The Chinese Union was unique amongst the Post-Fourth states. Not only was it one of the oldest nations in the planets history, the very régime had persisted, challenged but ultimately uncompromised, for nearly a millennium; a feat otherwise boasted only by a handful of inconsequential city-states and island-republics too remote to have become ensnared in the various world wars. Yet that longevity came as both a blessing and a curse, as the Union watched the world it had so carefully cultivated collapse around it no less than three times, each cataclysm proving worse than its predecessor.
China always picked itself up; the rest of the globe, not so quickly. What frightened Foreign Affairs more than anything else was the slow, some believed methodological decay of the international ideal painstakingly assembled over centuries, an aspiration that had fortified itself during the Heretics Crusade, fought off the corrupting agents of Tippetts Coup, and combatted the regressionists in the previous cycle. Yet now, by whatever freak twist of sinister fate, the Fourth Cataclysm had struck a sizeable portion of the world with mass amnesia, and the mentality behind the International Space Programme, the Revivicación project, and countless treaties and statutes promoting and defending Sapient rights vanished virtually overnight. A world that had seemed at last mature enough to venture confidently into the stars had suffered the most humiliating demotion in all recorded history.
Even if the state officials hadnt personally lived through those glory years, the nations trademark communitarian sentiment resonated as strongly in the present day as when it toppled GUNS tyrannical hegemony so many centuries ago. It remained at the forefront of virtually all government policy, and thus was certainly not absent at the present cabinet meeting.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was bent far over the table, rapidly gesturing with his hands. Whats happening in Australia would have been completely unthinkable two hundred years ago
Two hundred years ago, the UN had teeth, the Prime Minister cut in, These days, youre lucky if youll get the world to denounce a serial killing, let alone outright genocide. He rubbed his forehead, sighing angrily. Its almost to the point where I think the Space Programme is dead in the water, and we should just let the arcos rot.
Prime Minister, you cant be serious! interjected the Minister of the Environment, Even if the ISP fails, the arcos are a vital component to Revivicación
But whos paying for them? he retorted. Yes, it was our ingenuity that developed them, our administration that oversaw their construction, and our personnel that assumed primary responsibility for their operation, but they were a UN initiative, and now the fundings not there. Were already stretching ourselves dangerously thin with the handful we still hold; do you think well really have the budget to bring them all back to life ourselves?
He has a point, the Minister of Finance added meekly, Everything that was supposed to define the worlds future in this millennium relied on the UN, and now these new states are tearing it apart. If the fundings not there, if the wills not there, I dont see how any of it will survive.
And our neighbours to the east are now toting Mad King George as a saint, muttered the Minister of Culture flatly; Its ominous, to say the least.
The point to all this, said the Deputy, Is that unless this splintering stops soon, were looking at centuries of lost initiative.
Every head in the room save one turned at the sound of a tapping on glass. Seated at the far end of the table was Mingzhidan, Minister Without Portfolio. He was a so-called demon, one of several in the upper government, who had found himself on the Imperial side of the border when the Schism erupted; he eventually escaped, but not before suffering brutal torture, his tongue cut out by ultranationalists, leaving him mute for the better part of his life. He was exceptionally bright, and though he was robbed of speech, the consequent slowdown in communication meant that whatever final statement he made was the product of intense thought and introspection, making him the sort of debater few dared to challenge. He had joined politics as an unassuming civil servant, but his talents earned him fast recognition and promotion through the system to the point he was de facto consultant to virtually the entire Parliament. Whenever Mingzhidan had something to say, everyone paid attention.
He set down his pencil next to his water glass and held up a whiteboard with five letters written in capitalized Latin:
CEMOS
A long silence followed.
The Minister of the Interior was the first to speak. No, he said dismissively, pushing a little way back from the table, Nooo, no no no no nononono. No way. Thats not an option even remotely.
Well what else are we supposed to do? snapped the Minister of Information, Sit back and watch as this planet... destroys itself?
Of course not, but political circumstances
DAMN the circumstances! he shouted, leaping to his feet, The international orders decayed because nobodys taken leadership, and if China doesnt rise to this occasion then it is an insult to this nations reputation, and an insult to
Qiao, thats enough, the Prime Minister cut in, calmly but sternly. The minister slowly seated himself. Its not that easy. Were trying to abide by the rules when other players have thrown them out completely. The reconstituted UN charter was cobbled together so haphazardly, one would think Tippett was still in charge. Whether we like it or not, the international balance of power is no longer in favour of protecting citizens.
The odds arent totally against us, offered the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Following the Empires complete blunder in the UN, the successor states have expressed near-unanimous support for the proposed Asiatic Assembly. He started, then hesitated, as though he himself did not believe what he was about to say. He twirled his pencil. Weve also received a proposal from the SAA, he said slowly.
The SAA? repeated the Minister of Culture, What have we done to pique South Americas interest?
Our old connections must be stronger than we thought, he shrugged. They say that theyre interested in safeguarding their investment in the arco project, and having received an apathetic response from their southern neighbours on the issue, want to partner with us directly.
I didnt think there were any surviving facilities in that region, queried the Minister of Science.
Its not the complexes; they want to help with the costs.
The Prime Ministers eyebrows shot up. Do they want anything in return?
Not that I gather, he replied, shuffling through his papers, Nothing concrete, at least. They name the usual mutual-friendship, help-us-help-you deal, but Im not sure whether they honestly expect material aid at this point. They say it would be tantamount to a sin not to try to salvage this venture, given how close it was to potential success.
I dont know, muttered the Minister of Finance, Weve all been following the news. Weve seen the Empire tripping over itself. I think we can all predict how the nationalist camp is going to react if we agree to such a deal.
The Minister of Information snorted. I dont particularly care what the nationalist camp thinks. Theyve already discredited themselves. Look at Australia: is that the sort of problem-solving this world needs?
However wrong they may be in their reasoning, the Minister of Defence interjected, Their sentiment holds sway in enough countries to make them a viable threat. Dont be too quick to dismiss them out of hand.
Mingzhidan tapped on his glass. He erased the whiteboard, then scribbled a new message:
WHAT WOULD OUR LADY DO?