Scavenged Restoration 44 (Patreon)

Commissioned by RoyalTwinFangs

Scavenged Restoration

Chapter 44

-VB-

The real negotiation only started the day after his arrival on New Sarna.

Janos wanted to say that the chancellor was looking down on him by delaying the negotiation, but in truth, he felt so relieved to have had a chance to relax his old body. Space travel got harder and harder every day. 

But finally, it was time for negotiation.

They sat across from each other over a small round table in a small private room in a manor far outside New Sarna’s major cities. 

The manor itself was surrounded by a peaceful garden with many Terran and local flowers. How did he know they were local? Because the manor’s guide told him so.

“The Free Worlds League would like the Duchy of Andurien to be returned to its folds,” Janos said after a while. There was no one else in the room, though he was sure that he was being recorded. 

“Not happening,” Chancellor William Liao replied. 

“... Not going to say anything else?” Janos asked. 

“I could and I should,” William replied. “But whether I say them or not is irrelevant to the situation on the ground and what led up to it. Your Parliament, the highest legislative body, did nothing to stop the Anduriens from leaving, not even an official statement about them condemning their departure. Then the Anduriens allied with an independent and sovereign foreign power to attack me and my people, and I only knew that this might have happened because of my spies in Canopus. Then, without even declaring war, attacked my people with all they had. Nothing you say or do can convince me and the confederation from leaving the Andurien Commonality.”

That was a statement right there. Calling it the Andurien Commonality instead of the Duchy of Andurien. It was a statement about how Andurien was back into the confederation’s hold, and they weren’t going to give it up without a fight. 

“The Parliament is not the highest legislative body. I am,” Janos countered. “And the Anduriens took advantage of my coma to act out on their own.”

“Would your Parliament agree with you if I were to repeat what you said to them?”

“Of course not, but they know as well as I do that the Free Worlds League can defend itself solely because it is House Marik that defends it.”

“Perhaps,” William hummed. He tilted his head to the side slightly as if to contemplate something. “But the problem here is that regardless of what happened, independence was declared and the League did nothing. They attacked us and the League did nothing. The Capellans counterattacked and the League did nothing.” William leaned forward. “The League doesn’t get to come forward after everything has been solved.”

“It is not a matter of whether or not the League had participation during the crisis. The League always had a right to future of Andurien.”

“There is no such thing as a right,” William abruptly hissed with intense hostility. “Right is a made up word for people without a spine, without contribution, without power. Do not bring up such frivolous ideas in my presence, captain-general, lest the negotiation comes to an end right there.”

Janos blinked.

That … was not what he expected. Or was this a tactic, too? One could never tell with Liaos. 

William leaned back and softened up. “I apologize. That was unbecoming of a chancellor.”

“... It was definitely not something I expected from you on a personal level,” Janos replied, intrigued by what had just happened. “Certainly not during a negotiation you are definitely recording.”

“I’m not.”

“... What?”

“I’m not recording this negotiation,” William replied. “The only outcomes that will come out of this meeting is either a breakdown in negotiation or a treaty. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Janos felt skeptical. “You want me to believe that you, a Capellan, are not recording this conversation where you might be able to twist what I say into something beneficial to you and your people even if you don’t spread propaganda to the League?” 

“Yes,” the chancellor replied. “That is the very minimum respect I can show you, Old Eagle.”

He wasn’t sure if he believed Liao, but the man looked … earnest. Sincere. Not slimy like what he felt when he met the usual Capellan diplomat or businessman. 

It could be a trick. It was probably a trick. 

‘It doesn’t change the fact that the result of the negotiation matter more than the words spoken during the negotiation.’ Janos huffed. “Then let me ask you why you think I will simply accept the Anduriens coming under the Capellan rule.”

“Simple,” William replied evenly. “I have tech, I am your ally, and the only way you will get more  tech from me and the confederation is by remaining my ally. Remember that I am calling you my ally, not the League. You, the House Marik, not the Free Worlds League. This conversation would have gone very differently if one of your house’s personal fief did this, but Anduriens are not yours.”

“Semantics. The League has always been and always will be under Marik leadership.”

“Semantics that matter because it matters to me,” William replied evenly. “Besides, what can you possibly offer in exchange for the entire Andurien Commonality?” 

Janos leaned back and stared at the younger man. “I am willing to offer fifteen Merchant-class jumpships.”

“Not enough by a long shot,” the chancellor drawled. 

… That made Janos pause. 

“Then what would you say is a fair price for the Duchy of Andurien?”

“For Andurien and worlds that connect it to the rest of the Confederation? Nothing,” he replied. Then he paused. “I am, however, willing to negotiate that the CCAF hadn’t needed to outright conquer.”

“... That would be Villanueva, Ingonish, and Leyda.” 

“Ten jumpships. Each.”

“That’s ridiculous. None of those worlds even have half a billion people!”

“Confiscate the jumpships from former Andurien companies still operating in the League if you must,” he dismissed his response. “I am not going to lower the price. Capellan blood was spilled within the confederation and then outside of it for those worlds.”

“And what if the League decides to push the issue,” Janos asked calmly. 

“Both of us know that it will be a suicide at best,” William replied with a sigh. “I have warships.”

… Warships. Not a warship. Warships.

It could be a bluff. 

In fact, Janos came expecting some bluffs.

This one … this one did not feel like a bluff. 

“... Are any of the warships former League assets?”

That shook William out of whatever funk he was in. “God, no. If I had one, then I would have salvaged the good bits but leave it just barely operational and then sell you the rest at a ridiculous mark-up.”

Janos chuckled. Alright, he could believe that. 

“Ten jumpships, huh?”

“Doesn’t have to be from House Marik. After all, wasn’t this the Parliament’s fault for not responding when they should have? Punish those useless politicians for the damages they caused the whole League and make sure their people know. Set a precedent if you must.”

Now, that was an intriguing idea. 

“The League won’t be able to accept losing a whole duchy so easily, especially an important one like Andurien. That’s our equivalent to your Chesterton.”

Chesterton was a symbol of Federated Suns’ dominance over the Capellan Confederation, and have been for the last six hundred years. It was why the Chesteron Reserves and Chesterton Guards remained an operational force despite the fact that Chesterton hadn’t been part of the Capellan Confederation or its predecessors for over six hundred years. It was a statement of ambition and desire to reclaim what the confederation lost. 

“Which makes it even a bigger issue for us,” the chancellor replied. “Andurien has been in the confederation for longer than it had been in the League. Whatever right, claim, or revanchism the League may use, we have a stronger historical and a stronger de facto claim to Andurien.” Then he leaned forward. “After all, despite how thoroughly League-descendent Anduriens tried to eradicate Capellan culture from within the Andurien Commonality, Capellan ethnicity is still the majority in most of the worlds there.”

Janos let out a frustrated sigh. 

“You refuse to give up Andurien.”

“Even if I were to die, no,” William replied, his hardened eyes conveying that he would go further. “Even if I have to break this alliance between us, Janos.”

And Janos could not have that. 

On a theater-wide level, the Capellans prevented the Federated Suns from shifting their forces to pressure the League’s core worlds, especially Sirian Concordat. He couldn’t allow that to happen. The Federated Suns would also hesitate to attack the ally-less confederation because even a single warship would invalidate any invasion where it patrolled. And if what William here suggested here was true, then they had more warships either already ready or in the process of being built. In either case, a renewed conflict between the Federated Suns and the Capellan Confederation would see all of their previous gains of the Fourth Succession War reversed. 

Within the Free Worlds League, this would cause all sorts of damage as they would need to reorganize their military to bolster the spinward border once more. That was not acceptable as it would weaken the coreward border to Lyran predation. 

On a political level, he would lose the leverage he gained from additional technologies he already had and the expectation from among his people that he would be able to gain more from the Capellans. 

“I’m not willing to go that far,” Janos replied evenly with his eyes closed and fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But I am also not willing to hand over thirty jumpships for three underdeveloped and low population worlds.”

“Then nothing happens?”

“... It would seem that way. I will be happy to simply leave this negotiation with public acknowledgements that neither of us fault the other for the Andurien Crisis and that our current borders will remain as is.”

William stared at him before nodding. “I can agree to that.”

As they got down to the brass tacks for the wording of the treaty, William’s previously spirited words made Janos ponder.

No right without contribution. Wasn’t that how the Free Worlds League operated anyways? The taxation contribution of each province and member worlds determined the voting power within the Parliament. And House Marik contributed close to half.

Did he need to listen to the whining one world provinces?

-VB-

The Treaty of New Sarna (3031)

Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the Great Capellan Confederation and the Free Worlds League.

Captain-General Janos Marik of House Marik, as the representative of the Free Worlds League in the matters of foreign diplomacy, has come to an agreement over the matters of the alliance between the Free Worlds League and the Great Capellan Confederation and the fate of Andurien and related worlds. 

Article 1

Immediately upon the signing of this treaty, peace that has not been broken between our two nations shall continue to reign between the Great Capellan Confederation and the Free Worlds League. Any who break this peace out of misguided emotions and commands will be considered mutineers and enemies of state by both of our great nations. 

Article 2

The Great Capellan Confederation and the Free Worlds League acknowledge that the Duchy of Andurien was an independent state at the time that they waged an undeclared war with the Great Capellan Confederation

Article 3

The former worlds of the Duchy of Andurien will remain as new territories of the Great Capellan Confederation as the reestablished Andurien Commonality. These worlds will only include Ingonish, Villanueva, Leyda, Ryerson, Xanthe, Cursa, Lopez, Lurgatan, Sadurni, Shiro, Conquista, and Andurien. All former citizens of the Free Worlds League whose main permanent residence resides in any of these worlds will henceforth be considered Residents of the Great Capellan Confederation. In light of the mutual alliance between our two great nations, additional rights will be granted to the Residents of the Andurien Commonality at the discretion of the Chancellor William Liao. 

Article 4

The former Duchess Catherine Humphreys will be extradited to the Free Worlds League. The other members of House Humphreys will lose their noble status and become Citizens of the Capellan Confederation. 

Article 5

All Free Worlds League companies and assets will remove themselves from the Magistracy of Canopus as they are a sovereign state assaulting an ally of the Free Worlds League. 

Article 6

The Great Capellan Confederation will reduce tariffs on these specified goods…