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Phase 17:Unintended consequences
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Part 5
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SHIELD facility X
a former Canadian military research site
Northern Canada
Even now, in the days of satellite communications and widespread, fast internet, diplomatic talks usually took weeks, if not months. Sometimes they still took years, especially when many countries were involved.
The speed and coordination required to deal with an alien polity caught people off-guard. It was only a few hours before Tyr was supposed to call again when I got the 'privilege' of attending a conference call between diplomats and government leaders currently allied with the US, alongside more than a few Foreign Ministers or their equivalents, from the rest of the world, acting as observers.
"We have much to do and mere hours to do it," the Secretary of State began. "Sadly, we will have to disperse with many diplomatic norms today in the name of expediency," David Hochner's face twitched while speaking those words. "For various reasons, the Asgardians have taken a liking to Mr. Stark and want him as a continued point of rather disruptive and irregular contact," He looked at me.
"That is not an honor I feel I can decline. Has everyone online briefed on our long-term goals and strategic standing?" I asked. "We do need to speak plainly, and as you pointed out, Secretary Hochner, we don't have much time to do it."
"Ensuring everyone was on the same page was one of the factors that pushed this meeting so close to our deadline," The Secretary of State explained. "You can speak freely, Mr. Stark. Considering you will be our point man in negotiations with Asgard for the time being, not taking your input in all due consideration will be foolish in the extreme."
"Then everyone should be aware that diplomatically and security-wise, we hit the jackpot with Asgard. An alien benefactor willing to aid in our defense has been the most realistic way to protect Earth over the coming decades. Our chances would be terrible for anything more dangerous than a limited incursion or a pirate raid until we've done much uplifting. Asgard can buy us the time to properly develop our science, industry, and military to the point that humanity would be hard to bomb into extinction and harder to take. It is not a question if we should accept any reasonable and even unreasonable Asgardian demands as long as they take their role in defending Earth as their Protectorate seriously. The only question is what reasonable price we should push for accepting their 'requests.'"
That statement earned me a lot of dirty and skeptical looks. It seemed to me that many diplomats hadn't yet internalized precisely how small a fish Earth was and what kind of shark any developed interstellar nation was in comparison.
"That's not the kind of statement I was led to expect from you, Mr. Stark," An older man spoke in a thick British accent.
"I am aware of Earth's capabilities, compared to those of any species capable of interstellar travel. We are outclassed and divided as a species, making it easy to exploit us. In interstellar terms, our position is worse than that of the smallest third-world country compared to the United States, the EU, or China as a whole. We have a priceless opportunity to change the equation without being colonized and exploited, or worse." I pointed out the obvious again.
That shut the Brit up and got everyone thinking.
"What if our Asgardian friends are not what they appear to be?" Hochner asked.
"Then, next year, when they get a ship in orbit, we are fucked. Any countermeasure we might be able to develop and put in place that soon is so highly unlikely to cut it; it's hilarious. Our best bet would be Wakandan fighters with improved drives, loaded with as many nuclear weapons as they could carry, and praying that their stealth would be relevant to Asgardian sensors."
More grumbling followed my words.
"That's in line with what the Pentagon told me, and I am sure the military of my colleagues had similar conclusions to share," Secretary Hochner noted. "Now that we have made sure we are on the same page let us begin discussing the issue at hand. What can or should we ask for? What will be our red lines, if any? Mr. Stark, you've had more time than most of us to think about the situation, and your advice on considering any scientific and technological requests will be important. I am sure you've discussed the situation with the other scientists and engineers gathered at the facility you are working at?"
"We had a long talk about what we would like to get our hands on and what would be most useful to Earth in the long run, which are unsurprisingly different things. What we need in the long run is knowledge. We should ask Asgard to open a small school, later to be expanded, where a few of their people can teach what are basic things for them, yet are literally out of this world for even our best scientists and engineers, then use that know-how and theories, to further our uplift efforts. Ideally, we would want unrestricted aid in upgrading our industry to a galactic standard. However, General Tyr did mention that doing so was out of the question as long as Earth was as divided as it is and at war with itself. Until that changes to Asgard's liking, the best we might get is a handful of restricted fabricators producing a limited selection of higher technology than we can build ourselves."
"That's it? We ask for schools?" Hochner asked incredulously.
"That would be the most useful in the long run. Now, a few diplomatic concessions would be nice to have, including Asgard stationing a warship or a few in the Solar system to ensure we won't get invaded while we are busy uplifting Earth. Introduction to interstellar markets and friendly nations would be very nice, especially in the long term, when we gain access to faster-than-light travel. Buying even obsolete industrial equipment could be a great boon to Earth."
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China officially condemns Pakistan's support of Taliban and Ten Rings insurgents!
Associated Press
Due to a lack of air support and logistics difficulties, Coalition and ANA forces had to retreat from Jalalabad, leaving the city and perhaps even the whole province in Taliban hands!
BBC News
Despite the Wakandan attacks and the disruption they caused, NATO air power continues to strike targets across Iran in support of Loyalist forces. In the North, the Loyalists managed to isolate and encircle all remaining Revolutionary Guards and major Irregular formations in a few strongholds currently under siege.EuronewsItalian and Spanish forces in Morocco are about to launch a final offensive against Polisario Front strongholds in Western Sahara!EuronewsIn Madrid, the Spanish government now displays weapons secured by Intelligence services agents from the Polisario Front. This confirms earlier statements from the Spanish government about retrieving advanced weapons supplied to insurgents in Morocco by Wakanda.
BBC World News
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Part 6
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SHIELD facility X
a former Canadian military research site
Northern Canada
I had blissfully suppressed the memories of how tedious and frustrating dealing with a bunch of politicians representing their nations could be, compared to having an alliance leader to concern yourself with. The meeting with the diplomats brought to mind my experiences with the Republic and, to some extent, later, the Imperial Senate.
It was a stark, pun-intended reminder that sometimes, even a mutual enemy couldn't properly unite people when there were too many competing agendas and interests. In this case, to make things even better, I realized that at least some of the diplomats present didn't quite understand how outclassed Earth was and how that should reflect everyone's calculations from now on.
I had to remind myself that for most governments involved in this mess, the next elections were as important a consideration as the long-term protection of Earth if not more, because a failure in those elections might mean their country wouldn't be in a position to contribute to said defense.
I was glad that herding this particular bunch of cats, so to speak, wasn't my job. At the same time, my ability to affect their decisions beyond giving advice that could be easily ignored was extremely limited for the time being.
In the end, one of the big reasons why no one spoke too loud against me continuing to represent Earth in front of Asgard for the time being was because the gathered diplomats couldn't agree on a better alternative; who wouldn't favor their rivals anyway. The galaxy, perhaps the universe, might change, but politics sadly didn't.
Tyr's arrival - that of his projection, was a relief after dealing with all the diplomats with very different ideas about what Earth needed, Earth's position in the galaxy, and more.
"Lord Stark," Tyr nodded and looked at me from head to toe. "You look more harried than yesterday."
"I've had to deal with countless diplomats from many of Earth's countries for hours now. It was not an enjoyable experience. At least, I do have to leave to negotiate for Earth, within reason, of course."
"That is good to hear," Tyr's beard twitched. "From our side, I can confirm the agreement to supply you with a small fabricator and relevant resources so that you can build proper armor for yourself and your retinue. We can discuss the specific restrictions placed on the device later. What does Midgard as a whole require for your people to agree to our requests?"
Finally, someone wants to do negotiations simply and straightforwardly! After the last few hours, I had the illogical feeling that Tyr was my new best friend. That was, of course, not true and a fundamental failure of the Q&A session with the diplomats that ended just a few minutes ago. It's never good to sympathize more with your opposite number during negotiations than the people you were supposed to negotiate for.
"First, we have a few diplomatic requests," I began, trying to keep my feelings and private thoughts in check. "We want a formalization of Earth's Protectorate Status. We want to know exactly what it entails, the threats you are ready to protect us against, and such. Further, we would require the presence of Asgardian military units—ideally, naval ones in the Solar System to guarantee said protection. Finally, we want to discuss further normalizing Earth's diplomatic relationship with Asgard. We request that you establish a proper Embassy or at least a Consulate on Earth."
All diplomats watching right now would be near apoplexy due to how I presented our position. Then again, Tyr was a military man; that much was painfully obvious. I had the nagging suspicion he would appreciate not wasting his time with diplomatic speak. Otherwise, we could dance around the main points for hours and multiple meetings.
"I will make sure the ship coming to Midgard will carry official diplomatic correspondence outlining the details of our mutual relationship. This request is a most reasonable one. The heart of the matter is simple: Midgard could be used as an invasion vector for the rest of the Nine Realms, bypassing most conventional and magical defenses with the right technology, infrastructure, or powerful enough magic. That is why our primary interest in Midgard is to ensure no other policy takes control of the place so they could use it against us. While limited alien incursions might not be something we would respond to promptly, depending on many factors, an all-out invasion of Midgard is something we would not ignore. The same is true for any deal Midgard attempts to make with a different nation that gives them military access to your world."
That was less than ideal but still invaluable.
"I am sure we can and will discuss the details of this arrangement later. What about our other requests?" I prompted him.
"It should be possible to establish a formal diplomatic presence on Midgard. With Princess Hela on Midgard for the foreseeable future, doing so would be prudent. However, we will have to discuss the nature and size of said diplomatic mission later," Tyr's beard twitched sideways. Was he frowning? "With the Bifrost out of action, deploying any ships long-term to Midgard would make them unavailable for our use for a long time, not to mention they would be away from a proper supply base for too long."
"I hope I won't be too forward. However, I am sure we can agree to host a small Asgard naval facility on Earth or in Sol, so any ships you station here can be reasonably maintained and resupplied," I pointed out. In fact, having such a base would be great as far as Asgardian commitment to protect Earth was concerned, and if nothing else, would act as both deterrence and a trip-wire.
"We will have to examine the strategic situation and implications of stationed naval vessels at Midgard and get back to you, Lord Stark. With that particular point out of the way, what else do you require? Your other requests were both reasonable and things we should be able to grant without an issue," Tyr noted.
"The next point might be more controversial. In conjunction with your future diplomatic mission, we would require that Asgard establishes a school program on Earth, teaching a limited number of people what would be considered normal education for the galaxy at large. Doing so would be a great boon for our long-term uplift efforts and won't require direct technical assistance from Asgard."
"The more I speak with you, Lord Stark, the more I regret you weren't around a thousand years ago or so. You might just be the right person to get Princess Hela to listen. So far, your ideas align with her suggestions to uplift the Nine Realms. It was too bad she then wanted to use the uplifted and unified realms to wage an unprovoked war of conquest against the rest of the galaxy," Tyr shook his head and sighed. "Your idea has merit, Lord Stark. I will present it to King Odin and the Royal Council. I believe that the largest stumbling block there would be finding the right teachers who might agree to spend years on Earth without easy contact with Asgard at large. Let me assure you, I take this request seriously and will see it fulfilled if possible."
"Finally, we would require a comprehensive strategic briefing on the state of the galaxy at large and the situation in our corner of it in particular."
Some would argue that what we wanted wasn't enough. Others might reasonably point out we were perhaps pushing our luck. Thankfully, Tyr, so far, proved to be very reasonable. It remained to be seen if Odin was the same.
"I can give you the important points in this and our following meetings. You will need to wait for our ship to arrive for a comprehensive strategic overview of the galactic situation beyond the major players and the critical information about them. It will carry the necessary intelligence information," Tyr offered. "I can provisionally agree to all your requests and will pledge to bring them in front of my King and back them," Tyr straightened up and appeared to be even taller. "As the representative of Asgard to Midgard, I have an official diplomatic request to make. Pending agreement from Asgard on the terms Lord Anthony Stark outlined today, Asgard requires that Midgard hosts Princess Hela of Asgard in exile for a length to be determined later. Further, Lord Anthony Stark will do his utmost to educate both Prince Thor and Princess Hela on how to be competent and even-tempered rulers. He will do his best to aid Princess Hela in recovering from her long imprisonment. You will attempt to guide her into seeing the errors of her ways."
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The meetings between General Tyr of Asgard and Dr. Tony Stark in Canada, while low-key and brief, would pave the way for Earth's emergence on the galactic stage. The early deals struck between Asgard and Earth would, in the long run, have long-reaching consequences. They will be the foundations that would allow Earth's Uplift Program to eventually gain access to alien know-how and markets, speeding it tremendously in the process and making it feasible to achieve what should have taken centuries to happen within decades of extreme effort.
Earth among the Stars Book 1: First Steps - New Cambridge University Online Publishing