The LoE (Invite Only)

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

Now Hamilton really began to laugh

"I was but a child when Argentina fell to the Empire, but my Father was a Commander during the battle of Buenos Aires. The Imperium would have a field day knowing you're alive."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "Oh I'm sure they would. I honestly can't believe you thought I was dead. Well, if you remember those events from Argentina...then I'm sure you remember what happened to the country after that little war."

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

He would have shrugged.

"They liked Gomez, and Argentina was always full of Imperial support. I'm sure you are responsible for Brazil, but now it doesn't matter. Just begin the end."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "Yes, I am responsible for Brazil. That is correct. And ah, I'm glad you brought up Gomez. Have you ever read The Art of War Hamilton?"

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

"Required reading for all students at the Imperial Military Academy. I had a copy on my desk in Nevermore as well."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "Then you are familiar with the phrase, 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. Well, I guess the Empire should consider that phrase next time."
???: "Yes, yes they should." *The voice came from the shadows.*

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

"Actually that isn't Sun Tzu, it's Machiavelli and later Michael Corleone in the Godfather, but I digress. Who is the newcomer? I'm willing to believe it's President O'neil."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "Really? I have much to learn. Thank you Hamilton. I guess I need to update my sources. And no, O'Neil died a long time ago, thankfully. He wasn't that great."
???: "No Mr. Hamilton. I am not an American."
*The man stepped out of the shadows. Out from the shadows came Gomez. He held in his hand a large, serated knife.*
Gomez: "Good to see you Hamilton. I'm sorry this is how we had to meet again."

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

He laughed again.

"Viceroy Gomez, what a pleasant surprise. I see the generosity of the Empire has done nothing to change your loyalties, even though Argentina is far stronger now than when His Majesty gave your everything you could have wanted. Just finish me already."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Gomez: "Loyalties aren't easily bought Hamilton. Yes I enjoyed the wealth, but my heart still belongs to the Communist ideal."
Rojas: "And no, we'll finish you slowly. Gomez, give me the knife." *Gomez handed him the knife.* "Now you know my pain."

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

He spat at both men.

"Communist pigs. You may have won this round, but in killing me you have lost all hope. He will make sure of that.'

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "Who will make sure of that?"
*He cut Hamilton's face with the knife.*

[Britanania]

Unknown Location

He winced at the pain.

"A man who goes by Shere Khan."

[North-East Ohio]

Unknown Location
Rojas: "I'd like to see him try."
*And so, he began his torture of Hamilton. After hours of torture, Hamilton died a very, very painful death.*
Rojas: *He wiped the blood from the knife.* "Take the body outside. Dispose of it fast. Then return to work as soon as possible Gomez."
Gomez: "Yes sir."

[Britanania]

Nevermore

Officially, Hamilton's death was reported as being related to fighting on the front, and was buried as a war hero. The Imperium's position on Afghanistan remained, however, but it was now seldom on the news or mentioned in the media. All that was stated was a commander named Shere Kahn was made acting governor. In his position, Khan continued the active slaughter of the rebels and Afghans living in rural areas. Those in the cities were exposed to continued Imperial propaganda.

[North-East Ohio]

Moscow, Eurasia
*In the months since the Eurasian conquest of Hungary and Romania, the occupation forces had set up the new states of the Democratic Republic of Hungary, and the People's Republic of Romania-Moldova. Transnistria remained in Eurasia however. Also during these months, Makarov had grown ill. He was now confined to his bed. Power was now mostly in Beria's hands. Then, the day came. Makarov died in his sleep. He was found by Alexai who reported his death to the nation. A day of mourning was declared and Makarov's funeral was to be held in a few days.*

[Britanania]

Nevermore

The Imperium declared a day of mourning for Makarov, not as the leader of the EF, but as the Russian General who assisted the Empire in the Hungarian Wars. He was described as an honest man, who believed what he preached, and was a true Communist.

In recent months, however, the Imperium saw a reversal in public opinion. Many people began to question the war in Afghanistan as the news of it became less and less frequent. Even though they wanted Afghanistan in the Empire, they wanted the war to end. Protesters rallied mostly in New Delhi and Los Angeles, where Afghan refugees were.

And thus this takes the world to 2092. The EF has become the sole Superpower-with several Great Powers including France, Germany, the U.K, Korea, and the U.S.A-as the FEA and Imperial Republic have taken steps moving away from global affairs and focused on domestic issues

[North-East Ohio]

The World, 2092
*In the past few years, Communism had spread throughout the world. The Communists had overthrown the government in Brazil, In Myanmar, the government officials had been executed. Communists had overthrown the governments in Thailand, Malaysia, Botswana, and Mongolia. Communist uprisings had spread to South Africa, the Congo, Libya, Somaliland, Colombia, Tonga, Gabon, and were now threatening East Africa. And now it seemed that the Socialists in the Netherlands were gaining power. In Britain, Republicans had been gaining more and more members as the Communist party began to grow, very slowly however. In poorer regions of the Empire, such as Sri Lanka, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and other regions, communist insurgencies began. With the spread of Communism around the world and the rise of Eurasia, people began calling this time, Pax Eurasia. Meanwhile, Beria was becoming a very popular leader. With Eurasia becoming the dominant power in the world, and Beria giving some more freedoms to the people of Eurasia, he was now very popular. A Communist government had been set up in Romania, however in Hungary, there was a different situation. Beria did not set up a Communist government in Hungary, instead, he created a democratic government. However, the Eurasia military had some forces stationed there and a military base had been established in the country. Even though Hungary was democratic, the Eurasians made sure no extreme right wing parties came into politics in the country. The Social Democratic party held power in the country. Meanwhile, the Eurasians had sent some more KGB agents to Afghanistan.*

[Britanania]

Imperial Republic, early 2092

Life had become hard in the Empire. The multiple revolutions caused economic strain for many, and a growing number of anti war protesters hindered victory. However, in the smaller regions of Sri Lanka and the Caribbean provinces, the rebellions were being put down fairly quickly, but required a constant military presence, causing the Imperium to declare martial law in those area. Things in North and Central America and the Middle East were relatively untouched, however.

The war in Afghanistan continued despite the protests, and now the Imperium was certain the EF was causing it.

[Vergenskia]

New Buda, Skåne, Sweden

"My people. I would like to formally congratulate all of you who decided to come with me and build this new city from the ground up." Queen Felicia says with her son, The Prince, by her side. "And today. I will officially say, that the city is complete! Always welcome, new immigrants from the hellish nations to the East and South. You all have homes here. You all are my people and I pledge to you all, justice will be served. Now if you will, Ernö."

Prince Ernö rises a champagne bottle and smashes it against the wall of a new Castle on the shore of the Baltic Sea...

"I, Felicia, Queen of Sweden and Protector of the Magyar people proclaim this city as New Buda."

[Britanania]

Nevermore, Imperial Republic of America. 2 February 2092

Shere Khan, the man who destroyed Afghanistan, had returned to the Capital. It was rumoured he was responsible for the death of over a million Afghans living in rural communities, breaking the rebellion. There was still fighting on and off, but most of the heavy rebellion had been wiped out by war, poison, and starvation.

Now he had come to Nevermore with an Army of 15,000 ACU Mark IV, the latest models, and close to 5,000 of the latest Mekhon. The Imperium, fearing this mysterious man, allowed him to enter with his army as he declared himself Grand Vizier, a position by law only an Emperor can appoint. He gave a speech just after. He was an ugly man, his face a mix of scars and burns, his left arm and leg were robotic, and his face was a continuous scowl.

"Today a new era begins. Today, I become the embodiment of the Imperium, of the State, and of the People. Today I have issued decrees that will end the fear of revolt, and strengthen the market. Today I take a stance against the evils of Communism."

His speech continued with his new economic plan, giving unemployment citizens work on massive public work projects rebuilding the Imperial Infrastructure in poor regions, a new economic policy of the State-or rather Shere Khan-commanding the economy, putting millions of mostly Africans and Pacific Islanders to work building factories to industrialise those regions. Princes were regulated to stimulate consumerism and trade.

Unbeknownst to most, close to half of the Imperium were arrested and killed that day, with Khan appointing those loyal to him in charge

[Vergenskia]

New Buda, Skåne, Sweden

"Ernö, I need you to get a line with military contractors. Our restrictions of our armed forces have been annulled, being that this is no longer Magyarország. We need new designs on armor and rifles. As well as a new fighter and bomber."

Ernö bows to his mother and replies, "Right away. It seems the only way things will be rectified, doesn't it?"

Felicia nods, lightly. "We'll bide our time. But the only way to get the Motherland back will have to be by force."

[Britanania]

Palace of the Marshals. Nevermore, Imperial Republic of America. 10 February 2092

The new Grand Vizier sat in his office writing new laws. The military would be doubled over the next 8 years, raising the demand for factory jobs in India and Japan, and the public works would invigorate the agricultural regions in Africa and the Midwest. Surplus grain would be sold to other members of the Pact of Steel, particularly Sweden and Mali. Subsidies given to Hungary and Romania would be sent to Sweden to stimulate their economy, building stronger trade and encouraging more jobs. Recovery would take years, especially as the stock market had recently crashed. However, his regulations on prices would keep prices low. The government would become much more centralised, taxes were raised on the Nobility and the rich and cut for the middle and lower classes. He hoped by 2096 things would start to look up.

Effectively, he was working towards the entire mobilisation of the Empire as if it were at war to decrease unemployment, now close to 10% in America and up 24% in Africa and other poor regions. His public works would decrease it substantially in Africa, India, and the Pacific, factory jobs were required for the massive increase in the military and newer types of Mekhon and ACU. The Navy would be scrapped over time and replaced, same with the Air Corps.

Laws were being written that restricted speech and the press. Martial law was now enforced everywhere, and the Ministry Of Propaganda replaced the Ministries of Education and the News, spreading Khan's agenda everywhere. The war in Afghanistan was still going on, but the human soldiers were almost all replaced by ACU. Private business was still encouraged, however. The economy was more controlled and regulated, but nothing of socialist practices. Food was to be rationed for three years and controlled by the State to maximise it use and so the money they spent on food would be used to encourage a consumer economy. Monopolies were banned and small, local stores and shops were given tax relief to encourage them, and alternative fuel supply plants, such as windmills, nuclear power plants, and hydraulic dams, which were the norm in the Americas and India, were built in the Pacific and Africa to give more jobs

In less than a week, Shere Khan was the undisputed master of the Empire and his policies were implemented by the Imperium. It would take years, however, for them to fully take effect. In the meantime, other than trade, the Empire stayed out of international politics altogether, giving the impression (as the new laws were censored) that it was in decay and crumbling.

[North-East Ohio]

Afghanistan
*Sandler and Babayev sat in their hideout. The war in Afghanistan was being lost. It was becoming evident that a Communist victory was almost impossible now in the country. However, they were not going to go down without a fight. They decided it was time for a major attack...a Tet Offensive of sorts. An offensive that would get the Imperial people to intensify protests against the war. This war was no longer about freeing Afghanistan...it was now more of a war to destabilize the Empire.*

Eastern Europe
*Life in Eastern Europe was booming. The economy was doing great in the region, alternative forms of energy had all but replaced the use of fossil fuels, new futuristic "Megacities" had sprung up in places like Minsk, Gdansk, Odessa, Helsinki. Now a new maglev train system was being built to connect the region together. There were even talks of a Eastern European Union being formed. There was just a few problems..namely Germany, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, and Cyprus. These nations remained dedicated to the "old ways" and presented a problem for the region. Eurasia took a special interest in Georgia and Cyprus. They would take care of the others after the Pact of Steel fell, which many believed was inevitable now. All over the region, Beria was becoming a sort of "Political Superstar". Everywhere there was praise for Comrade Marshal Kiril Beria. Even in countries like Finland, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, there was high praise for Beria. Some in the Baltic's even started campaigning for incorporation of their countries into Eurasia.*

[Britanania]

Kabul, Afghanistan. 15 February

In the past year, Kabul had become a bastion of Imperial support and power. The Afghan Capital had seen little combat since the beginning of the war and life was quite good there, thanks to the Imperial military presence and being the centre of economic life. Shere Khan's reforms had also begun taking effect there with jobs springing up to rebuild the city.

The General in charge of Afghanistan, Charles Westmoreland, kept both the National Guard and Imperial forces on alert at all times. It was also reported that French Imperial forces would be arriving soon to finally break the war