Summoning America

Chapter 64: Secrets of the Beacons

February 16, 1640
The White House

A lone figure hunched over the central desk in the Oval Office, laying his head down on his shoulder. A steaming cup of coffee emitted faint steam beside Lee while he procrastinated, staring at the pile of reports from the corner of his eye. After a minute of lazy rest, he resolved himself to complete his work and grabbed the coffee. All it took was once sip from the magically-enhanced Qua Toynian coffee to rejuvenate him. His eyes widened in alertness and he immediately dove into the pile, analyzing the title of the first report.

"Proposal for the Sale of Inventory to Mu and the Holy Mirishial Empire," he said aloud. "Hmph." Despite the beginning of their friendly relations only dating back to several months ago, the qualities of these friendships were exceptional. "I guess it was only a matter of time..." he muttered before reading through the document.

The proposal, authored by several economists in the Department of Commerce, suggested a sale of old military equipment in order to raise funds to further aid in economic recovery and facilitate the replacement of aging equipment such as humvees. Structured into dozens of segments, the economists argued that selling old aircraft, ships, and vehicles — stripped of any computers and other valuable technologies beforehand — would be much more profitable than current plans to demolish these items for scrap metal. Despite having convincing arguments, Lee still felt concerned with regards to power dynamics.

Money is something that isn't much of an issue now that trade relations and exchange rates have been established with most civilized countries. While making a few extra bucks from this proposal did sound nice, Lee couldn't help but wonder how the influx of new advanced technologies would affect the Muans, Mirishials, and their neighbors. How might this affect the Gra Valkas Empire? Would they see this as a threat to their dominance, or an incentive for forming better relations with the United States?

The authors addressed these considerations in thorough detail, with experts from various universities and esteemed analysts pointing to the same conclusion. If the United States provided a taste of her wealth, global politics would eventually — perhaps even overwhelmingly — fall under the influence of the Americans. Historical analogs to Western influences on Japan and modern day China's initiatives with underdeveloped nations represented their primary examples. Due to the Elysian status quo of 'might makes right', the United States could easily dethrone the Holy Mirishial Empire in terms of influence. Already, the effects of American programs had carved the entire Third Civilized Region from the Mirishials' and Parpaldians' spheres, leaving their constituent nations dependent on American goods and services.

Lee felt himself swayed by the analyses posed by the proposal's authors. However, a part of him remained reluctant; he felt guilt over the wild ambitions suggested to him. He felt that the blatant imperialism in the proposed strategies were not reflective of the American way. Still, such power grabs were necessary and would undeniably improve the lives of the American people. If the threat of the Ravernals turns out to be true, then American leadership and protection of the world would be paramount.

His guilty feelings were alleviated by this line of reasoning, leaving only the concern of the Gra Valkans. He continued to read on, finding that the current proposal document had referenced a newer report — one that he had not read yet. Desiring context, he looked through the pile, hoping to find it there. After a quick moment of sifting, he found it and extracted it, setting the proposal aside as he skimmed through the short report.

Apparently, informants situated in Mu discovered a tightening bond between Mu's southern neighbor, the Magikareich Community, and the Gra Valkas Empire. Recognizing cultural similarities, the two nations quickly grew close to one another. Within the span of a couple months, the Magikareich government terminated its agreements with Mu in favor of more promising agreements with the Gra Valkans. This included technology and the establishment of bases — one of which served as the staging point for the Gra Valkan incursion into the Conshal Islands.