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| - Jeff Ryan arrives from Governmental Cavern . Jeff Ryan has arrived. Seale stands next to the receptionist's desk, fitting royal violet-colored shellfish into his mouth as he converses with the receptionist. "None of the prospectives know Mierznykovy," he says sourly between bites. "How exactly is that going to work?" A lunite, sporting a small beard and wearing a fashionable business suit is ushered into the offices by a junior aide. The young man points to the receptionist, "Speak to her." His eyes widen at the sight of the Governor, but he says nothing to the man beside him. Ryan smiles at the young lunite and says, "Thanks for your help." He walks over to the receptionist's desk, with a small smile playing on his lips, he asks the receptionist herself, "Is Governor Seale available?" He glances at Elridge. Jeff Ryan A tall moderately handsome sentient of human descent, this male of the species stands just over six feet tall. Blond-greying hair is cut to mid-length, some strands hanging over his brow. It's his blue eyes that draw attention, keen, sharp and intelligent. His jaw and upper lip bear a beard, a slightly darker blond, almost light brown, also flecked with grey. It's trimmed and well-kept. His frame is lithe, yet well built and his movements are easy, fluid and graceful. The overall appearance of this male is difficult to place, due to the beard, but seems to be early-mid to late thirties. He is wearing a suit cut to the latest fashion. Black pants with a silver line running down the outside leg with shining smart black dress shoes. A silver collarless shirt peeks out from underneath a suit jacket, also collarless. The pants are held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle. A silver ring adorns his right hand and hanging around his neck on a simple masculine chain visible on his neck line is a pendent with the raised zodiac symbol of Ares. The receptionist looks awkwardly up to the nearly seven foot tall Governor, who looks back down to her with a reassuring nod. He turns towards Jeff, narrows his eyes, and gestures a broad hand back towards his office. "Did you make a sushi joke or something?" he asks sardonically, his lips pursing. Jeff Ryan smiles and chuckles that unusual chuckle of his own, he walks towards the office. "I apologise for not appearing as my usual overzealous terrorist self, but I thought it best to not be too open during my visits to this part of the town." Entering the office he nods towards the chair, "Mind if I sit down?" "Not at all," Seale retorts, sitting down at his own bearlike leather seat. "I suppose you're here to tell me how you held a cookie just above the reach of the Castori ambassador?" he asks darkly. The lunite takes a seat and shakes his head, "We could trade jibes all day, or we could get down to business. I am an ally Governor. I wish to help. I miscalculated with the G'ahnli, I was under the impression given their developments here they'd be easy to get on our side. A stable political situation would be in the interests of economic and social growth here on New Luna and I thought it would be simply a question of asking if they'd vote for us and come back to you with two teams on our side, instead of simply the promises of the Centauri." He leans back in the chair and crosses his legs. "If I'd known they'd be so difficult I would have spoken to you first and seen what we could offer them other than good wishes and a hope for a brighter future." "Well, now they want sole responsibility for our defense in exchange for lowered tariffs on both sides, us more than them to compensate, and it's that or nothing. They don't want OATO on the table at all," Seale says brusquely. "I will put all the effort I can to get them to put it back on the table, but..." He glares at the other Lunite, "I don't need you making things worse. Now can or can't you play the role of ambassador?" "I can," says Ryan with a sharp nod. "Though I need to be better prepared for future meetings." He eyes Seale, his brow furrowed in thought, "I need to know what we can offer the Demarians, Castori and the Odarites. The odarites will be tougher than the G'ahnli I fear." He smiles and pulls out a data crystal. "However, even if that fails I have another proposition for you. It's all there in my proposal, but I think it might prove to be a viable back-up plan. Unless you think it's complete madness. I don't think we need start looking at it too seriously yet, but perhaps you'd better get your people working on it in case we need it." Seale nods slowly. "Yes, the Odarites will be more difficult. However, their insatiable factories will be in need of raw materials we can provide. That should at least bring them to the bargaining table. The Castori and Demarians should be much easier." He glances down at the data crystal. "Tell me what it is, and I'll tell you whether you're mad," he says annoyedly. Ryan smiles, placing the crystal on the table. "It would never have occurred to me back in the old days, and it might be totally unacceptable to our people. However as you told Mr Weyr, I'm a general, a soldier and this..." he points at the crystal "...makes sense. We approach the Solar Republic about expanding to including New Luna. On our terms. With the continual warfare on Luna I figure it's costing them billions to maintain their forces there and in orbit at combat readiness. It's an occupation after all. If they attempted the same here, on a smaller scale, with Hancock Station operational, the invasion would cost them billions more and a further occupation, not on the same scale as Luna herself would still cut into their economy rather than benefit it. The proposal is a Stellar Republic, two First Consuls. There's precedent for it in their own beloved roman history as well as with the Maltarian Empire. The government effectively splits in two, a Martian First Consul for Mars and any other colonies, a Lunite First Consul for Luna herself and New Luna and any further colonies we make. Socially the two worlds are seperated, though abiding by a common law, both are represented in their republican senate. We remain united economically and militarily." Ryan shakes his head, "It might even be attractive for them, and for us too. We end the conflict on Luna, we increase our defense beyond even what the OATO could offer us." "Increase our defense beyond what OATO could offer us? Did you forget who won and who lost the Sivad-Consortium war, Mr. Ryan?!" Seale spits incredulously. "And that was just Sivad. If you bring in the might of the other eight signers into it..." He blinks furiously, shaking his head like a horse displacing a biting fly. "Mad. Most certainly mad. That could only end in bloodshed." Ryan shakes his head, "I'm well aware that they lost the war, but they're still a military force to be reckoned with, remember that their own efforts were hampered by the very conflict on Luna I mentioned. The same during the recent Birthright War. By combining our resources and manpower and without the deadly conflict between our peoples the combined strength would more than rival Sivad again, something they already did during the war. Sivad won, but mainly through the intervention of the Maltarians. Sivad has also had her forces depleted recently. And I can assure you, the shipyards on Mars have not been idle." Ryan chuckles, "Besides, if we have an equal voice in this 'Stellar Republic's affairs, we would definitely prove a stabilising influence." Seale lowers his eyebrows. "In OATO, at least we can say on paper that we aren't allying with Specialist-makers, we're allying with a large group. There is absolutely no way around saying that we are allying with Specialist-makers in this relationship. Which is going to absolutely enrage more than a third of the population. I'm dealing with enough interspecies tension now." He waves his hand, as if cleaning this thought away. "You stay with the OATO plan. If we continue to encounter resistance, I'll have someone leak your plan. Perhaps the threat of such might provide some incentive for them." Ryan nods, though lost in thought, "I don't like the idea anymore than anyone else would." He glances up at Seale's eyes, his own showing a hidden pain, "You haven't been on Luna recently have you?" Seale grits his teeth as he looks down to the alternate-Lunite, and something like a look of guilt quickly washes over his face. "I have not, for almost four years now. But there has to be a better way to bring them into the fold. Their position will forever doom them to this fate, and ones similar. Proximity will always make them an easy target." "It's not so bad in the cities, keep your head down, pay your taxes, don't make eye contact with the Fleeters," says Jeff sadly. "It's peace. Of a sorts, peace of the gun, but still peace. In the ruins of Rima Sirsalis and Sparta, it's a different story, I won't go into details.... I'm not asking that we go ahead with my plan if you think it can't be made to work. But there has to be a way to end this destructive conflict, I know it can't be done in battle. I'm willing to shake hands with the Fleeters if there'll be a true peace. You're the politician, you're the businessman. If anyone can make it seem attractive to both sides, it's you. I'll go ahead with the OATO plan, I'd rather some of us were free than none of us, but if you can find a way to free our world, don't let pride get in the way." Seale 's eyes begin to look a bit watery, and shakes his head, folding his hands atop his desk. "If we lose what we stand for, we lose everything," he says quietly. "Making a pact with the devil to save our friends and neighbors on Luna would be wonderful for the next few years. But it will absolutely damn us in the long run. They will want concessions, they will want whatever they can dig their claws into. They will bleed us dry in the long run, making us ripe for their war machines. It will not be as simple as you have it in your head. It may not be in the next five years, but it will occur." "I'm not a fool," says Jeff, the tone is harder from that machine that the soft, almost smiling expression on his face. "We cannot offer forgiveness, unless they ask for absolution. I know it's a dangerous path to walk down, but lunites are a stubborn race. You know as well as I do, that the deal would have to be sincere and offer us true freedom within that Republic. Otherwise we'd reject it out of hand, whatever words they put on the page. You're right of course, perhaps neither of us is ready for that step." Jeff sighs and nods, "So what do I need to know when dealing with the rest of OATO?" Seale grits his teeth, and sighs long and hard. "La Terre shouldn't provide much of a setback. Nor should Castor or the Demarians. The Odarites are going to want incentives. I've prepared a list of raw materials we can provide for them at a discount, and that may soften their black hearts. As for the Nemoni...I have to admit, I don't even know where their capital is in Realspace anymore, with the political upheaval of the last few years. I will have to ask around." The lunite listens attentively to Ridge's run-down of the OATO, excluding Sivad and G'ahnlo. "So..." asks Jeff leaning back. "Even the La Terrans, Castori and Demarians are going to want some sort of incentive to bring us in, perhaps even just a very good reason. What's on offer? I'll leave thinking about the Nemoni until you figure out where I can find them." "We have a massive sea-based trade. I'm not sure if the Castori or Demarians like fish, but if you could find a tasteful way to ask them, that might be something we can use. We have a lot of budding pharmaceutical research on some of the native flora and fauna. If La Terre or the Castori wanted to assist, perhaps they could share in the profits of such a venture. In the next ten years, we're going to need a shipbuilding facility. That's going to be a major moneymaker. Perhaps assure one of the worlds the right to have one of their companies build it." Seale leans back in his chair. Ryan nods, "I know the castori were once one of the major ship-builders in this sector. The Melissa Fernandez is one of the most respected hospitals and research facilities I know of, it was after all where the cure for the strain of the TRV released on my world was found. And well... the demarians are cats..." There is a grin there at that last comment "...that seems to hang together almost too easily." Seale shrugs a shoulder, still looking somewhat serious (and a gleam of wetness still seems to cling to his eyes). "It's never quite that easy in practice, but yes, if everything falls together properly, those seem to make a good match." "Anything else?" asks Jeff. "Keep a lookout for anything strange on the worlds you visit, any unrest or negative sentiments. Any stretch of quiet in the galaxy nowadays tends to worry me. It just means I don't know what's coming next." The tall Lunite grimaces, interlocking his fingers and bringing his two hands to his chin. Ryan nods his head, "There's always something brewing. I'm a Watcher, that's what I do." And with that the lunite stands. "Thank you for your time Governor." "Thank you for yours, Mr. Ryan. Make me proud," Seale says, standing in turn. Jeff Ryan offers the man his hand, "I won't let you down sir." Seale takes the hand, shaking it firmly. "We will get Luna back someday. Sometime in our lifetime," he says softly, but with conviction. The man nods, and it his eyes burn with a deep passion, "Let's try not to get anyone killed as we go about it." And he lets the hand go and turns on his heels. Seale nods silently, and takes a deep breath as he watches Ryan leave.
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