Country Roads [China-SRA]

[Cataphrak]

A small honour guard and military band awaited Congresswoman Kaur's plane as it touched down at Kai-Tak airport, yet at the head of it was not the newly-inaugurated Premier, as had been expected.

Instead, a face more familiar to those versed in Chinese internal politics stood on the tarmac. Perhaps The Widow's presence was entirely due to her own new portfolio as Foreign Minister.

Or perhaps she too, was making a show of things, a sign that whatever her official title might be, she was still the real power behind the Socialist Party, and the government which it yet dominated.

[Markus Wilding]

Kaur descended the plane with little fanfare, except the Chinese band which immediately opened up on a tear-rendering edition of The International. Her own guard consisted of little more than a handful of 82nd Airborne soldiers that looked more bored with the environs than anything else. Kaur herself scanned the airport's tarmac and smiled as she headed over to former-Premier-now-Foreign Minister Song. "Thank you for hosting me in your country," she said. "I hope that this is the beginning of a new era in Sino-American relations."

[Cataphrak]

The Widow smiled, not the chilly grin which so often graced rooms full of men who she did not either like or respect, but a genuine one, the smile of an old woman welcoming an honoured guest into her home.

Or the pitch-perfect mimicry of a seasoned diplomat.

"The wealth of China has always been open to those who would deal honestly with its peoples, Madame Congresswoman. My government would certainly be very pleased if we could one day count the SRA among them."

[Markus Wilding]

"It's my sincere hope that the perception of America can be rehabilitated with my administration," Kaur replied. "I don't expect it to be overnight of course, but anything that redeems America in the eyes of the world is something I'm willing to undertake."

[Cataphrak]

"I will be blunt with you, Congresswoman. My country does not lend itself to trust easily," The Widow replied as the two of them were ushered into a waiting diplomatic car. "The cause of the current breach between our governments was not the first time a diplomat had come from across the sea bearing promises in ill-faith. It is not even the second, or the third in this past century. The people of China are used to being betrayed by the people of the Western Powers, doubly so by the people of America, who have so often pretended to be friends while enriching themselves. The fact that the preceding administrations of your government have chosen not to defy this pattern only seems to prove that it is the American people, not its capitalist class, who are inherently inclined to betrayal."

She gave the American a sad little look then, a surprisingly unguarded thing. Perhaps the younger woman still held the illusions of what her country was, the way she once did, more than half a century ago, during another brief period when the Americans had pretended friendship.

"If you are earnest in your intentions, and I hope you are, then you have my best wishes. But I suspect that even if you win your election, the work of rebuilding the trust your predecessors have squandered will outlive your administration."

[Markus Wilding]

"I'll admit that previous administrations have tarnished America's reputation abroad, and I don't expect to change anything within just my own administration. Watching as Atlanta tossed away allies and potential friends like wet paper towels is part of why I'm running, and I suspect why the New York Times is so dead-set against me. I'd like to hope that my administration will mark a change in American politics and set the example for future administrations. But, the future is a long way off, isn't it?"

[Cataphrak]

The Widow smiled again. "For you, perhaps. Even in the best case, how your efforts will be regarded on this side of the Pacific will be something for my successors to ponder - assuming they are not undone by whoever follows you."