The Enemy Of My Enemy

Soon I had reached my destination. The entrance was guarded by tens of military robots, but they had made way for me to proceed before I even noticed them.

I didn't bother to look at them as I walked inside. There was nothing special about the building being heavily guarded. After all, it undoubtedly contained several state secrets of Valdium.

Moments later I was finally face to face with the person in question.

The Ambassador of Valdium was waiting for me while sitting on an elevated platform. It was the same as usual — a show of superiority toward Kulak. Even so, there was nothing I could do about it. Valdium was indeed superior to Kulak. in almost every way. Not to mention that my goal here was not to challenge Valdium, but instead to hopefully secure their aid.

The Ambassador was a tall and muscular man, he has pale skin with a grey beard and also pointy ears, he wore full black uniforms which all the higher-ups of Valdium wore, there uniforms would usually have 1 to 3 stars indicating their rank, but the Ambassador has 5 stars

"Welcome. It has been months since our last meeting, and much has changed since then." said the Ambassador, with a dark and menacing voice

"Indeed. I'm not sure how much you already know, but I'll briefly describe the recent events." I say

I tried to be as truthful as possible as I described my encounter with the representative of the Vidai Empire. There was one main exception: I never mentioned the offer to cooperate from the Vidai Empire. It would be absolutely foolish to alert Valdium about such a possibility.

The Ambassador listened silently to my story. Only after I had finished, he glared at me as if determining whether I was friend or foe.

"And what is your approach? Do you intend to fight to the end?" said the Ambassador.

"My cabinet is very divided on the issue. Personally I would like to work with Valdium to resist the Empire, if possible, but it will be difficult without external support." I say

The intensity of the Ambassador's stare hardly lessened at all, but it was better to avoid committing to anything yet. The paramount issue for Valdium was the security of their own colony, and it would be catastrophic for them if we surrendered. It would be best to strike a balance where they couldn't abandon us out of fear that we might lose hope and surrender, yet still appear strong enough that we could at least delay the Vidai Empire's advance with their help.

"Fine. I will suggest preparing ships and materials to be sent to Kulak in the coming years. The final decision lies with the government of Valdium, however. They may well refuse if they do not believe in your ability or intention to resist for much longer." said the Ambassador.

"I understand — thank you for your generosity." I say.

"It will undoubtedly help your case if we finally formalize a free trade agreement between our colonies. In that case Valdium will have more justification to help in the defense of Kulak." said the Ambassador.

I knew it would come to that. Valdium had pursued a free trade agreement with our colony for decades now, supported by the Ministers of Finance and Science. On the other hand, the Ministers of Industry and Defense had always opposed it. It would certainly boost our economic growth, but also permanently shackle us into Valdium's sphere of influence. Our own industry would likely wither in the long run, and we would become dependent on Valdium — especially for increased ship production. It would not be much different from being annexed by Valdium.

However, now the situation had completely changed. Greatly increased trade with Valdium could understandably be seen as a type of resistance activity by the Vidai Empire, and still refusing it could be seen as a sign of our impending surrender to the Empire. The supporters and critics of this deal had suddenly switched places. Now was also perhaps the last chance to make it happen

"I'll have to negotiate about it with my cabinet before I can promise anything. We can return to the topic in a few months." I say

The Ambassador of Valdium appeared clearly disappointed, but there was no good argument to use against me. After all, it was somewhat reckless to make such a huge decision immediately. My diplomatic excuse was likely seen through, though.

"Even if the trade agreement won't materialize, it would be appreciated if you can share intelligence about the approaching forces of the Empire that you have detected so far. In exchange, we can provide you with a new weapon design that will improve your defense fleet." said the Ambassador.

This was an even tougher decision to make than the last one. This would certainly be seen very negatively by the Vidai Empire, possibly even making surrender impossible. On the other hand, it would clearly increase our chances of receiving crucial assistance from Valdium. Combined with the promised technology transfer, it would significantly improve our chances of fighting off the Vidai Empire. But was it worth possibly throwing away our option to surrender?

"I accept that deal — assuming the technology transfer truly does benefit us enough. I hope this will convince your leaders to help us."

The Ambassador of Valdium smiled triumphantly in response. Valdium's main goal of preventing our surrender had likely been achieved, so it was no surprise.