San Alto Civil War (MT, Closed, TG for Entry Attn S. Benson)

[San Monteriano]

San Alto.
One of numerous colonies of the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano. Founded by Isabella the Great, the port was quickly developed by the many colonists, traders and merchants seeking new homes. A relatively small colony in size, San Alto is home to dozens of renown olive ranches and vineyards which dominated the colony's countryside back in its heyday. However, under the harsh, scorching sunlight, the settlers surrendered, letting the native people of the colony continue their work. In 1979, with a population of roughly 7, 200,000, the Grand Duchy offered semi-autonomy to San Alto, allowing the country to maintain its own semi-independent government. However, in a last-minute deal, San Monteriano demanded claim to mine the colony's oil-rich shores and coasts. The people's representative of San Alto accepted the arrangement and several oil rigs were constructed immediately. In early 2011, under new Prime Minister Giorgio Napolitano, the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano announced the "decolonization" of San Alto and began withdrawing its nationals, assets and most importantly, forces, from San Alto. The oil rigs were arranged to be dismantled and their building materials reused, but San Monteriano has not given a specific demolition date for the oil rigs, which continue to sit in the seas surrounding the nation's shores, untouched. However, the innocent people of San Alto, on the eve of their independence, are about to experience the worst...


San Alto "Handover" Ceremony
Verezia, Capital of San Alto
San Alto

Crowds of thousands of spectators had gathered in Unione Piazza, or 'Union Square' in English. The park was the most-impressive public area in all of San Alto, however, compared to that of San Monteriano, it was nothing. The large, industrious fountain sprayed water onto the sun-kissed pavement around it as the crowds looked upon a make-shift wooden stage covered in a massive flag of San Monteriano. Behind the stage-mounted podium stood the Grand Duchess, Caterina D'Medici, as she prepared for her independence speech:

It has been exactly seven-hundred and forty two years this day since the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano founded this island.

Throughout our entwined histories, our two peoples have communicated and we have ruled over you. But now, on the day of your independence, I stand here, before you, to apologize for the mistreatment of your people by the hands of my ancestors. Cruelty of any degree is against humanity itself, and we, the people of San Monteriano, are truly sorry for the cruelty and injustice this colony has endured under our rule. This day signifies the event when our two countries part ways from each other, severing the tyrannical bonds between our peoples. I am proud to give this gift: freedom. The freedom to choose who you want, the ability to create your own diplomatic ties and flourish. My subjects you are no longer, but free men and women who may choose what to do next. The fate of your nation is in your hands, do not fear, do not be scared, but be triumphant in this victory of your independence!

A loud roar of cheers, laughter and applause followed the Grand Duchess's speech as she waved to the crowds below her. As usual, she wore white to symbolize her purity and goodness; she looked like a goddess in the sunlight. Now, the Transitional Government Authority would now take control of the nation under General Ramos Allegri until elections could be held. In the former-Governor's Palace, now Presidential Palace, a luxurious party of satin and wine would be held in the honour of independence, celebration and victory. As this moment happened, the three-ship defence fleet of San Alto left its national waters, symbolizing the withdrawal of San Monteriano presence on the colony...

[The State of Monavia]

OOC: My presence here has been requested by South Benson. I am leaving my IC reply open-ended so that there is more room for people to get on board.

---

May 30, 2011
12:00 P.M.

Office of Minister Frank Carter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chalcedon, Monavia

It was not every day that news of another country’s founding, independence, re-founding, annexation, occupation, partition, or dissolution was received by the Ministry. Of the number of such events which took place a not insignificant portion of them escaped the Ministry’s notice. Yet, while this state of affairs was not entirely relished by some, it had to be accommodated. The Monavian Empire had ended a two-decade-long period of isolation in 2006, and even after the passage of almost five years since then, the Ministry, however well-funded and equipped it was, could not handle every single occurrence which affected the status of another nation’s sovereignty. The responsibility of recognizing foreign nations fell to the Crown, and the Crown was not omnipresent. It had to choose a limited number of objectives for its agenda from a larger number of possible endeavors.

The new status of independence, and thus that of national sovereignty that had been conferred on San Alto did not arrive in the form of an official announcement on the part of its provisional government, or a diplomatic cable destined for Chalcedon. The exact manner of how the independence of San Alto became known to the Ministry is not what is important. What is important about this event is that there was a response from the Crown.

At nine o’clock on the morning of May 30, Minister Carter received a briefing concerning the events of the previous day in regard to San Alto. He compiled a report from what information he could obtain, including intelligence from electronic networks. Around noon he arranged a special meeting with the Crown to inform them of the exact details of what he had learned.

Picking up a receiver from the telephone on his desk, Carter placed a call to the switchboard of the Royal Residence. Several rings later, he was connected to the office of the Royal Secretary, Richard Jackson.

“Good day, Mr. Secretary.”

Recognizing Carter by his familiar voice, Jackson replied in his usual mellow manner. “Thank you, Minister. I take it that you have some special business?”

“I do.”

“What would that be?”

“I have received word of an important political development abroad. I need to brief the king and queen about it as soon as an opportunity arises.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“It can.”

“I can arrange for you to brief them tomorrow at ten. Is that acceptable?”

“Would nine o’clock be possible?”

“No. Nine-thirty, however, is possible.”

“Good. I will speak with them tomorrow morning at nine-thirty.”

“I will inform them immediately.”

“Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Good bye.”

“Good bye.”

Carter and Jackson both hung up and proceeded with the implementation of the remainder of their daily schedules. The next day had special meaning in historical terms, and what exactly this meaning was remained to be seen.

---

May 31, 2011
9:30 A.M.

Cabinet Chamber
Royal Residence
Chalcedon, Monavia

Carter entered the palace through the east side entrance and traversed part of the east gallery to reach the south entrance to the Cabinet Chamber. He entered through an arched set of doors, framed on the outside with lacquered oak.

The cabinet chamber was a large, rectangular room, about forty feet long and twenty in width. It was constructed so that the long walls were on the east and west sides and the short ones were on the south and the north. Dominating this vast space was a colossal walnut table with sufficient seating for thirty people and a pair of enormous paintings hanging on the west wall. An imposing fireplace lay between the two paintings. Opposite them were six arched windows, framed with travertine and pale alabaster, the latter of which resembled the floor and columns in the front rooms of the palace. The floor was tiled with large squares of polished white travertine, which was slightly lighter than the color of the window frames on the interior. Set into arched frames in the short walls at either end of the room were pairs of walnut doors.

Already present was the king, His Holy Imperial Majesty Charles IX, seated on one side of the table. Without many other people present, use of the head of said table did not appear to be his priority. He sat several seats removed from that position. Adjacent to him was Her Holy Imperial Majesty Elizabeth VI. Both had been there for all of a few minutes before Carter’s arrival, so they had not been waiting for very long.

Minister Carter took his seat at the table, pulled some files out of his briefcase, and began the briefing. “Your Holy Imperial Majesties, it has come to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a political development of much significance has taken place no more than two days ago. A country known as the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano had apparently set up colonies in the distant past. One such colony, San Alto, has been granted independence as of May 29.”

“This former colony is now formally independent, correct?” inquired the queen.

“It is. Currently it is operating under a transitional government in the form of a ruling council presided over by a general by the name of…” Carter paused briefly as he glanced down at one of the pages of his briefing. “The general is named Ramos Allegri. I don’t know anything else about him.”

The king was now curious about why Carter was even including the independence of this former colony in his briefing, or why he had chosen to reschedule the briefing for this day and not wait for a few more until the time at which he would have delivered his normal briefing. “Why does this issue merit attention?” he asked flatly.

“At this stage in its history the government of San Alto is still in formation. They are politically malleable and more likely to be accepting of proposals for international cooperation. If we offer them some diplomatic recognition, which I have no doubts that they will need very much to ensure that they are not vulnerable to foreign influences which they may deem hostile, they could possibly be more inclined to entertain thoughts of bilateral treaties. In more clear-cut terms, we could gain another friend, trading partner, and possibly an ally in another part of the world. It certainly does not hurt our interests if we have a new partner willing to trade goods with us.”

“We could, using that line of reasoning, offer to protect their merchant shipping and trading operations within our sphere of influence if they agree to reciprocate, protecting our trade in their part of the world.”

“A mutual defense pact, perhaps?”

“We’re thinking too many moves ahead,” the queen interjected. “At the present we need to focus on cultivating some good relations with them before we can even realistically consider them friends. For all we know, their government could be viewing friendship with other nations as merely a means to an end and thus can only be trusted some of the time.”

“We do, however, agree that it is prudent to offer them diplomatic recognition. I see no harm in taking this step.”

The discussion continued for some time, dragging on for another half hour. A decision had been reached.

---

2:00 P.M.

Recognition of foreign nations did not require any complicated procedures, but the Crown was not going to take such a step until a press conference had been held. The conference, scheduled for five o’clock, would include an announcement of the Crown’s intentions.

Official recognition was due to be put in writing and sent to San Alto the next day, but for now, the organization of the press conference was the top priority being addressed. An actual letter would be drafted that night and revised in the morning so that a satisfactory reply would be ready in a timely manner. In the meantime, other governments were also preparing to respond to the independence of San Alto.

[South Benson]

About half a year had passed since John Anderson, former Prime Minister, was voted out by the parliament, after it was reviled he planned to depose the government of Hartmore, and was giving them unfair return on their oil being sold through South Benson. Taking the place of John Anderson until what would have been his term end, was a fairly young aspiring politician named Andrew Barrett. Barrett was younger then his predecessor, 45, while John was 61 when he was impeached. He had brown hair, which was neatly combed to the side, and wore a black suit. Barrett, while being from the Conservative party, was much more informal and liberal than his predecessor from the National Democratic Party. The entire Hartmore scandal had shocked the nation, got John impeached, and resulted in all around embarrassment and shame for South Benson. However, whether the nation wanted it or not, South Benson was now a regional player, and Barret was appointed partly for his realism on the issue, that South Benson will exert its influence on regional affairs, but will attempt to do so in a way that will benefit, or at least not harm the people of other nations. A core tenet of this new policy was the spreading of Republicanism where it was deemed applicable. The San Alto issue, would be a real test of South Benson's foreign policy, and its diplomatic leadership.

---

Barrett sat in the thick leather chair, with a shot of whiskey in his hand. Sitting across from him was foreign affairs minister, Andrew Blake. Blake was one of the few members of the cabinet, to survive the deposing of his former president. He was retained because it was deemed he could still be of use to the administration, especially as the only foreign affairs minister in South Benson's history to have actual experience with dealing with other regimes. They were sitting across each other, with a small wooden coffee table between them, in one of the various rooms of the government house. The room was not very large, eight meters long, and six meters wide, with two rectangular windows looking out onto the lawn below. The walls were a typical walnut study type paneling, which reflected the soft yellow lights, to create a calm atmosphere, especially on a night like this . Blake, spoke up

“Have you heard about the situation in San Alto?” Blake asked

“I have so, I was watching it on the television last night, and I think you mentioned it a few times in your briefing yesterday,” Barrett replied.

“I bring it up, because I think this can turn into something much more than just a simple decolonization”

Barrett sat back and loosened himself up more. “What do you mean 'something more'?”

“Barrett, if you read history, you know decolonization are usually messy blunders. In the best cases, nothing more then some legal blunder, in the worst.....”
Blake paused for a moment
“at its worst, it can lead to civil war and power struggles”

“I see, I remember hearing about many decolonization as a child, and remembering how many turned to war. But what can and what should we do about this? San Alto is soon to be a free independent country, we have no control over them.”

“Barrett, this fits in perfectly with our hands off doctrine, and our semi idealistic foreign policy. Much like we did in Hartmore, foreign powers may view San Alto as an 'easy target,' especially considering its vast reserves of oil and other resources. Naturally, big resource starved nations want these resources, and often resort to less then honorable means to achieve them. I find it totally within the realm of possibility that a coup could bring to power a right wing military Junta, which will challenge our interests in the region, and oppress its people.”

“What exactly should we do then?”

“Barrett, what I would do first, is recognize the independence of San Alto, and establish diplomatic relations. While I think we should allow them the right to choose their own destiny, we should definitely monitor the situation. I would like you to authorize the intelligence ministry to create assets in San Alto.”

Barrett pondered this request for a moment, and then replied,
“Blake, I approve of your request, and I think as a show of force, we should offer their new government a loan to boost their economy, as well as have the president go there on a goodwill mission. I admit I am not as well studied as you in international affairs, so for all practical purposes, you have free reign.”

“Im glad you see it my way,” Blake said smiling

“Now when are you going to do it?”

“When I finish my damn cigar”

Both men laughed at this display of seemingly unexplainable humor, and moved onto small talk.

[The State of Monavia]

May 31, 2011
4:58 P.M.

Pressroom
Royal Residence
Chalcedon, Monavia

Scores of reporters, camera operators, equipment technicians, and journalists filled a rectangular neoclassical pressroom located at the southeast corner of the palace’s first floor. Including the security personnel and a few others, there were more than 150 people seated or standing inside the spacious room, each awaiting the Crown’s latest press announcement.

The press secretary, thirty-eight-year-old Sarah Ivanovna Saratov, was brief in her introduction of the Crown’s announcement. As she mounted the platform and approached the podium, a faint glow seemed to enter into her expression. She was announcing an infrequent occurrence, the announcement that another nation would be recognized by the Monavian Empire. Such news was always positive to her.

“Good evening. I have the distinct pleasure of introducing their Holy Imperial Majesties as they prepare to make a statement about a new diplomatic development in a neighboring region. San Alto, a former colony of another country, has been granted independence and will be officially recognized tomorrow.

“Because this announcement will be quite brief, their Holy Imperial Majesties will not be taking any questions because they will be leaving immediately to draft the articles of recognition tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty Charles IX and Her Majesty Elizabeth VI.”

After descending from the platform located at the east end of the room, the press secretary took her seat in the front row and watched as a pair of figures quietly glided through the north side doors and up the side aisle towards the east end of the room. Her Holy Imperial Majesty the queen motioned for her husband to stop short of the platform so that she could advance up the steps. After both proceeded in single file up its few stairs, the announcement began.

“Good evening. Two days ago, on May 29, the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano granted independence to its former colony of San Alto. ” The directness with which the queen had intoned this opening had quite an impact on the reporters. Murmurs nearly erupted in several quarters, the result of some excitement on the part of some of them.

“Details are lacking at the present, due to the new transitional government’s decision not to make an announcement of statehood yet. The new leader, General Ramos Allegri, will be contacted through the appropriate channels to inform him that his new government is to be recognized, effective tomorrow at noon.

“Questions regarding any developments will be deferred until tomorrow, as there is really nothing else I can say at this time. As I said before, details are still forthcoming from the new government of San Alto. Good night.” The queen’s statement was now over.

She walked off the platform, a stage of sorts though a small one, and walked out of the room with the king, who had not said anything during the press conference. There was little to say, but moreover, he felt that it was wise to let his wife do all of the talking while he appeared in a good light for the cameras. The newspapers would likely contain short articles by the next morning that described the conference, but for now, media issues could wait. They had a declaration to draft.

---

June 1, 2011
9:30 A.M.

Office of Minister Frank Carter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chalcedon, Monavia

Carter pushed aside a stray lock of hair as he pored over the final version of the letter he would be sending to San Alto. The official declaration of recognition would be delivered at a press conference that morning at eleven-thirty, but Carter would be sending out a notice that the declaration was delivered in addition to an actual written copy. A second copy of each would be faxed to the appropriate destination is possible, and another would be kept in the Ministry’s archives.

The declaration took only a half hour to draft the previous night, was revised only a little as it had but a few places where improvements could be made, and then was tabled until the next morning, when it was given a final inspection for revision before being engrossed and prepared for delivery. The king had leaked a copy to Carter via courier so that he could use it in writing his letter and then send it off. Soon after receiving it at quarter past nine, he wrote out his letter and looked it over.

At five minutes past ten, the finished letter has been sealed and handed to a courier for delivery. Now all he had to do was wait for two things. First was the press conference at eleven-thirty. Following that was a possible response from the government of San Alto.

When the letter finally arrived, its contents, if revealed, would have read thus:

May 31, 2011

To General Ramos Allegri, chief of state of the Transitional Government Authority of San Alto,

General:

I am pleased to inform you that as of yesterday the Monavian government has received notice of your country’s new status as a self-governing sovereign political entity as a result of its new independence. As a result of this development, the Crown has chosen to recognize the sovereignty of San Alto and its transitional government, effective noon today.

An official declaration of recognition has been engrossed for publication and will be presented to the public at eleven-thirty today. Enclosed is a copy of said declaration for your records.

Sincerely,

The Right Honorable Frank Carter
Minister of Foreign Affairs

ENCLOSURE

[South Benson]

Andrew Blake sat at his desk, his thin rimmed glasses up to his eyes, as his focus was on the wood desk in front of him. He sat, and wrote on beautiful white cream paper, with the coat of arms of South Benson on the top. Blake had been tasked with contacting the transitional government of San Alto, and trying to win them over, including the use of generous offers. Once the letter was complete, Blake moved quickly, and scanned it into the fax machine, sending one copy to the transitional government, and one copy to the ministry of records, where no doubt it would be copied even more. The letter enclosed read as so:

Diplomatic Communication of the Republic of South Benson

To: The Transitional Government of San Alto
From: The Government of South Benson
Subject: Independence
Encrypted: No

South Benson with the sending of this letter, hereby formally recognizes the Independence of San Alto, which will be officially recognized at midnight. South Benson has taken interest in your nation, and to help guide your nation on the right path, would like to send our Prime Minister for trade talks, and offer up a ten million dollar interest free loan to San Alto. We hope South Benson and San Alto can help further the cause of freedom and prosperity around the region, by working together.


Foreign Affairs Minister

[San Monteriano]

The Presidential Residence
The City Municipal of San d'Oria
San Alto Republic

General Ramos Allegri, a balding, middle-aged man, slumped in the red leather chair which stood in between Allegri's paper-covered desk and the balcony which looked out onto the small port area and the vast beaches of the city. He chewed on a Cuban cigar as he reviewed the diplomatic letters and messages he had received since the declaration of independence. He sighed tiresomely, flicking another folder closed and tossing it aside to read the message from Monavia first. He read it first, and then decided to reply to the letter. "Esperanza!" He shouted, calling for his secretary on the other side of the tall door separating his office from the small lobby and reception. After a few seconds, an ageing, obese Hispanic woman entered, hunching behind the door. "Yes, Mr. Allegri?" She asked innocently, looking at the chief of state with a mixture of doubt that he would achieve anything in his office.

"Please, sit, senora, I have a letter which needs typing."

Presidential Residence, San d'Oria
The Democratic Republic of San Alto
The Office of the Chief of State

---

Official Diplomatic Communiqué from the Chief of State
The Democratic Republic of San Alto
From: General Ramos Allegri | To: Minister Frank Carter | Subject: Recognition

Mr. Frank Carter,

We appreciate and accept your national recognition of our newly formed republic. Our independence from the Grand Duchy of San Monteriano marks a new, prosperous era in our histories and we, the People of San Alto, look forward to further diplomacy with your nation, Monovia. With this, the Chief of State of San Alto invites you to his residence, the Presidential Residence in the capital, San d'Oria, for a banquet and celebratory parade through our capital. I hope yourself, or a representative of your government, can attend this function, which has been arranged in two days time.

We hope to hear from you soon,
General Ramos Rastaban Allegri, I.P
Chief of State, The Democratic Republic of San Alto

After the first message was typed out, the General dictated another message to his secretary, this one to Benson.

Presidential Residence, San d'Oria
The Democratic Republic of San Alto
The Office of the Chief of State

---

Official Diplomatic Communiqué from the Chief of State
The Democratic Republic of San Alto
From: General Ramos Allegri | To: Minister Andrew Blake | Subject: Talks

Mr. Andrew Blake,

We appreciate your recognition of our new independent state and look forward to these talks. We are holding a banquet and parade in two-days time to celebrate our independence. Such peace talks may be held then? We look forward to your reply.

With thanks,
General Ramos Rastaban Allegri, I.P
Chief of State, The Democratic Republic of San Alto

[The State of Monavia]

June 5, 2011
1:30 P.M.

Office of Minister Frank Carter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chalcedon, Monavia

All diplomatic correspondence with the government of San Alto had been assigned a high priority delivery status on June 1. No replies would arrive until June 3 had already passed. Whether the Monavian cables had simply taken three days to arrive in San Alto, or had arrived sooner and spent considerable time in processing, or even arrived immediately and did not receive immediate replies because the leadership had other priorities and obligations was all speculation. Without any certainty of the specifics, Minister Carter concluded that the time required for a complete cycle of correspondence was at least three days and likely four.

Early in the afternoon of the fifth day of the month, the hurried steps of a courier left a trail of echoes in the capacious hallways of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Instructions had been issued to facilitate the delivery of all diplomatic cables between San Alto and Monavia. The courier ran at this moment, bounding up wide flights of stairs which served as faster avenues of movement than the elevators, which had taken a long time to descend to the lower floors and fill with occupants who disembarked at several floors along the way. In the time it had taken for a dozen people to crowd inside the device she was already at the first floor.

Three flights up in the building she stopped. The elevator doors opened in a corridor to the side, allowing two more people to exit, as others had already done so. Only three had remained inside, and she recognized them all as working on the same floor as the minister. Making a beeline towards them, she slipped inside as the doors clicked shut behind her. One the fifth floor, she stepped out to find Carter traversing the hall. “This is addressed you.”

The surprised minister, not expecting this sudden delivery, found a slim, youthful, burgundy-uniformed brunette clutching an envelope staring back at him. “What is it?”

“Priority government mail from San Alto.”

“I’ll summon you back to deliver my reply—that is if I don’t refer it to somebody else.”

Minister Carter rapidly sequestered himself behind the double ebony and oak doors to his office and slashed open the envelope with a letter opener. Dominating the cable diplomatic cable’s appearance was a crimson, white, and black tricolored flag with a yellowish-beige bird, probably a falcon, eagle, or hawk. Even if he had formed a background in ornithology, heraldic styling made an exact determination impossible for him—not that he cared to try. What caught his attention next was the train of words beneath it.

Minutes later, Carter was preparing another letter for Allegri. The general had referred to his residence as a Presidential Palace; no doubt he would likely be the new president. Despite this, he still signed his last letter as “General,” not “President,” so Carter did not have to change the titles he was using.

June 5, 2011

To General Ramos Rastaban Allegri,
Chief of State,
Democratic Republic of San Alto,

General:

Your generous invitation to San d’Oria has been well received and I am, to say the least, somewhat distressed that I cannot be present. Usually travel arrangements of this sort take about a week to plan and execute because of the necessary transportation and security arrangements, and I do not wish to inconvenience your other guests by forcing you to delay this celebration for my sake alone.

Nonetheless I wish to make arrangements for a visit to San d’Oria to meet with you, albeit two days after the parade and festivities have taken place. I pray that this belatedness on my part is not construed as insulting to your government in any way, as my absence is due to factors which cannot be changed at the present.

Best regards,

The Right Honorable Frank Carter
Minister of Foreign Affairs

At two-ten the courier was summoned to pick up the letter conveying Carter’s regrets. He was fully prepared to make amends for not being able to attend at the desired time, and a possible invitation to Chalcedon was among his considerations. He hated passing up a party of this sort, and with it the chance to enjoy fine conversation and even finer cuisine.

---

Other Ministry officials were at work monitoring the newspapers and airwaves for information on San Alto’s political developments. It had become a popular topic in cubicles and had only begun to make its impact on the domestic media.

While Carter wrote out his letters to San Alto there were others who wrote out reports of observations they had made of San Alto. Military and intelligence institutions had conducted surveillance of San Alto’s territory, looking for signs of natural resources. Thus far the surveys were incomplete and their results were still being determined. No indications of military threats appeared to be present in San Alto, though after a cursory search of satellite surveillance results the Monavian National Defense Council decided to conduct a more detailed examination to be sure.

Another survey was a geographic and scientific one. Weather, terrain, even the distribution of cities and infrastructure was being catalogued and studied by scientists and other relevant individuals. Among their objectives was determining what resources San Alto appeared to possess in abundance and which ones it appeared to lack. Such findings would be useful in the formulation of trade proposals.

[South Benson]

Diplomatic Communication of the Republic of South Benson

To: The Transitional Government of San Alto
From: The Government of South Benson
Subject: State Visit
Encrypted: No

We are more than willing to dispatch prime minister Blake to the banquet, to discuss important national issues.


Foreign Affairs Minister