Two hands clasped together in agreement, and there was a mild amount of fanfare in the room surrounding. Polite applause, for the most part. No hooting or hollering, no raucous behavior, nothing along those lines. It was an extremely diplomatic atmosphere, one that accepted the circumstances but did not necessarily celebrate it.
One hand belonged to a representative of the Imperium - the other, his counterpart for the Nesocratic Federation of Eunesia. It had been years since the islands had declared their independence from the Empire. Given their isolated geography and super naval strength and knowledge, there had been little interest in militarily forcing the islands back into compliance. Left to their own devices, it had not taken long for the islands to descend into infighting, the "common enemy" of the Imperium now gone, leaving only the petty rivalries of the Eunesians.
It had been
a long and bloody war with much aggression. Ieffreon and Olympia had been the main instigators of the conflict, with many of the other islands drawing up on one side or the other. Secyclion had remained primarily neutral, and had in fact begun contact with the mainland. All of a sudden Northumbria had a stake in the matter, with the Duke in Kaldira pursuing the re-integration of Eunesia as a political bargaining chip to his advantage. His eternal rival, the Marquis and governor in Jaedaxia, had simply set himself up on the opposite side. And so the conflagration in Eunesia was fueled by continued, discreet support from the Empire through Secyclion.
The end result was a war burning out as both sides tired of the violence. The end result was, through Secyclion, Imperial delegations utilizing diplomacy for once, as opposed to its Legions. An economically depleted Eunesia, with untold manpower spent on a pointless war, was fatigued enough to reconsider its declaration of secession from the Empire.
The terms were lenient. Everybody was tired of war. It had not been that long since the Xet had scoured western Imperial lands, and the civil war was fresh on Eunesia's mind. The embargo between Eunesia and the rest of the Imperium would be lifted. Mainlanders would be allowed to return. Imperial funding could help the islands rebuild. Northumbria - with its storied history of rebellion - was the greatest advocate of a peaceful reconciliation with Eunesia. While neither Duke nor Marquis may have gained an advantage over the other, the province had
acquired much wealth in fueling the war. Perhaps there was some shame involved.
Once again, Eunesia was a part of the Empire.
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