MISC: The Girl Who Saved The World part 12

[George Phillies]

Where was this meeting going, Buncombe wondered? The Ambassadors had met 
often enough that most of them, most of the time, did not feel obliged 
to insult each other.  Positions of the Great Powers on ownership of the 
Namestone were hardly state secrets, at least among the powers that 
believed that the Namestone existed.  The Celestial Republic of Prince 
Wang was by no means convinced that there actually was a Namestone. 
After all, if it existed, the Martyr would undoubtedly have given it to 
the Perfect Man, the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom, Lord of All the 
Earth, when the Martyr first arrived on Earth three millennia ago, and 
he had not done so. The IncoAztecan Speaker for the First Speaker 
doubtless agreed with the Celestial Republic’s Ambassador, except of 
course that the Martyr would undoubtedly have given the Namestone to the 
First Speaker, the Living Sun.

“General aus und zu Dreikirch, is there any progress to report? I know 
there is also an agenda, but first things first.” Holmgren directed his 
attention to the chief of the League Secret Political Police, who looked 
even more bedraggled than his audience. He had been awake for almost two 
days, ever since the universal solar eclipse began.

“We are pursuing every lead,” Dreikirch answered, his bushy grey 
mustache all aquiver. “There has been an extremely thorough search for 
persona fitting Eclipse’s description.  The garb we saw on video is 
registered with Niederhof’s on the Vienna Ringstrasse, but as you know 
absolutely no one has ever penetrated Niederhof’s security arrangements 
to see the persona behind the garb.  Tomorrow their lead window display 
will be replicas of Eclipse’s three garbs -- yes, she has three of them 
-- and ‘Niederhof, supplier of fine garb to the Glorious Bearer of the 
Holy Namestone’ will be their selling point.  I infer that the customer 
paid in gold thalers that were promptly melted down and reminted, so 
there is no DNA trace.

“Other than that, there is no record whatsoever.  My staff agrees that 
Eclipse is a woman, not too advanced in years, likely early 20s, and 
rigorously trained.  Who is behind her?  There must have been a huge 
support team, but they remain in the shadows. I have no more to report.”
  “Ah, yes,” Holmgren said, “the Agenda.  As we are now in Regular 
Order, there is a Speaking Stone, and an order of speaking. The first 
issue is the complaint, actually, complaints, about the League Strike 
Force and its actions on Atlanticea. The speaking order is the order in 
which I received complaints, followed by standard rules. Several of you 
have made emphatically clear that you object to treating these issues in 
closed session. We begin with traditional short opening remarks and then 
turn to substantive issues. Ambassador Moeller, I believe you get to 
speak first.”

Moeller straightened his tie. “The Supreme Warlord of All the Germans is 
most concerned with the lack of properly aggressive action by the League 
Elite Persona Brigade.  The moment that the Bearer refused to hand over 
the Namestone, the Bearer should have been summarily executed, without 
giving her any warning or any further argument.  League resolutions, 
binding on every person in the world, make clear that it is entirely and 
strictly forbidden for any private person to retain custody of the 
Namestone. Equally, League Resolutions, binding on every person in the 
world, make clear that it is entirely and most strictly forbidden for 
any private person to dispute the right of the League to take possession 
of the Holy Namestone for the benefit of all humanity.”

Buncombe pulled from one of the desk drawers at his side a small glass 
pyramid and set it on the table in front of him.  You won’t, he thought, 
make those claims without a vigorous objection. He was slightly 
surprised when Featherstonehaugh put a similar pyramid on his section of 
the desk.

“However, the Bearer was not summarily executed. It is therefore the 
irrefutable opinion of the Supreme Warlord that the leadership of the 
Elite Brigade should be replaced, the Brigade being given new, 
competent, and thus of course necessarily Prussian leadership.” 
Valkyria’s face stiffened. Several more pyramids appeared on desks.

“We are further particularly concerned that large numbers of persons 
around the world watched this Eclipse persona while she defied the 
entire League and thus the collective wisdom of all mankind. The notion 
that single individuals are entitled to disobey, no, even to question 
the directives of their superiors is entirely and most rigorously 
unacceptable...