The Dawn of a Union

[Char Aznable]

Hitomi had never been a friend of pompous procedure, one of the reasons she had given her announcer such a cold shoulder. Being adressed as Mademoiselle and introduced with her military rank rather than her recently achieved noble title was a welcome change, if even a bit unusual.
She didn't really talk during the first round of handshakes, mostly because she wanted to assess the situation. Of course she had worked with LaFlamme already, but the President and the Pope, even if of course not completely unknown to her - after all, she had briefed herself with every intel she had before this meeting - were new people, and, more importantly, they were not military. Politicians, as she had already noticed at court, tended to be much harder to deal with, especially when it came to cooperating. She decided to bring forth her points as fast as possible, and cloud them with flattery - a tactic that had worked well in the past.

After the general asked his question, Hitomi stood up, stepping behind her chair for a moment.

"Gentlemen. Let me at first express my personal gratitude for this meeting actually coming to pass. It is the first time such an alliance has been discussed since the Treaty of Curacao, in which the houses of Liberty and Bretonia so foolishly decided to exclude factions that they considered not worthy of being in such an alliance - factions like ours, factions without which Bretonia would not stand where it stands right now - still upright, that is. So in the spirit of cooperation, I feel honored to be in this room, not repeating the same mistake.

As for the order of business: I believe we should take a logical approach - and begin with the mutual agreements and acknowledgements. It is of vital importance that we all agree on what we actually consider ourselves and the other parties before we strike a deal between them. So without further ado, I will offer the terms that concern the Empire. Any objections to that procedure?

The Admiral offered a smile to the men in the room, the first emotional reaction she showed this whole discussion, only emphasizing the surprisingly warm tone she had used so far.
She had deliberately chosen to offer these future allies a friendlier face, as it was a contrast to her reputation. Another charade for the purpose, and a very carefully thought out one at that.

Oh, how she hated politics.