LazarusBoard

Leonism wrote:

"Please read me the letter one more time, Jani". Untergeneral Johann Jaspers, Ambassador to Loftegen 2, looked at his secretary, a local woman actually named "Janina", but shortened to "Jani" in line with the Loftegen preference for four letter names. Jani was the daughter of a woman who had emigrated from the Imperium when Jani was just a toddler, and remarried a man from Altenburg. Since Johann had hired her three months ago, she had proved more valuable in getting accustomed with the locals than any adviser or other staff he had been sent from faraway Leestcheck.

He also liked her workmanlike behaviour, she was down to earth and got things done quickly, without making any fuss. In that she reminded him of the woman Johann was writing to. Jani read aloud:

To: Mary Rose, Undersecretary of Lazarene Affairs
From: Untergeneral Johann Jaspers, Ambassador of the Imperium of Leonism

Dear Mary,
I am pleased to inform you that our pilots have taken a great liking to your Air Forces' Viper BT.3 fighter bombers. They have convinced our General Staff to inquire with your government about the purchase of 4 BT.3 and 12 B.7 aircraft, to replace our aging B18 medium bombers.
If the aircraft prove satisfactory upon further evaluation by the Luftwaffe, a larger order of up to 300 B.7s and BT.3s may follow. The Imperium would probably buy an initial batch outright and then build the remaining aircraft under license, if permitted to do so.

This letter constitutes a letter of intent to initiate the purchasing process, please forward it to those responsible for making such decisions about major Arms exports in Loftegen. I will be the main point of contact for all responses and can answer on behalf of the Imperial government in Leestcheck.

Best regards,
Johann

Jani's German was excellent, with only a hint of an Altenburg accent that actually made her speech more interesting. Johann was satisfied. "It's fine. You can send it as it is."

"Jawohl, Herr Untergeneral" she said. Johann hated it when she addressed him this way. But she was obviously trying to maintain a professional relationship. It had already been difficult to convince her that he was not messing with her when he had explained to her during Jani's first few days on the job that people did not usually wear any kind of business attire at work, with few exceptions. Jani had dressed in a very formal style when she began working at the embassy. Only once she saw high ranking Imperials, including Johann himself, appear at the embassy in shorts and sandals during the hot summer days did she finally yield and dress casually herself.

What she had yet to get used to was wearing a rank badge on her clothing, like all of the Imperials did. Johann had said she'd otherwise not look like belonging to the staff. He had given her a Tribun badge, in line with the pay she received, which was somewhere between decent and generous.

Usually she removed the badge first thing after getting off work in the afternoon, but her friends had already made fun of her on two occasions where she had forgotten about it when she met them. They had called her with made-up Imperial ranks such as Ober-General-Präfekt, which had the effect of her growing more protective of the Imperium.

She had already gotten into heated discussions about her allegiance with her mother, who had called the Imperium an oppressive regime. Her mother was not convinced when Jani explained that her mother's experiences were made at a time long before Imperator Konsul Leo I. had greatly liberalized and democratised Leonism. They tried to avoid the topic ever since, which was difficult, given Jani's job.

Luckily, her friends where less critical about it and by and large supported her, despite the occasional jokes.