Terrana at War (IC)

[Charmera]

"The Spirits portent war. The worst this world has ever seen. It will blanket this world and take from us our best and brightest. It cannot be stopped.
We must prepare."

"It is the view of the foreign office that the world is in a precarious state. The Socialists are niggling at our borders, the extremist factions are rising to the surface and with the Ahalzar buisness we may have some problems. Soon even Albion may struggle to keep these forces from armed conflict.
We advise to prepare."

"The Orbis and the Boral's would make good allies for our new republic, but they are far from us Chairman. We may have to make deals with the likes of Essuran or even Drusslav. Whatever the case, war is coming, and we must be ready.
Preparations must be made."

Part 1: Unfortunate Facts

Almost every head of state would have received a messags in particular during the last few days. It was delivered by courier in all of the cases.

---

To whom it may concern

We note with distress the current state of the world, with international divisions beginning to show and deepen. We regret to see so many of those we have interests with agitated and worry for the security of world peace and future prosperity. The tensions are high and when tensions are high rash decisions can be made by even the most normally level headed of persons. As a result the government of the Commonwealth of Albion has decided to host a diplomatic convention of all willing states to attend a meeting in the palace of Dohaz, on the border of Sindapur in the independant city state of Zhodan (which has a long history of nuetrality and hospitality). This convention will be held to discuss affairs of international importance and to see if we can repair relations which have been harmed. Please feel free to send a diplomat or head of foreign affairs should time or other concerns should bar you from attending in person.

Warmest regards,
Queen Brianna Karth of the Albion Empire and Commonwealth.

Dohaz
The palace was immaculate, standard Albion design with a castle feel. It was perhaps too overindulgent, and now Brianna regretted signing the treaty which handed Zhodan independance three and fifty years ago. Still, it had been a calculated maneuver so she could continue exporting from Sindapur without interference form the separatists. And it did pay off from time to time, like now that she was inviting all the world leaders to this palace. The Zhodans were happy to let Brianna borrow the palace, after all they had several more even in the same city. Zhodan was surprisingly rich for a very small state.

"But... My liege... if I may, why are you inviting all the national leaders? Why not simply the ones we wish to cultivate relations with?"

Karth smiled, and spoke in the melodic voice which sounded far too young for a thousand year old vampire. "I don't just want to make alliances here Alfred," She replied to her bodyguard. Alfred Thussleman, a veteran of several of the early Commonwealth campaigns and also a vampire, in fact he was older than Brianna. "I also need to know who my enemies are. And they will either not come or they'll be antagonistic during the discussions. Besides, I should be able to glean more information from the statesmen and stateswomen in person than over a letter."

"Most astute my queen..."

Brianna's smile waned for a moment. She could never tell if Alfred was just flattering her or was truly impressed.

She supposed there was only one way to find out. To wait for her guests.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Zhodan
Palace of Dohaz

Biglush Rottzbirn really didn`t like the smell of this meeting. It was hosted by the vampires from next door and yet they weren`t even hosting it on their own ground. For goblin such as him, who had managed to reach the enormous age of 20, this was a clear sign that the Albionists were planning something that they didn`t want to happen in their own place. With a sigh he looked back up towards the palace. Why did they all like these big palaces? It always made him feel even smaller than he already was. Besides, to him they were all ugly and would look a lot better with some litter decorating them.

Behind him his escorts got out of their taxi,nervously pointing their bayonetted rifles into every direction. Usual Goblin behaviour. You feel threatened? Point a weapon into every direction! But Biglush knew that he couldn`t make a frightened disappearance with his little bunch because then Dunkelberge and the goblins would become the world`s jesters. And so he barked with his high pitched voice:

"Ztopp itt! Lower ze weppons and look a liddle mor dangrous! Not leik scard catts!"

It showed atleast some effects. The Goblin soldiers tried hard to look as grim and menacing as possible. Rather difficult when you only have a size of about a meter, are green skinned and have an enormous nose. Well, it looked good enough to Buglush and so he decided to lead the way to the spooky palace. Well, actually not as spooky as the Dunkelfeste but atleast you had fellow goblins in the Dunkelfeste. Here he wasn`t too sure of that.

He came to a halt right in front of the main gate before hesitantly raising his hand. He gulped one last time before finally knocking against it.

[Democratic East-Asia]

Palace of Dohaz

It had been 2 days since President Marcus Lucius of the Worker's Union had departed, and he was beginning to feel the weariness of travel. Out of all things, a courier had been sent to deliver him this message from Albion. It would've saved many hours if he'd been simply wired a telegram or called via the Union's many phone lines. For the past two days, he'd been thinking constantly about the state of affairs the world was currently in.

The Union wasn't particularly large, yet Orbis itself was getting far too populated. The Republic of Trevoska to the South didn't particularly like the many proposals that Orbis had sent detailing eventual integration into the Worker's Union, despite already heavy influence and near control from Orbis itself. There are 300 million souls, Lucius thought, and soon to be millions more. Even the current laws to reduce childbirth won't be taking effect for at least another year, and it might be decades until we see any sort of noticeable change.

On the other hand, many political and military leaders within the inner circles of the govt. were stirring for action. The time would have to wait, but it would come eventually.

Marcus entered the palace with an entourage of 4 gas-masked political officers. Each was unarmed at the moment, and wore the signature dark green overcoats Orbis was known for. Next to Marcus; who himself was still rather tall at 6' 4", these officers still seemed huge. It made sense though, as 2 were Orcs, and the other two just happened to be tall humans. A dwarven engineer had opted to come along as well, but he wasn't here at the time being.

To Marcus, such luxury was sheer waste. It also didn't sit well with his personal preferences.

"Garek." Marcus addressed towards one of the officers. "Tell the men to greet our hosts openly and with respect. We don't want to be the cause of any issues as of now."

"Of course commander." The gruff voice of an orcish officer replied, as he quickly straightened himself and nodded towards his peers.

"Also, avoid having them spout revolutionary thought while on duty. It tends not to go well with foreigners."

Hope this goes well. Lucius thought. War after all, wouldn't be in the Union's best interests. He laughed to himself for a brief second. Of course, we all know sooner or later that it will occur, and Union will be more than ready to fight. He glanced over to Peter Molotov, leader of Trerovska, and noted to himself the advantage of having an agricultural ally. More food for the army after all.

Northern Border near Dunkelberge, "fortified checkpoint Charlie."

Clanek was an old goblin at the ripe age of 28, and had seen many years in service to the Worker's state. Thinking back, he remembered little about his supposed "childhood" and youth. What he did know was that he lived his early years in Dunkelberge, and was never quite the one to fit in. Unlike all his fellow brethren, Clanek was rather quiet and peaceful, something often looked down upon in a society that sought only the strongest and presumably the loudest. This didn't mean he was unintelligent, quite the opposite in fact. Clanek was leagues more intelligent than many other Goblins, but this had only led to him being despised more than he needed. Treated like trash, as low as the humans in Dunkelberge, Clanek's early life was one of misery and contempt.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Clanek's situation wasn't ideal, and at first chance, he attempted to escape. This ended poorly, and although he somehow evaded capture, he'd never forget what he had witnessed happen to others in his group. It wasn't until a year later that his second chance appeared.

An explosion from a missile misfire in what was now known as the Krumpsberg test site in Orbis leveled a significant part of the forest along the border, facilitating travel. The confusion that arose allowed Clanek to sneak undetected up to the 200 m range of the Union checkpoint. At that moment, he was detained by a squad of conscripts on patrol, and dragged away. While technically a prisoner, Clanek was free at last.

Upon his arrival at a nearby military base, Clanek found himself questioned for who knew how long. They (the guards), asked him everything ranging from his career to his residence. After what seemed like an eternity, he was freed. Given the choice between returning home and staying in Orbis, Clanek gladly took up the second option. There wasn't a chance in hell he was ever going back.

It turns out that dreams don't come true right away. Almost immediately, he was thrown to the very checkpoint he had escaped to, given a rifle, and made a new border guard. This clearly didn't sit well with Clanek, who at the time was still recovering from what he later termed as a "traumatic experience". Besides the obvious situation of being right next to the "hellhole" (as he deemed it), Clanek's more intuitive self greatly disapproved of the given condition the checkpoint was in.

At the time, the so-called "fortified checkpoint" was little more than a collection of sandbag stacks and 30 year old pillboxes, many which lacked suitable weapons. There were only 90 people there at the time, and all had been using outdated and low quality arms. If the Union had ever come under attack, this point would fall in less than half an hour, if Clanek was to be sure. He himself knew the strategic importance of such an area, as it happened to be located in the only mountain pass leading to Dunkelberge. Like a true citizen (as Clanek termed a few years later), he immediately began to formulate plans on improving the defenses. Obviously in the name of defense of the Worker's Union of course (As he later stated).

Naturally skilled at managing numbers, Clanek's talent quickly caught the eye of the commander in charge after a few discussions on funding and stocks, and was given the position of "Monetary Administrator". Through his position, he managed to appropriate large amounts of resources (through some pencil pushing and number faking) from the nearby industrial towns and the necessary labor force required for his plans. It took time, but the results spoke for themselves.

Instead of the ramshack collection of buildings it once resembled, Checkpoint Charlie now resembled a modern fortress, complete with numerous concrete walls, trenches, barbed wire fences, artillery emplacements, AA turrets, barracks, and even a rocket launch center (small one to be precise). The forest nearby had also been leveled for up to a mile away to make space for a new minefield. It seemed quite impractical, but Clanek was sure that his new fortress system would be capable of weathering the largest assaults for weeks on end. The massive amount of resources the Union had made it so that maintenance was the last of his concerns.

Looking beyond the walls of the checkpoint from an armored viewpoint, Clanek suddenly felt a bit of pride within him. Digging through the pockets of his overcoat, he took out an old photo of his young self when he first arrived in Orbis. Funny, it happened to the very one that detailed him as a temporary prisoner. He then glanced at the golden gear and star symbols on his chest, signifying his rank as general. Clanek grinned, something that hadn't happened for years. Although he might've failed at living his old life, this new one was far better.

[Imperial City-States]

Vakarian Republic
Necropolis
Vakarian Army Hospital
Intensive Care Unit



Field Marshall Ivan Stewart looked around the room in slowed state, a heavy gloss over his eyes making it difficult to see much. The first details that jumped out at him were the Goblin Slaves running around the room with various tasks. That, was when he remembered the bomb. He'd been exiting his staff car with Chancellor Mason when the vehicle detonated throwing both him and the Chancellor nearly one hundred feet from the vehicle. He'd blacked out at that point and was unaware of what'd happened after that.

As his vision continued to clear, there was a startled voice from across the room.

"He's awake! Get the Doctor." as his vision crept over he was met by the midnight black robes of a Necromancer. Seconds later a Doctor came sprinting into the room clipboard in one hand, drawn Pistol in the other.

"NO! NO! Don't shoot him!" The Necromancer shouted quickly before continuing.

"His soul took, he's fine."

With that last gut wrenching sentence, Stewart finally understood what had happened, he wasn't injured by the car bomb, i'd out right killed him. And he'd been bestowed with an extreme honor. His vision finally cleared and he could see his skin was as pale as the bed sheets he laid on.

A sudden realization flooded his mind.

The Chancellor

"The AGadkegigh" He tried to speak his vocal chords failing him.

"Sir, take a deep breath, you need to clear your lungs." The Necromancer said as he stayed at the Field Marshall's side.

Stewart took several deep lungfull's of air.

"I said, Is the Chancellor Alright?!" Stewart said again weakly a sense of unmatched urgency in his voice.

The Necromancer sat stunned for a moment before quickly recovering.

"Yes Sir, He's fine. Your body actually shielded him from the blast.

Stewart took another moment to take in his surroundings. Typical hospital environment, Goblin Orderlies with their Chem masks on. Necromancer, Doctor. He paused. In the corner two Untoter Krieger's were standing stiff in the corner, Their Rifle's slung over their shoulder's in their hands a uniform he'd dreamed about since he was a boy.

The Necromancer, seeing his pause commented.

"That's right sir, You've been reassigned to be Commander of The Legion, Best get dressed and be on your way."

Stewart had never been happier in his life as he pulled on broad overcoat and buckled his sword to his waist.



Border between Vakarian Republic/Parcia
Blackstone Fortress
Howling Battlements
Legion of the Damned



Captain Murphy paced slowly along the walls, his damaged leg lagging slowly behind. He'd been there for the last one. The last major battle of the Goblin wars. At the time he'd been an over eager Private, barely turned eighteen. He hadn't been prepared for the war, then again. He hadn't been prepared to have his lower body blown off by a Goblin grenade either. But, through the powers that be, he was with the living. Living being relative in these circumstances. In the vast area below the wall, a vast 'moat' of souless undead shambled about. Last estimates put them at extending forty kilometers on either side of the fortress, never leaving the dark auroras emanating from deep within the structure. The mindset being, that any force attempting to attack the fortress. Having to fight against thousands of undead before even coming into range of the walls.

Interesting he should think of them. The fortress had been build almost a century ago at the dawn of Gun powder into conventional warfare. With the power of the cannon being a relatively new, but highly effective tool. As a result of that, the walls stood nearly ten meter's thick. Reinforced with the wonders of modern engineering and materials, but also with the ruinous powers of Black Magic. One of the primary defensive features, were the twelve, forty centimeter cannons that had an immense range of one hundred and fifteen kilometers. Denying an immense amount of area surrounding the Fortress, Namely the only two Bridges that crossed over the Black River in the entire Republic. Any force invading the Republic. Sooner, rather than later. Would have to deal with the Blackstone Fortress. And by extension, The Cannons that protected them, as well as the Legions of undead that defended it's walls.

Captain Murphy side stepped a moment to pass a Goblin corpse.
little shit probably overdosed he thought as he kicked the body off the battlements into the mound of corpses below.

Nothing could describe how happy he was not to be able to smell anymore. If he had, he probably wouldn't be able to hold back the reflex to vomit everywhere.

A series of boot steps stuck loudly against the granite walls.

"Sir, We've captured some enemy scouts on one of our patrols" One of the Undead Trooper's voice slightly muffled by his Gasmask that was staple to those in the Legion.


"Interesting. Take me to them." Murphy said as he quickly followed the man down the Battlements steps. Shortly, he arrived in the courtyard to a cage filled with what appeared at first glance to be Merchants. Several of them were sobbing hysterically and others were truly frozen in fear.

"What is it we have here?" The Captain asked somewhat rhetorically as he strode up to the cage.

One of the babbling men seemed to gain his wits for a moment in time to respond.

"We were traveling across the Black River, to deliver wares to Necropolis. Then these mean seized us and told us we were delivering weapons!" the Merchant was almost sobbing at the end.

Captain Murphy turned around facing away from the kneeling people.

"And this is all that remains of your party?" The Captain asked inquisitively.

"After your men butchered them!" the Merchant shouted through tears.

Murphy looked over at his men who, even though their gaze was hidden behind their masks, could tell were smiling.

"Don't worry all will be taken care of. I'm sure this was all a massive misunderstanding. From where do you hail?" Murphy said as he removed his Officer's Cap, and Gas Mask whist still facing away.

"Orbis... We hail from Orbis Sir." the Merchant replied some echo of hope filling his voice.

Captain Murphy turned to face the man, his face locked in a silent scream at the look of the Captain's face

"You seriously thought i was going to let you escape?" Murphy let what would pass as a smile stretch across his face. And ripped a chunk out of the merchants throat, blood streaming down his chin and neck the Captain let out a loud cackle.

"Why don't you stay for a bite! My Men can be very accommodating!" He laughed as his men ripped off their helmets and masks and tore apart the remaining merchants, gorging themselves on huge chunks of flesh, the screams disappearing into the moans of the undead from outside the walls.


Zhodan
Palace of Dohaz
Republic Representative


Chancellor Maxon exhaled sharply as he stepped from his armored car. Around him, several of the Republic's elite Legion were around him, their weapons slung but their distinctive uniforms emanating a very evil presence off them. Ahead of him several Goblins looked like they were going to start shooting everyone. Disgusting little creatures. Slowly he followed behind them, to meet the leaders of the world.

Official Communique to the Duchy of Dunkelberge
From the Vakarian Republic
Highly Classified


To whom it concerns,

Given the circumstances that your nation is facing with potential enemies on all sides. It has come to our attention that your empire may be seeking a cooperation between another like minded nation for the sake of technological and scientific advancement. This would be conducted in top secret locations that would remain undisclosed until the arrive of our scientist in order to maintain the utmost secrecy. Specific research would be shared between the two nations on joint topics.

If this leads to continued progression of our two nations, then so it shall be. If not, no one will know the wiser.

[Shark isle]

Dohaz
The old man sighed when he saw the castle in the distance. He turned and saw his young attendant trailing behind him. Once the attendant reached he said in a concerned voice," Are you okay Mr. Fortesque?" The old man turned and said to the attendant with a smile," Yes my boy, just continue to carry my luggage." Mr. Fortesque represented the proud nation of Aclon as a diplomat employed by The Bureau of Foreign Affairs. He was sent to Dohaz to attend a political meeting hosted by Albion,a nation Aclon has a tense relationship with. In fact, none of the other diplomates from the Bureau wanted to come due to the fact that most of them did not like Albion. As he approached the castles gates he something that made him sight, It was the president of Orbis. Aclon hated Orbis with a passion due to the fact that their governmental doctrine directly opposed their theirs. He eventually reached the gates and waited for them to open, ignoring the president of Orbis.

[Democratic East-Asia]

The Unity Parade

Worker's Union of Orbis
Nova Orbis
Square of the Unknown Worker.
Year 5036, 75th year of the Union

The Square of the Unknown Worker. Silent, enduring, strong. It was here 90 years ago that the original Orbisian revolutionaries had overthrown their corrupt and decadent monarchy, and it was here that they shed their blood for their people. Ever since the founding of the Worker's Union 75 years ago, this very place had remained of utmost importance when it came to public processions and parades. As it happened to be the 75th anniversary of the Union this year, the federal govt. had decided to reinforce public unity and support.

Play music for better feel

The relative quiet of the day was broken at 8:00 AM dawn. After traveling an estimated 200 km in just 2 days, the 100,000 soldiers of the Union's 1st Army had entered Nova Orbis. Massive crowds gathered on the edges of the City's main streets and roads, while public broadcasts and loudspeakers announced the entrance of the Union's finest. Massive blocks of soldiers arranged 20 x 50, dressed in the Union's signature dark green overcoats and gas masks, marched down the paved roadways towards the square. They were armed with the nation's newest weapons*, and carried massive backpacks of equipment and ammunition. Many even had secondary sub-machine guns as backups strung on their backs. They were accompanied by the hulking battle suits of the people's guard, all seemingly ready to fight at moment's notice.

Behind them were massive columns of heavy armored vehicles, ranging from the Heavy Mechanized Walkers armed with their 90 mm guns to the hulking 125 mm gun J-30* heavy tanks and their Howitzer bearing J-15* counterparts. 500 planes, including experimental aero-rocket planes of the Air force and Navy had been dispatched to finish the procession. Every last soldier and vehicle had been prepped for hours, and everything was to look ideal.

Marshal Theodore Hull was skeptical of all of this. Like so many prior parades, Orbis had only shown its best, although there were arguably far more soldiers here than before.

"So, this is what the normal army looks like, because if it is, I'm rather impressed." The Marshal said with smile, although this betrayed his actual thoughts. Goddamn 1st Army, always stocked full with equipment while the rest of us have to wait. Lucky I'm in command of it.

"So General, you like what you see?" A rather skinny looking man asked. This was Harold Jenkins, head of the Ministry of War. In Hull's opinion, the man had little knowledge on how a military was supposed to run. Lucky for him, Hull always managed to correct his mistakes, something that had made Jenkins Hull's main man when looking for more supplies.

"It's, well, quite showy. Just lacks the portable rocket bomb emplacements." Hull replied.

"Actually, they're right there." Jenkins said while pointing to the 20 massive towed rockets following the tanks. Each had a range of nearly 500 km (all were newer models), and carried 50 ton explosives.

"Quite a sight, if I may say so myself. Now, what about the rest of the military?" Hull asked.

"Not quite there yet, but we're making progress." Jenkins replied unsurely. "I know what you're thinking Hull, but the public has to have something to look up to."

"I know." Hull stated. "I was going to ask why so many soldiers have 2 guns each. Seems a bit much you think?"

"Well, who knows? They could lose one..."

"Cut the crap Jenkins. Those extra rifles could be going to the rest of the army dammit! Also, how expensive are these new automatic M-15 rifles? They seem quite sophisticated."

"Uhh, roughly 2 times more than our current M-5. I don't see huge issues. The prices for manufacturing are going down while the amount being made is going up. It was inspired by the guns Drusslav has. After all, we can't be behind." Jenkins said hurriedly.

"Acceptable. Now, what about those massive J-20 tanks? 125 mm gun?"

"Yes, what's the problem with that?"

"There isn't any problem, I'm just saying, Minister, that our potential enemies don't have anything matching that yet. Also, 120 mm of armor at 30 degrees? That's 240 mm effectively, almost a foot. Do you honestly think something like the Parcian Chi-Nu has anything against it? Even our tank's goddamn side armor's too thick for their main gun to penetrate."

"Well, I..."

"Stop there Jenkins. The point is, I want you to get in some orders for standard sized vehicles in. Like the J-5 tank. I like that one. 100 mm of effective armor combined with a 76 mm gun gets results."

The two would continue to converse for quite awhile. In the meantime, the Unity Parade had been broadcast on national television to be viewed by millions. Even those in Trevoska would have the chance to witness this day.




*Note: Not same as real life.

[Intermountain States]

Hanyang

"There is a problem when the king is controlled by the military and let illiterate yokels vote," a conservative scholar Yoon Ki-moon preached to a small crowd of his peers in a room. The group nodded in agreement. "There was a distinction between the yangbans and everyone else. We know how the country works and we're the most qualified to run this country."

"These reforms placed by Taejong destroyed the careful system of balance and cooperation King Taejo placed when he found the nation of Andeok!" a yangban Ok Il-Jong added. "The good relationship between the King and the scholar class is ruined when Taejong allowed farmers, merchants, even laborers to vote and hold office. Gone are the days when rise to power through merits and education and here comes a bunch of illiterate hicks and money grubbing traders ruining the foundation of Andeok."

"The King has the Council of Ministers to help him make decisions," another yangban Dae Ho said. "Creating the Royal Assembly is a waste of government potential. Now King Yejong wants to add military representation to the Council of Ministers. He's too weak to let the military goons walk over him. We need a change in government to return to good old ways."

"We need to get the military out of politics," Yoon Ki-moon said. "They're the reason why the Royal Assembly and these heaven forbidden laws exist. Get the military out and the King will surely revert to the ways things were supposed to be."

"And what do you propose we do?" a scholar asked. Yoon Ki-moon smiled.

"We do what scholars have always done, address our grievances in front of the palace," Ki-Moon said.

"And what if that didn't work?" another scholar asked. "The King lets the military do what they want and the military can sic their soldiers against us."

"If that happens then we have shown the people the effect of letting the military run amok," Ki-Moon added. "The merchant controlled Royal Assembly will attempt to curb the influence of the military out of fear. The hicks and the laborers will support such measures and the military will be isolated. Then we do the rest."

[The Frozen Forest]

Palace of Dohaz

Kazuki smiled brightly as the carriage arrived at the palace. He'd spent the past few months visiting key locations in his Empire such as Schools, Hospitals and even some military barracks along the northern coast. It hadn't been that long since his father, the Emperor had allowed his mind to slip and his health to fail. Of course it might have been helped along by a drop of poison in his favorite wine but that did not matter. Kazuki was the Crown Prince, the elf who would inherit the Empire of Essuran, the Snow Elven Empire. His people however hadn't seen much of the Crown Prince since he was born and so the only way to gain the people's true support was to meet them personally. Of course he brought along a guard but otherwise he allowed his presence to lift they're spirits. Kazuki was descended from the Gods, according to the legends and he knew that would help his rise to popularity. Since his father fell into poor health, he had become the Regent as designated by his father prior. He used his powers as regent to put several laws into effect and bring the Military even greater strength. Not only did that give him the Military's support, but it also made his Empire stronger and better protected. It would also allow for him to better control his populace. Behind the scenes he'd done his best to rid his nation of Dwarves. Smugglers, Thieves and ruffians living in the darkness like rats. They were executed of course, it wasn't his fault they weren't fortunate enough to be born Snow Elf.

A hand on his shoulder roused him from his thoughts, the hand belonged to his brother. His brother, his rival and his enemy and yet at the same time still family. The boy had been sent off to Orbis awhile back for his education and came back with near treasonous thoughts, if he had the chance he'd have killed him in a heartbeat. Unfortunately it wouldn't reflect well for a prince to die from anything at such a critical moment in history. It would seem too suspicious with his fathers age and his ascension approaching. "We have arrived" Okino said quietly before exiting the carriage, followed by a small group of guards. Kazuki remained a moment longer, remembering the reason he was here. He had been invited, via an old fashioned messenger. What was the purpose of this meeting, one might ask. The answer was world peace, but world peace wasn't possible. Essuran's enemies were jealous and he knew it. They hated how they didn't have the pure blood of snow elves running through them, and so they wanted to destroy his people. Angrily Kazuki through open the door of the carriage, following his brother towards to palace.

The Imperial Palace, The Empire of Essuran
Atmosphere

The Imperial Palace was bustling, not just with Servants but also Soldiers. The Emperor, breathing heavily and with many pained breaths sat inside the palace. He had given his orders that he not be disturbed, and he made it clear that to defy him now would be a death sentence. He had fought his way out of his bed, to his desk, he had written out two golden letters, made from old and valuable paper. The first letter was addressed to his personal guard. He thanked them for they're service, and he asked that they watch over his son with the same ferocity they had him. He asked that they make sure he didn't become too ambitious, and that he didn't do anything that would threaten the monarchy. He knew the letter would reach Commander Zarin before it would anyone else. Zarin was one of the select few who held a top position in the military, who weren't snow elf. Of course he was a wood elf, but he was one of the nations best commanders and was the leader of the Royal Guard. He would protect the Royal Family, Essuran with his life.

The Second letter was addressed to none other than the Emperor of Parica. He had never met the man personally, but culturally they were the closest people to the Snow Elves. At some point long long ago, the Snow Elves and Paricans met, either the Paricans mimicked Snow Elven culture, or the Snow Elves mimicked Parican culture. It didn't matter, that was before written records and served no point in discussion. He knew that the two people's however had similarities. He wanted to ensure that his children, reckless as they are didn't start wars they couldn't win. He would appeal to the honor of the Parican Emperor and people in order to establish an alliance. It would be a must if they were to preserve their way's of life. Taking another deep breath the emperor coughed and a small amount of blood dripped down his chin. He ignored the ruby colored liquid and continued to write.

To the Great and Honorable Emperor Togaru Yoshida III, Ruler of Parica

The World has become a dangerous place, evil lurks around every corner. From the shores of Orbis to the Colonies of Albion danger awaits. Our people's have long shared a common culture, our traditions, our Customs, even our languages are shared. The people of Parica and the Snow Elves of Essuran are friends, and as friends we must protect each other. Our way of life is at threat, our Borders and our Oceans are constantly seeing more and more hostility upon them, those from every part of the globe. They dance and sing and trample on our sacred beliefs, our honor. I worry that one day our people will live under the tyranny of a foreign country, and that our people's will become false and uncivilized like the other countries around the world. I fear also that i won't be able to guide my people much longer, i am dying but i have written you this letter with the hope's that our countries can grow closer, so that we may protect each other, and so that we won't have our culture destroyed. Upon my death, my young son Kazuki will take over the throne, he is arrogant and un-diplomatic, but he is a natural leader and i urge that you and him meet. If possible, i would like to host a small meeting here in the Imperial Palace so that we may speak in person, a conversation between Emperor's.

Emperor Yasumi of the Empire of Essuran

[Charmera]

Palace of Dohaz
From out of the government car in which the Zhai Delegation came several figures. First were the two red guard, state appointed bodyguards whom served to protect the CZP members. Each was wearing the typical green Zhai uniform and red ceremonial cap, armed with rifles slung over their shoulder. The next figures to emerge were the four CZP officials. The Department of military head, Liao Zhao, a Tengu notable for the scar on his eye and his grumpy disposition. The Diplomat to Albion, Chang Tzu, an elf with a more personable and diplomatic personality, respected due to his elder status. Zhaofeng Mei, the human head of the international relations committee and her wife, Feng Ma, the human co-chair of the commissars and the dicipline commitee. The sending of military officials to an Albion diplomatic meeting was an obvious threat and a message to the Albion government.

Liao looked over as the Essuran prince left his carriage, a scowl on his face. "Bourgeoisie imperialist scum," he muttered under his breath. "This whole palace was built on the exploitation of the working class and the peasant class, an insult to everything we stand for."

"Please Liao, we don't wish to cause an incident just yet." Spoke Zhaofeng,

"If these bastards had their way we would be hooked to opium under the Emperors of old." He muttered, though he was careful to make sure he wasn't heard by the other delegations, not with Feng Ma nearby.

The discipline committee had a lot of power in the CZP, and being Co-Chair to Chairwoman Ying of the Politburo meant she had the ear of the most powerful woman in Zhai at least once a week. Even an old warhouse like Liao was terrified of Feng Ma, especially if those rumours were true.

"If you were just going to mutter to yourself you might as well not have come Liao." Feng Ma spoke sinisterly, which swiftly shut Liao up.

Shortly after came the cat from the Federation of Steel. The Federation had brought it's infantry and a Steel Legionare, which was mildly distressing. It was like bringing a tank to peace talks. Still, the Missionary from the FoS would double as a diplomat for the purposes of the current event. So far he said nothing, merely observed the other nations while walking through the door.

The nations representatives would see a large foyer with a few tables and seats set up. A few moments later Alfred came down to greet them.

"Queen Karth is still preparing, though you are welcome to make yourself at home. There are drinks and food." Alfred gestured to the servants, a mix of human, deva and Kasatha whom each had trays of champagne, food and a few napkins. They set them down at the tables. "I am Afred Fonsworth. I am also here if you happen to have any questions. I will attempt to answer them the best I can."

"We thank you for comming all this way and hope your stay is enjoyable." Alfred added with classic Albion diplomatic courtesy.

[Imperial City-States]

snip

Zhodan
Palace of Dohaz
Republic Representative



For the most part, Maxson followed behind the vast majority of the group consisting of other world leaders and their body guards. Nothing particular stood out to him aside from the Federation of Steel member who'd shown up to the meeting in what he'd seen as a War Mech. As the entourage entered a large dining hall type room with various servants serving drinks and snacks. Maxson passed on all of them. And a rather annoying looking fellow who was spouting the typical 'If you have any question' rhetoric.

Continuing forward Maxson secured a seat nearest to multiple exits and waited for the arrival of the Queen. As he continued to look around the large hall, he couldn't help but laugh a little to himself. The designer of this structure clearly did not have defense in mind. Large windows, poor cover placement. Essentially anyone wanting to attack the Palace could do so, easily, with no one there to stop them.

"Sir."

One of his guards said softly as he'd leaned down to the Chancellor's ear. Maxson looked over and nodded slightly.

"I would highly recommend we be ready to leave in a haste. Many of the attending parties are making me...uncomfortable." The Guard said softly, his words twisting as his decayed mouth failed at forming some of them, combine with the natural muffling effect of his Gas Mask.

Maxson nodded and both his Guards faded to the back of the room, hidden out of sight from anyone who wasn't specifically looking for them. They stood at attention like good Guards, but both loosened the straps on their Rifles in preparation for the absolute worst.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Zhodan
Palace of Dohaz
Foyer
Dunkelberge Goblin Delegacy

Biglush was getting more and more nervous the more delegations arrived. So many big people. He would`ve loved to shoot some of em in their legs or bite them between the legs but he had to show some manners. Besides, some of these delegations had a heavy arsenal with him. He glanced at the walker of the Federation of Steel. Madmen alltogether. He wouldn`t have minded bringing one of the Steamtanks over here but they didn`t really manage to get it approved by the border guards of their neighbours.

Once inside he quickly rushed towards a group of seats, his ecorts doing the same. They were very quick to reserve these seats for themselves. Although they weren`t exactly sitting on them. They were a little oversized for that. So they instead climbed all over the seats, posed on the back of chairs as mountain climbers who had just reached the top of the highest mountains. And of course the made noise. The high pitched laughs of the Goblins or their discordant voices telling each other dirty jokes about the people of the other delegations and/or the countries they represented.

Biglush though stayed rather calm. And he saw the vampire. Little undead pricks. And of course the queen had to show how much she didn`t care for the other nation`s delegations by simply not showing up in time. Taking a look at his pocket watch, Biglush realized that he had forgotten to wind it up so that it continued running. With a curse on his lips he put it away again. He`d have to look at the time again in Dunkelberge and set the time again after winding it up again.

Dunkelberge
Dunkelfeste
Throne Room

A Goblin quickly entered the Throne room via a side door. He hurried to get to the Throne while also keeping his head down. One could never know in what mood the Duchess might be. If she was in a bad one then he could very well loose his head for that.

Once he got in front of the Throne and into her cold and unforgiving stare he just couldn`t do anything else but to quiver. He held the message from the Vakarian Republic high above his head so that she could see what he was bringing to her. It was quiet in the Throne Room. He and the Duchess were the only ones around.

"A-a messidge fr-fro-from ze Vak-Vakarian R-R-R-Reepubblick jur-jur grace!"

He didn`t dare to look up and closed his eyes so that he wouldn`t have to see his death coming. Not the best idea because now he was imagining all kinds of ways that he could die by. But nothing happened. In fact, he only felt how the envelope was suddenly not in his hands anymore. And then he heard her voice. Eternally young and cold as the grave yet with a hidden malice as if the speaker had something very special planned for one:

"Cooperation?
Cooperation for further scientific advancement?
Ahahaha!
They are good at making jokes. Why should I be interested in scientifically advancing them? As if we would share the secret of our clockwork soldiers with them!
But wait...they never specified on what to share and advance...
Tell me, where are we specifically lacking?"

"Au-aur Air Forz ist lakkin! Vi ar haffin trouble finding som gud placs for Airfeelds. Nott to mentshen aur nott spezifikalli great Armurrd Forzs..."

"Then it is settled. Send them a message. Put together a team of scientists. Make sure none of em ever even heard of how our Undead Soldiers work. I want results from this cooperation and I want them soon!"

Radio Message
From the Grand Duchy of Dunkelberge
Highly Classified

To the leader(s) of the Vakarian Republic,

Our eternal leader, her grace the scarlet Duchess of Dunkelberge, has given the permission to scientific collaboration. A team of our best scientists is being put together and will await their movement orders. For these we will need information about these so called "top secret locations".
Unless you plan on developing the new weapony in our nation...

Dunkelberge
Western Border
Near the fortified checkpoint Charlie
Undead Grenzerbattalion 143

As always the border was eeriely quiet. Well, almost always. Sometimes you got to her the screams of the next fool who had hoped to escape this way. This time a dire wolf was running circles on the other side with an uniformed human`s arm in his mouth and one of the dreaded Gas masked soldiers of Dunkelberge chasing after him. The soldier was missing an arm and white steam was quickly escaping his body through the place where his arm had once been located. Only seonds later the soldier slowed down though before falling on the ground and not moving anymore. The dire wolf came back and put down the arm again before sniffing a little bit on the soldier. When he decided that the soldier was d ead he started biting him and tried tearing out some bigger parts of him. The heavy clothing of the soldier made it a rather time-consuming process.

And the time he lost was his death. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard and the dire wolf`s head almost seemed to explode. A goblin stepped out of a small group of trees, his rifle on his shoulders and some smoke coming from the barrel. He took his time walking up to the 2 dead bodies and then stabbed the wolf a few more times with the bayonett before taking a look at the dead soldier. After having taken a close look at the wounds he waved his hand and 2 more of the gas masked soldier came from the forest. They took the body and the arm before returning the way they came. The goblin stayed a little longer and skinned the dire wolf before walking off with the fur.

[Democratic East-Asia]

Dohaz

President Marcus Lucius had taken his time getting a seat, as there were still many emissaries that had yet to arrive. He noticed those from the People's Republic of Zhai. Closest ideological allies around. Might get to know them better. As he said that, he made sure to sit closer to those individuals that made up the PRZ's representatives. He gave a quick and short salute just to show them that he was here. Have to make sure the seat for Drusslav is still open. They're our closest realpolitik allies as of now. Drusslav was very different if you compared it to the Worker's Union, and many questioned why there was an alliance to begin with. It wasn't completely official, but both states had some sort of military pact arranged between the two. Their interests were similar: both needed or wanted more land. Both also happened to be largely technological and advanced states, something Lucius had come to appreciate dearly.
A lot of our ideas came from Drusslav. They've been great help in that field.

The four other political officers relaxed for awhile and took their seats. This might be the haven of the imperialists right now, but soon enough, the People's flag would fly over the small city state.

Near Checkpoint Charlie, Dunkelberge side of the Border

It happened to be dark, that was good thing. Private Ryan could only sigh at his bad luck. For some unknown reason, a lone J-30 tank had somehow managed to drive right across the border and get lost on the other side.

"Must've been those goddamn Kitsunes, messing with us again as usual. Damn Trevoska, all their Kitsunes just going around and screwing around. It was obviously one from Trevoska!" An angry sergeant muttered under the darkness.

"Stay quiet!" The commander ordered. "We're supposed to retrieve that tank. Either that or we blow it up. Can't let it fall into enemy hands."

"If those idiots at the barracks had just paid more attention..."

"I said shut up! That's an order sergeant. Don't have me report you for insubordination. It makes everyone's day more complicated."

"Yes sir." The sergeant replied wearily.

Ryan had to admit, it certainly was scary wandering around out here. He and 15 other men had opted to find the lost tank, and now they were illegally inside Dunkelberge territory. Beats me how the commander managed to get us around the border guards. He thought. Commander Morgan had quite the luck it seemed. Clutching his new M-15 battle rifle, Ryan snuck quietly through the woods. That huge mass of tank had cut a swath through the forest, and it wasn't hard following the trail. The problem was avoiding any potential patrols in the area.

"Sir! Civilians!" A soldier shouted while looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Give me that." Morgan replied, taking a look for himself. It seemed like a group of workers, presumably human. A family of 4 from his observations.

"What do we do?" Ryan asked. "We can't just leave them."

"The mission is to get to that tank, not save some cities." Morgan replied. "We can't do much."

"Hell we can't do much!" The angry sergeant replied. "As good citizens of the Union, it's our duty to help those in need. That group of civilians looks like it's border jumping, and at this rate they'll be caught. Damn the political fallout, I'm doing something." The sergeant then suddenly sprang out and approached the group. What sgt. didn't notice was the pack of wolves that had approached his position.

"Shit! Ryan, get the others ready." Morgan commanded. "Fire on my mark. Aim... open fire! Conserve ammo."

*BAM BAM BAM* Ryan's gun roared as he put it onto full auto. "Ryan! Semi auto! Stop wasting ammo!" Morgan shouted while taking potshots with his pistol. When the firing had stopped, all the wolves around were either dead or had fled. The civilian family seemed quite grateful.

"Thank you very much kind sirs. We thought we were done for." The man who appeared to be the group's head stated. He spoke with a heavy accent, something reminiscent of the people of this area.

"Well, don't thank us, thank the set." Morgan replied. "Damn, our cover's blown, we gotta get out of here."

"What about the tank?" Ryan asked.

"Too late for that, come on."

Morgan quickly ordered his troops to rally back to the checkpoint with full haste. No doubt that the gunfire had given away their position. The 4 civilians were close in toll, with Ryan in charge of guarding them. After 15-25 minutes of running, the group made their way to the outpost. It was almost pitch black, but that didn't matter. While they managed to save 4 civilians, the J-30 that had escaped was now a few kilometers into Dunkelberge.

Other side of the border, inside said J-30

Boris Yalkovich wasn't exactly your most sober man. While quite skilled at driving vehicles, he'd been easy to trick. Earlier that day, a wandering Kitsune (presumably from Trevoska, damn those people) had played an illusion on him; making it seem like he was in the middle of a battlefield. Old Boris automatically reacted the way he would've: that is, overreact. It didn't help that he was half-drunk prior to this. Great time for that, Boris thought. Little shit just got me in big trouble.

Lucky for him, there was still some fuel in the J-30. Hopefully enough to get me back. So like any tank driver, he made the effort. Grabbing the frontal handles, Boris pulled down as hard as possible. The J-30 roared into action, the 56 tonne monster of a vehicle began to grind forwards at a moderate pace. Loud as hell, this tank. Boris thought while driving. Probably woke up everyone a mile away. Then of a sudden, the engine stopped. It turned out there wasn't much gas in the J-30. Oh dear, I just remembered that this tank was undergoing refueling... Boris froze. Well, he was stuck, and that certainly wasn't a good thing. Taking out his submachine gun, Boris decided to wait it out. 5 inches of steel armor should be more than enough to protect him after all. If that didn't work, he could always blow up the ammo.

Of course, I'd prefer not to. He spoke to himself.

[Intermountain States]

Palace of Dohaz

The Andeok delegates arrived from their armored cars. The Service Guards sent to escort the delegates wore traditional red and black military garbs while equipped with old R78 Repeating Carbines. 9 SGs surround the Andeok delegates, Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Yul and Ambassador to Albion Rhee Jung-hoon as they made their way to the palace.

"I still have to ask, Minister," Rhee Jung-hoon said to Han Yul. "But why are the Royal Service Guards still equipped with obsolete weapons? I'm pretty sure the Andeok Royal Army purchased those new R35 Rifles that fire a round every time you pull a trigger. Hell, our current R03 Rifles still works too."

"The R78 carbine is, well a carbine," Han Yul explained. "The new rifles are heading to the Royal Army first and the R03 Rifles are too long for the Service Guards to use when protecting VIPs. The R78, as old as they are, are more handy for the guards to use and they're cheap. Plus, sub-machine guns eat up ammunitions..."

The Foreign Minister wasn't even finished talking when he saw other delegates. Orbis delegates with their impressive technologies and their horrid ideology (those Yangbans complain about liberal laws the military sponsored like universal male suffrage never seen an ideology that will liquidize private property); Zhai revolutaries worshipping Orbis's ideology like a cult; Vakarian necromancers and their undead servants; etc. There were times when Andeok patriots see Andeok as some of the most normal human countries in the world and Yul couldn't disagree, looking at some of the human delegates.

Nonhuman nations, however, impressed the Andeok delegates more. The Federation of Steel's delegates were impressive with them bringing a metal man. The Essurians somehow managed to have similar cultures to the Parcians despite not being close geographically wise which boggles everyone. Then there's the barbaric goblins which almost no one likes. Yul still questioned his sanity when he first saw those little barbarians during his trip around the world. He'd rather drink with a vampire than engage in conversation with a goblin, at least vampires can be honorable and look human to say the least. The delegates quickly made their way to the tables and took their seat while the guards stood behind, looking around for trouble.

[The Frozen Forest]

The Palace of Dohaz

The Crown Princes had settled into they're seats soon after entering the palace, waiting for the meeting to start. Prince Kazuki pulled a stack of papers from a small case held by a Royal Guardsmen and began to sign and write on then. The meeting had yet to start but that didn't mean his popularity campaign had ended or been put on hold. The papers he worked on were dossier's of key members of the military. It included the basic information, suspected political views, a rating on they're loyalty, a photo, past engagements and anything else he would need to know. He would be ridding his military of the older, more incompetent commanders and filling it with younger or more experienced ones. He also reviewed some less than humane 'doctors' who had been found around Essuran. About half of them were clearly mad, and some others simply fascinated him. He had a project planned, a brilliant project that would allow the superiority of Essuran to shine brighter than the sun. He had personally decided to name the project 'Project Kitsune'. Of course it had nothing to do with Kitsune's, rather it had to do with the experimentation on Dwarven bodies. He had the content and goals of the project safely hidden in his home, under close watch. He continued on with his work a moment longer, jotting down notes and men of interest.

While Kazuki was doing his work the other Prince scanned the room. Prince Okino, second in line for the throne and a General in the Essuran Army. His eyes trailed off each group of men before finally settling onto one man in particular. This man interested him, and he had looked forward to meeting him at the meeting. The wait for the Queen couldn't have been more convenient. Slowly the man rose from his seat, confident and oblivious to the security of each delegate. He made his way to the table that seated the Orbisian delegation, swiftly approaching the table from the other side. He stopped a pace short and smiled, offering a hand to President Marcus Lucius of Orbis to shake. "Hello President, i am Prince Okino of the Empire of Essuran, Prince of all Snow Elves and second in line for the throne. I have wanted to meet you for quite some time" he introduced himself with a friendly tone, unusually informal for a Snow Elven Prince. The Prince did however ignore the President's guard, and his own guard was only a few steps away, standing aside as the prince gestured to them to do so.

[Democratic East-Asia]

Palace of Dohaz

Marcus was taken slightly by suprise by the young Prince's arrival. "Ahh, it appears that one of Essuran's highest and brightest has arrived." He said with a laugh. "Anyways, hello Prince Okino. President Marcus Lucius at your service."

Marcus put down a glass of wine he was sipping. "I think I've seen you before back in Nova Orbis. From what records say, you studied there for a few years. I'm assuming that you're quite familiar with people's thought and revolutionary ideology?"

Like many Union citizens, Marcus knew that Essuran's 2nd prince had been educated in the Union. He would make a fine political ally later on. Essuran was seen as another rather rowdy and not particularly harmful reactionary nation. It was clearly less industrialized and populated than Orbis, so Marcus didn't worry much about a potential war. Time would only tell.

[Imperial City-States]

Border between Vakarian Republic/Parcia
Enroute to Blackstone Fortress
Legion of the Damned


Field Marshall Ivan Stewart looked distraught over the dead landscape that filled the porthole to the outside world. The train he rode on was specifically armored to be resistant to artillery fire and the odd chance someone attempted to bomb it. Due to that fact however, windows were few and far between. 'Structural weaknesses'. Is what the Junior Officer who'd lead him to the train had said. He couldn't say the man was wrong. And honestly there really wasn't much to look at in the barren wastelands that surrounded the Blackstone. Continuing down the trains cramped hallways he found a ladder to the upper levels which he promptly took, arriving at an observation deck. Behind him a large Twin forty millimeter anti-aircraft cannon sat staring menacingly up at the sky, the crew standing to the side smoking and joking as was typical with soldiers.

As he continued to stare out at the vast wasteland before him, A pair of jack boots clanking against the deck plating echoed loudly. Stewart turned to see an Officer with freshly polished and shining Captain's ranks standing before him.

"Sir!" The Captain said snapping him a sharp, crisp salute.

"Captain Redding. Recently reassigned to the Legion."


reassigned. What he meant to say was 'i died'

Stewart returned the man's salute.

"At Ease, Captain."

"I was instructed to report to you, in a brief summary, the contents of the train. If you're ready for them Sir." Captain Redding continued.

"Well get to it then Captain." Stewart said, a slight humor to his voice at all of the formalities.

"In short Sir, this train is bringing new Legionnaires, Small Arms, Tanks, Half Tracks, Mobile Anti-Aircraft and Self Propelled guns. All to be stored in the Blackstone's underground vaults for the time being. I'll spare you the details but that's just an outline for you Sir." The Captain finished putting away a clipboard.

Stewart couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Funny that he'd be in command of a unit that he'd only read about in story books.

"Captain. What does this posting mean to you." Stewart asked thinking deeply to himself, having flash backs over that fateful battle twenty years ago.

There was a moment of silence between the two men, the background noise of the train and the various troops chatting to each other in the back of the train.

"Well Sir, i suppose that given the circumstances i see it as an honor. I realize the implications of it bu-"

"Fear." Stewart interrupted.

"Excuse me SIr?" Redding replied confused.

"Fear Captain. That is the weapon we present to the world."

Stewart turned around to face the young Captain.

"The Legion exist, not only as an elite fighting unit. But as a weapon in it's own self. We are the embodiment of fear. We are the Dead, roused to life in tortured bodies. Feasting on the corpses of those just as tormented as us. They fear us. And that is what makes us powerful." Stewart said taking a deep breath at the end.

"People fear monsters Captain. We become those monsters." Stewart finished as he turned to face the wasteland again. The sinister form of the Blackstone fortress coming into view in the distance.


Zhodan
Palace of Dohaz



Chancellor Maxson took his seat promptly and looked around the table. He saw representatives from the various Empires around the world those who thought they had power.

intriguing concept

He didn't quite understand why he'd even bothered showing up. Everyone here detested him and what his nation stood for. Supposed it was to save face for the Vakarian people.

When is this bitch queen going to show up... he thought to himself impatiently.

Official Communique to the Duchy of Dunkelberge
From the Vakarian Republic
Highly Classified


Next week to the day, at the stroke of midnight. At coordinates to be determined by a drop later. There will be a Republic Submarine fitted for covert transportation. From there it will transfer your science crew to Port Royalle within the Republic. From there they will take a plane to The Land of the Dead, The Republic has a top secret research facility hidden deep within it. Your scientist would be permitted to send messages home as a report once every two weeks. This is not a negotiation, this is the only offer you shall receive. Given adversaries you have on all sides. You don't have much of a choice.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Dunkelberge
Dunkelfeste
Throne Room

This time the delivery of the message caused more violent reactions. Reactions that resulted in a winged girl flying out of a window with a little goblin held in her hands. Said little goblin was later dropped from 200 metres height into a forest where his broken remains were devoured by the local dire wolves.

Now, only an hour later she came down at the entrance to one of Dunkelberge`s largest military bases. The entrance was basically a massive steel gate about 40 cm thick. It was part of a small gate bunker fortress built to last hours against direct enemy fire with high caliber guns.

And she just landed there and knocked, the gate opening for her just split seconds after she had taken her hand of it`s cold metall surface. Half an hour later a few more Goblins were thrown into a nearby forest and fed to the dire wolves.

Dunkelberge had now started it`s own research and tank development program. The Vakarian Republic got no message coming back. Officially, the joint science program was labeled as denied or failed.

Dunkelberge
Western Border
Near the fortified checkpoint Charlie
Undead Grenzerbattalion 143

You know, the Goblins had noticed the tank once he had left the fortified checkpoint. It was hard to not notice anything going on there. There were always a couple of eyes on the checkpoint. All of them well hidden forward observers of the heavy siege gun batteries positioned nearby. The observers immediately reported the rampaging tank to their superiors who in turn had ordered to tail the tank and wait for an extraction party. There were weapons they wanted to test on them.

And not long after they were rewarded for their patience by a small party coming from Orbis, obviously in search of the tanks. Goblin snipers had their sights on them while they were moving but had orders to not shoot unless necessary. It was then that they revealed their new weapons. A small family of supposed refugees. They knew that the people of Orbis were quite kind hearted. And they had always fought dirty. The family had been abducted from their home few hours prior and put into unconsciousness. So they never got to know that the Goblins cut them open and put time bombs into their bodies before sowing them back together and putting their clothes back on. Then they put them into a ruinous small prison close to the border and facilitated an outbreak.

The family of course took the opportunity to flee and where else to flee than to Orbis? They would blow up in the next 12 hours.

About the tank. Once it had come to a halt, it engine dying down, the goblins were very happy. Now they got to test the effect of their AT weaponry on enemy tanks. And this was done. Within the next hour pretty much all AT guns of the Grand Duchy of Dunkelberge tested their performance on it from every side. Needless to say that both the tank and it`s crew are now far beyond salvation.

[Democratic East-Asia]

Factory in Nova Orbis

Like many citizens of the Union, Pearson was a simple factory worker, and had been employed in his current position for the last 6 years. He was educated of course, but had decided to go for a simpler career. Currently the manager of a Steel mill, Pearson was quite proud in what he did. Steel after all was immensely important in building the Union's infrastructure and military. The last 5 year plan had required production to go up by a minimum of 25%, and Pearson honestly hoped this was the case.

It was now the 75th anniversary of the Worker's Union, and a national announcement detailing the end of the 15th five-year plan was to be in session shortly. Nearly everyone in the factory had already reported to the announcement center, or theatre, if that term was preferable. Seats had been provided, and a projector was playing a recording of a film that had been made a few days prior. Television was a new invention in Orbis, and had been around for less than 10 years. Even so, the govt. had highly sponsored the industry, and soon enough every apartment building in the capital and many other cities had a public room for TV. The kids loved it, and the adults got the chance to view news easily.

National television was something every citizen of the Union was proud of. After all, no one else had anything similar. Drusslav might've, depending on the amount of trade the two nations were involved in. Even so, as of now, it was a relative Orbis monopoly.

The film then began playing.

Comrades, today we celebrate a day that many of us have been long waiting for. 75 years ago, our founding fathers established the Union as it is, and ever since, we've strived to live our lives to the fullest.

The speaker paused, and background recording of a military parade came up.

We have made great progress in the last 5 years, and today's announcements will detail the specifics of the 15th five-year plan. Industrial output has been met in all categories, and surpassed in many.

Another pause. The gathered workers in the room began clapping.

The heavy industries have been most successful in their efforts. The steel industry especially. Over the last 5 years, steel production has increased 32.6% up towards 89.4 million metric tonnes per year.

The crowd of workers then began applauding to a much larger degree. Pearson felt proud. He and his comrades had done what they needed, and had been successful.

This number alone is greater than that of all our neighboring nations combined, and potentially higher than much of the world. Of course, our industries were working at maximum potential, but that means little. Increases in agriculture have been 37% in the last quarter, coal at 28%, automobiles at 53%...

The announcements went on for another 30 minutes. There was quite a lot to be said, that was for sure, but Pearson didn't mind. In his mind, he had done his duty.

To conclude our reports, as a reward to all of our hard working comrades, this year's work schedule will be reduced by 3 weeks. Everyone will have extended holiday hours. Thank you.

[Arvenia]

In Seneca was Jeremon Vedek, the Magatron of the Fellusian Collective, a Meline state in the northern part of a continent nearly occupied by Albion. He had ordered the military to not intervene in the new conflict. The war has just begun.

For Albion, watch out. The Melines are not happy and will destroy you. Those were the words of the Magatron.

[Intermountain States]

Chancellor's Office, Hanyang, Andeok

"Defense Minister Kim Songbi, I assume you have a plan for our military?" Chancellor Yi Jun Min asked to Defense Minister Kim Songbi. Songbi snapped from his of thought and bowed down to the Chancellor.

"To answer your question, yes," Kim Songbi replied. "As you may have known, Andeok is seeing an surplus in revenue and with our relations with the People's Republic of Zhai being tense, we are looking to provide more improvements in our military, from bringing new tank designs and establishing our own air fleet."

"We don't really have any known engineers who can produce our own planes and our pilots are in low numbers so how do you propose we increase pilots and planes?" Chancellor Yi Jun Min asked with skepticism.

"We can purchase plane designs and fighters themselves," Songbi responded. "We can also hire instructors from other nations to train our pilots."

"And which countries do you have in mind?" the Chancellor asked. "You're gonna have to present this to King Yejong and the Assembly will have to vote on it."

"Well, I figure we could works things out with Albion due to their location," Songbi said. "We do have to put some of our surplus money into use. Despite Albion hosting some sort of a peace banquet, war could happen any time soon."

"Seems strange to ask for some planes to a host nation of a peace conference," the Chancellor said. "But I guess we should wait until the conference is over."

"Well, this could go to their chancellor but I'm pretty sure with the idea needing the approval of the King, I couldn't imagine why we shouldn't right away," the Defense Minister added. Chancellor Yi Jun Min thought about this for a while and then nodded.

"I guess you're right," the Chancellor responded. "You'll have to present this idea to King Yejong and if approved, we'll have to send someone for Albion to respond to. Hopefully, both parties will approve of this."

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Winter Empire, land of the Steel Bear

Work was unending in the capital. The maintenance of the state was a serious affair, especially for one as powerful as Nikoravich. Every morning he woke up, put on some clothes, and went straight to work on whatever documents he had to look at: reports, execution orders, reviews, etc. Most importantly he was preparing for Operation Baba Yaga, which recently had taken up most of his time in the office. This week alone, the prime minister has only had perhaps twelve hours of sleep; certainly not healthy, but necessary when you cannot trust anybody around you enough to do anything important. Nikoravich still suspected agents and subversives somewhere in the government even after his purges, and with good reason.

There was a knocking on the door. "Enter,"Said Nikoravich. It was the Prime Minister's secretary coming to deliver a letter. She handed to him an envelope closed with the seal of Albion, which he read with purpose. Upon finishing, he looked up to his secretary with that same poker face he always had. For a moment the secretary felt worried; did she she do something? Was her beloved liege not pleased with her in some way? Was he going to take out the anger the message brought on her? After another moment Nikoravich finally spoke,"Go get me those documents for the northern corps. You know which one?"

The secretary took a moment to register,"Oh, yes sir. The one that-"

"Yes, that one. Get me their documents. And pass it along, the Empress will be visiting Zhodan on a diplomatic mission. I will be arranging what she needs today."

---

Zhodan, home of the merchants

Travelling by zeppelin was always pleasant. No waves, no water, nothing to hide the horizon. From such height Mariya could see for miles OH MY FUCKING GOD, I HATE THIS SHIT

One exposition scene later, Empress Mariya is sitting in the foyer with everybody else.

[Charmera]

Palace of Dohaz

Marcus was taken slightly by suprise by the young Prince's arrival. "Ahh, it appears that one of Essuran's highest and brightest has arrived." He said with a laugh. "Anyways, hello Prince Okino. President Marcus Lucius at your service."

Marcus put down a glass of wine he was sipping. "I think I've seen you before back in Nova Orbis. From what records say, you studied there for a few years. I'm assuming that you're quite familiar with people's thought and revolutionary ideology?"

Like many Union citizens, Marcus knew that Essuran's 2nd prince had been educated in the Union. He would make a fine political ally later on. Essuran was seen as another rather rowdy and not particularly harmful reactionary nation. It was clearly less industrialized and populated than Orbis, so Marcus didn't worry much about a potential war. Time would only tell.

"Honorable president of the Orbis, it is good to see you here. As it is to see you Prince." A sudden voice spoke. If the Orbis president turned he would see Zhaofeng with a smile on her face. Liao and Feng Ma were also behind her. Chang was talking with Alfred. "I do apologize for the absence of our Chairwoman, she is currently overseeing an important meeting of the general commitee." She spoke as an excuse.

Liao looked at the president and bowed formally. "Honourable President" He spoke. "It is good to see representatives of another socialist country here."

"As it is good to see the prince of our neighbours!" Zhaofeng added, not wanting the Essuran prince to feel that he was less valuable to the Zhai.

Feng Ma said nothing, merely bowed as the others had and kept her eyes on each of the members of the delegation. Occasionally keeping an eye on Chang.

Meanwhile, Queen Brianna had finally arrived, walking down the foyer steps towards the delegations. She made no rude interuption, she merely showed up. She would excuse her lateness if asked, but for now she observed the conversation, then talked with Chang for a bit before going to get some food.

Meanwhile Grand Missionary Jhadir also held off on talking for now, observing and waiting to see the water settle.