ARCHIVED: To the Edge: The Galt Conference

Alvino Castillon

Alvino Castillon

TNPer
To All Whom This May Concern,
Greetings. I am President Wilson Roosevelt of the Almanianian Union. We are a relatively new player on the regional stage and we would like to say greetings to our nearby neighbors. Over the past few days, the Parliament of the Union has come to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for us to begin cooperation with other nations on the world stage that have ideals similar to our own. I agreed with the resolution set forth and set out to introduce ourselves to other nations of the North Pacific.

I have already had the pleasure of speaking with a few leaders of a few nearby nations and already have had the pleasure of discussing a few possible ideas as well. One of the major ideas that have come up repeatedly with discussions with other leaders and with my Cabinet is the formation of a possible pact of sorts. I wish to invite other democracies, republics, and representative monarchies to Galt City for a possible discussion for future relations and, if things go well enough, the possibility for the creation of a new pact between the different participants. I hope to see many of our different neighboring nations on November 6, at 10:00 AM in Conference Room #4 of the Galt Conference Hall in Galt City, the Capitol of the Union. Detailed instructions on how to get there are attached.

Once again, I do hope you will join us at the Conference and that we are able to come to a decisive conclusion... and a possible pact formation as well.

Sincerely,
Click to expand...

PLACE: Hallways of Galt Conference Hall, Galt City, District of Galt
DATE: November 6, 2012
TIME: 9:34 AM

"President Wilson Roosevelt." I read as I rolled my eyes. "Good lord Wilson, you sounded very... formal. Not like you at all. Are you sure this is a good idea?" I looked up from the paper to a grinning Wilson. I scowled a bit, already knowing the answer.

"Of course my dear boy! Your father would have done the same thing!" He responded, with his trademark smile. I gave him a sideways glance at the mention of my father, the former President John Lennon and sighed. One thing's for sure... he is right. My father would have wanted to attempt to create close relations with the other representative governments if he was still in office, and I certainly would have been at his side. However, my father suddenly announced that his fourth term (16 years) would be his last and he opened up the entire race in that instant. As the Election Day grew closer, more bland politicians announced their candidacy, and the people grew disheartened for the future of the country.

And then he came along. He was a man who had once challenged a bear and then brought it home with him to keep as a pet. He was a man who would go to the Senate in casual clothing and call everyone there by his first name. He was a man who would go around the capitol every weekend and talk to the common folk. He was a man who would always have a live chat on his website every night at 8 PM at the hour, on the hour. His name was Wilson Tyler Roosevelt, and within a few short weeks of announcing his candidacy, he rose all the way to the top of the polls with over 50% of the vote. He was elected on October 24, and quickly in the days after to build a Coalition government and a Cabinet. Eventually, he found one in the UCP and the EDEN Alliance and the two parties quickly place Julia Churchill into the office of Prime Minister. One of her first ideas was to begin building relations with other nations who have similar views to our own. The idea stuck and became a commonplace item on the agenda of many Cabinet meetings. A few weeks discussions with other leaders later… and here we are. We finally reached Conference Room #4 and opened the door.

“So… how do you plan on conducting this?” I asked him, as we walked into the Conference Room. He looked at me and gave me his signature smile. I wished I didn’t ask the question now, because I had a feeling I would hate his answer.

“Actually… you’re going to conduct this meeting.” He replied, without skipping a beat. I stopped dead in my tracks and gulped. Now I knew I was in trouble and now I realized that he had a plan regarding me. He chuckled and walked to his table and sat next to Mrs. Churchill, who apparently was here for a while. I stood there, dumbly, and tried to figure this out. This was not going to be easy to get leaders to even accept my appearance. It was one thing when my father was President. It’s another when he no longer is. I took a deep breath and walked over to take a seat at the front. As long as people don’t regard me as some eighteen year old child, I’ll be quite fine. If these people regard me as a child though… this meeting can go very wrong in an instant.
 
Officials of Koryo enter in formal attire, boots polished, and pens hanging on their front sleeves.
They smile, and gracefully shake the hands of other representatives of TNP.
 
The Malvadian foreign team arrives, consisting of the Czar, the ambassador to TNP, and the minister of foreign affairs. They take their seats and begin meeting the other representatives.
 
Chancellor Jarvis Kraven sat comfortably in Firstcraft, the Checkerian executive plane. He sipped peach tea with soy creamer and no sugar, his personal favorite, and looked over his notes on his laptop. Suddenly, without warning, his earpiece buzzed Bach's Symphony 5 in C minor. He sat up, alert. It was his signal for a Covert Intel Broadcast. Covert Intel, or cm5 (as it was known for its trademark signal) was the Chancellor's secret security agency. The public had no idea it existed, for its primary purpose was the complete protection of anything the Chancellor directed, primarily himself. They would be watching him now, one of their undercover agents on the plane. He gave a subtle nod and waited for the broadcast to begin.

"Jarvis," he heard, "this is an ultrasecret transmission. No one should know about this, no foreign staff, no diplomats, not even your cabinet. Now we've been sweeping the grounds in Galt, just as a normal check, and we saw something. We investigated more, and long story short, there are enemies lurking in Galt, and you're in danger. Greatly. Now if you have no objections, this plane should turn around immediately." Jarvis shook his head. Too much to lose, much to gain by going. For sure, he wanted to meet in Almaniania. "Okay, we get that. But we're putting Protocol F in place. Everyone around you is cleared by cm5, and there will be extra security unbeknownst to you or anyone in Galt around you at all times." Jarvis nodded. "From this point on, if you choose to go, you must obey cm5 at all times." He nodded again, with a grim smile. "Good luck, Chancellor. And- don't do anything stupid." Bach's Symphony played again. The transmission was finished.

A few minutes later, three things happened. One, Firstcraft landed in Galt, surrounded by cheering well-wishers from the Convention. Two, cm5 began scanning, and sent messages across the board, sending secret agents all over the grounds. Three, a man on Amber Alert by the international police ducked in a bathroom, and emerged in Conference Room 4 with a totally new identity and an automatic handgun in his jacket.
 
Czar Godric stood and spoke, "Unless we are waiting for any other representatives, I move that we begin this conference." He sat back down and waited for a response from the other representatives.
 
Well this sucked.

I stood silently near the front as Mr. Roosevelt and Mrs. Churchill shook hands with the other delegations. Quietly, I adjusted my suit and glared over at one of the advisers near the President. He gulped and saw how pissed off I was with Mr. Roosevelt. I got duped, and I got duped damn good. I really didn't want to lead this Conference as its Speaker... technically, I'm still a young adult. However, it didn't matter to him. I guess he wants me to play a role and show that he has the support of the Lennon Family. It's not that Mr. Roosevelt was a bad guy. He was very friendly, loved children, and loved nature. Him being angry is cool and collected to others. There wasn't much to hate about him. He just has a habit of not telling people his presentation or its contents until its the day of the presentation. He's a secretive man, but public at the same time.

I knew I wasn't getting out of this without embarrassing the President and the Prime Minister. I got cornered and damn it, there was only two ways out... and both could end in the mortification of the national government on a regional scale. If I walked out now, then the consequences are absolute. The President will be in trouble for entrusting an 18 year old to run a major Conference. If I don't walk out and I attempt to Chair the meeting, it could in successfully and no one gets in trouble... or it could go miserably and I could be in a lot of trouble.

The choice seemed pretty damn clear. I got up from my seat and walked over to the Podium. I cleared my throat and looked upon the delegations. Most of them had arrived, but a few were still absent... no matter. We should get started anyways.

"If I could have everyone's attention..." I began. Mr. Roosevelt and Mrs. Churchill stopped talking and looked up. I nodded and took a deep breath.

"My name is Jordan Lennon, and yes, I am the son of the former President of the Almanianian Union. I have been selected to chair this meeting due to my experience with other negotiations in regards to international affairs. I understand your concerns, but rest assured, I am more than capable to Chair this Conference.

Now, some of the delegations have yet to arrive. However, I have heard requests to begin the Conference by some Delegations, and I agree with their sentiments. To ensure that tardy Delegations will be able to jump right into the conversation, I have instructed a number of assistants here to take notes on the Conference so that any new Delegations will be brought to speed." I quietly looked down at the notes in front of me and read them rapidly. I looked back up and took another deep breath.

It was time to begin.

"First off, thank you all for coming." I stated, as the assistants started writing down notes. "The Republic of the Almanianian Union absolutely appreciates your support for this Conference and for considering the concept of this Conference.

We all share something in common. From Republics to Democracies to Representative Monarchies. We all have representation. We stand for the political rights of our citizens and their right to participate in the government that governs their daily lives. We stand for the right for people to show their dissatisfaction with that same government and to remove those they deem untrustworthy. What we all stand for, is the right to vote. We share this connection... but for some, that's the only connection we shared. We remain disconnected and disorganized in a sense... for some of us, we may have rarely spoken to most of the people in this room! It is this that the Almanianian Union wishes to address. We believe that our ties can be stronger with one another. We all represent nations with rich cultures and history... but for some of us, it remains unseen." I hesitated for a moment, but regained my composure and pressed forwards.

"The question now is, what is this Conference for? It is to address the lack of communication and cultural diffusion. We all have so much to learn from one another and with every step, we all grow stronger politically, economically, and especially culturally. It's time we came face to face with each other directly. The goals of this Conference are to foster stronger relations between nations with democratic ideals and promote a way to share our rich cultures and history with one another." I moved my papers off the podium and looked around the room.

"Now... who would like to speak first?"
 
Typical Scandigradian weather. It was cold. It was wet. But worst of all was the wind. Prime Minister Greg Mitchell was always impressed by the dedication of the Honor Guard stationed to his aircraft every time he boarded or departed. They did not move a muscle, no matter what the weather. He quickly darted from the limo to the Airbus A340 spooling up on the tarmac, briefly returning the sentry's salute, and boarded the aircraft. Once onboard he removed his scarf, snowflakes still somewhat fresh on his shoulders and thinning hair.

There was one seat he always preferred. Left side, just in front of the #2 turbine. The wind almost always blew from the Northeast, which mandated the departure of aircraft to be in that direction. Left side, just in front of the wing, allowed Mitchell one last opportunity to get a glimpse of Scandigrad City before departing to lands far off.

Mitchell spotted the Typhoon just off the wingtip. It was more of a formality, as opposed to security. The aircraft was sleek and graceful. Once the A340 reached the 12 mile line offshore, the Typhoon gave a salute, and broke off, to return home. Mitchell pondered about the life of the pilot, what he might be experiencing, how he must feel, and what it must be like to have control of one of the most versatile aircraft in the world.

The flight was routine, if not mundane, for Mitchell. He took the opportunity to review the cultural file, along with a few bio files on prominent figures likely attending the conference. A few reporters had been granted the opportunity to talk with him during the flight, and he happily obliged. They usually weren't too aggressive, and Mitchell had known many of them from the Presidential House Press Corps.

Upon landing, Mitchell was greeted by the attache from the Consulate, who briefed Mitchell about the conference on his way to the building. His aid took the files, and put them in his briefcase. While he was reaching over to place the files away, Mitchell caught a glimpse of a P99 holstered under his jacket. Well it's always comforting to know the secret service is never far away... Mitchell thought to himself. They tended to do a good job at being unnoticed anyway.

The Scandigradian delegation was one of the last to enter, and had very little time for pleasantries before taking their seat. Mitchell took a look around at the other delegations before the speaker came to the podium. The first thing that struck Mitchell was how young the speaker was. He can't be much older than 19 or 20. He seemed to carry himself well. Mitchell was impressed.

Once the floor was opened up, Mitchell took a deep breath and arose. "I'll start," he proclaimed, with what some might consider a slight Latino accent, common of Scandigradians.

Putting on his reading glasses, Mitchell began. "Diplomats. Ambassadors. Heads of State. On behalf of the entire nation of Scandigrad, I would like to extend my thanks to the Almanians for opening their homeland to this much needed conference. Unfortunately, past attempts to do similar conferences have not been met with the same success, and I would just like to commend you for hosting this." Mitchell nodded at the Almanian President. "With this conference, I look forward to breaking down the barriers of communication and free trade that seem to plague this region. This is but the first step to transparency, and open diplomacy in our region.

Since Scandigrad opened our boarders to other nationalities earlier this year, I have continued to be amazed by the different systems and cultures abroad. There are so many languages, and as our young speaker has mentioned, rich culture and history. This is, in my opinion, a monumental first step in opening the door to cultural diversity outside the boarders of Scandigrad, and throughout the North Pacific. I am honored to be a part of this meeting.

I pray that our conference will prosper, and I look forward to working with every single one of you. Thank you."

Removing his glasses, Mitchell retook his seat, ready to listen intently to the next opening speech.
 
Czar Godric stood. "Well if no one else wants to go, I guess I will." Godric grabbed a few papers and walked towards the podium. He cleared his throat and started. "My friends, I am Czar Godric Acronis I of Malvad. Let me start by saying thank you to the Almanians for hosting this conference. And also a good job to Mr. Lennon. For one so young he has presented himself very well. It is very hard to be in front of major politicians when so young. I, in fact, have been in politics my whole 29 years, which is young as well, and still get nervous. So a congratulations to Mr. Lennon."

Godric stopped for a moment and sneezed twice. "Sorry, I have a bit of a cold. Now where was I? Oh, yes, I look forward to all of our nations coming together culturally, economically, and politically. The nations of this region often seem isolated from each other. I hope that we can change this. I am hoping that from this conference regional peace and cooperation is born. I also wish for us to form a pact or league of some sort of democracies to better the region and promote peace. This is Malvad's main goal at this conference and I pray that you will consider it."

The Czar began to step away and then came back. "Oh, and once more thank you to the Almanians." Godric stepped away, sneezed again, and returned to his seat.
 
I watched silently as the Scandigradian Delegation filed in and decided to go first. The Prime Minister was going up to speak on behalf of the delegation from Scandigrad. As he began to talk, I listened intently as he began to speak. There was a small error as we go by the usage of "Almanianians." However, Almanians are still acceptable. Mrs. Churchill gave me a quiet nod and I nodded back. Then, he thanked us for hosting the Conference... and spoke of past failures? I realized suddenly that the stakes of the Conference jumped up. Mr. Roosevelt gave me a look of concern and I returned it. We realized that we were now taking a major step, and as such, needed to proceed carefully. I pulled out my laptop and began to type as quickly as possible. Finally, the Prime Minister of Scandigrad finished his speech and sat down. I leaned back and watched as the Malvadian Delegation sent Czar Godric up to talk. He also made the same cultural mistake, though it didn't matter much. He then took time to thank me for my initial conduction of the meeting. I smiled back at him and nodded. Clearly, I was doing something correctly if the Czar of Malvad praised me. I smiled and nodded. I stood up and walked to the podium.

"Thank you Czar Godric and Prime Minister Greg Mitchell for those speeches. We appreciate the thanks and we hope this will be a successful meeting." I replied, flashing a smile. By this time, I was loose. I was ready to go and ready to make this Conference work. "Now then, who would like to go up next?"

A hand raised. I noticed it and nodded. It was Mrs. Churchill, from the national delegation. She smiled and leaned back.

"The Delegation of the Almanianian Union would like to have President Wilson Roosevelt on our behalf." She said simply. I nodded to her and looked at Mr. Roosevelt.

"The floor is yours." I stepped back and sat down at my seat. Mr. Roosevelt slowly got up and picked up his papers... and then he put them back down. I realized what he was doing now. He slowly made his way to the floor, cracking a smile at the other delegations. Finally, he reached the podium and stood there. He cleared his throat, and put on his signature smile.

"My esteemed colleagues." He started. "Thank you very much for participating in this Conference. The Almanianian Union is honored to have esteemed leaders from across the North Pacific region. I would like to thank the Prime Minister Greg Mitchell of the Delegation of Scandigrad and Czar Godric of the Delegation of Malvad for their wonderful speeches. Also Mr. Godric, I do hope that cold does get better." He chuckled and continued to smile. "Today, we are doing something historic. For some time now, discussion on a Conference like this has been brought back and forth between the different nations. We all have similar goals. We all have similar governments. We all believe in the importance of political rights... the sacred right to vote. We believe in the importance of peace and cooperation on a regional scale. So my esteemed colleagues, thank you for coming... without your presence, this Conference would not be possible." He cleared his throat and nodded.

"There are sentiments being shared about this Conference. This is an opportunity for us to truly get to know one another better... and form closer ties. I agree with Czar Godric of Malvad. We are strong individually yes... but we have the potential to be stronger as a united force as well. We have the capability. We have the technology and the political stability. I agree with the idea of a pact of democracies, republics, and representative monarchies. We are strong politically and economically. Let us use that for a greater good.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of cultural diversity suggested by Prime Minister Greg Mitchell. I have spent the last few weeks studying the cultures of the Union's neighbors... and I am quite fascinated. In this day and age, the Almanianian people have opened their eyes to the world outside their borders... the music and artwork, the cuisine, the literature, and of course, the philosophical studies. Courses have sprung up in universities about specific cultures throughout the North Pacific. Entire novels and biographies have been written by Almanianian writers on the world outside our borders. I am sure many nations have had that same experience. I believe in the idea of cultural studies and the spread of cultural ideas across borders. I propose that we assist in that process in any way possible.

My friends, I thank you for your attendance at this Conference. We are honored and grateful that you have agreed with our sentiments. I can see much potential from this Conference... and I know that this Conference will be a success, simply because of our participation here. Thank you very much." I smiled as he walked away from the podium and returned to his table. I stood from my chair and looked at the other delegations.

"Which delegation would like to speak next?"
 
Chancellor Kraven was sitting in his chair listening politely as the Speaker and the various heads of state introduced themselves. He had been impressed at the start, but then gradually began to nod off. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and realized everyone was staring in his direction. He stood, and nodded to the delegates.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is so great to be here recognizing the-" Suddenly Bach's Symphony played in his ear. He froze, aware that the entire conference hall was watching him. A voice, one that he had heard many times before but had no idea of the person behind it, spoke three words very slowly, "Get. Down. Now." Kraven shook his head- it would be ridiculous! He smiled to the delegates. "Thanks to Almaniania for being our gracious hosts, and I believe-" The sound of a crack struck the hall, and a random aide flung himself in front of the Chancellor. Delegates screamed. So that's the cm5-er. Kraven thought. They're so on top of this. Wait a sec, I should probably be running... He smiled and nodded blissfully, unaware of his location sprawled on the floor, and the red hole in his shoulder. Unbeknownst to anyone save a few special agents, a man from the Scandigradian delegation slipped out of the hall. Three Secret Force agents followed him. Kraven chuckled, coughed, and closed his eyes.
 
Then, amidst of the Cm5-er riot, the door flung open, and a person deemed to be slightly corpulent, wearing a tuxedo with a blue bowtie and a blue tuxedo jacket, with Christian Dior sunglasses, beckoned towards his side. A bevy of people ran towards the center of the Conference room, and divided into two sections: Left and Right. One must note that they were all wearing formal attire. One young girl from the right section brought a smartphone, and fidgeted around with it for a few second, and placed it on the ground. Immediately after she placed it on the ground, music was heard. The song was, "Koryo Style".

The chubby man with a blue jacket, as well as the group of people who joined him began performing the horse-riding dance. The group of people danced in one place, but the man danced his horse-riding choreography as he was moving forward towards the podium. He sang:

"It took me a while,
to get to this sweet Galt Con, ference!

It took me some time,
to get to this be-loved'po, dium!

Here I am with,
the guest you've all been dying for, ages!

The, Best! Man! You'll'E-ver See!
(Dan, dan, dan, dan, dan, dan)

You'll love this guy,
for he's a pres-tigious person,

You'll love this guy,
for he's a Prime Min. of Koryo,

You'll love this guy,
for he knows how to have fun now,

You'll love this guy,
I know you'll love this guy!
(Dan, dan, dan, dan, dan, dan)

His name is S.H., last name is K.
S.H.K.
That's his name.

His name is S.H., last name is K.
S.H.K. S.H.K.
That is his name, the holy na-a-a-a-aaaaaaaaaaa a.....

This is Koryo Style!
(does the horse riding dance)

Op, op, op, op, op
This is Koryo Style!

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, all the ladies!
Op, op, op, op, op
This is Koryo Style!

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, all the ladies!
Op, op, op, op, op
O,O,O,A,A,A"

At this time, a well-clad figure who was not dancing moved behind the chubby, dancing person, and slowly and proudly walked towards the podium. The group of dancers and even the chubby man applauded and bowed down in 90 degrees facing him.
 
The Prime Minister of Koryo was at the podium and announced his name,

"Hello all attendees of the Galt Conference. It is with pleasure our Great United Koryo is able to join this prestigious ceremony. I am the Prime Minister of Koryo, under the authority of our Founder King Taejo, and my name is Saehyang Kim, abbreviated as S.H.K.

Our nation, Democratic Republic of United Koryo, has strived to make all efforts to consolidate economic as well as military ties with our neighbouring and allied nations to ensure peaceful coexistence. Our nations within this conference, though geographically distant, as I am aware, intend promoting unity and acceptance of each of our citizens, government officials, and military troops. To preserve this sense of unity, I bring forth the following proposal:

Trans-Pacific Railway(TPR)
- Railway connecting to each of our commercial, industrial, and military sectors of each of our nations to ensure ongoing trades, military reinforcements, and other means of reciprocations.
- Island nations are approached via cargo or vessels.
- Cheaper to provide ground transportation rather than air and water transportation for cost-effective measures.
 
Associate Security Director David Patreut fired a gun into the air. "CHECKERS OUT!" he yelled, throwing down some sort of white powder. The air filled with smoke. When it cleared, everyone from Checkers had disappeared.
 
With a crash, the doors to the conference room flew open to admit a handsome man wearing a maroon and green uniform, holding in his hand an aged scroll which he rolled open and began to read from.

"The Holy and Divine Republic of Kingborough, in its all its supremacy and power, does announce the entrance of His Grand Holiness the High Priest of the Church of the Wanderer, Pontiff of the Church, Bishop of Saint Martin, Representative of the Divine Prince upon Earth, Blessed as the Co-Ruler of the Divine Republic and All its Lands, Robert de Edwick."

"The Holy and Divine Republic does also, with the power of the Divine Prince, announce the entrance of the Chancellor of State of Kingborough, Chosen of the People and Protector of the Democracy Her Ladyship Nadia von MythiKa."

With a huge gasp, the man stopped running off names and took a breath before continuing. "Please stand for His Holiness and Her Ladyship."

The persons in question entered at that moment - leading was the High Priest, his casual clothing of a pure white loosely fitted silk shirt, gold torc and cufflinks, and grey dress pants spotless and shining as he stepped into the room.

Following him came Her Ladyship the Chancellor of State, who had chosen a blood red dress that wrapped closely to her form and grazed the floor as she gracefully strode across the floor, her sapphire and silver necklace glimmering.

"Thank you. Thank you." The High Priest smiled and bowed to each of the representatives, before choosing a seat.

Her Ladyship sat besides him and smiled. "Please continue."
 
Jordan Lennon
I cleared my throat again, slightly worried. No one decided to come up? This could be a problem. If something doesn't break the silence soon, this Conference may lapse and end in failure. Alright... I think I could pull something off. I just need to foc-

Suddenly, the doors swung open and another delegation walked in. I was almost relieved... and then I noticed a man in a blue tuxedo jacket and a blue bowtie. I knew him from somewhere... there was something familiar about him. I just can't remember why he seems familiar. It had something to do with music-

...Oh Alma no. I bit my tongue hard and suddenly realized where this guy came from. I stepped to the side and sat back down with full knowledge of what was probably to follow. This was the Delegation of the Democratic Republic of United Koryo. Koryo was famous in the Union amongst teenagers for one thing...

"This is Koryo Style!"

Yes. This was the guy. He was the one who created "Koryo Style," a song that has been quite popular for its... interesting dance styles and catchy tune amongst teenagers my age. Of course, it is also quite infamous amongst the older generation who have been complaining for some time now that our culture is slowing drowning in a sea of other "backwards" cultures. Personally, I didn't care much for the song, but the fact that people think our culture is dying is a stupid notion. If anything, we're being culturally imperialist in music with dubstep, classical, and jazz... a triple combination that makes no sense to not only the outside world but even to our own culture sometimes.

The song finally came to an end and I noticed Mr. Roosevelt grinning ear to ear. Mrs. Churchill was also smiling at me. I glared straight at them and put on my "Yes, but shut up" look. The Prime Minister of United Koryo came up and started to speak. Obviously the ego got inflated in the beginning as he spoke about the greatness of United Koryo for a few sentences... but then he changed to an interesting proposal. A Railway? Across the Pacific? Sounds interesting... also sounds quite difficult. It would be a long distance and since we haven't discovered any nations along the coast to our West...

"The Federal Republic of the Almanianian Union is quite interested in this idea actually."

...Shit. I turned over to my delegation and expected to see the President standing... but he was busy looking quite surprised at the Prime Minister's sudden response.

Julia Churchill
...Well that was quite sudden of me. I stood up with a confident smile as I looked around the room. I noticed Mr. Roosevelt was quite surprised... as was Jordan. He seemed to bite his tongue as I smiled at him in response.

A few minutes ago, I wasn't paying attention as the "Koryo Style" song was ongoing. I was thinking over the conduction of the Conference. It was going well overall... but we needed something to tie it all together. Jordan expressed his desire to have a draft of a possible treaty finished at this Conference and I agreed with his sentiments. I knew he didn't like it so at the end I simply gave him a grin. Jordan simply glared back and after that I started to somewhat pay attention to the Prime Minister of United Koryo. As he talked of his country I continued trying to think of the tying force...

Suddenly, I heard him talking about the Trans-Pacific Railroad... and I realized that was it. I was working out a proposal to colonize to the West to create a link to Kingborough. The Cabinet had discussed a possibility of a railway between the two nations. However, this would definitely go farther than that. It would connect any member of this Conference. When he finished talking, I stood up and smiled.

"The Federal Republic of the Almanianian Union is quite interested in this idea actually." I started. The President watched me with interest and Jordan looked at me with surprise. "There was actually earlier discussion inside our Cabinet of a railway between ourselves and Kingborough via the mainland. However, we had done the math for the distance. If each of us put in some form of financial assistance, we can actually reach every nation, island or not. At times, it may have to run underground... but we have the technology. We can build it." I put my hands on the table and got ready to continue.

Suddenly, as I heard the doors open and the fanfare of a handsome man in a uniform opening a scroll. In a mere instant, I knew that this was the Delegation from Kingborough. I smiled in triumph as one of the final delegations arrived. Once the fanfare was finished and I was given permission to continue, I simply nodded to Jordan... it was time.

Jordan Lennon
The fanfare... oh lord. It was Kingborough's Delegation. I didn't like how they had what basically a Representative Theocracy. However, they gave more rights than other countries and did try to protect those that didn't follow their religion, so they weren't always bad. It's just... the fanfare was so much. I looked over at Mrs. Churchill and she simply nodded.

It was time. I stood up and walked to the Podium.

"Ambassadors. Presidents. Monarchs. High Priests. Ladies. And Gentlemen." I started. I took a deep breath. This was going to be it. We were going to push the Trans-Pacific Railroad as the focal point of a greater goal... a goal we had been working on for quite some time.

"It appears that almost all of us have arrived. We may be expecting one or two other delegations. However, this is the perfect time to present a concept that the Cabinet, the President, the Prime Minister, and myself have been working on in secret for some time." I quietly folded up the piece of paper with the speech. I wasn't going to beat the bush that much. I had a point, and I was going to sell it.

"Since the dawn of our nation discovering the North, we had been working on a concept for closer ties politically, militarily, economically, and culturally. We discussed for many months and debated the pros and cons of each idea. After much time, we had reached ideas on all four of these that we felt were acceptable. We have them ready to present to the rest of you for possible discussion and for restructuring. However, these ideas are all part of a greater concept that I presented one day.

On behalf of the Delegation of the Federal Republic of the Almanianian Union, we would like to open discussion on all four of these topics and work towards the possibility of the creation of the North Pacific Community. The NPC would be a treaty that would be not only a military defense pact for all its members, but also an open borders pact and a declaration supporting the rights of the people to be represented in government. We would like to also consider including the Trans-Pacific Railway in this concept and use it to create stronger economic ties. Finally, we would like to discuss a possibility of some form of cultural exchange to expand our cultural palettes and better familiarize ourselves with one another on a cultural level.

If anyone would like to discuss the possibility of this idea, you are welcome to come up to the podium at this time." I simply nodded and sat back down. The idea was on the floor... let's see what happens.
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Rebecca Donaldson glanced at the Czar and he nodded. That was her cue that he was done and it was her turn to speak for Malvad. She was quite nervous and it was showing. Godric took her hand and whispered, "It'll be fine. I believe in you." A smile came to Rebecca's face and she stood to walk to the podium.

She shuffled some of her papers and began, "My friends, I am Rebecca Donaldson, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Malvad. I will be representing my delegation for the rest of the conference. My nation is in full support of forming the North Pacific Community. We are also in favor of a railroad connecting all of us. There are, however, two proposals on this that we have. First we propose that the NPC be led by an elected council or legislature to help reach goals of the community. Second is having an area of international territory for the NPC to be based in. There is abundant land to the Northwest of the Almanianian Union that we could claim. I hope you will consider these proposals being a part of the NPC treaty. Thank you." Rebecca walked back to her seat and waited for more discussion.
 
Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of United Koryo stood up from his honored seat to proclaim his support towards the existence of council and legislature to administer the Galt properly. As he stood up, his military and political officials all bowed their heads to express honor towards his proclamation:

"Representing the honorable Taejodaewangpyaeha (King Taejo), Democratic Republic of United Koryo is in support of the council and legislature for structure, stability, and effective reciprocation of the Galt Conference. However, we would like to add our opinion that, given a handful of members within this Conference, the role of Head of Council and Legislation be rotated amongst us, and that each term will last one month. A second term of the Head of Council is to be decided by voting or influence. Members of the Council can be chosen by experience or influence for effective administration of the Conference.

As for an International Zone for the Galt within TNP, we would like to opine the emphasis on the following factors:

- Highly commercial zones(Trading, Infrastructure --> includes International Ports) - Possible Trans-Pacific Railway to facilitate transportation issues)
- Joint Industrial Complexes(Industries shared amongst two or more nations within the Galt Conference)
- "Green Belt" (Area where natural resources, wildlife, and trees are conserved)
- Military Zones(Joint Military Exercises and Drills performed amongst two or more nations within the Galt -- Land needed to test various missiles, jets, bombs, and perhaps nuclear device)
 
Jordan Lennon
I listened in silently as a woman from the Malvad Delegation walked up to the podium and began to speak. Apparently she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and she agreed with the proposal laid out in fro- Hold on a moment. Did... did I just hear a voice of agreement? For the North Pacific Community? I leaned forward and listened in as the Minister continued to talk. She spoke of a possible Council or legislative body to run this new Community. It piqued my interest slightly... I was quite sure that no one would agree to something like that. I liked the idea, but I wasn't sure if anyone else would be in agreement with it. She continued on to talk of a location for the Headquarters of this new Community. As she spoke of the land to the West of us, it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps this idea would be a good one... after all, we would have a connection to our friends at Kingborough and we could build the Trans-Pacific Railroad through the international territory. The question remained... how would other nations take it?

As she sat down and as the Prime Minister stood, it became clear that her ideas weren't on the fringe. The Democratic Republic of United Koryo (AKA DRUK) seemed to like the idea and was pushing it along. I eyed Mrs. Churchill quietly as she passed notes between herself and Mr. Roosevelt. I leaned back again and waited for the Prime Minister of DRUK to finish. After he finished, I smiled and looked over at Mrs. Churchill...

Oh Julia, you walked into this one. Your daughter is so going to kick my ass.

Julia Churchill
...My daughter was going to kick his ass.

It started simple enough. A series of treaties to bring closer ties in general. There wasn't any real organization to our proposal, save a bi-annual meeting. We felt it covered what everyone wanted and we were sure that was as far as the other nations were willing to go.

...Well we totally fifed it. It became clear as Mrs. Donaldson stood and spoke of expanding it to include a Council of some sort and a territory for its operation that we clearly got their intentions wrong. Before I could respond, my counterpart from Koryo not only supported it, but expanded upon the ideas. It became very clear to both myself and Mr. Roosevelt that the direction this was going in was one that we were concerned with. Slowly, he slid a note over to me and kept listening. I looked down and read it silently.
Thoughts on NatSoving?
Click to expand...
I thought about it for a few moments... NatSoving would ruin the Conference. Why would he be in favor of ending the Conference like this? I wrote down my response and slid it back.
Why? Are you concerned about the loss of power?
Click to expand...
He looked at the paper with a smile and slid it back over after writing something. I read the note as the Prime Minister of Koryo stepped down.
Not that. More concerned with a rotational system... doesn't seem like a good idea..
Click to expand...
That made a bit more sense. The rotational system concerned me as well... but the idea of a Council intrigued me. I stood up and cleared my throat.

"If I could address the ideas on the table for a moment." I started with a smile. "I like the idea of a Council or an Assembly of sorts. However, with only five members, rotational movement doesn't really seem to be needed. On top of this, I am unsure of what the Council hopes to accomplish. What powers will it have and how large should it be? What would be best for the Community? I propose we make a Community Council, which will have every member state. Each member state will have a single vote and the Council will be led by a Speaker. The Speaker would basically conduct meetings and ensure parliamentary procedure is followed. The Council can pass nonbinding resolutions on different issues, create committees as needed, and accept new members with a 2/3ds majority, should they fit a criteria that protects the right to vote for citizens, pledge to not attack members of the Community, and provide assistance when a member state is in trouble. In regards to my final point, I know that it could be a source of concern, but do unto others as you would have them do to you. Trust is a key factor in this, and I feel that if a member of the Community is forced into a defensive war or suffers a natural disaster, they should be able to request and receive assistance from the rest of us.

In regards to the International Zone for the Community... I support the idea of a zone for the use of the North Pacific Community for military, commercial, and green zones. However, I must ask the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of United Koryo, what the purpose of the Joint Industrial Complex would be in this International Zone for the Community. I also propose that it house the proposed Council for the Community and have it located along the coast for easy access."

I took a deep breath and noticed that during my discussion, Jordan had pulled up a map of the region on the screen, and I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Right on the other half of the island and to the Northwest of the mainland... was a small series of islands colored in with the words "Ut Quosquet: UNP" right above it. In a mere instant, I understood what this meant. An old acquaintance seemed to have followed through on their words... and Jordan did not seem happy about that. I wasn't either. Their movement into the region is a problem in regards to the border on the disputed island. He stood and walked to the podium.

"Delegates." He began with a neutral expression. My stomach twisted knots. I knew what was happening. "I apologize for the interruption, but we have received a telegram from a nearby colony of an old friend of the Union. It appears they have made the decision to colonize a nearby area that was undiscovered until now. They have not given me any information in regards to the mainland, and I am unsure as of this time whether that unoccupied land... will remain unoccupied for long. I have invited the Delegation of the Colony of the Unicarion North Pacific to speak about the matter and perhaps consider joining the North Pacific Community. I hope this will not be a problem with the rest of you... if it is, let me know." He stepped back from the podium and sat down in the Speaker's chair, gavel in hand, and clearly prepared to regain order if need be.
 
A lowly Deputy Officer of Koryo replied on behalf of the Prime Minister:

From the statements you have expressed in the following, Premier of Almiania: "If I could address the ideas on the table for a moment." I started with a smile. "I like the idea of a Council or an Assembly of sorts. However, with only five members, rotational movement doesn't really seem to be needed. On top of this, I am unsure of what the Council hopes to accomplish. What powers will it have and how large should it be? What would be best for the Community? I propose we make a Community Council, which will have every member state. Each member state will have a single vote and the Council will be led by a Speaker. The Speaker would basically conduct meetings and ensure parliamentary procedure is followed. The Council can pass nonbinding resolutions on different issues, create committees as needed, and accept new members with a 2/3ds majority, should they fit a criteria that protects the right to vote for citizens, pledge to not attack members of the Community, and provide assistance when a member state is in trouble. In regards to my final point, I know that it could be a source of concern, but do unto others as you would have them do to you. Trust is a key factor in this, and I feel that if a member of the Community is forced into a defensive war or suffers a natural disaster, they should be able to request and receive assistance from the rest of us."

It is best for all of us to contribute to the establishment of culture, economy, industry, and legislature that best suits all of the nations within the Galt Conference. We would appreciate opinions from all of you here. Thank you."
 
The High Priest coughed once before standing to speak in response to the Koyrians - "The Holy and Divine Republic of Kingborough is delighted by the suggestions proposed here. However we must agree with the people of Koyro that a rotational leadership is not required with such a small number of members. Let it simply be a council which rules by a majority of votes."

"We also like the idea of the Council having a way to give aid to its members in times of distress. And do tell Unicarion that we look forward to them joining our alliance." The High Priest smiled.

With a cough, the Chancellor stood and took the High Priest's place. "As the High Priest leads on matters of state, I manage our economy and therefore I would like to expand on this idea of a Trans-Pacific Railway. This would be an opportunity to show our neighbours that this alliance is strong by establishing a legendary achievement in building the world's biggest railway. Not to mention the economic advantages when we can easily ship cargo and even people from country to country in swift time via a colossal train network."

"Kingborough would fully support this project and we would like to offer an initial contribution of five hundred million to the project. If each member state of the alliance can match this, we shall have our railway in no time!"
 
Rebecca stood and gave Malvad's response, "We are willing to match Kingborough's contribution to the railway. I believe the railway is key to the growth of the alliance. I also believe that we have reached the point where we have agreed on what should be and should not be a part of the NPC. Therefore, I believe it is time to put it all in writing. We should begin drafting the charter for the NPC immediately." Rebecca silently sat back down awaiting responses from the other delegations.
 
Conference Hall, Galt City

Sir Edward Brandt of Devon adjusted his tie as he opened the door to the conference. The Unicarion North Pacific was a new colonial province established in the North Pacific by decree of Emperor William V. He immediately took a seat, brushing the awkward stares at him and his delegation, as he was accompanied by Chancellor Charles Chaplin, from the mainland. He coughed quietly and tried to pay attention. Listening to the conversation being discussed, he kept quiet for the moment, waiting for his country's claim on that uninhabited zone to be addressed -- Or something of the sort.
 
The massive Oriolean Airship lumbered through the open air above the sea with stoic determination. En route to the Almanianian Union from the Oriole Union the delegation prepped themselves for the conference and the upcoming elections in anxious silence. Among the delegates were various Company officials including the Chief International Officer, Florence Jones, the Chief Executive Officer, Cynthia Meyers and Chairwoman Nancy Fellows, among others. The CIO and CEO scrambled about the airship gathering papers and reading updates from the assistants that were sent down to Galt a few days ago.

Amidst the commotion, Ms. Fellows simply sat in her plush seat, examining the sea some thousand kilometers below her. She couldn't help but frown. 'I've wasted so much of my life in politics... The Chairwoman thought as a frown crept across her face.

'Madame Chairwoman?' The CEO asked as she knocked on the door to her boss's booth.

Ms. Fellows turned away from the window and feigned a smile. 'What is it, Cynthia?'

'We'll be arriving in Galt in a few hours and I thought it best to brief you on what the assistants have recorded and sent to us.'

She sighed and dropped her head a little before answering, 'Alright, let's go through the motions one last time, shall we?'

Cynthia frowned, 'Yes, ma'am.'

'You can call me Nancy, you know.' The Chairwoman said as she gestured for her Chief Executive Officer to join her in the booth. 'We've known each other for thirty years.'

Cynthia nodded absentmindedly as she took a seat opposite from Nancy and opened the briefcase she held. 'As you say, Ms. Fellows.'

'Close enough.' She thought. 'So what can we expect at this conference?'

'There seems to be talk about a transnational railway, sharing military drill zones, ports and some businesses or something to the like and establishing a greenbelt as well as an international legislative body. They're still discussing exact details for them but that's what is on the table at the moment.'

There was a moment of silent contemplation from the Chairwoman.

'Please don't retire.' Cynthia blurted out before she realized what she was saying. Her hands flew to her cover her mouth; her face was bright red. 'I'm sorry Ms. Fellows, I uh...'

'Nothing to be sorry about, Cynthia.' She let out a soft chuckle. 'Now this idea of transnational railway... Doesn't sound very promising. Literally none of the nations involved in this conference share borders. Same goes for this greenbelt.'

'Yes, of course Madame Chairwoman.'

'And there's no way I'm sharing Oriolean Ports.' The Chairwoman snapped.

'Ah, yes ma'am, but I do believe they mean seaports, of which we have none.'

'Seaports? What a preposterous idea. The only way to travel is by airship, good old Oriolean Airships.' She said as she flattened some wrinkles on her skirt.

'As you say, Madame Chairwoman.' Cynthia nodded with a smile. 'Do you plan on giving a speech at the conference, ma'am?'

'I haven't decided yet, but if I'm going to I'll need to do so today. I don't think I'll be returning after I go back to the Union for my final address.'

The CEO frowned, 'Why is that?'

'I'm too old for all this traveling and political malarkey. Plus coming down from the mountains makes me lightheaded...' She laughed weakly. 'Now, be a dear and go check with the captain, see when we'll be landing.'

'Yes, of course ma'am.' Cynthia said as she began to gather her papers to leave the booth.

'Oh no, you can leave those here, I'll review the notes.'

The woman smiled and set the papers down beside her old friend and took her leave.

The airship would be landing in the Almanianian Union in the next hour or so and the delegation still had much to organize.
 
The Union's delegation slips into the Conference room nearly undetected. They quietly take their seats and skim over the notes taken by the group of assistants sent ahead of time. Chairwoman Nancy Fellows sits quietly examining the group of international leaders with a slightly agitated expression; squinted eyes and pursed lips. She was already quite in the mood to go home.

'Five hundred million, good lord.' Ms. Fellows thought as she quickly read over the reams of paper in front of her.

Cynthia Meyers, the CEO of the Company, leaned into the Chairwoman, 'Ma'am, if you plan on speaking you may wish to do so sometime soon so you can be home to give your final address tomorrow evening.'

'Yes, I'm still deciding if I want to present though.' She gave a slight sigh. 'Let's wait to see if anyone else wishes to speak about any of this...'
 
The overzealous entrance of the delegation from Koryo was... well... unique. But he was here after all in order to try to promote international tolerance and the spread of cultures... right?

One of the things that really urked Mitchell was tardiness. He was a firm believer in showing up on time, and found it somewhat insulting that these delegations did not see the conference as being important enough to show up on time. In addition, they all barged in with some grand entrance, briefly interrupting the conference every time they seemed to do so. But no matter. It couldn't be helped.

Mitchell listened intently as the delegations suggested different ideas. The Trans-Pacific railroad sounded interesting... but he was not interested in having to pay for something his nation would be unable to utilize.

With a pause in the speaking, many delegations seemed to glance over at his own. Scandigrad had remained silent thus far in discussion, but Mitchell knew he needed to say something. He adjusted his mic and cleared his throat.

"I am pleased to hear discussion on these topics between these different nations. I believe this is an extremely important step as I had outlined earlier.

Unfortunately, based off the nature of our nation, the Commonwealth will not make a contribution to the railroad. Our legislature simply would not allow it. It is an excellent idea, however, and we would be more than willing to contribute in any other way we possibly can.

As for the suggestion of free trade. As many of you are aware, Scandigrad is the center of most major North Pacific shipping lanes. We currently are forced to charge a small fee of all vessels passing through the Davidson, Scandigrad, and Kilo straits, in order to counter environmental impact in the area. There seems to be some interest in preserving the environment, and perhaps we can discuss terms that would make this fee unnecessary, thus opening the door to freer trade.

I'm sorry to be jumping around, but we seem to have covered so much. I think it is astounding, and a clear step in the right direction.

It has been suggested that we form some kind of non-aggression pact, and maybe even some sort of 'alliance' between our nations militarily. Scandigrad would open the non-aggression pact with open arms, but we are, at this point, hesitant to have a military 'alliance'. In lieu of an alliance, I would like to suggest that our nations perhaps participate in joint exercises and training. This would provide an excellent opportunity to improve all our militaries, and maybe even open the road to an alliance at some point in the future. We might even be willing to discuss terms of inviting your nations to participate in our 'specialty' schools.

One final suggestion I would like to add that has not been mentioned yet: I believe our nations can all benefit greatly from some sort of foreign exchange program for students. Perhaps we should even consider an international school to send select students to for cultural immersion. It is one thing for our children to read about nations in books, or see them on the news. I believe it would have a far greater impact for our kids to interact with students from other nations, who are their age. The benefits would be astounding.

I am interested to hear more on this defense pact, and possible free trade agreement. As for procedures, Scandigrad is in favor of the method suggested by the Republic of Kingborough.

Thank you."

Mitchell then muted his mic, and took a sip of water. He leaned over and whispered to his aid "make sure to inform the Office of Topography to update the map as soon as possible". His aid nodded, and sent an email to the proper contacts. Hopefully an updated official map would be online before they deliberated.
 
As the speaker from Scandigrad took his seat once more an eerie silence hit the room before the various delegates broke into their own minor conversations discussing the current topics. However, then they noticed the seemingly elderly woman making her way toward the podium. She swiftly made her way up the steps of the stage and proceeded to clear her throat and tap the mic gingerly both checking to see if it was on and to get her fellow delegate's attention.

'Good evening my fellow delegates.' She shot her shimmering white teeth out into the audience. Her posture sturdy and full of poise, she continued, 'You may or may not know me as our Union prefers primarily to keep to itself and my fame, or infamy-as some would put it,-is somewhat concentrated within our own borders. I am Chairwoman Nancy Fellows, the elected Head of State and Minor-Head of Government of the Oriole Union and attending this conference is quite a big deal for the Oriolean Delegation as my government will be stepping down in the next forty-eight hours to welcome elections.' She paused momentarily to study the audience before her. 'Now, while I personally don't agree with many of the topics being addressed during this conference I cannot speak for my successor. Regardless, I'd like to make my opinion's known quickly before I must return to the Union.' The Chairwoman swallowed and leaned slightly on the podium.

'For starters, I don't see much benefit to the notion of a transnational railway and, or trade way. In a physical sense, literally none of the nations represented her today share a border with any other; and in sense of policies and trade, the Union utilizes a series of complex algorithms to map routes for our airships as we have no access to warm water seaports and mountainous wilderness enveloping much of our immediate borders. Correct me if I am wrong but would we not be the only nation which uses such equipment?' She asked sounding almost smug about it. 'Some may view this as being incredibly selfish, I however would define such thinking as strategic planning.'

'In addition, as previously stated, the Union possesses no seaports for international use. The only ports we have are specially designed Airship Hangers which may be crudely constructed outside the Union on certain, special occasions. However, all of these issues I have raised are not to suggest that I do not find the idea of expanding free trade to be quite beneficial to all involved, I merely point out that how I understand the notes taken there are some kinks to work out before my Union would accept such terms.' She sighed waveringly, 'But as I said, it won't be my Union much longer. I only hope to see this Conference's concluding agreement to be as beneficial to all participants as possible.'

'In regards to joint military exercises, I would agree to such things as long as these drills or skirmishes or what have you occur outside any occupied or claimed zones in The North Pacific. The topic of military collaboration brings us to the topic of military cohabitation; as the Scandigrad delegation stated so pointedly and wisely, we 'would open the non-aggression pact with open arms, but we are, at this point, hesitant to have a military 'alliance'. With that said, I have no qualms with organizing this non-aggression pact through an international assembly of sorts, as previously discussed. I would also point out that I agree with the delegation from Kingborough that leadership rotation would be unnecessary. I support a simple election (OOC: once a month), majority votes have it.' Ms. Fellows took half a step back from the podium and took a short sip of water and cleared her throat once more before returning to the podium. Her posture was severely hindered at this point; she had been speaking for too long.

'Second to last, I would like to commend the Scandigrad delegation for their idea of a foreign exchange student program and would offer up the Union to help spearhead the institution of such. However, that is a non-binding offer as in three days I will hold no authority over such matters.' She feigned a slight smile in an attempt to lighten the mood she felt she had harshened during her presentation. 'Finally, I would like to thank the Almanianian Union for, hosting this marvelous conference and... having us all as their honored, guests...' She'd overdone it and was near collapse. 'Thank you once again for allowing me to speak.' She said as several of her aides got up to help her down from the podium and escort her back to the Oriolean table.

Cynthia Meyers, the CEO of the Company, leaned in to whisper to Ms. Fellows. 'You did a fantastic job, Madame Chairwoman. I believe we've made the Union's comments and concerns known and we may now go if you wish.'

The Chairwoman shook her head slightly. 'Yes, but in a moment...' She said sounding as if she was almost struggling to form either the sentence, the thought or the breath to communicate it. Perhaps all three.
 
Rebecca watched silently as the Scandigradian prime minister and the Oriolean chairwoman spoke. Both were against the railway. The prime minister didn't like the idea and the chairwoman thought it stupid since no countries had borders. She mentioned Oriolean airships and was seemed quite smug. She also said all of the Oriolean positions could change since she was ending her leadership. Both delegations were in support of an international school. That could spread culture, Rebecca thought.
Rebecca decided she should speak to voice Malvadian concerns. She walked to the podium and cleared her throat. "Delegates. I had thought we had decided on everything,but apparently we have not. First, I consider the railway key to this pact. I know we share no borders, but if we constructed such a thing it could symbolize unity and international peace. And to the Orioleans, not many nations have airships and prefer using the sea." She realized she may have been too mean. "Excuse me, that sounded a bit rude. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, I definitely agree that an international school is an excellent idea. But, I don't believe we should handpick the students. I believe it should be open to everyone to apply to. Thank you." Rebecca stepped away and took her seat.
 
After the Malvadian delegate's presentation the Chairwoman and her congregation rose from their seats as a show of respect for the Chairwoman as her and several aides left the Conference quietly. Once the Madame Chairwoman had exited the area the Chief Executive Officer and Chief International Officer turned to one another and shook their heads, unnoticeable to anyone who was not closely watching the table.

'I'll address the Malvadian comments.' Florence Jones, the CIO, whispered as she slowly rose and placed a hand gently on her colleagues shoulder. Florence walked, almost in a skip, up to the podium. She quickly plastered on a diplomatic smile and tapped the mic lightly.

'Hello everyone!' She said in a very bubbly tone. 'I would like to make a few notes regarding the Chairwoman's presentation and give a quick response to the Malvadian delegation's comments.' She paused and cocked her head a bit to the right. 'The Madame Chairwoman is now returning to the Oriole Union, the journey down here and the vast amount of preparation required for this Conference and her upcoming final address have taken its toll on her. Anyway, that matter aside, the comments regarding the transnational trade system and our Oriolean Airships may have come off being snarky or rude but I assure you that, that was not the Chairwoman's intent. She was merely trying to illustrate that we are aware of the fact that the Union is a bit different in that we utilize airships as the primary transportation device within our nation for nearly everything and that would not be of much help outside of the Union just as your modes of transportation would not be as adept for the Union.'

The Chief International Officer coughed slightly into her fist and leaned back toward the mic. 'Now I would quickly like to review the notes I was given by my colleague, Ms. Cynthia Meyers, the Company's Chief Executive Officer,' she cleared her throat, 'She would like to confirm that we too believe that the foreign exchange student should be open to everyone willing to apply and meet certain criteria which remains to be devised and approved by the appropriate governing body and, or bodies. I was also instructed to reaffirm the Chairwoman's offer to help run and, or operate the institution either individually or jointly once it is properly developed and approved.'

'Thank you for your time.' She said as she bounced down from the podium and back to the Oriolean table. Her chipper demeanor never faltering during her speech or return trip to the table.

'Nice damage control.' Cynthia whispered softly so no one else could hear outside of the table.
 
Jordan Lennon
I listened to the delegations as they began to battle it out. The damned Oriole Union seemed to have slithered out of its little hole in the North and seems to be participating. I noticed the Chairwoman speaking and I listened intently, refraining from calling her out at that very moment. She seemed to be very snarky as she spoke of her airship fleet. I rolled my eyes as I refrained from pointing out the obvious. Airships were indeed brilliant for a nation that has no warm water ports. However, the rest of us did, so we found no reason to develop our airship industry on the levels as the Oriole Union. Within mere minutes of her speech, everything that we had seemed to agree on was undone. I was starting to feel nauseous, as it seemed that everything we were working towards was falling apart.

But what's this? A point of agreement? A lot of people did seem to agree that an academy was a brilliant idea... and still, we could push for free trade. Suddenly, my mind worked and I smiled. I could take this on... but first, I needed to retain control. I stood up and walked to the podium.

"Thank you to all the speakers thus far. A quick reminder... though it hasn't happened yet... let's make sure we all stay relaxed and open minded." I said, handling any snarks upcoming in one fell swoop. I took a quick sip of my glass of water and put it down. "Now... it appears some nations have doubts on the Trans-Pacific Railroad or do not believe it should be built. I propose a solution on that matter. It does not have to be a matter of all members of the North Pacific Community agreeing to build the Trans-Pacific Railroad. We can include a provision in the charter that makes joining a Committee on the Trans-Pacific Railroad optional. Member states that join the Committee will pay 500 million USD for construction costs. This is a program that would be optional to join and would not have any bearings on membership or into the North Pacific Community. I believe however, that a mutual free trade agreement should be one of the mandatory provisions of membership in the North Pacific Community. In regards to the concerns raised by Scandigrad on passage through the straits, I would definitely love to hear any ideas on the matter.

Now in regards to the academy, I absolutely agree that one should be built... but I also agree that in order to do so, we must consider creating an international territory that would lie under the jurisdiction of the North Pacific Community. The territory would have the four suggested zones, and also a fifth zone that would comprise the Academy of the North Pacific Community. I personally believe this fifth zone should be located somewhere along the coast for greater access by land, sea, or air. I believe this Academy should also be an optional program, with any member of the program having the right to send students to its halls. The question now comes down to payment, which I would love to hear suggestions for." I took a deep breath at this point. I was aware that this next point would sting the Oriole Union and I was aware it may walk out if it could not accept this point. It was going to look bad for me to stick to a major point, and it may hurt me (or the Conference) in the long run.

Still, nothing ventured...

"Finally, I must disagree with the esteemed Chairwoman from the Delegation of the Oriole Union. We can not strike any possibility of a military defense pact out of this Charter. Should we do so, we leave ourselves looking weak to the rest of the region. A military defense pact would work to our advantage overall, as it shows we will present a united front if necessary. I do not believe this part can be considered optional and I must urge all delegations to support the addition of a mutual defensive pact. By doing so, we will have a greater chance of deterring those who would seek to wreak havoc upon our nations.

I will now open the floor to a few more responses and speeches. After this, the Speaker will look favorably upon a motion to close debate and move into the Second Round of Negotiations. The Second Round shall be the beginning of the writing phase, where all delegations will begin working on writing the charter of the North Pacific Community." I started to walk away from the podium, but my eyes caught the clock at the back of the wall. It appears it was already around 1 PM and I was definitely getting hungry. On top of that, there was definitely more than enough ideas to work with on a Charter. I slowly made my way to the podium and cleared my throat.

"On second thought... the Chair would look favorably upon a motion to recess for two hours for lunch and drafting possible Charters for the North Pacific Organization." I looked around and noticed Mrs. Churchill standing up.

"The Delegation of the Federated Republic of the Almanianian Union hereby motions to recess for two hours for lunch and the drafting of Charters for the inception of the North Pacific Organization." She declared. I smiled and nodded. I looked around the room and blinked. I thought for a moment about how to operate with this motion... and then I remembered I didn't have to put things to a vote.

"Seeing as we have been working for some time now, I will be using the Chair's digression and allow this motion to pass." I said. "We will reconvene at 3 PM." I banged the gavel and walked away from the podium and back to my desk to gather some things. Everyone will be working on their proposals... it will be my job to string them all together and make one Charter that everyone will back. Hopefully, this will be as easy and smooth as the rest of the meeting... but I won't assume that just yet.
 
PLACE: Hallways of Galt Conference Hall, Galt City, District of Galt
DATE: November 6, 2012
TIME: 2:56 PM

Jordan Lennon
I tapped my fingers against the desk I was sitting at and smiled. So far, the Conference was going better than expected... even my best case scenarios didn't predict this meeting going in this direction. I peered over the document that the Almanianian Union had been working on for the last few hours. Needless to say... it was pretty damned expansive. There was a lot of matters covered in the document and hopefully, it would face only minor opposition by the other delegations. It stood fast to the idea of the defensive pact and open borders pact. It also provided a method to finance the proposed Academy and ensured that it would be open to any who joined. I was already notified that I would be tasked with writing up a law to help with subsidies and student loans regarding the proposed Academy.

I had expected the meeting to have been very rough and to possibly "fail" in the general sense. However, even having open dialogue would have been considered successful as it would give us a chance to talk to our neighbors. Instead, they were open to the possibilities of a Community of representative nations and actively participated in the discussions, despite the fact I was the chair and not someone older than me. I've been told that the Conference has been more than successful, and even if it all fell apart now, we would have achieved actual discussion rather than just idle talk...

But I wanted more. I wanted it all... and all meant completing the creation of the North Pacific Community. There was a heavy drive now and the chances of this possibility were growing. It would be up to the second half of this Conference to judge whether we can build on the discussions thus far and achieve that goal. I silently poured myself a drink and sat back.

"To Diplomacy." I whispered and sipped my glass. Four minutes until show time... people will file in soon, and then we'll begin again.
 
[OCC]OOC: Okay so, Public Service Announcement for everyone that is a part of this RP, Al and I have not been operating on the same time table. For the purposes of this RP it is still November sixth, the day of the Galt Conference, however, in my part of this RP the Oriolean Delegation left for the Union to hold elections and we therefore now have a new-ish delegation for your entertainment. Just roll with it and if you don't understand you can catch Al/I on the IRC or PM one of us.

Also, I'll be posting IC tomorrow (that's the plan anyway).[/OCC]
 
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