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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 7083180" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 131, "Round Fours and Five: Consulting with the Queen and then the British", September 13, 1882, 11:00 AM.</strong></p><p></p><p>George replies, "I think that would be a reasonable suggestion. Let us proceed while the English debate and deliberate." George offers his arm to the princess and together they follow Hassan. They are announced to the Queen and shown in, the Queen smiles at her sister. "Well Mr. Eastman, have you reached an agreement or are you reporting progress"</p><p></p><p>"Well, your Highness. I think we are tremendously close. General Orabi and the rebel faction....." George turns to Hassan and says "what? fully capitulated?" he grins to Hassan. Returning to the Queen he continues "Their primary concern was really over the autonomy of Egypt. I have given them assurances that address their concerns. They will disband fully. I suggested a public demonstration of disarming, and re-swearing allegiance to you, the monarchy and Bast. This will cement the loyalty of most of the forces, as well as show the populace your power. The rebel force will be nearly fully disbanded.</p><p></p><p>With the consultation of Lt. Col Hassan, I think that some reduced form of the force should be retained to supplement the national army. This would NOT be an army contingent but rather a police force or security detail, assigned to guard and maintain order at the canal. Most if not all the commissioned officers should be dismissed and not retained. It is of course Your Majesty's prerogative whether to show mercy to them or assign punishments. I made no promises of amnesty for any of them. A loyal officer to oversee this force would be needed" says George placing his hand on Hassan's shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Onto the British. I played a dangerous game of brinksmanship with Woolsely, but did stop short of outright war. The game paid off well I think. Not that I was bluffing though. You and I have some arrangements to make after all this is done by the way. I think we both need to ensure the best future we can. Anyway, the negotiations with the British are nearly complete, if you agree of course. As it stands now, the British are to remove all forces from Egypt. I will give them one month to remove those troops.</p><p></p><p>The British will be able to maintain a resupply depot in Alexandria for a period of 10 years with a small garrison. The will receive priority berthing in Alexandria and Port Said again for 10 years. The crux of the matter of course was the canal, and that was a point of contention. I will confess to you Neferka, I threatened to fully nationalize the canal and seize it outright. Woolsley went apoplectic. It was not an idle threat either, I was fully prepared to see that through. In the end the agreement calls for the canal agreement to be revised so that vessels will pay the full rate, there will no longer be a discount. This will enable Egypt to repay the loan on time. Control of the canal will revert to Egypt. The only concession I made on this was to provide for British naval vessels, and only naval, mot merchant, to pay the discounted rate. Again for the period of only 10 years.</p><p></p><p>Again in full disclosure I did issue some veiled threats about joining with the Boers or the Turks. Just so you know. But we do still have to hammer out a few details. Size of the garrison in Alexandria, mechanism for extension, which I said was entirely at your discretion. That is the general framework we are dealing with. Oh and I did threaten to assault Woolsley if he cast any aspersions on your or your character or competency. I have done as well as I could to fulfill your desires. I hope I have justified your trust and faith in me." ends George.</p><p></p><p>Queen Neferka says, "My, you are bold. But I would guess that I should expect that from any man who plans to marry Ruby. I am mostly in agreement. I see merit in your plan with the rebel army, but I am concerned as to the size of the area you propose for their authority. Very rigid guidelines will need to be established as to jurisdiction. And I also appreciate your not granting an amnesty to the officers, some were clearly in collusion with either the French or former minister Abdullah and their specific actions warrant capital punishment. But you need not worry about that yourself, Barrister Sefu is more than capable of handling that task.</p><p></p><p>Those British concessions are quite good, the recognition of our sovereignty and agreement that British merchant vessels will pay full fare. That will indeed enable economic stability. But I am bothered about this garrison. I suppose it was too optimistic for me to have them just leave altogether after my father had essentially given them the key to the country, but I also know how the British operate. What is the minimum presence that we can hope to negotiate in order to obtain those other concessions?</p><p></p><p>"'Fortune favors the bold' your Majesty. But yes, I needed to a bold strategy to win the concessions you wanted. The new Canal Security Force will be limited to the participation of approximately 3,000 men, and will be authorized for Port Said and the Canal zone only. As for the British garrison, that is a point we still have to iron out. I will make it as small as possible. But yes, in practical terms, no presence is a long shot without the force to back it up. If we give them a limited garrison while you solidify the country, you will be in a very good position in ten years to not renew the contract and assert full control and sovereignty." replies George.</p><p></p><p>She says, "Very good. I should join you now to speak to the delegates, to emphasize that we have discussed the earlier talks and that you have my full authority to continue. Should we meet with them individually or collectively?" George thinks for a moment. "Actually, yes, I think so. But give me a while to decompress and then thirty minutes with the British first. Then I will call you and Orabi in." replies George. George, Col. Hassan, the Princess, the guards and the translators head off to meet with the British.</p><p></p><p>George heads alone to the garden while the rest head back. There he spies General Drury-Lowe waiting for him. "Ah General I am glad to find you out here. How did your talk with Woolsey go?" Asks George. Drury-Lowe replies, "Very well sir, provided that the Option A is what is decided on. While I am not at liberty to discuss the details, he has contingency plans if you force Option C. That would lead to what I believe would very much be as a lose-lose situation, so I would strongly suggest we do our utmost to avoid that option."</p><p></p><p>"Oh I am sure he has plans for all sorts of things, but my hope if that they never come to fruition. I will only force plan C if Woolsely makes Plan A untenable. My hope is that you have given him your opinion in favor of this and we can reconcile all this very quickly. Even General Woolsely does not want to use his contingencies." says George with a smile. The two men shake hands and separate, taking different exits from the garden before arriving, at different times back at the conference room. George is the last one in and signal the guards to close the doors again.</p><p></p><p>"I trust your tea was refreshing General" George asks General Woolsely. "It was sir, thank you. Will we be continuing our discussions at this point?" George says, 'I was quite hopeful that we would yes. I believe the remaining point was the garrison size in Alexandria." General Woolsely says, "Yes, and I believe that you mentioned Port Said and Suez as well. For Alexandria I will be needing something large enough to berth a fleet of fifteen ships, maintain a contingent of soldiers large enough to replace the marine crew of a fleet, and warehouse enough supplies to provision a fleet for a six-month journey.</p><p></p><p>George says, "As a small point of order General, that is not what you need but what you would like. In any case what does that entail? Berthing for fifteen battleships is quite different than fifteen frigates. And how many marines, how many support personnel? Brass tacks general, let's get some numbers on the table." Woolsley says, "A typical fleet would have five battleships and ten smaller support ships. As for marines, a fleet would carry two battalions of six companies each, so approximately 2,400 men. Support personnel would be of equal number to that."</p><p></p><p>George rocks back in his chair, staring at the general for a moment. Those in the room can almost see the wheels in his head turning. George allows the chair to fall forward, the sound startling the room slightly in the silence. "Two battalions of regulars, support personnel include quartermasters and such, non coms, correct? Restricted to Alexandria, supplies to be purchased from Egyptian vendors at full price. No ship in berth longer than a month barring repairs. This is a weigh station not a base. With those stipulations, that is an agreeable level of personnel." replies George. General Drury-Lowe interjects, "Can I request a ten minute recess while we discuss it?" " Of course" replies George graciously. The British return to their suite.</p><p></p><p>"Uh, Ok." says George as the British leave in silence. George though turns to Hassan. "Two battalions seen reasonable right Hassan? I figured if they get out of hand that is not so many you can't get a handle on it. I think this is the best of both worlds. The key of course is the ten year lease on this." He replies, "Yes, although I think that I might want to let you explain that the Queen instead of me, she will still see that many foreign troops as too much. Quite frankly, I am comfortable with that large a force given that we will be using former rebels with the canal police force. Them knowing that there are that many British troops nearby who can be called upon if necessary will help to keep the police force in line.</p><p></p><p>As for the lease, make sure there are no clauses that could be misinterpreted as automatic renewal, and it should specify an exact date to begin renegotiating extensions beyond the ten year point, I would suggest either six, nine or twelve months before the expiration. If that date is not spelled out the British will just let that ten-year point come and go while continuing to stay until forced out. The other detail that needs specified is longer berthing periods in the event of repairs. Clearly if their fleet comes into port with battle damage they would be allowed to stay until made seaworthy. But if we don't get specific they'll just keep adding more ships by never completing all of the repairs on any of them."</p><p></p><p>George replies, "All excellent points Hassan, and I agree that things need to be explicitly stated. I have spoken with the Queen about progress so far, and while she would prefer to not have any troops, she understands the pragmatic reasons why it would be difficult to eliminate them entirely. I am glad though that a military man is comfortable with the size. And I think it will work both ways, the British will help keep the Canal Force in line and the Canal Force will help keep the British in line as well, knowing you have auxiliaries so to speak. With a full rate being charged on canal use, there should be a sufficient income to expand and update the army. A viable and strong army is the best way to keep the British at bay."</p><p></p><p>The British are quick to return. General Wolseley is quick to inform George: "Mr. Eastman. We appear to be in agreement. Let us get these documents drafted post haste." "Excellent General Woolsley." says George extending his hand. "Let us break for lunch, though I know you just had tea, while the documents are drafted and in the afternoon we will have the signing ceremony." "Excellent sir," the man replies. The British depart.</p><p></p><p>Col. Hassan says, "And when should we next meet with General Orabi?" George replies, "Well, seeing as I believe we addressed all of his concerns, I don't see the need to until we have a treaty to read over." The Colonel throws back his head and laughs. When he recovers he says, "Mr. Eastman, you have a certain style that I hope to some day emulate."</p><p></p><p>George laughs along with Hassan. "Well if you do Hassan, you may well end up running the entire army. But how do you think I made much of my wealth? Indeed by innovation, but canny negotiation as well." He replies, "Indeed. But deciding to not meet with somebody who is expecting you, just because there is no actual reason to do so, that is not a skill taught by the army, mine or anybody else's." "Which is why the army needs to take lessons from business. But we will let them know presently. Now, let's get this treaty written."</p><p></p><p>The scribes sit for the next hour while George and Col. Hassan dictate to them exactly what is to be written out. George and Hassan make sure all their concerns are spelled out exactly as they want and George ensures that the two translations are identical in both tone and language. Six copies are prepared, three in English and three in Arabic, so that each party will have them in both languages.</p><p></p><p>Colonel Hassan, the Princess and George then retreat to the Queen's suite for lunch. Queen Neferka is no longer present, having departed to go shopping with Ruby. An elaborate lunch spread has been set for the negotiators.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 7083180, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 131, "Round Fours and Five: Consulting with the Queen and then the British", September 13, 1882, 11:00 AM.[/B] George replies, "I think that would be a reasonable suggestion. Let us proceed while the English debate and deliberate." George offers his arm to the princess and together they follow Hassan. They are announced to the Queen and shown in, the Queen smiles at her sister. "Well Mr. Eastman, have you reached an agreement or are you reporting progress" "Well, your Highness. I think we are tremendously close. General Orabi and the rebel faction....." George turns to Hassan and says "what? fully capitulated?" he grins to Hassan. Returning to the Queen he continues "Their primary concern was really over the autonomy of Egypt. I have given them assurances that address their concerns. They will disband fully. I suggested a public demonstration of disarming, and re-swearing allegiance to you, the monarchy and Bast. This will cement the loyalty of most of the forces, as well as show the populace your power. The rebel force will be nearly fully disbanded. With the consultation of Lt. Col Hassan, I think that some reduced form of the force should be retained to supplement the national army. This would NOT be an army contingent but rather a police force or security detail, assigned to guard and maintain order at the canal. Most if not all the commissioned officers should be dismissed and not retained. It is of course Your Majesty's prerogative whether to show mercy to them or assign punishments. I made no promises of amnesty for any of them. A loyal officer to oversee this force would be needed" says George placing his hand on Hassan's shoulder. "Onto the British. I played a dangerous game of brinksmanship with Woolsely, but did stop short of outright war. The game paid off well I think. Not that I was bluffing though. You and I have some arrangements to make after all this is done by the way. I think we both need to ensure the best future we can. Anyway, the negotiations with the British are nearly complete, if you agree of course. As it stands now, the British are to remove all forces from Egypt. I will give them one month to remove those troops. The British will be able to maintain a resupply depot in Alexandria for a period of 10 years with a small garrison. The will receive priority berthing in Alexandria and Port Said again for 10 years. The crux of the matter of course was the canal, and that was a point of contention. I will confess to you Neferka, I threatened to fully nationalize the canal and seize it outright. Woolsley went apoplectic. It was not an idle threat either, I was fully prepared to see that through. In the end the agreement calls for the canal agreement to be revised so that vessels will pay the full rate, there will no longer be a discount. This will enable Egypt to repay the loan on time. Control of the canal will revert to Egypt. The only concession I made on this was to provide for British naval vessels, and only naval, mot merchant, to pay the discounted rate. Again for the period of only 10 years. Again in full disclosure I did issue some veiled threats about joining with the Boers or the Turks. Just so you know. But we do still have to hammer out a few details. Size of the garrison in Alexandria, mechanism for extension, which I said was entirely at your discretion. That is the general framework we are dealing with. Oh and I did threaten to assault Woolsley if he cast any aspersions on your or your character or competency. I have done as well as I could to fulfill your desires. I hope I have justified your trust and faith in me." ends George. Queen Neferka says, "My, you are bold. But I would guess that I should expect that from any man who plans to marry Ruby. I am mostly in agreement. I see merit in your plan with the rebel army, but I am concerned as to the size of the area you propose for their authority. Very rigid guidelines will need to be established as to jurisdiction. And I also appreciate your not granting an amnesty to the officers, some were clearly in collusion with either the French or former minister Abdullah and their specific actions warrant capital punishment. But you need not worry about that yourself, Barrister Sefu is more than capable of handling that task. Those British concessions are quite good, the recognition of our sovereignty and agreement that British merchant vessels will pay full fare. That will indeed enable economic stability. But I am bothered about this garrison. I suppose it was too optimistic for me to have them just leave altogether after my father had essentially given them the key to the country, but I also know how the British operate. What is the minimum presence that we can hope to negotiate in order to obtain those other concessions? "'Fortune favors the bold' your Majesty. But yes, I needed to a bold strategy to win the concessions you wanted. The new Canal Security Force will be limited to the participation of approximately 3,000 men, and will be authorized for Port Said and the Canal zone only. As for the British garrison, that is a point we still have to iron out. I will make it as small as possible. But yes, in practical terms, no presence is a long shot without the force to back it up. If we give them a limited garrison while you solidify the country, you will be in a very good position in ten years to not renew the contract and assert full control and sovereignty." replies George. She says, "Very good. I should join you now to speak to the delegates, to emphasize that we have discussed the earlier talks and that you have my full authority to continue. Should we meet with them individually or collectively?" George thinks for a moment. "Actually, yes, I think so. But give me a while to decompress and then thirty minutes with the British first. Then I will call you and Orabi in." replies George. George, Col. Hassan, the Princess, the guards and the translators head off to meet with the British. George heads alone to the garden while the rest head back. There he spies General Drury-Lowe waiting for him. "Ah General I am glad to find you out here. How did your talk with Woolsey go?" Asks George. Drury-Lowe replies, "Very well sir, provided that the Option A is what is decided on. While I am not at liberty to discuss the details, he has contingency plans if you force Option C. That would lead to what I believe would very much be as a lose-lose situation, so I would strongly suggest we do our utmost to avoid that option." "Oh I am sure he has plans for all sorts of things, but my hope if that they never come to fruition. I will only force plan C if Woolsely makes Plan A untenable. My hope is that you have given him your opinion in favor of this and we can reconcile all this very quickly. Even General Woolsely does not want to use his contingencies." says George with a smile. The two men shake hands and separate, taking different exits from the garden before arriving, at different times back at the conference room. George is the last one in and signal the guards to close the doors again. "I trust your tea was refreshing General" George asks General Woolsely. "It was sir, thank you. Will we be continuing our discussions at this point?" George says, 'I was quite hopeful that we would yes. I believe the remaining point was the garrison size in Alexandria." General Woolsely says, "Yes, and I believe that you mentioned Port Said and Suez as well. For Alexandria I will be needing something large enough to berth a fleet of fifteen ships, maintain a contingent of soldiers large enough to replace the marine crew of a fleet, and warehouse enough supplies to provision a fleet for a six-month journey. George says, "As a small point of order General, that is not what you need but what you would like. In any case what does that entail? Berthing for fifteen battleships is quite different than fifteen frigates. And how many marines, how many support personnel? Brass tacks general, let's get some numbers on the table." Woolsley says, "A typical fleet would have five battleships and ten smaller support ships. As for marines, a fleet would carry two battalions of six companies each, so approximately 2,400 men. Support personnel would be of equal number to that." George rocks back in his chair, staring at the general for a moment. Those in the room can almost see the wheels in his head turning. George allows the chair to fall forward, the sound startling the room slightly in the silence. "Two battalions of regulars, support personnel include quartermasters and such, non coms, correct? Restricted to Alexandria, supplies to be purchased from Egyptian vendors at full price. No ship in berth longer than a month barring repairs. This is a weigh station not a base. With those stipulations, that is an agreeable level of personnel." replies George. General Drury-Lowe interjects, "Can I request a ten minute recess while we discuss it?" " Of course" replies George graciously. The British return to their suite. "Uh, Ok." says George as the British leave in silence. George though turns to Hassan. "Two battalions seen reasonable right Hassan? I figured if they get out of hand that is not so many you can't get a handle on it. I think this is the best of both worlds. The key of course is the ten year lease on this." He replies, "Yes, although I think that I might want to let you explain that the Queen instead of me, she will still see that many foreign troops as too much. Quite frankly, I am comfortable with that large a force given that we will be using former rebels with the canal police force. Them knowing that there are that many British troops nearby who can be called upon if necessary will help to keep the police force in line. As for the lease, make sure there are no clauses that could be misinterpreted as automatic renewal, and it should specify an exact date to begin renegotiating extensions beyond the ten year point, I would suggest either six, nine or twelve months before the expiration. If that date is not spelled out the British will just let that ten-year point come and go while continuing to stay until forced out. The other detail that needs specified is longer berthing periods in the event of repairs. Clearly if their fleet comes into port with battle damage they would be allowed to stay until made seaworthy. But if we don't get specific they'll just keep adding more ships by never completing all of the repairs on any of them." George replies, "All excellent points Hassan, and I agree that things need to be explicitly stated. I have spoken with the Queen about progress so far, and while she would prefer to not have any troops, she understands the pragmatic reasons why it would be difficult to eliminate them entirely. I am glad though that a military man is comfortable with the size. And I think it will work both ways, the British will help keep the Canal Force in line and the Canal Force will help keep the British in line as well, knowing you have auxiliaries so to speak. With a full rate being charged on canal use, there should be a sufficient income to expand and update the army. A viable and strong army is the best way to keep the British at bay." The British are quick to return. General Wolseley is quick to inform George: "Mr. Eastman. We appear to be in agreement. Let us get these documents drafted post haste." "Excellent General Woolsley." says George extending his hand. "Let us break for lunch, though I know you just had tea, while the documents are drafted and in the afternoon we will have the signing ceremony." "Excellent sir," the man replies. The British depart. Col. Hassan says, "And when should we next meet with General Orabi?" George replies, "Well, seeing as I believe we addressed all of his concerns, I don't see the need to until we have a treaty to read over." The Colonel throws back his head and laughs. When he recovers he says, "Mr. Eastman, you have a certain style that I hope to some day emulate." George laughs along with Hassan. "Well if you do Hassan, you may well end up running the entire army. But how do you think I made much of my wealth? Indeed by innovation, but canny negotiation as well." He replies, "Indeed. But deciding to not meet with somebody who is expecting you, just because there is no actual reason to do so, that is not a skill taught by the army, mine or anybody else's." "Which is why the army needs to take lessons from business. But we will let them know presently. Now, let's get this treaty written." The scribes sit for the next hour while George and Col. Hassan dictate to them exactly what is to be written out. George and Hassan make sure all their concerns are spelled out exactly as they want and George ensures that the two translations are identical in both tone and language. Six copies are prepared, three in English and three in Arabic, so that each party will have them in both languages. Colonel Hassan, the Princess and George then retreat to the Queen's suite for lunch. Queen Neferka is no longer present, having departed to go shopping with Ruby. An elaborate lunch spread has been set for the negotiators. [/QUOTE]
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