The Outpost

[Subtleknifewielder]

He cocked his head in that manner that indicated he was listening, and with curiosity, no less.

Of course, she had no concrete proof that he was Subtleknifewielder, but putting all those facts together, it did build a strong case of circumstantial evidence. He couldn't help but smirk just a little at the way her mind worked--very astute. It had never been his intention to tell Sarah about who he really was, but in the end, that had worked out, as she was one of the few people that could be trusted. If things held true to the course he saw unfolding, then in the future he might consider telling Amyante. But not right now.

"I will admit I do have authorization for just about anything, due to the nature in which the missive was delivered. I could even negotiate the terms of the treaty if you wished, but I would be unable to sign it myself. Even if I was Subtleknifewielder...I don't recall his name ever being on a treaty. I believe it was always whoever was the government's public face."

Such a speech would probably confirm the Queen's suspicions that he was more than he seemed, but leave her in doubt about just how much more. Time for a slight shift in the direction of the conversation.

"In any case, show me the treaty you had in mind. I can probably tell you if the Administrator will sign it or not. By fortunate circumstance, I know the man personally, as a friend."

[Amyante]

Amyante hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She could tell that Anthony held a fairly high rank within Promised Land, but simply didn't yet know enough about the country aside from the fact that it was led by a person with an alias of 'Subtleknifewielder'. A bit out of the ordinary, she had to admit, but judging by what she had seen so far most of the leaders had some way of coping with the responsibility of leading a nation. The Dragons had their Council, Lu had his royal marriage plans, Haruhi had her SOS Brigade... and if the Promised Land leader felt better using an alias then who was she to complain?

- "It is what i had hoped for, to be honest. Either way, i was hoping you'd like to read through the AUP charter when you have the time, not to sign but to consider. As for the actual treaties, i was thinking of a fairly basic Mutual Defense Part, or Non Aggression Pact if need be... Also, some kind of economic treaty that would allow you to build a nuclear power plant on Zargathian soil. Oh, we'd pay for that one of course, and in doing so conveniently find a use for the uranium taken from the missiles. All you'd need to do is send an empty shipment of uranium while claiming it to be full."

She leaned back a bit after putting said AUP documents on the table in between them. The other treaties would depend too heavily on what Anthony believed would benefit Promised Land for her to set one up beforehand, but they were relatively easy to write up. Still, an amused smirk appeared on her face as she toyed with the idea that Promised Land might actually end up joining the AUP, and imagining haruhi's reaction to the news.

[Subtleknifewielder]

He leaned forward to pick up the documents in question, the smirk still in place. Yes, he definitely liked how this woman's mind worked. The economic treaty she suggested, as a way to conveniently dispose of the initial problem, was genius. Not that he thought that was the only reason for the treaty, but it did make a VERY convenient cover.

Seemingly absently, he began reading through the charter of the AUP as he replied. "That is very clever of you. Yes, I think an economic treaty is in order, all right. The Mutual Defence Pact sounds nice, too."

[Amyante]

Amyante nodded, the smile on her face doing little to hide the relief she was feeling. An economic treaty AND a Mutual Defense Pact with a country Sarah trusted, it was almost too good to be true. Even disregarding what it would mean if Promised Land would end up joining the AUP, Zargathia itself was now well on its way to having ties with every major country in the Pacific as well as a foothold in Australia. With a small sense of irony she couldn't help but wonder if her own network was bigger than the AUP's now, but knew it wouldn't really matter in the end. As for the treaties...

- "Great! Given that our nations are going to be working together for a while, think we should exchange diplomats?"

Feeling slightly flustered under the praise, she was nevertheless a bit hesitant about asking for a diplomatic exchange, fearing it might be a little too much to ask for at once. On the other side, she had a feeling she was on a roll, and was feeling a little giddy of all things thanks to the way the day had been turning out so far.

[Subtleknifewielder]

The smirk transformed into a genuine smile. She definitely reminded him of Sarah in more ways than one. Or at least, an earlier Sarah, one that hadn't been transformed so much by the cruelty of the world. Perhaps she would, indeed, prove to be Sarah's heir in the world of diplomacy and advocating peace.

"I don't see why that would be a problem. Embassies aren't restricted to just allies," he commented, thinking specifically of nations like Tahoe, with whom they rarely saw eye-to-eye.

"Yes, an exchange of embassies is long overdue, I think," he concluded, at about the same time he set the AUP charter down again. He'd read through it already, and liked what he saw.

[Amyante]

- "Hmm... Rao Zixin. Can be a little too confident at times, but i'm sure you'll manage."

She chuckled at that. She knew a number of her diplomats by name, having met them a number of times because she felt that if they were to represent her in another nation, that they would have to at least know who she was. It was a good thing she had, as it allowed her to send Mayoi to the Haruhiists for knowing her as a person. Or, in this case, send a diplomat with an extra helping of confidence to a country that was quite likely one of the strongest on the planet. Had they been assigned the other way around it would have spelled disaster in both cases.

- "Right, i think that's pretty much everything. Unless there's something i overlooked?"

She bit a corner of her lip as she looked at Anthony, hoping more than waiting for his feedback. She had the impression she had everything pretty much covered that she could think of, but her relative political inexperience made her wonder whether she had actually thought of everything.

[Subtleknifewielder]

"I'd ask to be assigned myself as diplomat here, but I'm more of a 'roving' type. The kind used for meetings like this, summits, that sort of thing. In reality, I think Marietta Gibbens would be the best choice for our return ambassador." Since he was officially a part of the diplomatic corps, he made it his job to know who was available when.

"Right, I think that's pretty much everything. Unless there's something I overlooked?"

The smile remained. "Well, you wouldn't have any other crises that you would prefer to be handled quietly?" he asked half-jokingly. "Anyway, just type up the proposed treaties and send them to Administrator Anderson. Or if you prefer, I can remain here and take them back myself."

OOC: Strongest on the planet? I'm flattered...

[Amyante]

OOC: Well yeah, you're one of the largest countries on the World Map. With NS being OOC info, you'd definitely be top tier, yeah

IC:

- "Heh, no other problems that i know of, but let's not jinx it shall we?"

Amyante grinned, looking far more relaxed than she had had in the elevator, and the reason for it was quite obvious. She felt as if a weight had fallen off her shoulders, and even though she kept telling herself she wasn't there yet it felt as if she had just gotten at least twelve steps closer to her goal. In addition, she had managed to make a new ally along the way, and one that might possibly join the AUP as well given time.

- "Hmm... Actually, i was wondering if it would be better if Promised Land wrote up the treaties. Especially the economic one allowing foreign personnel into Zargathia for construction of the power plant, as i honestly have little to no experience with that kind of document. As for the MDP... Would you like to add shared Intelligence or would you prefer to keep it simple?"

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: huh...I never thought about it that way...

IC: "Heh, no other problems that I know of, but let's not jinx it shall we?"

Her tension seemed to visibly shrink and vanish before his very eyes, and his smile grew even wider. It seemed he was relaxing too. he nodded his agreement, managing a slight chuckle.

"...Would you like to add shared Intelligence or would you prefer to keep it simple?"

He blinked. "I don't suppose there's anything wrong with us drafting the treaties. I just thought you might already have had a rough idea in mind. And it depends on what degree of shared intelligence. Total cooperation? Or did you simply mean that if one of our nations comes across intelligence that is applicable to the security of the other, it gets shared? In that latter case, I see absolutely no problem. In the former, I'm not quite sure how Anderson would react."

[Amyante]

Amyante thought on the new name that Anthony had mentioned, of someone called Anderson. Another name she didn't know, and from the sound of it was important. Not wanting to pry she filed it away for later use, just in case she might meet this Anderson herself one day.

- "Nono, just information that would involve one another, and some joint projects if the situation calls for it, but not much else. Given the size of Zargathian External and Internal Security, that would be all we could be able to match. As for the treaties... While i do have a draft in mind i make it a point not to write up all of my treaties, to add a small layer of protection against consistent errors i might be making. That, and it generally pays off to get some fresh ideas and angles every once in a while."

She found herself looking forward to seeing the drafts, mostly for the fact that she would be able to compare them to her own writings thus far, and get an indication of how good (or bad) she was doing when it came to setting up a treaty.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Richard Anderson is the Administrator, the current public face of the government.

IC: He nodded firmly. "In that case, I see nothing wrong with shared Intelligence, and I will inform my superiors of our agreement so the applicable documents are drawn up."

Again, more proof of how well her mind worked. A person that was willing to admit to the possibility of themselves making a mistake was a person who was that much further safeguarded against making more mistakes.

"I can perfectly understand that idea. One person can do a lot, sometimes, but it never hurts to bring in a fresh mind to apply themselves to a problem. It's amazing, really, how something that would completely elude a rocket scientist can sometimes be solved by a small child."

He blinked, shaking his head. He hadn't meant to wax philisophical, but what was said, was said. He indicated the documents he had put back on the table. "Do you mind if I take those with me? I assume they are only copies..."

OOC: I'll have to write up the treaties; I don't have any templates set up. I'll have to rectify that right away...

[Amyante]

Amyante nodded in confirmation to both Anthony's philosophical comment as well as his question. The originals were being safely kept behind lock and key in her bedroom safe, with none save her even being aware of the safe's existance. The 'originals' in the Zargathian Archives were copies themselves as well, as part of her backup should something happen to them.

- "They are. I figured that regardless if you'd be interested in joining the AUP or not, you'd still want to have the charter even if it was for personal referrence."

She took a sip of tea before wincing, muttering something about 'cold' as she carefully put down the porcelain cup again. It was a rather old set, an antique in its own right, but there were some things that were unavoidable in the eyes of symbolism.

OOC: Do you want to write them up IC now (i post signing them) or later (post-timeskip at the end of the meeting)?

[Subtleknifewielder]

Amyante nodded in confirmation to both Anthony's philosophical comment as well as his question. The originals were being safely kept behind lock and key in her bedroom safe, with none save her even being aware of the safe's existance. The 'originals' in the Zargathian Archives were copies themselves as well, as part of her backup should something happen to them.

- "They are. I figured that regardless if you'd be interested in joining the AUP or not, you'd still want to have the charter even if it was for personal referrence."

She took a sip of tea before wincing, muttering something about 'cold' as she carefully put down the porcelain cup again. It was a rather old set, an antique in its own right, but there were some things that were unavoidable in the eyes of symbolism.

OOC: Do you want to write them up IC now (i post signing them) or later (post-timeskip at the end of the meeting)?

To be polite, he also took a sip of the tea she'd given him. Like she had muttered, it had indeed gotten cold in the time they had spent conversing. He studied the cup she'd given him, as well as the one she'd used, and

"I have to say, it is refreshing to meet someone who thinks of just about everything, but is still willing to admit that they might make mistakes. Too many people are too stubborn to admit mistakes, or too timid to speak up...you get the idea." He picked up the folder containing the charter again.

"So, do you have some paper or a computer I can draft the treaties on?"

OOC: Check your inbox. The treaties should be in there. As for when...well, he was the one who negotiated. I think he should be the one to write the treaties. So IC-wise, he'll write them now, and at the end of the meeting, they are announced to the world.

[Amyante]

OOC: I know, already saw them. My OOC was kind of vague on that because i was at work, and had to speedtype the final part

IC:

Amyante nodded and pointed to a computer sitting near the wall. It was old and still ran on Windows 95, but when it came to writing up international treaties it was still more than enough. That and playing Minesweeper.

As Anthony would type, Amyante would momentarily leave the room to make some more tea for herself after asking if her guest would like some fresh tea, or something else to drink. Should Anthony check, the computer held little of interest apart from a couple of treaty templates and an agenda that the computer seemed to need most of its available memory to open. Needless to say, it was not connected to the Internet.

[Subtleknifewielder]

"Thank you," Anthony said, sitting down in front of the computer. The man couldn't resist a chuckle at seeing the software it used, but it was perfectly functional, so who was he to object?

As he began typing, he heard her ask if he wanted anything to drink. "Actually, a simple glass of water would be nice," he responded, taking the time to glance away from the screen and meet her eye as he spoke. His fingers kept moving across the keyboard, almost of their own voalition.

It actually didn't take very long--the treaties were finished before she came back with her tea and his water.

Anthony was almost tempted to explore and see what else Amyante might have on there, but for once he quelled his curious and semi-paranoid behavior and simply let it be, waiting for her to return. She was trusting him, why should he not return the sentiment?

OOC: Ah, I see.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Amyante]

OOC: Yeah, Windows 95 is the closest to Third World tech i can get while still having computers

IC:

After the printer churned out the documents, Amyante took a while to read through them. Fortunately she didn't forget about her tea this time, and by the time she finished reading she had finished her tea as well. So far, she couldn't see anything she wanted to put up for discussion, even the article concerning free trade was pretty much the same as the one from the Asian Union she was an EAZ-level member of.

- "Very well, everything appears to be in order. I'd like to request reduced tariffs instead of abolishing them altogether though, it would make it similar to what i've signed for the members of the Asian Union and the AUP. Aside from that small detail, i'm pleased to mention that we are in agreement."

Taking out a pen, she signed both documents before sliding them over to Anthony. Two more originals would be printed out and signed so both Promised Land and Zargathia would have access to the original documents should the need arise for it, and that would pretty much conclude the meeting.

Signed for Zargathia,

(scribble)

Queen Amyante Tojimaru

After finishing signing all four documents (two treaties twice) she turned to look at Anthony, a small amount of worry started to replace the enthusiasm that had been there before.

- "Oh, and i saw Sarah recently, she's the one that suggested i talk to you about the missiles. She said she'd bump into you in the future."

Her smile slipped a little further, remembering what had happened at the war memorial. It was clear that whatever was bothering Amyante concerned Sarah, and the Zargathian Queen looked troubled, trying to decide whether or not to bring something up.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: I'll buy into that reasoning.

IC: "Very well, I'll make that one small change. I'm sure my government will sign it." Anthony waited patiently for her to put her signatures on the documents, then the copies.

And though that concluded the business of the meeting, Amyante looked like she had something else to say. And whatever it was, it was troubling her.

"Oh, and I saw Sarah recently, she's the one that suggested I talk to you about the missiles. She said she'd bump into you in the future."

He'd been picking up the documents when she spoke, intending to give them one last glance to ensure everything was in order. That thought vanished from his mind the instant she mentioned Sarah, and the documents slipped from his grasp to flutter softly to the floor, where they lay forgotten. He absently thought that it made sense now why she'd turned to him.

"Wha-- Y-you saw Sarah? How was she? Was she all right?" He didn't even attempt to conceal his shock, though he folded his hands under his arms to keep them from shaking. Though he suspected Sarah could take care of herself, it didn't stop him from worrying.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Amyante]

Amyante slowly nodded, briefly glancing at the documents but deciding picking them up could wait. Anthony seemed worried enough as it was, and it would only be fair to fill him in as well. Ironically, she wondered if it would fall under the Shared Intelligence article of the MDP she just signed, but pushed back that thought before answering.

- "Yeah... In a way. It's... she reminds me of a late friend of my father's. Always lived for his work, ran long hours even though he complained about it at times. Then he retired, and found himself with nothing to do and just... gave up i suppose. That's the feeling i got from our meeting, that she's looking for something to do yet not really knowing what it is. Sad too, like she's blaming herself for a lot of things."

She looked up from studying her hands, trying to read Anthony's reaction and anticipating on it out of habit, but it had little influence on what she said next.

- "Oh and uhh... You didn't get this from me, alright? I don't think she wanted me to mention her name, but i figured you deserved to know. Also, i don't know how to reach her anymore either, the reason we met was because of a message that was sent when she still led the Hansa. She's a fighter though, i think she'll pull through. And she said she'd see you, and she's not the type to back down on a promise."

She bit a corner of her lip, a mannerism of hers when she was trying to decide what to do next. Taking a deep breath, she waited to see how Anthony would react to the news, and mentally forced herself to stop fidgeting.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Anthony hung onto her every word, not interrupting, and not out of simple politeness this time, but out of fear he might prevent her from mentioning some critical piece of information.

"Yeah... In a way. It's... she reminds me of a late friend of my father's. Always lived for his work, ran long hours even though he complained about it at times. Then he retired, and found himself with nothing to do and just... gave up i suppose. That's the feeling i got from our meeting, that she's looking for something to do yet not really knowing what it is. Sad too, like she's blaming herself for a lot of things."

"That sounds like Sarah all right," he managed to say. "I don't think she completely thought through the implications when she set down her job as Lady Protector. Your impression that she's blaming herself for many things is spot on, though it's not my place to tell you what those things are."

After his intial shock had worn off, though, Anthony managed to tone down the body language. His expression was once again the calm and collected one it had been upon his arrival, and his hands, no longer shaking, were folded neatly on his lap, though if she looked closely, Amyante would notice one of the fingers possessed a nervous twitch, the tip just barely tapping the back of the other hand.

"Oh and uhh... You didn't get this from me, alright? I don't think she wanted me to mention her name, but i figured you deserved to know. Also, i don't know how to reach her anymore either, the reason we met was because of a message that was sent when she still led the Hansa. She's a fighter though, i think she'll pull through. And she said she'd see you, and she's not the type to back down on a promise."

He smiled again, an almost mysterious expression. He had ways of finding her if he really wanted to. And now that he actually knew she was fine, there was no reason to hesitate. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. But from what you say, it sounds like she wanted you to tell me anyway. Why else would she say she'd see me, after referring you to me?"

He shook his head, the smile turning into another worried expression. "Like you, I trust that she will pull through, given time. As long as she has that time. She must have forgotten that even she has made enemies. As long as they don't find her first, she'll be fine."

[Amyante]

- "Probably. She called herself an 'old friend' in the message she wanted me to relay to you, but yeah... I guessed you'd figure it out sooner or later anyway. Like Promised Land, Zargathia bordered former Hansaic territories, and given the distance i'm guessing there aren't that many other mutual acquaintances we both trust to this level."

Her smile returned then, and though she did notice the nervous twitch Anthony momentarily had she thought nothing of it. She nodded when he mentioned trusting Sarah, though the mention of enemies made her bite the corner of her lip again.

- "Yeah. At this point, all we can do is trust her and hope for the best until she resurfaces i guess... So anyway, want me to help gather up those treaties?"

In an attempt to lighten the conversation again, Amyante tried changing topics. Though she previously believed that it would be a cold day in Hell that she'd consider talking diplomacy 'light conversation', it seemed every rule had its exception...

[Subtleknifewielder]

"Probably. She called herself an 'old friend' in the message she wanted me to relay to you, but yeah... I guessed you'd figure it out sooner or later anyway. Like Promised Land, Zargathia bordered former Hansaic territories, and given the distance I'm guessing there aren't that many other mutual acquaintances we both trust to this level."

"Mm-hmm." Anthony nodded in agreement. He didn't answer in words, because there really wasn't much he needed to say in response to that. There wasn't much he could say in response to that, really. The nod was enough.

"Yeah. At this point, all we can do is trust her and hope for the best until she resurfaces I guess... So anyway, want me to help gather up those treaties?"

That mysterious smile showed itself again. Now that he knew for certain Sarah was still alive, he knew how he could find her, given just a little time. But there was no need to mention that either, and when Amyante changed the subject, he didn't object.

"Yes, thank you." Conveniently enough, two of the papers had fluttered to the floor near her feet, and the others weren't far from where Anthony had sat.

[Amyante]

Amyante reached down to pick up the sheets of paper that had landed near her, and dropped to her knees for a second to look if any remained under the table. Fortunately the pages were numbered, so there'd be virtually no chance of something going wrong from one of them not having all the pages. After briefly sorting them out again, it occurred to her that the treaty was now truly mutual, in a way, as even the treaties themselves now consisted of pages from both copies.

- "...Okay, that should be all of them again. When should we announce them, right now or should we wait until you get back to Promised Land first?"

There was, of course, always the risk of some armed group or another wanting someone dead, as even in the safest of countries the chance could not be overruled completely. Given that Zargathia was still a bit lacking when it came to the Air Force and Navy it might be better to wait a bit, given that she had seen no guards with Anthony when he arrived, it seemed the larger your country got the more attention you attracted, and said attention was not necessarily good either. Regardless, she would leave that decision up to him to decide.

[Subtleknifewielder]

"Thank you," Anthony said again, as she stood straight with the pages in her hand.

He himself had checked to ensure that none had slid under his chair, though he considered that unlikely.

"...Okay, that should be all of them again. When should we announce them, right now or should we wait until you get back to Promised Land first?"

"Well...considering that Administrator Anderson hasn't actually signed them yet, we should probably wait," he answered without a moment's hesitation.

He himself was not worried about security. he trusted Amyante while he was here, and once he left, he'd be anonymous once more.

"Still, I'm confident he will do so," he said, to reassure any doubts Amyante might have. he also held out his free hand to shake, if she wished. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can talk again someday, without the need to worry about affairs of state."

[Amyante]

Amyante stood up to shake Anthony's hand, and smiled as she returned the wish for the two of them to meet again someday. They probably would, she sure traveled around often enough, and it would be likely that during their next meeting the circumstances would be better. She waited for a few seconds to watch him leave, then sighed as she remembered that he would be needing the access key to actually leave her home again.

- "Mr. Harlem, i have some more work to do here i'm afraid, but my Chief of Security will escort you outside. Again, my thanks for being able to come on such short notice."

Ulrica would arrive then, throwing an empty beer can in the trash bin before walking up to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. Amyante, being the host, would traditionally wait until Anthony was out of view before commencing on the work she needed to do, chief among which making a copy for the Archives, and storing the originals of the treaties that were signed into the vault. Ulrica on the other hand would not be as talkative, but still answer questions should Anthony have them.

[Subtleknifewielder]

In one of the rare instances where he forgot a detail, Anthony stopped at the elevator door. It came to him a moment later that he would need to be escorted out if he wanted to leave. Shaking his head and chuckling, he turned around to face Amyante again.

"Mr. Harlem, I have some more work to do here i'm afraid, but my Chief of Security will escort you outside. Again, my thanks for being able to come on such short notice."

"No problem," he said and this time his smile was just that--no hidden meanings behiond it, no other feelings--just a genuine, honest smile. He hadn't smiled like that since Sarah had disappeared, but this meeting had given him hope.

"Next time you have a problem you want to quietly make go away, contact Administrator Anderson directly. He is a direct link to Subtleknifewielder himself. I typed his number, along with the private passcode that will tell his aide to put you directly through to him, into your computer, and saved it as a WORD document. Hope you don't mind."

On the way up, he eyed Ulrica more directly than he'd dared on the way down, the smile still fixed firmly on his face. But as for questions...no, he didn't really have any, not that he thought she'd anwer anyway.

OOC: If you want to post the treaties now with the alteration you suggested, feel free to do so.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder