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[center][h1]The Grand Survaek Empire[/h1][/center]
[center][h2]March 1921[/h2][/center]

[center][h3]The Sesso-Survaekom Summit[/h3][/center]

Agree not to increase the size of the Surv-Akur?!  Foreign Minister Aedis Haerk was rarely surprised, but the boldness of this demand was unprecedented.  Gaze stern as iron and filled with ire, Aedis eyed Aydina's delegate warily.  Yet, he had to give the diplomat credit for pushing his advantage as far as possible.  Indeed, Aydina's non-participation in the Tervasan League would be no small gain for the Grand Empire...though, of course, Aydin itself would still have its independence guaranteed by the Kingdom of Athos and Stules.

In the long term, Aydin's demand was simply unacceptable.  But in the short term, perhaps it could be observed as an expedient measure.  Haerk would need to discuss it at length with his Sessauan counterparts...in private.

"The Survaekom delegation will return to its embassy to deliberate over the proposal from Aydina," he announced curtly.  He bowed to the many diplomats at the table, followed by his aides and fellow Diplomatic Corps members.  As he turned and walked out of the room, he discreetly slipped a note to Mille-Sessau's lead delegate.  The message:

[i]Meet in embassy in two hours.[/i]

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[center][h3]One Conference Becomes Many[/h3][/center]

Yvor III, Sword of Aed and Grand Survaek Emperor, walked briskly to his throne in the Parliament chamber and sat down for the eleventh iteration of the so-called Historic Conference, which would almost certainly not be the last.  From December until now, meeting after meeting stalled as some factions bickered and others drew lines in the sand too far for anyone else to agree to.  Socialists battled nationalists over the question of workers' councils in industry, Sajjir scholars and Imperial Bureaucrats traded endless criticisms over the minutia of imperial administration, and nearly everyone present -excepting the government's own officials- had some sort of quarrel with the Crown.

The situation would make almost any monarch lose hope, but Yvor III seemed no less enthusiastic than he did the at the start of the very first session almost three months ago.  The young Emperor had anticipated the possibility of deadlock, but rather than break it by forceful decree he relished in the slow, grinding work of hashing out disagreements and negotiating compromises.

"I call this third session of the Historic Conference for Survaekom Unity to order," he announced, gleaming a grin at the hundreds in the grand chamber before him.  "As custom dictates, the most-respected scholars of the Sajjir Academy have the floor, to be followed by the equally-learned High Priests of Aedak in attendance.  From there, the order of discussion will follow based upon what delegations had the least speaking time last session.  The first round of discussion will be the presentation of issues to add to the agenda, followed by discussion on each item in the order proposed except as edited by vote of the assembly.  Every round will end in a vote, first on confirming or editing the agenda, then on the resolution or tabling of every item."

Without missing a beat, the Sajjir delegation's most outspoken delegate stood and began an impassioned call to address the pressing issue of rural electrification.  The Emperor settled ever-so-slightly back into his seat, still maintaining his elegant posture, as he listened carefully to what the scholar had to say.

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