Margaret Harrison and Michael Mendez in July 2018

Chief of Staff Michael Mendez: Are you sure you want to attend a meeting with the leaders of Huawan, considering the short notice of it?

Chancellor Margaret Harrison: Huawan is our neighbour, which entitles them to a great degree of deference. They want to discuss a number of issues because they are uncertain of our country's future. It would be unacceptable for any state, let alone a neighbouring state, to be concerned about our state. That is unacceptable on our end. The old state—Qvait—lost all of its credibility after the Operation Affirmed leak in 2015. We have built a new state—Valkyria—and our credibility is stronger now. We must attend this meeting because our state is one of the most influential in the world. We cannot faulter.

Mendez: With all due respect, Chancellor, our credibility and legitimacy is being challenged and this upcoming meeting is evidence of that. The cultists are doing that. The opposition is doing that. The people of Huawan are concerned about a domestic issue in our country. If they are talking about our cultist problem in Huawan, then that means it's definitely being talked about elsewhere. The OCMI is being overwhelmed and Jake Marshall is walking free and may even become an MP next year. We are in deep trouble. What kind of message are we sending to the world if a cult leader becomes an MP in an influential opposition party?

Harrison: That will be The New Right's problem, not ours. July is a lifetime away, so many things can change before then. Besides, Jake Marshall is a fringe extremist who will never sit in the halls of Parliament. He will either get killed for what he is doing in Silesia or he will be arrested for any other heinous act that he committed. These cults are an endemic problem and Huawan has nothing to worry about.

Mendez: The cults are knocking on their door. What are we supposed to tell them? 'Don't worry about it.' And what if the cults cross the border? They will shut down the railroads. A section of our economy will disappear overnight.

Harrison: Huawan is a landlocked country. It is because of this that they will not shut down the railroads. We both benefit from the it, but Huawan would take a greater hit on their economy if they decide to shut them down. Besides, we can tell them that there will be increased security at our border and I presume they will reciprocate. We had this with the coca issue and now it's the cult issue.

Mendez: That's exactly what I'm talking about, Chancellor. First, it was the coca issue. Now, it's this. We are falling on swords! And on the railroads, they could turn to Kringalia instead for exporting their goods and there is no mountain range separating them from Kringalia. They can easily trade without any geographic opposition. Between the three of us, we are all friends, but the money from Huawan's exports would be better served in Valkyria than in Kringalia.

Harrison: Then you must understand why we are going to Huawan. We must clean this up. The coca problem—there is no problem. It's the cult problem that matters. The cults will try to overthrow our government in July, but they will fail because there are more of us then there are of them. If they try to intimidate our voters, they will go to prison and the Electoral Commission will call for a new election. We have built a system that is stable and will not fail against forces of tyranny. We will be in control of this building at least until 2022. Our policy and our vision will prevail and it has been for two years now. There are many things that I didn't like about my father, but if there was one thing that I learned from him, it's that you must be strong. Even when we are at a disadvantage, we must fight and that is what we will do. The world will watch us rise up from this cultist problem and Valkyria will be stronger because of it.

Mendez: Very well. There is another issue and that is of attendance. Who will come with us to Huawan? They have requested the presence of Acting President Katelynn Williams.

Harrison: No, the Acting President has other business in Winston Island right now. Her sister is giving birth to a child. Ambassador Dawson Blackburn will greet us at the airport and take part in the meeting. As for our cabinet, Foreign Secretary Leslie Hunter, Defence Secretary Julia Burns, and Transportation Secretary Stephen Weissmüller will come with us to participate in our meeting and I want them to meet with their counterparts in Huawan. Not only must we give our reassurances to Huawan, but we must also secure greater cooperation between our two countries.

Julia Burns in September 2018

Defence Secretary Julia Burns: Forgive me, Chancellor, but this communiqué from Huawan appears to show concern about our military. Don't they know we're friends?

Harrison: Last month, we acknowledged that our government has been engaged in covert action. I think the wording on Huawan's part is completely justified. They may be worried that we are involved in covert operations in their country. Let's be grateful that the communiqué doesn't say they are 'troubled'. You and I both know that the only thing our military is doing in Huawan is protecting our diplomatic missions. We are sibling countries, not enemies. We need to convey this message to Huawan.

Burns: Is there anything more to discuss, Chancellor?

Harrison: Yes, I want our militaries to begin joint exercises on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. We need to make sure that Huawan is prepared in the event that our cult problem globalises. We can solve this problem within our borders, but it will be out of our hands if these cults cross the border.

Burns: I was informed by your chief of staff that you told him Huawan had 'nothing to worry about'.

Harrison: I did, but he is right to be concerned about the cultists crossing national borders. If the cultists do this—and I believe they're already doing it—it will be detrimental to our state and our relationship with other countries. We have economic and political interests at stake here. We already have problems at home. If these problems cross our border, these problems will multiply. That will be all, Secretary Burns.

Burns: Ma'am.