The delegation dutifully followed on to where they were led. A keen observer may have noticed one aide was seemingly permanently attached to the Field Marshal, noting down almost all that was said. In reality this was a subtle means of translating for the general. His spoke Azeran and Common perfectly well, but Valeric was well beyond his skill. He was a soldier, not a linguist. But he did not look phased or uncertain with the unintelligible words flying around him. This man was used to people trying to kill him and the heat of battle, a few unfamiliar phrases couldn’t shake him. 
They took their seats around the table, Lady Visar sitting across from Tybal, the Field Marshal to her right. She was slightly impressed by the hall, parts of it reminded her of home. But she was an international diplomat, she had seen a hundred such buildings. The substance of the talks is what would affect her. 

The opening position of the Govenor Militant was plain and uncomplicated, though not unimportant. She appreciated such candour in these talks, and though apparent honesty made her cautious, she was still grateful to see it. It gave her hope for the future relations between the Empire and the Azera. 
“I understand your concerns, but you need not be overly worried. Your import market will be unaffected and your export market will benefit.” Her tone was even and matter of fact. Leaning forward slightly she looked Governor- Militant Tybal in the eye as she explained her seemingly extraordinary claims. 
“Rising tensions in the region are driving commodity prices way up. Your ships are going to be getting far more profit per load when sailing to other nations in the region and you don’t need to worry about the danger. Stay clear of Stellata waters and the border region and you can travel unmolested. The Stellata lack the power to put any meaningful naval presence in the sea and they aren’t stupid enough to attack you even if they could. Anything you were exporting to Stellata will now of course stop, but diverting that trade to other nations will yield solid additional profits. Countries in the region are buying what they never even bought before, to stock pile just in case. It’s a sellers’ market. The Clipper Trading Company alone is already making massive profits from this embargo. As for your imports, I grant you an unadjusted price for goods from that region will go up significantly. Just as you can raise your sale prices. However, we can adjust the prices to manipulate the market in your favour.”

Leaning back slightly she steepled her fingers. “I know your major imports are fruits, Horses, silks, Spices, and dyes. Fruits and horses we have plenty of, we can export them readily at pre crisis prices. Silks, spices and dyes will require a little more creativity but it can be done. We can import on our north coast at cheaper rates, freight them across the continent and sell them on to you at much the same rate. Our country will suffer some loss from the cost of running the trains but we can easily off set it against our huge export profits from the crisis and your import market will remain unaffected.”

As things stood, this was an absolute gift from the Azera, they were willing to stomach some losses themselves to smooth over relations and few nations were so generous. True, they would still have a net profit from all of this but there were not as rapaciously greedy as most. However, this gift was not truly free, as Lady Visar would now reveal. 
“We do not require any financial or material consideration for this gesture, and protecting your economy from the turbulences of the looming crisis. But I won’t lie to you, it’s not free. Nothing in international politics is. It’s very cheap, but not free. The price of this economic protection is your nation joining the embargo against the Stellata and your public endorsement of our denunciation of the Stellata. They are a nation that deserves to be embargoed and denounced. They need to learn how to live in the modern world. We can kill one another for all sorts of reasons, but religion shouldn’t be one of them anymore. Even if you don’t agree with that, the dragon will come for you one day. If she goes unchecked and is able to modernise her military without being taught how to behave, the Azera will merely be the first nation in her sights, not the only one. I am not asking you for a guarantee of military assistance should things get that bad. Merely, a clear declaration of your current position. Are these terms acceptable to you?”