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Derek Khanata	Deep in the recesses of the Genoshan Royal Palace is a meeting room recently converted for official use, serving as the Cabinet Room for the recently-solidified government. The battle for the Presidential Palace of the government-in-exile was hard fought, a room-to-room affair that has required extensive rebuilding. The blackened scar of a laser blast, cutting diagonally across the center of the mahogany table, is a mute testament to that bitter conflict. Gathered today to confer with the Master of Magnetism are two ministers, Minister of State Alda Huxley, the woman who brokered the deal for the UN's sanction of the new government; Peter Quinn, Minister of Intelligence, known as The Peeper by his detractors, and whose gigantically-disproportioned eyes make for an unsettling sight. They are joined by two of Huxley's aides, Zak Feldman, AKA Broadband, Social Media Coordinator, and Marcus Andrews, AKA Rem Ram, Psychic Pollster. Minister Huxley begins, "Thank you for joining us today: my king, Minister Quinn."
Magneto	Magneto himself always carried himself in a manner not unlike royalty. Not the figureheads of today, but the warrior-Kings and Queens of old. Even as he sat at the now royal chair, he sat with an air of pride. "Ministers." He commented, looking to everyone. "And esteemed guests." He added, giving slight nods to each. The Genoshan people normally saw Magneto in his more happy state, but in this place, he was all business. The King was dressed in a dashing suit, accompanied by his black and silver helmet.
Derek Khanata	Minister Quinn returns Huxley's nods, "I only wish it could be under better circumstances." Minister Huxley responds, "Indeed. My liege, we fear that the situation in Kenya is becoming increasingly volatile. A group of mutant freedom fighters in Somalia, the Sheyga Hiddo, has ramped up their activities in recent days in a series of violent clashes along the Somali/Kenyan border. Although they had originally focused their efforts on the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, who has long targeted mutants as abominations in the eyes of Allah, they have begun raiding into North East Kenya, and has taken to forcibly recruiting child soldiers among the human populace." "Although the Sheyga Hiddo received little international attention (despite the atrocities committed against them)," Huxley continues, "A recent report on the American news program Alt Weekly has prompted growing interest online. Both the media and a number of foreign governments are expecting our official response on the matter." The pollster, Andrews, a black African, pipes in, "The response has been mixed so far, my liege. There is a younger, angrier, more radical element both here and abroad that has been energized by this report; their dreams are of blood and conquest, and this is the fulfillment of those fantasies. Among the human population, however, there is deep-seated fears of similar atrocities being sparked here, payback for decades of colonial abuse--this is their worst nightmare come to life. Finally, the warhawks, mostly comprised of the older generation which fought to evict the Magistrates, is repelled by the Sheyga Hiddo's excesses but believes that we should back them, right or wrong."
Magneto	Pale blue eyes look from speaker to speaker as they chime in. "Child soldiers...this is what they've come to?"   T meh master of magnetism holds his fist to his chin, thinking of the situation. "We need to emphasize Sheyga Hiddo's de-escalation from child soldiers. Their cause is righteous. But we cannot abide war crimes."   Magneto looks to Huxley. "Minister, can we support these freedom fighters with any assistance from us? Negotiate a cease to their taking children for their cause?"
Derek Khanata	Minister Quinn weighs in, "If Minister Huxley will excuse me, I'll take this." Huxley nods. Quinn continues, "The Sheyga Hiddo originally constituted approximately a dozen members, my lord, which was quickly dwindling until they gained a new leader, a mutant known only as Crule, six years ago. Since then, they've had tremendous successes, pushing Al-Shabaab out of much of the region, and have become increasingly well -trained and -equipped in the process. Frankly," he pauses, his enormous goggle eyes carefully studying his king's reactions, "None of this would be possible without the recruitment of child soldiers. They simply don't have the numbers to operate without them." Feldman, the Social Media Outreach Coordinator, whose silvery skin creates a chromatic dazzle under the neon lights above says, "This thing is blowing up on Twitter, uhh, sir. As you know, our recruitment numbers have been down in recent months, especially from the United States. Public perception's a big part of it; a lot of young mutants were attracted to the revolution out of a sense of adventure, but our major industry is ore extraction, and there's a strong stigma attached; it's seen as slave labor, and no one's idea of derring do, if you catch my drift, sir. Many see the Sheyga Hiddo as the next front on the international stage in the war for mutant supremacy, and that's generating a lot of excitement. That excitement is something we could potentially tap into." Huxley clears her throat, "What my aide fails to realize is that we're in a very precarious place diplomatically; we are in the midst of hammering out several major treaties that will allow us to reestablish our place as a major shipping hub. If we act unilaterally on this thing in a public way, it will erode trust and likely set back months worth of negotiations. Until Hammer Bay begins operating at capacity once more, our national debt will continue to spiral." Minister Quinn nods gravely, "That's not the worst of it."
Magneto	A fist lands less than gently on the table in front of him. "What do we know of this 'Crule'? The answer is simple: We cannot support their methods. We will support them when and if they cease using child soldiers. Genosha is too great to risk the negatives. I will have to make an address concerning this. I want our citizens to know this wasn't reached lightly."
Derek Khanata	Minister Quinn responds, "I'm afraid that we haven't got much on Crule, sir, beyond what's in the Alt Weekly report. We have good reason to believe that foreign intelligence sources have had him on their radar for some time, but we've encountering a lot of difficulty getting their cooperation. The reasons," he pauses pointedly, "beyond the, well, beyond the obvious is that many in the international community fear that we're winning the 'psychic war', so to speak, and that interaction with our people is an opportunity for their secrets to be stolen." Quinn continues, "Before we move too quickly against the Sheyga Hiddo, liege, there is another factor which I believe you will be personally interested in. As per your request, we have continued to monitor the remnants of the so-called 'Genoshan government-in-exile'. After their retreat to the Horn of Africa, they have remained active, seeking international support. Luckily," he chuckles wryly, "they've had a hard go of it. Turns out apartheid doesn't poll well these days." "Unfortunately, however," Quinn's face darkens, "They're adapting. We've just received word that they're reorganizing their remaining Magistrates into a private military contractor, the Press Gang PMC, and have begun recruiting. Our telepaths have intercepted negotiations between the Press Gang and the Azanians--as protection from attacks by Sheyga Hiddo." Taking a pencil's eraser, Quinn absently scratches beneath his too-tight shirt collar as he continues, "The Azanians are descendants from Latveria, mercenaries who served German East Africa in the 19th century and migrated to Kenya after WWI. They've economically dominated North East Kenya since the withdrawal of the British in the early '60s, and have been particularly hard-hit by the Sheyga Hiddo. We almost certainly will see in the upcoming weeks mutant against Magistrate in the Horn of Africa, my liege." Andrews, the pollster, notes, "The Latverian connection to the Azanians should not be ignored, sir. The people of Latveria feel a strong national pride in their African cousins, who are considered historical folk-heroes for their valor in the 15th through 19th centuries. Although it is very difficult to get accurate information from Latveria, I have sensed a potent reaction to the news of their countrymen's plight. How Doom will respond, however, is anyone's guess." Andrews hesitates briefly before continuing, "I hate to bring this up, it may prove to be nothing, but we got a 'blip' in Southern Somalia a couple days ago, a powerful psychic presence in the region that the Sheyga Hiddo operate. It disappeared shortly thereafter--though it could have been masked--but registered as an Alpha Class mutant, sir. We don't yet know how it relates to the rest of the picture, if at all."
Magneto	A deep breath before he speaks. "So, you say it's damned if we do, damned if we don't."   "Gather as much intelligence as possible on the situation in Latveria. If Doom wants to step in front of our brothers, we may have to retaliate. But first, I want to know if Doom will be the diplomat, or the warlord."   Magneto brings his fingers to the forehead of his helmet, in between a rock and a hard place. "One would presume this Alpha Class mutant is working with Crule. Keep monitoring for the blip to show again. In the meantime, make plans for a royal visit to the United States. If this Alpha has shown themselves, Charles will know about it already." A slight pause, then he speaks once more. "Send messages to Thomas and William. Their grandfather wishes to see them."
Derek Khanata	"Of course, my lord," Minister Huxley offers, nodding smartly. "I've got a contact at the Latverian Embassy in New York who I can reach out to, feel them out. You'll know as soon as I do." She stands and gives Lensherr a brief bow, "My liege, my schedule just suddenly became very full--if you'll excuse us," she gestures to her aides, who are busily packing their materials, "we'll be on our way." Quinn stands as well, "I'll round up Thomas and William. One last thing before I go: unless this Alpha turns out to be the real thing, our analysts are giving the Press Gang a 70% chance of total victory against the Sheyga Hiddo--we're talking complete eradication, sir. Their methods are deplorable, but extreme conditions caused an extreme reaction. These are mutant lives we're talking about." He sighs, shaking his head wearily, and reaches out to pat Lensherr on the shoulder, "Life seemed simpler in the Mutant Force days, all those years ago. I fear we're both getting old." Quinn raises his chin, determined. Despite his disfigurement, in this moment he carries an air of dignity, "Still, I'm proud of how far we've come, and proud to have served you. Despite this crisis, I have faith that Genosha will prevail." Quinn squeezes Magneto's shoulder and straightens, "I'll be off, with your leave, my liege." He bows formally.