To: Libertonian Government | From: Lady Sarah Mountbatten | Re: Harris

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

Kingdom of Bretonia - Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Her Grace The Duchess of Westminster

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Good day,

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lady Sarah Mountbatten, and as of the most recent elections, I have the honour of serving as Her Majesty's Principal Secretary for Foreign and Colonial Affairs. I look forward to working with our closest allies in the coming days. This call is more than a social call, however. Due our post-war situation, our resources for colonial development are limited. For that reason, and because the military purpose behind our occupation is no longer relevant, we have withdrawn from Exeter. For a number of reasons, not the least because it has been Bretonian territory for centuries, we can't do the same with Harris. With our resources stretched thin between Sprague and Carlisle, we're hoping to outsource Harris' development to a trusted friend and ally.

Though it must officially remain Bretonian territory, we are willing to sell the rights to the planet's development to a consortium of Libertonian corporations. Synth Foods would be our choice to take the lead on the project, as the entire purpose behind Harris' terraforming was to use the world for food production. We are also willing to grant exclusive mining rights on the planet to DSE, should they wish to be involved in the project as well.

One further matter, while I have you on the line. The Republic of Liberty has been strangely quiet about the situation in the Taus. Specifically the Kusari Empire's attacks on the Crayter Republic's holdings in Tau-31. Our government is considering our own response, but we would like to know what your government is thinking before we move forward. Any response from either of us would be much more effective if we presented a united front.

In Her Majesty's Service,


Lady Sarah Mountbatten
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary for Foreign & Colonial Affairs

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BRETONIA SUPRA OMNES

NUNQUAM ITERUM

CARINA, REGINA, IMPERATRIX

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[The Republic Of Liberty]

Miss Mountbatten,

As you may know, I am Sam Worthington, the current Secretary of State for the Republic of Liberty, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintanceship.

I must first apologize for the delay, as this is an offer that we simply did not expect, and several deliberations are already under way. Indeed, with Bretonia still recovering from the horrific war with Gallia, Liberty and her corporations could see to a rapid development of Planet Harris. Of course the question remains as to what Bretonia wishes to gain from the deal. I know both of our Houses have only to gain from this endeavor, but only if the price is right. As you can imagine, it would be difficulty for Liberty to keep Harris secure without a constant military presence, and with the Enclave and the raiders from Malta lurking in the Taus, we would first have to come up with an agreement on how Harris will be kept safe.

As for the sudden invasion force from Kusari into the Taus and Gallia, I am not at liberty to share much with you at this time, but suffice to say we are.. particularly concerned with the development, and are observing the situation closely for the time being. I had hoped the age of Empires grasping for more and more territory had come to an end with the collapse of Gallia, but I fear Kusari is just poking at the wounded beast, and it would be best if there wasn't a sudden resurgence of Royalist sympathies within the Kingdom of Gallia.

Whatever the case, Liberty is more than happy to work on a deal fair for both Houses, and I certainly look forward to speaking to you more closely on the matter.

I wish you a pleasant day, miss Mountbatten.


- Sam Worthington, Secretary of State

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[Thunderer]

Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Buckingham
To: Secretary of State Sam Worthington, Liberty
From: Prime Minster Elizabeth Hall, Bretonia

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Secretary of State Sam Worthington,

I have sent this letter to you in the name of Her Majesty Carina I, Queen of Bretonia, Empress of the Taus, Sovereign of the systems of Exeter, Inverness and Nottingham and Her Government. My name is Elizabeth Hall, and as you have undoubtedly been informed, I am serving as Her Majesty's new prime minister. It is my pleasure to be introduced to you and I have sent you this letter instead of the foreign secretary because it is my duty to invite your representatives as Her Majesty's guests on New London to discuss a number of subjects together with us and perhaps some foreign representatives too. I have outlined the details n the following text.

There are two subjects of note to discuss about, One is about Planet Harris, the other about mutual policy towards Kusari and Gallia.

The Kingdom of Bretonia learns from history, which teaches us how Rheinland mitigated their economic crisis after the Eighty Years' War by selling arable land on Planet Stuttgart to Synth Foods. In return for the proposed sale of land on Planet Harris, the Kingdom will ask for three concessions. Firstly, that our debt to the Republic of Liberty is annulled and then that Liberty speeds up the recovery of Bretonian economy with a financial injection much alike to what my advisors call "Marshall's Plan" from Earth. This action is supposed to return its benefit several fold to Liberty on its own, because finished products from Liberty will become affordable to the average Bretonian again, who now has to be satisfied with cheap Rheinland goods. Such favourable trade with Rheinland was why my predecessor's government had to recognise the Empire's legitimacy, else it would be inconceivable. In addition, Bretonian heavy industry will be able to compete with Rheinland's again, which means that Liberty will no longer be as reliant on Rheinland's export of raw materials and heavy machinery.

Our third condition is that the Republic of Liberty covers Ageira's costs should Bretonia ever request the replacement of Gallia-made infrastructure in Leeds. That is currently impractical, but it may have to be done eventually.

Besides arable land for Synth Foods, my government is also willing to lease land on Planet Harris to the Liberty Navy or the LSF for use as a military base. Although the HMS McDuff is planned to remain in Harris orbit for the time being, my government has expressed willingness to allow Liberty to position a fleet of its own in Harris orbit, which will allow the McDuff more freedom of movement. Bretonia would be able to keep this fleet supplied if it is impractical for Liberty, but the Royalist Party, with whom my Whig Party shares a coalition, will demand a compensation in return for accepting a foreign military base in the Taus. I would first like to know if you are interested in this at all, and only then negotiate our conditions.


Concerning foreign policy, my government is convinced that merely "observing the situation" is not enough and that a more active approach needs to be taken. Of course, we do not mean war, but we trust that the circumstances can be resolved with our mutual diplomatic intervention.

Liberty and Bretonia have an understanding with the Crayter Republic, an agreement which many see as an alliance, and although it would be understandable for Bretonia to accept to show weakness by looking at Kusari's aggression against Crayter with a blind eye, I fear it would be harmful for Liberty's reputation as a great power and perhaps the sector's hegemon to do nothing. Furthermore, Kusari has warned us that their war against the Gallic Confederation is about to cause unification with the Enclave, in an apparent attempt to buy our support against Gallia or at least neutrality. Yet it worries my government that if the Enclave and the Confederation are unified, they will defeat Kusari another time and Valors might again become a common sight on Liberty's doorstep. On the other hand, if Kusari conquers parts of Confederate territory, they may not only surpass Bretonia's economy forever with the newly acquired resources, yet might even come to rival that of Liberty.

It is my government's opinion that Kusari's imperialism needs to be restrained. Planet New London can be made ready to host an international conference, but if such is held, then Liberty and Bretonia must speak with one voice, which is why I must know if Liberty is interested.

The gains for Liberty would not only be as mentioned, but in addition, the foreign office trusts that the Gallic Confederation would see this intervention on their behalf as salvation, and thus they would be inclined to remind the Duchy of Burgundy that they owe us war reparations. Should Liberty intervene on their behalf together with us, they will remember that they owe some to Liberty too. Otherwise, our two nations will feel less obligation to keep Kusari's imperialistic ambitions restrained.

In the name of Her Majesty, I send you the Realm's regards, and eagerly await your response.

Prime Minister
Representative of House Steiner
Kingdom of Bretonia

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Open for Replies

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[The Republic Of Liberty]

Miss Hall,

Good evening miss Hall, and I would first like to again apologize about the delay, as there are quite the number of persons that need to be involved in the discussion.

So first and foremost, the Harris deal.

Your terms have been discussed, re-discussed, and brought to the table a couple more times for discussion, and the majority consensus was that they were not entirely agreeable. There were very many opinions and suggestions brought to the table, but after much debate, I will lay out for you our counter offer.

First, the war debt. Outside of a few hard-line types, the overall agreement was that Bretonia indeed should not be fully, nor directly responsible for the costs that had piled on over the years. With the outright devastation faced by your House, it is not a realistic demand for Bretonia to be forced to repay Liberty. The cost would have been far greater had we not supported Bretonia with our full military might.

Secondly, the economic stimulus. There were no arguments against a stimulus package for Bretonia, just disagreements on how to go about it. After much deliberation, this is what we propose. Firstly, a stimulus package, directly transferred to the Kingdom of Bretonia. While it will not fill your coffers, it will jumpstart your economy, especially if properly distributed. Following that short term boost, Liberty is prepared to offer substantial reduction in tariffs towards Bretonian goods for the next two years, followed by a smaller decrease for three more years following. It is our hope that a far more hospitable trade economy will breathe life into your corporations, and bring in far more wealth than we could hope to send you directly. Lastly, we're willing to subsidize some of the costs for various consumer goods from Liberty until it is deemed your economy is trending well back into recovery. The specifics of all of these will no doubt be discussed in greater detail, should you find this agreeable.

Next, concerning the security of Harris. At some point, we will no doubt have our own forces in the system to keep the peace, but we found it disagreeable that we should have to compensate Bretonia for footing the costs of our men, women, and ships protecting Harris, as well as undoubtedly serving as a shield to Bretonia from the various degenerates of the Tau-regions. We are not willing to pay financially with the presence of our forces in the system, but we both know that they would be far more swift to respond to any more emergencies within Bretonia.

Onwards to the grim discussion of the Kusari invasion.

Firstly, I am not permitted to speak about any ongoing operations within the Taus, nor any plans we have. I can share with you that there are elements already preparing to relocate from Liberty, and that we are waiting for their reports before we send forth an official message to Kusari and Gallia.

To be frank, Liberty does not wish to be dragged into this war, miss Hall. We will absolutely intervene if we must, especially if Gallia is showing signs of reforming into their royalist-supporting kingdom, or of this is a clearly illegal Kusari invasion with no objective besides conquering the weakened Gallia.

Once we have verifiable evidence of what we need, miss Hall, we can more thoroughly discuss our next course of action.

I know I have been vague on our actions on this turn of events, but I ask you have faith in us.

I look forward to hearing from you again soon.


- Sam Worthington, Secretary of State

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[Thunderer]

Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Buckingham
To: Secretary of State Sam Worthington, Liberty
From: Prime Minster Elizabeth Hall, Bretonia

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Secretary of State Sam Worthington,

The Cabinet was able to agree on some of your points, but some other were unfortunately described as "unfeasible". I will divide our negotiations into three points, the first being the sale of Harris land to Synth, the second the Navy's military base in Tau-31 and the third the Gallo-Kusarian War.

The Cabinet can agree that Liberty cannot sign off Bretonia's entire debt and has accepted that Liberty may only sign off 60%. Bretonia can pay off the remaining 40% within the next 25 years, should no great war, economic crisis or calamity strike us. The Cabinet entirely agrees with the economic aid programme that has been laid out and has found a precise value for the stimulus package. It is deemed fit that it should last for three years, including this year, and that it should amount to the following: 5% of Liberty's GDP from 826 to be paid until the end of 827; 2.5% of Liberty's GDP from 827 to be paid until the end of 828; and 2.5% of Liberty's GDP from 828 to be paid until the end of 829. The precise reduction of tariffs I will leave to our two ministries of trade to discuss.

The Cabinet has, however, found Liberty's request that Bretonia both supplies and finances Liberty's military operations in Tau-31 impossible to realise in practice. The House of Commons is the government body that authorises Bretonia's budgets and the Cabinet has been finding it challenging to pass the budget for our own military, let alone a foreign one too. The Commons will never approve a budget to fund a foreign military. But, the Cabinet believes there is a compromise that we can both make. There are facilities on Harris that Gallia used as their own military base and they serve the McDuff's marine contingent now. The BAF could transfer those to the Liberty Navy for free, but how the Liberty Navy will supply its local operations is up to them. My cabinet suggests exploring the prospect of a contract with Bowex, Gateway or BMF.

Finally, the Cabinet urges Liberty to reconsider its passive approach to the Gallo-Kusarian War. Bretonia does not mean that Kusari should be restrained with war, that was never our suggestion, but it is believed that Liberty is well in position to threaten with sanctions. Ships can be deployed on the border too, but Kusari will not know if that is a bluff or a show of actual intentions and they will have to relent when they feel their flank threatened. Many disturbing photographs such as these two which I have provided below are circling through social networks and they show that Gallia and Kusari are preparing for a decisive battle. It is about to happen and if Liberty does not react now, I am afraid that it will be too late. It is the Cabinet's opinion that Gallia must remain capable of fighting off the Royal Enclave. Even if they win these decisive battles, they will undoubtedly suffer very heavy losses and it is in the interest of all of us that those battles do not happen.

Should Liberty still consider passiveness a wiser option, then I must inform Liberty that Bretonia will be forced to seek settlement with Kusari in that case, which may potentially end up unfavourable for Liberty.

Image 1
Image 2

Prime Minister
Representative of House Steiner
Kingdom of Bretonia

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Open for Replies

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[The Republic Of Liberty]

Miss Hall,

Good morning. I must again apologize for the delay, as the wheel does not turn without the approval of many others, but now I will not take up any more of your time.

Firstly, we have concluded that the economic stimulus is agreeable. Bretonia will receive a monthly sum for the remainder of the year that will cover the agreed amount from the start of the fiscal year, to the end. For the second and third year, Bretonia will receive the sums quarterly.

Secondly, I believe there was a misunderstanding on the naval base on Harris on both sides, so we'll just set the record straight plainly. Liberty will finance her own operations on Harris, including the construction of the base itself. It is very likely we will contract Bretonian corporations to assist in further supplying, but it will not be uncommon to see Liberty corporations bringing specialized equipment, if not the occasional Navy transport with fighter escort.

Thirdly, we have been vague on our actions, simply because nothing had been officially decided on, and the rest was classified information. Such information has become more readily available, and will now actually require a small effort from Bretonia.

There will soon be a military action involving the Liberty Security Force, under their own recommendation. They intend to move an asset along with a sizable operation into the Taus to monitor and, if necessary, intervene in the situation if sanctions do not produce the required result. The route they will take is on a need-to-know basis, but this is what we will require from Bretonia. The force will need both permission to traverse Bretonia, and an Armed Forces escort along its route, which will lead up to and include Leeds. After that, they request a strike force of SIS agents to continue to provide support until their final destination in the Taus. There's two options for their end destination. Tau-44, which will provide far more safety for the LSF task force, but poorer access to the region overall. The other, Tau-23, which will give them much broader access to the region, but will likely be at risk of being intercepted before their end destination, and will put them and your SIS agents at risk. Your forces will have to work with them personally once they have left Liberty.

We will be sending our warnings to both Houses soon. If they will not cease their hostilities before, and even during the sanctions, the LSF will remind them.

I hope this is agreeable, and it's of the utmost importance that you assist our agents in a smooth journey through Bretonia. The fewer the incidents, the better.

A pleasure as always.


- Sam Worthington, Secretary of State

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[Thunderer]

Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Buckingham
To: Secretary of State Sam Worthington, Liberty
From: Prime Minster Elizabeth Hall, Bretonia

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Secretary of State Sam Worthington,

The Cabinet has received your message and we are glad that you have agreed with our conditions. The Cabinet and the SIS agree with the proposed LSF operation and the SIS will help as much as they can. However, we consider it imperative that Crayter's permission for access is obtained if the operation will take place in Tau-44, as they consider the system their own.

These are, then, the articles of this treaty:

1. The Liberty Navy will purchase 10,000 square kilometres (3,861 square miles) of surface on Planet Harris from the Kingdom of Bretonia for use as a military base.
   
   
2. The Liberty Navy and the Liberty Security Force may permanently station space forces in the Tau-31 System and ground forces on Planet Harris under these conditions:
   
   1. The total size of the space forces may not surpass one standard fleet unless specially permitted by the Bretonian Government.
      
   2. The total size of the ground forces may not surpass one standard field army unless specially permitted by the Bretonian Government.
      
   3. The Liberty Navy and the Liberty Security Force will be granted a temporary clearance to pass through Bretonian space in order to reach Tau-31, including capital ships. The Kingdom of Bretonia must be notified of the date(s) intended for this journey at least one week in advance.
      
   4. Should the Republic of Liberty wish to return any of its capital ships, the access clearance for the specific ships must be first obtained from either the Bretonian Government, or the BAF Admiralty, or the BPA Command.
      
   5. Should the Liberty military forces within the Tau-31 System breach the NATO convention, or this treaty, or the Bretonian law except as exempted by this treaty, the Kingdom of Bretonia may demand their departure.
      
   
   
3. The Liberty Navy and the Liberty Security Force assets and personnel within Tau-31 may be used to enforce this treaty and the Bretonian Charter of Interstellar Law, as well as to protect Liberty and Synth property from unlawful action.
   
   
4. The supplying of these forces will be carried out at the expense of the Republic of Liberty, but may be carried out by Bretonian shipping companies should they be contracted.
   
   
5. Synth Foods will purchase the rest of the land surface as corporate property. Synth Foods may begin using whatever land is declared ready by Planetform as soon as declared ready. Until then, those areas will be legally held by Planetform. It is estimated that the project will be fully completed in the early 830-s.
   
   
6. DSE will have exclusive mining rights on Planet Harris.
   
   
7. The Kingdom of Bretonia will still be legally considered as the land owner. The Liberty Navy and Synth Foods will be considered as land holders.
   
   
8. Bretonian law will still apply on Planet Harris and within the Tau-31 System.
   
   1. The Liberty military base on Planet Harris is exempted from this. The NATO convention applies within its borders instead.
      
   
   
9. A local planetary government will be formed. Synth Foods are invited to participate in its formation and send their representatives to take part in the government.
   
   
10. Synth Foods and the Liberty Navy will purchase these grants from the Kingdom of Bretonia via the Republic of Liberty.
    
    
11. The Republic of Liberty will annul 60% of the Kingdom of Bretonia's debt to the Republic of Liberty as of the date when this treaty is signed. The Kingdom of Bretonia will settle the remaining debt within the next 20 years.
    
    
12. The Republic of Liberty will pay 5% of its GDP from the year 826 until the end of 827 to the Kingdom of Bretonia. The Republic of Liberty will pay 2.5% of its GDP from 827 to the Kingdom of Bretonia until the end of 828, quarterly. The Republic of Liberty will pay 2.5% of its GDP from 828 to the Kingdom of Bretonia until the end of 829, quarterly.
    
    
13. The Republic of Liberty will relax its tariffs towards Bretonian export for three years starting from 1st January 828. The precise terms will negotiated together with the Bretonian Office for Trade and Industry and with Her Majesty's Treasury until the end of 827.
    
    
14. Representatives of the Republic of Liberty and the Kingdom of Bretonia will meet at least once every following year to re-examine this treaty, with the authority of amendment or withdrawal should both parties agree.
    

If this is acceptable, I hereby invite you to New London to bring this treaty about with your signature and celebrate the fortunate event together with us.

As of Kusari and Gallia, the Kingdom of Bretonia stresses that any message sent to them would be stronger if it could boast of our mutual participation, rather than Liberty's alone.

Prime Minister
Representative of House Steiner
Kingdom of Bretonia

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Open for Replies

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[The Kingdom of Bretonia]

Message Class: Textual
Encryption: Buckingham
To: Secretary of State Sam Worthington, Liberty
From: Prime Minster Elizabeth Hall, Bretonia

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Secretary of State Sam Worthington,

I am afraid that I must make a very slight alteration. I have just spoken with Planetform and they say that Harris will need about 10 more years to complete, albeit they are doing their best to finish it ahead of schedule. This delay has happened due to the degradation of the terraforming effort while the planet was not in their hands. The project will thus be finished not in the early 830-s, but in the late 830-s. I am sincerely apologising for this, as I was not informed and my advisors were not counting the degradation. I am sending you the updated clause 5:

Synth Foods will purchase the rest of the land surface as corporate property. Synth Foods may begin using whatever land is declared ready by Planetform as soon as declared ready. Until then, those areas will be legally held by Planetform. It is estimated that the project will be fully completed in the late 830-s.

Prime Minister
Representative of House Steiner
Kingdom of Bretonia

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Open for Replies

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[The Republic Of Liberty]

Miss Hall,

Pardon the delay once more, there was a firm discussion and a few instances of needing to refer to Synth Foods, but it seems that the terraforming project taking a few more years is of negligible consequence. If anything, it gives our corporations more time to build a thorough infrastructure.

I do believe it is high time I and some of the other Secretaries make our way to Bretonia then.

And rest assured, any carousing after the signing is on us.

A pleasure as always.


- Sam Worthington, Secretary of State

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