[RP] Turn 44 Schuyler Talks DC-TH-RD

[Holt]

The world of Schuyler and its important industries were always heavily garrisoned and the people were used to a heavy military presence, but this was more than usual. In orbit Naval assets clouded even the stars from view as they patrolled every millimeter of space, while on the ground nine regiments led by the 2nd Genyosha patrolled every kilometer of the capital.


Minoru starred out the window of the conference center he and his personnel had taken over when one of his Otomo guards entered the office, "All is ready Coordinator, we have placed guards every over meter within the complex and a DEST team guards the chamber we will be using."

"Excellent Tai-sa please inform all out troops how proud I am of them this day, now we wait for our guests," spoke Minoru as he continued to stare out the window.

[Dave Baughman]

The Terran representative, dressing in a Word of Blake Precentor's uniform bearing the rank insignia of a THAF General and the badge of the 14th Shadow Division entered the conference room and bowed courteously to the Coordinator.

"Hajimemash'te, Kanji-dono. Watashi wa Benjamin Emory Tai-sho, Chikyu Haken Kokugun."

His introductions made, Emory awaiting the arrival of his Dominion counterpart.

[Fatebringer]

A modest star of warships were still standing by in the system, all of them were destroyers except the heaviest of them, a Sovestkii Soyuz Cruiser.  Along with them came over two dozen other jumpships had ferried the forces that served as the Prince Elects guard to this dangerous meeting. However only a few handfuls were allowed personal bodyguards. An insistence upon the addition of the TH representative to the continuing talks between the Price Elect and the Coordinator.

[Fatebringer]

The prince elect gave a curt nod to the Precentor as he re-entered the chamber. "Coordinator" he said giving a slight bow.

[Dave Baughman]

Emory returned the gesture, "I must admit, I was not expecting you to attend in person, Prince Månsdottir."

"Let us not waste time on meaningless niceties. The Terran Hegemony, as a pre-requisite to any negotiations, requires that the Dominion institute an immediate cease-fire, effective for the duration of these discussions. If you cannot agree to this minimum requirement, then there is no point in further discussions."

[Holt]

After the entrance of the Prince-Elect the doors of the chamber close behind him, but not before the final members of the DEST team are let in.

"You will excuse me gentlemen for the very tight security, but after what has happened before i cannot take any chances, i give you my word as Coordinator that no harm will come to any of you. We are all here for one reason, though their is very bad blood between all of us; we must find some common ground or those that are not really friendly to us will be dancing on our graves."

"To begin and try to turn over a new leaf I as the Dragon have a confession to make, one that will not be repeated outside this chamber. It was my operation over Tamar which inflicted the Clan warship casualties via nuclear devices. As you know some of our decisions are harder than others and it is something I had to do."

[Dave Baughman]

Emory nodded to the Coordinator's words, perhaps silently expressing approval and respect, but did not comment on the revelation; instead he turned his eyes to Magnusson and waited to hear the Rasalhague man's response.

[Fatebringer]

"Let us not waste time on meaningless niceties. The Terran Hegemony, as a pre-requisite to any negotiations, requires that the Dominion institute an immediate cease-fire, effective for the duration of these discussions. If you cannot agree to this minimum requirement, then there is no point in further discussions."

Hannsen sized Emory up. He knew the type, pushy and subtle at the same time. He'd definitely had special training in psychology and the finer arts of thuggery, anything to keep his prey off balance. Choosing to avoid the confrontation for now, Hannsen simply said "I acknowledge that while these discussions are underway, the forces of the Dominion shall not 'initiate' any combat situations..." he looked over at the coordinator, "with any forces belonging to those present for this meeting." Choosing ones words carefully with an obvious agitator was an art form he'd learned well amongst his years.

"To begin and try to turn over a new leaf I as the Dragon have a confession to make, one that will not be repeated outside this chamber. It was my operation over Tamar which inflicted the Clan warship casualties via nuclear devices. As you know some of our decisions are harder than others and it is something I had to do."

Hannsen's eyes narrowed. "We agreed to discuss the future. While it makes me question your motives, I would be a hypocrite to treat you any differently then I did them when I thought the Terrans ordered the strikes. I am a realist coordinator. I am here because I have a responsibility to my people to find out what peace would cost them."

[Holt]

I would not think peace will cost anything, on the contrary we will gain from it. I tell you the truth because we all need to put our cards on the table in order to find a possible common ground and eventually, peace.

[Fatebringer]

"Coordinator, the more you try to bullshit me, the less we'll get done here. Apparently you were slinging a lot of bull yesterday. But you know what? I wasn't. The things I said yesterday are true today and will be true the day that Ragnarok comes and if you want to deal with me, you'll cut the crap." He looked over at Emory, "You don't want to waste time? Fine! My people mean a lot to me Precentor. How much do yours mean to you? The Ravens collected quite a few of yours. To be specific, over two thousand of your personal from the battles at Sudeten and Planting. Over four hundred of these prisoners failed their genetic marker tests. The Ravens had to secured them away in special areas for their own protection from the other clans who were spacing their prisoners that failed the tests. Now, I don't have these prisoners as they're all in the custody of the Snow Ravens but considering their position in the Dominion, if their return to you could help stop these little incursions that keep happening in our land" He looks over at the coordinator "From the both of you, then I say we have a place to start from."

[Dave Baughman]

"I'm disappointed, Prince Månsdottir, I wasn't expecting you to resort to bartering with the lives of our POWs until at least a half hour into the negotiations, but I suppose not everything can live up to our expectations."

"The Terran Hegemony's demands are simple if you wish us to terminate our offensive - and intervene on your behalf to stop the related SLDF offensive: the Dominion must declare neutrality in the war between the Grand Council and the Star League; to wit, you must cease all active support of the Grand Council, including financial contributions and intelligence sharing. You will allow civilian observers from a neutral party - I would recommend the Draconis Combine - to monitor your border garrisons. You will also report the positions of your naval forces to the same neutral observer every sixty days to ensure the maintainence of your neutrality."

"As a declared neutral, you will not allow any beligerant to cross your territory or reside within it; any vessels or military personnel that violate your borders must be impounded for the duration of the conflict."

Emory paused for a moment, then added: "Oh, and the Dominion will return all prisoners of war in its custody to the Terran Hegemony. We will, of course, reciprocate."

"Before you protest the onerous nature of our demands, remember that you - you personally, Månsdottir - signed a treaty of peace and non-agression with the Terran Hegemony on Terra. I'm not foolish enough to believe that you couldn't have stopped Athena Kabrinski if you actually wanted to, so you need to be aware that my government holds you personally responsible for the breaking of that treaty. We tried taking you at your word that you would not turn on the Hegemony, so this time we are going to require a more clearly-defined solution."

[Fatebringer]

"Our decision to drop out of that treaty has not changed. The Dominion is done being a doormat and as your forces will find out if they DO NOT vacate our territory. I can not go to the tribunal with these unreasonable demands. Both the Ghost Bears and the Snow Ravens have redes of honor they must fulfill. The fact is that the Dominion holds a twenty percent vote in the Grand Council as well as two of the top position, these are not tools to be abandoned. The Coordinator tried to convince me that the other Clans will not aid us. But he is wrong. They would come, because you are coming. The Clans didn't go to Tamar to fight the wolves, they went to Tamar to find you. Their long time enemy and pretty much the only thing that unites them. We have been pushing for civility and temperance while dealing with your people. Now, tell me, what people do you claim to have of ours?"

[Dave Baughman]

Emory shrugged, "I suppose I could engage in one-upsmanship with you and say that we have Tor Miraborg and his staff - they are certainly in our power on Terra - but I'll demure from the sort of utter disregard of diplomatic protections that your father's minions engaged in a few years ago."

"We do however have a moderate number of Snow Raven personnel who were recovered by Terran SAR shuttles during Sudeten, warriors and," he made quotesie-signs in mid air, "civilians from the technician and science castes alike. Certainly no one we're holding back the rest of the Star League from murdering, but then again the Star League isn't as quick to murder POWs as the Grand Council seems intent on."

Emory chuckled, "Oh and of course we have a good friend of yours. Do you remember William Prescott, the former Varldherr of Karbala? He turned up at our HPG station on Skye about a month ago. We haven't formally granted him asylumn yet, and I you must still be a little sore about the whole Karbala Klan Killers incident."

"But I digress; you've rejected neutrality, so what alternative do you propose? I should we reconvene after my troops have taken Orestes and Grumium?"

[Mr. JibberJab]

ooc. Sorry to butt in fate, but i know ol HM a little better, so let me take this from here =)


Hanson Magnusson only grinned at the mention of William prescott,"Then give him my warmest regards, no hard feelings about the failed assassination attempt?? You know...now that i think about it, I do owe him a letter of thanks, That stunt he pulled actually helped pull the Ghostbears and Rasalhagians together, Creating the Order of Ragnar." The elected prince said with a chuckle as thought of the new logo a ghostbear warrior had drawn after the battle.
 
 "sore? no, I mean, its not like they made a terrorist attack against the riksdag. We have no rejected Neutrality, If we had Do you not think long ago the Rasalhague dominion would have invaded the Terren Hegemony? I am open to peace, but the question is, are you? The elected prince asked, his one eye looking directly into both of Emorys.

  "As we're putting all our cards on the table, I have a few I would like to express, if for no other reason than i'v been forced to laugh about them by myself. you know, state secrets and walls having ears and all."

   Hansson took a sip from a glass of water before a smile splayed across his lips,"Controling a Kabrinski is like herding cats, sure you can tell them something, but that doesn't mean your gona get the end result you expected. Cameron kabrinski comes to mind." the elected prince said as he took another sip from his glass," Did you know for example, That his wife is a decended of the clan of wolverine? HA! i can just imagen the smug looks of those crusaders as they find out one their own not only married a wolverine decendent but had a child with her! Makes one wonder for the future."

  "but alas" sighed the elected prince,"Cameron died defending the freeminder ideals after the ghostbears had to save face from what was it again? oh yes, refusing to attack you!... But, heres the real kicker."  A grin spread across hanssons face,"He didn't die. Would you care to guess where he is?" He asked looking at minoru
 
  "New Avalon, Seems that Yvonne was quite taken with his story, I hear hes even teaching at the NAIS!"

  Looking back at Emory the elected prince smiled, his eye patch giving him an almost piratical look,"My last card? Since you mentioned Athena kabrinski, i have no problem telling you this. She pissed off one of the greatest, and this is my opinion, Mech warriors in the clans, maybe even the entire inner sphere. I won't tell you which one" the prince grinned,"But minoru knows of him,I believe one of your warriors faught him on Rasalhague?, But he has returned from a mission on New avalon where he was under the guise of Shwartz Broder and is -very- unpleased at Athena, To the point i can guarantee she will not be a problem, and that unless you provoke the dominion to war, means we will honor our peace treaty with the terrans."

 "however, I wish to avoid meaningless bloodshed, to the point im willing to offer you Athena Kabrinskis head on a platter, granted that much of it is left after Fochs Jorgennson gets ahold of her"

[Dave Baughman]

Benjamin Emory raised an eyebrow at what Magnusson had just said, "So am I to take it that the public declaration of war against the Terran Hegemony, the support for the Grand Council, the attack against a Star League member at Tamar, all of that was just a practical joke on the part of the Dominion?"

"You're going to have to forgive me, but I'm having a bit of a hard time believing that, especially since not ten seconds ago you told me that the Hegemony's eminiently reasonable requirements for continuing peace were unacceptable. Perhaps you would like to clarify what you had in mind as an alternative?"