MISC: The Girl Who Saved the World Part 56

[George Phillies]

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. She was 
too tired, and too many people ask about "GR".

She is living in West Oregon, a state of the American Republic (that 
gets fixed). and after reading about Smith she remembers

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 toa “Republic of Austria”.Telepathic 
examination found that he had a full set of wrong memories going back to 
being a little boy, all memories of a world that does not exist. He 
refused to believe in personas or gifts, even when someone hovered in 
front of him. He also spoke neither Modern English nor Ancient 
English.His ‘Standard Edited English’ was close to real English, but he 
would say ‘perhaps’ not ‘mayhaps’, ‘OK’ not ‘GR’, and would split 
infinitives as the correct way to speak. 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.



  Chapter Ten

Secure Chamber Alpha

The Palace of Peace

Geneva, Switzerland

Early Morning

January 15, 2018

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.

“May we have order, please,” Holmgren asked.“I regret to note that 
General aus und zu Dreikirch, after 60 hours on his feet, collapsed and 
has been hospitalized. If we did not already have enough problems with 
the Namestone, the League of Terran Justice has published another 
manifesto, and staged yet more attacks to advertise its presence. 
Matters in the Argentine are attracting public attention. Where shall we 
begin?” He looked around the room. Fortunately, lots had been drawn to 
fix the order of speaking. “Other than thanking the IncoAztecan 
Ambassador for his wonderful orange juice.” The Speaker for the First 
Speaker nodded. Holmgren passed the speaking stone to the German Ambassador.

“The Almighty Warlord of all the Germans is most concerned as to 
progress in recovering the Namestone,” Heinrich Moeller announced.“If 
the League produces no progress, it cannot be complained if individual 
member states bring the needed progress.” The German Ambassador lived up 
to his country’s aggressive reputation, a reputation little tempered by 
the Summer War and its rearrangement of the German borders. He passed 
the Speaking Stone.

“The First Speaker, the Living Sun, most emphatically shares these 
sentiments,” the IncoAztecan Ambassador agreed. Buncombe wondered which 
of the Ambassadors even knew that the Ambassador was in fact Lord 
Smoking Frog. His papers named him, in Classic Mayan, as the Speaker for 
the First Speaker.“Also, the First Speaker, the Living Sun, is concerned 
that adequate progress has not yet been made on prescribing the form of 
execution to which the Bearer is to be subject. The Assembly of the 
Tlatoani and the Council of the Realmare concerned that if the 
punishment is inadequate, then the workers and peasants will become 
disorderly.”

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. His Imperial Majesty understands, however, 
that we are in a distinct minority on this question. We also note an 
absence of progress in locating the Bearer.”

The Russian Ambassador produced and opened a substantial box. 
“Petit-fours,” Elizaveta Romanoff announced.“Hungarian petit-fours. 
Fresh two hours ago. As fine as Belgian cooking,” she nodded at 
Ambassaodr Davout, “but even richer. And more likely to provide 
agreement than a long discussion as to the agenda.We all know that all 
three topics must be discussed.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.


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