A Talk of Tolls
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Busily, Sarah Gladwell looked through some of the files she had taken with her to Spain. She had no intention of being embarrassed by her general lack of topographical knowledge of Spain, so before she answered she surveyed the printed map of Spain she had brought with her. "I'm sure the Imperial Government and the Emperor personally will be most pleased with this newfound friendship, Mr President - indeed, I'm sure He hopes to meet you Himself soon. Very well, the Imperial Armed Forces shall set up a naval presence in Rota, and an air force presence in Villanubla." She double-checked whether she had chosen the right places - there could be no greater embarrassment in the corridors of the Imperial Palace than to make a mistake in this regard.
Gladwell started drafting a makeshift treaty on a piece of paper - Imperial Foreign Office branded, no less - paused, and asked: "What are the Spanish government's requirements for the bases to be set up in Inimicus? We have plenty of locations available along the coast, up in the mountains, or even long the border with Dromund Kaas (which should be an excellent training location). Furthermore, about these joint military exercises, shall we say we alternate where they occur every year? One year in Spain, one year in Inimicus?"
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Aguilar looked at Gladwell and smiled. When she finished talking, the Spanish President spoke, this time to explain the requirements of the Spanish Bases in Inimicus. He got a map of the Empire in which he could see the cities and all the important things of the Inimican infraestructure:
"I'll be proud of meeting with the Emperor Artabanos, who I would like you to deliver my best wishes of a fast recovery after the accident he had. Now, getting into the bases. I have been looking into the map and we are interested in 4 locations, and we can offer you to set up bases in Torrejón and Figueras, which would mean the centre and the Adventuranza Strait, which is also a very strategical place. Those locations in Inimicus would be Portus Inimici, Differo, Emptor or Patricio and Telum. This is also very strategical as we could defend Inimicus in 4 different and strategical locations. The joint exercises proposal of one year here and one year in Inimicus is what we exactly want. Are our proposals ok?"
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Sarah nodded while President Aguilar spoke, and continued to draft the agreement the representatives of the two nations would shortly sign. "Very well, Mr President. The Empire of Inimicus shall grant you a lease of four military bases in the locations you describe - I would recommend territory near Patricio rather than Emptor, not just because of strategy, but my word, Emptor is the most dreary place. Anyway, the Imperial Government is also satisfied with the four Spanish locations you described. Let's see..." Sarah finished her scribbles and took a moment to read over the document she had written. When everything appeared satisfactory, she requested an aide transcribe and print the papers.
She continued to describe the one evening, when she was still in her 20s, when she had got lost in the suburbs of Emptor with no trains or buses back home to Lacerta. in the end, she had slept under a bridge, next to some of the earliest Kaasian refugees which had then still been able to cross into Inimicus, before the border had closed. Although the experience was one she would not recommend to anyone, it had, weirdly enough, shaped her foreign policy experience like none other. When the compiling and printing was done, Sarah presented the Spanish representatives with the Madrid Pact.
"Mr President, Minister, Councillor, I will let you do the honours first."
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The 3 Spanishes high office listened to the anecdote of the Imperial High Office and then signed the treaty. They all shook hands with the Imperial High Office and the meeting was finally over. Aguilar spoke while heading to the Consejo de Ministros' building main door:
"Ms. Gladwell, thank you very much for coming today. We will keep contact, as cooperation shall be stronger between both countries. I hope you have a nice trip back to Telum." Aguilar smiled, shook hands with Sarah again and broke the protocol by opening the door of the car that would take the Imperial Foreign Office to Madrid Barajas. He closed the door, stayed back of the motorcade and Sarah departed to Barajas, where she took a flight back to Telum.
In Moncloa, Cospedal and Issola came out when Sarah left. Jesús looked at them: "You 2 have been of great aid, despite María Dolores and I don't share our visions of the World with you." Said the President. Issola blushed, as Fabián Picardo didn't make those comments: "Thank you Mr. President. Despite being a Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party member, I will always give my support to those measures concerning us. We have raised the Mennrimiak's tax to a 4%, so we regain that benefit from somewhere we don't like to much." Issola laughed a bit, so did Cospedal and Aguilar. "Thank you very much Albert."* Aguilar answered. Both left Moncloa and the conversation wasn't heard by anyone but the 3 politicians. Another summit was over, and now Aguilar had to prepare his suitcases. The next destination was Nofoaga.
The Kingdom of Spain