Chapter 115: Summit (2)
Eric stood near the wall, with Mia to his right. The room was quiet except for a few murmurs from the human party. The Dragon King and Dragon Elders watched them in amusent, Eric could see them trying and failing not to smirk.
"These old assholes never change."
He rembered when he had first started working with the Dragons. They had arranged for Felicity and the other young dragons to join 6-8. Dragon King Tryasche had given Eric a seperate directive to train the dragons without their mana. Now, the dragons were doing what was essentially the sa thing, but in politics. They were testing the president by giving him unfavorable terms in the accords.
Eric sighed as the president frowned, crossing out two more clauses. "King Remory, I have remained idle in speaking up about the terms of this agreent. Do you not think these terms to be unfavorable to the United States?"
Remory looked up at Eric as he leaned back in his chair. "For one year, Riemskin has housed 6-8, and large portions of the United States. Swathes of land that were originally used for farmland as well as military or geopolitical infrastructure had to be moved due to the influx of refugees from Earth. I think it would be disingenuous to call the terms stated in the agreent unfavorable."
Eric sighed as he grabbed the papers from the President. He compared the terms outlined with the agreents that 6-8 had originally signed.
"Your Majesty, in the original trade agreents, we offered technology and knowledge in exchange for assistance with manpower. In my opinion, our technology has assisted your country beco more advanced. You now have powered cities, plumbing, and architecture never seen before on Brishan. Roads interconnecting with each other. You can travel across the country in one day instead of months or even years. We have fought side by side for one year now. I do not think the United States can agree to these terms based off of what has transpired for the last year. We must change the agreent now that more of the United States is crossing over."
Remory’s facade cracked, and he smiled.
"You are right, Master Sergeant. We were in the wrong to think that we could essentially sign the sa agreents. Very well. What is it you wish to propose?"
Eric looked back to the President.
"Would you allow us a brief mont to talk amongst each other in a separate room? There are so state secrets that may be discussed."
Remory nodded.
"You may use the sa room as last ti."
"Thank you, your majesty."
Eric guided the President and his cabinet mbers to a seperate room. Mia stayed back, glaring at the king. When Eric and the cabinet mbers had closed the door, she stared at her uncle.
"You are aware that if the otherworld leadership weren’t good people they would have told us to fuck off, right? Eric has told
a lot about their world. Their so called ’politicians’ are the sa as our nobles."
Remory smiled, his arms folded against his chest.
"That is precisely why we are testing them like this. We need to know if they are to be trusted. I trust you and Eric. I do not trust them. If their central power is corrupt, we can’t work with them like we have done with 6-8."
Mia sighed as she looked at Lilith.
"Did he talk to you about this before drafting those accords?"
Lilith smiled, offering a sly smile. "You know how he gets when it cos to these sorts of things. He’s as stubborn as a mule."
Mia rolled her eyes.
"You’re impossible, Uncle."
Remory laughed.
"When are you going to bring Liara back up here? I miss having a baby around."
Mia glowered at him.
"We are in the middle of talking about our potential saving grace or extinction, and you are worried about that?"
"Yes."
Tryasche laughed at Mia’s reaction, looking back and forth from the king to Mia.
"The bonds you all share remind
of when young Felicity was growing up. Every dragon family wanted to see her nearly daily. It was almost impossible to take her ho for her lessons."
Remory nodded, pointing at Mia.
"When Mia was younger, she would try to escape the castle grounds. She was such a free spirited child that her mother used to threaten putting a leash on her. We once found her in the rchant district trying to convince them that she wasn’t related to royalty and could start working for them. Her and her sister were so beloved within the kingdom that the rchants played along while reporting to the guards that the two girls were down there with them."
Mia glared at Remory while Tryasche laughed again.
"Getting back to the matter at hand." Lilith said calmly while tracing her fingers along a page in the original agreent between 6-8 and Riemskin.
"I think it would be best to focus more on strategic goals for each mber of this alliance. From what we know, their world is roughly equal to ours in size. They have many countries that are as large or surpass ours. We may have to start thinking about consolidating our people to Riemskin city, Heulbertin, and the ports."
Remory nodded, his eyes scanning the map. "I think you are right. We would need to offer relocation funding, as well as incentives, but it is doable. As things stand right now, we have many of our subjects stranded with no idea what is going on."
In a separate room, Nieto was fuming. He threw the papers down and began pacing. "They seriously can’t be thinking we would agree to this shit."
Eric stood silently, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the reactions of the president.
"Sir, you need to calm down." Mcvaine said quietly. "This isn’t Russia or Iran. I do not think they are intentionally trying to screw us over. This is unprecedented even for them. How do you think we would have reacted on Earth if another country were to start appearing section by section? It would be chaos, and we wouldn’t know what to do either."
Nieto sighed. He thought about Mcvaine’s words and sat down.
"When you put it that way, I understand. No president in recent mory has had to think about an alliance on this scale. We don’t have the backing of most of congress right now either. One wrong move could bring us to war..."
He looked up at Eric.
Eric narrowed his eyes. "Sir, 6-8 reserves the right to disobey unconstitutional orders. If an attack is ordered on Riemskin, 6-8 would disobey the directive."
Mcvaine sighed, rubbing his face in his hands. "No one will give you that order, Master Sergeant."
Eric nodded before joining them.
"I have been fighting with Riemskin for nearly eighteen months now. I know how this world works. Here is what we should propose for this alliance."
He grabbed a pen, crossing out large portions of the agreent.
"First thing that needs to be changed is in the original agreent we were doing everything militarily with only a small portion of Riemskin troops. They are now trained on our weapons and systems. Instead of us doing everything on our own, we will assist militarily in any and all engagents with Cartharic. We will also take the forefront on any intelligence collection."
Eric sighed as he read about the fractures.
"When the fractures first began, we didn’t know what was going on. At first it was a gas station, then it was a neighborhood. We paid Riemskin to take over the land that fractured, but we can’t do that for entire states. I think that any ti a fracture appears in land Riemskin controls, we will have to pay a tax to the country."
Nieto frowned, his eyes scanning over what Eric was writing. "How much will the fee be?"
Eric shrugged. "You can negotiate that with the king, sir. I am not a politician."
Mcvaine chuckled as Eric continued writing more edits to the agreent.
"Are you sure?"
Eric ignored the Secretary.
"We were planning an operation into Cartharic before D.C. fractured. I think we need to and the portion about any forward movent. Instead of us commanding and controlling, if the alliance deems it necessary to mobilize into Cartharic territory, the United States will be in charge of maintaining security, while Riemskin will maintain the personnel and command of that post."
Eric looked down at the list, rubbing his chin.
"General Milano already thought this may be occurring once the first few fractures happened, so when he was here before he offered technology as well as access to our grid. Because of that, it wouldn’t be wrong to say we helped modernize their country. We keep that exchange of technology, but Riemskin will have to start paying more. I say we increase the charge."
Nieto looked down at what Eric had written.
"What should we charge them?"
Eric shrugged.
"I don’t know, sir. With all due respect, I am not a politician."
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