London
Prime Minister Timothy Roberts looked over the Earl - he was a tall man with a scar over his right eye. He appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s and of a sage nature. "Welcome to London, Earl Kelly."
"Thank you - Prime Minister?" the man replied.
"Yes, that's me - Prime Minister Roberts at your service. I hope the journey went well."
"Ah yes, it was lovely. I have seen so many sights here, that I could only dream of before - like this incredible piece of machinery." He gestured at the train behind him.
"Well, they were only possible with our ancestors' blood, sweat and tears. We are incredibly proud of our nation and wish for it to live on evermore. Come on, we need to get going."
"Your men told me that we're, is that correct?"
"Yes - we'll meet His Majesty as well as members of the government there."
"Okay, let's get going."
As they left the station surrounded by members of the Royal Guard and the Metropolitan Police, reporters swarmed in but were held back by police officers. Timothy got into a car with the Earl so they could talk on the short drive to Buckingham Palace. They drove out of the station and headed west, across the river.
The towering buildings numbed the Earl, but as they got onto Westminster Bridge, he gasped in surprise, "Wow, is that Buckingham Palace, it's so magnificent?"
Timothy chuckled, "No - that's just the Palace of Westminster, where the members of parliament meet. And that's Elizabeth Tower - although most people know it as Big Ben."
"It's all so... magnificent."
"Well it's over 150 years old - or at least this one is. The original was built almost 1000 years ago but was unfortunately destroyed in a fire."
After they had crossed the bridge, they continued and drove past St James Park and Wellington Barracks. Finally, they arrived at Buckingham Palace, the gold statue front and centre.
"Now that's a palace. It's much greater than any castle that we have in Brawam."
Rows of the King's Guard lined the street as they drove through the large gates, and stood at attention, not moving a millimetre.
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"Your men are so well-trained, they complement your military might well."
Timothy smiled at that, "We pride ourselves on the immense training that our troops undergo. They're the best-trained soldiers in the world. Quality is much more important than quality."
"That's true, the Icherus Empire destroyed 150,000 of Baemor's troops with just 60,000 men. It showcased the might of the empires to the rest of the world. And they have 500,000 men to boot."
"That's impressive, how well equipped are they?"
"They use the (M1854) Jäger rifle, like the Exogia Empire and the counterpart to Vokrelum's Pattern (1853). Although, they are no match for the Amel Empire's Lee Enfield Rifle Mk III. They can fire up to 30 rounds every minute. That is a massive increase compared to the 3 rounds per minute for the others." The Earl looked as if he were in deep admiration.
"Have you seen our guns?"
"Yes, they seem very formidable as well, more comparable to the Amel Empire's than the others. I haven't seen any in use, however"
"Yes, well our main rifle - the LA85A3 - can deliver up to 775 rounds per minute and weigh less than 5 kilograms. The new rifle that the Royal Marines are being equipped with weighs only 3 kilograms. Do you think that sounds any good?"
"That's incredible. Can I see a demonstration?"
"Of course, after this meeting, I can arrange for one."
They got out of the car and Timothy saw the King standing there with his family and many government ministers.
"His Majesty George the Third, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith welcomes you to the UK," someone spoke out.
The King extended his hand, and the Earl shook it, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"It's quite alright, and pardon the long introduction, I have a lot of titles under my belt."
Timothy then said, "Let's go inside now, we have an important meeting to attend."
The King nodded, "Of course, follow me."
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The Goring
"Ronan, what do you think?" Earl Oliver Kelly asked one of his fellow diplomats.
"It's incredible, Sir. This nation is greater than anything I could have imagined. If we could get them to help us against Skipia, we could become the fifth Empire due to trade with them. They are much greater than even the Amel Empire, they could conquer all of Vuphera."
The Earl replied, "I agree, it's almost unbelievable. We need to forge good relations with them. They said that in return for exclusive excavation rights for certain materials, they would build new infrastructure to support us. Also, they would sign a mutual defence treaty with us. Do you think it's worth it?"
"Of course, Sir. The things that they offer are too good to be passed on."
"Good, our opinions on the matter are the same. I must right back to the Royal Council in Barwan about this, and convince them to agree to these favourable conditions. There will inevitably be people that wish to block this though, they are going to be hard to get this past."
"If the King can be convinced, everyone else will fall in line."
"I'm not so sure Rowan, the pro-war faction has been brewing trouble for a long time, and His Majesty's hold has been weakening. This could be the breaking point for Barwan, it might start a civil war that our neighbours won't be able to help but intercede in."
"Surely the pro-war faction would want to ally with a really powerful nation."
"You would think so, but very few nobles in Barwan care for anything over than their interests."
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting the tense scene, "Room service."