11-20-2016, 03:49 PM
Evie tapped her fingers against her lips, gazing out at the crowd in the Red Square, dwarfed by the monument. The mood in the hotel room was somewhat tense. When the diplomatic party had set out from DC, their goal was fairly straightforward. The US had a vested interest in ensuring that the CCD didn’t create an army of channelers. (Internally, Evelyn always felt a little giddy at the fact that her term had caught on so well.) They’d carefully gone through the legalese of the various nuclear non-proliferation treaties drafted between their countries over the past century, and created something that read nearly identically, except with individuals rather than missiles.
However, not even an hour into their flight news broke that Ascendancy had somehow suppressed a nuclear bomb, even at great personal cost. That threw a wrench into their plans, to say the least. All the various non-proliferation treaties were based on the presumption of mutually assured destruction. The fact that one side had the power and knowledge to nullify their greatest weapons was… unnerving to say the least. And the fact that Ascendancy had miraculously healed from his grievous wounds in a matter of hours only made things more incredible. Already she had heard whispers from their own aides that the man was a God.
Evelyn had no doubts that Brandon was as mortal as she. His blasphemous declarations of godhood irked her, but Evie had to admit that it also helped her standing tremendously. In her conversation with Nick Trano, she’d told him that a group of unpowered diplomats, no matter how experienced, would have a hard time negotiating with a man who had god-like powers. She’d been proven correct. Ever since news of Ascendancy’s feat broke, they’d been looking at her differently. She doubted that she’d be capable of stopping a nuclear weapon, but the rest of them didn’t know that. The Secretary of State had even admitted to her that he was grateful he had ‘one of them’ on his side. Evelyn had no doubts now that she’d be heavily involved in any negotiations. None of the other diplomats would dare meeting with Brandon face-to-face without her, if only out of fear for the man’s Power.
Evie looked to her right, where her best ally sat. Sofia Castilla was the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, and also a Democrat. Congress being split between three major parties made things like committee makeup very interesting. Democrats had a hard time getting legislation passed because the Libertarian and Republican Parties tended to vote more similarly. However, Democrats still controlled a plurality of both chambers, and thus were far from powerless. Sofia wasn’t exactly pro-annexation, but she wasn’t an anti-CCD Republican hawk either. Their opinions on foreign policy matched almost perfectly, and even better, Castilla had made it clear to Evie that she was happy to defer to her judgement on matters of the Power.
Arnold Francis was another story. Getting Secretaries of State past congress was a delicate process for a Republican President. While Libertarians tended to vote with Republicans, foreign relations was one area on which the two Parties diverged. The Libertarian Party was almost isolationist, and so they wouldn’t approve an overly-hawkish appointment. Democrats of course ranged from explicitly pro-CCD to wanting positive relations at the least. Together, Libertarians and Democrats controlled a majority of seats, and could prevent a “bomb them before they bomb us” kind of Republican from taking office. Even so, that didn’t mean that Francis was an ally. He was vehemently opposed to Ascendancy (that was something that the Libertarians and Republicans agreed on), but he wasn’t likely to start a war at the very least. And, Francis had a healthy fear of power. He’d been shaken enough by the thought of Brandon having nuclear-level capabilities that he’d be willing to listen to Evelyn’s advice more often than not.
So in summary, Francis was off balance, and unlikely to seriously oppose any peaceful resolutions Evie could suggest, and Castilla was fully on her side. Evelyn had spent a lot of time strategizing with Castilla, trying to figure out their objectives. Neither woman was naïve enough to really believe that either side would seriously uphold any agreement to curb the use of Power in warfare, but it was the motions that mattered. The US wasn’t strong enough to seriously oppose the CCD, regardless of what Trano thought. It was important for them to find common ground, to create a record of peaceful agreement and coexistence. Her goal was more to open up a path for diplomacy, while staying firm enough to earn Ascendancy’s respect, if not his fear.
Their attention snapped towards the door as a knock sounded. An aide peeked through. “Ah, Sirs and Madams, his Honor the Ascendancy is ready to see you now, if you will follow me please.”
A sense of excitement and trepidation jolted through her, although she ruthlessly allowed none of it to show on her face. This was the moment that Evelyn had been preparing for her entire life. She’d been Chosen for a great purpose, of that she was sure. Whatever plans God had for her, this was where they all began.
However, not even an hour into their flight news broke that Ascendancy had somehow suppressed a nuclear bomb, even at great personal cost. That threw a wrench into their plans, to say the least. All the various non-proliferation treaties were based on the presumption of mutually assured destruction. The fact that one side had the power and knowledge to nullify their greatest weapons was… unnerving to say the least. And the fact that Ascendancy had miraculously healed from his grievous wounds in a matter of hours only made things more incredible. Already she had heard whispers from their own aides that the man was a God.
Evelyn had no doubts that Brandon was as mortal as she. His blasphemous declarations of godhood irked her, but Evie had to admit that it also helped her standing tremendously. In her conversation with Nick Trano, she’d told him that a group of unpowered diplomats, no matter how experienced, would have a hard time negotiating with a man who had god-like powers. She’d been proven correct. Ever since news of Ascendancy’s feat broke, they’d been looking at her differently. She doubted that she’d be capable of stopping a nuclear weapon, but the rest of them didn’t know that. The Secretary of State had even admitted to her that he was grateful he had ‘one of them’ on his side. Evelyn had no doubts now that she’d be heavily involved in any negotiations. None of the other diplomats would dare meeting with Brandon face-to-face without her, if only out of fear for the man’s Power.
Evie looked to her right, where her best ally sat. Sofia Castilla was the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, and also a Democrat. Congress being split between three major parties made things like committee makeup very interesting. Democrats had a hard time getting legislation passed because the Libertarian and Republican Parties tended to vote more similarly. However, Democrats still controlled a plurality of both chambers, and thus were far from powerless. Sofia wasn’t exactly pro-annexation, but she wasn’t an anti-CCD Republican hawk either. Their opinions on foreign policy matched almost perfectly, and even better, Castilla had made it clear to Evie that she was happy to defer to her judgement on matters of the Power.
Arnold Francis was another story. Getting Secretaries of State past congress was a delicate process for a Republican President. While Libertarians tended to vote with Republicans, foreign relations was one area on which the two Parties diverged. The Libertarian Party was almost isolationist, and so they wouldn’t approve an overly-hawkish appointment. Democrats of course ranged from explicitly pro-CCD to wanting positive relations at the least. Together, Libertarians and Democrats controlled a majority of seats, and could prevent a “bomb them before they bomb us” kind of Republican from taking office. Even so, that didn’t mean that Francis was an ally. He was vehemently opposed to Ascendancy (that was something that the Libertarians and Republicans agreed on), but he wasn’t likely to start a war at the very least. And, Francis had a healthy fear of power. He’d been shaken enough by the thought of Brandon having nuclear-level capabilities that he’d be willing to listen to Evelyn’s advice more often than not.
So in summary, Francis was off balance, and unlikely to seriously oppose any peaceful resolutions Evie could suggest, and Castilla was fully on her side. Evelyn had spent a lot of time strategizing with Castilla, trying to figure out their objectives. Neither woman was naïve enough to really believe that either side would seriously uphold any agreement to curb the use of Power in warfare, but it was the motions that mattered. The US wasn’t strong enough to seriously oppose the CCD, regardless of what Trano thought. It was important for them to find common ground, to create a record of peaceful agreement and coexistence. Her goal was more to open up a path for diplomacy, while staying firm enough to earn Ascendancy’s respect, if not his fear.
Their attention snapped towards the door as a knock sounded. An aide peeked through. “Ah, Sirs and Madams, his Honor the Ascendancy is ready to see you now, if you will follow me please.”
A sense of excitement and trepidation jolted through her, although she ruthlessly allowed none of it to show on her face. This was the moment that Evelyn had been preparing for her entire life. She’d been Chosen for a great purpose, of that she was sure. Whatever plans God had for her, this was where they all began.