The Occupation (Closed, Regional RP)

IIwiki Admin · by **Ghant** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 11:41 pm

“Levi’s Letter”
The Government Palace
Ghish, Ghant

Leonor Bozagua hardly ever saw Nymun in an irritated mood, but today was one such time, it seemed. It was a meeting with just the two of them, and Nymun had his head in his hands, laughing sarcastically and tapping a finger compulsively on the glass pitcher of tea.

“I should have known that Izolde and the Ice lords would have pulled a fast one on this Nekulturnya business.” Nymun lamented. “Now I have a fire lit under my ass about it, thanks to Nikolai Zetsky-Orlov.”

“We have no choice but to act. The die has been cast.” Leonor said. “What are you going to do?”

“Do I really have a choice in the matter, Leonor?” Nymun asked, although it sounded like a statement. “We have to support the Tsar. It is the only way to preserve our interests. If we do nothing, we concede to that bloc forming in Acheron and just let them have hegemony. We can’t sit back and let that happen, especially since they do not have our best interests at heart.”

“...And Nikolai does?” Leonor asked. She looked around the office. It had come a long way since Nymun took it over from the Yellow Dragon Yula Zimya. There were neat bookshelves with new books, an arcade, a ping pong table that was triangled with a foosball table and a table hockey table, as well as a pinball machine. And a wall clock that had an owl pop out and hoot once for every hour. One reason why I don’t particularly care for noon meetings, Leonor thought.

“Nikolai is the lesser of two evils. If we could turn a pro-Vyrsarian state into a pro-Ghantish state, why wouldn’t we do that? The Tsar can achieve that for us.” Nymun mused.

“But would it be worth the trouble to achieve?” Leonor wondered aloud. She suspected that such a move could put Ghant at great risk.

“Think of it like poker. When you are low on chips, you go all in on a hand that you have the possibility of winning with.” Nymun explained. “It might not be the best hand, but sometimes you have to play it when you get it in order to stay in the game. Think about it for a minute why don’t you. Do you have any idea how fucked we would be if Vyrsar, Nekulturnya, Macureus and Deadora were all on the same team, one that isn’t fond of Ghant? The writing would be on the all, Leonor. Time to make a move now while we still have chips.”

“I thought Ghant didn’t make a move unless it knew it could win.” Leonor sagely repeated the old addage from history class.

“It can win, if we play our cards right. The Chancellor already shot herself in the foot by going out of her way to publicly compare the situation in Nekulturnya to Dengali. If we appeal to our allies, like Adiron, Laudine, Garza, Wielkilas, Valik, New Edom, Rome and the Shrailleeni Empire, we might be able to make something happen.”

“Sounds like wishful thinking, Nymun.” Leonor responded, skeptically.

“The first step is talking to the Edomites. I received a communique from Levi Dathan, and I plan on responding to it as soon as possible, hoping to get their feedback. Consider it putting feelers out. We are going to find out very fast who our friends are and who are not. We stuck out necks out for the Edomites over Dengali, so hopefully they return the favor and do the same for us in regards to Nekulturnya. For if what the Chancellor said is to be believed, then the situation between the two is hardly that much different.”

“...As you say, Nymun.” Lenor said, nodding her head. “But be careful, for this is a very dangerous game that is being played right now. Games of politics and power. In many ways a zeo-sum game. I can’t say I am a fan of those.”

Nymun sighed. “Neither am I. But sometimes, there is hardly a choice in the matter.”

The Prime Minister of Ghant
Nymun Izarbegiratzeak

To: Levi Dathan, New Edomite Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
From: Nymun Begiratzeak, Prime Minister of Ghant
Encryption: Very High. Eyes Only, delivered by sealed diplomatic pouch

Dear Undersecretary,

The situation in Nekulturnya is one that we in Ghant find most troubling, for a number of reasons, which I shall explain.

In the beginning, a postwar occupation of Nekulturnya seemed necessary, however at the time, Ghant insisted upon a few conditions for said occupation by the give nations administration. Firstly, that a timetable for the collective occupation be established. That way, the occupation would not turn into an indefinite situation that was more for the benefit of the occupying nations as opposed to Nekulturnya itself. Secondly, that when the time came, referendums might be established to determine how Nekulturnya might proceed. Among them being whether to establish a republic or restore the monarchy.

However, as you can see, the occupying nations neither set a timetable nor offered any referendums. Instead, as was initially feared, the occupation seems to increasingly appear as one that is more for the benefit of the occupiers than the people of Nekulturnya.

This is where the situation is perceived as most troubling. To begin with, it is clear that a bloc is forming in Acheron between Vyrsar, Deadora and New and Old Macureus. This bloc consists of nations that are not friendly towards Ghantish interests, and would clearly constitute a hegemonic sphere centered around Vyrsar, a nation which has no love for Ghant, and if given the ability, would use its hegemony to isolate and alienate Ghant politically and economically.

It seems to us that the situation in Nekulturnya is an extension of this hegemonic ambition, with the consolidation of the western administrative zones under Vyrsar, and the eastern zones under the joint Macurean administration. This situation is one that we find unacceptable, and one that ought to be challenged in order to maintain balance in northern Acheron for the sake of Ghantish security, and by extension, New Edomite security.

Now enter the Tsar. The Tsar and his family, father included, were offered not only asylum in 1998, but also were ennobled. The Tsar has lived in Ghant since that day and has strong ties to Ghant. There is no question that his loyalties lie with us, and that should he be in a position of power in Nekulturnya, he would be friendly towards Ghant, and by extension, New Edom.

With this in mind, support for the Tsar would be a natural course for us, as he would be friendly towards Ghantish interests, hence why we would prefer to have him restored, in order to counter Deadoran / Vyrsarian / Macurean designs in northern Acheron.

Here are some additional points to keep in mind when talking of supporting a restoration of the Tsar to power in Nekulturnya.

The Tsar has much support for a restoration. The bulk of that support lies in the Eastern Zone which is occupied by the Macureans, but there is support also in the east, although not nearly as much. This is do mainly in part to the fact that the center of Nekulturnyan power was in the east, and that it had projected itself into the west throughout the past millennium. Therefore naturally there would be more support for a restoration in the east, where the Tsar’s seat of power was historically.

Their ability to resist occupational authorities has been mostly unsuccessful since 1998. Simply put, they lacked the manpower and equipment to compete with the various occupational powers. Therefore, in order to succeed in their objective, they would most likely require men, training, equipment and support be it financial or militarily.

As a result of this need, Ghant would be willing to consider support for the Tsarist cause in Nekulturnya, which would have the best chance of succeeding in the east. The fear there is that the Macureans and Vyrsarians would respond to Ghantish support for the Tsarists with extreme force, which would put us at risk, especially Eltanlurra.

Ghant would be prepared to go as far as possible without putting the nation at risk of retaliation from the Macureus states or Vyrsar, on the principle that a consolidation of Vyrsar, Nekulturnya, Macureus and Deadora into one bloc would essentially put Ghant at great risk. If there is anything we can do at this present time to stop those designs from materializing, we would consider any and all possibilities. It is our hope that our allies will support us
in this course, as such a bloc could pose a threat to other nations in Acheron as well.

Sincerely,

-Nymun

by **New Edom** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 12:15 am

Fineberg, New Edom

The cabinet meeting was partly wreathed in cigar and cigarette smoke. People were generally appearing comfortable though few really were. There was a lot being discussed--the general issues at hand were about security.

"The next item on the order of business, I just received a communique from the Prime Minister of Ghant stating why they believe that the current state of affairs in Nekulturnya is dangerous, why they believe a constitutional monarchy within a general timetable for independence would be better for everyone," Levi Dathan said. "They're a bit lukewarm though--no clear numbers or declaration of intent for support for what we must admit is a pretty limp faction in the Nek mess."

"Is there any intelligence as to who in their government prompted this?" asked Dr. Nicanor raising his bold eyebrows.

"It came out of nowhere, like a lot of things lately in Ghant," said Harcourt hoarsely. "Which tells me that it's another faction thing. They can't seem to control that. Someone gets an idea, they flap their mouths. One thing I can say--no one--Levi can confirm this--in the government in Ghish gave so much of a hint that there even was a Nekulturnyan policy but to express vague disapproval of Vyrsar and throw random accusations. No one, not the cultural attache, not the ambassador, none of their staff or contacts had the slightest clue."

"Very well, but this letter..." Perrin read it over, muttering occasionally, "Is lukewarm. So right now, we cannot offer direct support. It's cautious, but not totally limp..." he smiled. "Maybe a little half mast, eh?" There were some chuckles. "Well let's see if we can raise it up a little, Levi."

"Sir, I think that while this is very interesting, we can't really be thinking of offering support for any confrontation between Ghant and Vyrsar, can we?" asked Solomon Cain. "We don't have the base ready yet, and we'd have to send an entire expeditionary force there to an unaccustomed theater if it came to that."

"Which I agree with," Perrin replied. "Alright. Let's put together an intelligence and operational study on it. Our intelligence up there is--growing but sub-par, isn't it Sidney, General Josephus?"

Both the Minister of Police and Director of Military Intelligence nodded.

"We've mostly been focusing on Ghant of course," said Harcourt. "The improvement is however slow but steady."

"Thank goodness for the Fineberg Times, eh?" said General Zelek, the Minister of Finance, with a chuckle. Harcourt quirked his mouth to the side but said nothing.

"Of course. So really, Colonel," he said to Cain, "We cannot at this moment think of it, you're correct. But General Benajah, I'd like to have a lot at a proposed plan. What we'd need, what it would cost, all that, so we can discuss it in real terms. And Levi--ask them more questions, pin them down. Find out whose initiative this was, how far they're prepared to go. Alright, let's move on to Dengali. What's the status of Admiral Shalmaneser's fleet..."

To: Prime Minister Nymun Izarbegiratzeak
From: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
Subject: Monarchy
Encryption: Hand delivered in sealed diplomatic pouch

Dear Prime Minister,

Thank you very much for your prompt response. I hope you do not mind several other questions I have in response to your reply.

First: may I ask from whence the idea for the Tsar-pretender to give a speech on the subject of Nekulturnya came? Was it from a pre-existing government policy

Second: you spoke of avoiding open conflict, apparently at nearly all costs. May we determine from you then that you would only support independence for Nekulturnya should it come at no cost or threat to Ghantish lives and property?

Third: Is your general position then one of requesting a general referendum supervised by an international body, which your government would be able to take part in, which would commend the idea of a timetable for independence?

Fourth: what will your government do if the governments of the Five Powers Treaty simply refuse to accept the ideas proposed?

I look forward to your reply.

I have the honour to be
Levi Dathan
Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia

General David Shinhusar had also received some instructions, as had Prince Amenmar. He had played the diplomat-warrior before--and he had heard that this duty might not be so onerous as waiting around and pretending to supervise a construction project he in fact had little expertise on. His main role was to mediate between Dragonstar and the MoD, and try not to freeze his backside off.

To Her Majesty Queen Izolde of Izotza

I have been given the honour, as I am sure you are aware from the Imperial Government, of commanding the New Edomite Air Force Base in your realm, and I feel it would be remiss of me not to request an audience with Your Majesty to present myself and the respects of my country and its government. I hope that you will be kind enough to honour this request, and if so would look greatly forward to meeting you in person.

I have the honour to be
Major-General David Shinhusar
Officer Commanding, New Edomite Forces Ghant

There. He had it sent off by a courier and then went back to work for a bit, reviewing reports mostly, and going for a very chilly drive in a winterized Pseudonja around the construction site. Whatever weirdness the Ghants might throw at him, he had once walked in on Colonel Kodec, the military dictator of Central City in Delvian States, giving audience while he received fellatio from a slim young maid. And continued to receive these attentions during the meeting. Things rarely got weirder, but if they did...he was ready for weird.

by **Hittanryan** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 1:17 am

To: The Office of Nymun Izarbegiratzeak, Prime Minister of Ghant
From: Dean Luo, Adiran Ambassador to Ghant
Subject: Nekulturnya
Encryption: High

The recent statement from Nikolai Zetsky-Orlov has caught most of the international community by surprise. He has called for the end of the Occupation, the end of the Five Nations Treaty, claimed the defunct throne of Nekulturnya, and called for a constitutional monarchy to be established. Although Zetsky-Orlov is a private citizen and does not represent the views of the Ghantish government, the man is a member of the Ghantish aristocracy and as such commands at least a degree of influence within Ghant.

As I'm sure I do not need to remind you, his remarks are potentially inflammatory given Vyrsar's history of warfare with Nekulturnya and the current political climate. Nekulturnyan nationalists have been staging cross-border attacks on Vyrsarian communities for years, and with the recent action by Vyrsar, Zetsky-Orlov's remarks have the potential to exacerbate the current turmoil. There have also been no polls or other evidence indicating the measures he proposed enjoy popular support within Nekulturnya, which, if a parliamentary democracy is to be established, would be a key factor in determining whether or not my government could support any such measure.

Frankly, we are also concerned about Zetsky-Orlov's ultimate intentions in issuing such a declaration. Is he genuinely calling for an end to occupation or forming a parliamentary democracy, or is he merely hoping to galvanize nationalists against the recent changes in the occupation? If the former, we must consider that this man has likely had no formal training in international relations, and is making inflammatory remarks from an uninformed position. If the latter, then he may be attempting to incite violence, which we cannot condone.

Not helping matters is what appears to be a somewhat lukewarm response from your own government. Not that we have done any better, my government is still attempting to divine its own policy at this time. However, we would like clarifications to the following questions:

1. What exactly is the reasoning behind the concern expressed in a recent communique to my government?
2. What is the official position of your government on the occupation of Nekulturnya and the recent deployments?
3. Did Zetsky-Orlov's statement reflect any government position?
4. Does the Ghantish government intend to support Zetsky-Orlov's claims and his calls for independence?

Sincerely,
Dean Luo

by **Vyrsar** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 5:56 pm

Kyiv, Capital of Austrania
Киев, Столица Аустраниа

In the Executive building of the major city of Kyiv, a young, tall, and attractive brunette woman walked briskly through a barren hallway. Barren except for her and four men in suits behind her. All wearing earpieces, three wearing visible body armour and carrying carbines, the fourth walking next to the woman. they walked in silence, the clacking of the woman's smart black heels and the mens' hard soles muffled by the intricate red and gold carpet. The walls were long before redone and repainted, as was much of the cities in the west to her knowledge. After the war, no mercy was paid in the removal of any and all evidence of the influence of the Tsars. Every monument, statue, plaque, or symbol pertaining to the Tsar was defaced and destroyed.

Ana Dietz herself could remember that time sixteen years before. She'd been in her first year at university. Barely a inkling of desire to enter politics, and on a fast track towards graduating from one of the premier liberal arts universities in the nation. She'd invested herself in history back then. It had always been a passion for her. The knowledge of how everything around them had come to be had been so attractive. In her love of history and what really went on in the world, she began digging. That digging was what had caused the SIS to come knocking at her door one day in her third year. She'd been recruited, despite her belief that she lacked every qualification except for her own intellect.

For her credit, she had, for the first part of her training. Though she was athletic, it was not nearly enough to meet the brutal physical standards that the SIS asked of her. She'd doubted why she agreed. Why they even gave her a chance. Where others who had signed up failed and were dropped, they never forced her out. Eventually, things got easier. She became far stronger, faster, and tougher (mainly because parkour training hurt her so much). She grew into the agent they wanted her to be, because her government didn't give up on her. They recruited her rather than reprimand her because they saw something in her, and pushed her to be something more.

Even fourteen years later, she could never repay them back for what they did. Now she was the main liaison to the NLA. An extremeley prestigious position that over a dozen others were more than qualified for, but she received. That had been four years ago.

And she had served as an admirable liaison. In the past four years, they had completely reversed the tables on their adversaries. Rather than be the ones getting ambushed and having to fight through the mountains, they were the ones always on the offensive. Always hunting. Now, all that bloody work and warfare was paying off for something. Now they could create a nation. At the end of the hallway were two large wooden double doors, flanked by two guards on each side. They wore the green digital uniform of the Austranian Security Forces. Vyrsarian-trained, equipped, and perhaps some of the most veteran soldiers in the North.

They nodded at the Germans as Ana pushed open the double doors, walking in with her party. She herself was dressed smartly in her own well-fitted black suit and white shirt, sans a tie. Visible under her blazer and attached to her belt was a holstered 5.7x28mm handgun and a silver badge.

Inside the room was what equated to a command center. Screens, comms scattered around the room. In the middle were a group of men, each in the green digital uniforms of the ASF, surrounding a table which itself was also a screen. At the head, a man in a suit.

Artyom Katayev.

He looked up as the doors open, his eyes grim as they caught Ana's.

"We have a problem," she said simply.

Katayev nodded slowly. The man had a look of intense concentration on his face. Appropriate. As he opened his mouth to speak, Ana cut him off.

"We need to release the referendum now."

"I know."

"You do?" Ana raised one eyebrow.

"I'm not a fool, Ms. Dietz. Right now we have the entire nation united together. They're defiant against Zetsky," Katayev elaborated. He dropped his eyes from Ana's, returning to the screen on the table. "Alexia gave a good speech."

"She did," Ana replied, uncertain of why he was bringing up Adenauer. She knew the two shared a close personal friendship.

"How is she?"

"Probably the only rational one in the Council right now. The rest are on the warpath. They want the heads of every Ghantish aristocrat on pikes, and Zetsky's to be burning in a firepit."

Artyom chuckled and nodded. It made sense, after all. In an inadvertent way, shape, or form, the Ghantish were at fault for the events that had transpired over the previous day and night. At fault in a way that went back sixteen years. He himself blamed them. But he was smarter than to let that affect him.

Now he was simply focused on winning the war. There was only one path to take that would gain them that. The militants were smart, but they lacked the resources of the average insurgency. They couldn't just go hiding in the populace, because of the informants the NLA had everywhere. Surrounded on all sides, it would be extremely difficult for them to gain large resupplies of weapons and ammunition. The war being fought now was a game of cat and mouse. The militants fought and evaded, and the coalition forces systematically hunted them down. '

"I'm going to release the referendum with Alexia," Artyom said decidedly. "Ms. Dietz, I would appreciate if you could send a direct communication to the CPO requesting their oversight of the referendum. I want to leave no question of its legitimacy."

Ana nodded, turned on the ball of her foot, and walked out.

Bundesverteidigungsministerium
Büro des Bundesverteidigungsministers

To: Appropriate Members of the Cornellian Peace Organisation
From: Office of Ana Dietz, Vyrsarian Special Liaison to the Nacionalne Ljudska Armije
Subject: Insurance of Legitimacy of Referendum on the Future of the West Occupation Sector

Dear Leaders, Delegates to the CPO,

The Confederation of Vyrsar, the West Occupation Sector Administrative Government, and the leading body of the Nacionalne Ljudska Armije fervently request the oversight of CPO monitors for an upcoming referendum to be held in the West Occupation Sector, created and administered by the WOS Administrative Government, regarding the future status of the West Occupation Sector.

It is the belief of these acting groups that the oversight by a CPO monitoring body would ensure the legitimacy and recognition of the referendum from the international community, an extremely important step in deciding the future of the Sector.

For the benefit of the readers of this request, a copy of the the referendum sheet is included. A summary of the sheet shows that it offers several general options regarding possible futures for the Sector.

Option One, the voter supports the creation of an independent state under a democratically elected official

Option Two, the voter supports greater autonomy for the occupation sector

Option Three, the voter supports the status quo

Option Four, the voter supports greater Occupational Authority governance in the occupation sector

Option Five, the voter supports the creation of an independent state under a constitutional monarchy

Grüße,

Ana Dietz
SIS Special Liaison to the Nacionalne Ljudska Armije

by **Hittanryan** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:36 pm

Government Office
New Laconia, Adiron

Having just received word that the Oversight Act was as good as dead, DeGroot thought things were looking up. Optimism made him nervous. Whenever something good happened, some cock-up had to balance it out. Sure enough, the newest nominee for Upper Class Twit of the Year decided now would be the perfect time for an inflammatory speech where he proclaimed he had the right to make decisions for the country he got exiled from. Luo had already fired off a communique demanding that Ghant explain itself.

"Well, it's certainly encouraging that this fucker finally took five minutes from his busy schedule of hookers and blow," DeGroot had mused over takeout, gyros this time. "Maybe if he crowns himself Czar he'll similarly take five minutes every decade to make a big speech, while he's getting paid for being born."

"The restoration of the Zetsky-Orlov Dynasty," Tien said in between bites. "Not if they're getting Vyrsarians killed."

"Why the fuck didn't Ghish catch this?" DeGroot asked indignantly. "It's the Airbuses all over again. Airliner shot down, border shelled, didn't it occur to them that an exiled monarch might act as a focal point for militant ultranationalists?"

"Hard to say what occurs to them," Tien said dismissively.

DeGroot was about to answer as he took a drink of water, when suddenly his eyes bugged out and started coughing uncontrollably. Tien just looked over at the President as he tried to get the water out of his windpipe. "You might be able to use that to stall during Question Time." In response, DeGroot raised his hand and gave the Foreign Policy Advisor a universal sign of peace and courtesy.

"Tsarevich Fetus II looks like he should still be at school with his head down a fucking toilet. He's never governed anything in his life. At this point he's like a clown running across a minefield," DeGroot commented, still clearing his throat. "House Zetsky-Orlov's most recognizable achievement is that they nuked their own country. Did he even ask if anyone wanted him back? Does anyone really think Adenauer would allow the Zetsky-Orlovs to come back?"

"Well, constitutional monarchy is on the ballot for the referendum," Tien said. DeGroot hadn't seen it yet, so Tien slid the Chancellor's letter across the table. "Of course, it doesn't name Zetsky-Orlov Czar, and if it's one of the options, Adenauer likely doesn't think it'll win. Administering this election is going to be one long migraine, I think. They'll need voting districts, polling centers, registration..."

"So the Chancellor wants the CPO to share the load...or the blame. If this turns into a massive abortion, it's not just Adenauer who's left holding the bag," DeGroot mused, having not quite heard everything Tien said as he scanned the letter.

"It turns it from a unilateral Vyrsarian action to a multinational effort. It sounds better to...nervous neighbors," Tien said.

Chewing thoughtfully, DeGroot finally said "Maybe we can finally figure out what the fuck's happening over there if we've got monitors combing the place. Tell her we're on board, and I'll see if Scott can conjure up some monitors from the CDP."

"There's one problem," Tien said. "Take a look at who it's addressed to."

DeGroot squinted. "What am I looking at?"

"Bypassed the Director, sent it through some nobody. And the Director isn't likely to suffer a snub."

"Fuck me," DeGroot muttered.

To: The Office of Chancellor Adenauer
From: Adiran Ambassador Cynthia Hayes
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Moderate

My government would first like to offer its sympathies to all of those affected by the recent spate of attacks on civilians by Nekulturnyan insurgents. We are cautiously hopeful at the prospect of allowing the people of Nekulturnya the opportunity to decide the future of their nation via democratic vote, yet the presence of extremist groups within Nekulturnya could pose difficulties to the referendum. They have the potential through voter intimidation or outright attacks on polling stations to disrupt the democratic process, especially if recent actions are perceived to be unilaterally Vyrsarian.

For these reasons, the Republic will support your call for CPO aid in western Nekulturnya, but only under assurances that the security and political situation in Austrania has stabilized to the point where open elections can take place.

Election monitors from the Center for Democratic Progress can act under the auspices of the CPO. However, they will require information ahead of time, such as voting districts, population estimates, and security concerns. They would also require contacts amongst officials administering the referendum, and full access to polling centers and appropriate administrative centers.

We hope this will be to your satisfaction.

Sincerely,
Ambassador Hayes

IIwiki Admin · by **Ghant** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:40 pm

The Prime Minister of Ghant
Nymun Izarbegiratzeak

To: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
From: Nymun Izarbegiratzeak, Prime Minister of Ghant
Subject: Monarchy
Encryption: High, hand delivered in sealed diplomatic pouch

Dear Undersecretary,

You are most welcome, Undersecretary, and rest assured I do not mind any additional inquiries that you wish to make on such a sensitive matter as this.

Firstly, the Tsarevich has had a cadre of supporters amongst fellow exiles and among the other nobles of Izotza, who have been encouraging him to press a claim for the throne of his father, since his death earlier this year. It stands to reason that none other than Izolde, Queen of Izotza, was the catalyst for this. Now, in terms of -pre-existing government policy, the long standing policy regarding Nekulturnya consisted of respecting the wishes of the Nekulturnyan people, in that they and they alone should be able to determine their fate. Should the referendum in western Nekulturnya be CPO supervised, Ghant will respect whatever outcome is produced, as will the Tsarevich.

Secondly, much of what Ghant would be prepared to do depends upon the outcome of the referendum being held in the west. Ghant will respect the outcome of that referendum, and as a result those lands would not be of any particular concern to us. However, the east is an entirely different story, seeing as how the Macureans have no intention of holding a referendum on the issue as in the west. This is due to the fact that support for the restoration of the monarchy in those lands is so great, that a referendum would indicate that. Therefore, Ghant would be willing to risk Ghantish lives and property in order to restore the Tsar in Eastern Nekulturnya, should it come to that. Our goal is to avoid open conflict with Vyrsar specifically, which is something we wouldn’t have to worry about in the eastern administrative area.

Thirdly, our general position is that a general referendum should be held in both the western administrative zone by Vyrsar and in the eastern administrative zone by the Macureans. Again, the east is afraid to host one, due to the very likely possibility of an outcome favorable to the Tsar.

Lastly, our government would only have concern for what the Macureans decide to do. Should they ignore us, we are prepared to create a situation in which the Tsarevich is able to reclaim the eastern half of Nekulturnya and produce an outcome that results in the Macureans having to withdraw and recognize it. We are prepared to risk lives and property to secure that outcome.

-Nymun

The Prime Minister of Ghant
Nymun Izarbegiratzeak

To: Dean Luo, Adiran Ambassador to Ghant
From: Nymun Izarbegiratzeak, Prime Minister of Ghant
Subject: Nekulturnya
Encryption: High

Dear Ambassador,

Indeed, the recent statement by the Tsarevich was one that everyone found most surprising. You are not wrong in anything that you have said to describe him. Based upon what we know about Lord Zetsky-Orlov and his supporters, we can safely say the following:

1. Nikolai is genuinely calling for an end to occupation and forming a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy.

2. The concern at present is the notion that Vyrsar, the Macurean states and Deadora seem to be forming a sphere in northern Acheron that, for all intents and purposes, would not be friendly towards Ghantish interests. These maneuverings in Nekulturnya indicate a hegemonic agenda, which Ghant cannot condone.

3. Our position on the occupation of Nekulturnya has been the same as it has been since 1998. That not only should there be a timetable for the occupation, but that there should be referendums conducted within the occupation areas to determine how the people of Nekulturnya wish to proceed. We believe that there is enough support in the eastern half, constituting the Macurean joint administration area, for a restoration of the Tsar under the form of government that he has indicated he would wish to pursue.

4. Zetsky-Orlov’s statement reflected the government position only so far as that he endeavors to see a united, democratic Nekulturnya that is free from occupying forces after sixteen years of sustained occupation.

5. Yes, Ghant does intend on supporting the Tsarevich’s claims and his calls for independence. Having said that, if the upcoming referendum in the western half were to be CPO supervised, and should it indicate that the people of that area wish to go a different path from the Tsarevich’s wishes, then that will be respected, both by the Ghantish government and by the Tsarevich, who would then only claim the eastern half, which is currently under the Macurean joint administration zone.

Sincerely,
Nymun

by **New Edom** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:55 pm

Fineberg, New Edom

"I just got back from talking with the President. There are rumours that the Adiran government will support this initiative towards a referendum in Nekulturnya. The President is not happy. He said that he is not happy that a nation directly supporting Deadora and their position in Dengali, a nation that supported the CPO interference in Peregrino seems to feel it has the right to curb New Edomite foreign policy feels that it should be able to do whatever it likes. He was, gentlemen, in a hell of a rage!" said General Benajah to the assembled officials. There were a few startled looks. Levi Dathan, who had been there, had been shocked to see the President of the Council sweep a water carafe and glass to smash on the floor.

"Part of it," said Levi, "Is that the message from the Vyrsarian official was not addressed to his office, but to the CPO generally. His feeling is that enough is enough. There is only so much that can be tolerated."

To: Office of Ana Dietz, Vyrsarian Special Liaison to the Nacionalne Ljudska Armije
From: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
Subject: CPO Support for Referendum in Nekulturnya
Encryption: Moderate (sent as copies to pertinent ministries in Vyrsar, New Macureus, Old Macureus, Grossprussia, Nordkrusen, Ghant and to CPO signatory nations)

We are naturally glad to be invited to take part in a process which would help establish safety, security and future prosperity for millions of people in Northern Acheron, and the greatest consideration is given to the questions put to the CPO.

On behalf of the Interim Government I would like to make clear that there are a number of questions that would have to be answered before there could be any consideration of support for a mission by the CPO or recognition of the right to establish a new referendum that would be recognized as reasonable by either the Edomite delegation or the President of the Council of Ministers as Director of Peacekeeping which are as follows:

First: It is clear that armed conflict have been going on in the general theater of Nekulturnya. How has it been established that all persons there feel safe enough to have a referendum?

Second: In view of this, how effective can it be determined that Vyrsarian policy for security in the area has been?

Third: Until recently there has been no oversight nor any explanation offered to the rest of the Region offered as to what measures for security and recognition of human and civil rights in Nekulturnya have been with regard to the recent security initiatives by Vyrsar's government. An explanation and description of these should be forthcoming.

In short, to be blunt, with Vyrsar's military in firm control of their areas of operation and no opposition apparently to the creation of a new state within Vyrsar and Austrania there is some doubt as to the readiness of the area to have a referendum. It is recommended at this time that inspections and queries by a special CPO committee be put forth before a vote is called in the CPO.

I have the honour to be
Levi Dathan,
Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
For the delegation of New Edom to the CPO

by **Free Garza** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 11:56 pm

Free Garza City Journal,
Doroteo Aguirre

His Most Catholic Majesty, Diego IV, by the Grace of God, King of Free Garza, has officially affixed his seal and signature to a cabinet decree recognizing the exiled Tsarevich of Nekulturnaya as "the lawful sovereign of the Grand Empire of Nekulturnaya. We have every confidence, judging by his recent public declaration, that he intends, like us, to govern wisely, justly, and constitutionally this nation from which he was exiled because of the crimes of his father. Our king's royal grandfather, too, committed many cruel acts of oppression, but as His Most Catholic Majesty is not his grandfather, so the Tsarevich is not his. However, we offer our condolences to the victims of all recent acts of terror, which are not the fault of the Tsarevich."

Acting on the King's advice, the cabinet led by Premier Marco Roman has acted legally and constitutionally to publicly repudiate the notion of a partitioned Nekulturnaya composed of puppet states. The Cortes may vote to overturn the decree, but until or unless it does so, this is now official foreign policy of the Restored Kingdom of Free Garza. Once again, the King and cabinet have proven that they will take necessary actions, but only within the limits and constraints of any crowned liberal democracy.

That does not mean that there were no critics. Most vocal of these was former Premier Jacinta Castillo, who denounced the newest action as "proof of a silly pro-Ghantish bent in foreign policy due to family prejudices on the part of the King. A restored monarchy that once nuked its own country and tried to destroy its neighbors by means of a nuclear first strike is not a regime that should be restored under any circumstances, least of all not in place of continued protection and administration by a democratic Vyrsar in transition to a democratic republic."

She also rushed to condemn the restoration of the Ghantish-Garzan alliance, which was submitted by the cabinet to the Cortes with the full sanction of the King.

"This is not an alliance that does us good at all. New Edom I can see, though Adiron is a better choice. Ghant, by God, is nothing but a medieval relic of superstition, social injustice, racism, and privilege. We should have nothing to do with Ghant."

In other news, and with much less commentary, Princess Rosa has voluntarily renounced her place in the line of accession in favor of her aunt, Princess Isabel, who is now Crown Princess Isabel and Heiress Presumptive to the throne, pending the birth of the King's unborn child by Queen Helga. It should be noted that Rosa herself explained it as "undoing at least in part the colossal injustice of my aunt's removal in the first place by our grandfather."

It is clear by these events that a full Ghantish-Garzan alliance is in the works....or is it? Only time and some elections can tell.

Also in the news, a plebiscite will be held on 1 January on the new proposed Constitution and Charter of the Ordinances and Institutions of the Realm. The Senate, the last obstacle, voted in favor of it by 87-13. The People's Assembly already approved by 257 to 43. If approved, the new Constitution will largely assign the bulk of executive powers to the Premier as head of a responsible government, but will retain the powers of a royal negative to legislation, supreme royal command of the armed forces and Civil Guard, appointment of ministers and judges, advising the government, dissolution of the Cortes and presiding over joint-sessions of it, and the issuance of order-in-council. The male preference in primogeniture will be retained for now, but may be amended or revised in the future like the rest of the Constitution.

by **Alizeria** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:41 am

Auckonto, Alizeria

More than half a world away from the terror of Nekulturnya, Auckonto was enjoying a particularly clam and settled day.

Lake Auckonto was sparkling in the sun, as it poked its way through the steadily greying sky, the cloud that Alizeria was famous for slowly stretching its way over the heavily forested mountains like a blanket with which to put the sunny day to bed.

But there was no rain, or wind and with Parliament in recess for the summer, Foreign Secretary William Eastwood was able to enjoy some time alone in his beautifully scenic lakeside home city.

The bald man, a giant of 6'7" lumbered along the lake's edge, taking in the scenery on his afternoon jog but also using the opportunity to take in everything that had happened to him in the last year.

It had been a hell of a ride. This time last year he was just an opposition backbencher, who would occasionally add his two cents to laws on international development and if he was really lucky would get to talk about how ALIZAID could be better managed. Now he was the third or fourth most powerful man in Alizeria.

But this time last year he had been married and would have been spending Christmas with his wife and children. Instead he'd get to spend a few hours with the kids, and the rest of the Christmas break would be spent jogging, or else with his new family - his family of whiskey, vodka and beer. If he was really lucky he might volunteer at the Auckonto City Mission - not as a political stunt for the benefit of his West Auckonto constituents but really just to alleviate the loneliness.

There was a bitter irony that the revelation that Craig Milton had been cheating on his wife had led Eastwood to becoming the Foreign Secretary, when his own wife's infidelity had led to his divorce. Even more ironically, had the Conservatives still been in government, she would have been charged with adultery. Eastwood had been forced to swallow his pride and drop the charges for political expediency - it would be hypocritical for a Liberal MP, a party opposed to the illegality of adultery, to charge someone with that crime after all.

The sky was darkening under cloud as Eastwood continued to jog along the shore of the lake. Alizerian weather being as unpredictable as it was, it was probably about to rain - though perhaps rain would be just the thing to cool him down, given that he hadn't brought an umbrella.

Eastwood felt a vibration in his pocket. At first he assumed he was having some kind of muscle spasm - he hadn't been out for a run in a long time - but then he heard his ringtone and realised someone was calling.

He stumbled to a halt and checked his phone, just as the sun disappeared behind a cloud. The caller ID said it was the Prime Minister - and for the Prime Minister to be calling while he was on holiday could only mean there had been an emergency.

Maybe it was the gathering of the clouds, or maybe it was the phonecall, but William Eastwood couldn't contain the sense of foreboding as he wiped the dripping sweat off his face and answered the call.

"Prime Minister." He said.

"Hello William. I hope things are well up in Auckonto?" Came the familiar icy drawl of Anthony Ashton.

"Oh, yes, things are great. Are your family well?" Replied Eastwood. What the hell does the Prime Minister want!?

"They sure are. The children are very excited for Christmas," Said Ashton. He tactfully avoided reciprocating the question, knowing Eastwood's own unpleasant circumstances.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Prime Minister?" Asked the Foreign Secretary, though he dreaded the answer. It couldn't be good whatever it was. Had Milton redeemed himself and was this the call to say he was the victim of a Cabinet reshuffle? Was it something worse?

"Well... I've just received some notes from Lord Wilfred Hummington here in my office regarding the CPO..." Said Ashton.

Does this guy ever sleep? Eastwood thought, wondering what kind of person was bothered with this stuff at this time of year. But then Ashton was a workaholic, he knew that. A workaholic Prime Minister and an alcoholic Foreign Secretary... it was fitting.

"Look, the situation in northern Acheron is getting bad, I'm sure you know that," The Prime Minister continued, leaving Eastwood to wonder if 'Northern Acheron' was just a code word for 'My approval ratings'. "And I've been flooded with varying proposals from varying sources, all of which are asking for Alizerian support in the Cornellian Peace Organisation-"

"Do you want me to come to Krostuk, Prime Minister? I can catch the next flight there--"

"Oh, no, William, you enjoy your holiday. I wouldn't want to cut your holiday short over something happening so far away from us..." Said Ashton, his voice dripping with icy politeness. "I just want your thoughts and I want to know you'll stand beside me if I was to... make a proposal to the international community."

Eastwood sat down on a nearby park bench as the first raindrops began to fall from the sky. He had to bite his tongue to not accuse the Prime Minister of being drunk.

He took a long breath and air, gulped and said, "What's your proposal Prime Minister?"

"Well, the way I see it is this... we have excellent relations with Ghant and New Edom. We also have a good relationship with Adiron and we can probably hide behind them if things go pear-shaped," Drawled Ashton. "But increasingly we're seeing the public and the media seem to support the Vyrsarian position."

"Do you believe the Vyrsarians, Prime Minister?"

"You're the Foreign Secretary, William. You have more to do with them than I do." Said the Prime Minister. "That's why I'm asking."

Eastwood paused. "I don't have a lot to do with them. I doubt the government of Vyrsar could even place Alizeria on a map to tell the truth. We're sympathetic, but Vyrsar is a long way from us. There's not a lot going on bilaterally.

"I mean... we don't even have an embassy there. The High Commission in Ghish represents us in Vyrsar."

"But do you believe the claims of the Vyrsarians, Mr. Eastwood?" Asked Ashton.

"No Prime Minister." Eastwood said. "Not for a second. Do you?"

"Of course not. I'm not a fucking idiot." Said Ashton, the sudden harshness of his words cutting through Eastwood with enough force to almost cause physical pain. "But we're hardly enemies, or even ideological opponents, are we?"

"No, Prime Minister, that's true. I am confident that Alizeria continues to have no natural enemies."

"Yes, yes... so what would you say to having this government use our strong relationship with the powers we know, as well as our reputation for neutrality to perhaps be an honest broker in this conflict?" Said Ashton.

"I don't see why Alizeria needs to involve itself in --"

"Nekulturnya contains at least ten times as many people as Alizeria. People who are suffering, oppressed, being toyed with by foreign powers who don't see them as real human beings but numbers on a piece of paper!" Said Ashton, his voice rising suddenly. "We are friend to all and enemy to none. We can use this. We can bring an end to the suffering, if - if and only if, we play our cards right. We have a good hand, William. Let's play it."

Eastwood paused again, totally stunned. What the hell was Ashton playing at?

"I'm going to release a statement, William. And it's going to bypass your department, I'm sorry to say. This statement will be proposal that a series of referendums be held throughout Nekulturnya, but especially in the west.

"We'll stroke the Vyrsarians' egos by adopting their proposal... almost.

"To appease the Ghantish and the New Edomites we're going to make it conditional on the withdrawal of Vrysarian troops from the region, and their replacement by CPO peacekeeping forces. There won't be orchestration going on... except by neutral countries like ours."

"Will any of these peacekeeping troops be Alizerian?" Asked Eastwood.

"Who can say?" Replied the Prime Minister cryptically.

"Well, you can. You're the Prime Minister. Are you really willing to go on television and say 'Merry Christmas Alizeria, we're sending troops to a country you've never heard of!'?"

"Look, let's just see what happens. Let's put it out there and see who takes it," Said Ashton. "I suspect the Adirans might support us. If they don't then that's fine. We're all the way down here. We'll go back to shearing our sheep, and the foreign powers can go back to sharing the burden of the suffering of innocent people..."

Eastwood tried to respond but by then it was too late.

Anthony Ashton had hung up.

And he was about to lead Alizeria into something that neither the people nor the government - nor possibly even Ashton himself - fully understood.

Lord Wilfred Hummington III, Alizeria's delegate to the Cornellian Peacekeeping Organisation received the following communique. It wasn't from the Foreign Secretary. It came directly from the Prime Minister's office.

He nearly suffered a panic attack as he distributed the letter among the other delegates. Alizeria wasn't meant to involve itself in things like this - the world was turning upside down.

What was Ashton doing?

December 19, 2014

To Lord Wilfred Hummington III
Representative of the Kingdom of Alizeria to the Cornellian Peace Organisation
TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO DELEGATES AND MEMBERS OF THE CPO

This messages defines the official position of His Royal Majesty's Government in regards to the situation in Nekulturnya and outlines our views regarding the role that the CPO ought to play in the situation.

His Royal Majesty's Government expresses agreement with the government of the Confederation of Vyrsar that a referendum should be held in the West Occupation Sector regarding its future status. His Royal Majesty's Government further agrees that a CPO monitoring body ought to oversee such a referendum.

However, the Kingdom of Alizeria - as a neutral country and an observer from afar - also notes that there are concerns that the entire incident appears to have been orchestrated by the Confederation of Vyrsar. We do not condone, condemn or even confirm such suspicions nor do we intend to make such an accusation. We only mention it cognizant of the fact that such concerns have been voiced by other powers.

Therefore, His Royal Majesty's government proposes a middle ground, in which the referendum goes ahead according to the terms specified by the delegate from Vyrsar conditional upon the withdrawal of all Vyrsarian troops from the western sector and their replacement by a multinational CPO peacekeeping force in order to further alleviate any concerns over the legitimacy of the referendum.

Our proposal is designed to bridge the ideological divide between the concerned powers, while seeking a way to move forward and end the suffering of the innocent people of Nekulturnya.

As a neutral country, I therefore extend neither good wishes nor bad wishes to the member nations of the CPO and hope that you will consider our humble proposal.

Merry Christmas to you all,

The Rt. Hon. Anthony Ashton MP
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Alizeria, First Lord of the Treasury, Chairman of the Cabinet and Keeper of the Great Seal of State.

1, The Chancellery
Krostuk 1011
Alizeria

by **Hittanryan** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 3:32 am

To: Samantha Notaras, Political Advisor, New Edomite Embassy in Vyrsar
From: Adiran Ambassador Cynthia Hayes
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Hand-delivered in sealed pouch

Seasons greetings to you all. We are steadily gearing up for Saturnalia and wish you a Merry Christmas in turn. As the current events across the border continue to unfold, it seems there have been stirrings of a CPO Mission to Nekulturnya in some form or another. However, as has often been the case these past few days, things remain rather murky. Since President Pahath-Moab currently holds the position of Director of Peacekeeping Operations, we wonder if you might be able to clarify certain points of confusion in our office.

Though my government would prefer that the people of Nekulturnya have some say in their future, we largely agree with the sentiments expressed by Undersecretary Dathan in his recent communique to the CPO. A number of practical considerations, especially security, continue to present significant obstacles to a nationwide referendum in occupied territory, which we expressed in our latest communication to the Chancellor. Furthermore, in lieu of more information, it is also agreed that inspections should be carried out by observers and monitors from groups unaffiliated with the Five Nations, Ghant, or elements within Nekulturnya.

There is also some confusion in this office regarding who this letter was addressed to. It appears to have been circulated as an organization-wide memorandum, rather than a direct communication to the Director of Peacekeeping Operations. Was an official message also sent to the Director of Peacekeeping Operations that we are unaware of? If so, was this intended as a proposal for a CPO mission?

Sincerely,
Ambassador Hayes

To: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
From: David Redstone, Ambassador to New Edom
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Hand-delivered in sealed pouch

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope the family is doing well. I may have to talk to the writer of that play about adopting it for film or television, I'm sure it would do well with Adiran audiences. In this festive time, I write to you in order to dampen your spirits with work, unfortunately, specifically dealing with this latest affair in North Acheron.

My government supports the idea of a CPO-backed referendum, but just the idea. While the President evidently would agree to it in principle, all of our people hit a roadblock when taking into account practical considerations such as security, administration, and participation. This roadblock stems from a dearth of information. Apparently my counterpart in Zurich hasn't gotten much out of the Chancellor, and the press who have come to her said they are struggling to overcome the aegis of "ongoing operations." The Republic is evidently going to echo your calls for inspections within occupied territory in an effort to correct this.

We're not entirely sure what to make of Mr. Zetsky-Orlov's claim to a defunct throne; whether or not the man is deserving of the title of Czar is a matter best left in North Acheron. There are plenty in State Department circles who consider his remarks recklessly irresponsible, at the bare minimum having incited ultranationalist radicals to violence. We still can't help but marvel at the fact that Ghish still allows its nobility to disrupt international crises in this manner, especially after what happened last time.

Finally, the State Department is looking to clarify something. Did the Office of the Director of Peacekeeping receive correspondence from Vyrsar? Was a formal proposal made? Or was the organization-wide communique the only notice given? What does it mean if that was the case?

Regards,
David Redstone
Ambassador to New Edom

by **New Edom** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 7:26 am

To: Adiran Ambassador Cynthia Hayes
From: Political Advisor Samantha Notaras
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Delivered in sealed diplomatic pouch

A Merry Christmas and Io Saturnalia to you, Madame Ambassador. I hope all is well from you and yours, as does the Ambassador to Vyrsar, Count Jared Gashmu-Sanballat.

A message was passed on to the CPO from the Prime Minister of Alizeria which raised similar concerns to ours but proposed a solution: a withdrawal of troops from Vyrsar (and it is implied New Macureus) and their replacement with CPO contingents. That is something my government wishes to explore as a possibility.

The message was at no time addressed directly to the Office of the Director of Peacekeeping, but seems to have been distributed by a Vysarian civil servant appointed to the occupied territory, and therefore not even from the delegation from Vyrsar or the Foreign Ministry.

I have the honour to be
Samantha Notaras
Political Advisor

To: David Redstone, Adiran Ambassador
From: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Delivered in sealed diplomatic pouch

Dear David,

A Merry Christmas and Io Saturnalia to you, my friend. I think that the play should be put on DVD and electronic copies and distributed as well. Free expression and all that, eh?

A message was passed on to the CPO from the Prime Minister of Alizeria which raised similar concerns to ours but proposed a solution: a withdrawal of troops from Vyrsar (and it is implied New Macureus) and their replacement with CPO contingents. We are considering this possibility, however there are some very serious concerns--simply because a political referendum is a good idea doesn't mean that this one is.

The message was at no time addressed directly to the Office of the Director of Peacekeeping, but seems to have been distributed by a Vysarian civil servant appointed to the occupied territory, and therefore not even from the delegation from Vyrsar or the Foreign Ministry. Between you and I, while there is room for doubt and possible miscommunication, the letter is being seen as an insult to the Office of the Director and to the CPO in general. something as grave as this should not be treated as a matter of bureaucratic routine.

Between you and I, the reason my government did not even bother to contact the government of Vyrsar is that there is a suspicion about their integrity in the current situation. It is perfectly reasonable that a government should be concerned about their border security and about sympathetic political movements across their border, and that their specific government should be concerned about Nekulturnya, given its history. However the area is clearly not pacified or this attack would not have taken place.

As for the claimed Tsarevich Zetsky-Orlov's point of view, it is perfectly reasonable that a private citizen should express his political views. The Prime Minister of Ghant stated that they might support a referendum if it acknowledged the possibility of a monarchy in which case they would in all likelihood support it. It is not made clear what support this would represent beyond a declaration of some kind, recognition and possible trade with the new state. If this is a plan, it is too subtle for my simple brain.

In fact, there is also a dearth of reliable intelligence in the area. There has been no sharing of information directly by Vyrsar or New Macureus' governments about what is going on save for rhetoric and news releases. I would also say that the Imperial Government of Ghant has a similar posture.

This is a situation that the Interim Government will be paying a lot more close scrutiny to because of recent events.

I have the honour to be
Levi Dathan,
Undersecretary

To: Adiran Ambassador Cynthia Hayes
From: Political Advisor Samantha Notaras
Subject: CPO
Encryption: Delivered in sealed diplomatic pouch

A Merry Christmas and Io Saturnalia to you, Madame Ambassador. I hope all is well from you and yours, as does the Ambassador to Vyrsar, Count Jared Gashmu-Sanballat.

A message was passed on to the CPO from the Prime Minister of Alizeria which raised similar concerns to ours but proposed a solution: a withdrawal of troops from Vyrsar (and it is implied New Macureus) and their replacement with CPO contingents. That is something my government wishes to explore as a possibility.

The message was at no time addressed directly to the Office of the Director of Peacekeeping, but seems to have been distributed by a Vysarian civil servant appointed to the occupied territory, and therefore not even from the delegation from Vyrsar or the Foreign Ministry.

I have the honour to be
Samantha Notaras
Political Advisor

From The Office of the Director of Peacekeeping, the Cornellian Peacekeeping Organization
To: Prime Minister Anthony Ashton of Alizeria
CC: As Appropriate--Heads of state and Government of the CPO Nations
Encryption: Most Secret, Eyes Only

I have carefully considered several advised courses of action with regard to the CPO's involvement in the former state of Nekulturnya.

Having done so, it seems to me that the worst thing possible would, in the face of the recent tragic and terrible losses of life that have taken place there to jump to conclusions. I am particularly grateful to Prime Minister Ashton who has offered what is to my mind a very reasonable solution for us to consider.

I would like to see a response from Chancellor Adenauer and General Ios Melin to the recommendation of a withdrawal of Vysarian troops from the Vyrsarian side of the former Nekulturnya replacement by CPO contingents (which would obviously not be from Five Power Treaty nations nor from the Empire of Ghant, in order to maintain neutrality), and the formation of a commission formed of CPO nations to investigate the political issues within the former Nekulturnya. I strongly encourage other leaders either directly or through their appointed representatives to the CPO to make their opinions on this matter known.

I would also like to hear from the Prime Minister of Ghant and the Chancellor of Vyrsar if they would be so kind as to explain what intelligence their governments have as to what justifies their current political positions in the former Nekulturnya.

I have the honour to be
Brigadier-General Perrin Pahath-Moab
President of the Council of Ministers
Director of Peacekeeping, CPO

by **Alizeria** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:49 am

Auckonto, Alizeria

Two hours later, William Eastwood - slightly drunk now, after 'stopping off at the pub for a pint" turned into "stopping off at the pub for about four pints" - received the text message that he had been half-expecting to receive since that phone call with Anthony Ashton.

Across the country other ministers were receiving that same text message, all from the same number - that of Wayne Hodgeson, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff. The text message contained only three simple words, but they were three simple words that could start a nationwide panic if they got out.

Those three words were, "EMERGENCY CABINET MEETING."

There was a protocol, everyone who had read the Cabinet manual knew it, but given how rarely it was used and how unlikely it seemed they struggled to remember what to do. For most it simply involved taking the first cab to the airport, and then getting on the first flight to Krostuk.

Eastwood was spotted at Auckonto Airport by another Cabinet minister, Health Minister Tania Paxman (who represented the Auckonto constituency of Symond).

"Did you get the text too?" She asked.

"I think we all did," Said Eastwood. He wasn't in the mood for conversation and speculation - and hoped to god he didn't end up on a seat next to her.

"Hmm..." Said Paxman. "What do you think it all means?"

The Foreign Secretary paused. He knew exactly what it was about. Ashton had obviously gone straight to the CPO - presumably he'd had a response by now, probably from his friend Perrin, and this meeting was to discuss what? What to do next? Or could it be that Ashton was seriously considering sending.....

"I have no idea." Lied Eastwood, taking a sip from his hip flask of whiskey and trying to calm his mind.

Henderson, County Westfield
Alizeria

There were three Cabinet ministers waiting at the tiny airport in Henderson, on the rural west coast of the country. The airport terminal was barely more than a shed, and the airport was basically a runway in the middle of a paddock, which sheep would occasionally stray their way onto.

The highest ranked of the three ministers - Michael Neilson, who served as both Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney-General had deliberately waited so that the other two could take the same flight as him, given that they had to travel from farming towns a few hours drive away from Henderson.

International Development minister Christopher Howard was the first to join him, and Neilson offered the junior minister a coffee while they waited.

Finally, drenched in rain and looking particularly disgruntled and inconvenienced, Defence Minister Damien Rohan arrived.

"I take it ye know what's going on then?" Rohan said to Neilson by way of greeting.

"Nay," Said Neilson. "Not a thing. It's really unusual. Anthony doesn't tend to keep me in the dark."

Michael Neilson was unique in Cabinet for being the only minister who felt truly comfortable referring to the Prime Minister by his first name. Being the seniormost member of the Cabinet had its perks, and one was that he had the complete trust of the Prime Minister, and yet did not fear him in the slightest.

"I gave William... er, William Eastwood a call," Said Christopher Howard.

"Mmm," Grunted the Defence Minister. "Yes I heard from him too."

Neilson raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"He... he didn't say much but he seemed really on edge. It was like he was hiding something." Said Howard.

"Eastwood's a fookin' drunk," Said Rohan. "He's just trying to hide the fact he's an alcoholic. He's foolin' no one, except maybe himself."

Howard looked from Rohan to Neilson.

"Maybe..." He said. "But you know what I think? I think we might be talking about... the 'W' word."

The Defence Minister's eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"No!" He gasped. "Ye can't be serious can ya?"

The International Development Minister nodded, as did the Deputy Prime Minister.

"I've been suspecting this too," Said Michael Neilson. "It's the only reason why Anthony wouldn't want to keep me in the loop."

Trembling, Damien Rohan took a step backwards.

"You... you can't be serious though? The 'W' word? Really?" He said. "Not Water Cleanliness Regulations! I represent a rural seat! They'll fookin' slaughter me if we spring that on them! Cuttin' subsidies to farmers is one thing, but..."

"No Damien!" Said Neilson. "He's talking about war!"

"Right." Said Howard. "We've been sending a lot of aid to Nekulturnya. I think he wants to take it up a level. I think he wants troops sent there."

Selwyn, Krostuk
Alizeria

If Anthony Ashton hadn't been a Krostuk-based MP, chances are this meeting wouldn't be happening. He'd probably have been away from the Chancellery¹, away from Sheeptown², at home in some manor somewhere in the country, tending to his wife and/or sheep and not brooding over how much fun it is to be a Prime Minister.

William Dolan - former opposition leader, now the Minister of Business and Economic Development, knew this. He wasn't that different to Anthony Ashton after all.

Having a constituency in the capital had its perks, one such perk meant that while other ministers were flying in from the Counties, Dolan had time to sit at home and plot before arriving at the Chancellery.

He lit up a cigarette on the balcony of his suburban apartment, listening to the rustling in the leaves on this Krostuk summers night. And he he grinned to himself, barely able to stifle a laugh.

With but a few flicks of his thumb he could give that cunt Anthony Ashton a hell of a difficult time. It just took him to send two text messages to the same person - a journalist he was friendly with down at the Alizeria Daily Herald.

The first message said, "Hav scoop 4 u. Delete this msg & the next, dnt mention me. Fwding u frm PM Chief of Staff."
The second, guaranteed to start a media shitstorm, was "FWD: EMERGENCY CABINET MEETING"

"You know I should probably head off now, Hannah." He said to his wife.

"Mmm," Said Mrs. Dolan with a devious grin. "Yes you'd better."

"It's a top secret meeting. I want to avoid the crowds - we all know how much media attention top secret meetings get!"

¹ The Chancellery is the building where the Cabinet meet, as well as being the official residence of the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Whip. It is a metonym that usually refers to the executive branch of Alizeria's government, but in particular to the Prime Minister.

² Sheeptown is an affluent inner city suburb in Krostuk, most notable for holding embassies, government departments and Sheeptown Palace, better known as the Houses of Parliament. "Sheeptown" is a metonym for Parliament, politics and occasionally for the world inhabited by the political class, equivalent to "The Beltway".

Outside the Chancellery
Krostuk, Alizeria

It was 2am when the Ministers began arriving for the Emergency Cabinet Meeting, and most of them were swamped by reporters as they tried to exit their Crown Limousines. Apparently someone had leaked it - Wayne Hodgeson must have accidentally sent the text to a reporter.

"Good evening, this is Sam Shipman of ATV News, we are live outside the Chancellery where the Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet. The members of Cabinet have all been told to cut their holidays short and come to Krostuk, we are not currently sure why.

"On the phone with me is political expert, Dr. Sydney Burchard. Can you hear me Doctor Burchard?"

"Yes Sam, I can."

"What do you make of these extraordinary scenes we're seeing... the Minister of Education has just arrived she says she doesn't know why they have been called in, echoing the same thing that every other Minister we have spoken to has said."

"You know there's generally only a few cases where something like this would happen. One is a natural disaster, we've had no word of that. The other would be perhaps not unlike the terrible events of October in which there a murder. The other possibility is perhaps... to do with foreign policy but we've not hard anything substantial from the Foreign Secretary..."

The three ministers from County Westfield arrived together in a shared limo, and while Michael Neilson and Christopher Howard were fast enough to get into the building without being blocked by the media scrum, Damien Rohan found himself surrounded.

"We have here... Defence Minister Damien Rohan. Minister, is there any basis to the rumours that this is related to the situation in Northern Acheron?"

"I have no comment!" Rohan shouted angrily. "Get out the fookin' way!"

"Sources in the military have said that they have been training in case they are sent to Nekulturnya... is there any truth to this?"

"If there is then your source in the military knows more than the Minister of Defence does, now get out of the fookin' way!" He snapped before finally making it inside the Chancellery.

The Cabinet Room, the Chancellery
Krostuk, Alizeria

Prime Minister Anthony Ashton could hear the media circus outside, though he wasn't worried by it - in fact it made him smile.

He had expected that someone would leak it to the media, and that was fine, he had factored that into his calculations.

It was 2am. That meant that it was probably the middle of the day in Ghant, and Vyrsar... and in Nekulturnya.

"Don't overwork yourself, Anthony," His wife had begged him on the phone just an hour before. "Come home. Come to bed. It can wait until tomorrow. It can probably wait until after Christmas."

"I'm sorry Charlotte," He had said. "But there are some things you just can't wait for. You'll see what I'm doing soon, honey. You'll understand. Soon."

And he quietly smiled to himself, as the first of the Ministers began to trickle into the Cabinet room.

His spectacles were foggy but he could still see, even if it made it harder for other people to look him straight in the eye.

But it was he, and he alone, who knew exactly what was happening in his mind, only he knew his plan, only he knew what he was plotting.

There was a veil between him and the world, and absolutely no one, not even his wife, could really say what was going on behind his icy blue eyes...

by **Alizeria** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:29 am

BREAKING NEWS:
SPECULATION MOUNTS OVER EMERGENCY CABINET MEETING

December 20th 2014

BREAKING NEWS
It has been confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Ashton has recalled members of the cabinet to Krostuk for an emergency Cabinet meeting, the subject of which is yet to be revealed.

KEY POINTS:

A leaked text message from the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Wayne Hodgeson, has confirmed that the Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet
So far not one in Cabinet has claimed to know the subject of the meeting
Such meetings are usually reserved for national emergencies, such as the murder in October, natural disasters or theoretically for war or terrorism
The fact that the meeting is taking place late at night is considered highly unusual

_{Live Stream not available outside of Alizeria}

LIVE UPDATES:

00:00: Welcome to our live-stream coverage of events in the capital, we have learned that the Prime Minister has called an emergency Cabinet meeting.

00:27: Emergency services have announced a statement that, quote, "There is nothing to panic about." This has caused an amount of panic in and of itself.

00:53: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has arrived. He has confirmed that the meeting is not anything to do with the economy and voiced his own confusion at events.

01:02: An official has emerged, possibly to give an official statement

01:03: The official was actually just putting Anthony Ashton's pet cat out for the night.

01:04: Official has gone back inside.

01:15: Speculation mounts that the meeting could be linked to Sheep Safety Week - there may have been a controversy or scandal over this year's Sheep Safety Award

01:31: Foreign Secretary William Eastwood arrives with Health Minister Tania Paxman. Foreign Secretary refuses to answer questions, rumours that this could be related to foreign policy begin to circulate.

01:43: The Minister of Economic Development arrives, speaks briefly to reporters but reveals he has no information on the subject of the meeting.

01:53: Broadcasting Minister Alexander Smith arrives. Jokes that 'the media are doing a good job by finding out about this', but says he knows nothing.

02:02: Meeting believed due to start. Attorney-General, Minister of International Development and Defence Minister arrive together.

02:04: Defence Minister Damien Rohan refuses to answer questions before storming off angrily.

02:17: Home Secretary Judith Brierly arrives with Environment Minister Cassandra Hall. Brierly says she is "late" and runs inside.

2:21: Remainder of Cabinet arrive together, Minister of Social Development confirms meeting to start at 2:30am. Says she does not know subject of meeting.

02:43: Backbench MPs suggest meeting could be about Water Cleanliness Regulations if not about Sheep Safety Week.

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by **Vyrsar** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:48 pm

Bundesverteidigungsministerium
Büro des Bundesverteidigungsministers

To: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
From: Office of Vanessa von Richthofen, Councilwoman, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Subject: RE: CPO Support for Referendum in Nekulturnya
Encryption: Maßvoll

Undersecretary Dathan,

I first of all apologise for any confusion resulting from the mis-addressing of the previous message distributed to the CPO. It came to our attention that the selected personnel were inexperienced in such matters in responding communications, and so responsibility of communicating further with the Cornellian Peace Organisation are now delegated to me. Please extend my apologies to any offended parties, in particular Director Pahath-Moab, as we understand that the bypassing of CPO leading authorities in the release of the communication is considered rude and potentially offending.

In the delegation of the responsibilities to me, all messages sent to the office of Agent Dietz have been forwarded to me. In that, I will address your questions to the best of my ability.

1.) The safety of the persons who would be voting on the referendum is assured to the best of our ability. Attacks by hostile militants were, at the very least, contained into known contested areas which constitute the regions bordering the Eastern zone.

2.) The Effectiveness of Vyrsarian security policy regarding the West Occupation Zone have been extremely successful in secured regions. Militant forces have been driven back towards and contained in mountainous rural areas, away from urban population centers. The resistance we have experienced in the secured zones has been kept mostly to violent rioters, though reports say that they are seldom seen now. On a personal note, Herr Dathan, I am unsure of the security situation in regards to potential radical violence that would be undertaken by these personnel in light of Zetsky-Orlov giving the ultranationalist militants a rallying cry. I do know that there are measures being put in place and extra measures planned, but I have not been informed of that as of yet. If you want, I would suggest contacting the Ministry of Defence for those. I will forward the appropriate parts of your letter to them in regards to this.

3.) There is a brief being prepared on the current and past measures, plans, and operations that have been performed by all coalition belligerents in regards to the conflict in the West Occupation Sector. In saying coalition belligerents, I am collectively referring to the Vyrsarian Armed Forces and Intelligence Community, Austranian Security Forces (Previously called the West Occupation Sector Security Forces), and the Nacionalne Ljudska Armije. An attachment is being prepared for this brief that outlines militant operations and responses in turn.

On permission from the Chancellor, I have been given authorisation to confirm our support for the entrance of CPO inspectors into the West Occupation Sector as per your suggestion. I have also been given authorisation to say that the government is strongly against the proposed Alizerian plan. Our current assurances of security are due to the current circumstances and measures in place. If we are to remove completely the entire VDF deployment in the Sector, then it could potentially compromise existing security. In a counter proposal, we would like to alter the plan to suggest that CPO peacekeepers may supplement the existing combat force there to provide internal security for the referendum. In this way, we would attempt to maintain the current successful security measures as well as allow greater CPO involvement in the referendum.

Grüße,

Vanessa von Richthofen
Secretary of Foreign Affairs

Vanessa closed and sealed the communique. She stamped it with the red encryption label, and then sealed the black envelope. She handed it off to a man waiting to her side in military uniform, and then sent a quick notice to the embassy staffers that the letter had been sent. It would have to arrive on time.

Supporting her head with her elbows on her desk, Vanessa massaged her temple. She had enough to deal with in that entire shitstorm without having to fix the mistakes of incompetent SIS Liaisons who had no semblance of diplomacy. Any international politician with a right mind would have known that Pahath-Moab would not take kindly to being bypassed in official communications. No doubt some idiotic SIS administrator was on the chopping block for this.

It was going to be a long Christmas week.

by **New Edom** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:36 pm

Fineberg, New Edom

On their way to another meeting, Levi Dathan met Solomon Cain in the halls as they were re-convening. Everyone was very busy and it was expected that they'd be working, off and on, throughout the holiday season. Both men were carrying briefcases, wearing overcoats against the rain and had one or two aides following. Pausing, they exchanged bows.

"Hello, Levi," said Cain. He looked red eyed and tired.

"Hello, Solomon--have you been sleeping alright?" Levi asked.

"No, I haven't--I didn't tell you but I don't think my date down in Peregrino worked out. Kata hasn't contacted me again, and I hardly like to go on my knees in such matters..." he sighed. "foolish thing to worry about."

"I know women troubles, my friend," said Levi sympathetically. "My advice--spend time with people you know are friends and family. It's overrated--married bliss I mean."

"Yes...well, I suppose we need to get on with it. It could be worse, right? I could be some queer struggling with faith and perversion, or some witless retard wiping urine off the floor with a mop in a mental ward, right?" Cain said with a bleak smile.

"Our righteousness is all filthy rags," said Levi with automatic piety. He wasn't sure he meant it but it was the kind of thing a decent person said.

"Speaking of that, how are things with our policy with regard to Ghant? I mean about their plans for Nek and so on..."

Levi took him by the arm and whispered into his ear, "I'm not going to say this in cabinet...but the Empire of Ghant is a sheep in wolf's clothing."

He nodded and then they both went into the executive elevator with their aides.

To: Office of Vanessa von Richthofen, Councilwoman, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
From: Levi Dathan, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia
Subject: RE: CPO Support for Referendum in Nekulturnya
Encryption: Moderate

Dear Councilwoman,

I am glad to hear that no discourtesy was intended by the earlier message from your government. Of course the President of the Council has more serious matters in his mind, which is reflected in the letter he addressed to your chancellor.

I do not wish to imply that you are not speaking truthfully to the best of your ability, but I am wondering if your view of solid security is the same as that of my government. I am sure that your VDF is doing an excellent job, but the fact is that an attack causing over 400 casualties took place just the other day.

We must therefore on that basis confirm the information you have presented by means of CPO monitors before we can proceed with a CPO backed referendum. Naturally we will be thoroughly investigating the claims of the Empire of Ghant as well. I hope it will be reassuring to say that we have also had a good report from General Melin to our ambassador in New Macureus, Sif Finnhald, to the effect that the recent decisions made by the Five Powers have been for the general betterment of Nekulturnya.

I will look forward to further communication on these matters when we have confirmation of agreement by the other CPO nations to back the investigation proposed.

I have the honour to be,
Levi Dathan,
Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Cornellia

Ghish, Ghant

Prince Amenmar watched the printed out letter from Count Mangrim burn in the large candle on his desk, and sat quietly, thoughtfully. He enjoyed watching the paper crisp, blacken, curl up and fall to feathery ashes.

His car had arrived, Lieutenant Unwerth informed him. Nodding absently, he got up and walked out, pausing as his wife's made, tears streaming down her face, made her way out of their private chambers, her hand to her mouth, and sighed inwardly, then joined Unwerth to head down to the car.

He was intending to be a regular presence with the Empress for a time, and to not neglect the Prime Minister and her lord father. Leaving Inyanna Ninduk to coordinate intelligence in what was being called the Northern Triangle in New Edomite foreign and intelligence circles--Ghant, Vyrsar/Nekulturnya and New Macureus. Because olive skinned dark haired dark eyed people stood out in northern Acheron, either Anglo-German citizens tended to be used, seemingly innocent journalists, missionaries and travelers as ideally unknowing field agents reporting to discreet operatives, but nevertheless ground operations establishing HUMINT were spread thin. Of all CPO operations in the region, it was in a way one of the weakest, because until recently it simply hadn't been a trouble spot.

And his part of it--largely being social, largely being a good listening ear, was hardly arduous, but he was now getting pressure from home. Levi Dathan had ominously suggested that the President had wondered what he was doing up there other than going to parties. It had been, Levi reported, an idle, smiling comment, but Amenmar was a bit concerned. So he made sure to begin to visit Sophia readily, and to be above all things her friend.

IIwiki Admin · by **Ghant** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:55 pm

“Fields of Gold”
Livny, Nekulturnya

Things could be better, but they could also be a great deal worse.

Yuri Federov was a man inclined towards simple tastes…uncomplicated things. He was a family man, a hard worker, and a good person…or at least he tried to be. In a land such as Occupied Nekulturnya, that was never an easy thing to do.

Yuri sat at the head of the simple wood carved table in his modest home in the village he grew up in. His wife Ludmila was there, sitting next to him, and beside them were his five year old daughter Nina and their infant son Pavel. They both looked like their mother, with their soft brown hair and grey eyes. The sight of them always filled Yuri’s heart with joy. He might not have had much in life, but his family was his greatest treasure. And in Occupied Nekulturnya, treasure could often be hard to come by.

Since that fateful day sixteen years ago, it wasn’t easy. There had been violence. Where once there was great prosperity, purpose and pride, it all vanished seemingly overnight. Vagrancy, gang activity, crimes both small and most grievous. Insurgency and so forth. Being caught in between was never an easy thing.

Yuri tried his best though, without a doubt. He was a carpenter, helping to build things that could be of benefit to the village. His father was one as well, and taught him all the tricks of the trade, before it all went south. He was a man of thirty now, a bit older and wiser then he was in those days. Tall and skinny, with dark hair and sky blue eyes. His skin was a shade darker than fair, and he was quite hairy…something he was always self-conscious about. Especially around women.

Growing up, there was always one in particular that struck his fancy. Her name was Ludmila. She was from that same village…and from the time they were young, she was the object of his affection, the summation of his young desire. She noticed him, sure, but it took many years of sustained overtures and profession of interest on his part before she finally reciprocated. When she finally did though…dynamite.

The conditions of their life put restrictions on their family…the things they could do, the way they could live. It didn’t matter though. All that mattered now was Nina and Pavel. Yuri wanted a good future for his children, and wanted to leave them with more than his father left him. He knew that would be hard, but he was going to try. He owed them that much.

Ludmila was thumbing at the food on the table. So was Nina though…a trait that apparently ran in the family. It was bread and stew, a modest mix of meat and vegetables in a thick broth. They had neat little bowls and worn silverware with which to eat it.

Yuri had eaten worse, much worse. Thinking about the low times made the present that much more enjoyable. It did make him examine the dining room. It had patterned pain, with family portraits on the walls alongside some old art from Ludmila’s family. There was also a cabinet for her fine china collection, if one could call it that. It was rather modest, but it was something. And something was better than nothing, it was said.

Ludmila beamed a smile at Yuri before turning to little Nina, in her roughspun dress that was the same color as her hair. “Nina, eat your vegetables, they are good for you,” she said, softly in a way that a mother speaks to her young child.

“But mama, they are not good!” Nina squealed, folding her arms. “I don’t like the veggy tables.”

“But look, daddy eats his vegetables, so does mommy…even baby Pavel does too.” Their infant son, a year old, had a spoon in hand that he was using to make a mess with his food. Ludmila helped him eat, however, using her own spoon to guide the stew into his mouth.

“But Pavel is just a baby!” Nina laughed, turning to her beloved father with a smile. She had been losing some teeth, as children that age often do.

“And he will grow up big and strong. Don’t you want to be big and strong too, like me?” Yuri asked the stubborn little girl.

“Yeah! I want to be just like you, papa!” Nina exclaimed, with nothing but adoration for her father, before using her spoon to start eating the vegetables.

Ludmila stroked her daughter’s long brown hair, before sighing. “Yuri…you saw that Tsarevich Nikolai gave a speech, did you not?”

Yuri thought that was a strange question to ask…perhaps talk of Nina growing up to be big and strong made his wife think about that. “Yes…I listened to it on the radio. It was a good speech.”

“…But was it right?” Ludmila asked him.

“I think it was. Pyotr is dead. Why should we be made to suffer now that he is? Why can’t things go back to the way they used to be?” Yuri asked. “When our country was united and strong, and we were safe.”

“Should things go back to the way they used to be?” Ludmila asked again, her grey eyes searching his.

“Why shouldn’t they? It seems like it was so long ago…sixteen years! We were only fourteen back then. It is a new era, a new generation of people. Why should we have to be held accountable for the misdeeds of our fathers?” Yuri countered.

“You shouldn’t talk like that. You know how they feel about that sort of position.” Ludmila countered. “Think of the children…your children.”

“I think about our children everyday.” Yuri responded. “They are the reason I go to work everyday, the reason why I work so hard. They are the reason I volunteered with the militia.”

“…You expressed your beliefs and they punished you for that.” Ludmila answered. “They have made it abundantly clear that there will be zero tolerance for supporting the Tsar.”

“Why, though? We should be free to support whomever and whatever we choose! Why should I feel endangered because of a political belief? Under the occupation and these puppet regimes, we will never be free. There will always be chains. I do not want to see our children spend their lives in chains, bound to the will of some oppressor like thralls.”

“…Papa, what’s a thrall?” Nina asked her father.

Yuri sighed, before answering. “It is where you do something you don’t want to have to do for somebody, because they make you.”

“…Like eating veggy tables?” Nina responded with a cocked head.

Yuri laughed and shook his head. “No, sweet girl. It’s where people make you do things that are bad for you.”

“…But why would somebody do that to somebody else?” Nina asked that question seeming confused.

“Because not everyone in the world are good people. Some people are bad, and only care about themselves.” Yuri answered.

Nina seemed scared then. “You won’t let the bad people make me a thrall, will you papa?”

Yuri had to choke back a tear. “No, sweet girl, I won’t.”

“…Promise?”

“I promise.”

In response to that, Nina got up out of her seat and ran to her papa, jumping up into his lap. She pressed her face against his chest, and hugged him rather tightly. “I love you Papa.”

“I love you too, Nina.” Yuri answered, holding her close and stroking her hair with his hand. It was such a sentimental thing. This small, fragile creature. His daughter, his creation, his great love. He remembered when she was born. How terrified he was. Would he be a good father? Could he be the sort of man that would he would want to serve as an example for her? Would he be able to give her a life that would lead to her being happy, successful?

Those were questions he asked himself everyday. He asked them the moment she was born, brought screaming into the world as such a tiny, vulnerable thing, in need of love, protection and nurturing. He thought of it when she took her first step, when she first said “papa”, when she lost her first tooth.

Now she was at an age that she would remember what she experienced for the rest of her life. What was said, what was done, she would remember. How would that effect her life? When she married, and had children of her own? These were things that Yuri wished he knew all the answers to. But he didn’t. And it filled his heart with anxiety, for the future was still very much uncertain.

Ludmila changed the subject, thankfully. “The Monarchists are using Nikolai’s speech as a rallying cry for action. I shall pray that it is not to further the cause of violence. Too much of that has already taken place since the 90s.”

Yuri snuggled his daughter for a moment, before pulling back a bit and looking her in the eyes. “Go back to your seat now, baby girl.” With that, Nina climbed down from her father’s lap and returned to her seat, continuing to pick at the vegetables in her bowl of stew.

Yuri continued then, addressing his wife. “It would have been one thing if they came and occupied us for a limited time. But they came and stayed, and are not leaving. What do you think that says? Sounds to me like they will never leave, and if they ever do, they will leave us weak, divided, and with leadership that serves someone else’s interests above our own. I find that to be unacceptable

“And what about militant actions? That type of action is unacceptable too! We need to appeal to the international community.” Ludmila answered.

“The international community doesn’t care about us. Mighty Vyrsar has friends far and wide. Who do we have? Nobody. The only way we will get attention is if we struggle. That will make people notice.” Yuri answered.

“Armed resistance is an invitation to make things worse, Yuri. That is why I am scared.” Ludmila massaged baby Pavel’s head, to which Pavel squealed in delight, as he nibbled on his messy arm, coated in stew.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t you argue that armed resistance is acceptable, when all options for peaceful settlement have been foreclosed? Could it not be a means by which to promote political change?

Ludmila sighed. "I would rather not answer that question, Yuri. I have never subscribed to the idea that political power flows from the barrel of a gun."

“But it does. Vyrsar has made that abundantly clear, have they not? That might makes right, and the one pointing the gun dictates how things work. The precedent has been set then, has it not? If we want our freedom, we will have to fight for it. Just as the peoples of the world did against the Cornellian Empire.”

Ludmila laughed. “How, Yuri? The militia is not equipped for that.”

She was right, after all. Compared to the modern and professional Vyrsarian forces, their own militia was quite guerilla in comparison. “Aye, we would be much more evenly matched against northern Ghantar, wouldn’t we?” Yuri laughed.

“Aye. The militia is poorly militarized, and would be one fit for northern Ghant.” Ludmila laughed with him. “You were always such a funny man…that was why I fell in love with you.”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t because of my looks.” Yuri laughed again.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Yuri. You never have.” Ludmila answered with a gleam in her eye.

Yuri nodded with a smile. It made him remember how it began…

*******

Yuri Federov was never good at anything…just okay at everything. Ludmila Mikhaev was one such thing…Yuri was okay when it came to talking to her. But good at making a positive impression that would make her like him? Hardly.

He had known her from the time they were children, having been in the same grade at school. Eventually came the ever important Summer Festival back in 1997, when they were both thirteen. Her family was much more well off than his, being as how her father was in the military and his father was a mere carpenter. He was just a tall, socially awkward youth, with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. She had long and straight brown hair and big grey eyes that looked damn near the color of stone. When he saw her at that festival, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her…until she looked back at him…then he looked away shyly. But by then it was too late.

Yuri’s father laughed when he saw this silly young exchange, and he had to approach Ludmila, and asked her if she would dance with his son. And so she approached Yuri, and corralled the carpenter’s son into a dance. “I look forward to dancing with you, Yuri.” She said to him.

What an awkward dance it was. He, the shy uncoordinated youth that he was, so very fresh and unseasoned with women, danced with this beautiful young soldier’s daughter that he had known for years, but was only now having a meaning interaction with, that having started just moments before. But there was no dying the spark between them.

They spent that festival together, talking and laughing, becoming more comfortable with each other. She was a girl that was plucked straight out of his dreams and made flesh, put right before his own very eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t have the courage. That was how that night ended.

They saw each other on and off over the next few months, the two becoming friends, but never did she seem to think of him in a romantic light. They were both young in those days, and there was much to learn not only about themselves, but about each other and the world. Such is the way of things, after all.

Then it happened. War with their neighbors after the Tsar tried to take Eltanland by force. Ludmila’s father went off to fight and never came back. Then came the nuclear weapons, the failed launches, the explosions. The radiation, the invasions, the occupation. It all seemed to happen so fast. And the people were stunned and shocked that Tsar Pyotr would resort to the use of nuclear weapons. Fate, as it happened, was not without a sense of irony, as launch failed and Nekulturnya ended up getting nuked by its own arsenal.

For everyone, life would never be the same after that. Everyone was effected on a deep level, and the aftermath was felt in all aspects of life. For the people of Livny, there were minor repercussions, but for the most part, life went on it as it always had.

Yuri admired Ludmila from afar as she grew into a great beauty. On the outskirts of town, there was a field that she would go to find solace. A field of gold, as it were. Yuri would watch her as she walked around amongst the tall gold blades of vegetation, her hands opened and feeling them as she walked, the wind tugging at her long hair and her light dress. There was a small hill with a tree upon it that she would eventually find herself under, and there she would rest, and collect her thoughts.

He hesitated for many years to make a move, afraid to penetrate her sanctum there in the field of gold. It was beautiful, pure and most of all, safe. It was untouched by war. That was a place where she could go to forget about all that happened. That was what made the place so special…so important to her.

One day, when he was eighteen, Yuri finally worked up the courage to go out into the field, as the sun had begun to set on a warm summer evening. There, under the setting sun and the emergence of the countless stars of the sky, he could feel the comfort washing over him. The rustling of the wind around him, stroking his hair, as if to say, “everything will be alright.” The feeling of the grains upon his extended fingers, the smell of it upon his nose.

The tree grew larger, as did the girl that sat underneath it. She must have heard him coming, for she turned to see him there approaching her. She smiled and blushed as Yuri came close. “Hello Ludmila.” Was all he had the courage to choke up.

“…Hello Yuri.” Was her demure response. From there they got to talking, and from there, they shared that field of gold together.

They spent six months together like that, spending their evenings there, growing in their affections, before on particular evening, they looked into each other’s eyes for a great long while. Then they kissed. The rest, as they say, was history.

Six months after that they were wed. Such a grand occasion it was, full of laughter, happiness and love. In a bleak part of the world, it truly was a bright moment. Truly the happiest day of his life. And than that night when they first shared a bed, Yuri realized that everything would be perfect in his life, and for Ludmila, maybe he could be a channel of her peace.

If only everything happens the way we want it to in life. Life was hard, food wasn’t so plentiful, money was short, and there was much hesitation to start a family. There were so many restrictions…while other people lived well, they did not…for poverty was all too common. Yuri didn’t care though, for he loved Ludmila more than words could say, and that was all he needed in those days.

After a few years, they some money saved up, their house in order, and their meager life more or less in place. That was when Nina came along. The birth of his daughter gave Yuri newfound purpose, a new set of standards by which to live his life. Ludmila too. That was why Ludmila didn’t want Yuri to entangle himself with the militia. It was because she didn’t want their daughter to grow up without a father, like she did.

His remains never made it back to Livny, but Ludmila kept a memorial for him under that tree upon the hill, where the sun shined bright and the wind was cool. That was where she said he would want to be, in a place of beauty and tranquility, underneath a clear blue sky and a gentle sun, surrounded by fields of gold.

Another few years went by, and then came baby Pavel. Yuri and Ludmila were not sure if they wanted to have another, but if they decided that two was enough then that would be ok. The older he got, the more he thought about old age, and what he wanted to do in the end. He figured that he would want to be buried out there too…in those fields of gold.

*******

Yuri’s reflections on life were interrupted by baby Pavel throwing food at him. He didn’t get mad or upset at that, but rather he found it amusing. “He has a strong arm.” Yuri commented.

Ludmila, who was cleaning the baby up, grinned. “Just like his father, eh? Maybe he can grow up to play hockey.”

“Perhaps. He would make a lot more money doing that then anything involving what people do around here.” Yuri commented.

Ludmila narrowed her eyes facetiously. “Now now, there is nothing wrong with honest work.”

“Yeah, well, I suppose what I do is very honest work.” Yuri laughed at that, and it even drew a reluctant laugh from Ludmila.

“…I think we should travel, once we have some money saved up.” Ludmila added enthusiastically.

“And go where? It’s the winter and we will need to at least wait until the Spring.” Yuri responded.

Ludmila let out a sigh. “I know…I just don’t want to be here right now. I am scared.”

“What is there to be worried about? Everything is fine! We are happy and healthy, we have a nice home and money too.” Yuri reassured his wife by rubbing her arm.

Ludmila smiled and rested an arm on Yuri’s shoulder. “You are right, Yuri. We should just be happy with the things we have, and be content with our lot. Things could be much worse.”

Little Nina looked up from her bowl, which was nearly done. “See Papa? I ate all the veggy tables!” The little girl smiled and squealed in delight at her accomplishment.

“Very good, Nina. I will tell you a grand story tonight before you go to sleep. Would you like to hear the story of the Princess and the Falling Star?” Yuri asked her.

“Yes yes Papa! I want to hear that story!” Nina exclaimed.

Ludmila chuckled as she stroked her daughter’s hair. “You are so full of stories, aren’t you Yuri?”

Yuri smiled back. “Why of course. I wouldn’t be a proper…”

What happened next happened fast. There was a sudden loud noise…the sound of thunder very close by. It shook the house, the table, and everything on it. The little bowls on the table shook and rattled as they crescendoed unto the floor, shattering their contents upon it. Ludmila’s set of china in the cabinet went flying out as if possessed by some bewitched spirit. The paintings on the wall fell off to the ground in a thud that Yuri could only barely hear.

He knew what was going on. It was an attack. He had little time to think. Only time to react. As baby Pavel was wailing, Nina getting up out of her chair to run to Yuri, and Ludmila turning in sheer horror to Yuri, he had enough time to speak. “Ludmila…”

That was all he had time to say. In a sudden, swift and brutal event, there was another boom, and this one sent Yuri flying through the air into the wall. He could feel the heat…searing…so very hot. His ears rang deafly, with only the sharp humming sound remaining, and his body went numb from it, the combination of pain and the heat, as his bones shattered and his flesh burned.

The rest was delirium, a dull haze incoherence, drifting between this life and the next. His body was overwhelmed with pain…it hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. The sounds of explosions still echoed in the background, just within hearing from the sharp noise that permeated his mind.

There, with his house blown to pieces and his body laying shattered, broken and burned on the floor, Yuri let out a groan. He thought of his family. He had to go to them. He had to try…he had to move, no matter how hard it hurt. Yuri tried to get up…but he couldn’t walk. He couldn’t feel his legs…or anything below the waist. There was such a flurry of debris, he didn’t even know if he had anything left beneath the waist…he didn’t care though. Through the pain and the noise, he thought of Ludmila…of his children.

Yuri reached out with one cooked arm and dragged himself forward, breathing heavily and choking back the pain. He looked for Ludmila…and through his blurry vision, he could find nothing. He continued to crawl through the debris that was once the common room of his house…it was cold, and there were specks of snow falling softly from the sky. Whatever was going on beyond the once friendly confines of that room, he cared not.

He crawled through shattered wood, brick and glass, and found Ludmila’s shoe. Yuri reached out to it, and with a shaking, charred hand, he grabbed it. There was still a foot inside of it…no…“no…” Yuri whimpered as he held the shoe close to him. He began to cry…the tears burned upon his cheeks, a stinging pain made worse by the grief.

He had to find his children. He prayed to God that there was a miracle. He had to pray…had to hope. So he continued to crawl. Not too far away from there he found his baby boy…or what was left of him. What was once a happy, healthy baby was now an empty husk of charred bones and cooked meat…not entirely there, either. Yuri felt hollow inside then, shivering and shaking in horror, his face soaked in his own, stinging tears.

Then he heard a whimper…a weak little noise on the other side of the room. No. Yuri crawled in that direction with savage effort, cutting himself upon splinters of wood and shattered glass, struggling to see even though his eyes were seeing things in a blurry murkiness. Please be ok, please be ok, Yuri thought, absolutely terrified.

Yuri couldn’t even think…couldn’t even respond, as he finally came upon Nina. She was against the wall, badly burned and bleeding, breathing in a raspy, bloody and irregular pace. However Yuri was crying paled in comparison to his severe anguish at that moment. He crawled up to her and brought her close to him.

Nina began to cry, as her breathing became slow and laborious. Yuri cradled her head against his. “Sshh…don’t cry baby girl. Papa’s here…you are safe now.”

“…I’m scared…it…hurts…so…bad…don’t let me go, Papa…” Nina whimpered.

“I promise I will never let you go!” Yuri said through his tears. He wanted to tell her the story of the Dragon and the Princess, but when he looked down again at his little girl, she was gone.

If there was any part of Yuri that wanted to live…continue…fight on…seek revenge…it was gone. Weeping into the body of his dead daughter, he slumped down. His vision began to fade, and with no will to persist, Yuri closed his eyes, and let the darkness take him…

*******

Yuri opened his eyes. He was beneath a bright blue sky. The soil that he lay upon face down was fresh. Yuri got to his feet, and stared out. He was among the fields of gold, and he could feel the wind caressing his skin, flowing through his hair.

He could hear a voice calling out from the fields of tall golden blades. “Papa! Papa!” Yuri turned and saw Nina, running through the field to him. Yuri got down on bended knee and caught her, holding her close and kissing her porcelain face.

Nina hugged him back and kissed his face, and took his hand. She led him through the field, to the hill with the tree on top. Underneath it sat Ludmila and baby Pavel in her arms. Ludmila smiled, and Pavel squealed in delight.

Yuri ran to Ludmila and embraced her, holding her and their son close, while Nina came underneath their arms. They embraced each other as a family, with only each other to keep them company amidst the rustling breezes and the swaying of the leaves upon the tree. There was never a moment in all his life when he felt more at peace.

His family was safe. Here, they would always be free. There would be no danger, no suffering, no war. Only each other and the peace that they coveted, from that time until the end of time.

Among the Fields of Gold.

IIwiki Admin · by **Ghant** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:55 pm

“Retaliation”
Livny, Nekulturnya

“Damn…they hit this town hard, didn’t they?” Dimitri asked, as he rummaged through some smoldering debris.

“Aye, that they did.” Vladimir responded. “They certainly know how to respond, don’t they?”

“Indeed they do. Such is the nature of retaliation, comrade.” Dimitri mused.

Vladimir and Dimitri both were tall men, with shaggy, dark hair and pale blue eyes. They were dressed in thick dark coats and wearing dark ushankas. They walked amongst the smoldering rubble of the village that had once been Livny, seeing no signs of life. Just destruction and death, everywhere they looked.

Dimitri shook his head in disgust. He looked out through the smoke and snow, into the distance. What had once been a field with a lone tree upon a hill was now burned and gone. “When will this end, Vladimir?”

“Soon. The Tsar is coming, and when he arrives, we shall all join our strength to his, in the east. The Macureans will be easier to fight then the Vyrsarians and Austranians. That is where the core of our strength lies, and it shall be there that the Tsar shall be restored. The west…well, sometimes you have to let the high hanging fruit be in order to seize the low.” Vladimir ruminated.

“What about justice for the dead? The murdered innocent? Children burned and blown apart in their beds?” Dimitri seemed angry.

“The revenge we want shall be ours in time, provided we have the patience for it.” Vladimir answered. “As the Ataman of the Cossacks, you have my word on that, that justice shall be made good upon.”

“…We didn’t have to have a position here.” Dimitri responded, angrily. “We should have stayed in the mountains!”

“Aye, we could have done that. But the world needs to see this…they need to see the extent to which our oppressors will go to control our lands and exploit them. When they see dead children…they will understand our plight, and the nature of our struggle. When Nekulturnyans see what happened here, they will join their strength to ours, and see the Tsar restored. As long as we are strong, as long as we resist, as long as we say no, we shall never be defeated.”

“…And what about death?” Dimitri asked as he stopped before a house in ruins, with a burned family inside of it.

Vladimir looked out at the debris, and turned to Dimitri, with sorrow in his eyes. “There shall be plenty of that to go around, if needs be. Such is the way of Retaliation.”

by **Hittanryan** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 7:27 pm

To: The Office of the Director of Peacekeeping, the Cornellian Peacekeeping Organization
From: Joseph Deol, Secretary of State, Republic of Adiron
Subject: CPO in Nekulturnya
Encryption: Hand-delivered, Eyes Only

The purpose of this communication is to notify the CPO that Adiron will do what it can to assist the inspection process. Given the rhetoric as of late, the CPO needs to cut through the rumor, speculation, and sensationalism using its own eyes. Relieving the tension in northern Acheron will be achieved through transparency and international cooperation, not secrecy.

Military observers placed amongst local security forces could provide a reasonable picture of both VDF and NLA procedures. This includes interactions with civilians, rules of engagement, effectiveness of counterterrorist and counterintelligence doctrine, and public safety. Officers of appropriate rank and station will be appointed to the position.

The Center for Democratic Progress is offering to contribute long-term observers to the CPO inspection process. Their normal functions include monitoring election administration, implementation of pertinent regulations, campaign conduct, and the prevailing political environment. In Nekulturnya they could provide the CPO with insight into whether or not the civil authorities and population of Nekulturnya are ready to hold a referendum.

Tentatively, the Republic also offers to send peacekeepers to Nekulturnya if the situation calls for it. The inspection will determine the next course of action as far as the Republic is concerned, though we are planning contingencies for various outcomes.

Regards,
Joseph Deol
Secretary of State, Republic of Adiron

by **Hittanryan** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:15 pm

Khvalynsk, West Nekulturnya

Unable to find the other two students for now, they were being dropped off at the Sergievskaya Hotel until they were to be transferred out of Nekulturnya. Both comforting and unnerving were the impersonal soldiers standing guard. BDUs, weapons, stoic, alert expressions. At least that’s what it looked like to Katy. Kris seemed not to notice, and was ready to head into the hotel.

The hotel wasn’t exactly brand-new, but functional enough. There was the occasional crack in the sheetrock, and it used older steam radiators. It had been meant for mid-level government officials and businessmen under the Czar. The wealthy and the nobles all had their villas, and most of the commoners couldn’t really afford many vacations. Age was its biggest issue, things that stopped working. Katy didn’t turn up her nose, she didn’t have the luxury of making sure the place had a hot tub and a pool.

Turning to Schmidt and Katja, Katy gave a warm, light smile. “Thank you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t helped. I don’t suppose we’ll see you again?”

“Probably not,” Katja said without too much emotion. She was only doing her job. Well, sort of. Not quite her job, but within the responsibilities of it.

“Definitely not if we get our legs blown off on some mountain top,” joked a passing soldier, in the process of opening the wrapper of a protein bar. He took a large and hungry bite once it was opened, chewing quickly.

“I’ll be there to pick up the bits,” Schmidt murmured, smiling to himself. He himself was currently halfway through a bag of gummy fruit snacks, liberally tossing several at a time into his mouth.

Kris cracked a slight grin, while Katy grimaced at the soldier’s remark. She didn’t want to picture them getting wounded. They really were the same age, similar in most respects, really, but they were soldiers and she was...useless here.

The pair walked into the hotel, where a sweaty-looking, stout Nekulturnyan in a button down was talking with a VDF soldier in accented English.

“I have taken reservations! People paid good krona for these rooms!”

“I can’t do anything about that, sir. I am sorry. Talk to the sector’s security commander if you have complaints,” the soldier said curtly and simple. His face betrayed no emotion.

“I will! And so will my guests when they find these foreigners have been given their rooms! I--” he glanced over at the pair walking in the door. The man gave Katy the once over, who shrugged the jacket back over her shoulders.

“You have more guests,” the soldier said, turning to the hotel owner. Giving the pair a surly look, he said “Welcome to Sergievskaya. The nightly rate is--”
“Free,” the soldier concluded. The owner reluctantly fetched a room key from a wall full of them. “If you are generous, perhaps you could tip,” the owner said with a greasy, not entirely savory smile that made Katy feel like she had bugs under her skin.

Kris then asked the soldier “What happens if the original guests show up? And do you find it likely they’d keep their vacation plans in a riot?”

The soldier chuckled, his balaclava blocking his expression. He shrugged nonchalantly, as though he didn’t care. “That’s his problem to deal with, not ours.”

“Any idea when and how we’re getting back home?” he continued.

“You’ll have to ask Staff Sergeant Daschner about that,” the soldier replied.

“Who?” Katy asked.

“Your hero and saviour,” the soldier said, answering honestly in a joking manner. Katy blushed a bit, then realized she was still wearing the jacket Schmidt gave her earlier. She had her own back by now, and would let it dry. “Thank you, come on,” she said aside to Kris.

Walking back out the door, she said “Sergeant Daschner! You forgot this!” She tossed the jacket back at her.

Kris then shouted “How are we getting home? And what happens to Jens’ car?”

“Airlift, and fuck if I know!” Katja shouted back. Schmidt caught the jacket for her, and promptly tossed it back to Katy. The jacket, though it was still emblazoned with the flag, unit patch, and Katja’s rank insignias and name, could easily be replaced.

“Keep it,” Schmidt said loudly enough for Katy to hear. He knew the Staff Sergeant had given it with no intention of getting it back.

“...thank you, for everything.” Katy replied, a concerned smile on her face. She really hoped they’d be all right, and knew they might be headed into danger. Taking one look back as she walked back into the hotel, Katy heard Kris say “That wasn’t all that helpful. Where are Jens and Laura?”

Shaking her head, the two of them made their way up to their room. It had two beds, a small table, and a television with local channels in Russian or interrupted by emergency services. The faucet in the bathroom was leaking slightly, and there were a couple of black spots in the tile in the shower. Kris simply sat down in a chair and started messing with his phone.

Katy took one look in the mirror and saw her makeup streaked; she was a mess. It took a while for the water to warm up, and the soap had a few errant hairs on it. Once her face was fixed, she reached back, unhooked her bra and slipped it out of one of her sleeves. She then pulled off her leggings, walked over to the bed, then flopped herself down and nodded off, exhausted, heedless of Kris.

-
One hour later…
-
Katja and the rest of her fireteam looked at the two teenagers with them in the back of the APC with the sort of look of disapproving parents. The vehicle began to roll to a stop, the ramp automatically dropping. Making sure their weapons were on safety, each of the soldiers filed out of the back of the vehicle.

They walked into the lobby of the hotel with the two teenagers in tow. Katja unclipped her helmet and took it off, sliding her balaclava (wrapped to cover only the lower half of her face) down to her neck. With her face now exposed, her hair tied in a messy bun on the back of her head and only her comms headset on her head, she looked much younger. So much younger, apparently, that Laura and Jens actually gave looks of surprise. For her age, her mannerisms and actions certainly didn’t show it. Schmidt smirked, motioning for the two to follow him and Katja.

“I don’t see why I have to carry all the bags,” Jens was saying. He was a somewhat plain-looking, stout, but sturdily built teenager carrying four duffel bags full of stuff recovered from his car.

“Because you’re a gentleman, and you’re bigger than me,” Laura replied matter-of-factly. She had a slim build, slimmer than Katy’s anyway.

“I’m also losing a car…” Jens griped.

“Better that than your life,” Laura said as she pulled out her phone.

“It’s probably not even that bad. I didn’t see any riots,” Jens retorted, but Laura had lost all interest in what he was saying.

They lead the two up to the room where their friends were. With a sigh and in quick, forceful military efficiency, Schmidt rapped his armoured knuckles three times on the door. Katja leaned against the wall opposite the door, rifle slung across her body armour and kit, helmet in one hand.

Katy bolted awake, rubbing her eyes as she did so. Kris was walking towards the door as she got up, arms folded across her chest. Before opening the door he shouted “Кто это?” No peep-hole in the door.

“It’s Schmidt, your favourite medic. Open the bloody door. We found your friends.”

Katy perked up and walked to the doorway as Kris opened it up. “Can’t be too caref--” he tried to say as Katy forced her way past him and hugged Laura, who just sort of awkwardly hugged her back.

“Hey! What gives? Is this an Adiran thing? We’ve only been gone three hours! We’re fine!”

“This was a terrible idea,” Katy replied.

“I think you were the one who said to split up,” Kris said to Jens, who glanced nervously at the soldiers.

“And it was a terrible idea. Point made,” Katja said matter of factly from the back of the group. In the time between when Schmidt knocked on the door and the door opened she had produced a bag of fruit snacks- for some reason, the entire fucking Vyrsarian Army seemed to be supplied with the things like they were ammunition- and had been tossing several at a time into her mouth.

“The trip was Laura’s idea,” Jens pointed out bitterly. “And I think she owes me a car now.”

Katy had pulled away from Laura, heedless that it was quite obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra and had ditched the leggings. “You’ll get it back! Somehow...right?” Laura asked Katja and Schmidt. At that, Schmidt chuckled, clearly averting his eyes from Katy’s chest on purpose. Instead he originally tried to keep his eyes on the ground, which failed as he noticed her now bare legs, so he resorted to acting as though the face of his tac watch was suddenly extremely interesting.

“No promises,” Katja said simply. Schmidt shrugged.

“At least you can file a complaint with the social affairs ministry. They’ll be able to get you a new one, free of charge to the government.”

“What happens now?” Kris asked. “When’s the airlift?”

“Whenever they tell me it is,” Katja answered, tapping her headset.

“I...don’t suppose you know of anywhere to eat, would you?” Jens asked sheepishly. Laura and Katy both rolled their eyes.

Schmidt looked a bit lost for the moment, before he stopped a passing trooper carrying a backpack. They conversed for a moment, before the soldier turned around and Schmidt dug into the pack, pulling out four packets of fruit snacks. He tossed them to each of the four teenagers, shrugging. At that, Katja almost choked on hers, letting out a loud laugh.

The civilians appraised their glorious feast. Glancing around at the other soldiers, Kris couldn’t help but notice they were all eating the same thing. “Was there a mix-up or something and you guys got twelve crates of these things for rations? And now you just have to get rid of them the old-fashioned way?”

“No, actually. On our way into the city we got stopped by a small group of trucks. We thought they were going to start shooting at us, but as it turned out it was a group of militia who somehow managed to capture four insurgents who were driving an 18-wheeler,” Schmidt began to explain.

“So they gave us the insurgents as prisoners and the cargo that was in the truck. We thought it would be explosives, which some of it was, but there were thousands of these packets dumped in crates. So now the entire company is just supplied with thousands of fruit snacks.”

“Can they do that?” Laura asked. “Where were these...gummies...going before now?”

“Hill 2504. We suspected the hill as housing some sort of complex or base, and the information we collected from the drivers confirmed it. Pretty sure that mountain is just dust now. Anyways, we took about a quarter of the stuff for ourselves and are just distributing the rest to the kids and stuff we find on the road. They love the stuff, you know?”

“Insurgents need their sugar fix, apparently,” Laura joked as the students popped a few into their mouths. She grimaced as she did so. “You guys are lucky you’re working these off. If I had access to five tons of these I’d probably slowly work my way through the whole thing,” she said, glancing at Katja.

Katja chuckled. “Join the military. You’ll get that figure in no time.”

“Or running from teargas…” Katy said, a little bitterly. “I never want to feel that again…”

At that, Katja and Schmidt didn’t say anything towards the event. Katja only shrugged and replied with her usual emotionless tone.

“We get exposed to that stuff during training. Been through worse,” she said simple, popping another handful of gummy fruit snacks into her mouth.

Katja’s nonchalant demeanor made Katy think she was talking down to her, and she promptly shut up. Jens then wondered aloud “Did they have anything down in the lobby? Are we just waiting for an airlift?”

“Some coffee, hot water for tea, cocoa even. Let’s go,” Kris mentioned. Katy looked back into the room before agreeing. “Yeah, OK, one sec.” She headed back inside, hesitantly smelled her jacket, then put Katja’s jacket back on before taking off after them a little gingerly.

“Come with us, if you’ve got the time,” Katy offered to Schmidt and Katja. “Why did you guys join the military?” she asked as they walked.

“Tradition,” Katja answered.

“Sense of duty,” Schmidt said. They both didn’t offer much else. It was a topic often talked about during training, and during downtime on deployment, but rarely anywhere else.

Katy shivered a bit, put off by both of their demeanors. “Are you sure it’s safe out there?”

“Safe enough,” Katja said. She looked at Katy and noted the girl was still shivering even though she was wearing Katja’s own jacket. Odd, but Katja figured that she wasn’t shivering because of the cold. Regardless, the temperature was still very cold outside, and in some sort of gesture of comfort Katja unwrapped her OD green and black shemagh from around her neck and handed it to Katy. In its place, Katja drew her balaclava up to cover the lower half of her face and her neck and reaffixed her helmet.

“We’re in a green zone. It should be fine.”

When Katja handed her the headwrap, Katy looked up in surprise. “Oh, thank you, but I’m fine,” she said, pushing the shemagh back to her. “I’ve still got this, after all,” she said, looking down at the jacket. “Should’ve put pants on, really…” she said with a slight laugh.

By now they were down in the lobby, the owner Alexei looking on somewhat disapprovingly but still under the eye of the VDF. There was a fireplace, more functional than ornate, which Katy sat by gratefully, legs stretched out.

“No word at all on the plane? Are we getting another ride to the airport?” Laura asked.

“Like I said, I get the word when I get it. When I do get it, we’ll escort you there,” Katja said in reassurance, sitting down on a nearby couch. “Relax.”

by **Alizeria** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:42 pm

"Good evening. I am sorry to summon you all here at such short notice, so late at night and while you're all enjoying your holidays."

Anthony Ashton greeted the Cabinet with a smile, which was not returned by anyone. There was a little bit of groaning, and several people visibly had bags under their eyes.

"You said it was an emergency, Prime Minister?" Said Judith Brierly, the Home Secretary.

"Something like that," Said the Prime Minister. An almost palpable undercurrent of rage could be felt in the room - has he really summonded us to come all this way - for nothing?

He continued. "As you know, it falls upon us, and our collective decision making skills, to advise His Royal Majesty the King on the correct course of action to take when it comes to exercising Executive authority.

"As we are are enjoying our Christmas break, and our summer, halfway across the world in Nekulturnya there is untold suffering and death occurring in a conflict that could threaten the entire region if it continues to escalate. That threat could well extend all the way down to Alizeria.

"As a member of the Cornellian Peace Organisation, but above that as a member of the international community, the Kingdom of Alizeria has a responsibility to, where possible alleviate, arbitrate or even end conflicts, no matter how distant from our peaceful shores they may be.

"Accordingly, and with the blessing of the Foreign Secretary, I have submitted a plan to the CPO which would ask for the withdrawal of Vyrsarian troops in the western sector and replace them with a peacekeeping force under the direction of the CPO, while backing their plan for a referendum in the area, as an attempt to obtain a middle ground between Vyrsar on one side and Ghant and New Edom on another.

"This plan is likely to be explored by the CPO, although both Vyrsar and Adiron have asked for it to be amended which I am not personally opposed to if it can gain the backing of Ghant and New Edom. And yes, it means that Alizeria will be on the world stage for the first time, possibly ever.

"As many of you are aware Alizeria has close political ties to Ghant and New Edom. However, with Ghant's continued backing of a Tsarist regime which is in all likelihood not even a real Tsar, we would have to concede that ideologically we are probably closer to Vyrsar's position on the matter.

"But as a neutral country, with warm relations with all those involved, and who pose a threat to none, I believe that we are in a position where we can arbitrate to de-escalate and possibly end the conflict and bring stability to the area.

"Therefore, the motion before the Cabinet is that this position is formally adopted by His Royal Majesty's Government, and that until a CPO-backed referendum is held in the Western Sector of Nekulturnya we shall refrain from recognising Austrania as a legitimate sovereign state."

There was a stunned silence in the Cabinet room, with some Ministers shocked that the Prime Minister cared so much about a place they'd never even heard of, while others were shocked at how far he'd gone why they'd been lying on a beach.

The Prime Minister looked almost vampiric at that moment - pale, up incredibly late at night and smiling menacingly.

"Oh and there is one other motion to discuss - that should this proposal be adopted by the CPO, we would reconvene Parliament with a view towards authorising Alizerian troops to be sent on a peacekeeping mission in northern Acheron."

One could almost hear a pin drop, shortly before the room exploded into outrage.

"Prime Minister you have lost your mind!" Cried David Hubbard, the Minister of Primary Industries. "There is no way that the Alizerian people would ever back our previous boys being sent off to some far flung, godforsaken hell-hole for the benefit of some heathens we've never heard of!"

"We do have some obligations to the CPO, however. Such a mission would fall under those terms," Murmured Attorney-General Michael Neilson.

"But this is being orchestrated by us! US! Alizeria is not a warmongering nation!" Spluttered the Minister of Labour, Nick Hanson.

"Oh but Nick, how could we claim to be a peacemaking nation when we aren't making peace? When we're doing nothing?" Said the Prime Minister. "That sounds an awful lot like cowardice to me."

Hanson made as if to protest further, but withered under Ashton's cold gaze.

There was more silence, until at long last Donald Douglas, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, spoke up.

"Well I for one support the Prime Minister's position." He said.

There was a murmur of surprise in the room - the Chancellor was not known to be the Prime Minister's biggest supporter.

"Provided that the CPO adopts some version of our proposal, no decision would be made on sending troops without the backing of Parliament, am I correct?" Douglas continued. "So, as a policy, we ought to adopt this one and take no further actions unless it is required of us by the CPO."

"And I presume that my ministry would send inspectors?" Piped up International Development minister Christopher Howard.

"Yes." Said Ashton, quite simply.

"But why propose total withdrawal of all Vyrsarian troops from western Nekulturnya when you know they will never accept that?" Asked Judith Brierly.

"Why indeed, Judith?" Said the Prime Minister cryptically. "Politics. That's why. If you want to buy something at a market for 10 Grotes and the guy wants 15 grotes, do you offer 10 straight away? No, you offer 5 and you let him offer it for 10."

There were glances around the Cabinet room, no one brave enough to look Ashton in the eye, until Neilson said "Well I think the matter is setted then."

"I'll call a vote then?" Asked Ashton. "Those in favour say aye, those opposed nay."

There was a begrudging chorus of 'ayes' around the room, including from Hanson and Hubbard who managed to croak one out.

"I shall confront the media then," Said Ashton with a smile. "I call the meeting adjourned. William - Dolan I mean - could I have a word with you in private?"

William Dolan frowned a little but obliged, as the other Ministers left the room.

At the corner of the room, Ashton - who was significantly taller than his predecessor as party leader, plastered on a grin and stared Dolan right in the eyes.

"I know it was you who tipped off the media," He said. "You may think you're smart, William. But you will never be as smart as me."

He gripped Dolan on the shoulder, uncomfortably tightly, and then left to make a statement before the media that Dolan had gathered outside for him.

by **Alizeria** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:16 am

ASHTON ON ACHERON:

PM CALLS FOR CPO TO INTERVENE IN NEKULTURNYA
DOES NOT RULE OUT SENDING ALIZERIAN TROOPS

December 22nd 2014

BREAKING NEWS
A late night emergency meeting has seen Cabinet sign off on a plan that will see Alizeria formally call for the Cornellian Peace Organisation to oversee a referendum in the western sector of Nekulturnya.

_{The Prime Minister has called for greater CPO involvement in Nekulturnya}

The plan, which has already been dubbed the "Ashton Plan" calls for Vyrsarian troops to yield to a multinational peacekeeping force 'preferably made up of countries that do not already have a stake in Nekulturnya' in exchange for CPO backing on a proposed referendum in the western sector, with one group declaring itself an independent nation known as "Austrania".

The Prime Minister said that if the CPO backs the plan or a version thereof, and is able to gain the backing of nations including Vyrsar, Ghant and New Edom - who have been locked in a war of words over the situation - then he will reconvene a special session of Parliament and debate whether or not to send Alizerian troops to the region - potentially the first such deployment in 50 years.

"This decision will be a Parliamentary decision, not a Cabinet decision," He said. "Cabinet has merely opted to back the plan that I personally have drafted."

Foreign Secretary William Eastwood said that he had "no comment" regarding the plan, other than to say he "supports the Prime Minister 100%."

It is widely speculated that the Prime Minister's office bypassed the Foreign Office entirely in submitting the plan to the Cornellian Peace Organisation.

"As we are are enjoying our Christmas break, and our summer, halfway across the world in Nekulturnya there is untold suffering and death occurring in a conflict that could threaten the entire region if it continues to escalate. That threat could well extend all the way down to Alizeria." Said the Prime Minister in his official statement to the press outside the Chancellery. "As a member of the Cornellian Peace Organisation, but above that as a member of the international community, the Kingdom of Alizeria has a responsibility to, where possible alleviate, arbitrate or even end conflicts, no matter how distant from our peaceful shores they may be.

"Accordingly, and with the blessing of the Foreign Secretary, I have submitted a plan to the CPO which would ask for the withdrawal of Vyrsarian troops in the western sector and replace them with a peacekeeping force under the direction of the CPO, while backing their plan for a referendum in the area, as an attempt to obtain a middle ground between Vyrsar on one side and Ghant and New Edom on another.

"Alizeria has close political ties to Ghant and New Edom, and we have warm relations with Vyrsar and applaud their attempts to bring peace, stability and democracy to a troubled region.

"As a neutral country, with warm relations with all those involved, and who pose a threat to none, I believe that we are in a position where we can arbitrate to de-escalate and possibly end the conflict and bring stability to the area.

"Therefore, the position that has been formally adopted by His Royal Majesty's Government, is that until a CPO-backed referendum is held in the Western Sector of Nekulturnya we shall refrain from recognising Austrania as a legitimate sovereign state and we call for the relevant powers to co-operate with the CPO to allow a fair and transparent referendum to take place."

Ashton said that he "accepted" that the proposal is unlikely to be accepted in its present form by the government of Vyrsar, but pointed to a planned amendment backed by both Vyrsar and Adiron that would allow CPO backed inspectors greater access to the area.

"Ultimately it's about creating a middle ground that can be agreed to by Vyrsar on one side and Ghant on the other. And it's about accountability - I'm cognizant of the perception that because Vyrsarian troops are in the area, that they could well influence the result of the referendum in their own favour.

"This is not an accusation I make, merely a concern that I am aware of, and as such this plan must seek to placate these concerns if a referendum is to go ahead."

The Prime Minister said that he felt it was Alizeria's duty as a "prosperous, free and Christian nation" to use its position as a neutral country to gain a better outcome for the people of Nekulturnya.

"Yes, the players involved in the conflict are all on the other side of the world and most don't know Alizeria exists. But the fact that we have warm relations with all involved, and are a country with no natural enemies, we are in the perfect position to arbitrate."

The shock announcement means that, for the first time in centuries, all eyes are on Alizeria as the tiny country leads the world.

- ADT

In Other News:

SNAP POLL: Ashton's approval ratings skyrocket
Burchard: "Ashton's actions unprecedented in Alizerian history."
Opposition: Ashton Plan just 'cynical ploy' by Liberals to gain popularity

by **New Edom** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:33 am

Calafia, New Edom

The sweet trilling of a canary in a room that was as white as the interior of a country church, where the curtains were soft and lacy and white, the furniture largely cream or ivory, and contrasted with soft blues, greens and oranges in the paintings, bookshelves.

The woman who had decorated it, with her dark brown hair in a soft bob, had a gentle beauty to her face and sat at a writing table in her lingerie, a discarded dress on the bed. "Pavel--have you given the slightest thought to what I brought up before?"

A dark haired man in glasses with a narrow face still wearing a white dinner jacket with a cross styled medal was busily urinating as she spoke. "Of course I have. Naturally I have. You know it's not my place."

"Pavel," the woman said, turning, crossing her legs, raising her voice a bit, "We have money--"

"Ha!" Pavel finished, flushed and began to come out.

"Yuck! Wash your hands, for God's sake!" she cried. "How often do you forget, anyway?"

"If I forget, how do I know?" he teased. "Fine, fine," he went to wash his hands in a white sink bowl. "Oops, I think I used the bidet by mistake--"

"Not funny, can't you ever be serious?" she demanded hotly, getting up, walking in clicking high heels to the bathroom. He turned and smirked at her.

"Yes I can. Look, do you think I am not taking it seriously? But I'm not the Tsarevich, I'm just his cousin. Grand Duke Pavel. Who cares?" he began to undo his jacket and walked out into the bedroom.

"You know, when I talked to Dmitri--" she noticed he immediately paused, his eyes narrowing, "He said that the Ghantish don't have the ability to back the Cause. That the Tsarevich is an empty shirt."

"Yeah what a shock," he said. "Dmitri. You talked to that pig?"

"Dmitri may be a pig, but he's not just a great poet--he's a great patriot." she smiled tauntingly. "He has a lot of passion, in so many ways, in so many areas of life--"

"That's enough. I don't like it when you talk about him that way," grumbled Pavel. "Sonia: I have no illusions about myself. I'm just an art afficionado with an infamous name living in a resort community. My father bribed his way into this country. I have a nice life here--as a kind of--relic. People drink my health at the Nekulturnya Social Club, they dream old dreams, they imagine that one totalitarian to another New Edom will one day support us. It's bullshit." He threw his dinner jacket on the chair and began to unbutton his dress shirt. "Just because you're bored with being a society lady doesn't mean I have to back a bunch of revolutionary idealists who are just using my family name. Why don't you give to some charities or something?"

"Dmitri said you'd say that," she said, putting her hands onher hips. "Dmitri--"

"--God, not that man's name every time we talk now--"

"--said that no real Nekulturnii man could forget where he comes from, it is in his blood. You have no blood in your veins." she sighed and reached behind her back to unhook her bra. "I think of our people--reeducated by atheist New Macs--forced to learn German--and I think of how all you want to do is go to poetry readings and film shoots--I feel so ashamed..."

Pavel watched her, he couldn't help it, that fair skin, coming unveiled, and he licked drying lips. "Just come to bed...."

"Oh, I'm so tired tonight Pavel, not tonight," she said, glancing at his face, then downward, then his face again.

"What did Dmitri actually want?" he asked, defeated, continuing to undress.

Sonia acted as though she was just normally undressing, she turned away at the last moment so he only saw her smooth toned bare back, still in stockings and lacy panties and shoes, and put one foot up on her dressing table bench and slipped out of a shoe, sighing with relief as she wriggled her toes. "He wants money. How can you have a counter-revolution without money? Oh and he said he had met with some people who were important in the Interim Government--" she ignored his snort and continued, "And that covert support might be possible--if there was belief in a strong leader."

He watched her remove her other shoe and start unclipping her stockings from her garter belt. "You know that's a myth, a phantom. The Interim Government--they'll never back the House of Zetsky-Orlov."

She looked at him with glittering eyes. "If you would meet with the people he mentioned--you'd understand. It's bigger than you think. It's a possibility. A possibility of the salvation of the Holy Motherland. Pavel, all you have to do is lend your name to it and be one of the backers. You would be more than Grand Duke Pavel Aleexvich Zetsky-Orlov in name--but in fact. Be the man you were born to be."

He watched a silky nightie descend down her body. She turned, and he saw her eyes full of tears, and he knew he was beaten in truth--even as he knew what she was doing.

"I feel so ashamed...I need you to be my man...my prince..."

"Alright, alright! Let's just go to bed. Tell...him...that I'll meet with him..."

"Oh, my love,my love!" she cried, running to his arms.

by **New Edom** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:58 am

To: Joseph Deol, Secretary of State, Republic of Adiron
From: The Director, Office of Peacekeeping, CPO
Subject: CPO in Nekulturnya
Encryption: Hand-delivered, Eyes Only

Mr. Secretary,

I am generally in agreement with the idea of the CDP acting as political observers, and on that basis I recommend that you put this to the Five Treaty Powers represented in the current contention regarding former Nekulturnya with my blessing. They are proven to be of good character.

As touching the matter of military observers, i would like to emphasize that utter transparency on all sides would be required, and that the opposition would have to agree as well before their point of view could be considered legitimate. However I am doubtful of the likelihood of the latter even as I am sure that the former has been very well prepared to provide very assurance.

For this reason I am inclined towards Prime Minister Ashton's suggestion that the VDF withdraw. There is no reason why they could not return after a referendum if that was acceptable to the people of Nekulturnya. A proper replacement by CPO forces would guarantee the safety of the local population I believe to a greater degree.

I have also seen a publication in the news of what are being described as proofs in counter to the Prime Minister of Ghant's position. I am still waiting for a response from the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, and am hoping it will be worth the wait.

I have the honour to be
Brigadier-General Perrin Pahath-Moab
President of the Council of Ministers,
Director of Peacekeeping, the CPO

"Here's the situation," said General Benajah. "We can if need be send a division strength unit fairly readily up north. We have a cadre and a staging area in Ghant already--though it's not finished yet, so we'd need to use the airports there. We purchased winter equipment from TECT some months ago and have had troops training with it ever since. However it's only a winter trained division on paper. In reality, it's brigade strength. We have only a single Rover Team at company strength that is capable of winter special operations. However we do have a number of naval vessels and aviation that are accustomed to cold weather operations, so an opeation on that scale is feasible.

"The key problem is that the Ghantish have no intetion any intelligence or diplomacy indicates of taking any actual risks in this business. They're not ready."

"That's true," said Levi Dathan, "None of our diplomats up north have heard the slightest thing to that effect."

"Nor have any of our informants," said Harcourt. "It's a bunch of comic opera nonsense. They're bluffing."

"Anything else?" asked Perrin Pahath-Moab.

"We have absolutely nothing to gain from supporting the Tsarevich," said General Zelek bluntly, stroking his goatee. "We have a lot to gain from the CPO negotiations and supporting this new deal in Nekulturnya--under favourable circumstances of course. We need to erode Vyrsar's opposition to FODE and make sure they stay neutral about Dengali; we need to improve our trade position with New Macureus. The Empire of Ghant, on the other hand, is on the ropes politically and need us more than we need them."

Levi chuckled, "If we give Queen Izolde a husband, they'll be cooperative and happy. They just like to make speeches. We should write 'ass' on our lists of exports to Ghant."

There were some chuckles at this though Harcourt just had a coughing fit instead. Cain didn't look amused, and in fact frowned.

Prince Enoch Tubal-Cain glanced around the table. "I have a suggestion about that, actually. Count Lalery. It would be a perfect solution."

Thoughtful eyes turned to him. He found himself blushing as Perrin Pahath-Moab stared at him thoughtfully. "It seems like a perfect solution for a number of people," Perrin remarked. "Very well, this is what I'd like. General Benajah, I want an operational plan to move a division strength unit to Ghant if we need to, right down to the last bootlace. Also, I want someone to have a plan on my desk ASAP for a CPO operation in Nekulturnya. Undersecretary Dathan, in addition to working on the CPO plan, you will coordinate with Prince Enoch on how to deal with the matter of a possible marriage of Count Lalery to Queen Izolde. And General Zelek, let's step up on improving our trade agreements with Vyrsar and New Macureus--such as they are," he reached down to stroke Rover's ears. "I'll deal with direct communication with the CPO government leaders myself, through my office. Well..." he grinned. "Let's play ball!" Rover looked up eagerly.

IIwiki Admin · by **Ghant** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 9:18 am

Cossack Public Statement

December 22, 2014

Greetings fair people of the world,

I speak to you today as a fellow man, a citizen of the world. I speak of a plight…the plot of the Nekulturnyan people. Many of you are familiar with the situation based upon what you see in the media. That is a picture carefully crafted by the powers that hold dominion over our lands. Let me tell you about the real Nekulturnya. About the reason why we struggle.

We were a powerful nation of proud people, for millennia. With great power and success, however, comes enmity and envy. The Five Nations criticized us for our imperialistic tendencies, to the point of war when we claimed Eltanland from the Ghantar. Czar Pyotr authorized the use of nuclear weapons, those weapons failed, and the rest was history.

But let’s not dismiss what happened next. Our great nation, in its our of need, became occupied by the five nations, and divided into five occupation zones. The Germans didn’t see this as an opportunity to help restore Nekulturnya and the dignity of its people. No, they saw it as revenge, some kind of final victory against their old Slavic enemies. Exploitation, corruption and cultural erosion became the name of their game. And now after sixteen years, they claim that their occupation of our lands is justified in the name of security.

What about our security? Do we not have the right to defend ourselves from external threat as well? It is clear that the Germans regard themselves as superior to us, that we do not have the same rights as they. I tell them, if you care so much about your security, then you should leave our lands and give us the freedom that we yearn for. Do that and there will be peace. When our children are forced to speak German and we are reduced to poverty and thralldom, then young men resort to violence. Therefore, it is clear that it is not us that initiate the violence. It is you, by seeking to subjugate Nekulturnya and its people.

And then there are the Macureans, who have conducted themselves monstrously in the east. Reeducation camps, promotion of atheism, cultural annihilation, and assimilation are their goals. How can any nation condone this? How can any nation that values freedom support the continued presence of the Macureans in Nekulturnya?

We will not allow ourselves to be reeducated. We value a strong belief in God, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Holy Savoir, that there is but one Country, indivisible and under God. We believe in the Nekulturnyan language and its culture, in our historic way of life. We value honor, freedom and devotion to our Tsar, and to God.

Our enemies grow desperate…they know that their cause is failing them, as the world sees the horrors that continued occupation brings. In the village of Livny, home to humble, Christian Nekulturnyans, there was a terrible attack launched against them by the Germans in retaliation for the one true Tsar’s speech. Artillery struck the village, as it was decided to be a “base” of militia activity. Everyone in the town was murdered…dead in their homes. Men, women, children, burned and blown to pieces. You can see for yourself…images are attached. Let the world see how truly our people suffer. Link

Know that if you support the occupation, you are supporting the exploitation, murder and annihilation of a distinct and historical group of people. Is that justified by the actions of the mad Tsar Pyotr? Do his actions justify the doom of our people at the hands of Germans and Macureans? No person with a heart would say yes. No person who believes in freedom would say yes. No person who loves children and believes in God would say yes.

I am Vladimir, Commander of the Nekultrunyan Cossacks. I am the defender of Christianity in Nekulturnya, the supporter of the one true Tsar Nikolai of the House Zetsky-Orlov, and I have but one dream. A free and democratic Nekulturnya, that is proud of its identity and of its long history. One that is strong in its belief in God and in its love of freedom. We would be a good and honorable ally to any and all who would call us friend and not thrall. Please support our cause now, while there is still hope for our people. Please don’t let more of our children burn in their beds under the thumb of ruinous occupying powers.

-Vladimir,
Commander of the Nekulturnyan Cossacks

by **Hittanryan** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:18 am

Government Office
New Laconia, Adiron

"Well, we may be using those bases after all," Li remarked. Only months ago, a joint basing agreement had been signed with Vyrsar which granted Adiran forces the right to use several Vyrsarian airbases and a naval station. It would be tempting to claim that the President had the foresight to predict Nekulturnya was going to be a new source of tension. The Opposition, naturally, would call bullshit on that.

"Start drafting plans to move a brigade-strength force, minimum, to Vyrsar. Similar to Azurlavai. I've got a hunch that a certain bruised ego isn't going to let this go without forcing Vyrsarian troops out of Austrania. Guess who gets to pick up the slack?" the President replied, sipping a coffee.

"A Vyrsarian military presence could be perceived as influencing the referendum..." Deol started.

"Bullshit. Pahath-Moab wants to stick it to Adenauer. Oil producer who doesn't play ball with FODE. Ties with Deadora which I don't understand. He's trying to beat her into line since she doesn't roll over for the Mighty Boy General," Li said, throwing an arch glance over at Deol.

Deol ignored it. "As long as the Chancellor cooperates with the CPO, her Nekulturnya policy will enjoy international legitimacy. Certainly greater legitimacy than some claim on a defunct throne."

"Including a withdrawal of troops?" DeGroot asked. "She's opposed. Already said so."

"And I don't blame her," Li replied. "For the CPO to be as effective against Nekulturnyan insurgents, the VDF and NLA would both need to turn over all available intelligence assets. If we wanted a CPO mission in...I don't know, Arcologia, would we turn over all of the AIS' assets there?"

"Not all of them. And we don't need all of them," DeGroot countered. "What's more worrisome is that General Perrin is doing this anticipating she'll refuse. Hopefully the Chancellor gives us a counter-offer instead of a fucking letter bomb."

"Apparently he's fine with the Macurean sector not holding a referendum, as well as their troop presence," Li remarked bitterly.

"As far as the CPO is concerned, the Macurean sector didn't ask for a referendum, so there's nothing for it," Deol replied. "Meanwhile, the State Department will continue walking the same tightrope Ashton is down south."

"This is a lot of big talk and big offers from a nation with sheep cavalry," Li said in an annoyed tone.

The Occupation (Closed, Regional RP)

King Backs Cabinet Decree on Nekulturnaya

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