Meetings Squared (part 2)
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Mr Zoat
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13th February 2284
15:48 GMT -6
"Ah!" I nod as I fold up the briefing document some well-meaning Shady Sands spod who was probably unfamiliar with his audience wrote and pass it back to Balm. "Okay, I think I understand where they're coming from."
"It is from their capital."
"Sorry. I mean, metaphorically. Of all the tribes in our alliance, the New California Republic is the most powerful. But they're not as powerful as all of the rest put together, and they're going to be having difficulty occupying Arizona once the Legion collapses. So they want to arrange things so that the summit very obviously doesn't favour them too greatly."
Balm nods. "They wish to appear magnanimous, and so encourage us to accept their leadership."
"That's part of it, but it also… Makes sense. For the members of the Enclave tribe, it is part of their… Religion? That the United States didn't collapse at the end of the Great War, it just entered a period of turmoil."
"You told me that it had been two hundred years."
I nod. "A long period of turmoil. They all believe in it fervently. They're not always entirely sure what it is that they believe about it, but they're all faithful. So while you and I both know that you're the chief of the Ammonites, and therefore paramount chief of… What do you call the area you rule?"
"I would usually call them 'our lands'. Or I refer to the rivers which bound them."
"Paramount chief of this region, then. But they believe that this region is called Utah. And while they don't care if a people who call themselves Ammonites live here, under their law the chief of the Ammonites has no significance."
"Why should I care about their law in my lands?"
"You said that you would not insult someone else's god?" He nods. "This is their god, the nation that fought the Great War. They can be reasonable about many things, but not that."
"So I put on the war paint of the Governor of Utah, and that gives me standing in their law?"
"Yes. And it's a lot easier to understand for people further away, like Valentina Rosado, who apart from speaking to Tears for a few minutes has never met anyone from the Ammonites, or any other tribe in this region."
"She is-. Ah." He smiles. "One of my daughter's co-wives."
"No-. Please don't ever say that. I have met her husband-."
"The machine-" He stares. "-did not check that she was unwed?"
"She kept her maiden name, so I suspect that Doki just assumed that she wasn't married."
"Ah."
"Valentina is President of The Republic of the Rio Grande. But because Rio Grande was a state before the war, she'll be addressed as Governor during the conference, just as Grant will be referred to as the Governor of California."
"And… Am I the Governor, under their law?"
"Each of the states had their own rules on how governors were chosen. If the people of Utah have chosen you, that's enough. But… One of the things we'll be discussing is how governors should be chosen in the future."
"The governor of a state. Which need not be the same as the chief of the Ammonites."
"Yes."
"Hm." He nods. "And what of you?"
"The land of the Sky Walkers is part of the State of Nevada, but we don't really have a candidate, and… New Reno was effectively annexed by the N.C.R. after Doctor Anderson's forces ravaged it. Us sending a separate Governor wouldn't really make sense at the moment."
House doesn't want the job, none of the Wrights have a high enough profile -I mean, I don't blame them for running and hiding when Anderson stormed the city with Enclave power armour divisions, but it didn't exactly earn them acclaim-, Lynnette… Thinks of most of us as uncivilised savages, Vargas has a good reputation but he wants to move back to Arizona as soon as possible, and I… Haven't spent enough time working in this state, which isn't yet in any position to function as a state. Balm works because his tribe conquered Utah, while Grant works because the major cities in California voluntarily came together and backed him. Nevada's not there, nor anywhere near there.
"You will not attend?"
"No, I'll attend. And I'll be running around in the background. I just won't have a special title." I sigh. "I don't know. If it's really necessary I'll try and get Lynette to agree to Hernán Vargas being our 'Governor', but it would look… Silly."
"Do Grant Hayes and Augustus Autumn wish to return to life their god, the United States of America?"
"Augustus does. Grant could go either way, but… It's not a bad set up for administering a lot of territory, and the N.C.R. isn't very good at controlling territory away from its core cities."
"I have been able to use freed slaves and minor tribes to control the lands that were the property of the Eighties. Chief Thunderbird did something similar to take tribute from the weaker tribes he ruled. Why does Grant not do the same?"
"Well, in the example of the Mojave, the people weren't unified enough to join as a group, or enthusiastic enough about the N.C.R. to become citizens and govern their own affairs. When the N.C.R. conquered the Rapids and the Baja peninsular, they moved in large numbers of people who were already Californians in order to control the land. But between the Legion and the lack of water, no one really wanted to move into the Mojave so that wasn't an option."
He nods. He's uneducated, not stupid. "If the paramount chief of a state is called a Governor, what are the lesser chiefs called?"
"Mayors. Usually, a settlement of any size would have a mayor, though only the mayors of larger towns and cities would be considered important. Mayors report to the governor."
There's a faint smile on his lips, though I'm not sure-. "And who is above the governors?"
"Strictly speaking, no one. The Governor is the highest government authority where matters pertaining to their own state are concerned. They usually work within a framework of laws, and if they go against those laws there are people who have the power to refuse them-" He nods. Balm isn't an absolutist. He's used to having elders he needs to explain himself to. "-but that's within the laws of the state. The United States of America had a Supreme Chief who held the title President-."
"Ah. That is why the Presidents are calling themselves Governors."
"Probably. Otherwise, it would get confusing."
"And what does this Supreme President do?"
"Deals with things outside of the United States of America, deals with problems between states, and controls the military of the whole of the country. That's the… Simple version. The full version is a good deal more complex. Presidents tended to try to centralise power to themselves at the expense of the governors… But even if our alliance becomes more like the United States of America I suspect that the office will be far more limited."
He frowns. "Governors do not have soldiers?"
"Not exactly. They have armed police for fighting raiders and criminals, and they have a militia called the National Guard, but most of the military was controlled by the President."
"We do not have a President. Does Grant want to take that title?"
"I don't think he'd mind getting it, but we're not unified enough for anyone to accept someone having that degree of power over them."
He nods. "Good."
"And we couldn't perform the proper ritual for choosing a President anyway. Not until all of the lands of the United States are allied to us. No, at this stage we're just reorganising allied states and working out how best to support one another."
He nods slowly. "Then that is something that I can do."
15:48 GMT -6
"Ah!" I nod as I fold up the briefing document some well-meaning Shady Sands spod who was probably unfamiliar with his audience wrote and pass it back to Balm. "Okay, I think I understand where they're coming from."
"It is from their capital."
"Sorry. I mean, metaphorically. Of all the tribes in our alliance, the New California Republic is the most powerful. But they're not as powerful as all of the rest put together, and they're going to be having difficulty occupying Arizona once the Legion collapses. So they want to arrange things so that the summit very obviously doesn't favour them too greatly."
Balm nods. "They wish to appear magnanimous, and so encourage us to accept their leadership."
"That's part of it, but it also… Makes sense. For the members of the Enclave tribe, it is part of their… Religion? That the United States didn't collapse at the end of the Great War, it just entered a period of turmoil."
"You told me that it had been two hundred years."
I nod. "A long period of turmoil. They all believe in it fervently. They're not always entirely sure what it is that they believe about it, but they're all faithful. So while you and I both know that you're the chief of the Ammonites, and therefore paramount chief of… What do you call the area you rule?"
"I would usually call them 'our lands'. Or I refer to the rivers which bound them."
"Paramount chief of this region, then. But they believe that this region is called Utah. And while they don't care if a people who call themselves Ammonites live here, under their law the chief of the Ammonites has no significance."
"Why should I care about their law in my lands?"
"You said that you would not insult someone else's god?" He nods. "This is their god, the nation that fought the Great War. They can be reasonable about many things, but not that."
"So I put on the war paint of the Governor of Utah, and that gives me standing in their law?"
"Yes. And it's a lot easier to understand for people further away, like Valentina Rosado, who apart from speaking to Tears for a few minutes has never met anyone from the Ammonites, or any other tribe in this region."
"She is-. Ah." He smiles. "One of my daughter's co-wives."
"No-. Please don't ever say that. I have met her husband-."
"The machine-" He stares. "-did not check that she was unwed?"
"She kept her maiden name, so I suspect that Doki just assumed that she wasn't married."
"Ah."
"Valentina is President of The Republic of the Rio Grande. But because Rio Grande was a state before the war, she'll be addressed as Governor during the conference, just as Grant will be referred to as the Governor of California."
"And… Am I the Governor, under their law?"
"Each of the states had their own rules on how governors were chosen. If the people of Utah have chosen you, that's enough. But… One of the things we'll be discussing is how governors should be chosen in the future."
"The governor of a state. Which need not be the same as the chief of the Ammonites."
"Yes."
"Hm." He nods. "And what of you?"
"The land of the Sky Walkers is part of the State of Nevada, but we don't really have a candidate, and… New Reno was effectively annexed by the N.C.R. after Doctor Anderson's forces ravaged it. Us sending a separate Governor wouldn't really make sense at the moment."
House doesn't want the job, none of the Wrights have a high enough profile -I mean, I don't blame them for running and hiding when Anderson stormed the city with Enclave power armour divisions, but it didn't exactly earn them acclaim-, Lynnette… Thinks of most of us as uncivilised savages, Vargas has a good reputation but he wants to move back to Arizona as soon as possible, and I… Haven't spent enough time working in this state, which isn't yet in any position to function as a state. Balm works because his tribe conquered Utah, while Grant works because the major cities in California voluntarily came together and backed him. Nevada's not there, nor anywhere near there.
"You will not attend?"
"No, I'll attend. And I'll be running around in the background. I just won't have a special title." I sigh. "I don't know. If it's really necessary I'll try and get Lynette to agree to Hernán Vargas being our 'Governor', but it would look… Silly."
"Do Grant Hayes and Augustus Autumn wish to return to life their god, the United States of America?"
"Augustus does. Grant could go either way, but… It's not a bad set up for administering a lot of territory, and the N.C.R. isn't very good at controlling territory away from its core cities."
"I have been able to use freed slaves and minor tribes to control the lands that were the property of the Eighties. Chief Thunderbird did something similar to take tribute from the weaker tribes he ruled. Why does Grant not do the same?"
"Well, in the example of the Mojave, the people weren't unified enough to join as a group, or enthusiastic enough about the N.C.R. to become citizens and govern their own affairs. When the N.C.R. conquered the Rapids and the Baja peninsular, they moved in large numbers of people who were already Californians in order to control the land. But between the Legion and the lack of water, no one really wanted to move into the Mojave so that wasn't an option."
He nods. He's uneducated, not stupid. "If the paramount chief of a state is called a Governor, what are the lesser chiefs called?"
"Mayors. Usually, a settlement of any size would have a mayor, though only the mayors of larger towns and cities would be considered important. Mayors report to the governor."
There's a faint smile on his lips, though I'm not sure-. "And who is above the governors?"
"Strictly speaking, no one. The Governor is the highest government authority where matters pertaining to their own state are concerned. They usually work within a framework of laws, and if they go against those laws there are people who have the power to refuse them-" He nods. Balm isn't an absolutist. He's used to having elders he needs to explain himself to. "-but that's within the laws of the state. The United States of America had a Supreme Chief who held the title President-."
"Ah. That is why the Presidents are calling themselves Governors."
"Probably. Otherwise, it would get confusing."
"And what does this Supreme President do?"
"Deals with things outside of the United States of America, deals with problems between states, and controls the military of the whole of the country. That's the… Simple version. The full version is a good deal more complex. Presidents tended to try to centralise power to themselves at the expense of the governors… But even if our alliance becomes more like the United States of America I suspect that the office will be far more limited."
He frowns. "Governors do not have soldiers?"
"Not exactly. They have armed police for fighting raiders and criminals, and they have a militia called the National Guard, but most of the military was controlled by the President."
"We do not have a President. Does Grant want to take that title?"
"I don't think he'd mind getting it, but we're not unified enough for anyone to accept someone having that degree of power over them."
He nods. "Good."
"And we couldn't perform the proper ritual for choosing a President anyway. Not until all of the lands of the United States are allied to us. No, at this stage we're just reorganising allied states and working out how best to support one another."
He nods slowly. "Then that is something that I can do."
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