Phonencia Day Parade (MT, Open,)

[Phonencia]

February 28'th, 2012
Gracemeria, Democratic Holy Empire of Phonencia

Emperor Shelton stood in front of the full length mirror in his quarters, carefully smoothing the wrinkles from his ceremonial cloak. It was long and black with a hood that was usually left down to display the Imperial Crown something he rarely wore.
Normally, the 21 year old Emperor would wear a snazzy looking (and kevlar padded) black suit and red tie, looking like any president or prime minister. This was a ceremonial occasion however and he and all of his close friends were dressed for the part.

Hundreds of years ago during the late 1290s, rogue members of the Knights Templar discovered Phonencia whilst fleeing the violence of the closing days of the Crusades. They had left the Knights Templar and the Crusades based on the beliefs that one could do more good by accumulating wealth and using it charitably rather than committing to a life of poverty. A secondary belief that led to their fleeing the Crusades was that the slaughter of innocent people be they Muslims or not, was wrong and would be frowned upon by God as murder. Upon settling in the desert nation of Phonencia, the knights and their families met with the local tribes, some friendly and some not.
Sir Matthew Shelton the First or, Matthew The Great as he was known, befriended the chiefs of the local tribes and learned from them how to survive the harsh desert. When their rival tribes would attack, Matthew Great would lead his knights into battle to repel the attackers.
After finally settling in around the area that is now the border between the provinces of Esenet and Gracemeria, Matthew Great decreed that his men and their families should have a say as to who would lead them and their new nation, dubbed The Holy Empire of Phonencia. Matthew the Great was elected by a wide margin with only a handful of people voting in favor of several other knights. Matthew The First then became the first Emperor of Phonencia...

The exact date is unkown, but it is believed that the Knights founded Phonencia February 27'th or 28'th and has been celebrated on the 28'th for hundreds of years.

To: Nations of the World
From: Emperor Matthew J. Shelton III
Encryption: none

Dear sir or madam,
you are cordially invited to the parade in celebration of the founding of the Democratic Holy Empire of Phonencia. The Parade will take place in the capitol city of Gracemeria on February 28'th, 2012 at
3:00PM Phonencian Time. All people of all ages, races and religions are welcome and alcohol, marijuana or similair herbs, tobacco products and firearms are all allowed for posession and may be brought with you or your companions into the country under the condition they are not sold without obtaining the proper licenses and are not given to persons under the age of 18.
Security Teams will be permitted as well but may not contain more than 15 personnel and may not carry explosive or flame based weaponries.
Your native currencies can be exchanged for Phonencian Tiberiums at Gracemeria Air Force Base. Gold or Silver coins need not be exchanged as they are equally valuable here.
If you would like a display of some kind in the parade please include in your reply the details pertaining to the display including number of performers, type of display and the specifics of the performance itself.

Happy Phonencia Day,
Deo Et Patriae

Emperor Matthew J. Shelton III

[Capisaria]

Jacques Vugo replied via phone text. He and the Emperor had been friends for a long time. They had exchanged phone numbers so they could bypass diplomatic channels.

On a plane now. C u soon.

[Phonencia]

February 28'th, 2012
Gracemeria, Democratic Holy Empire of Phonencia


The Emperor paused to admire himself in the ceremonial outfit, the long black robe, the Imperial Sword, the Imperial Crown and finally, a simple tan tunic and pants, with a Phonencian Flag Pin.
"Babe, are you ready yet?"
he called over his shoulder.
"How do I look?"
his wife, Taylor's quiet voice replied excitedly.
He turned and glanced over her tall, thin frame.
She wore a long, black, Celtic Dress with elbow length black gloves and a small gold tiara, a large diamond in the center over the forehead and a gold locket dangling from her neck.
"Gorgeous."
her husband replied simply, smiling.
Taylor blushed slightly and started to speak but was cut off by a loud grunt/scream.
Little Prince Raphael waddled into the room, grimacing until he spotted his mother running over to her with a delighted giggle, his mother sweeping him up into her arms.
"Oh, look at my handsome wittle prince."
she cooed.
Matthew stepped closer, looking down at his baby boy who wore a tunic similair to his dad's but no crown. The little fella' had absolutely refused to keep it on for any length of time.
There was a beep and Matthew checked his phone, glancing over the message then shoving the phone back into his pocket.
"Jaques is on the way."
he announced. Taylor smiled,
"This'll be fun."
she giggled.

[Menassa]

"Oh Goddamn it!" Queen chaiya said as she opened her long closed inbox. "What seems to be the matter my queen?" Raish Lakish said from the other side of the office.
"One of my father's allies, Phonenica, is having some sort of party and they want me to come and you also," The Queen said.
"Whoa? did they say me exact?!" Rais Lakish asked in bewilderment.
"No, but wherever I go, you go," Chaiya said before getting out of her chair. "How long will I have to put up with this evil congregation!?" The queen yelled perhaps a bit to poetically.
"Come down and lets go," Raish Lakish said opening the door.

(Time skip cause I'm lazy -____-)

The seventeen year old queen and her twenty seven year old business partner arrived in the palace.

[Saliu]

The Gracious State of Beauty the Commonwealth of Saliu
The Saliu Silician Operation Office

The Emperor of Phonencia
Encryption: None

Oh what a joyus occaision, Saliu will certainly have officals attending. The offical list is;

Myself
Prime Chairman - Marcus Deliah
Surpreme Elder of the Tribes - Pinica Azeronsia
16 Elders of the Tribal Senate

The Tribal Senate Elders would love to perform a traditional 'Blessing Dance' which, if I am informed correctly, will take up about Half an Hour. All the things for the performance have already been supplied. I apoligize that I could not have a more prosperous team, only that at the moment we have alot of Chairpeople and Leaders deployed through-out the world!

Sincerly,
HE Rt. Hon. Sir. Harzen Marki GCS HCT CHG
The Gracious State of Beauty's Grand Excellency
Saliu's Head of State
Knight of the Grand Cross - Order of Saliu
Honourable Chief - Order of the Tribes
Companion - Haarchinguckpo-Guriona Order

[Phonencia]

To: The Gracious State of Beauty, Saliu
From: Emperor Matthew J. Shelton III

My dear friends I am pleased to hear of your attendance!
If needed I will dispatch a few limosuines or SUVs to the airport to pick you up.
Enjoy the festivities,
Emperor Shelton

February 28'th, 2012
Gracemeria, Democratic Holy Empire of Phonencia

Matthew inhaled deeply, a thin curtin separating him from the balcony overlooking Empire Square where most of the parade would take place.
Outside, chants and screams of joy filled the air, fireworks streaking skyward and exploding with a loud SNAP. The Emperor stepped through the curtain onto the balcony, his five commanders waiting for him.
Head Knight Jeremiah Bismarck, the supreme commander of the DHEP Imperial Army, Sky Marshall Aaron Soraf, supreme commander of the DHEP Air Force, Grand Admiral of the Navy Benjamin Wallace, supreme commander of the DHEP Imperial Navy, Field Marshall Corry Hardin, supreme commander of the DHEP Marine Corps, and finally Paladin Triston Gallows, supreme commander of the Imperial Guard.

Bismarck wore a long tan cape and armor breastplate with a wolf painted on the chest and had a Phonencian Broadsword shiethed at his waist, Soraf was dressed in a regular Air Force Dress Uniform, Grand Admiral Wallace was dressed in his custom made Grand Admiral's Uniform. A white dress uniform with gold rope over the shoulder and down to the hip, ceremonial saber with gold hilt and ruby embedded in the handle, and a string of pearls stitched into the front of the cap, at the base of the bill.
Hardin wore a Marine's dress uniform, a long brown trench/great coat and cap, with black dress pants and light blue shirt underneath, an officer's saber hung from his hip as well.
Finally, Paladin Gallows wore a long black cape, black pants, a knight's armor breast plate with the Phonencian Crimson Double-Cross painted onto it, a broadsword, and knight's helmet.

They all turned to greet the Imperial Family as they stepped onto the shaded balcony, saluting or bowing in a ceremonial fashion.
The Emperor returned the ceremonial gesture of respect and stepped up to the edge of the balcony, the kevlar vest under his tunic and robe feeling oddly comfortable, likely due to his having worn it regularly.
The sidewalks were clogged with people waving Phonencian Flags, screaming and cheering. Children devouring various sugary treats and adults downing bottles of Whiskey and Moonshine.
The first section of the parade was civilain in nature, religious and ceremonial specifically.
Huge floats with depictions of the life of Jesus Christ and other biblical events slowly rolled down the street, various religious leaders aboard most of them. There was a nativity scene, floats depicting Jesus's miracles, jesus preaching to crowds and finally several floats depicting the crucifixion at Calvary and the resurrection of christ after his death.

The next portion was mostly about history, floats with knights and tribals rolling by, an actor dressed as Matthew The Great tossing handfuls of candy onto the sidewalks for the children.

[DwaynetteLand]

To: Gracemeria, Democratic Holy Empire of Phonencia
From: Ilya Sampson, Dwaynetteland Senator

I would be honored to attend your ceremony. I will be bringing my 8 personal security guards with me. We will be bringing gifts to help celebrate this glorious day! Do not worry about transportation as we will arrive momentarily in our own personal armored limousines.

[Phonencia]

To: Senator Ilya Sampson
From: the office of Emperor Matthew J. Shelton III

We look forward to your arrival Madame Senator, welcome to Phonencia and happy Phonencia Day!
The Emperor has reserved seats for all of his political guests and friends at the Imperial Balcony in Empire Square Gracemeria where most of the parade will take place.

[Saliu]

The Gracious State of Beauty the Commonwealth of Saliu
The Office of Grand Excellency

The Emperor of Phonencia
Encryption: None

For the next few days unfortunatly, I have a diplomatic conference on! I am sorry of my absence and will be back as proptly as I can. The Tribal Senate Elders will remain in Phonencia.

Sincerly,
HE Rt. Hon. Sir. Harzen Marki GCS HCT CHG
The Gracious State of Beauty's Grand Excellency
Saliu's Head of State
Knight of the Grand Cross - Order of Saliu
Honourable Chief - Order of the Tribes
Companion - Haarchinguckpo-Guriona Order

[Capisaria]

Jacques Vugo arrived into the streets of Gracemeria. He looked for the imperial family. H asked around and found some guards and introduced himself. He hoped they would take him to Shelton.

AFter that, he noticed the portion of biblical amount. "damn." he muttered to himself. He never liked religion, and in fact was stopped by a referendum from banning all religious institutions. He had since decided that people should be able to worship how they please, no matter how primitively idiotic it was.

[Phonencia]

"Right this way Mister Vugoe."
one of the many Guardsmen replied, escorting the foreign dignatory up the stairs of the ancient stone building overlooking Empire Square, past checkpoint after checkpoint, several with metal detectors and K-9
Units sniffing for explosives, poisons etc. After becoming absolutely certain Vugoe did not pose any threat to the Emperor, the Guardsman finally took him up to the balcony, leaving with a quick salute to his superiors.
"Ah, Vugoe! Glad you could make it."
The Emperor greeted, glancing over his shoulder but not leaving the stone balcony.
"You're just in time for the military parade."
Just as he finished the sentence, rows and rows of Imperial Guardsmen in their dress uniforms marched down the street below, rifles shouldered and faces stern as usual. Rottweiler Tanks rolled up after them, some of the tank crewmen or other Officers standing on the tanks, wearing similair dress uniforms, although some of the tank commanders wore Stetson Cavalry hats with a gold badge of a tank on the front.
UH-60 Blackhawks and AH-64 Apaches whirred overhead, spraying flares left and right at random, the UH-60
crew chiefs tossing handfuls of candy out the open doors to the children below.
Far in the distance, three black shapes slashed down from the clouds and leveled out, flying just over the tops of the buildings in Empire Square. The first pass was intentionally slow, showing off the white feathers
painted on the wings of Angel (formerly Olympus) Team's LY-910s as they flew over, then flew high into the sky, swooping around in a long arch and passing back over, this time hitting their afterburners as they soared overhead, turning into a black blur that passed in less than a second, dropping a group of bright flares followed by a slightly delayed CRAAACK of the sound barrier being broken.
Paladin Tristan gingerly took the bottle of whiskey from its small table just past the edge (exit) of the balcony, back inside the ancient building.
He poured himself a glass and then handed one out to each of the other members of the group, save for the Empress, then raised his glass in a toast,
"To the Guard!"
he said excitedly, tossing his drink back with his companions.
The Emperor tossed his glass down and glanced at Vugoe, explaining.
"We toast each service branch as they pass. The Stray Dogs should be up next."
Right on cue, the DHEP Marine Corps section of the parade arrived, looking very similair to the regular army save for the occasional LCAC included in the parade, a few Marines shouldering rocket launchers or raising their underbarrel grenade launchers and filling the air with even MORE colorful flares.

[Capisaria]

Vugo was guided through what seemed ot be a maze of checkpoints. He began to wonder if they'd finish by the end of the week, and just when he was about to complain, they said he was clear after what seemed like the 46th checkpoint. He was led up the stairs to a balcony.

"No problem, wouldn't miss this for the world" Vugo said in his thick French Capisarian accent. He knew he was still a bit uneasy with military parades, but he sat down.

His worries were subsided when he noticed candy falling from the sky. He managed to catch a couple of unknown green things in a wrapper. He asked what they were, and was then startled when the sonic boom went off, almost screaming.

He toasted just as the rest.

"Do know where I can get some food?" he asked to Emperor.

[Phonencia]

"Sure, right over there."
The Emperor replied, gesturing to the table just inside the ancient building, laden with plates and bowls full of various foods. Salads, steaks, Phonencian Werewolf meat, Tater-Tot Casserole, Biscuits, Gravy, Bacon, Sausage, and even a pepperoni and sausage Pizza. Several bottles of Root Beer, Eckie Ecola, and Orange Soda sat next to the foods with red plastic cups stacked neatly next to them.
Back in the street, the Navy's portion of the parade had begun and a massive float done up to look like a Taylor Swift Class Super Battleship slowly rolled down the street, sailors in their white/grey Jumpsuits standing along the decks, tossing stuffed animals and cans of silly string into the crowd of children.
The next float resembled an Aircraft Carrier, with large model RC planes zipping down the runway and into the air, circling the float a few times then carefully landing again.

[Capisaria]

OOC: It'd be interesting if a section about foreign forces in Phonencia was in the parade. Maybe foreign military exchange or something.
IC:
"Thank You." Vugo ran over and probably would have cleared half the food but a guard nearby just had a look on his face that discouraged him. H etook two slices of pepperoni pizza, orange soda, some bacon which he promptly put on the pizza, and some salad he got too. He walked back in time to see the sailors throwing the stuffed toys at the children. He always had loved children. He noticed that Phonencian children seemed not all that different from Capisarian children, and that reassured him that Capisaria's friendly relations with the Imperialist/Theocratic state were the right decision. A decision that upset a lot of Parliament.

[Phonencia]

Once the Air Force parade had concluded (with a flyover by some B-1 Lancers and LY-910 Shadowhawks) the last leg of the DHEP Military Parade rolled around. The Local Militia. Each city and sometimes each neighborhood in Phonencia had a private militia and Gracemeria's was easily the best equipped. They rolled down the street in pickup trucks and a few old Deuce and a Halfs, their insignia spray painted on the doors. They all wore variations of the same outfit, black or tan T-Shirts with the Militia Logo across the back and Camoflauge BDU Trousers with a chest rig or body armor and a patrol cap, baseball hat, boonie hat or beret with Militia Beret Flash.
One truck pulled a massive trailer behind it with a large sign across the side that read,
"Gracemeria Junior Militia"
the trailer was full of young boys, some as young as 13 and some as old as 17, carrying old SKS Rifles,
Mosin Nagants, Pump Action Shotguns, Lever Action Rifles, Compound Bows, Crossbows, Tomahawks,
and even an old PPSH-41, modified to be semi-automatic and rechambered in .40 S&W.
They mostly wore white T-Shirts with the Militia logo across the back, similair to the regular militia's.
Several large dogs sat on the trailer as well, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers and even a hulking Phonencian Werewolf that dwarfed all its companions.
Right behind them on a similair trailer were the Werewolf Scouts, at times referred to as Lycan Scouts. They all wore tan scout's uniforms like the boy scouts of most other nations but unlike other nations these were all trained archers, hunters and trackers and all of them were proficient at surviving in the desert or forest.

The Emperor smiled down at the teen and pre-teen boys, remembering the fun times he'd had with his friends in the Militia growing up.
Once the Militia group passed, there was a pause in the parade so that the members of the Capisarian 5'th Fleet, stationed in Esenet could arrive with their floats...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theocracy
Wiktionary defines Theocracy as a government controlled by a church or state sponsored religion.
Phonencia is neither and is there for not Theocratic.
Imperialistic...yes at times as we do attempt to conquer rival nations for our own gain but it's also a republic/democracy as the Emperor, Imperial Congress and Senate, and Supreme Court Judges are elected by popular vote of the people.

[Capisaria]

The floats fromt he 5th fleet arrived shortly behind schedule. Overall, three floats where there, with about 300 officers in line. They marched rather unorganized, but wore the barely used uniforms. The Capisarian Military had no specific combat uniform, besides a black hat with the blue hammer and sickle on it, next to the dove.

The crewman seemed very happy, although a couple of them were uncomfortable. But that passed. The first float was a pretty design of the Capisarian and Phonencian flags, with a picture recreation of Vugo and Shelton shaking hands at the gate to the military base in Esenet. The crew threw Capisarian candies like Red Chocolate bars, with a rich creamy taste and a bit of a hint of an almost mint flavor.

The second floats were of the aircraft carrier Valiant, the only flying ship of its kind known to Capisaria. The ship actually had 50 Phonencians onboard, and was off doing patrols near the Valdreich Border. ((The current era is in between the valdreich wars). The second was of the Aqua class ship Trotsky, bearing the motto "Avec la suite de la connaissance, dans le futur" and below it's English translation "In pursuit of knowledge into the future".

---

"I hope the crowd reacts okay to the Capisarian fleet's section" said Vugo to Shelton.

[Phonencia]

Emperor Shelton chuckled, leaning over the balcony slightly to catch a Red Bar, unwrapping it and taking a large bite.
"Mmmm, I have a feeling the chillins* will love it."
he said.
"Mint and chocolate are Phonencian favourites."
he explained,
"We actually sell a chocolate bar similair to this but with a stronger mint taste to it. We make 'em out of these special mint leaves from Southern Phonencia, one of our colonies. The leaves can be used in tea, gum, candy, and toothpaste and they can even be smoked for a light release of endorphins. Makes good incense too."
A large group of people entered the ancient stone building, none of them daring to step into the sunlight on the balcony as if it were hallowed ground, instead mingling about around the snacks.
"Hey Matt!"
The Emperor called. A young man an inch or two shorter than the Emperor walked onto the balcony, wearing an Imperial Guard Dress Uniform, the twin bar insignia of a Lieutenant on his shoulder.
"Yeah?"
the boy, roughly 20 or so asked.
"This is Jaques Vugoe, the diplomat from Capisaria."
the Emperor explained,
"Jaques, this is Lieutenant Matthew Soraf. One of my closest friends and best Guardsmen."

(we should do a quick post about the Phonencian and Capisarian crew of the Valiant celebrating Phonencia Day in mid-air near the Valdreich border, that'd be fun as hell)

[Post War America]

[OOC]Sorry I'm late for the party Phon, really busy keeping you and Fin from tearing each other's throats out. Should I bring some of my soldiers to this parade?[/OOC]

---

Gracemeria, Phonencia Day

Marcus Castillo was a fill in. The President was back in Veluna, dealing with the drought, and attempting to keep it from becoming a major nation shattering issue. Because of this, he was here as a sign of goodwill to the Phonencians and that the USSA had kept this important day in mind. Hell, the nation was willing to provide a portion of the Army over to the parade if it was to be authorized. However, those concerned the War Ministry, and the Foreign Affairs Minister was to busy enjoying the sunny day in Gracemeria to worry about the military aspect. He walked up to the Imperial Balcony and submitted to checks by the Emperor's bodyguards before proceeding up. When seeing the Emperor he inadvertently blurted out,

"I'm sorry I was late to the party. I also apologize for the absence of the President she is currently engaged. I am Marcus Castillo the Foreign Minister, and I was told that I was invited to this day."

H extended a hand.

[Capisaria]

Vugo was a bit anoyed as him being called a diplomat, him being you the Prime Minister of the Capisarian Union.

"Well technically, the mint flavor is not from mint but the cacao when roasted for some reason has the minty flavor. But hey, glad it'll be a hit. We could ship these to you guys if you want."

He introduced himself to Matt. "Bonjour, Hello. Nice to meet you. I think I saw you at one of the checkpoints."

When the American walked in he got a bit unsettled. It had been a while since Capisaria had last encountered them, in fact it was in Phonencia. A few words were exchanged between delegations at Worker's International, but other than that most communication was through Finorskia.

"How is the President" asked Vugo.

[Phonencia]

(feel free to do so PWA)

"A pleasure Mister Castillo,"
the Emperor replied, shaking his hand then pausing to adjust the hood of his ceremonial robe.
"Please have a seat and a drink. This is my wife Taylor, my son Raphael and that's Paladin Gallows, Head Knight Bismarck, Sky Marshall Soraf, Grand Admiral Wallace, and Field Marshall Hardin."
he said, gesturing to the tall, thin blonde woman, chubby baby, and large, powerfully built officers respectively.
"And this is my close friend, Lieutenant Matthew Soraf."
Matthew smiled politely and shook hands with Vugoe then Castillo.
While Matthew and the officers chatted lightly with each other and Castillo, The Emperor turned back to Vugoe.
"One of my many businesses can most likely get a bunch of them sold, Shelton Com-Bloc Depot sells stuff that's either inspired by communism, from a communist nation, or is a symbol of communism. We can repackage the Red Chocolate Bars with more of a red and gold, Hammer and Sickle flag type wrapping paper and sell 'em at the store counters. But we'll discuss that in detail later. I hate to ruin holidays by discussing work."
he turned back to the parade and downed another glass of whiskey.

[Post War America]

The Parade
After the 5th Fleet moved on to other parade grounds, finally putting on a uniform and looking somewhat professional. The soldiers of the 42nd Mechanized Infantry. They were now once again at full strength four years of peace swelling their ranks. The regiment that served as such a pain during the Phonencian Conflict. They were now friends of the Phonencians. Of course while this decision was controversial, it proved enormous significance, as it was not only a major historical unit to Phonencia, it also came with the request of 1st Lt. O'Leary, a veteran of the conflict and the love of a Phonencian soldier proof that enemies do not always remain so.

First came the serious bit of the 42nd's march. The foot soldiers all dressed in the finest standard Parade Dress. A dark green cloth, with brass buttons, and shined leather traps and boots; A dark green helmet completed the ensemble. The infantry marched quietly, acting like true professionals, carrying their rifles tight to their chests the fancy bayonet shining. At the lead the mustanged Lt. O'Leary, who was a private four years back but rose to the rank of Lieutenant with insane heroism. When they walked past then came the other walkers.

They came in a less formal fashion immediately following the professionals. They wore the less formal tactical black garb, with many having unbuttoned coats, or none at all. They came tossing candy and other small treats for the youngsters. Generally being attuned to the more party like atmosphere, making merriment with the crowd surrounding the street. Finally came the ones on the Rhinos.

They were dressed and acted like the group that came before them, but now on IFVs, with giant rubber band things, that people found were tee shirt catapults waving from the top of their vehicles, and stopping to fire the occasional tee shirt into the crowd. When they stopped the IFV drivers stopped they spread the air blast, partially because of practicality, and partially to playfully show off 5 decades of technical development. The blast sending a breeze into the crowd, not enough to be dangerous or annoying but to cool the crowd off from the desert heat.

[Phonencia]

The crowd screamed and cheered whilst brushing their windblown hair back down, small children giggling and bouncing like maniacs. All the sugar and excitement today would hopefully leave them exhausted by the end of the day, easing the work load on their parents and siblings.
Whilst the crowd cheered, a few people here and there were grumbling quietly, arms crossed, scowling and muttering slurs or swears towards the 42'nd. It was understandable however, considering two of them were in wheelchairs, likely due to...less than natural causes.
Regardless, cheers filled the streets just as loud as they did with the Phonencian soldiers.
Once the 42'nd, the 5'th Fleet, and the DHEP Military and Militia parades had passed, a parade from the,
Veterans of Phonencia Association, rolled through, a large float depicting young soldiers in tattered clothing with Mosin Nagants raising a ripped and singed Phonencian flag on a hillside, overlooking a location that wasn't depicted in the display. This location was the capitol, Gracemeria. The date? 1945, the end of the Nazi/Fascist Civil War when Phonencians had, as always, gone to war but...with each other.
The next float depicted a similair scene, though one far more recent and likely recognizable to some.
Phonencian Soldiers holding a tattered communist flag whilst hoisting a new Phonencian banner high over the rubble of Freetown during the Highlands conflict.
The next row of floats depicted battles of old, Phonencian soldiers from the 1800s, 1700s and eventually Phonencian Knights battling with Muslim Tribals, cleaving through sinew and bone with their large Broadswords. After the floats came the veterans themselves, some men as young as their 20s others as old as 80, all in dress uniforms from their service period. There were more than a few 40's era OD Green Uniforms among them but the majority where more modern. Joining them were two tanks that had actually been used in the struggle, a T-34 and a Sherman, followed by small floats with a model Meschersmitt-262 Jet Fighter, P-51D Mustang, and Heinkel-111 Bomber.
A sub-group of the parade were the Crippled/Disable Veterans of Phonencia, men in wheelchairs, with prosthetic legs or arms, and plenty of soldiers with eyepatches to boot slowly crept along behind their brethren, still looking happy and somewhat hopeful despite their injuries and (for a few of them) age.
Meanwhile, several blocks away, the young soldiers from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Militia,
Imperial Guard, and Imperial Guard Air Enforcement Wing were essentially goofing off, drinking and laughing with their friends from the 5'th Fleet and 42'nd Mechanized Infantry. Among them was one veteran soldier, now a 2'nd Lieutenant, Alvin Roarke who seemed to gravitated towards the 42'nd, specifically one of their officers as did his friends from the Militia and Marine Corps, Jeremiah and Davis


ooc:the gang's back together! btw, ya'll may have noticed the * next to the word Chillens in one of my previous posts. I forgot to put the explanation at the bottom of the post so here it is.

*=Chillens, a Phonencian slang/pet term for children. "Aw, look at the lil' chillens!"

[Post War America]

[OOC]I know, it's almost like I planned it that way. Perhaps I might bring in Hotchkiss (that'd be one of O'Leary's privates [well now Sergeant])[/OOC]

---

Post-Parade Area

Lt. O'Leary was disconcerted by the parade, the pair of booing veterans. They still hated the 42nd, despite the long period of peacetime, well, maybe not a long period. However, they still acted as if the war was on. It was made all the more depressing by the absence of their limbs, the basic training of the United Socialist States Army was meant to ensure that no permanent damage would happen to hostiles, but they still lost a limb. She began to worry for them, had it been USSA or Rebel. This thought occupied her until, now 2nd Lieutenant Roarke showed up from whatever place he had come from.
"Hey, where'd you come from 2nd Lt.?", she said, playfully poking him for her superior rank. She looked around noticing Colonel Graff approaching. He almost decided to engage the Lieutenant, before noticing the individual she was speaking with, and backed off, despite being an old soldier, Graff knew exactly how they were related, and decided against ruining the moment. O'Leary took the chance and embraced Roarke kissing him, while using the element of surprise. This probably held for a good 2 minutes before Sgt. Hotchkiss, the last of her old squad in the army approached greeting them, as well as a younger sergeant, not a veteran of the Highland Mountains and less dependable then Hotchkiss.
"Hi Jenna!", said Hotchkiss.
"You know you really should call me Ma'am.", she replied.
"I know, I'm not going to".
"Fine then, just don't come calling to me when the Colonel catches you". Hotchkiss shot his best attempt at a trollface, before the young sergeant blurted out.
"Who's this Phon soldier"?
"That'd happen to be Alvin Roarke, mi amor". He reached to shake the hand of Roarke.

[Phonencia]

Alvin chuckled, taking Jenna's hand and pushing up onto the side of an armored vehicle, sitting there casually and fishing a tan plastic bottle from a pouch on his vest, uncapping it and taking a light swig.
"Whiskey rations for the holidays."
he explained, offering the bottle to his girlfriend and taking the new soldier's hand, giving it a firm shake, and being sure to make eye contact as well, just like Phonencian custom dictated. Make eye contact and shake firmly, lest you be seen as untrustworthy.
"Call me Alvin or ell-tee, I don't really mind."
he said politely, waiting for Jenna's reaction to his offer before offering some of the alcohol to Hotchkiss and the other soldier, fairly certain they weren't infected with anything dangerous due to their presence in a highly professional military.

[Libertarian Governance]

Chief Executive Robert Wilhelm Stratton was a bit late to the parade. His plane arrived just as the event was starting and the drive to the actual parade site had been hit with several delays. The country was busy with the war in the Pudite Empire occupying everyone's time. Despite the hostilities Robert had insisted on traveling to Phonencia in answer to Emperor Shelton's invitation. Robert was pleased to attend the event. The Phonencians were considered good friends of the Free Republic and as such he seen it as a matter of respect to attend the event.

The Free Republic's delegation included a detachment of 12 Phoenix Strike commandos providing security due to the invasion of the Pudite Empire. Those personnel were split between two SUVs and the limousine carrying the Chief Executive, his thirteen year old son and the Chief of Foreign Affairs. The ride had been fairly uneventful and as Robert was lead to his viewing area just as the disabled and wounded veterans made their pass. Robert saluted the men. Having himself been a special operations soldier he knew the sacrifices that soldiers were often called upon to endure. His own wife, Gabrielle had died in combat.

To Robert's right stood his son Ryan and on his left the Chief of Foreign Affairs Thomas McWain, his cousin. All three men were dressed in suits with Robert and Ryan both wearing blue pinstripped affairs with hand painted silk ties while Thomas opted for a more conservative light grey suit.