((Collab Post between BingTheWing and Letter Bee))

The delegation would land in Hanoi's airport without incident; the local Worker's Co-operative would greet the Thai delegation with flowers - mostly orchids - before escorting the Delegation to Hanoi's government building, an old French structure repurposed for the needs of the 'Workers' Councils' that ran the city. This was a bit rushed, but it was about to rain, so it was forgivable.

In Hanoi's government building, there was a neat and clean room that had been stripped of all superflous finery and sported a spartan table and chairs. On the other side of the round table stood a short young woman in military fatigues, surrounded by aides as well as heavily armed male and female bodyguards. This was Lady Le, Lady Trung's second in command. With a rough face and a scar on her right cheekbone, Lady Le didn't have Lady Trung's physical beauty, but was rumored to make up for it with a quick mind.

Lady Le would get up and give a short bow, before saying as thunder rumbled outside, "Greetings. Sorry for the unseemly haste."

At the other end of the table, Foreign Minister Choryan Lektaruthok put his palms together and waied deeply. "Good evening, Lady. Everlasting peace from the People's Republic. And do not worry about the venue; I quite like the aged charm, in fact."

Choryan was a short, balding man just shy of sixty-three years of age and a fondness for patterned ties. The contrast between his five foot five frame and the massive heft of the Revolutionary Army bodyguards visibly armed with hi-capacity submachine guns was almost comical, to say the least. Choryan eyed the Lady and her entourage with a quiet, yet burning, light. These were the faces of a desperate nation, ready not just to die for the greater good of socialism but also for fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters taken from this world in various unpleasant ways by the enemy. Choryan was old, but he was sharp. His entire professional life had been spent knee-deep in the chaotic intrigue that was the political machinery of the People's Republic of Thailand. He had seen his country at the beck and call of imperial overlords, he had seen his country execute hundreds for the sake of revolution, and he had seen his country undergo the military success and political disaster that was Cambodia, but now, at the very least, he hoped, he would see his country through this. Choryan disagreed with the Premier in that Thailand was a tired nation. Thailand was a raring power in Asia, eager for blood and quite capable of annexing the entire Southeast Asian peninsula if need be. But what Choryan did agree on with Premier Radchawat was there needed to be a stopping point. If this belligerency continued, Thailand as a nation would not die, it would get itself killed.

For now, Choryan reduced his inner dialogue to a soft sigh. He proceeded to remember his objectives. Get Thailand resource concessions, no matter the cost.

Lady Le was matter-of-fact, "You are here for Iron, right? That and Chromium from our allies. Well, our Miners' Unions are more than willing to provide the needed resources at below-market prices in exchange for immeidiate help. As an added bonus, you get the services of Sulu Pirates against those of your enemies who have a coast and shipping. Would that not be seemly?"

A pause. "Note that by 'immidiate help', we do not require the use of the Thai Army, as it is still bound by 'occupation duties' in Cambodia. Rather, we want to tighten the blockade around the reactionary forces in French Indochina and Central Vietnam; Diem's so-called Republic of Vietnam. Thus, we want the aid of your navy in enforcing the blockade around the enemy, as well as the use of Thai ports as bases for the Sulu Pirates; they will pay handsomely for the privilege."

Choryan smiled and nodded. This was a godsend - Thailand did not have to get as actively involved as he predicted. 

"The iron and chromium deals are deeply welcomed - I will leave it to our economic officers to work out the finer details. However, our country's pride and joy is really the army, and we are yet to improve our air and naval technology as of now. Some help in that matter would be greatly appreciated. However, I am not sure of allowing possible outlaws into Thai ports. Can you guarantee that these Sulu pirates will behave accordingly? Do they have any histories of disobedience?"

Lady Le smiled, "Sulu Pirates are just sailors; rowdy, raunchy, and easily led by alcohol and wenches. If they disobey, that is because they have not been given enough whores and forbidden intoxicants. But if you wish, you can have the Sulu Pirates dock in different parts of the port than used by regular shipping or your military. As for naval technology...you've come to the right place; we have a strong naval tradition."

A pause. "Right now, most of our naval strength are converted fishing and merchant ships fitted with machine guns. However, we have a French Submarine or two we can 'donate' to the Thai cause, if you need it."

Choryan suddenly remembered himself. Did Thailand really need the help? All it would do would be to further 'encourage' his bosses. But at the same time, Choryan knew Thanee would rip into him if he knew that he had passed up an opportunity to acquire a new submarine, a French one at that.

"The French submarines would be excellent, Lady." He stood up to conclude the discussion, lest his superiors be unwittingly given more toys to fight the war. "Together we will wipe out those cursed imperialists." He extended his hand. "Glory to socialism."

Lady Le took the hand. "Glory to the Unified Left."