The Parliamentary Chamber [IN CHARACTER]

Nicholas pulled the door open just a crack, and peeked in. Relieved to see that the session had not formally begun, he quietly stepped in and started making the rounds and greeting the other ambassadors. He usually made it a point to be on time for such important matters, especially on the first day, but after a night with a beautiful local woman, he was reluctant to drag himself our of bed. The politics of the area had changed drastically since the mid-20th century, but the physical attributes of the inhabitants remained the same. Niko, as his family and friends called him, could see why people had developed the idea of die Herrenrasse. 

Niko paid extra attention to detail when introducing himself to the ambassadors of fellow LOTR countries. First impressions were everything. Pleasantries and formalities weren't his favorite thing in the world, but we was very good at appearing engaged and interested. That is what he'd been selected for, after all. He made his way to 1B, pleasantly surprised at the relative tardiness of his neighbors. That would give him a little more privacy. He pulled out his phone and checked in with his intelligence and security team, which was operating nearby. It was nice knowing he had some protection in case anything went wrong. Waiting around for the parliament to be called into session, he regretted not taking the time to properly get ready before running out the door. His belt was just one notch too tight, and he could feel his small Marktovian piece cutting into his hip. He was usually more of a Glock man, but in a socialist utopia such as this, selection was  limited. After a few days doing business with the drug dealers, pimps, and petty thieves of the city, his agents only yielded a handful of varieties, of which he chose a USP. 

The chamber quieted down some more. It seemed the others were starting to get as impatient as Niko was. He  mindlessly rubbed his shoulder, which suffered from a dull ghost of a pain every once in a while. he didn't know whether it was the nerves remembering the impact of the shell all those years ago, or whether the surgeons had simply missed some shrapnel. The Militia's medical resources were not very adept, at least not when he first enlisted. Enough thinking about old wars. He had more pressing matters to attend to. He'd be interested to see how today's politics played out.

The Lord-Chancellor walks up to the podium as the small-talk of the ambassadors simmers to a halt. He's a luxurious, but elusive man that no one can ever seem to catch outside of the Chamber. Looking at his watch, he taps the microphone to make sure it's on and begins to speak.

"Good morning ambassadors, I must first issue an apology for having called you all out to this early morning session, however I do believe the issue is of grave regional and interregional importance. As some of you may know our ally, Genuan Rebirth, was savagely invaded by their neighbour recently and several of their member-states have fallen to the invaders. Just this morning an outside organisation declared the conflict to be a humanitarian catastrophe with massacres and other horrors being committed on almost a daily basis. Today I gather you all here because it is time to decide on the response this region will give to the Genuan conflict. In front of you all is a sheet containing a brief outline of the conflict . We will now go into the debate phase of the session in which member-states are encouraged to talk about the issue and what we should do in response. Once debating has cease the options discussed will be put to a vote.

Please rest assured that the chamber will hear proposals on other unrelated matters from ambassadors once this issue has been discussed. Thank you."

Dr. Drake studies the sheet in front of him for a while. He presses the button for the microphone and leans in a bit.

Gentleman and Ladies, as I see it there are a few things to consider here. The region which is suffering is not only a neighbor but a close ally. Should we, Genuan Rebirth's neighboring region and friend, leave them to their distress? Should we stand Idly by? If OUR beloved home was attacked, and the only close friend who could help us in OUR time of distress was Genuan Rebirth would we not want them to come to our aid?
Now I know the commitment of our own troops is a sacrifice, a sacrifice that is not easily made, but we must consider our dear allies who suffer and who look to us.

Now GR's military is being more and more depleted by the day. The citizen's protection will soon be spent and their last shot at resistance.
We must arm them. We must aid them.
To those in this chamber who vouch for a simple Humanitarian resolve , I say to you, that it is not enough.
As you know my country and my family have medical buildings and facilties all over the wolrd offering healthcare to places where it's needed most.
One of these places is the battlefeild of Genuan Rebirth. I have been there Gentleman and Ladies. I have worked their as a physician and I've seen what these villlans have done. They kill. They kill. ANd you know what they do after that?
they kill some more

The only language these villans will understand is force. And I implore you to speak it with me. For our Friends sake.
_he looks at all the ambassadors-

Gentleman and Ladies, I implore you, send our brethren aid. How cruel would it be, to know a brother and sister on the other side is enduring pain and hardship and atrocities, and do nothing. And be silent. We must act.
And we must do it with care.
I advocate for our friends. And I advocate for our honor, which we may lose if we decide to take no action.

_he reales the button. And sits back determined_

[Berndt von Metternich begins tapping his mic and speaking in a Europeanesque accent]
"I do agree with Ms. Hamond about the possibility of assisting both sides... And furthermore, the Ile-Savoiran economy does thrive in these widespread, military conflicts. For decades, our nation has supplied both sides of war with our high quality arms."
[Takes a sip of the water to his right, and clears his throat before speaking]
"Furthermore, I would like to remind the Parliament that the Ile-Savoiran military has been dissolved for almost 15 years; thus, we cannot assist any nation with military strength. We will, however, be willing to offer favorable arms deals with the conflicting nations."
[He whispers away from the mic]
"Wow, that's some funky water."

Miranda scribbled notes onto her whiteboard, taking in every word said. Humanitarian Aid.... Supplying arms.... Murder.... Airstrikes... Hamond's hand faltered as she heard airstrikes. 'What a cowardly move,' she thought is disgust.

She turns on her mic, trying to put on a gentle smile. But inside, she felt dread. 'What would Evella say about this?'

"Mr. Dupont--I believe that is your name--would you care to explain in specifics the effects of airstrikes on Genuan's enemies? While I am rather... uneasy about the prospects of airstrikes, I feel as if it would be a selfish move on our part. von Metternich, how 'high-quality' are your weapons compared to the enemy's? I hope they are not toys going up against the real deal..." Hamond glanced in the direction of Drake, but shot away. "Dr. Drake, I understand your concern completely. Much of Vista Major's community was slaughtered during The Caliborne Wars. We realized that the moment we strike back, the situation would become much worse... As my mother would say, two wrongs do not make a right. This isn't math; negative times negative does not equal positive. I implore you--and everyone else--to reject violence to solve this situation. We are strong in our diplomacy alone, and I wish not to see it tarnished at the hand of a bullet or missile... Thank you." Hamond nodded to the Parliament, and sunk into her chair, wiping away tears from her right eye.

Contact Security Council... Miranda wrote on her whiteboard. 'They may want to hear this,' she thought.

"I humbly disagree with you. When we abandon peace as an option, we cannot hope to restore it. It would be easy to launch a war against our enemies. It would be easy to stoop to their level. But are we not a Commonwealth? This establishment is powerful and all-mighty under the banner of democracy and unity. We cannot simply resort to the path of least resistance. I believe that this situation will drag out for a long time, whether we launch attacks of our own or not. This tyranny, which seeks to destroy anything in its path, could be a very important asset to us if we go about this correctly. Let us not forget the people who live in this heinous nation. By becoming the agressor, we put them at risk. We become no better--if not, the same as--the very thing we despise. No, Dr. Drake, it would not be a trap to provide aid. It would be a trap to let the enemy get the best of us and turn us into the demons."

Hamond took a long, deep breath, allowing the room to hear the rattling of her chest, then turned off her microphone and collapsed into her chair, head in her arms on the table.

((OOC- Loved your final line, Ruclax))

Miranda sighed, exasperated. Total war... Annihilation... No peace? She scrawled on her whitrboae, rather weakly; she allowed her marker to glide off the edge of the board and onto the table. Hamond clasped a glass of water, drinking heavily from it.

"Water... Water, it is the essence of life. Without it we would all die a painful death," She began as she turned on her microphone. "It is a gentle, kindred spirit, yet it can be used in such terrible fashions. Water can cause floods and hurricanes and tremendous storms. Imagine... That water is life, and our boat and oar is us, the Commonwealth. The river is deep and not very calm; the current is strong. How best can we get across to the other side, which represents the End of this conflict. Certainly we can not power our way across the water. This frantic way of going about things represents war. We may get somewhere, but eventually, we will fail. How about if we went gently through, allowing ourselves to go with the flow, so to speak. We will find ourselves more safely across than if we tried to overcome it ourselves. I ask you all to have faith in life and fate. It calls on us to truly think before we act. Do you want to be responsible for countless lives lost? Entire cities burned? Environments tarnished? Certainly... Certainly, that is not us. It is not who we are. We are not savage. They are savage. And life has a way of dealing with troublemakers such as these. I am not saying that we do nothing... I am saying--rather, demanding--that we not descend into the realm of our ancestors, the barbarians. We are much more evolved than that. Much. More. Evolved."

Miranda smiled towards the crowd and then sat back.