it would be better for her if she had never been born - Epilogue: Lilia, Alex
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"I'm not - gearing up -" ...maybe he is gearing up. He's not sure what 'gearing up' is. "I mean, I don't have a war planned. It just wouldn't be wise to have no weapons for the army if a war did start."

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"Mhm. So you want at least as many as Cyprian, who's the one who you think is going to start the next war, right? And Cyprian sees an Iomedean theocracy to the north, making guns for the worldwound, and an Iomedean theocracy in Lastwall making guns for Ustalav, and an Iomedean theocracy in Andoran making guns to shoot slavers, and an Iomedean theocracy in Cheliax making guns just for the heck of it and maybe he's worried that he's got to have just as many guns as you lot… or at least enough guns to fully equip his army, which he can't downsize too much because of all the people with guns surrounding him."

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"That's - we're not going to declare war on Cyprian!"

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"Not even if he invades the rest of the river kingdoms? Brevoy? Druma? Mendev? Molthune?"

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"...Maybe then."

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"So either he gives up on war entirely - which I don't expect - or he has to be ready to fight you, and you have to be ready to fight him - and you're all going to have machine guns, and airplanes, and dynamite, and - artillery guns aren't complicated, I'm sure you'll all have those too even if I refuse to make any. And then - I don't know. Ten million people will die? Maybe more? Maybe less, just because there's not as many people around to die. It's going to be very bad."

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"How sure are you? Do you know if there's a way to stop it, or make it - less bad...?"

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"I don't know! I'm not a general! I'm not a politician! I'm just someone who half-remembers her American world history classes and brought this world all the weapons of World War One because we thought there was a horrible necromancer taking over the planet who needed to be stopped! And - Infernal Cheliax was also very bad and also needed to be stopped. I'm glad we did it. But I don't actually know how to build a peace or stop a world war or even whether that war is as inevitable as it feels… don't have a bunch of secret alliances. And don't blow up any Australian Archdukes. And no… unrestricted underwater warfare, wow, I bet Golarion has that already even though there's no underwater ships - that's - really all I've got and I don't know if any of it will even help."

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"...Are you okay?"

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"I might be the worst mass-murderer since - well probably there's someone else between now and Earthfall but not someone I've heard of."

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"I think that's judging yourself too harshly."

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"Say that again after the war… This is really giving me a visceral appreciation for the Nobel Peace Prize."

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"I'm hoping there will be no war. What's a Nobel Peace Prize?"

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"It's - the man who invented dynamite felt really guilty about it and set up a fund to give a bunch of money and prestige to whoever does the most to…make the world peaceful, I guess - each year. According to a committee…There was a big fuss about them giving it to Obama when he hadn't done anything yet... I don't think eternal peace tends to last but I sincerely wish you the best with that. But today you're not here for peace, you're here to ask me to build you guns."

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"Yes."

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"When are the first elections?"

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"Hm?"

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"The first elections. In Cheliax. When are they?"

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"I don't know. We haven't decided what form the Chelish government will take, in the long run, and even if we were sure we wanted a republic the Chelish people aren't ready for that..."

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"Well that's my price. Plan for a republic. Set a date. It can be a few years out, it can even be a couple decades out, but plan for a republic, set a date for elections, and make an announcement."

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"I think you want me to move faster than is wise, on that -"

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"I think democracies don't usually start wars with each other. So that's my price for handing out guns."

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"Cheliax has guns already. The government doesn't, but there's private arms manufacturers who are learning… It's not just about Cheliax being armed, it's also about the Reclamation being armed and not having all the gun manufacture in the hands of the old nobility."

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"Uh huh. The Henderthanes don't have steel at scale, they don't have smokeless powder, yet - I know they'll get there eventually, but for now - building you the factories you want would be giving the new Cheliax significant capabilities. Set a date."

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Alfirin is being a stubborn child who has no idea how thoroughly unsuited the people of Cheliax are to rule over anything right now. She probably doesn't have the leverage to actually force Cheliax to be a democracy  "I'll think on it…will you help us set up some non-military factories, in the meantime?"

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