Chapter 32

A round table dominated the conference room in the Norbulingka Palace, one of the Palaces of the Dali Lama in Lhasa. Every place had a seat except one, where a raised platform stood. Ninian looked at the room seeing every allied leader he had meet in the previous two weeks. He finally relented and transferred to the I Imperial Legion, based at Castrum Monticellorum. Officially, his duties were to be a liaison between Cornelius, as Ninian began to think of Domitus, and the MCC. In reality, he was learning how to be an Imperator. Any meeting Cornelius went into Ninian was there, listening and asking questions later. Now here he was, sitting along the wall at the Peace Talks to end the Global War.

The room was filled with leaders from both Rome's allies and enemies. Tenskwatawa, the Supreme Chief of the Confederation of Tribes, stood talking with Kiah, the Senate President of the Republic of Australia. Tenskwatawa had the front part of his head shaved. His hair in the back hung loose with a few feathers braided in. Other than that, he wore a regular suit. Kiah wore a regular business suit with skirt and jacket that set off her dark skin and lighter hair.

Kiah looked over the shoulder of Tenskwatawa, nodding her head at Ninian in recognition. Tenskwatawa noticed and turned his head to do the same. Both leaders came from a nation composed of Tribes, Tenskwatawa a Shawnee and Kiah a Wathaurung from the Kulin Alliance. Both nations kept their customs, but lived in the modern world.

The Japanese Empress, Suzume Nana, the first Empress of Japan, sat talking with Grand Duke Isidor Alexeevich Romanov, the brother of Alexi III, Tsar of Russia. Suzume wore a light pink dress with hat. Isidor wore his military uniform. Neither noticed Ninian or Cornelius, as both were deep in conversation.

On the other side of the room, the nations that opposed Rome and her allies sat or stood. Ninian recognized the leader of the Mexican Empire, Tlatoani Iccauhtl. They held all of the land south of the Confederation. Essentially, the Confederation held the Northern continent, while the Mexican Empire held the Southern continent. He wore a wide feather headdress for his crown and a business suit. Legend says that it was worn my Montezuma II, the Tlatoani that started the conquests to the south.

Itumeleng Kgosi, the representative from Aksum, sat by himself. What little the IIA could get on him said he was one of the Elders of the Resistance.

The last woman leader, Queen Karoline Alexander, sat talking with the Mongolian Emperor, Khagan Dáguān. Karoline wore a light blue pantsuit. You could tell that she took after her Viking ancestors. Dáguān wore a military uniform, but looked weird with his long hair and thin mustache. Sultan Khayri Abd-al-aziz bin Farooq talked with Imam Ikraam Ziyad bin Izz-al-Din of Parthia. Their two nations were longtime enemies, but now talking like old friends. Somehow, it bothered Ninian.

A bell sounded and all of the leaders or representatives stood by their chair around the round table, waiting for their host to arrive. All of the attendants stood by their chairs along the wall. Through a doorway came a man dressed in yellow and red robes. He had short white hair and wore glasses. The 15^th Dali Lama, Jangbu Gyaltso, walked in and bowed to the assembled room.

"Fellow leaders, honored representatives, let us begin these talks so that peace can once again come to the world," said the Dali Lama, "I ask that a moment of silence be had so you can pray to your respective deities."

Ninian took the moment to pray that these talks work so his children wouldn't have to go through what he did.

"Thank-you. Now shall we begin? I am told that each side has elected a negotiator, Imperator Domitus for his side and Sultan Khayri for the other.

"Imperator Domitus, Sultan Khayri has a proposal, would you listen to it?"

Therefore, the talks began. Ninian felt insulted by the first offer, to go back to what it was before to war began. Domitus said this would be the first offer and to not show what he was thinking, but inside all Ninian could think about was Fedlimid and Iodocus.

After some weeks of this, the Dali Lama suggested that everyone return in two months after talking with his or her allies. By this point, they had been there for a month in a half and tempers were getting hot. The second session proved to be the one. Domitus told Ninian one night after a session that this was how negotiations really worked. That you wanted to other side to walk away hurting, but still happy.

After a month, the agreements were now in the hands of the lawyers. The leaders would approve the wording, along with any other politicians needed. When all of the approvals came through and the final signing date was set, Ninian let out the breath he did not know he was holding.