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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 7030456" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 123,  "Round One: The Army of the Free Republic of Egypt",  September 13, 1882, 8:45 AM.Princess Amisi soon joins George in the room for the negotiations.  She has three servant girls waiting on her, but Colonel Hassan tells the Princess that the retainers will not be permitted to stay. With a sigh she dismisses them, but only after one pours her a glass of ice water and another fixes the Princess's hair to look perfect. Observing protocol, the men wait for her to be seated before re-seating themselves. She turns to George and in Aribic says, "My sister puts great trust in you."George bows his head and replies his Arabic "Yes she has, I intend to be worthy of it. Too many around her have not been trustworthy of late. Now as to the discussions, I did offer for you to join, though I know you might prefer to be out shopping with Miss West. It is important that you understand how the country and diplomacy works should the worst happen. When we are in discussion if you have a question for me or even the participants, by all means ask it, however I would ask you not to contradict me. You are the princess, but my orders are from the Queen and I must show these men I am in charge with absolute authority to negotiate here, and everything must go through me. I will not let your sister down, I will gain her what she needs, but I cannot have you undercutting me. Is that understood?" says George. She says in Arabic, "I understand sir. You have already proven yourself worthy of my respect. We were all inside the royal palace when Abdullah was inciting the thousands outside. I feared that we would all die there. The Grand Vizer and the French wizards who transported us to Gizah, they needed time to rest and study their spells before they could do so.  Sir, you gave us that time. I am informed that it was you who sought out Colonel Hassan and worked with him to bring in the thousands of troops needed to disperse the crowds. And it was you who personally led the Egyptian troops into the palace to fight the rebels who had breached our defenses. That you would do this for us, after my father had threatened your lives and imprisoned you, well good Sir, words alone cannot express my gratitude." "I thank you for your kind words. Those were indeed my acts, though I never was alone. My friends and I seem to end up in these situations. We saw a wrong and sought to right it. Your father was under the influence of the French who obviously had a very elaborate plot. Your kind words have me caught between gratuitous humility and arrogant boastfulness. So I will merely say, it was my pleasure and honor and my thanks to you. Hopefully today we can secure an Egypt that will justify and honor all of that effort and sacrifice." replies George again in Arabic. Colonel Hassan says, "I hate to have to interrupt this mutual admiration society, especially since I am also a member of it, but we really do need to prepare before General Orabi arrives. Princess, as Mr. Eastman has emphasized, you must not interrupt. However, due to your prior associations with General Orabi you could be of a great deal of help to us both. You know the man, whereas we do not. If we could devise a method of non-verbal communication in advance, for you to signal to us if you believe he is being truthful or not, it would be very helpful." George chuckles "Indeed Hassan you were quite involved with those exploits, for which you wear new brass.  But you are right.  Oh to have Ruby here for spells of truth, but that would be like throwing kerosene on an open flame.  Perhaps it you adjust your right earring if you feel he is being dishonest?" suggests George.   She says, "That I can do. And I will not interrupt, or speak unless called upon.  But what should I do if I feel that we need to stop the discussions in order for me to tell you something more than just dishonesty on his part?  I would not do so unless I felt it was absolutely necessary."  George says, "Hrmmm, something unobtrusive so it is not suspicious.  The left earring? no we don't want you fiddling with your ears all day.  Ah, the bracelets, push your bracelets up your arm from your wrist high upon your forearm and I will call a recess and we can step outside." The Colonel says, "That does it, they're here." Everyone seated at the table stands as figures approach the outer door and the two closest ogre guards open the.   George recognizes the first man entering as General Mahmoud Fehmy, who is Orabi's second in command.  He does not recognize the General who follows. The third man to enter is Ahmed Orabi.  A trio of low ranking officers follow, then the two scribes, after which the Ogres close the door. The three aides move forward to pull out the chairs for the generals.  Everyone continues to stand. George begins in Arabic, "Welcome representatives of The Army of the Free Republic of Egypt. May I introduce the hosts of this conference.  Her royal highness Princess Amisi, Colonel Hassan of Her Majesty's 3rd Royal Rifle Company of Alexandria.  I am the lead negotiator for Her Highness, Queen Neferka, Pharaoh of the Lands of Egypt and the Nile, George Eastman, interim Chief of Staff for Her Majesty." begins George looking expectantly at the generals. Orabi says, "It is a pleasure to meet you again Mr. Eastman."  He turns to the right "Colonel, it is good to see you again as well.  Congratulations on your promotion."  Turning again, "And a pleasure to see you again Princess Amisi."  Standing straight he says, "For the record, I am General Ahmed Orabi, the Commanding General of the Army of the Free Republic of Egypt.  To my right is General Mahumod Fehmy, the Deputy Commanding General, and General Massi Sawalha, Commander of the Infantry.  We may proceed any time that you are ready." "Please, sit gentlemen" says George, who turns to the princess and waits for her to sit first, as does everyone else in the room.  As everyone gets settled in George opens his own notebook. "These discussions are being recorded in both English and Arabic by the scribes, but I think we can continue solely in Arabic for the moment. Now, gentlemen, please enlighten me as to your motivation for founding the AFRE and what it is you would seek now, and what it would take to get you to disband." Ahmed Orabi says, "The AFRE was entirely my doing. I accept full responsibility for it and if the monarch wishes to have any members brought forward on charges of treason I ask that I be the one punished and not any who I convinced to join me.  My motivation was simple, undue Foreign influence. Over the last fifteen years my King had allowed British and French interests to dictate Egyptian policy, to the financial ruin of this nation.  The British had pushed the issue of the building of canal linking the sea to the Indian Ocean, at Egypt's expense both figuratively and literally. Our King signed papers for a pair of agreements, one having Egypt fund the construction of the canal, the other requiring us to offer absurdly low fees for ships from those same countries to use the canal. That put us between a rock-and-a-hard-place.  The original loan was based upon the fee revenues to repay it, but the lowered fees would not allow it.  Britain and France refused to renegotiate the loans, and Britain's banks took matters one step further, stealing Egypt's ownership interests in the canal when we could not fully meet the repayment terms.  Mr. Eastman, I tried for over a decade to convince the King that this was wrong, that our country was suffering, but he would not hear of it.  He trusted his foreign friends, and they betrayed the trust.  That was my motivation, to bring about a change-in-government so that the foreign interests would have no choice in needing to renegotiate. And for this year up until last week my strategy was working.  But General Garnet Wolseley's quick change in tactics, targeting this city that we now meet it, changed things.  We were forced to shift quickly from an offensive to a defensive mode, which gave the French opportunists that had wormed their way into our midst an opportunity to strike.  Their offer to be neutral observers and provide medical assistance should not have been accepted by me.  I fell victim to the very thing that I had accused the King of.  So as I said before, I take full responsibility.  I have failed my followers and am willing to accept punishment for my failure.  I will turn myself over to the Royal Egyptian family, and my army will continue their cause without me.  The original reasons for this conflict still exist, so disbanding is not an option at this time." George replies, "Allow me to disagree General Orabi.  Disbanding is not only an option it is a requirement and you must order that.  I do however understand your concern over the canal.  I will disagree that the original reasons are still extant, the same King is not on the throne who was subject to the foreign influences.  There is a different ruler with a different agenda.  So things are not the same. Again though what would it take for disbanding?  Restoration of full fees for all countries and vessels?"Orabi says, "That would not help Egypt, as the banks now claim that they own the majority of the canal rather than us, so higher fees would only line the pockets of the thieves.  The Army of the Free Republic of Egypt wishes a retroactive renegotiation of the agreements.  We are willing to accept that our King approved the construction that occurred between 1860 and 1869, and that we need to repay the original principal of the loans as well as a reasonable interest rate. But we do not accept the claimed seizure of the canal's ownership, started in 1875, for non-repayment of agreements which were designed by the foreign banks to bring about that very failure.  Thieves should not be rewarded.  You are correct in that with the deaths of King Hakar and his Grand Vizer, the two individuals most responsible for those agreements, should change things.  Those individuals are no longer present.  But will the international banking community even care?"  George answers "That was not my question general.  But what you are saying is that the AFRE will not disband until the prior agreements are invalidated or renegotiated?" Orabi states, "Mr. Eastman.  Considerable thought went into the naming of our forces, the Army of the Free Republic of Egypt.  Our objective was just that, to create a Free Republic of Egypt.  We may be willing to give up becoming a Republic, and accept some form of a Constitutional Monarchy, with all foreign agreements decided by a Prime Minister or Parliament."  George notes the Princess tapping her earring.  Orabi continues, "But first and foremost Egypt must be free, free of undue foreign influence.  So the answer to your original question is yes, some modification needs to be made to the current financial documents regarding the canal." George says, "At this point I make no promises of course, but the Queen seeks the same thing. Of course, the purpose of this conference is merely to negotiate the cessation of hostilities, but I personally and as representative for the Queen are working to limit as much foreign influence as we can. It is a herculean task though hopefully not a sisyphian one.  It will not be possible if there is an armed faction hostile to the government.  There must be a united front for other countries to deal with.  If there is a separate armed force, foreign governments will continue to exploit the rift for their own purposes."  Orabi says, "But if we disband now, then the British win.  They will never give up the canal or their foothold in Egypt without an armed force to oppose them.  If they leave Egypt, and not just temporarily, then we might consider it."   "Generals, are you not Queen's men?  Do you not acknowledge that the gods themselves have selected this house to rule Egypt?  That Bast herself appeared on the battlefield and at her coronation.  That Queen Neferka rules by divine providence and right?  Are you not Egyptians?  If so, then you must trust in your Queen.  I have never asked you to disband today.  But I have stated that it is imperative that you do disband.  And I wanted to know what it would take for you to disband willingly.  Have no doubts though, that my friends and I can and will become the most resolute of forces to support the Queen and will enact her wishes, by force if need be. and you have all seen what we can accomplish."  George leave the deeds of AGELESS hanging, unspoken in the air for a moment, along with the subtle threat."However, this is also a negotiation.  I wanted to know your stance, I wanted to know what you wished to see, I wanted to know what you would accept, what it would take to have you voluntarily disband.  This is half the negotiations after all.  I will not leave Egypt defenseless, nor will I suffer Egypt to be in the yoke or thrall of any country.  I too have been charged with glorious purpose by Bast, and I shall not fail in it.  I respect your position on disbanding.  My goal is to leave here today leaving you bereft of purpose for maintaining the AFRE."Orabi says, "We do not question the Queen's right to rule.  As you are well aware, I was present at her wedding and heard the vows that she made to the Egyptian people.  She is now in a position to follow through on them.  This is a good start Mr. Eastman."   "Then why do you not trust her to fulfill those vows and renounce the need for the AFRE?" replies George.  He replies, "I do trust in her sincere desire to do so.  But she lacks the experience that might be needed to bring those desires to fruition.  And without the military might to back up those desires, it might never happen.The Royal Egyptian Army are not what they previously were back when I commanded it, and it would take considerable time to re-incorporate my AFRE forces.  That may not even be possible, once people take up arms against their brothers trust is eroded, and in a military engagement there must be trust.  My army is strong, we have held our own against the most powerful military on this world.  The Queen may need to keep my army intact." George says, "You brought the full weight of your forces against a single deployment.  I would not doubt the British as possessing the strongest Navy, but Army?  That is another matter.  But you are correct, the Royal Army has been decimated.  And I think it would be a terrible idea to try to reintegrate them.  The fact is they are lucky the Queen is not asking to have them all executed for treason.  She is merciful and is not, but she is well within her rights to do so.  You must remember, the Queen is not alone. She has experience on her side, in those she has placed her trust in, not alone me, but Sabah and others.  Experience matters yes, but desire, resolve and conviction do as well, and this the Queen has in spades.  However, at this point in the negotiations, I think I can safely say that should Egypt be free of undue foreign influence and that a fair contract for the canal is in place, you would disband the AFRE, yes?" Ahmed Orabi sits back and says, "What is the expression of the late Gustave Flaubert, ah yes, 'The devil is in the details'.  An interesting man Flaubert, he lived here in Egypt for a while.  But I digress.  Yes, Mr. Eastman, we have the potential for an agreement, although I truly believe that the Queen will need my forces intact and at her disposal rather than disbanded."  George smiles " 'If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother.' Epictetus.  But yes General, the devil is in the details, however, in these negotiations I need to establish potentials as well as actuality.  I will take my leave and speak with your counterparts.  Please do remember I am here to serve Egypt." Everybody stands and handshakes are exchanged between the men.  Orabi alone kisses the Princess's hand.  The Egyptian Generals along with their aides and scribes then depart.  Four of the ogres at the doorway accompany them back to the upstairs suite that has been reserved for them.  Colonel Hassan orders the door closed and all scribes, guards and servants to the outside of the door to give the three complete privacy.  Once the doors are shut he says, "Thoughts Mr. Eastman?" "I think the Egyptian generals will be easy.  If Orabi is satisfied they will fall in line.  The issue of course is extracting the necessary concessions on the other side.  I knew the British would be the tougher sell, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve and can play hard ball with the best of them.  My thanks to you princess for your signal on Orabi and the republic.  Without even calling him out directly, by the end there was no discussion of that and solid support for the Queen as full monarch."  She replies, "He started lying when he brought up a Constitutional Monarchy with a Prime Minister and Parliament.  That was an original goal of his group and he probably said it now for the benefit of the other Generals.  But once his wife became the monarch he would not have wanted any power sharing arrangement."George asks, "Hassan, the Queen did not give me any specific direction on reintegration of the forces.  I can use that either way, but, as an officer, as a loyal royalist, what do you think.  Should AFRE troops, especially officers, be allowed back into the army, or even a full merge?"   Colonel Hassan says, "Absolutely not.  However, we might want to consider using them as a separate police force to monitor and regulate use of the canal.  Their authority could be limited to only Port Sa'id and the canal itself."George says, "Now that is an interesting idea.  I may keep that in my back pocket.  Maybe we could use them as marines on navy vessels where they are in smaller groups and under Royal Navy command.  But yes, a canal police force.  Maybe even have them patrol the Sinai peninsula as a buffer against the Ottomans.  Border guards.  Yes, some definite possibilities there.  If we need them of course.  Where does the army stand now Hassan and where does it need to be?" The Colonel replies, "The Army, in total around 8,000 troops, over half of which we personally commanded two days ago in Cairo.  But it had been twice that large before Orabi's revolt.  We had made the mistake of using regional battalions of approximately one-thousand troops, so when the regional Generals defected they brought their forces with them.  The battalions that have remained loyal were those from Gizah, Heliopolis, Haggi Kandil, Wasta, both Memphis battalions and two of the three Cairo battalions." George says, "Alright, not as bad as I had feared.  A blow by all means but one that could be remedied over a few years.  I have a few other....ideas for the army as well I will discuss with you later.  But if we allowed one or two generals to keep a thousand men each for Canal and port duty, it would disband the majority and take pressure off the army for security.  Again though back pocket.  Any other concerns before we bring in the British?" Colonel Hassan says, "Primarily Alexandria.  Since taking over that city last summer after driving the rebel army away they have been establishing a major base there, and their construction materials of stone, concrete and solid timbers demonstrate that they clearly intend to keep that base for the long-term.  Plus they've built up a lot of good will by rebuilding the city, despite the fact that it was their own naval bombardment which destroyed it.  They have also suspended their traditional ruling there about fraternization and marriages with the locals.  Getting them to leave there will not be an easy sell."  Princess Asimi says, "My sister will never stand for them keeping our key Mediterranean port." George sighs "I know, the rebels were easy.  The British will be hard.  They are used to getting their way.  I do also know the Queens wishes, and while I can work towards her desires, executing them can be another matter.  The real problem of course is the matter of leverage.  Legally of course the Queen has the authority to order that, forcing that to happen is another matter.  I have some ideas for leverage, but how effective they will be is another matter.  Hassan, how large is the British force here now by your estimate?"  He replies, "If you give me five minutes I can give you far better than an estimate.  As they were allies with the King, he received a detailed accounting of the British allied forces in Egypt following the Battle of Kassassin a few days ago."  George replies, "Yes, I think I would like that information, reliably, before we start with the British."   Colonel Hassan leaves the room.  Once alone, the Princess turns to George and says, "Sir, thank you again for doing this.  If it is not too bold I would like to ask you something personal, as it could direcly impact us both.  My sister said that you would be well compensated for your services, but no specific price was mentioned and I am led to believe that your business enterprises provide you with sufficient monetary reimbursement to meet your needs.  The other traditional payment for high meritorious service is marriage into the Royal family. Would you be seeking that as your compensation?" DM's Note:  Fenris's comment in the Out-of-Game thread to the DM regarding that last statement was "Ok, now you are just trying to cause trouble   That or get Amisi killed by Ruby." </blockquote>

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