--------------------------------- [b][u]May 25th, Addis Ababa[/u][/b] --------------------------------- It'd been more than a week since the party, and the Palace was getting ready for the Emperor's departure yet again, after he decided to accompany his Minister of the Pen on a sight seeing tour of Sidamo. The announcement had been a surprise to everyone, including Desta himself. It wasn't coffee plants that attracted him to this tourist venture. Rather, it was his newest obsession. He planned to seduce her somewhere in the south so he could forget all about her and move on. This was a regular pattern for Emperor Sahle. He hadn't seen her since the party, but she was still in his mind. He sat on the veranda at [i]Gebi Iyasu[/i], looking out at the fountain, and the pair of lions sleeping in the garden. Wicker [i]mesob[/i] tables were set out in front of everyone, and lunch was served Ethiopian style, with several kinds of spicy stews in little piles on top of [i]injera[/i] flatbread. A servant offered Jefferson Davis Bacon some clarified butter. The obese man gazed into the sunshine colored liquid before accepting some. "My mammy used to call me 'Butters' when I was a boy." the American said, "She'd come out on the porch when it was time for dinner and yell 'Here Butters, come get your cornbread before your sister devours it all.' She was a little woman, the mammy was that is, my sister was fat even in those days. Mammy was little, but her voice carried through the countryside like the angel's trumpets." He laughed a choppy, nostalgia filled kind of laugh. Sahle hadn't been paying attention; his mind was still on conquering the redheaded Carnahan girl. "What do you think of the food?" Desta Getachew asked, watching the American intently. "In truth I feel rude eating with my hands in front of y'all. I've devoured my share of ribs, don't get me wrong sir, but this is such a pretty setting, and I don't want to stain the fine China." Bacon patted the mesob and laughed, heartier this time. While Desta ate slowly and Sahle ate mechanically, Yaqob occupying the fourth place didn't eat at all. He was like a guardian statue in front of an Egyptian tomb. "Relax" Desta said, "Food don't make the man. Titles do. We know what powers we have. How we eat? Eh, who cares." "I like you, sir." Bacon said, "You'd make a good southerner." "What is this business you meant to discuss?" Desta's tone remained friendly and formal. "Well, as I told you..." "Explain the whole thing for his Majesty's sake." Desta said. Sahle turned his attention, not so much because he heard himself invoked, but rather because he felt Desta's eyes. "There are only three East Asian powers that the United States gives a damn about; what Nepal chooses to do with its time interests us about as much as a rooster's tit. What we worry about, sir, is the mighty Pacific ocean. That means Japan, China, and the Philippines." "What does this have to do with Ethiopia?" Yaqob interrupted. "I'm getting to that, sir." Bacon said, "America don't trust any of the three. If it came to a war over the Pacific, we'd hope Japan comes out the victor. We understand the Japs. Under their Samurai hats, they're businessmen. But that means they're shrewd, and they'd squeeze us out of the market as soon as they got a chance. Now, the Chinese are reds, so we don't trust them for squat. The Filipinos are reds too, but they are the weakest out of the three, and that makes them vulnerable should we need them to be. Now if Hou was as a smart son of a bitch as he puts on airs to be, he'd of locked down the Filipinos and had the South China Sea to himself a long time ago. But he hasn't figured that out yet, so we have the opportunity to throw a wrench in the works for all parties involved, and that wrench is Ethiopian. See, we don't want a war, because war mean winners and winners mean we have tougher competition in those markets still available to us. We'd like to see all three standing still, knifes behind their backs. It's better for business that way." "We have no reason to anger the Chinese government." Sahle said. That he thought to say that made him feel as statesmanlike as a reincarnated Zara Yaqob. "What we propose isn't anything so drastic." Bacon said, "There are companies in the United States who have an interest in keeping the South China Sea in check, and they are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Now, you have a navy in the Indian Ocean, and I am under the impression it doesn't get used very much." "True." Desta said, a slight grin on his face. "We'd be willing to buy one fully functional battleship off of you, at discount of course, or else we would have furnished the ship ourselves, but we'll throw some trade preferences to sweeten the pot. I understand the coffee industry is a local favorite, and my people do love a good brew. So you chose the ship. The US navy would then move that ship to the Philippines and hand it to them as a gift. A free pawn in the hands of the weakest power. You could send an officer or two to assist in the training Filipino personnel." Sahle's head hurt. He wished Desta had taken care of this himself. He didn't know what to say. "This will have to be discussed with the [i]Bahr Negus[/i]." Yaqob spoke for him. "Not necessarily." Desta replied, "The Emperor's authority extends to the entire military. If the Imperial Court issues an edict regarding the navy, the [i]Bahr Negus[/i] has to..." "I'm aware of this." Yaqob interrupted, "But the [i]Bahr Negus[/i] isn't just some market town [i]Nagadras[/i]. Disrespecting him is a bad idea." "Who rules in Ethiopia?" Desta maintained the same manner and tone, but there was an irritable touch just behind the surface. "His Imperial Majesty, or his bureaucrats?" "I will let you boys straighten this out." Bacon said. "We will." Desta said, "If the Emperor has no objections between now and tomorrow, expect a confirmation on your desk before the sun sets."