Auntie Quintem

"I am Judi Quintem, I understand you sent for me?"

"Yes, please, leave us, this is not for your ears."

"But Amalthea-who-is-Meihomei, she is a deadly unarmed fighter!"

"And I am an Aumhavar Priestess, if need be, I will spank her, now git."

"Does that work on everyone else?"

"Does the 'deadly fighter' work on everyone who fails to notice the arthrithis?"

"Mostly, yes, I had to lower my regimen, my body is not as limber as it once was."

"I called you here to make use of your mind, not your body. As you know, in Lai Dang, a month ago, most nations in Arnd got together and signed a treaty allying themselves against the invaders. It's a mutual assistance, military-clauses, and economic-clauses type treaty, Eurani Pact writ large."

"That's historical!"

"Yes, I do think so too, even if I think it's going to Mikhi's head."

"I'm sorry, Mikhi?"

"Mikhaela Veneer née Kagomei, Nameihomei, Domei of Garay, Domei-actual of Innu , Feyd  of Simular, Stark  of Byzance, Stark of Wheelbro, Willow of Lilleath, Willow of Ingred, by the grace of the elements Aumhava of Garay the next most influential person in Kagomei."

"And she... proposed the treaty?"

"And all but birthed it, she spoke to every signatory before they signed, allaying concerns, making modifications to the text from feedback. Without her, there would be no treaty."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"No one has ever enforced a treaty like this..."

"You'd want me, for enforcement?"

"You're one of the top 3 economists in Kagomei, and you have worked, indeed you have excellent relationships with every central bank leader that I can think of, including ours, despite just barely missing out on that job."

"I won't say I wasn't disappointed, but I don't know if I'd been as good as Fulminar Klesgy during the invasion."

"He's the one who picked your name for this, and I quote: 'Whoever gets this job will need breadth, breadth I do not possess, as well as contacts, relationships, understanding of different cultures. Only, someone as widely travelled as Domei Mikhala could have made the treaty, and most of the enforcers will need a similar background. Able to walk to breakfast in Alessia, fly to Magrat for lunch, have tea in Qing and take in Moniqan Theatre at the Hunarch of Moniq's own invitation.'"

"He is flattering, I am not quite that well-travelled."

"Surprise, surprise, no one is. My full-time ambassadors fall sick traveling to four countries a quarter. Mikhi has done six, during the treaty, and she needed medical supervision the whole time. My nephew, her son, a military officer, did eight countries during the same time. He's on six weeks medical leave! But that was hyperbole, we need the candidate who has such ease with all these cultures, it's not a checkbox: must have travelled x in y."

"And what is the job?"

"You report to the Treaty Signatories, as the Senior Executive Director of Treaty Enforcement, you will have an agency, called A.u.n.t.i.e, who numbers two people right now, Mikhi, as your sponsor to the signatories, and Marhamat Dandelion, Valour-keeper of Kagomei as your security inspector."

"The Valour-Keeper?"

"It was him or the Telbun, or maybe one of my OF-10s."

"He's just short of a Cabinet Minister!"

"If anything, he gives sweats to my Cabinet Ministers. He gives pause to anyone with half a brain, come to think of it. No one saves three standing ruler's lives, then retires a Senior Flag Officer without merit."

"So, I am bracketed by Your Poitical Hatchetman, your Sister, and I'm to sell this organization to the others?"

"No, they've already agreed in principle to the organization, they are giving you six months to staff it, set its vision, plan a strategy of enforcement, and start showing up, keeping people on their toes."

"I can do that, but I have a better idea, for the interim, at least."

"What?"

"Deputize existing flag officers from member nations to inspect each other. I can nominate candidates who are not... irritating each other too much I hope."

"Let me see if I understand you correctly. I've just proposed you for a job, I've given you six months before you need to show results, and you're telling me. No, we need to go into a political grinder, face all these new allies and tell them we don't trust them to follow the treaty."

"Not exactly, but, I do think if any of them have things to hide, they'll be too well hidden in six months for us to do anything about it."

"And you propose instead?"

"To have punctual visits by select inspectors under treaty authority guise, and with treaty authority credentials, making sure some larger items are not hidden. Obviously, we won't find everything."

"And the answer to my question?"

"Which question?"

"Will you take the job?"

"Err, yes, if you'll have me."