The American In Another World
Chapter 62: Gesta Betting (2)
10 February
Washington DC
A cool air conditioner looks like something contained in every American building. Sitting on a bench in the hallway, Gesta pondered the energy costs of running such equipment the entire time as she waited for the Americans. He and his team — consisting of Cielia, Dallas, and some small personnel — arrived on time. They reflected the manners of the Valkan Gra; even Dallas came with clean haircuts and tailored clothing.
“This meeting will be determined by me and my colleague,” Gesta reminded his team, distracting them from the various paintings that adorn the white walls of the building. “If you have something to say, stand up and whisper to me. I will ask for a sidebar and we can discuss this issue.”
Gra Valkans nodded, understanding the rules set by their superiors.
Shortly after, the door next to them opened. An aide invited them in, where Secretary Heiden and his colleagues were already sitting. They were all wearing neat suits with ties, similar to the one Gesta wore himself. Gesta observed the room and its occupants as he walked towards his seat, only recognizing Heiden. Several other notable-looking figures sat beside him, introducing themselves as soon as Heiden announced the start of the meeting.
Heiden cleared his throat before speaking, “Salam, a delegate from the Gra Valkas Empire. On behalf of all Americans, I humbly welcome you to the United States. I hope today, we can build a great foundation of friendship. I am Secretary of State Gordon Heiden; I will represent the United States in our discussions today. Beside me are my colleagues, figures from other departments who will help guide every decision related to their respective fields.”
The Americans stood up to shake the hand of the Valkan Gra as they continued their introduction.
“Elijah Hubbard, Secretary of Commerce,” a gray-haired man stands up.
"Robert Hill" a black man introduces himself, "Secretary of Defense."
Gesta and his colleagues followed him, making small talk before continuing the meeting.
My
"Well," said Heiden. “Director Gesta, United States is open to forging relationships, although I must stress that we require certain concessions; rules and regulations that we hope to comply with by other civilized countries.”
"And what is this concession?" ask Gesta.
Heiden spoke straightforwardly, staring straight at the Gesta. His neutral and professional expression gave no hint of his emotions. “They are quite easy. Things like sapient rights, the abolition of slavery, and so on. Depending on the type of relationship or type of agreement you are looking for, we can provide you with the necessary documents.”
Gesta was a little relieved. There were discussions about restoring slavery due to the low level of Elysian technology and the prevalence of the practice, but ultimately decided against it. Slavery, as they learned during the conquest of Yggdra, led to inevitable instability. They feared what slaves might do to expensive infrastructure and machinery. They are afraid of magic, which can lead to terrorism.
Talking about rights, however, reminds him of the debilitating geopolitics of Yggdra. It irritated him, but he expertly suppressed the small twitches that began to form along his mouth. "I think some kind of agreement on the rules of war would be included?"
Heiden nodded. “Indeed they will do it. Actually I plan to discuss it later, but we can do it now. Would you like to discuss our proposal?
The strict rules of war restrained the Gra Valkas Empire. Political dissent grew as they continued to consume more countries, bringing the rest of the Yggdra into their group. Cain's cultural war campaign against the impressionable Gra Valkan youth left lingering wounds. Only consistent propaganda efforts highlighting the primitive barbarism of Elysia were able to prevent the popularity of pacifist ideals. If the pacifists knew that there was a country with rules of war, it would dismantle the barbaric image they created of Elysians. That will provide fuel they can use to develop their movements. As an authoritarian, he regretted the unavoidable choices he had to make. He only hopes that the propagandists in his hometown can overcome the impact. “Alright, Mr. Secretary. Let's start."
Heiden's maid distributed the thick package to the Valkan Gra as she summarized the contents. “Most of these rules are sourced from the regulations we have on Earth. The most important of these regulations dictate the proper protocol with respect to civilians.”
The Gra Valkas Empire once had rules, but abandoned them when they discovered Elysia's brutal barbarism. For several months, they had the freedom to punish their enemies, even plunder their cities and women. Giving up the freedom they had just experienced was something that his compatriots might not have liked. However, not enough time passed for them to get used to this freedom; hence, returning to civilized and regulated war should not be a big deal. Although being a signatory would limit the choice of his department with respect to diplomacy, the benefits of non-aggression with America would surely outweigh the harm inflicted by the inability to fully subdue their Elysian vassals.
"I understand" replied Gesta. “We also have rules of war in Yggdra. Looks like this is a commonality among civilized countries, eh?”
"This is a commonality among countries that have experienced the horrors of war" Heiden replied grimly. "The horror of which little is known to the glory-seeking nations of the world." He leaned forward as he spoke, his words sounding more like a warning than a suggestion or fact.
Shivering down to the Gesta spine. He felt an urge to scratch his skin, but fought it off. Not finding the words on his tongue, he simply nodded in response and continued reading the proposed rules. The implications of Heiden's statement are clearly reflected in the regulations, exemplified by articles on the use of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. Surprisingly, they only banned the use of these 'weapons of mass destruction' against civilian targets. This contrasts with the agreement he read about the use of the Internet; this agreement prohibits the use of this weapon against all targets. He later suspected that the Americans wanted to keep open the option to use this weapon against the Gra Valkans.
He felt a pat on his shoulder, turning to look at Cielia.
"Master, a minute?" She asked.
He gave her a small nod before turning back towards the Americans. "Secretary, I would like to have time to discuss this document with my colleagues."
"Yes" replied Gesta.
The delegation of the Valkan Gra left the room to discuss in the hallway while the Americans remained inside. Unwilling to waste time, Cielia immediately showed her concern, “Pak, I want to propose an amendment to their regulations.”
"Hm, what is it?" ask Gesta.
Cielia shows the packet to the Gesta, pointing to a certain series of lines. “Master, their rule only prohibits the use of these weapons against civilians. With their technology, I'm afraid they want to give a severe toll to our military by using chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. I would like to propose a clause prohibiting the use of this weapon completely.”
The Gesta wanted to agree, but considered the opinion of the Gra Lux Emperor. “Cielia, your insight does make sense – and I even agree, to a certain extent – however,” his sigh, “A decision like this is something that I cannot make without the prior approval of His Majesty. I cannot lose his ability to use such a weapon unless he himself agrees. Unfortunately, I never discussed this possibility with him so your proposal should wait until we receive word from His Majesty.”
"But - But Sir!" Cielia stuttered. “We may not have time to wait! What if America wants to finalize this agreement now?”
"Then there's nothing we can do." Gesta noticed the look in Cielia's eyes, sympathizing with her worries. “I will not act outside the limits set by His Majesty. Do you have anything else you want to discuss?
Cielia paused for a moment, thinking of an answer. "No," he finally said, unable to raise any other concerns.
"Let's go back to the meeting."
The delegates returned to their seats and after Heiden's announcement, their discussions resumed.
Gesta placed her hand on the package as she spoke, "We think this rule makes sense."
“That's great,” Heiden smiled politely, relieved that Gra Valkan accepted the rule. “With that, we can now start discussing a wider deal. What do you want to start?”
The Gesta decided to first discuss a small deal, so America would be more willing to accept non-aggression later on. He replied confidently, "Let's start with a trade agreement." Gesta beckoned one of his aides, who then gave everyone a Gra Valkan economic data package. After the paper is distributed, he continued, “This document details the important economic indicators of the Gra Valkan, including gross domestic product, inflation rate, and the value of our currency with respect to certain rare metals, like gold and silver. Thanks to some of your professionals, we can set an estimated exchange rate based on the value of basic commodities in both our countries.”
After reading the document a bit, Heiden looked towards Secretary Hubbard, who gave him a nod, confirming the estimate given. "Very good. We need to have the Commerce Department do some final review, but all of this data looks solid. We can open our economy to your imports, but because of our policy on technology outflows, we have to limit our exports to certain goods.”
Gesta sighed deeply, knowing this barrier would present itself sooner or later. "So so. What kind of restrictions exist? Is there a possibility to revoke this restriction?”
Heiden replied, “Most of the restrictions relate to firearms and consumer technology containing computers. Common consumer goods such as food, furniture, and household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves will be allowed to be purchased. These restrictions can be lifted over time by building trust. I should also stress that the United States strongly believes in free trade, so all trade agreements come with a warning of no tariffs.”
Although Gesta admits that Americans are advocates of free trade, even on Earth, he can't help but see the downside of agreeing to this. If the Valkan Gra Empire cannot impose tariffs on American goods, their superior quality and industrial capacity can compete — may even dwarf — goods produced by the original industry of Gra Valkan. However, securing a trade agreement can not only improve relations with America, but ultimately result in the acquisition of advanced technology, which the Gra Valkans can then learn from and possibly even replicate. Finding the latter consideration more important, Gesta concludes that the deal is acceptable. "The Valkan Gra Empire accepted this covenant."
With commercial ties in place, the Gesta turned to small things like tourism. The two sides quickly established a visa system, which would be handled mainly by embassies established in both countries. Since most of the Elysia were not technologically advanced enough to maintain such a system, the United States and the Valkan Gra Empire agreed to grant visas on the shores of their respective countries.
At Heiden's request, they also approved the exchange of basic information, such as history and culture. American scholars have found similarities between the Valkan Gra culture and the Terran culture. Considering the Yggdran origin myth, they were also curious about its similarities.
Eventually, both sides were left with the topic of non-aggression. Gesta glanced at Dallas, who seemed to exude a sense of disdain and anger. He prayed that Dallas would not erupt when he became an accomplice of the Americans, "The Valkan Gra Empire recognizes the advanced technology possessed by the Americans and hence, we want to secure a non-aggression pact."
Gesta's heart started beating and sweat started flowing down his back as he waited for Heiden's reply. Cielia's anxiety was even more pronounced, even though she hid it well. To the surprise of the Valkans Gra, Heiden's answer was quite straightforward. "We can do that" he said.
The Valkans Gra all relaxed in relief, only to be whipped by Heiden's following words. “On condition of the Gra Valkan Empire discontinue its research on nuclear weapons and shipping methods.”
Maintaining its composure, Gesta quickly countered, “Our research has been completed, with production being worked on. The Gra Valkas Empire needs these weapons to defend our sovereignty from potential enemies! Unfortunately, we cannot agree to those terms.”
Americans' attitudes appear to be getting darker, although their faces do not reflect the difference from their neutral expressions. Silence befell the room, adding to the increased tension. “It was indeed very unfortunate. If that is the consensus of the Gra Valkas Empire, know that this weapon is also subject to the rules you agreed to before this conversation. The United States will not condone the use of this weapon, but will not hesitate to retaliate with full force if threatened by this weapon.”
“Valkan Gra Empire understands this.” Gesta felt her heart sink hearing Heiden's warning. He could hardly imagine how Cielia was feeling at the moment. He convinced himself, thinking that such destruction would not befall his country as long as his people did not use this weapon against America. Only now did he recall the concept discussed by Naguano and Prince Gra Cabal during their studies: the concept of mutual assured destruction. But in this case, only the Gra Valka Empire would receive guaranteed destruction. Gesta could only pray that his superiors would refrain from using nuclear weapons, lest they be erased from Elysia's face.