Himma el-Ozer's speech

by Artbreeder

"We yield the floor to esteemed councilor Himma el-Ozer, lauded for her service as Emira." The speaker gestured towards the podium. "Councilor el-Ozer, you may ascend."

Himma el-Ozer climbed the steps of the podium, looking down at the councilors arrayed on the semicircle of benches in the hall. Some of the councilors in the back were still chatting with eachother. She spared one glance to the galleries, to the observers who had no say in the proceedings. If something interesting happened, Deidad would hear of it.

She began. "Esteemed councilors, friends, colleagues, and even enemies." A slight chuckle went through the crowd. "I am here today to address all of you to propose a resolution to our current crisis that is in line with our traditions and beliefs. First, I find it useful to remark on the nature of this chamber I am addressing, and the role we all play in the management of the state."

She was only glancing at her notes, and even that rarely. Decades in this chamber had made her sure of what she was going to say. "Though we may compete in our individual business, we all recognize our shared history, the fact that we must all walk these same city streets, and the need for laws to ensure our dealings are just, and a navy to protect us." She heard the murmurs of agreement across the hall. "Even the greatest house cannot institute its own court, or build its own navy. And faced with this inability, we did not go to someone else to provide these things, but rather came together to form this chamber that can. We have built a vast apparatus, knowing the wisdom of any one man is insufficient to manage our common affairs. We have created offices, the sole function of which is to know things. We do this happily, at great expense. We know that these things are necessary to properly manage our common affairs. We take the best of us," she gestured at Emir Amaan al-Shad, "and we give them great power over the city, and ourselves. We centralize authority and distribute knowledge, so that we may navigate the complex spheres of diplomacy, commerce, law, and indeed war."

"When we elect an Emir, he is availed to the wise counsel of our civil servants, faithful priests, and admirals. Such advisors will make plain the financial and moral cost of war to any ruler. The boardroom of the Trade Company is not so blessed." Some of the councilors in the front row fidgeted slightly in their seats. The ones with the most money in the Trade Company. "The decision to go to war is one we make rarely, for war carries hidden costs. We sacrifice men and ships, and in the end we find that war has destroyed what we had hoped to gain. It is not for the merchant to court war without understanding its nature." 

"No amount of mercantile experience will qualify a man to wield a sword. We are not soldiers, war is not our business. Therefore, to understand war we must listen to those whose business it is." She saw a councilor on the front row about to open his mouth and stand up. She held up a hand, and he sat back down. "What qualifies the boardroom of the South-Fahrig Trade Company to send gunships to a place we had not even heard of? Certainly they were aware that the Kilthian crown had extended their guarantee to this town. Were they unaware that the dwarves would consider this a matter of honor, and respond even to their own detriment? Were they so used to fighting tribes and clans that they forgot that there existed powers in the Bay that are not to be taken lightly? An ambassador and an admiral in their counsel would have prevented these errors."

"I am not here to propose that we leave the boardroom to their fate. Too much of our assets are bound in this venture. I propose we vote yes to Emir al-Shad's motion. I also propose that we look beyond the immediate future, and recognize that what happened is unacceptable. Before the dwarves sank many of them, the Trade Company controlled a war fleet that almost rivaled ours. If their organization survives, they will seek to rebuild it. They will continue to deploy this navy without any of the restraint we have, restraint that is produced by our system of government. The boardroom will blunder into another quagmire in the future even if the dwarves are defeated today. They are institutionally incapable of not doing so."

She paused again, lowering her voice. "We must ensure this does not happen again. I propose that we institute the proper checks and balances within the command structure of the Trade Company. If they are to have a navy, they must have the understanding to properly deploy it. I have submitted draft legislation to this chamber that would instruct the Emir to seek an agreement with other cities with significant holdings in the Trade Company to coordinate a stock buyback scheme until our cities combined gain a controlling interest in the enterprise. This would enable our Emir and the Emirs of other cities to veto any decisions such as the one that sparked this war in the future. I invite you all to read the full text of my proposition, and consider what I have said today." She paused for several seconds.
"Thank you, esteemed councilors. I yield the floor to the speaker."