Feeling the Caribbean Breeze

Spain

Palacio de la Moncloa
Madrid, 10th July 2024

It was... hot. Really hot. Summer had finally made its arrival into Spain, and President Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who was used to the soft, mostly autumn-alike, was not vibing. The Palacio de la Moncloa had a pool, that Alberto and his family used as a way to stop feeling the heat, at least temporarily. However, the Galician successor of the very-well known Prime Ministers Aguilar and Juncker would need to decline the invite to his child's (also named Alberto) pool party today, as he had better things to do, and that was welcoming the Head of the Braetha into Spanish territory and gaining some international spotlight, for once and all.

Fornithias Cranst was not a stranger to Spanish diplomats. He was indeed named as "the Caribbean breeze" within them, as he brought some new air to a region that matters a lot to Spain. Some even said that Spain cared the most about the Caribbean what, according to many people's thoughts, was true. Cranst was also one of the leaders that called Feijóo after being chosen as the Spanish President, which gave the "hidden" Spanish President the chance to know the other reference of the Caribbean, alongside the magnificent Lula Namatatiki. Fornithias was, in Feijóo's eyes, a man he could trust and that knew where his leadership had to go.

With the AC on, Feijóo awaited for the arrival of his Caribbean colleague, joined by two Spaniards that mattered in this summit. One of them was General Carlos Brown, who was the Commander of the Spanish Army in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and the military high rank in charge of the base located in Sertia. After the threats coming from the United Kingdom, Feijóo and Brown thought it was a good idea to have a conversation with Cranst, know about his thoughts and draw a joint strategy to face the security challenge those threats posed. The other man in the room was the Spanish Space Agency director, who was going to discuss with the Head of the Braetha the Spanish Mission to the Moon, the participation of Sertia on it and give Fornithias the final launch date.

Everything was set for the summit, and now, it was just up to the Sertian delegation to arrive on time.

Sertia

About three months ago, Fornithias Cranst's wife, Logina, said at teatime one night:
"So...that Spanish meeting you've got soon, what if you arrived into Spain on a tallship?"

"Darling, why would I do that?" Fornithias said, putting down his fork and looking at his wife with genuine curiosity.

"You've become boring, Fornithias! Much of your time as the head Brætha, you've spent here in Galæstol. You wake up. You call the Brætha. You check to make sure Guthrún Wond hasn't escaped prison. You go to sleep".

"I'm meant to be boring, my love", replied Fornithias. "I am not an entertainer. I'm a leader". He went back to eating his veal.

But while the veal became consumed and eventually forgotten by Head Brætha Fornithias Cranst, his wife's idea did not. She was beautiful, idealistic and ever so curious. She was indignant when it was important to be; in fact, it was her being indignant and refusing to let go that led to Cranst marrying her. Thus, whenever his wife said something seemingly outlandish, like spending a month on a tallship, he knew that when he returned she would say I told you so.

And so there he found himself eventually, at the bow of a Sertian double-hulled tallship, when he first set his eyes upon the Spanish mainland. He brought with him his wife, Logina; the EU Councillor for Sertia Ms Éduditalle Dína, who was living with the Cransts whilst her house underwent renovation; and a few retiring members of the Spanish military who wished to return to their home. With them also came Sertia's elected astronauts to undertake the joint Spain-Sertia mission to the moon.

Cranst was intending to meet and formally congratulate the new Spanish president, Alberto Nuñez Feijóo. He was also going to introduce Señor Feijóo to the challenges faced by Sertia, such as the threat of hostile foreign powers such as the UK; reminding the Spanish why they were helping the Sertians.

Disembarking the tallship, the heat was similar to the Sertian summertime, though far drier. I should have brought more lip balm, Cranst thought.
After a brief press greeting, Cranst's delegation went into a convoy of cars and eventually arrived at President Feijóo's estate.

Spain

«Mr. Cranst! Welcome to the Palacio de la Moncloa, it is an honour to meet you», Alberto said while both leaders shook hands. Cranst had disembarked in Gibraltar, and the roadtrip to Madrid had been long. Then, both proceeded to the Salón Tapiès, where two glasses of water and a cooled room thanks to air conditioning awaited. After the press left them alone, the members of both delegations entered the room, with Feijóo and Fornithias greeting them: on the Spanish side, the President was joined by General Carlos Brown, the Agencia Espacial Española Director-General, Francisco-Javier Benedicto Ruiz; and the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Esteban González Pons; who joined at the last minute after Moncloa received information about the presence of the Sertian Councillor, Éduditalle Dína.

Once everyone has been greeted, and all sat down, Feijóo proceeded to talk: «I believe this is the first time I see this room so crowded, -he laughed slightly- and I am very glad that this happens alongside our Sertian friends and allies. Before we start dealing with the several topics we have in our agendas, I wanted to personally convey you my Government's and I personal commitment with the Caribbean and its interests. We will never let your nation down, Mr. Cranst. Do you like Iberian Ham, by the way? I told my attendants about the idea of gifting you and your family a leg of Jamón, so if you like it, we can personally leave it on the tallship and you could enjoy it on your way back to Sertia». After that, the President smiled.

«Now, let's get into business, shouldn't we?», asked Feijóo. «I would like you to go first, Mr. Cranst. What topics would you like to discuss?», inquired the President once more.

Sertia

"I am terribly sorry for any inconvenience our creative entry posed to you, Señor Feijóo. I appreciate your willingness to accommodate some extra bodies. You see, I've simply learned to listen to my wife more than myself", Mr Cranst said. "It's lovely to meet you all, and I must say, Señor Feijóo, the only time I eat Iberian ham is when I'm in Spain". He let out a hearty laugh, careless as to whether anyone else laughed along.

"I also", he added, "wanted to thank you personally for the assurance of our continued cooperation.

"I think we both are in a position to recognise that Sertia is at a point in its history at the brink of industrialisation. For many years we've been a fishing country, many of us come from humble origins. We go on months'-long voyages across the country just to vote, we send our youngsters away to get an education abroad. But now we're in the economic position to provide so much more for our people. Sertia is capable of an industrial revolution now.

"So what I'm really here discuss with you, Señor Feijóo, is that Sertia needs workers. Unfortunately the number of people from Spain, besides the military, who are immigrating into Sertia, is quite low. Shall we brainstorm how to fix this?"

Spain

Alberto laughed when Fornithias mentioned how often he eats Iberian Ham, as he found it funny. He wanted to clarify that, despite the strange arrival the Sertians had performed, there had been no inconvenients: «The creative entry has not been an inconvenient to anyone, Mr. Cranst. The Gibraltarean Government even told me you gave them less trouble than some ships do when going through the Strait!», Feijóo added, laughing.

Then, the Spanish President proceeded to address the immigration topic: «I am pretty aware of the Sertian potential, and specially of its capabilities to go through an industrial revolution. Spain is open to any investment in the region, I must say, and certain enterprises like Iberdrola are interested in bringing clean sources of energy into the island. You know, useful things for everyone that also save the planet. But as we both know, we need to adapt to the Caribbean needs, and it is known by mostly everyone in Spain that there is a slower rythym there than here. I can see why many new soliders choose Sertia as their destinarion, and the feedback we are receiving is good, right General Brown?». Carlos then nodded at the question the President asked, and smiled.

«However, and as you may be aware of, I cannot force anyone to move into Sertia, Mr. Cranst. Yet, there are certain ways to make the move to Sertia more attractive than it is right now. Maybe some tax deductions for those willing to move there and work might be useful, at least for the first year, whatever you can afford. Also, we could increase conectivity between Spain and Sertia, with more flights between our nations. Sadly, ferries are not over the table, due to the long distance between us. It is also important to mention that there is free movement and trade between our nations, thanks to the agreements that Spain signed with Nofoaga and that were then taken by the CCCC once your nation and Nofoaga unified certain political matters, so that is also an advantage. Have you thought on something else? Is this okay to you?», Feijóo inquired.

Then, Feijóo put another topic over the table, as he thought that using turns to speak about the topics on the agenda was the best way to handle a summit: «I believe I have introduced you before, but in case I haven't, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Benedicto, the Director-General of the Spanish Space Agency. He is accompaning us today as he wanted to meet the Sertian astronaut that alongside the two Spanish astronauts and the Nofoagan astronaut, is going to be on that rocket that we will launch from Sertia to the Moon. He also insisted on allowing him to explain to you some mission details», Feijóo said.

Francisco then started to speak: «Mr. Cranst, first allow me to express my gratitude on behalf of the whole AEE for allowing Spain to build a spaceport in Sertia, as well as for the trust you Government has deposited on us. That said, it is an honour to meet you, as it is to meet the astronaut that will represent your country in this adventure, and as President Feijóo said, I wanted to give you some details of our Mission to the Moon. As you might have already seen on the news, the mission will take place on January 2025. I can now tell you that we will make our first attempt on January 11th, and if weather conditions allow us, that will be the start date. On January 15th, we expect that the crew lands in the Moon, placing the Spanish, Nofoagan, Sertian and the Spanish Space Agency flags, as well as a commemorative flag designed for the occasion. The day after, on January 16th, after approximately 20 hours on the Moon and performing some tests and collecting some rocks, the crew will take off from the Moon. They are expected to land on January 19th in any sea of the European Union, but our intention is that they land somewhere where we will not be disturbed, that is, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. If you want to know anything more, make any objections or add anything, your comments are really welcomed», Francisco said, proceeding to drink some water from his glass.

Sertia

"That sounds like a wonderful plan, and a way to really show our cooperation as countries. I will ask our Brætha to mark 15 January as an official state holiday, and I'm sure they'll commission some extra festivals and celebrations.

"The Sertian astronauts we have chosen for this campaign are people who have shown an outstanding dedication to fostering international relationships, such as the one our two nations have."