A Ralkovian Problem? (Attn: Ralk. Closed, TG for inv/info )

[Epicnopolis]

The Royal Airport, Castin, Epicnopolis, Behind Castinite Palace

“Mum? Are you nervous?”

“...N-nervous? N-no. I'm not nervous, sweetheart.” The Queen turned her head, her crystal-like blue eyes piercing through her daughter's own. “Not at all,” Rachel stood herself up – at a glance she appeared only a rather unimposing 5'7, but there was more to her than her looks, even if it didn't look as such.

Sarah looked over at her Mum, though SHE was nervous, in spite of herself! The Princess of Epicnopolis, nervous? Come on, Sarah. You have teenage boys tailing you constantly. This is just another guy, another Prince. He's no better than you. The Princess nodded to herself, as if the gesture affirmed her thought. She flicked her hair back, and set her gaze on her mother. The two fell into conversation shortly after.

The Lyon women were dressed for an occasion, as it were. Surrounded by a sea of security; choking on what felt like 'too much safety.' The two women were alike, and very much so at that. To them, it was the 'Lyon Women against the World,' and they certainly didn't need a bunch of men to protect them, right? Well, that was truly beside the point.

Between the pair, it felt as if it were a few minutes at the most before Rosco Dash, the biggest, blackest bodyguard in the vicinity (most likely in the whole world, too) had approached the pair. He was a close friend of there's, and in typical 'Rosco' fashion he started out the conversation with a well-deserved compliment. “Are you two lovely ladies ready to do this thing?” He flashed a gold-tooth filled smile.

“'Course I'm ready. I'm always ready,” was the Queen's answer. As for the Princess? Well, Sarah wasn't quite there. She followed everyone to the terminal, sure. But her mind was on other things! Most of the security dispersed, leaving the two with Rosco, and two other sunglasses wearing suits. They weren't as cool (or as black, admittedly) as Rosco, so they had to wear sunglasses.

There they stood, Rachel absent-mindedly staring into nothingness, though she was faced toward the terminal, where the Ralkovian Prince was expected to walk through. Sarah stood, though unlike her mother she was very much there. She nervously fiddled with her hands, staring into the terminal with nothing but an anxious gaze. As for Mr. Rosco Dash? Well, Rosco stood there, sipping a root beer rather calmly, an otherwise bored look on his face. Mmmm, root beer.

[Ralkovia]

Q3 Warrior

"She's pretty, I'm not going to lie," he smiled looking through the pictures, satisfied that the Emperor had chosen such a beautiful woman in the most obvious of political romances. However, this was far from romance. His only job with this woman was to 'seduce' her into marrying him, which wouldn't be to hard for the handsome, manipulative Heir Apparent Prince Benjamin vi Matisyah-Tsion Raskov.

"Well I'd hope so, you're going to be marrying her," the Emperor said with a laugh. He wasn't supposed to be on the plane and the people of Epicnopolis had not been informed of it either. The Emperor had elected to remain with his son for the first few days, his very presence would hopefully be seen as how serious Ralkovia was about the idea of some sort of political kinship with the people of Epicnopolis. The power and wealth eminating from the pair was just as overwhelming.

"I've never been good at the art of seduction though," he said picking out a picture some paparazzi man had gotten of Sarah at the beach. He skimmed through the article picking up a little information about her interests. Mostly she seemed into the environment: save this animal, save that tree. It all was the same to him.

"It's a simple art really, her interests are already your interests...tease and tantalize her. You'll do fine. I'm sure of it. If not, we always have the option of an invasion," he said laughing again. The Emperor was already staring at an interactive map of Epicnopolis on the tablet. What the Emperor was talking about was the magazine and state controlled media company of RNN. By his directive, they had started printing out a bio of Prince Benjamin taking careful notes of Princess Sarah's interests and designing articles to make them compatible. Ralkovia didn't know if the Princess had gotten hold of any of them, but the true amount of forged articles was impressive. Some articles had him saving endangered animals, others using his influence to declare huge swaths of land protected by the state of Ralkovia, and others with attempts to stop the slave trade. The articles, all fake, at least created an interesting profile for Benjamin to use to secude Sarah.

"Well I always love a good invasion," Benjamin responded with a chuckle of his own. He continued to skim through some more articles, making mental notes of all the things this girl said.

It became silent and with a shudder he looked up to see the Emperor was now staring at him. Benjamin stopped all movements, his breathing became shallow. He might have upset the Emperor and so he reluctantly opened his mouth,"Did I say something wrong?"

"It'd be much easier if we didn't have to invade. So just follow my plan," the Emperor said seriously. This wasn't romance, this was a carefully constructed plot.

---

Benjamin stepped out of the plane dressed in the Imperial Red, he looked distinguished and much older than his nineteen years would suggest. Behind him stalked his father and about thirty Death Guard all dressed in Imperial Black. They were two of the most powerful men in the world and this teenage girl would admitedly feel her heart throb for Prince Benjamin.

[Epicnopolis]

Royal Airport, Castin, Epicnopolis

"Mum, I can see 'em." The Queen, Princess, and guardsman all stood up simultaneously, facing toward the terminal with which the Ralkovian Prince and his entourage would be arriving.

Rosco squinted, eyes flitting about the incoming group of people. A frown was apparent on his face, however slight it was. For the first time in his life, he felt immensely outclassed. His gaze drifted toward his inside breast-pocket, wear he held a rather well hidden pistol. "...Fantastic," he muttered ever-so quietly under his breath. So many death-guards. SO. MANY. DEATH GUARDS. He gave Sarah's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before falling to a relaxed 'parade-rest' sort of position.

The Queen began to trek forward, her not-so-young daughter following closely behind, half hidden by her mother. While the latter of the two was taken quite aback by all the...well otherwise terrifying looking guardsmen accompanying the Prince. However, between her mother and Rosco, she felt rather safe.

Rachel gave the Prince a warm smile, extending her hand toward him. Her tone was sarcastic, confident, and perhaps a tad antagonizing? "Are all these Guardsmen truly necessary, your highness?" The handshake, if she received any, was a quick one. The Prince might find his grip beaten by her own, if he didn't give the handshake of his life. "Certainly you are unafraid of little ol' me, and my daughter?" Rosco lofted an eyebrow, which Rachel responded too with a dismissive wave of her hand. She was only joking, right? And hopefully all present recognized that.

In the back, Sarah had by this point covered her forehead with her palm, and was by now lightly beating her forehead with her fist. And even further in the back, Rosco was dreaming about the can of root beer he had forgotten in the limo. Damn you, root beer and your addictive qualities, damn you.

[Ralkovia]

The Prince didn't respond to her jest, leaving it to his father to throw her in her place, but took her hand anyway. Even though Rachel seemed to be trying to test him and he allowed her to squeeze with all her might. He remained composed though, disregarding the urge to crush her hand completely. Carefully selecting his words, he constructed his own rebuttal to Rachels attempt at displaying strength; it was of course hidden in a compliment,"I'm most glad I could meet the two most gracious and tender ladies in your entire Queendom."

He gave her a warm smile before moving onto Princess Sarah, who he gave a slight bow before kissing her most gently on the hand, "Though, without any insult to your mother, I'm most delighted that I could meet you. My father has told me that we both share a deep compassion towards the preservation of the environment. I'd love to hear of the work you've done some time soon." He gave her a smile and moved back to the man he had traveled with.

"The guardsmen...I'm afraid thats on my accord. My son Benjamin insisted I not bring the entire entourage, but security is always important," the man said stepping out from the back, as if to emphasize his importance more Death Guard seemed to appear out from the Terminal carrying the Emperor's bags. He watched the Queen's face for surprise as she put two and two together and realized that it was the Emperor standing before her.

"I thought we could discuss things while the kids get to know each other," the Emperor said and then turned and growled something in Rajkovack, the Royal Language of Ralkovia, to the Death Guard who grunted something back. It was fairly certain he said something humorous to them as the Death Guard gave a roar-like laugh beneath their metallic suits. Though to the others in the terminal, the laugh seemed more like a deafening maniacal metallic cough, as if two sheets of metal were smashed against each.

The Death Guard were an extremely intimidating race wearing even more intimidating black armor that covered them from head to toe. It was almost completely bullet proof, with 3 layers of interwoven composite carbon armor and nano gel in between. Only the higher caliber rounds could even hope of penetrating through it. They stood on average at an impressive 6'5" and carried lightweight invidual based machine guns that were fed ammunition from a container on their back. Others carried large assault rifles that seemed capable of pumping a hole large enough to put your hand through. On their right hand a tube protruded from the area above their wrist. It allowed them to attach anything from a flamethrower to a launcher. However, the deadliest weapon these men had was in their helmets. An extremely advanced targeting system that combined the weapon with the man in a lethal synthesis. The Death Guard could see where the bullets were going and direct the weapon to put them directly on his target. With night vision, thermal vision, and a laser targeting system they were entirely capable of fighting in any condition and murdering their enemies in the dark as well as the light. The Hadiian Death Guard were born as warriors and trained from Birth. Fanatically loyal to the Emperor, who was a G-d in their religion; their single purpose was to serve him to the Death. Whether that was protecting him from his enemies or assassinating a countries leader, they served. The Death Guard were one part man, one part weapon, and one part technology.

[Epicnopolis]

Castin, Epicnopolis

As the delegates and diplomats alike exchanged pleasantries inside the terminal doors, snow began to fall. Sure enough, the weather began to own up to Epicnopolis's reputation of having an outright spastic weather pattern. Within minutes a full-blown blizzard had erupted on the outside. Accompanying the blizzard were rather powerful gusts of wind.

As per usual, the city slowly began to appear to 'slow-down.' Things happened in a slower manner, citizens chained their car's wheels, and intersections found themselves being 'policed.' It was normal for an Epicnopolian citizen.

Inside the Terminal Doors, The Royal Airport, Castin, Epicnopolis

Rachel lofted an eyebrow at his remark, opening her mouth as if to reply, though she found herself denied the chance as the Prince moved on toward her daughter.

Sarah opened her mouth slightly as her hand was kissed, her cheeks flushing a bright red. Without quite realizing it, she was powerless to fight the rampaging smile that grew on her face when Benjamin mentioned the environment. Simply put, she was incredibly flustered by the many compliments. “I'd love to tell you about it,” she continued to smile, letting her head bow, making an honest effort to hide the smile and growing redness of her cheeks. Plus, the Death Guards scared her shitless.

On the other hand, the Queen and Mr. Dash seemed to be combining their effective staring powers toward whom they realized was the Emperor; the pair having realized it was him within a relatively short amount of time. While the Emperor spoke in his own native language to his guardsmen, Rachel and Rosco shot each other semi-worried glances. In unison, they both turned toward Sarah, who was rubbing her neck and donning a nervous expression. Again, at what seemed to be at the exact same time (and what could easily be perceived as rather humorous), both their eyebrows raised, they looked back at each other, than back at Sarah.

With some sort of silent queue Rosco leaned to his left, and shrunk a few inches. Rachel murmured something incoherently in his ear, with the man's only reply being a swift nod and a return to his former position. It was in his blood to look imposing, though he truly doubted he could intimidate any of the warriors in front of him.

“Emperor Raskov,” The Queen began, speaking slowly, as if she were searching for the correct words, “Surely security is not important when you find yourself in a friendly nation. I've not a single intention of doing you any sort of harm.” She paused, her voice having held an antagonizing tone – though one had to look for it to find it, “Now. I'm sure Sarah would love to get to know Benjamin.” She turned her gaze toward her daughter, “Wouldn't you, dear?” She winked at her.

Sarah found herself looking back at her Mother, feeling reassured by the wink. Yet she looked anywhere but at the Death Guards. “Of course I would, Mum.” She smiled warmly at Benjamin.

“Great!” Rachel said, just a teensy bit to over-enthusiastically. “Perhaps, we could discuss matters in the Palace? And allow Benjamin and Sarah to do their own thing -- Rosco will be accompanying them, of course." She gestured toward the aforementioned beloved bodyguard," Or perhaps, you would like the night to yourself? I know the time difference is something awful to get used to.” She trailed off in her words, eyes flitting about the many guards, “I do hope not all of you expect to be housed within Castinite Palace?”

[Ralkovia]

The Emperor smiled at the Queen before moving his hand to the silk shirt he was wearing and pulled the fabric aside. He ran his finger down the long scar that had appeared, continuing the motion down to his hip. He then opened his mouth showing off his row of teeth. Like daggers they seemed to shine, they were as white as they were sharp. He stepped closer to her, so that Benjamin and Sarah were out of ear shot.

"The threat coming from you is nonexistent, just like your nation would be if you attempted to harm me. However, I'm in a world where many people would want me dead. Especially in a region that I have already had prior business in. After all, if they can reach me in Parthia¹, they can reach me anywhere in the world. You should take a deep concern in your own safety as well. If you don't, well you could end up the unfortunate target of some assassin. That's why I keep my guardsmen close even in the friendliest of nations," he said before laughing and shrugging off his last threat.

He smiled once again and spoke,"Yes let us retire to your Palace. The time isn't bad at all. After all, I'm up most of the day anyway. Plus I'm always quite interested how Palaces are in other countries. As for my guardsmen, some of them will be residing in the hotels, however the majority will be staying in my room. I hope that won't be too much of a problem."


Benjamin realized he needed to instill some comfort and confidence in this girl or else he would have a problem. He moved to nip it in the bud by giving her the lead. It was her city and she would hopefully know enough about it to give him a tour. Benjamin smiled at Sarah before speaking.

"I'd love it if you gave me a tour of the town, Princess Sarah."

---

¹: Parthia is Ralkovia's closest ally and neighbor. The incident he is referring to is when a bomb was placed in the Emperor's trunk by what was believed to be a Kahanistani terrorist over the recent enslavement of Muslims. The Emperor was actually driving the car at the time so the bomb exploded in the back of the car killing one of his ministers. The Emperor and his passenger were badly hurt but survived. The incident created paranoia in the Emperor who now never travels without an entire complement of Death Guard.

[Epicnopolis]

Rachel nodded a few times, maintaining eye-contact with the Emperor for what seemed like the entire time he spoke with her. She flattened out her own dress, pursing her lips lightly. "Very well then. Castinite Palace is...rather massive. I daresay you and your men could find themselves all within the palace with more room to spare...but I wouldn't want to overwork the servants." She lightly scratched the back of her head, "However, I will get the conference room ready."

(Meanwhile, over in awkward teenage land.) "You could...just call me Sarah." She shrugged lightly. "Um..." She leaned to the side, getting a good look of the outside. Slowly, a grin overcame her features as she looked back at Benjamin, "Have you ever skied, or snowboarded before?" Of course, this was Epicnopolis. And there was always snow in Epicnopolis, or at least it seemed as such. By now, the streets were littered with the cold, fluffy goodness that gave Epicnopolis its name as the Winter-Sports Capital of Angolis.

The Queen departed with the Emperor, and whomever he decided to take or leave. Rosco elected -- though was likely ordered -- to stay with the Prince and Princess.

Castinite Palace, Castin, Epicnopolis

Massive. Absolutely huge.

Castinite Palace was the home of the Royal Family, as well as a double for the Epicnopolian Military Headquarters. Hundreds of assorted rooms; some for diplomats and guests alike, others for Militaristic reasons. The Emperor and his guests were, of course, treated with the utmost of care and respect. They found themselves given the best of rooms, and a great amount of hospitality. The Emperor's room itself was enormous, filled with all the doodads a man could want. However, this wasn't what they were here for.

Floor 3, Conference Room A, Castinite Palace

A long table, rectangular in shape, made of granite. State of the art computers and doohickeys, with all the seats on a sort of 'conveyer belt,' allowing the ability to move about the table. The room's interior was mostly black. Bland to the extreme. Rachel hated it in there, it was...simply not her.

At one end, Rachel sat with a suited man to her left, an obvious member of the EDD (Epicnopolis Delta-Detachment). He stood motionless, hand clasped on his front, sunglasses covering his eyes, with an earpiece that seemed to say, 'HEY, MAW, LOOK AT ME, I'M SPESHUL.'

"Nervous, your Highness?" He asked with a relatively bland tone.

"To an extent, yes." She replied, lightly drumming her gloved fingers on the granite table.

"About what, if I might be so rude to ask?" Slowly, he turned his head toward the Queen, the rest of his body remaining statuesque.

"My daughter." Was all that she chose to say. The man nodded, turning his gaze toward the door to the room. Any moment now, the Emperor was to walk through the door, so that the pair could began their discussion. Yet about what? She was simply unsure. She hadn't expected him, and she had hoped it wasn't to obvious when the two had spoken earlier. She felt she slipped up, and let her nerves get the best of her.

She was a warrior, yet the knife had hidden the majority of her battle-scars. She did not at all look it; but she was not only one of the finest warriors the EDD has ever had to offer, but she was a survivor. Several grenades proved that. But...those death guards. The EDD was Angolis-renowned for its outright effectiveness and prowess, but not even they could stand up to those damned machines.

Outside the doors, two EDD members -- these two dressed in the standard blue and black camo, fitted with M4 Carbine Assault Rifles and other battle-ready essentials. They looked as if they were ready to fight a war, not stand guard. But they did stand guard, and oh did they do it well. They were prepared.

[Ralkovia]

The look on fathers face...he's having fun screwing with them Benjamin thought to himself, almost forgetting that Sarah even existed. He pulled himself from his own thoughts and quickly faked a smile as he saw she had grinned. He only caught the last word and so he gave her a nod,"Yeah I've been before. Just a little bit though."

That was perhaps the biggest understatement of the year. The full truth was that he had been trained in snow combat since joining the Militarasi Academia. He had spent almost a year trekking, skiing, and fighting in the mountains of central Ralkovia and the arctic circle. He was an expert on survival in the cold and perhaps even more pertinent an expert at moving in the snow. It was always good to pretend to be somewhat of a novice, he knew what would attract girls like her.

Looking outside he smiled and said,"but I'd love too."

---

The Emperor walked, glancing around the Palace as he did. It was pretty large, but it wasn't huge on the scale of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace itself covered almost nine square miles with an addition of almost thirty six square miles of gardens. It was a massive Palace with some of its earliest buildings dating to the early A.D.s. The Imperial Palace was one of oldest, still occupied buildings in the world. Alone it was worth almost a hundred trillion dollars. The Imperial Palace had its own zoo, museum, and its own nuclear powerplant. It was a gigantic collection of enormous buildings worth millions and billions of dollars.

However, Palace sight seeing was not the reason he was here. The Emperor had to set the next phase of his plan in action. So as he entered the conference room, he found himself facing the Queen. He watched her for a moment, then smiled.

"Queen Rachel...I apologize for not informing you of the reason we had to meet so urgently," he said declining his head in a small bow. He aimed for the sob story and laid it on thick.

"About six months ago, I sent fifteen million men to fight in the Ralkovian colony of Armstein. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived the rebels had taken over. We had built the colony as an impenetrable fortress and the assault on it was long and brutal. We lost three million men and had countless wounded. We finally took back the colony and I ordered the men back after the government and colonial militia was reinstalled. However, the fleet had given most of its supplies and rations towards feeding the colonies population. Most of the fleet has run dry on supplies and some of the ships are running dangerously low on fuel. We initially tried moving supply ships however its only miniscule to the needs of the entire fleet. Your nation is directly in the path of this fleet. We would like to refuel at your port. In return for your cooperation...we'll offer you ten billion dollars plus the cost of the supplies ," The Emperor moved away from her and faced the wall, as if he were about to cry and didn't want to be seen. Of course it was a ploy, but she didn't know that.

[Epicnopolis]

BEHIND Castinite Palace, At the Royal Ski-Resort, Because Snow is Fucking Awesome, Castin, Epicnopolis

She'd left him in the dust, barely giving any leeway to move when the ski-lift actually met its destination. Seeing as how the Prince had blatantly lied to a trusting young lady, she thought it was prudent to go to an...'easier' run. Seeing as this was a private ski-resort, and it was built for the Princess when she was a child, there were very few 'easy' runs. Or, perhaps THAT was the understatement of the century. The entire resort was a learners nightmare. Bumps, jumps, turns, cliffs, and other difficult maneuvering points littered the resort itself. Reason being; Sarah was a Professional. She fully expected to leave him behind, and to wait for him at the bottom of the run.

And so she went, hair billowing behind her as she bobbed and weaved, gracefully skimming about the near obstacle-course that was the ski-resort. In a near-blizzard no less! But for her, it was normal. And she loved nothing more than the norm.

Castinite Palace, Conference Room A, Floor 3

Rachel lofted an eyebrow, gesturing for the Emperor to take a seat. She -- as she always did -- listened intently, nodding at various instances. She knew enough of the situation to make what she considered an informed decision. And her decision in this country was law, as long as it abides by the creed.

Again, as she had done before, her eyes flitted about the room, as if she were mentally snatching that which she wished to say from thin-air. Her words came out slowly all the same, "Perhaps I heard you incorrectly. By what you just said, you're asking me to expend my country -- my people's resources after you crushed a Ralkovian colony's attempt at freedom?" She smiled lightly, her pearly whites glinting in the lighting of the room. "Do not mistake me for a fool, Joshua. I know how your people are treated.

"It's a disgrace to our Religion and the doctrine it teaches. However, my people expect me to make the correct decisions," rather suddenly, she stood out of her chair, hands placed on the table, her back hunched over, an expression of confidence for herself and disdain for the 'diplomat' across from her the only things to be shown on her otherwise beautiful features, "I'm expected to deal punishment where it's deserved and grace where it isn't. A Ralkovian Fleet present in the region which housed The Collaborative Allied Governments called home?" She snorted, sitting her back down.

"Alas, you are very much present in a Friendly Nation...are you not? If your fleet so wishes to refuel and resupply at Densky's Military Port, you may do so. You'll find ample space for your ships, just be sure to not clog my harbor. You'll find your ships greeted at the port by the Epicnopolian Navy, whom will be conducting a quick search of all your ships before you may put a single drop of oil into them." Her words trailed off, "Proper procedure..." She said, quite dryly.

Rachel cleared her throat, "All of this, however, on one condition. Her gaze met his own, any sorrow he wanted her to feel for his nation's 'situation' was non-existant. "You will me what it is you're truly after. I doubt that your presence here is a matter of your troops well-being. For couldn't your Prince have asked of the deed to be done himself?" She smiled lightly, "Emperor, I am no fool. I might be bad with words, but Mummy didn't raise no fool." She leaned back, pushing her black locks around her neck, so that her many strands of silky-smooth hair lay perfectly down her right bosom. Speaking of bosoms, hers seemed...'extenuated' (more-so than they naturally were) seemingly because of the way she was seated. Oh how teenage boys would love to see this.

[Ralkovia]

Benjamin muttered a few curses under his breath as he went down the slope. If she wanted to play like that, he'd indulge her. It might have been engineered to be difficult, but mother nature was already a master engineer. Even professionals took a day off, but being stuck in the snow for an entire year bred a master. He had often had to cross alpines with descent angles often as much as seventy degrees. This was an easy ride for him and he was confident he could drop this girl quickly. However he was smart enough not to. He trailed her for a while, following in her tracks before he spotted a clean patch and aimed for that.

"Haha!" he laughed as he quickly sped by her before aiming for a rough patch and taking a near tumble allowing her to catch up.

---

The Emperor violently turned around, rage clearly present in his voice as he demeaningly pointed his finger at her. He yelled out the words in a tone that would come across clear as day, as if he was going to smack her down with his very sound.

"Have you ever heard of the religion of Tsestuvim? It's a religious cult that practices blood worship. Rip the person open and burn his organs so that their 'lord' Tsestuva has the energy to fight G-d. Armstein became a haven for those who practiced the religion," he said baring his teeth at her.

"Before we knew it, we had an infestation of seven million Tsestuvim practicers. When we tried to ban the practice they took the entire colony of forty million people hostage and started sacrificing thousands each day. By the time we even landed, over forty thousand children had been cut apart. They sent me a video tape of them cutting open my nephew, his pleas still echo in my head," he paused to let the words sink into that pretty little head of hers. Though it would probably fall to her cleavage he thought to himself.

"Those rebels weren't fighting for freedom, they were fighting for blood. So is it well within my right to crush a rebellion that was brutally murdering thousands of people each day? I guess not, from your point of view," he said almost in a whisper.

"Do not call me out on how I treat my people. I treat them fairly and with respect. You know nothing of my nation other than what you read from enemies of the state. And they are certainly not without bias. While I am younger than you, I lead a nation twice your size with a history that stretches back eight millenia. I have brought Ralkovia power and prestige in the world. I have secured a homeland for all Jewish people and have done so not by relying on the strengths of others, but on my own. Do not lecture me on how to lead a nation," he said spitting out the words in an angry flurry.

"My lady, I will be leaving your country tomorrow to continue to my cousins wedding, as I had only stopped here as it was on the way. Thank you for showing your nations great hospitality and kindness and meeting with me. My apolgies if I have offended you in anyway, 'my' 'lady,'" he said with harsh sarcasm dripping from his voice, before he stormed out of the room, hopefully leaving Rachel looking like a fool in front of everyone else in the room. Perhaps it would even develop into an incident, one could only hope.

It was true, the situation in Armstein had been started by the religious cult. And as soon as she or anyone else looked up Armstein, they would see the carnage and the scores of dead. Hundreds being cut open with hearts still beating. She had chosen one of the only events that the Ralkovians were actually good in and the Emperor knew how to smash someone open.

[Epicnopolis]

Sarah blinked rapidly, worrying for his safety for the shortest of moments before she grinned again. She angled her skis in his direction, though it was as if she planned to stop! But...soon, it became clear that she had no true intention of stopping. Instead, she forced her skis into the ground, a billowing mass of snow flying in the Prince's general direction. For the Princess believed that he was truly tumbling to his snowy doom, and she didn't see past the lie. Joyous laughter echoed off of her, and she truly was having a fun time. This was where she excelled at, for the Princess absolutely loved the snow.

Nevertheless, she quickly banked to her right and made a circle about the man before sticking her tongue at at him, and speeding off! "Catch me if you can, slugger!"

---

Rachel swallowed, the lump in her throat slowly growing with each of the Emperor's words. For she had made a terrible, grave error. Underneath the table, her fingers began to wring together, and she found herself having difficulties keeping eye-contact with the otherwise intimidating man. But not to her, she'd seen scarier things in her life, and that was the honest truth. She kept her composure, she kept her pride, and she did not allow this massive mistake to phase her. But she was not above doing the right thing.

And in this right, she quickly stood out of her chair, having no intention of letting the Emperor leave. She began walking in the direction she was leaving, and her voice came out strong as ever, powerful and confident. She began speaking right as he began to open to the door, "Emperor!" Contrary to what one might believe, she was not yelling nor shouting at the man. IT WAS MORE LIKE TALKING LOUDLY, BUT SHE SOUNDED DIGNIFIED. AND BRITISH.

"Needless to say, I was in the wrong. No other way to put it." She looked down, quickly flipping her hair behind her back, looking back over at him. "If you're fleet requires it, the Epicnopolian people would be proud to house your ships and men. You'll find yourselves welcomed into the Port of Densky, unmolested and trusted... As I stated before, my people expect me to do what is right, and to deny your soldiers this would be an awful thing." She gave it a moment, "A-...And I'm so sorry, about your nephew."

She placed a hand on the table, fingers restlessly drumming away as she waited for his response, or perhaps his nonexistant one.

---

All he wanted was Dr. Pepper and a cigarette. Instead, he got diet coke. Mr. Rosco Dash was not a happy man, no sir. And to top it all off, the Angolis Renowned Badass was cold as well. Shoulda worn the beanie, Rosco. He disliked being cold, which was unfortunate for him, seeing as he lived in a proverbial winter wasteland. He stood at the bottom of the slope, (im)patiently waiting for Sarah and Benjamin to appear.

Then! Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed...something [u]beautiful./u] A voluptuous women, with glistening brown hair and tanned skin. But no, that wasn't what Mr. Dash saw. He saw the Dr. Pepper. And slowly, ever so slowly did he inch over, and like a complete and total badass, he snatched it away from her, and ran like a bat out of hell. He was gonna drink it if it killed him.

Yea, did Mr. Rosco Sherman Dash hide in the bathroom and drink that woman's Dr. Pepper. Livin' on the edge, aw yeeeeee.

[Ralkovia]

The Emperor continued to walk away, only turning to give her a nod as if accepting her apology. With his back turned to her he was already doing all he could to stop the wicked grin that remained on his face. As he made his way back to the room the Death Guard took their place at his side. He turned and spoke in plain Ralkovian to them which caused them to immediately scurry away as they made provisions for the Emperor to be moved to the plane. He had secured his forces and Epicnopolis would soon be a large gem in the crown of the Ralkovian Empire. The Death Guard handed him a crystal glass filled with a light red wine as he entered into the passenger seat of the car. He kept the sadistic smile on his face and laughed. It was funny, truly hilarious, how easy this victory would be. As the car drove towards the plane, the Emperor took delicate pleasure in sipping the wine as he examined the city that would soon be his.

Armstein, The Tsestuvim, The Countless Dead. He smiled, it was glorious. He was the one who had allowed their religious leaders to declare it a haven. He was the one who had ordered the governor to increase restrictions. He was the one who had given the Tsestuvim the weapons and intelligence needed to overthrow the government there. He was the one who fed his own nephew to them. It had solved a myriad of problems; His nephews attempts to ingratiate himself with the Noble Families so that he and not Benjamin would succeed the Emperor. The Governors insult to the Emperor by declaring slavery illegal. The democratic movement that was taking power in the colony. All threats to the future that he was going to fulfill. So what if a few million bystanders were slaughtered. So what if an entire colony was cleansed. So what if he had killed a true heir. So what if he soaked the Earth in blood. So what...

This nation would be bleed, all the while declaring Ralkovia its hero. He gave a hideous laugh as he tilted the hand holding the crystal glass. The red wine poured out onto the map of Epicnopolis, that was carefully laid out on the limousines floor. It covered the entire map, soaking it in crimson.

---

A smile broke on Benjamins face as she stuck her tongue out. He quickened his pace to catch up to Sarah and the smile widened. Her taunting had caused something to develop in his chest. It was a weird feeling and it truly felt strange as he tried to put a name to it. He tried to compare it to his past experiences to match this strange feeling and he realized it was something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. The Emperor's brainwashing had not driven this feeling out yet. It was fun. He was having fun. For a moment he threw away that manipulative, cruel calculating side that dominated him all the time and just had fun. He smiled as he closed the distance between her, ducking down close and zipping right next to her.

"It seems that I've caught you. Now then, Let's see if you can catch me," he said, ducking down and passing her.

[Epicnopolis]

OOC: I would like to apologize for my lack of activity lately. I've been extremely busy lately. I wouldn't expect a post tonight, and maybe tomorrow. I haven't forgotten about you, I've just been ridiculously busy. XD

[Epicnopolis]

Sarah blinked as he so easily sped up to her, and more so as he seemed to lighten the fuck up. Whether he meant for it to be so or not, his smile was mildly contagious. And as Sarah was just an all around happy go lucky girl, it caught onto her rather easily. She yelled after him as he made his way past her, "Hey! Don't consider me down and out for the count yet!" Her smile got bigger and bigger... It was sickening, eesh. So much happy, it looked like she was bursting at the seams. That was, until this happened.

Something, something insignificant and small got into her eye. How? She had no idea, seeing as she was wearing goggles. Nevertheless, this particle caused her to blink again and again, even going so far to cause her eye to tear up. Without thinking, the Princess reached toward her left-eye with a hand, taking a hard and otherwise painful looking tumble in the process. A loud thumping sound was heard as he rolled into a tree, but not before yelling for all to hear, "Ergh -- ...SHIT!"

And there she sat, legs wrapped around the tree, goggles having been taken off, and a now ungloved hand nursing a few cuts and bruises on her pretty-face. But it wasn't as if she was whining about nothing, oh no. Her nose was broken. What a trooper.

---

Rachel worked her jaw around and around. Constantly, she thought about what had just occurred. Had she done the right thing? This and that, her mind was working quickly, and she showcased only doubt in herself by doing this, perhaps the saddest part of the entire scenario she had inadvertently put her country in. Her doubt, her unreasonable want for universal acceptance had caused her guilt. She knew next to nothing about the situation, and had only expected this visit to be from a fellow Jewish nation, and a new friendship for her daughter.

It all confused her. Why was he here? Surely Benjamin could have asked for her help with their predicament on his own. ...But then there was the issue of the fleet of Ralkovian Soldiers, men who deserved some solace after what they had apparently 'been through.' She would attain her peace on the matter when the fleet arrived in the Port of Densky. For now, she had other matters that needed tending too, and she had a job to do.

---

The man in charge, the man for the job. Mr. Roscoe Dash for he [i]heard[i/] the scream of the Princess. How? How the fuck should he know? Black man's intuition? Feh. Anywho, yea, did thine Universally Acclaimed Badass trek up the mountain. (Though he was told not too by the ski-resorts many guards, 'cause ya know, there were other skiers coming down the mountain, among other things.) And yea, did he fall flat on his face, and taste a mouthful of snow. That shit was cold, yo. Confused? Try a waffle.

[Ralkovia]

Epicnopolis Police Department

No one on that busy street looked at the white van that pulled up to the police station or the average looking citizens that made haste to leave that white van. In fact, the faces were almost indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd as they melded into it. With a press of a button though, everything began to melt as two hundred and fifty pounds of semtex exploded. The power contained in that van was almost inconceivable, able to take out an entire city block. Not only would the police station be taken out but the entire neighborhood with in. Instantly, the explosion spread out wiping out anything in its path.

The Death Guard, dressed as everyday Epicnoplican civilians, entered into an unmarked car and quickly disappeared leaving no trace to their identities.

Ski Resort

Benjamin turned around and watched her tumble. He slowed himself down and quickly turned back climbing the snowy foothill. He quickly scooped the girl in his arms and returned to his skis. Taking special care, he spoke gently to the girl,"You'll be okay. I've got you."

He continued his path down the hill, ignoring his lie, he maneuvered like a professional around all the obstacles and brought her to the bottom in little over a minute or two. Ignoring Roscoe he continued to make his way to the medical center before finally putting her down. He smiled at her before giving her to the medical attendant.

"I guess we'll need to have a rematch when you get out again," he smiled again before walking away to get some hot chocolate. He looked at his watch and again a smile crossed his face. Not so much a friendly one, but a maniacal one. He heard the screams and the cries inside the ski lodge. His father had begun his work.

[Epicnopolis]

Castinite Palace Ski Resort, Castin, Epicnopolis[/b[

Well, at least she was being carried. Why? She had no clue. It wasn't as if she wasn't able to walk, or as if she had sustained anymore than a few bruises and a broken nose. She was a tough woman...but she allowed him to carry her nonetheless. Roscoe followed the pair into the Lodge, giving Benjamin one hell of a stink-eye as the boy left.

Roscoe dismissed the nurse and closed the door. He turned and lofted an eyebrow at her.

"...What?...I hit a tree." Came the Princess' response.

"...Of course you did." Roscoe said, grinning lightly. "Come on, little one. Let's go have a smoke, then we'll meet up with your Mother and Benjamin."

"But I didn't bring a pipe."

"But I did." He tossed the young lady the tool.

"I knew there was a -- "

All at once, the so-called screams of terror began to sound off all at once. Roscoe opened the door and peeked out. He motioned for Sarah to do the same, and he pointed at the TV screen, where the attack at the Police Station was being played.

[b]Castinite Palace, Castin, Epicnopolis

Terrorist attacks were not common in Epicnopolis, that much was true. The Queen's nation kept to itself most of the time, and she had made a habit of only getting the military involved in conflicts that concerned her people, with few exceptions. But this...how? Outside a Police Station no less? Rachel took the precautions; she took control of the media and other sources that might have caused fear within the country.

She gave her people the truth, telling them how many had died, how many were gone, and what happened -- or at least what she knew about it. She managed to keep a general calm in the island nations, but that didn't mean there was anything to stop this from happening again. She thought she had a general idea who engineered the terrorist attack, but she lacked any sort of proof.

One thing was clear; whomever was behind the attack killed no more than two-hundred people.