Diplomatic Emergency

"Office for Ceremonial Calculations confirms - resources insufficient. Diplomatic solution required. Situation: PRIORITY-8".

Keliya gasped as she read Uruk's communique. The last Priority-8 level situation she'd heard of was the pencil-lead-shortage of '72. As the Sanguinary Utnapishtim's most senior diplomat on Tintirki Cinq, Keliya entered the council chamber with a grave sense of urgency.

Her Independent-Alliance counterpart, Gannix, had already gathered the ambassadors of his treaty group. Their votes would decide the Sanguinary Utnapishtim's fate.

Gannix opened:

"Today is a great day! When we ratify this memorandum the Independent-Alliance and Sanguinary Utnapishtim will officially cease hostilities. As a show of good faith we shall even retreat to pre-war borders. Today we secure peace among the stars."

Most ambassadors clapped, though Matriarch Pietina, of loyalist hold-out planet New-Novum-Ophelia-Neo, expressed her displeasure, shouting "no mercy for heretic scum!" People paid her no mind; that's what she always (and only) said.

Keliya responded:

"Fine words, Gannix, but we are a deceptive people. Well is it said that all Utnapishtimites are liars. Can you really trust us to hold to the terms of this agreement? I urge you to reconsider."

"Come now, Keliya; you cannot break our lines, nor we yours. It's not a matter of trust so much as recognition of realities. What good is needless bloodshed?"

Keliya inwardly cursed Gannix -- he only invoked blasphemous contradictions like "needless bloodshed" to needle her.

"Needless? Brave Independent-Alliance soldiers gave their lives taking Stellar-Dust-Monitoring-Station 476. Retreating to prewar borders returns it to us. How would you explain that to the grieving widows amongst your constituents, Senator Balāditya? And, pray, will you tell your planetary shareholders this is the typical return on investment they can expect from expeditions you personally backed, Oligarch Callicles?"

Keliya was satisfied to hear murmurs of discontent. She caught Pietina's eye and had to suppress a blush when the matriarch smiled at her. Keliya continued:

"And do not forget the broader strategic picture! The Sanguinary Utnapishtim is a menace, sworn to a mad God who seeks only blood and slaughter. Now we are weak; do not give us time to rebuild!"

Flustered, Gannix exclaimed:

"We know you lack the forces to trap us with such crude bait. Is this a double bluff!? This treaty benefits you more than us!"

Keliya looked Gannix dead in the eye as she replied:

"The only benefit we seek is your skull upon Khorne's throne."

To Keliya's relief, by a slim majority, the Independent-Alliance resolved to fight on until they could impose more favourable terms upon the Sanguinary Utnapishtim. Without this war the Sherden Pact would never be able to meet this 8 Year Plan's murder-per-moment quota. But lacking sufficient forces to compel the issue, they needed the Independent-Alliance to take the offensive. She'd done enough.

Utterly exhausted, Keliya returned to her quarters seeking rest but found Pietina standing outside her door with a bottle of amasec and two glasses in her hands.

"A toast to your impending defeat, heretic!" she suggested, with an inviting sneer.

Vigorous negotiations ensued.

Coda: this one in particular was inspired by not only the fact that I just started watching Babylon 5 but also this post in particular. Just wanted to give that credit here!