MISC: The Girl Who Saved the World Part 56

[Drew Perron]

On 1/6/2017 1:13 PM, George Phillies wrote:
> There will be a rewrite you cannot see. The discussion of Stanford Smith, who
> some of you will have recognized, and the following paragraph go back to
> Liouville-Gibbs, and Liouville Gibbs appears here.

Aha!

> For a few moments I was carried back to another book I’d read yesterday, and
> that historical oddity, the not-American Ambassador.  One fine day, there had
> appeared in Vienna a man claiming to be the American Ambassador, which he was
> not. He had an impressive set of papers, claiming he was the ambassador not for
> the American Republic but from a “United States of America” founded in 1776, not
> 0017, and not to the "Empire of the Hapsburgs” but to  a “Republic of Austria”.

Ooooooh. Fascinating. :o

> More
> peculiarly, part of his mind was not there.  He would talk about how his country
> was governed, and every so often his thoughts would vanish, like a swimmer
> diving under the waves.  Moments later he would surface again, he would be
> talking, but there would be mysterious gaps in his words, as though he could
> think things, but no one else could be aware of them.  He was under very close
> observation when he suddenly disappeared, every atom in his body vanishing at
> what appeared to be the same moment.

Oh that's rad. :3 This sort of thing can often be cheesy, but making it this 
sort of cryptid-y mystery...

> Ambassadors of the Twelve Great Powers sank into their ruby-red velvet seats,
> League Chancellor Holmgren and League Elite Persona Brigade Leader Valkyria at
> their head.  At least, Holmgren though, with four elevators and three kilometers
> of rock between us and the surface, everyone is here at the same time. If we
> have not had much breakfast, the pastries from embassy kitchens, not to mention
> coffee and that wonderful Japanese rice tea, are sufficient to feed a small
> army.  Holmgren wrapped his gavel twice, the sounds reverberating through the
> nearly empty room.  The walls were the finest marble from Thasos, deep-carved in
> images from a dozen cultures, all symbolizing peace and plenty.  The images were
> warmly comforting, but today the stone echoed his call to order.  Perhaps heavy
> ruby-red drapes to match the ruby seat cushions, the curtains to be drawn when
> only the Fourteen met, were needed. Often each ambassador would have four or
> five staff members in support, all absorbing sound, but today there was none of
> that.  The discussion would be between the fourteen of them and no more.

This establishes setting really well, BTW. Good, evocative sensory details.

> Count Ferencz shook his head, his massive mane of pure white hair sweeping from
> shoulder to shoulder.“The King-Emperor Franz-Joseph, the fourth of his name, and
> the United Parliaments of Austria, Hungary, the Slavic States, Czechia, and
> Silesia, are unanimous in taking the opposite position.  It has always been our
> position that the terms offered by the Martyr are to be supported, in particular
> that the Namestone is the property of the person to whom the Martyr /gives/ the
> Namestone.  We hear no reason for change.

I mean, to be honest, it's a good point.

> I propose that we draw lots to choose topic order.”
>
> “If we agree, we get to sample Hungarian petit-fours?” Ambassador Mascarenhas da
> Silva was next in speaking order.  “In that case, I urge that we yield to … ummh
> …your  rational argumentation.” The box began its circulation around the room.

Heeheehee. :>

Drew "reminds me of Turkish Delight" Perron