boundary, specifically at Fiji. While he would personally live in Avalon, the machine of the pacific administration would be local thereby satisfying any legal questions.

Soon all matters would be settled and all that would remain is the simple matter of coaxing the agreement of Selenarctos.

[b]*Private to Selenarctos*[/b]

"Esteemed Allies and Neighbors,

His Majesty the King wishes to extend to your leadership an invitation to a private reception in Fiji which will concern the security and stability of various Pacific territories."

Edited by iamthey
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*Private*

President Melchoro Diokno and his officers were greeted by Atrevier and the same team of attendants that had accompanied him on the last deal, this time with the addition of Viktor Konrad. Exchanging pleasantries the two leaders shook hands before taking their seats. "I would like to thank you for agreeing to meet me here on such short notice President Diokno, what I would like to discuss with you is a most auspicious project which hopefully will both rejuvenate and restore a portion of the Pacific community. It is a long time in the making, but it has now become clear that the continued maintenance of my pan Pacific Empire will both fail to serve the people and the state. The state has been stretching its finances to meet with the failing infrastructure on the mainland, and the immensity of the empire itself has become a tremendous burden on the citizens themselves. To this end it is necessary that I begin a phased withdrawal from at least some of our territorial positions. The nature of that withdrawal, whether it be a calamitous downfall, or a simply administrative turn over is entirely dependent on what happens here today." He let the words sit for a moment.

"What I propose is first that the territory of New Zealand, the current seat of my government, be permitted to secede forming its own local administration- without a military or national government I ask that the OU protect it as a part of its general territorial holdings. Second I would like for your nation to take charge of the Carolinas, and Kiribati preserving them as a protectorate of your own nation. I ask that neither the OU or yourself sacrifice any monetary sum for these gains as the local representatives of each will be compensating Greater Pacifica in lump sum for the lost investment and long term economic output- however I do ask that they be safe guarded for rule by their own local populations- I have spoken to representatives in each territory and they are quite adamant that they do not wish to be annexed by any external nation. So I ask you, is this proposition and its conditions acceptable to you?"

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"Please accept my condolences Mr. Atrevier: in the short time I have held the title of President in Selenarctos, trails I hoped never to undergo have appeared on a near-daily basis. I can only imagine how you have held together Greater Pacifica for nearly a century, and still you place the needs of your people and country before personal ambitions.

"On behalf of Selenarctos and Oceanic Union, I accept your proposal. We shall respect your wishes and the wishes of the Pacifican people to once again form a government of their own. We shall protect people and the islands of New Zealand as an Oceanic Union protectorate with any assistance they may require until such time that a government emerges, ready to govern the region once again. As you request, Selenarctos shall also hold the Carolinas and Kiribati as our own protectorate. The Carolinan and Kiribati people shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any native-Selenarctan.

"If there is anything else Selenarctos may do to assist, please do not hesitate to ask: it is the least I can do for a long time ally and friend."

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"I believe that clears all tasks at hand. I wish you well on you return to Selenarctos, and thank you once again for your assistance here. I assure you, that you and your nation will be remembered as a great benefactor to the people of the Pacific. In the coming weeks I will make a formal pronouncement affirming this arrangement and assenting to the secession of the concerned territories." The two leaders concluded the meeting and vacated the room. A few final arrangements were necessary before full withdrawal.

Edited by iamthey
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