Mallorca Naval Base, European Union...
In an unused office one floor up from the repurposed conference room, Prime Minister Bērzinš seated himself at a spare desk with a pleased sigh, taking a moment to crack open his laptop for updates. He saw a few emails in his inbox, he guessed they were from his important constituents wanting something. Campaign status, funding offers, whatever. He made a note to review them later, but for the moment he closed up his computer, withdrawing a small flask of flavored water from his jacket's inner pocket. Wine would have been more appropriate for his mood, but he held to a personal rule of only drinking at home or during great celebrations. The formal ceremony for this historical event would qualify, located in Paris naturally.
Bērzinš ignored the ambassador halting in front of the desk, crossing his arms to glare at him taking a long swig from his drink. When he finished he replaced the water to his pocket and smiled warmly, at ease compared to his scowl, or his aide pacing at the door.
"Josef, what were you thinking?" Renard demanded.
"Establishing terms is all." Bērzinš replied simply.
"Like hell." Renard clenched both fists. "First you blame them for the piss poor accommodations, then you can't stop yourself from acting like a condescending prick, like you're dealing with some uncontacted tribe in the Congo. And now you have the gall to act this smug?"
"Perhaps I'm overdoing it I admit, but in my defense it's justified. They'll accept the deal." Bērzinš grinned.
Approaching them was Councilor Klose, gripping his elbow while he chewed on his fingernails. "I'm not sure about that. I mean, sure the terms you offered were astonishingly lenient for potential new member states, but from an objective point of view..."
"Which they'll realize, particularly with your more neutral arguments. Stop worrying Paul, you have nothing to fear from political blowback. As for you, honestly, you give me too little credit." Bērzinš leaned back, his smile growing at Renard quivering his fists at his sides.
"Too little credit? You may have just driven them to our enemies you arrogant idiot!" he snarled.
"Again, they won't." Bērzinš shrugged.
"But sir, what if they do?" Klose asked worriedly.
"It'd be picking the clearly worse option. Despite the clear divide between camps, from the Britannian factions and their respective French and Eleven allies, they aren't that dumb-" he was interrupted by Renard slamming his fists on the table with a snarl, leveling a red eyed look of raw anger upon him.
"That. That privileged attitude, right there, is what'll doom us, you LEDES dumbass." he growled, giving every appearance of preparing to lunge.
Bērzinš however merely steepled his fingers. "Ad hominem attacks don't do you any favors Mäel. You act like I haven't thought this out, or didn't study the reports. This is the perfect chance to show the world Europe's power."
Renard drew back, lips quivering. "That's all huh? Parading your negotiation skills around in the next election is all you care about."
"To be fair, the L'Europ d'abord et Seulement party does need this boost in prestige to stay in power. The Centrists and Christian Democratic parties are growing in strength. But still, I don't think this is the right time." Klose frowned uneasily.
"On the contrary, this is the perfect time. We spoke to people from another world, and they chose to speak to us first? I can't think of a greater boon to our reputation. Besides, you act like I'm gonna pull a Tsar and oppress them so much that they'll rebel." he grinned.
"You won't?" Renard subtly challenged. But he didn't take the bait.
"We'll negotiate to reach a settlement we can all agree on. They'll retain a measure of autonomy, their existing hyper-militarized state they seem to like, and let them keep some of their more advanced toys for a while. In exchange they'll join the Union without question. I'm particularly interested in their space technology; assuming the Socialists and Centrists play ball, in ten years the first man on the moon will be a European, as it should be." Bērzinš outlined, dropping his hands. "I'll even throw the military a few bones so they can stop whining about a lack of funding. If we're lucky the healthcare expansion reforms we've been pushing for will be realized too."
"Can you stop thinking of your own goals for one goddamn second? We're talking about the fates of two million people, and all you're telling me is how they will benefit you." Renard snapped.
"They came to us, remember? They're in no position to question our generosity." he smoothly replied.
"Of course you would call this generosity." Renard rolled his eyes.
"But it is. Can you tell me if our positions were reversed that they would act any different?" Bērzinš leaned back to grin. "In fact, in exchange for some token concessions towards the Church restriction bill, I'll ensure they can enter the EU economy as soon as possible. Even make sure their skilled workers won't be discriminated against."
Klose groaned, peering at the window. "The alternative is to leave them in the same kind of relocation facilities as our other refugees. The LEDES party has been trying to get places like the Paris and Amsterdam closed off districts closed down for a while."
"By deporting the residents, don't play yourself up. The only reason you haven't gotten rid of them yet is because of the CDP." Renard growled.
"While the rest of my party holds to that position, I don't." For the first time irritation seeped into Bērzinš' tone. "Packaging them off breeds resentment. Its much better to assimilate refugees, get them to bow to our superior culture. But the CDP won't allow that, they think its a bad thing we civilized most of the world. It's annoying enough that they'll force us to grant these portal folk full citizenship."
Renard looked to leap across the desk to strangle Bērzinš, but instead he unclenched his fists with a testy growl.
"You're a fool. Both of you." he stomped away, throwing open the door regardless of the guard outside. Klose inadvertently flinched from his hefty slam that rattled the frame.
"Sir..." he turned, catching Bērzinš taking another sip.
"What a shame, but I'll make sure his backroom deals won't go anywhere. I'm betting he just might do something stupid, like help that nosy general trying to enter politics, what was his name?" he frowned.
"Major General Gene Smilas sir, he's been pushing for military reforms for eight years now." Klose reminded, cringing at his nonchalant shrug.
"Regardless, if he does it'll grant us the ammunition needed to oust old Durante and his motley band. And who knows, if those oversized white elephants the portal folk have really are that good, then we can downsize the Army without losing effectiveness." Bērzinš rubbed his chin, smiling once more. "I shouldn't get ahead of myself, but this is shaping up to be a massive success."
Klose faced him to clear his throat. "Prime Minister sir, what if the NUN alliance really does reject our terms?"
"They won't, I'm sure of it. I saw it in their eyes, even with that Eleven woman." Bērzinš peered at the ceiling. "They're a desperate people, but more importantly they're culturally very similar to us. We're infinitely preferable to the tyrannical Britannians, or the incompetent Chinese. Oh I'll drive a hard bargain to be sure, can't show weakness in this day and age. But I'll give them plenty of wiggle room. Only a tyrant squeezes new subjects this soon after all."
On the opposite side of the complex, three bodyguards swept over a slightly larger room for eight guests, working diligently to pry open vents, inspect furniture, and even testing the walls for soundproofing. After several minutes they ceased to face the officials.
"Sirs, this room appears to be clear. Although I can't issue a full security guarantee, on the off chance they placed bugs we're not familiar with." the leader cautioned.
"That's alright, thank you. Its up to you if you don't wish to speak here." Vice President Dillan Asher turned to his counterparts, who seated themselves on two sofas flanking a coffee table, leaving their party's aides to maintain a loose perimeter.
There were four aides altogether, acting as both advisors and extra muscle to ensure their leader's protection; Lieutenant Daisy Irons of the United States Navy crossed her wrists behind her back by a spare desk, her dress uniform still unwrinkled after the meeting. French Army Captain Gerard Bressette leaned against a far wall with a grim look, arms folded around each other as he kept listening to a wall, maintaining a watchful gaze towards the window. Meanwhile the door was covered by a hard faced young man, clad in the dark grey uniform of the Imperial Royal Guard, long bangs overshadowing his stony expression. Situated beside her ruler was Major Marimo Jinguuji of the IJA, who found herself sending cold looks towards her impromptu companion.
Asher lowered himself beside Shogun Yuuhi Koubuin, facing Secretary Pierre De Brumaire and Minister Ryan Poole, his grim expression a match for theirs. Four people of markedly different backgrounds, all coming together for the greater good.
"We'll discuss this here, in english." Poole said with a glance at his remaining two companions.
"I expected as such." De Brumaire nodded unhappily. His beard seemed wispier now, thinner than what it was a short time ago.
"Very well." Koubuin agreed, crossing her robed arms over her lap, the regal ensemble she picked for this meeting unblemished after all that occurred. A suit of some kind would have been preferable, but this outfit was a statement as much as a symbol, establishing who and what she was. For all the good it accomplished.
"Okay then, I'll state my position then. As agreed on before we departed, this can be considered an official declaration of the United States." Asher reminded, how each representative was granted broad diplomatic powers on behalf of their respective governments. He took a quick breath of the climate controlled air. "This is a bad deal."
"It is." Poole nodded.
"Very much so." Koubuin balled up fists under her robes, sparing a glance around. "Your opinions?"
"Its definitely bad your highness." Irons stated flatly.
"Those people as full of themselves as Americans." Bressette muttered, regardless of the displeased looks he received.
"We cannot allow them to take away our sovereignty your highness." Marimo grimaced. The other man was silent, but he nodded along with the bodyguards.
One by one gazes fell upon the last representative, who hung his head while his fingers intertwined. A deep breath had De Brumaire meet their gazes, his expression a mix of reluctance and bitterness.
"It is a bad deal, yes. But I think we should agree to it. Hear me out." he jabbed a hand in front of himself, forestalling the sudden jumps of his counterparts. "I know what you're thinking, but that's not my reasoning. Yes, France has the most to gain from joining the EU. Yes, that would, ah, short change? Whatever the english term is, it'd harm you far more. But I still say we, all of us, should agree to join as one."
"Why's that?" Asher questioned with his brow narrowed.
De Brumaire rolled his shoulders. "Because I think its the best deal we're going to get in this world."
"That's altogether possible. We know from the Lexington's report on radio chatter that the Prime Minister wasn't lying. Exaggerating perhaps, but not lying." Poole said.
"You're talking about the propaganda broadcasts from the Middle East, or the news reports about a civil uprising in Pakistan being put down?" Asher inquired.
"Both. Not to mention, we all saw that looped speech from the Britannian king." Poole reminded.
Not one person in the room missed Koubuin visibly tensing up at the mention of that speech.
De Brumaire cleared his throat. "With that said, I recommend we delay any further negotiations for a while. Saying yes now would signal how weak we really are."
"I agree. We'll stall for as long as possible, see if we can't get a minimum of forty eight hours. During that time we'll get in contact with the Chinese Federation embassy and any other power that could help." Asher nodded.
"Presumably, if that doesn't pan out we'll accept the EU deal?" Koubuin checked.
"I mean, we could try our luck on more portal experiments, but from what I've gathered it's risky. Right?" Poole directed towards Asher, who nodded.
"Creating a stable Everett Phone model wormhole requires a dense core of Gray-6 overlaid by multiple panes of Gray-9, so the superconductors can handle the raw power output needed to open a stable Einstein-Rosen bridge around a microscopic black hole, and the negative mass can overcome the Casimir effect. But every time the system is stressed quantum fluctuations damage the exotic matter." he explained.
Both De Brumaire and Koubuin sent Asher puzzled looks, with Poole grunting. "I thought you said you didn't understand how the Bridge works?"
"Would you rather I told a foreign national leader how to access the multiverse?" he replied dryly.
De Brumaire likewise grunted. "Point. But what do you mean stressing the system?"
"Exactly that. Spacetime gets warped during each activation, the feedback invariably damages the components involved. Short duration effects that we used to get here isn't really a problem, but for a large scale applications like what we need to relocate our populations, the core systems are warped and invariably decay into free floating particles. They've already been replaced twice just in the short time we've experimented. I'm told this could be a huge source of neutrinos if we had a surefire way to measure them. In practical terms, we only have so much time we can use the Bridge before the G-elements are exhausted." he finished grimly.
"How long sir?" Marimo unexpectedly spoke up, just before Irons did the same.
Asher grimaced. "Our current projections give us approximately seventy five hundred hours of operation, optimistically. It comes out to three hundred days and change."
"Not a lot of time." Poole noted unhappily.
"Having a micro black hole beacon on this side giving providing a reference for Kruskal–Szekeres coordinates to account for spatial drift lowers system stress, and the researchers believe they can use substitutes for the superconductors. But no, its not. Once the core material is exhausted, we'll lose any hope of further transportation." Asher nodded grimly.
Koubuin cleared her throat. "I... admit I don't understand much of that. But I'm compelled to ask if there's any side effects of punching holes in existence."
"Now that you mention it..." De Brumaire ran a hand through his beard. "What if this risks destroying the universe? Like poking a bubble or some such."
"I had something different in mind. You may think lowly of me for sounding superstitious, but the BETA defied what we knew of biology when we discovered them. Who's to say there's not other life in the void between existence? Something we can't understand." Koubuin frowned uneasily.
"Your highness, I mean no disrespect, but that's a risk we'll have to take." Irons said diplomatically, in spite of the Royal Guard and Marimo sending her a look.
All three politicians grimaced, with Asher clearing his throat. "That was the President's stance. Our best case projections have the human race falling below sustainable levels within a decade, and extinction in twenty. Current food production is only just sufficient to keep our people fed, even with the new hydroponic food plants coming online."
"Our remaining weather stations in the Arctic are reporting massive temperature drops with the weather patterns stabilizing. We seem to be heading towards a new ice age, at minimum." Poole offered, letting out a breath through clenched teeth.
"That too, assuming the remaining knock off effects of gravity fluctuations don't get worse. At this rate, in thirty years the only life on Earth will be the BETA. Either we use the Bridge, or we all die." Asher finished.
"I wasn't disputing the decision, I only wished to voice my concerns. In any case, we absolutely cannot allow these Europeans access to it. In fact, there are many technologies of ours that we should not share." Koubuin switched tracks.
"I thought the same. Our respective third gen TSFs, some of our space technologies, nukes." Poole clamped his mouth shut.
Immediately everyone in the room checked their surroundings for eavesdroppers, listening to the walls, peeking outside, even reaching for weapons. Upon meeting their wary stares he coughed into a fist.
"I apologize, I won't mention that again. But my stance remains." Poole rolled his shoulders.
"Don't they already have them sir? The EU seems to have technology comparable to our own." Marimo risked speaking.
"The very fact they're engaged in a huge mechanized war is a cue they don't. These Britannians wouldn't be massing corp sized armies if the EU could simply nuke them into oblivion, and vice versa." Bressette spoke up for the first time in a while. "Its the opposite reason why nobody protested America's idiot plan."
"Captain Bressette." De Brumaire spoke up harshly, glaring at his subordinate until he shrugged. When that happened he spared a sour look towards his allies. "My apologies."
"Let's not dwell on the past." Poole cautioned, although no one present missed a flash of something unpleasant across his expression. "It'd be arrogant to rule out the possibility, but I believe we can safely assume they don't have hydrogen bombs."
"We'll have to tell them eventually sirs." Irons pointed out.
"True, but until then lets keep quiet about it. For now, if we join I propose we only hand over first gen TSF schematics for technology trades, namely the F-4 Phantom and the F-5 Freedom Fighter. At most, we'll share the F-15C Eagle. Anything else will be left up to the security council's discretion." Asher suggested.
"Very well. I'm assuming the same terms will be offered to any other power we approach?" Poole questioned with a sweep of his head. "I say this while thinking of China, but we should try other countries, such as the various African nations, India, Russia, and if necessary, Britannia-"
"Minister Poole." Koubuin spoke. Though her voice was devoid of emotion, the sheer coldness made him clamp shut immediately, her harsh stare causing both him and the rest to gulp. "You are welcome to enter into talks with the Britannian Empire on behalf of Canada. But if you suggest that we all attempt to ally with them, then Japan will have no part in such affairs. If necessary, the Empire of Japan will formally leave the New United Nations."
Gasps echoed throughout the room, leaving no one unscathed. The officials, the bodyguards, even the silent guardian sent her an incredulous gaze at her stern posture, as Marimo recoiled in surprise beside her.
"Your highness..." was her awed and horrified reaction.
"I do not suggest this lightly. But unless Britannia is offering the unconditional release of Japan from occupation, we will not be involved in any diplomatic relation with them." Koubuin stated flatly, as if daring for them to challenge her.
De Brumaire chuckled dryly, almost bitterly. "And here I was about to lament that the Sixth Republic would likely be dissolved within a decade should we join the EU."
"While... extreme, I understand where you're coming from. I will also presume that Japan will be preparing for war then?" Asher grimaced, as if dreading the answer.
"Yes. Were our circumstances reversed, I'd expect all of you to do the same. If necessary, Japan will render aid to Canada and the United States should they wish to reclaim territories in North America." she finished with a gaze around the room.
"Technically speaking your highness, they wouldn't be reclaiming anything. Just as you would potentially be seen as a foreign invader in your own country." Irons pointed out despite the hostile glance from Marimo, but oddly not the Royal Guard. He didn't even peer at them during the discussion.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Poole stepped in with a raised hand. "We'll tell the EU reps we'll need time to think on their deal, use the time to peruse our options. We should also do everything in our power to ensure that the EU won't abuse their position over us."
"If we must, we'll force them to play nice." De Brumaire sent a knowing look towards Asher, who coughed uneasily.
"Let's pray it won't come to that." he said quietly. None of them knew it, but there wouldn't be a definite answer for two weeks.
A/N: here's a shoutout to Lord of Moons, who pointed out to me the oversight of universes being in motion, and thus a linkgage should be in motion at all times. Plus addressing multiple people noting how odd it was that the New United Nations accepted the EU deal so easily.
As in the first chapter, if you have an idea you'd like to see PM me. I have three, maybe four ideas I can turn into chapters, but I'd like to hear your guys' in case I overlooked something.