Into new lands.

[Mogar]

Unnecessary Occurrence, an Empress Class Yacht had set sail from the Impossible Conceded capital ship that was currently sitting in the South Indian Ocean. At 450 meters, a 50 meter beam, and 10 meter draft, the closest civilian comparison would be a container ship in size. The vessel had 250,000 hp engines, able to move the massive vessel at nearly 40 knots. The Chrysanthemum suite, at 520 square meters (5597 square feet) over two stories, encompassed nearly one full deck of space in the seven-deck yacht, and offer unparalleled views. It featured two staterooms, and includes private access to a helipad and an elevator from an exclusive drive in dock, as well as all the luxury amenities you would come to expect. The owner's suite also offers a private gym, office and study, private dining area, butler's stateroom and more. Onboard guests are similarly pampered in eight VIP suites of 120 square meters  (1291.7ft²) apiece, and 12 guest suites, each at over 60 square meters (645 square feet). All guests will have access to the yacht's two pools, one indoor, one outdoor with an artificial beach, multiple Jacuzzis, spa facilities, full time masseuse, hair stylist and barber, as well as all the water toys the yacht can carry. 

Defensively, the vessel had similar capabilities to a cruiser, 160 VLS launchers hidden within the design, containing a mix of RIM-162 ESSM, RUM-139 VL-ASROC, UGM-109G AARGM and SM-2ER Block IVA, 6 x 21 RIM-116 RAM launchers, 8 Harpoon missiles, 2x triple tube Mk 32 SVTT systems, and 10x Goalkeeper CIWS. The structure was enhanced with kevlar in critical locations, and contained the most advanced electronics and radar the company had at its disposal. 2 MQ-8C with APKWS missile pods would compliment the VIP transport helicopter, and provide for even further situational awareness around the yacht. It was unexpected of course that the vessel would even be attacked, but it was a critical asset.

It took several days to reach their intended destination of Bangkok, but the view of the Malaccan being restored to its former impressive stature under corporate control and the birth of a solid political base in the immediate area was a refreshing sight. The first political visit in some time, it was expected to be an interesting one based off the religious fervor that had been overheard. The vessel has attendants but the trip was expected to be the CEO by themselves to meet the Empress, to keep things as friendly as possible and upon equal terms.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Mogar

[Sorcha Catach]

Oceanic patrols were very limited, for multiple reasons, but the primary two reasons were because Mog[Corp] had control (or maintained the law within the waters) and secondly due to the limitations of the Tanakosin Empire's Naval ability. Two Tanakosin-class ships of a different design and recently modified were called to a limited distance of the Impossible Conceded, as a necessary precaution. Or, their only possible precaution. As for the Unnecessary Occurrence, it was overwatched by a frigate, and escorted by two Corvettes. Being that the ship would be docking in Bangkok, there was extra coast guards present, several patrol ships by standard patrol orders. The Tanakosin Empires only real defense against Mog[Corp] should something happen, is a submarine that was lying in wait in the oceans. That single submarine being their only form of defense against major nations, although it would be a surprise if it could get a hit off, considering its age.

The Empress would be in her throne room, Phra Thinang Amarin Winitchai, within the Grand Palace, awaiting for the foreign dignitary - the CEO of Mog[Corp] - who was scheduled to arrive today. The Empress hadn't prepared much in the way of any military action, actually assuming a business deal would be made. The increase in Naval activity was a military decision by her generals and admirals to ensure the safety of not only herself, but her people. Still one could say she was quite arrogant as she chose not to leave her throne, still seeing most other people as being below her, especially one not of any known noble blood. She was prepared to discuss arrangements for natural resources to be given as payment for hiring Mog[Corp] for construction necessities within the Tanakosin Empire. The Empress would not be on her throne until the CEO arrived, as she would be making an entrance.

[Mogar]

The corporation largely ignored the naval presence of the Tanakosin navy, with the flotillas in the Asian theater instead focusing on the East China Sea and patrolling the waters surrounding the Philippines and Japan. Rather than relying on transport from the host, it was far easier to simply bring a car with them upon the Unnecessary Occurrence, the rest of the ship's crew would remain on the ship for the duration, preferring to err on the side of caution as there was quite a bit of cultural disconnect.

A Maserati GranTurismo was likely to be extraordinarily exotic in this country but it was toned down from a one off or concept car that usually served in this role. A short conversation had enlightened him that a strangely familiar palace was the intended destination, and the CEO took his time driving through Bangkok, enjoying the sights and sounds once more, eventually arriving at the Grand Palace. Wearing a traditional black suede jacket with a simple black t shirt instead of a dress shirt, he figured it would be best to await tradition and formalities.

[Sorcha Catach]

The harbor was relatively peaceful, although it was currently under martial law, it didn't give the feeling that soldiers were ready to shoot anyone unprovoked. They knew of the arrival of Mog[Corp] and knew how to react. They assisted where needed for the ship to dock and release its cargo; the exotic car and the CEO. Directions were offered as a military transport truck was loaded up to escort the vehicle in question, before arriving to the Grand Palace. Once there, the royal guards outside dressed in fashionable, not tactical, attire, approached the exotic car. The transport truck unloaded as they proceeded to take up a perimeter outside the entrance of the Grand Palace. Beyond the gate was the Phra Thinang Boromphiman, however the CEO would not be escorted inside. One of the royal guards bowed to the CEO in a respectful way, but not very deep, then ushered them with a hand gesture to follow them. They were very quiet, only speaking when necessary. They walked to the Phra Thinang Amarin Winitchai Mahaisuraya Phiman, where the Empress would be located. Once at the entrance, there were two royal guards standing by the doors. The royal guard escorting the CEO explained that the Empress is prepared to meet now, and that if the CEO wished, a feast will happen after, no matter how successful or not the meeting would be. He opened the doors and let the CEO enter, before pulling the doors shut behind him. The guard that had escorted the CEO stayed outside.

The guards that were outside, however, now changed places and guarded the inside of the doors, but they were the only other individuals present. If the CEO had anyone tagging along, they would be limited to one guest. The Empress had not taken her throne yet, so it may take a moment before she made her appearance. Inside was a raised platform, where the audience may take a seat, or kneel, as it were, to be facing the throne. The CEO was not instructed to kneel, or bow, or do anything, but for the Empress, a kneel may be just as equal to a handshake. The CEO would be given a moment to prepare before the Empress entered, no matter if he kneeled or what. Once she did, she was very quiet. A soft melody played from behind the throne to give the eerily quiet hall some mood.

 

[Mogar]

The deja vu was quite strange, though the minor differences of colors and other decor proved to be rather interesting, slight variants of art and the like. The escorts were pleasant and several compliments were made of various sights as they had gone through the palace to the Phra Thinang Amarin Winitchai. He listened intently to the guard's missive and replied simply with a smile "I look forward to the feast, it had been some time since I had Thai." 

Following the instructions and entering the throne room, he sat cross legged upon the platform, knowing the rituals that were required with royalty, a slight bow would be given as a matter of respect upon the arrival of the Empress, as she was the host it seemed more appropriate to let her take the lead.

[Sorcha Catach]

A voice could be heard from the back as the Empress entered along with the music, "please give your respects to the great Empress, the great and honorable Yrita Meesang."

She slowly strode in and took her throne, looking down at the CEO of Mog[corp]. To be honest, at a time like this, where war was so recent, right outside, it was surprising he would still venture out. But she respected that, as formal meetings like this should never be handled by any individuals less in stature. She would come off as stubborn, highborn, and dismissive to him, but he would soon see that she is still a young woman; excitable, curious, and willing to listen. 

The Empress smiled when the gentleman bowed, and was also happy he kept quiet until given the floor. Truthfully, the Tanakosin Empire had some slight differences to the Thailand, and even old Siam, in culture, but she was happy he was trying to follow something respectful. However, a second individual approached from the side of the room, at level with the CEO. He bore no weapons, and in fact, seemed religious. He stood beside the large throne, looking at the CEO and giving a small bow. The Empress introduced herself, but she began speaking Khmer, in a graceful manner with a gentle, young voice, which the individual that stood in front of the CEO translated: "I am Empress Yrita Meesang, since you are not one of my peoole, and for the respect you have shown me and my land, I will allow you to address me by My Meesang, in reference to that we are all a people, and related by the sheer fact of what we see. Let me start of by explaining something, as I feel it is important. I understand you come here for resources, since we come to you for experience. We have temporary slave labor, to mine and process the resources you seek, that go straight to the construction of less than civilized towns and villages, and to connect them. Wealthy resources, resources not used in construction, are not being mined, or processed. Some of these resources we will not give in abundance to strict military organizations, but I am willing to hear you out, as we need the experience."

There was a pause, then the translator spoke: "The great and honorable Empress Yrita Meesang, gives you the floor to speak."

[Mogar]

Closing his eyes for a moment he switched to Khmer, though the words came out a bit slower than in English or another common language. "I am grateful for the invitation, and it is always a pleasure to get a chance to visit new places and hopefully new friends. I have come here for resources in exchange for our construction expertise, but for clarification we are in the market for resources for several construction projects which will help the global economy. As for your internal policies they are not for me to concern myself with, but the perspective of other foreign nations may not be so neutral so at minimum it would likely be wise to not be advertising the usage of such tactics."

Reaching into his inner breast pocket he pulled out his cell phone, a small holographic image appearing displaying the globe, with 2 small towers slowly growing as the sphere grew smaller to allow a full rendering. "As your nation is the closest to our intended Asian space elevator, this would be the best location to develop the capabilities to create the advanced materials required for my objective. From my understanding our own injection of infrastructure projects and the long term benefits of the limitless resources that the aether can provide us will be of immense benefit to bringing your kingdom to rival others who have taken it upon themselves to colonize asia at the least, if not eventually even my own military." 

[Sorcha Catach]

Yrita was taken aback by the individual suddenly speaking Khmer, but while she was surprised, she was also very happy. She disliked 'middle men,' only using them as necessary. She wasn't sure how to react to the advanced technology showed to her, as it clearly showed that Mog[Corp] had the ability to wipe her out should they don't come to something agreeable. It unfortunately inclined her to be more open to giving them leeway. "Your technology is very advanced, but I'm sure I can... put two and two together," she responded. The translator looked up to the Empress to see where he should go, but the Empress motioned for him to stay. "I must not change our laws, to give potentially dangerous resources to military organizes. At least, in too high quantity. However... we are looking to claim some lands of Southern China, Tibet, and Eastern India for our Empire. I assure you, we will not search for more, and we will not discover claims on the Indies, Philippines, or similar. It is within my power to create short term, or one-off contracts with you, to ensure I can get you what you need, as long as I do not seem weak in front of my people. Before we speak of Southern China, as I know you are looking towards there as well, I wish to speak of Singapore."

This was where the Empress was going to put pressure. She couldn't seem like she was willing to just about anything, and the CEO should have seen something like this coming; a show of wavering to the Empress, to prove his respect. "What do you require for us to reclaim Singapore? It is part of our heritage, and it must be freed from colonialism, back to its native peoples."

[Mogar]

"I have spent enough time around to realize the control of the Singapore itself is of less importance than ensuring that the Malaccan remains secure from harm to international trade, especially our own of course." The 3D globe shifting to an vertical 2D representation of Asia, Singapore changing colors. "Such an arrangement could be made after defensive and infrastructure enhancements to ensure that Singapore can act as a fortress to defense its entire sphere of influence, though we already employ natives to . We would still require the option of making regular visits so long as other colonies exist within the Pacific, and would seek to use it as a base of operations for our own high technology facilities that would be required to mount the project we're intending to the southeast of Singapore."

As the borders of Tanakosin expanded to the north and west, he continued, "While I am asking for a long term commitment here, control over the intended space elevators in South America, Africa and Asia would be shared with the local countries once completed, at least should other meetings be successful elsewhere. As the only Asian nation currently this would lead to even more resources for your country to grow, and it is of a particular interest that you are capable of acting against further acts of colonization in the future. While normally such an investment is not a wise decision, I feel that we will learn to understand one another by the time our discussion is over."

He paused and looked at her intently, making a show of contemplation. "I find your choice of Khmer interesting considering this palace would generally make Thai the spoken language, perhaps I could hear your story as to how you came about to be here in charge of all of these people, I love a good storyline."

[Sorcha Catach]

"Mog Corp is nothing more than a company, Mogar, and this is Tanakosin land. I only see land ownership in the hands of people, yet your governance of land claiming is nothing more than stationing military forces and saying others can not enter. You must understand, I don't recognize any of your claims, nor your current territory as official. I say this so we have a basis for conversation and debate. I can lend you, and only you, land, but understand this is Tanakosin land, not No Man's Land. If I take back your land, it is within my right. But as long as we are on agreeable terms, or a war has not begun, we shouldn't see any problems with that. As for the defense concerns, which also relates to your space.... elevator.... I am only, and will only ever, worry about internal affairs, and those in China and India, perhaps if a time calls for it.... Mongolia. I do not care about space, I do not care about your elevators. The only threat from above for us, from foreign enemies, are their aircraft. But, we are concerned about defense, and want to turn all of Tanakosin into a fortress."

The empress took a breath as she prepared to answer the CEO's final question so he was prepared and had everything sorted on the table should he want to respond. "I was raised in Cambodia, on the border of Siam. Where I was born exactly, I don't know, I just know my parents were of both Siamese and Cambodian culture. This 'Thai' culture is heathen, a disgrace to the history of Siam and its past. It simply isn't recognized. Unfortunately, I can't say my father was a great warrior or a prince of a noble or anything such similar; neither for my mother. As those times had ended, so too did the glory of such. That is all I am willing to tell you, however what I can tell you is that our historians have learned of my bloodline to date back to royal families of the Rattanakosin Empire and the Angkor Empire, and that is why I wish to combine cultures. Anymore questions?"

[Mogar]

The naivety or arrogance she had displayed was a bit of a shock and a reaction would be wildly inappropriate, but a slight curve of his lip was unavoidable. "I am pleased to hear you are seeking a restoration of a more impressive culture than the borders designed by foreigners. I do apologize for my confusion, but I have never considered my company to be a country either.  Traditional governments maximize employees, I'd rather have 10 effective employees than a 1000 sub average. Due to this, those who live within our territory maintain one of the highest standards of living on this planet. Healthcare, housing and food are basic human rights, along with stipends to ensure spending even if they happen to be unemployed, this comes at a price of course.

The corporation retains a portion of their income from employment to finance these benefits for everyone, with those who are in the upper echelons of salary paying the most, but generally those who are capable of reaching that level are also more than satisfied with the additional benefits. While not slavery in the traditional sense, it has been considered to be no better and have had to defend this system, My only hope is that we can avoid such a fate for yourself, as whatever acceleration we can to restoring your nation to a great power."

Switching back to English he continued. "In regards to ownership of territory, it has been proven time and time again that ownership is based off whom can control the territory, people can be located elsewhere or removed. My interests in Asia are restoring key economic centers, affording you whatever strength I can lend, and the eventual removal of other nation's colonies in the theater since with the collapse of Rokkenjima there is no purpose for them.

Consider us to be just like the others if you so desire, but I believe that we can prove the merit of the relationship I am proposing and doubt many would be willing to finance nationbuilding or so willing to defend your own expansion interests. I got my start by someone much stronger than I offering me a helping hand, in a place not very far from where we are now, and though my original project was not as much of as success as I wanted it to be it taught me important lessons, one of which is that merely because someone is weak right now does not mean they shall stay that way, nor does it mean they should be underestimated.

In you, I see a leader who is willing to do whatever you need to in order to achieve the strong nation you desire. Such strength is an admirable trait in a leader, and an ally. Perhaps you can clarify what fears or concerns you may have about my own long term plans alongside your own and we can find a middle ground to allow both of us to accomplish our goals."

[Sorcha Catach]

Yrita sighed, seeing as the CEO seemed to have jumped to conclusions, going directly to defending themselves. She ignored the explanation until there was something meaningful to add. Generally, among the people within the Palace, speaking in such a way to the Empress was nigh an insult, but it was rare when she would take offense. At this point, when the CEO spoke in English, it was noted by the translator, understanding they needed to translate the English to Khmer for her. This made it obvious that the Empress did not know English, and maybe that meant something more.

"Mister Mogar," the Empress began in Khmer, "you misunderstood my statement, I will respectfully request you do not use such a dismissive attitude towards me in the future. Should I be on your lands, what you say would be law, and I should not question it. What I meant was that under a Democratic, Fascist, or Capitalist government, Companies and Corporations hold some rights - not in the way of a human, but in a way such as able to own property; it can be under a persons name, or company. The Tanakosin Empire is a Monarchy, and every dirt you tread on is owned by the Tanakosin Empire, owned by me. I lend use of land, but I own it. I do not care what you have to say in response to what ownership is defined as. I may not know English, but I am well versed in language, don't insult my knowledge again. No matter what you claim; power, control, influence, if you attempted to force ownership over land that is owned by Tanakosin Empire, no one will end the day happy." Towards the end she did gain an aggressive tone, but she closed her eyes and took a breath, calming herself once more as she wanted this meeting to end professionally, without petty bickering or continue with competition.

"What I see you as, is an equal. Company or not, I have welcomed you into the Tanakosin realm without increased security, without excessive body checks, or background checks. You sit before me showing your respect for my culture and the way we do things here, which not only tells my people I made the right choice, but tells me that my choices are right. While you are not an equal to me, I equate you to a noble. And your equality is not from power, it is not from the amount of land you control, or your strength or composure towards another. It's the respect you show. As for my people; yes, they are being forced to work manual labor. They also kept there homes within the transition. Their religious faiths have not been converted, they are all fed as much as we can spare, and kept in good health. We want to connect all parts of our Empire, to improve the transport of goods and food and other necessities, we want better housing, better infrastructure such as plumbing, sewage, and electricity, but also to keep our people better informed and in communications; even if the rest of the world thinks we want to utilize propaganda. In final; You will be able to utilize and build personal holdings on Tanakosin soil, but should we see the need, we will take back control. You must understand, I am not a power-hungry dictator, I will not use force to subjugate my people for my own benefit, and I will not support pure military organizations. We can work together, and I will do what I can, until you push too far. Please tell me the resources you need, and what you need for me to reclaim the land you currently hold."

[Mogar]

The delay for the translation made him return to Khmer, hoping to not let emotion influence the conversation quite so heavily again, it had been a very long time since someone has even hinted at a threat to him directly, it was usually through a diplomatic missive while they sat cozily in a bunker. "I apologize for any disrespect, but while I may be in your country, I suspect our issue is that we are having two different conversations rather than misunderstanding. Your goal is to secure your own nation's future, while my own goals are all but imagined from your view.

I will follow your own local laws while operating within your borders, but I will not subjugate myself or my business to a foreign power any further than I expect you to agree to the same. Your perspective is correct but slightly flawed, companies have had extraterritoriality for nearly the same length they have existed.

I have no intentions of claiming territory currently under your sphere of influence, but affording you total control over the surrounding oceans immediately is a major long term risk when we have not yet provided one another with any reason to trust the other beyond diplomatic overtures.

The resources we require are carbon based, and we can provide for the funding of several technical schools to bring skilled workers from your own country into our project. Internal infrastructure projects will need the traditional building materials, but those are so boring to discuss.

Should in a period of say, three years we prove this relationship was built upon a foundation of bedrock and not sand, we can negotiate restoration of the lands you desire. I'd be happy to discuss other details or topics with you if you so desire as well of course, as I'd like us to not leave this meeting with any unanswered questions."

[Sorcha Catach]

"As I said," the Empress began, "as long as nothing forces my hand, we will be fine. I don't mean to threaten you, mister Mogar, I'm simply stating the rules and terms of any contract; should we come into war, I will seize the land, if necessary, but I also would not kick you off the land if I don't need to. As for the resources you need..." The Empress paused as a few gentlemen from the room behind the room came behind her and began whispering to her. Speaking Khmer, they were explaining to her what carbon-based resources they had, and anything else she may need to know. The Empress smiled as she nodded, waving the men away. 

"Diamonds! One of our least valuable gems; bland and boring as a personal item, we have a multitude of gem mines, and we can supply you with an abundance of Diamonds. I'm happy you didn't ask for Uranium, as I felt we would have a heated conversation about that. However, three years is too long. I want the Unification within half of one year, I need that land."

[Mogar]

"It will take years to finish even half of the intended projects, let alone bringing about infrastructure to the level needed in order to produce what would be needed locally. I am offering a backing that would allow you to rival Rokkenjima in less than a decade, I fail to see what control over Singapore could be worth to risk such a deal. I have learned over my time that speaking plainly about suchs things is better so why is it of such importance so quickly?"

[Sorcha Catach]

The Empress scoffed at the individuals remark. She didn't take it as an insult, an offense or anything, just disliked that military and strength seemed to be the only thing they seemed to understand. "I couldn't care less who I would be equal to, whether it's production, science, military, manpower, anything." She crossed her arms, "I do not care about foreign affairs, at least not right now. I Must focus on internal affairs - my people - not matching military or whatever else may be on your mind. The unification and combination of my peoples cultures, so that we may become one and put our differences aside, is what matters to me. We could argue all day about why I should care about potential enemies, but a nation that is not united can not even stand up for itself, let alone against others. Internal first, foreign last. That is why, mister Mogar."

[Mogar]

 "That is rather radical ideology for one who is leading a nation to be expressing, if I were a different person I would take it as a negative trait, but I believe you mean what you say and desire a change to the history of your nation.

Expansion without infrastructure to support the additional population would mean more unpaid laborers and create more dislike for your reign.

From my understanding you want to be loved by your people, a partnership will lead to that, but agreeing to concede strategic territory to a newly formed government on the hope they will not turn hostile to us in the future would be short sighted, what assurance do I have that further territories will need to be ceded to appease a nation we are willing to invest more than any other nation would be capable of providing? It feels as though I am getting the short end of the stick, for lack of a better phrase."

Edited January 28, 2019 by Mogar

[Sorcha Catach]

"My concerns are only where I've told you. I don't care about Northeast China, Manchuria, Taiwan, Japan, Western India, Philippines, the East Indies, or very much more. Even if I became hostile, I would not mount a war across the ocean, nor would I invade Western Asia or any part of Russia for that matter. The worst you would see from us is banned exports and banned from our land and air. To be brutally honest, I am only making the people work where they live. I don't pack them into trucks and take them half way across Siam. So they either love it, or don't, and once this era of forced labor is over, they will have their freedom back. As for what land needs to be ceded, it should only be the one." The Empress raised her hand, slowly, and a gentleman from behind her approached and whispered to her. It was very quiet as they had a very short discussion, probably less than a minute. He bowed, and stepped away.

"I will reveal to you our greatest Imperial Claims, anything more would be an addition to our Empire, but not core territory." As she continued, the gentleman she had just been speaking to walked out with a large scroll, casually approaching the CEO and handing the scroll over while giving a slight bow. Once the interaction was done, he nodded and left the room the same way he entered. "There are a few, small islands, near Malaya that you have control of. Those I can dismiss, the rest I can not. Since Diamonds are not of much use to us, I can agree to a binding contract to give you most of the diamonds we mine, at the latest of one year, for the land in Malaya I demand. After the contract ends, you may continue to trade with us normally; purchasing the resource. I can also agree to another contract with the same terms for the smaller islands you hold, and if you still feel you are getting the short end of the stick, as you say...." Once again she raised her hand and gentleman from behind came to speak with her, this time it was merely breaths of whispers, hidden under the tone of music, and then they left. "I can agree to a contract, that once all core territory is returned, you may receive ten percent of all Uranium we mine, ten percent of the Uranium stockpile we already have at the future time, seventy-five percent of all stocked Diamonds, and an extension on the old contracts, but then you would receive half of all Diamonds we mine. I do not see a need to force you into a deal, mister Mogar, that you do not like. But for any of these terms to work, you must understand.... unification comes first on my list of priorities. I am willing to work with you. Once you understand that unification and reclaiming our cores is a priority, you may make the demands you feel are appropriate."

[Mogar]

This was growing into more of a hassle than expected. "How about an agreement to that principle but we retain control under a lease for a period of five years, or until I am more confident with the state of the territory and able to focus attention elsewhere. I would be able to uplift the island to what I desire and while it would likely be different than the rest of your nation, Hong Kong and other examples serve as examples of what such focused attentions can lead to." Looking over the map presented, he considered what the nation would require for defense of such territory but felt that would be a conversation to be had over dinner.

[Sorcha Catach]

The Empress became disgruntled, taking the statement as insulting, "Mister Mogar, the Riau islands I am not too worried about, but Malacca and Singapore must be returned," her voice raised a little, which caused the translator below to kowtow. "I have told you the requirements of my terms, and it is your opportunity to create demands. Under Tanakosin law, I own the land, I-" she was suddenly cut off by one of the original gentleman the CEO had been seeing all the while behind her. He clasped his hands together, as if praying, bowing his head multiple times as he tried to speak. "It appears the food was ready some time ago, as per an expected completion time of our meeting, Mister Mogar, but it has been sitting for far too long. As it is a celebratory meal, I will not partake, since these negotiations did not end successfully. I will end this meeting, until another time. Perhaps this will give you a moment of respite, until you can think of your requirements, when they do not go against my own." Without another word, she stood up, and the music stopped. As she walked away, the translator stood up, and in English, "that is all the time the Empress wishes to spend with you, as she must go back to her imperial duties. If you wish to feast, the guards by the door will escort you."

[Mogar]

That was not quite the interaction he had expected, but there was an expectation that several of the Empress's inner circle would be actually running things, there was other topics that were needed to be discussed and perhaps whomever else he would be eating with would be a more appropriate. "I thank you for your time, and will contemplate a way for both of us to gain what we desire over the meal you have offered!" He said warmly with another slight bow. It seemed there would be more difficult paths required to achieve his objective, but there was alternative plans already in place and a few swipes and taps allowed them to begin as he stood up and followed the guards, contemplating the next chess piece to touch to adjust the board more favorably.

[Sorcha Catach]

Once Mogar had reached the dining hall, there were ceremonial guards at every entrance, and one man, dressed differently from everyone else, standing by at the door. He was very well dressed and decorated, similar in the old style of Siamese Kings. The table behind him was long and full of food, but it was quiet, and perhaps a little awkward, since the Empress was not joining. "Greetings, Mister Mogar," the man greeted the Mog[Corp] CEO, "My name is Nattakan Bunyasarn, but please, call me Nate if you prefer." He was speaking English, with an obvious accent, but it was very clear. He gestured towards the table to allow the CEO to sit, and he could have any seat, "I am Empress Yrita Meesang's non-biological brother, and I am the leader, the Military Commander of the Tanakosin Empires military forces. I do apologize for the decision my sister has made, but it is her right. I would like to feast with you, if you do not mind. I may be able to answer questions, if you have any, hopefully this is a... more relaxing, kind of atmosphere, compared to the Throne Room." He huckled, strolling over to the table to take a seat. "Also, if you have time," he said idly, not looking directly at the CEO, but at the food as he prepared a plate, "after the meal, I would like to speak to you in private."

[Mogar]

He sat across from his host and made a plate primarily of meats, but indulging in a little of everything, having been a long time since he had dined on this region's cuisine. "It is nice to meet you, and you are likely more suited for the conversation I had been considering. It is not a secret the language of war is one I understand well. I hope we can come to an arrangement to assist in an home grown military industry for you, and provide the weapons to start you off with local defense and promotion of your will in the immediate area, and should governments in the area prove harmful can lend observation to remove them. A cost would be negotiated but I must stand by the hold upon Singapore for now at minimum."

[Sorcha Catach]

Nate showed he was listening after sitting down as he politely ate the food, but he did not acknowledge what Mogar was saying, nor did he respond. He took his time eating before speaking up, "I can not make any decision making, it would be treasonous. However, there is some allowance for capitalism, and I could run my own military company. Unfortunately, my loyalty lies with my sister, and my sister alone. Anything I want, I must go through her, because I choose to. At this time, the region needs a gentle hand, not a warlords touch. However, I will tell you that the meeting is not over."