Blood ran cold at the email. Little fists rubbed fiercely at eyes as he checked again, and again, once more to be certain. Sometimes letters and words jumbled in Peter's head. Surely, surely he had to be misreading something.
The Pirate Bay regrets to inform you that it shall be withdrawing from the acquisition of the Principality of Sealand due to ongoing legal issues with the Swedish government.
What legal issues? Were they daft?! The entire point was to be on international waters! They received immunity from copyright laws and Sealand received the money it so desperately needed for repairs! He tried to respond, but what was he supposed to say? The only words he could find were "you can't": hardly a convincing argument.
"You've got mail!" dinged an automated voice. To say he scrambled was an understatement; Peter almost yanked the mouse from its cord in his hurry to see them recount the last email, to assure that they'd give the money needed to fix up Sealand, pull his founders out of debt, keep Peter alive, but that dream was dashed the moment he saw an unfamiliar name.
From: Berwald Oxenstierna | Subject: Sealand
Oh, wonderfully vague. Very helpful. As if his entire inbox wasn't solely filled by emails regarding Sealand, only occasionally broken up by his occasional chats with Raivis or planning micronation meetings. With a sigh, he clicked.
The header was the flag and seal of Sweden, and the footer confirmed his suspicions. The very nation who was getting in the way of him and his people having a chance was now deciding to reach out. Bushy brows furrowed and Peter hung his head in his hands. Just a little longer. A little longer, and he could go back to restarting his new Pokemon game until he got a shiny Piplup. Hell, with all the stress he'd been going through these past months, he deserved ice cream for dinner, too! With gummi bears on top! Just a little longer playing adult and he could retreat to the barracks he called his room.
Scanning the actual contents of the email revealed that Mr. Oxenstierna was interested in buying Sealand, as well. He was dumbfounded. Did this guy have any idea what he was talking about? As hard as it was to reply to Pirate Bay, this response came far more easily.
Mr. Berwald Oxenstierna,
While the offer is appreciated, Sealand has no interest in returning to its days as
a fort for other nations. Also worth noting, Sweden cannot legally own property on
international waters unless it wishes to cause upset in the global community. Your offer,
though generous, would be trouble for us both.
-Peter Kirkland
Principality of Sealand
He almost wanted to laugh. Did Sweden really think it could get a fort that close to the British shoreline? Exactly what was he planning? How did Peter know more about basic maritime law than a recognized nation? From the bickering he heard when sneaking into meetings to the interactions he'd had one-on-one, Peter often wondered if he worked harder than half those blokes. The automated voice signaling a reply caught him off-guard. It had hardly been a minute, and all formalities were dropped.
I want to talk to Peter.
-Berwald
...Huh. Not what he expected. The boy's quick response that he was, in fact, Peter - as was clearly stated on the closer of his last email - was yet again replied to in only a minute.
This wouldn't be a purchase as Sweden. This is a deal as myself, Berwald. No legal issues if it's personal. It will be easier to discuss details in person. When could I come over?
Just how much money do the Nordics pay their representatives? It was hard for Peter to imagine what 25 million pounds sterling was like, but he knew it was a lot. That was, like⦠a million new footballs! Of course, there was room for bargaining, but the entire situation was bizarre. No matter how odd, though, he needed the money if he wanted a chance at continuing on. After a few quick messages to sort out a time to meet in person, he closed the window on his desktop and hopped off his chair.
Lord, he needed a juice box.
