When Two Governors Meet

[Governor Mike Davis]

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CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION COMPLEX, PLANET ERIE, LIBERTY SPACE
13:00, 8/15/835

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The Central Administrative Complex, which also housed the office of the current governor, Mike Davis, was more of a fortress than a public office, judging by the thickness of its walls and the sheer robustness of its construction. The only thing that distinguished it from a military installation was the absence of visible heavy weaponry and the fact that, instead of soldiers, it was filled with busy men and women in formal suits. Every visitor was required to pass through three separate security checkpoints, each one more professional and thorough the closer one came to the highest levels of planetary administration.

For Dr. John Holliday, the process was no different - though no one showed him any noticeable disrespect. It seemed more a matter of everyone being in a hurry, a feeling amplified by the sight of confident businesspeople rushing to meetings at the last possible moment. His weapon was secured and temporarily taken into storage for the duration of his visit, with an official receipt issued for it.

Governor Mike Davis greeted him in his lavishly furnished office, a room that was more than fitting for a man of his station. From its reinforced windows, nearly half of the capital city could be seen. Davis himself bore a striking resemblance to countless other corporate executives and professional politicians - dressed in a dark blue suit with a tie, clean-shaven, and with neatly trimmed hair now turned silver. At first glance, he appeared to be somewhere in his forties or fifties, no more.

The moment Dr. John Holliday entered, the governor offered him a courteous smile and rose from his padded chair to meet him at the door. "Good afternoon, Doctor Holliday. Welcome to my office. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.", he said, extending his hand for a shake. "Before we get to the matter you wished to discuss, may I offer you some refreshments after your journey? Tea, coffee, or mineral water?", he asked as he gestured towards a comfortable-looking chair in front of his desk.

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[Doc Holliday]

He was taking in the view as he entered the room before an offer of anything was made. Doc was very smart and could see this building was as meant for protection as it was his work. Finally, he would accept the handshake.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Governor," he replied during the handshake. "We have much to discuss and in a short period of time no less." With that, they released hands and he still looked about in a bit of awe.
"Oh, um, I would like some mineral water, please, since you are offering."
He noticed the construction.

"This is quite the office you have here," said to him. "It would be a lot more than I would want or even need but I do not need much in the way of protection." He then sat down and began their meeting.

"I am glad that you allowed me to come here," he began. "I commend you. You are the first Liberty official to not ignore my requests or shut me down completely. That in and of itself speaks loudly to me anyway."
The drinks then arrived. He sat back a little to get comfortable and sipped his water.
"Orange," he commented with a light smile. "Perfect." He then got to the point.

"I am not here to threaten you in any way, Sir. It is my hope that you take what I say with some serious measure. While I am not a man of violence, I share the anger and mistrust of the Zoners on this planet. The militants will continue to fight and they will target government officials. For now, they seem to have placed their trust in my wisdom. For the record, I will patch up people on both sides as I do not deny attention to one who needs it and I start with whoever is hurt the most."

"The Zoners are angry. They feel betrayed by a government who came to help with the Rogue problem but never left. I feel betrayed as my medical teams taught the 46th combat medicine under the contract of the late James Horatio Creed, a man who's life I saved and even though he is now gone, I respected him. In return two of my ships were destroyed by Liberty pilots outside of Erie orbit."
He sipped his water.
"I know who destroyed that satellite," he continued. "Your war with the Insurgency bled over to Zoners living in peace on the surface. Did they hide amongst us? No doubt but they did it well and a lot of Zoners were falsely imprisoned and tortured over it when most knew nothing. They now see the Liberty government in the same negative light that we see Bretonia after what they did to us on Gran Canaria."

He continued. "You will probably laugh but the only way they will halt their actions are when a Zoner government is in place. Then and only then can we get a serious dialogue between them and Liberty. They have made this abundantly clear and would kill me as sure as they would you if I got in the way. Some of them see me as their true governor even if I did not ask for it. As you can see, we are far apart and have much ground to cover."

He lightly smiled. "I know you are an intelligent man and want to work this out as much as I do. Both of us may well depend on it."

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Governor Mike Davis]

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The governor straightened his jacket and sat back down in his chair, resting his hands on the desk before him. He listened attentively to what Doctor John Holliday was saying, occasionally nodding to signal that he was engaged.

When it was his turn to speak, he merely shrugged, as if the matter was already straightforward in his mind.

"The Militants will attempt to strike at anyone they see as a real or imagined enemy -- myself, my children, our soldiers, Liberty civilians, Zoners, and even someone like you or your colleagues, Doctor Holliday. And they do so most often with bombs that make no distinction between victims. That is precisely why negotiation with them or appeasing them is pointless. To legitimize such barbaric methods is simply impossible, and from a moral standpoint, every one of these actors must be brought to justice."

"As for the possibility of a Zoner administration, there is already overwhelming pressure from our citizens, who form the vast majority in the largest cities. Their safety and their interests must be protected. What do you think the Militants would do to them if we withdrew, Doctor Holliday? They are already trying to kill them, and that’s with most of their attacks being foiled by us. The same would be true of the Xenos or the Liberty Rogues, who would move in here after our departure. They would make your lives difficult, just as they have in the past. We cannot abandon our people, nor can we forcibly relocate them for their safety. That'd ruin their lives, lives they were building here for years, if not decades."

"At this point, the most humane solution is for Erie to become a fully integrated world within the Republic, with the choice for any local resident to claim Liberty citizenship. This would grant them the ability to freely engage with the wider Republic without administrative barriers. For those who choose not to pursue citizenship, their lives will continue much as before, provided they respect the law."

"I have already noticed that many among you have become Liberty citizens and are now defending your interests within our administration. I see this as a positive development -- and a vital foundation for peaceful and mutually beneficial coexistence.", Governor Mike Davis smiled faintly, nodding toward Doctor John Holliday seated across from him. "That is a good sign. Wouldn’t you agree, Doctor Holliday?"

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[Doc Holliday]

He sat back a moment after the governor finished speaking. He saw him as another politician saying what his government wanted him to say. He just shook his head a little.
"Just like Bretonia," he commented with a hint of disgust. "The Crown once spoke to me, to us, as you are now. If only you could hear yourself."
He adjusted himself in his chair. "We Zoners left the houses for places like Gran Canaria and Erie and the systems outside of houses because of your oppression. Like the Crown, you want to subjugate Zoners to force them into being tax paying citizens and forcing your law upon them. If any of them to up citizenship it is because they were probably in one of those camps you all had and forced them."
He sat back a little, "We had peaceful lives until Liberty showed up because of Insurgents. I guess you all found it convenient to occupy Erie."

He then collected himself before his temper started flaring. He even smiled a little. "I really do not care if I am killed in some terrorist attack. There is a reason why I have a sizeable piece of land on this planet. Everyone knows I am there and they respect my space. It may not seem it now but I may well be saving us all. The only way you or I will not suffer the wrath of the Resistance is if they have someone in charge that THEY want, not what Liberty wants. The Zoners fear the Liberty government more than any Xeno or Rogue."

"So you asked what those militants would do if you all withdrew. They would not disarm but they would be more at ease. It is not Liberty citizens they have the issue with, it is the government. As I said, I am trying to save us all because force will only make things worse."

He finished. He then sat back. He was expecting the governor's deaf ear.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Governor Mike Davis]

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The governor leaned in slightly and shook his head, "I am forced to repeat my previous position: we will not negotiate with the Militants, nor will we bow to their demands. There is an old political maxim that still holds true today -- one does not negotiate with terrorists. Ever. This is not a matter of pride or ego, but because terrorism against civilian populations can never be legitimized as a valid tool for enforcing political will."

"That, of course, does not mean that gradual change is impossible. Peaceful Zoners, who have no ties to them, are free to express their democratic will and exert political influence on our administration in the manner permitted by our laws."

"And I agree with you: the key to defeating the Militants is not brute force. Perhaps my military predecessors believed that, but the reality is the opposite. The true key lies in exposing the emptiness of their ideology -- an ideology built solely on emotion -- followed by the broad development of Planet Erie, raising living standards and creating new opportunities for all its inhabitants. There is no reason to fear us; after all, we have lived side by side for decades, and it has brought safety and prosperity to us both."
Beneath the measured words lay an iron certainty. Liberty had sunk too much into Erie to walk away now. The tone may have softened, the methods refined, but the outcome was clear: Liberty’s presence was permanent.

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[Doc Holliday]

He just bobbed his head for a moment as he thought.
"So you do not negotiate with terrorists....ever," he stated. "I take it then that you do not negotiate with the Bretonian Crowne who committed genocide against civilian populations on Gran Canaria. I will be happy to send you those files."

He stood up in thought. "So you plan on the development of Erie." He then faced the governor. "There are a lot of small Zoner communities that like their rural settings. They see what happened with Leeds. You know, the lack of regulation on excessive pollution? We do not want that. It is also why I own a large spread on the planet to include a lake. It is a preserve that I maintain."
"And you say that we have no reason to fear you," he continued. "Tell that to some Zoners who were falsely imprisoned, interrogated and beaten even if they knew nothing of the insurgence."
He then sat back down. "Forgive us, Sir, if they do not trust you. That is why they maintain a token security force and see the militant cause as justified. No, Sir. It is not for Zoners to prove good intentions. It is, however, yours to prove."

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises