Liberty's Siren Song (Open)

[Allanea]

To: His Eminence Jacob Stephenson
From: Alexander Blaken-Kazansky

I do not wield superior authority over the people of Edolia, as membership in the Greater Prussian Empire does not imply a cessation of national sovereignty. Indeed, Greater Prussian authorities will only intervene in internal affairs of Edolia in the cases where wide-spread violation of civil rights or internal civil conflict is threatened - in this case, both seem to be true, and the latter civil conflict directly menaces Allanea.

I am happy to participate in the talks, provided that Imperator Blatterschplitt is present as well. This is partly because I do not consider the Republic to be legitimate, but partly because I believe they have designs on Imperator Blattershplitt's life. His presence at the negotiations would at the least, guarantee his safety.

Sincerely,
Alexander

[Edolia]

A Closed Letter to His Eminence Jaciob Stephenson


The Free Republic of Edolia is almost certain that the Allaneans desire to Imperialize over our people. It was the Prussians and the Allaneans which installed the puppet King over our people. After Erik von Blätterschplitt's death and the abdication of Flavia von Blätterschplitt, we had hoped that our ability to have self-determination was secured, but then the Allanean's Puppet King, the Impërator attempted to reclaim his power and was reasserted after a fifth war in Edolia where we had suffered defeat. Now as the Allanean support has weakened in their homeland, we are strong enough to take back what is ours, and we are prepared to defend our deepest principles. As such having them at the negotiating table puts us at ill ease. We trust them even less than we trust Herbord von Blätterschplitt. This meeting is becoming more and more the wolves telling the hares what they'll have for dinner. Any type of negotiation involving in a victory for Allaneans and the Impërator will result in a loss for Republican Democrats or it shall prolong the civil conflict in Edolia. Failure to negotiate the surrender of the claims to Sovereignty of the Free Edolian Republic will result in a loss for our people and enslavement to a regime we do not want ruling over us.

I shall see you on the Day of our Meeting,

[Edolia]

A Closed Letter to Andrew Whitean Chairman of The Council


The Free Republic of Edolia anticipates foulplay at this meeting at Rohane Alista. The Rohane Alistans have invited the Allaneans to negotiate. The very same Allaneans who have put the Puppet King to rule over us. Any type of negotiation involving in a victory for Allaneans and the Impërator will result in a loss for Republican Democrats or it shall prolong the civil conflict in Edolia. Failure to negotiate the surrender of the claims of Herbord von Blätterschplitt to the Sovereignty of the Free Edolian Republic by will result in a loss for our people and enslavement to a regime we do not want ruling over us, and we need your help. To ensure that there is no foulplay we request your presence as well as your aid. An ambassador to come and represent neutral stance on behalf of Edolians. Remember I do not represent my own interests, I am an elected official. I serve my country, and if need be I will die for my people, but I will not have this usurper attempt to subject all Edolians to his whims, we are a free people of free men. We cannot lose this struggle or the people shall lose, thus in addition to bringing forth your aid, we request your presence in the meeting.

I shall see you on the Day of the Arranged Meeting,

[Edolia]

An Open Letter on Behalf of the Free People of Edolia


The Free Republic of Edolia would like to arrange a ministry to head the aid relief in Edolia and we welcome any and all Charitable contributions to be taken to the City of Arthburg, where all goods shall be inspected, and distributed to Provinces whose need is most dire during the time of drought and crisis. We welcome foreign inspectors and foreign investigators to aid us in this task, as we are still having trouble delivering to areas where there are high loyalist concentration, and we shall do our best to deliver any and all aid irrespective of political position. This is incredibly important for the welfare of the Edolian people. As we are a people of great dignity and moral strength, I would like to announce the existence of a peace meeting to be held in the nation of Rohane Alista, where we shall assure the Edolian people of their rights to choose their own government, and we shall quell any further conflict. While we will defend our citizens and our people from attacks by nobles and the loyalists. Any attacks on unarmed civilians or demonstrating civilians shall be considered a crime of war, for which we shall ensure it is punished harshly. We however, shall hold ourselves to this same moral standard. We are resolute in the moral rectitude of our position and we see no reason for this to devolve into attacking unarmed Edolian citizens, and demonstrating Edolian citizens. Allowing people to have their own political opinions and to demonstrate freely shall ever be an Edolian right.

We also forewarn that any attempts to enforce the curfew and restrictions on persons organizing shall be considered also to be a crime against Edolian people, and it shall be met with force of arms in defense if need be. This is not a threat, but a promise on behalf of free Edolians everywhere. As well, we still intend to openly deliver our campaign promises we have made in our previous election. As your Chancellor, I was your servant and your friend, and as your Chairman, I shall be the same as I was before. I am a friend to the Edolian people, and I am here to serve your interests and not my own. Any Edolians who have concerns about my position as leader is free to contact their elected representatives if they believe I am not here for them, and I shall be removed from office if I do not do my job effectively. Thus are the fruits and merits of our republican system. We perform a job, a service, based on the merit, accomplishment and ability of an individual and if we fail to represent this effectively, we shall be fired, and it is as it should be. We will continue to stand firm on the principles Edolians want us to fight for, and what you paid taxes for. We are here for you, and we struggle with you. May you all be well, happy, and free from harm!

So Speaks a Free Man,

[Imperial City-States]

Imperial City-States
Fort Helsreach
Military High Command
22:10


" As you can see sir , Tensions are rising drastically and may very well spiral out of control in the months that lie ahead ."

Commented a brigadier General as he clicked off the Large projection screen inside the briefing room .

there was a thick Silence filling the room. Chancellor Whilliam stood his crisp black suit blending in easily with the darkened room .

" General it is to my understanding that not only have we just returned from a War in Gibberan that cost several hundred thousand life's but we are also deploying troops to support the Liberty of Greater Simbia which is likely to cost at least forty thousand men by the end . How exactly can we justify to our people that we are sending our sons to go die in a country almost no one has even heard of ? " Questioned Whilliam


again the room fell silent . there was a stifled cough until a voice broke the silence .
" We could claim that we are under concern that Nuclear weapons will fall into unstable hands and possibly be unleashed ? " a young Captain standing on the sidelines said softly.

Whilliam turned sharply nodding ....

" General , Call an emergency meeting of the Council. All representatives from the ICS are to be present no later then 0600 tomorrow . Furthermore have our Navel and Marine Assets from the Fifth Fleet prepare to set sail by the end of this week enroute to the area. I have a plan cooked up thanks to our young Captain .... " Whilliam said his voice trailing off...





Imperial News Network (INN)
"Bringing unbiased news to you "



An Image of Chancellor Whilliam appears on screens as he approach's a podium overlooking several Brigades of Imperial troops . in the background some Banners wave lazily in the wind .

" My Fellow Citizens and Civilians . It is with great displeasure that I come to you today ---pause--- Many of you are still mourning the loss's of your Sons , Fathers , Husbands and Friends who had their lifes taken during our fight in support of the Gibberan equalist party's Independence from the Tyrannical Government that seeked to destroy their very way of life . Not fifty years ago our own nation was in Such a conflict . Paladin Vaikar of that day brought fire upon all those who resisted his unification of our Great City-States . And yet we triumphed. We rose from the Ash's of Nuclear Fire and rebuilt a Strong and Powerful Nation that is a beacon of light in the dark days of our time . Yet there is another whom shares in the same struggle that we did so long ago. The People of Edolia are oppressed and beaten by a tyrannical government that forces them against their will to pay homage and tribute to a disgraced leader who won't show his own face . I am calling for a coalition force to prepare for immediate military intervention should the Tyrannical Allaneans attempt to take what isn't theirs . "

there is a long silence and the Chancellor looks grimly into the Camera .



" As result of these events as well as the massing issues present in the Greater Simbia region whom are facing a similar struggle . I call upon you . People of the Imperial City-States to Rise up for those who can't rise themselves ! We will strike down this enemy with all of our might and show them the true meaning of Fear ! "

Sweat glistens of the forehead of the Chancellor.

" the fiftieth and Twenty-Second Legions are to report immediately to their Staging Areas in preparation for further orders . "

the Chancellor stands straight and the assembled Imperial Soldiers snap sharp salutes as he exits the podium and the screen cuts black.

TO: Free Republic of Edolia
FROM: High Command of the Imperial City-States Armed Forces


In these turbulent times of you seeking to throw off the yoke of your oppressors we stand by you to defend your liberties both as a sovereign nation and a People of great ideals and freedoms . We are sending forces off your Coast in preparation for intervention should your former slavers decide to partake in hostilities .

[Rohane Alista]

From the Desk of His Eminence Jaciob Stephenson
To: Emperor Alexander Blaken-Kazansjy
Mr. Blatterschplitt is, of course, invited to attend, though I have no way to reach him. However, I expect to negotiate with you and Edolia's chairman, in the hopes of reaching an agreement. If you must somehow persuade Mr. Blatterschplitt his only option is to let you handle it, then by all means, please do so. The only possibility for a peaceful resolution is for all to be honest and trustworthy, and Mr. Blatterschplitt has shown himself to be anything but, and, though it pains me to say so, I am not convinced he understands his actions or their results. I also suggest you ensure no violence is initiated by your side during negotiation, as I will also mention to Mr. Neumann, for I do not wish to hold a negotiation on what terms war may be waged, but will if necessary.

For your consideration,
His Eminence Jacob Stephenson

A Coded Missive to Chairman Sasha Neumann
Rohane Alista ensures you we will do our best to win your cause in diplomacy, but even failing that, an attempt is still necessary- it is unfortunate, but war is still politics, and though my nation and people greatly support fledgling republics in all forms, they may not be satisfied with a potential war if no attempt is made for peaceful resolution first. I see you have already alerted your citizens for the need to remain peaceful in the following days, for which I thank you. In respect to your lack of trust- it is understandable, but the other side must have a negotiator, and Mr. Blatterschplitt is neither recognized by us, nor does he seem intelligent enough for successful negotiation in any form. I hope you understand our position.

His Eminence Jacob Stephenson

[Spectare]

The Empire of Spectare recognizes the humanitarian crisis that is ongoing inside of Edolia and has arranged for 50,000lbs of rice & 50,000lbs of beans be delivered to Ediola and be distributed immediately to the most devastated areas. We request that our convoys are allowed open access and safe passage to most effectively deliver the aid to the great people of Edolia.


Private Communique to Imperator Blatterschplitt from Empress Jezebel Phoenix :

We clearly recognize this coup for what it is and we are ready to assist you in any way that you may need. What sort of assistance do you require to put a swift end to this nonsense?

Meanwhile 2000 miles off the coast Edolia, a dozen Shadow Serpent class submarines begin to passively monitor traffic around the territory with staying hidden as the primary objective.

[Edolia]

Chairman of the Free Edolian Republic Calls for Calm

The Arrests of Parliament Spurs Deadly Protests and Demonstrations
Benisch de Neidenstein, Edolian Associated Press

ARTHBURG, Edolia: In the aftermath of the disbanding of parliament by Impërator Herbord von Blätterschplitt, the Chairman of the Free Republic of Edolia made a speech from the city of Arthburg before the Green Council Hall. His speech outlined the events of the last few days, and called for people to be critical of any claims by Herbord von Blätterschplitt, as late in the afternoon he and Loyalist Prime Minister Erhart von Erstat gave a televised speech in the Golden Pavillion.

"This situation requires us all as a people and as a leadership to choose between chaos and stability," He said before a group of enraged protesters before the shots were fired on the Golden Pavilion that killed three people, including retired factory worker Wenzel Spengler who died at 76 from a gunshot wound and trampling from the fleeing protesters. The Chairman's response to this tragedy has been biting and harsh with its criticism, but rather than call for bitter and violent retribution, he has called for calm, and for the arrest of Herbord von Blätterschplitt, and for Erhart von Erstat for attempted murder, and murder in the second degree for each of the dead persons in the incident, and he has compounded further charges for the false arrests of parliament, the attempted murder of parliamentarians, and the murder of the persons who stormed the Prison in Sunnisheim. He also spoke critically of the speech offered before the shooting of the demonstrators in the Golden Pavilion.

"The Impërator and his loyalists have been using the same propositions for years attempting to justify staying in power, continuity or chaos. Mister von Blätterschplitt declares that there is a fractured Edolian society that needs his strong leadership to keep together, when he is wrong. It is due to Mister von Blätterschplitt's efforts against democracy that we have suffered loss of critical initiative in handling a terrible drought and famine, and it is Mister von Blätterschplitt who has critically failed to do as the people have demanded which has fragmented Edolian society as they attempt to decide between fear, or their conscience." He said before a group of demonstrators in Arthburg. He continued to speak critically of the actions of the Loyalists. "The dissolution of elected parliament, the infringement of our constitutional rights, and the infringement of our political rights is an unacceptable. The loyalists are out of touch with Edolian people, and bunglingly incompetent in their oppressive and defensive attempts to hold on to their power at the cost of Edolian people. Each protest, massacre, political agreement with the enemy, and betrayal of Edolian principles is yet more proof of the Impërator's crimes." The Chairman then turned the argument forward and directed it to the Edolian people.

"But despite these disgusting acts of wanton anti-Edolian terrorism, we must not falter on our principles. It is because we have rule of law, that Herbord von Blätterschplitt shall be accorded fair treatment under the law for his actions against the Edolian people. We must be calm, and not press ourselves to retaliate and throw away our reason in confronting what is a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost family members and friends to this horrific atrocity. The best way to confront this situation for the moment, is we just need to calm down, restrain some of the agitating remarks, and let the law work in the favor of the people." Sasha Neumann has called for calm and an end to the deadly violence that has gripped the country. The call for calm comes a day after widespread looting and violence were reported in the capital, following the disbanding and arrests of parliament. Much of the skirmishing continues in the outskirts of the Capital and in the City of Marxburg. The unrest continues despite the presence of foreign humanitarian workers, and charities.

The Free Edolian Republic has collected aid and has been dispersing it into the deepest affected areas in the drought zones, and they have been offering much needed relief to the western province of the Salt Hills. The Republicans have been working tirelessly and consistently to ensure the goods and needed medicine and supplies reach the people who are struggling in the heat and dry conditions in Edolia. The Ministry of Drought Relief headquarters has been inspecting various goods brought in by the foreign charities, and has been ensuring that the goods are safe and useful to the Edolian people. While a few airlifts have also dropped some of the goods into ailing cities in Edolia and the countryside, there are accusations that the Greenleaf and other Charity materials have been appropriated by noble households and have been held for ransom in order to leverage the republicans for money, defense, and power. In the coming days, the inventory of the Charities shall be accounted for by the Edolian Government and the Invoice shall be sent to the Greenleaf Imperial Charity to ensure that all goods are accounted for.

Cäsarea von Rosschim of the Edolian Associated Press Contributed to this Article
Published on January 30th

Explore related topics: Featured,National News,Parliament Arrested,Edolian Civil Conflict,Anti-Prussian Demonstrations,Impërator Disbands Parliament,Riots in Blätterschplitt,Prison in Sunnisheim Raided, Aid Packages with Imperial Propaganda

Discuss this Article
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Savenbloth
Holy shit, is that Sasha Neumann? He's totally hot. I'd tap that.

4 hours ago
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HolyCrusader
Homosexuality is a sin, you Harlot. Control your disgusting and filthy urges.

3 hours ago
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Mirya_1252
When did Sav say he was a man? He could be a woman. Even then, why does it matter what your god calls a sin?

2 hours ago
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Edolia4Ever
CHAIRMAN SASHA IS A FECKLESS LIBERAL. WE SHOULD KILL THOSE NOBLE FUCKERS NOW.

3 hours ago
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'

OO_Squishies
Only if we make it properly musical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kxQpaH05ko

2 hours ago
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[Thoricia]

Closed Letter to Chairman Sasha Neumann

I am pleased at the quick response from you my friend and I will see to it that William Whitten, our Spokesman, attends the meeting to ensure that the rights and freedoms of the people of Edolia are not trampled upon by the imperialists. If I may ask you though, the passions of the people run wild when cries for liberty are called, I must respectfully ask that you ask the citizenry to exercise restraint unless they are defending their lives. I realize this is a tall order to ask of you and an almost an impossible task but I feel i must ask. If force is used pre-emptively against those that seek to oppress you I feel they be able to garner more support from the international community which could ultimately lead to your cause being crushed under the heartless boot of Allanean imperialism. Again I realize I am asking much from you and your countrymen but I strongly feel such a sacrifice would lead to your freedom and liberty otherwise I would not ask such a thing from you. I assure you my friend that Thoricia and her allies the Socialist Dwarven Republics will stand shoulder to shoulder with you and together we stand proudly against the tyranny that has set itself loose upon you.

-Andrew Whitean

Chairman for The Council

Port City of Lokarta


The massive harbor that was Lokarta stretched itself several kilometers across the Thorician coast. They had become a bustle of activity in the last few days though, trains steamed in and their cargo was picked up in one huge gulp by the monstrous cranes that loomed over the port like some giant alien insects bent on conquering the world. Several Mule-class transport ships had already been filled, a testament to the Thoricians obsession with efficiency. Several of the Ox-class Ultra cargo ships however still sat being loaded, it would take at least two more days for even the Thoricians to feel the massive belly of these behemoths of ships. Many of the Thorician warships that would accompany the convoy had arrived as well, most others called the ships blocky and ugly but the Thoricians cared little for aesthetics and more about the design being useful. Their odd angles were a necessity to ensure the stealth on them worked properly. More and more of the Thorician escort carriers were arriving as well, their primary function would be not for war but as refilling point for the massive air armada that was leaving from the Freyja Air Base. Once the VTOL’s dropped their cargo they would meet up with the escort carriers and reload and drop more aid onto Edolia, as the humanitarian armada approached Edolia a nonstop stream of aid would fall onto the country in the hopes that it would relieve some of the pressure from the tensions that were on the rise.


Freyja Air Base


The Freyja Air base was a massive sprawling facility that covered several square kilometers, but even it struggled to keep up with the influx of planes and supplies that has assaulted it. Forklifts moved across the tarmac with pallets loaded down with water, rations, medical supplies, bed rolls, and emergency shelters. There was no large Thorician seal or any other identifying marker on the sides of large packages. In fact the only writing that couls be seen was a small sentence on each side of the goods. It read Delivered at the request of Chairman Sasha Neumann to the free citizens of the Free Republic of Edolia.
In another area two wings of medium bombers, their missile bays were loaded full of several suspicious looking bright red rockets whose warheads had been replaced with another material. Several transport planes were filled with Thorician volunteers who wished to help with the aid relief, they came,from all walks of life, from sidewalk sweepers to lawyers, all filled with a desire to help Edolia, another plane was filled with trained medical personnel in order to help with the bloodshed that seemed inevitable. Several hours later the VTOLs were filled to the brim, the control tower received information that the air armada in the SDR was finished as well and ready to depart. The planes began at one end of the runway as each slowly hovered into the air and turned slightly. The coordinates for Arthburg was already programmed into each planes nav computer. It took the planes a full hour and a half of them all taking of from multiple runways one right after another before the air base of Freyja was finally cleared and the Thorician planes were headed towards Edolia with hope in their cargo holds.

[British Prussia]

Castle Wolfenstein

"This thing's a mess..." Alexander Travis, The First Minister of the Foreign Office of the Principate of British Prussia was annoyed. Equally annoyed was Prince Dominic II, though agressive, he was cautious, he did not want to support the losing side... The two had been scurrying about the Foreign Office ever since the beginning of the incident, so far, the government was in paralysis.

Prince Dominic II was tasked with all matters outside BP, while the Princeps tasked himself with everything on the inside. Although the BP parliament was structured in a way that the monarchy could not be blamed, the people were angry about the idleness of the government, the Princeps included...

"Either way, we have no choice... First things first, aid... 200 million MS worth of cash and aid, thats been secured, correct?" The Prince questioned.
"Yes, 180 million for aid, 20 million to help their government..." Alexander replied.
"I'm still not sure about the investment..." The Prince stated, annoyed with himself.
"Yes. It's quite a large sum..." the First Minister was unsure himself... But this could change the fortunes of the monarchy...
"Do it. The faster we announce this, the better..."
"And the Armed Forces?"
"We take every precaution. As of now, there's nothing much else I dare do... Unless you think we O. 8009 him. Now go."

As Alexander Travis left the office, he looked concerned. Ordinance 8009 was one of the most underhanded weapon in the BP Intelligence Services... Assasination... Was the Prince really that desparate to consider it? Althouh it may seem somewhat sound, what will be the consequences? Would we get away with it? And whom would he O. 8009? It didn't matter... He had an announcement to make.

In the name of Prince Caesar Dominic II, renowned, victorius, and triumphant,

The British Prussian government would like to announce the commencement of a 200 million MS aid delivery package. We are heightening our Armed Forces threat level in response to increased instability. We will dispatch one destroyer, to help distribute aid. Doctors and aid workers will be on board. This is not a military expedition, but an aid expedition. Furthermore the British Prussian government would like to announce that we will increase investment by 400% from around 2 billion MS per year to around 8 billion MS per year. It is our firm belief that the Edolian economy will not suffer in light of recent events.

Sir Travis Alexander,
First Minister of the British Prussian Foreign Office.

[New Edom]

It was rather like the 12 days of Christmas; Prince Elijah thought. Only it didn’t go up that high, so that didn’t work. He became a trifle amused—should he have asked for proper proportions so that he would have 12 Council Policemen, 11 servants serving, 10 flight attendants, etc all the way down to an undersecretary checking a file? Well, anyway there were 18 other passengers on the SAI-2000 Ruby executive passenger jet with him. He considered sharing this joke with the Undersecertary of Foreign Affairs, who was traveling with him, but he remembered that no one found his jokes funny.

Security was arranged as a handover between the two countries; he was coming after all as a special envoy, not as a military commander. A few of his fellow passengers had expressed concern—the Allaneans were involved. Allaneans loved to kidnap people apparently.

“Our lives are in God’s hands. So are the Allaneans’ lives.” Elijah had replied drily. “In any case, we have nothing they really want. We are savages to them.”

Even though it was technically a civilian transport, it was flown by the Air Force. What was not fully publicized were a few bells and whistles. It couldn’t have a full radar dome without arousing obvious suspicions, but it was carrying some superior threat assessment equipment and had more parachutes and survival gear than was normal.

Undersecretary Offenbach had briefed him completely on as much as they knew of the Edorian situation. “They are not really communists, but republicans, but they have some bad PR, we might be able to advise them on that…” she had explained. “But the Allaneans will probably paint them as communists. We’ll want to deal with that right away, but the fact is that this will be good for our reputation.”

“Our reputation?” Prince Eljiah said with faint amusement. He was a tall olive skinned man with raven black hair, dark large expressive eyes and a tendency towards deep depression and moodiness. “I thought that the importance of this was to help the starving and thirsty. Fulfill the Great Commission.”

Esther Offenbach paused. The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs found Elijah difficult, in fact she wondered why he had been appointed. Perhaps because he had the opposite reputation of the Imperator? He had been a devoted public servant since he had reached manhood, was one of the most popular members of the royal family (though he seemed shy in the face of praise) and lived a comparatively simple life for a wealthy man. He was fond of making cryptic remarks though and she had never seen him as much of a diplomat.

“They don’t seem to hate other people’s royalty per se,” he said with a faint smile. “Just their own. It will all turn out fine in the end.”

She smiled at him. She had lovely blue eyes, which were a real contrast to her dark hair and light olive complexion. Elijah found her pleasing. She had not married, and he knew that this was because she had decided to devote herself to her career, which he found sinful ad shameful but also admired in a way. A Free Congress type, who had bee too useful to purge from the government. There was a certain body type which makes a woman a woman and not a girl, and this was most evident as she demurely excused herself, and he observed her curvaceous bottom outlined by her skirt. Esther, being Free Congress, was usually stark naked except for occasional body paint, sandals and other accoutrements at home, so it wasn’t as though he had never seen her before, but the sight of her in clothing was somehow very pleasantly arousing. Tempting, but he was saving himself for his marriage now; he had declared that to his pretty fair young Quendi Princess and would stick to his guns.

Elijah, being a man in his thirties, found it easy to enjoy the simple fact of arousal without doing anything about it, and eventually it relaxed and stopped. He watched the fluffy clouds outside as they went on to their destination.

NENS Calafia

Junior Lieutenant Gore had made an unexpected friend. When he was in the head during a night’s watch he had run into the commander of one of the Marine Aviation Battalions, a lean tough man he had assumed would be unfriendly to him, a swabbie, and had just politely said, “Excuse me, Major,” as he went by. But then the man had unexpectedly said, “Wanna hear a Best Friend joke? Okay this guy is fired from his job, he has a terrible day, he finds his car got a ticket, gets home, and hears sounds of sex from the bedroom, right? So he goes in and there's his wife having sex with his best friend! So he shouts, "That's it, you slut, get out of here, I want a divorce." And he turns to his best friend and says, "As for you--bad dog! Bad dog!"”

Gore was startled and laughed hard enough that he could barely aim. The Major grinned, and after they’d walked out into the companionway said, “My name’s Joab Nebo.”

“Aaron Gore,” said Gore, and they both bowed in a friendly way.

At first they had just given one another a friendly nod and a word now and then, but it came out that Nebo appreciated how Gore kept on the deck force officer and had remarked, “You should put in for flight deck—I don’t know what you’re schooling for but you’d be damned good at it. You have an eye not just for your own duties but those of others—that’s command, my friend.”

Then Nebo had joined him during a somewhat lonely night’s watch break and had talked about his own command with him. “I’m pretty lucky,” Nebo had said. “I have a great core of officers and NCOs who have up to a thousand hours’ flying. I’ve been doing this for fifteen years you know. The thing is, we’re lucky in this country, we slapped down that feminist shit before it even got started.”

Gore was a little cautious; it was a touchy subject. “Are you against women in combat services, Joab?”

The major shook his head. “Not me. I’m an ignorant old fire eater in some ways but as far as I’m concerned a pilot’s a pilot and crew’s crew. I just want them to qualify on merit and be able to actual handle combat flying, night flying, whatever we got to deal with. Marine Infantry, Air Cavalry, Light Troops—we go in first, you know, so we have to be the best at it. I hear bad things of what feminists have done in other countries—quotas. Forcing armed services to accept unqualified personnel. Shit on that. I have female crew and pilots in my unit. But they have to have flight experience, and they get put through the mill. I don’t put up with anyone treating anyone like crap because they have a male or female end, but I also don’t want any mollycoddles.”

Out of the 24 TH-300s aboard, 20 were under Nebo’s command; the other four were for the ship including two devoted to anti-submarine warfare. The TH-300 Lakota is a medium lift helicopter capable of multiple roles, large enough to carry 36 personnel. It uses the same combat radar as the AH-77 Cannondale Attack Helicopter, giving it a good margin for maneuver. Originally brought into the New Edomite Army as a medevac helicopter, it was soon adopted as the primary utility helicopter. While usually not heavily armed, the ones assigned to the Marine Infantry usually had a M134 minigun and an “Mary Jane”. The doctrine was to have defensive capabilities but to primarily rely on attack helicopters for offensive purposes. Nevertheless it was not a machine to be underestimated; tough, armoured, and lightly armed it could also signal other aviation about combat targeting.

Through Nebo, Gore came to see that he was more than part of a floating taxi service, but part of the armed response, and came to see in another way how his work was valued. Little things he had done he improved upon. He had often seen himself as being of little account because he was a quiet modest man; he came to see how this had built his authority slowly and calmly, and how he would find that the galley chief would gladly make sure there was hot tea, warm bread and some hot stew waiting for the air crews when they came back from night exercises. The idea that he was in his way a man of influence on the ship was a pleasant surprise, and instead of just being a junior lieutenant who was neither fish nor fowl he found himself engaged in a game of cards now and then during his time off with men he saw as more than colleagues, but as shipmates.

Captain Zerah informed the officers and crew of their mission: they were providing relief efforts for the nation of Edolia, but there could end up being some civil strife, so they had to be on the alert. This could mean a fight for the side they were supporting. With this in mind a Cabot’s Peak Class Landing Ship had been added—unlike the Kaztlan Class Gore served on it carried an entire brigade aboard. So it would be a cruiser, a destroyer, four frigates, the Calafia, 4 Duenna Class Replenishment ships, and the Hope, the Cabot’s Peak Class Landing Ship.

[Rohane Alista]

The RANS Calihain, in waters near Edolia

"Admiral Norvel, sir," radar chief Paul Grostman spoke, "We've got notice from one of the sub hunters in our escort group. They claim to have picked up... almost a dozen submarines waiting just outside of Edolian waters. Orders, sir?"
"Keep an eye on them, but do not move to engage. Remember, they could be friendly, and even if they're not, we're only escorting aid workers and supplies at the moment. We don't need to start a war." Admiral Norvel stated this quietly, but in a way with enough firmness that it easily carried over the bridge. Norvel was a squat man, never having grown taller than 5 and a half feet, but he exuded calm and control, and was obviously an authority figure. He had been selected to lead this mission for his level headedness, a trait that served him and his country well. He had never wanted to be in the navy- or a sailor at all, for that matter- but had signed up during the tensions of the Void blockade. He was aging, nearing retirement, but he was still likely the best Admiral in the entire fleet.
"Yes sir," the radar chief responds, sending the instructions on to the submarine hunters. "Also, sir, we have picked up the 3rd Carrier fleet on radio, which means we should be close enough to Edolia to start moving supplies and volunteers."
"Very good, then- direct Omega Unit to prepare the volunteers for transport. All the supplies are packed and ready for shipping, I assume?"
"Yes sir." replied the radar chief.
"Then ship them out."

3 Hours later, Airfield of Mühlhausen
As the tenth and eleventh Osprey class helicopters set down at Mühlhausen, they disengorged two rather distinct groups- the first was the medical experts sent in by Rohane Alista to ensure that the citizens of Edolia were getting treated as best was possible, and the second was Omega Unit- "the End All," as their motto said, they were elite bodyguards in direct service of the Rohanian Imperial Guard. They had been sent on direct orders for His Eminence himself- protect the doctors at all costs, and evacuate them if necessary. While in Edolia, they were also instructed to protect any important members of the Republic of Edolia they could, and train bodyguards if they were needed for such a task. Of course, not one of them particularly liked this job- escorting civilians into a powder keg sitting on an open flame was never fun- they were completely loyal to His Eminence, and would follow his commands to the best of their ability.
The other party, however, did not have the same concerns. Headed by renowned brain surgeon Ralph Morris, they were all experts in their fields, and all looked to save as many lives as they could. They were especially hopeful that the Edolians would be open to allowing the nutritionists that had been brought along to exercise some control over the food situation- they knew it was scarce, but these men and women absolutely knew how to get every last inch out of scarce supplies. They were, generally, pleased by the amount of food, water, and medicine they had been given by their homeland for the charity operations here, but knew they could expect more very soon. Not wanting to dawdle any longer, Dr. Morris grabbed the nearest Edolian he could find and asked "Where is the leader of this place? We need to speak to him or her so we can get started on our jobs."

[Edolia]

[OOC]: This post was written cooperatively with the Kingdom of Allanea

The Airport of Luneborch
The City of Blätterschplitt
January 30th, Eight PM

The atmosphere of the airport is heavy with tension as there seems to be a lot of hustle and bustle while people skitter about anxiously as they attempt to get to their flights and attempt to make it to their gates. No one wanted to spend longer than they had to in their gates, wearing their normal business garments, the suit, tie, and tiebar with a briefcase. There was a pair of lovers tearfully kissing their loved ones goodbye. While they parted there was another family ecstatically welcoming their loved ones as they returned home from trips in faraway lands. Whether they were leaving their loved ones behind, for a long time or short, it was unclear. Others were reuniting with their friends and family, and there were tears, and lots of hugs and kisses. Some men were wearing the dark green uniforms with the peaked caps as parents and lovers were sobbing as they boarded the planes. Some families had young children who were traveling with them who were crying, bored and unhappy. Their parents with frustrated, tired and harried with little they could do to entertain their children who were waiting for their plane to lift off.There seemed to be a lot of uniformed personnel coming and going, many of them were headed to the nearby army base a short distance away. There were long checking lines and various objects that were tagged and bagged as security checks were conducted in the airport.

As the Allaneans emerged from their gate, they would notice a guarded Herbord von Blätterschplitt, a corpulent man with a white tiger skinned men’s jacket with a matching floppy wide brimmed hat which also had Griffon feathers sticking out and were attached to a silver circlet, a pair of cashmere gloves, smooth rose colored retro style sunglasses with rhinestone gems on the frames. His undershirt and pants were made of silk, and his belt of fine leather and gold. He also carried with him a jeweled scepter and a long draping gold chain necklace, and was looking at his 46mm gold plated diamond wristwatch. Beside him stood a young handsome teenage boy, a strapping tall lad with bright green eyes and his naturally curling brunette hair is tapered into the head through the back and sides while the top is left slightly longer for shape and style. He had a well defined chin and a sharp chiseled jawline, with a winning smile. He wore a grey flame herringbone pocket shirting, with tortoise shell buttons over a white paisley polo shirt, and a pair of long designer denim jeans and a pair of black loafers. He was noisily chewing a piece of chewing gum, and was holding a leather weekender briefcase in one hand, and his cellular phone on his other hand and seemed to be distractedly typing away.

The black-clad soldiers approached the Impërator at a jog. They were dressed in tactical gear that was ill-suited for a long operation - their helmets were heavy assault setups concealing their entire faces under heavy faceplates, their uniforms - thick, heavy shrapnel-proof suits. They were armed to the teeth, with guns, accessories, and gear filling every pocket and hanging from every strap. This was no honor guard - these were bodyguards, and they meant business.

Still, while here, there would be be deference to the local authorities. By local authorities, of course, the Allaneans meant ‘Herbord’. The ten men stopped in a firm line of ten men, ten pairs of heels clanked together. The commander flipped back the visor on his helmet, revealing his wizened, scarred face. His grey eyes looked directly into Herbord’s as the men brought their rifles to port arms. The roar of ten throats was so loud, it seemed to the soldiers they could shake the airport terminal with the sheer power of their bellow.

“GOOD EVENING, YOUR IMPERIAL MA-JES-TY!”

“Oh look, Conrad! They have arrived!” Herbord said with a cheerful smile and he clapped his hands at the Allanean’s servile display, this pleased him of course, and he spoke to them with a warm and jolly tone of voice. “So, to emphasize what is going on, Conrad and I have two different flights. I must head to Rohane Alista to demand the arrest of Alexander Neumann, and then we are to return to Reichsburg. Of course, our son shall be taken to Reichsburg immediately where he will be watched by the Reichskamphenites.” The Impërator said clearly as Conrad seemed utterly unfussed aside from the fact that their shout startled him and he looked up from his phone to look over the Allaneans.

“Hi there, I suppose we’ll be hanging out for a while?” Conrad said with a hint of an Edolian Accent, unlike his fathers which was firmly Prussian. He tucked his phone away and held his hand out to shake the nearest Allanean and Herbord looked at Conrad with a cocked eyebrow and pointed at the trash can.

“Spit out that gum, you silly boy. It’s impolite to speak with your mouth full of gum, come now, what would your mother say?” Impërator Blätterschplitt said with a scowl.

“She’d probably say, ‘Conrad, this shit will help your ears from feeling like they’re bleeding when they pop at over five thousand meters above sea level, and when you get to Reichskamphen which is like flatter than Starle’s Tits.’” The boy said as he was thwapped over the head by his father.

“Don’t talk back young man, get your ass in gear and throw away that gum.” The Impërator said embarrassedly as Conrad begrudgingly went toward the trash can, where there was a group of people who were waiting for their flight at the opposite gate.

The Allanean commander used the opportunity to approach the Impërator. He was still smiling, but his eyes expressed worry. “Your Imperial Majesty. I am Captain Jebediah Smith. Special Operations. I don’t know if that means anything to you, but this implies I have training that far exceeds the mere skills of a professional cut-throat. I’m to a professional cut-throat what a professor is to an undergraduate student. So with that in mind, I would like to relay to you a simple message from Emperor Blaken-Kazansky, and to add also that I, as an.... industry professional, believe in every word of that message. Which is easy, as that message is...”

He looked the Impërator right in the eye as he uttered the message:

”Run.”

“I cannot run, dear man, I am the Sovereign Ruler of Edolia, and I must go to this… Rohane Alista to settle this deal with the rebels, and then once it is done, I must return and direct the humanitarian missions in Edolia. After all, there’s much more to be done, but now that we’re done with the grim and nasty talk, shall I be meeting Dear Alexander Kazansky in that beautiful place far, far away? We do have some catching up to do! Goodness knows last I saw Sasha he looked rough around the edges. Poor slob, and I hear he’s become a slave to a woman he loves. Marriage is ever the institution which shackles the heart!”

“Sir. I would like to add, as an expert in the art of violence, that-” for a moment, the soldier stood on tiptoes, attempting to track Conrad through the terminal - “-that it is highly unlikely for you to win out. By placing yourself in harm’s way you are actually making victory for the forces of freedom less, not more, likely. Imagine if you were to be, say, taken hostage. This would reduce the options Allanea has to assist you drastically and I am not sure Greater Prussia can afford another ransom right now.”

“A ransom? Perish the very thought, I did not wish to burden Sasha in the slightest. I intended however to meet up with him at the meeting in Rohane Alista. Lord knows that there’s likely much amusement to be had there. I’m expecting that there will at least be a less loathesome crowd than what happened in Blätterschplitt. And after all, I expected that perhaps we could make much progress there with Greater Prussia at our side.”

“At this stage, I am surprised you’re even going to Alista given how biased the mediators seem to be. I am, however, not a diplomat, so I will not burden Your Imperial Majesty any further with my ignorant talk.” - the Allanean said. - “At any rate, I admire your bravery and loyalty to the Scarlet Empire. If all our allies were like you, Allanea would rule the world.” - Captain Smith paused. “Anyone else going with us other than the young Prince? Some key personnel, some nobleman’s family, something of this sort?”

“We are heading alone, but I think my Loyal Minister Erhart von Erstat and his family is coming with me to handle this Rohane Alista business, and then perhaps we might have a chance to appeal to the masses. Erhart is a useful and loyal man. He said he would be here in about fifteen minutes, as he had to pick up his wife and daughter. Once he gets here we’ll be on our way.” The Impërator said as he looked over his watch for another moment and a rather irritated looking Conrad returned as he looked over at the Allaneans.

“Right, so, Hi guys.” He said as he looked over at the Allaneans and Erhart was at the Checking counter and seemed to be arguing with one of the men at the desk of security.

“I said we would need more than just a business class seating! We reserved this airspace for our private jet! This is inexcusable, and I will have you fired!” The blond haired minister said as upon his head there was a crowning bald spot where his hat attempted to cover it.

“I have not made myself unclear in the slightest. We need for that transfer path in Marxburg to be clear, and once we get there we will need to take the flight to Rohane Alista.” He said as his wife looked mildly embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Sir, we cannot help that the flight was grounded due to a windstorm to the south. We are hoping conditions shall improve, but until then, we will have to redirect your flight to Arthburg, and then you can head the opposite direction of the storm.”

“Feckless air traffic control bastards.” He said as he headed toward the Impërator and bowed respectfully. “Your Sovereign Majesty, I apologize for such an unruly display.”

“It is alright, Minister Erstat, we are not troubled.” Impërator Blätterschplitt said as the thin gangling minister looked over at the Allaneans.

“We would seem to have sufficient security, I suppose. Gerda and Elsa are with me, and we should be easily taken to Rohane Alista, but I have carefully made sure to not take a return flight. I imagine it shall be dangerous, Your Sovereign Majesty. I am hoping that you have also made a conscious choice to protect His Highness, Prince Conrad?”

“Of course, Our son is in good hands. The Reichskamphenites can be trusted.” The Impërator said with a calm expression. “Now, let’s go, it would be a good choice to head out now before they suddenly decide our flight is best grounded.”

“This seems to be a good idea. Your Imperial Highness. Given how the situation is, would you need a few minutes to properly part with your father?” - Captain Smith’s grey, piercing eyes looked straight into Conrad’s. - “It may be preferable for you to do so.”

“Uh… sure.” Conrad said with a nervous glance at his father and he reached to hug his father. “Be careful out there, Dad. It can be pretty ugly out there in foreign lands, I’ve seen all sorts of terrible stuff on the internet and the international news. I’ll be careful, so you don’t have to worry about me… I hope.”

“Do not worry, my boy! It’ll all be quite fine. Your Father knows what he is doing, and knows how to handle ugly matters, and if necessary we have a backup plan to stay in exile in the better side of Prussia until the storm dies down.”

Jebediah waited calmly for the father and son to be done talking. He didn’t seem to hear anything they said, and if he did, he pretended not to. Only when the conversation was over did he speak again.

“Your Imperial Highness. It is time for you to make for the plane.”

The plane was a small airliner, its body painted chrome-silver. It had a peculiar shape, the wings attaching to a bulbous outcropping on its belly, making the plane look even smaller than it actually was. In truth, it was a regional airliner, converted to a luxurious royal transport. It sat low enough to the ground to allow it to be accessed by a simple folding stairway, rather than the enormous motorized setups that needed to be used with full-size airliners.

As they looked out towards the plane, Jebediah Smith flipped down the heavy visor on his helmet and whispered a single keyword, not loud enough for the Prince to hear, but loud enough to activate one of the tiny devices embedded in his assault helmet. An infra-red camera in his helmet activated, and its output replaced the real world in his visor, the helmet’s augmented reality systems feeding him new information as he tilted his head to scan the airfield’s perimeter fence. He could not believe they would not be attacked. That would be far too easy.

Conrad seemed to consider their behavior a bit odd, and took his time to get onto the plane, digging into his bag for a stick of gum. He considered it to be a potentially long trip, and he knew that more than once his ears would pop from the height of the plane reaching past the mountains. The boy sat comfortably in the plane and seemed to look bored, he suspected there would be not much he would be able to do on the way to Reichskamphen.

[Rohane Alista]

From the Desk of His Eminence Jaciob Stephenson
To: All Participants of the Edolian Negotiations

Hello. We have arranged for all of you to arrive in Calihain within the next few days. We will spend two days in Calihain after the last party arrives, to allow for adjustments to be made to local time. We will then be providing you with transport to the neutral country of Star United States, where we are arranging for facilities to be set up for negotiations. We plan for negotiations to take a week, but will ensure that should they go over there is no undue strain to resources. We ask that you inform us of the size of your diplomatic party so we may be sure there are no mistakes made.
Thank you,
His Eminence Jaciob Stephenson

A coded missive to be delivered to Chairman Sasha Neumann
Hello, Mr. Neumann. We believe that it may be dangerous for you to try to leave the country with your diplomatic party via normal means, so we have taken the liberty of securing a safe, quick transport if you should so want it. The jet we have provided can seat 30 passengers safely (which I will assume is more than you will be brining), and travel to Rohane Alista in about 22 hours time. We understand if you must decline, but we then ask that you take some of the extra Omega troops we have sent along to protect our volunteers- it would not due to have a party involved fail to reach the negotiations for any reason, and though we would extend the same offer to the Allaneians, we believe they would preemptively turn it down as they have their own security forces.

Awaiting a quick reply,
Jaciob Stephenson

[Allanea]

Aboard the Superjet

Inside, this was clearly no ordinary aircraft. Rather than the endless aisles of seats that were used in regular passenger airliners, here the seats were far fewer, the plane therefore more spacious. Conrad was - apart from the Special Forces troops - the only passenger on this plane, and would be gently guided to a luxurious seat. The arrangement was more like that in a train, but far more luxurious - a pair of seats, facing another pair of seats, with a broad mahogany surface between them. Normally this surface would be used by senior Allanean officials to plot out some kind of action plan while the plane was in flight, but in this case the table was free. As the plane took off, a flight attendant placed a plate with several small caviar sandwiches on it (red, black, and Greater Prussian blue caviar). She smiled softly at Conrad as she walked away, and seconds later Smith appeared. He no longer wore the heavy, burdensome assault helmet, nor the shrapnel-proof clothing, having stripped down to a set of black BDUs.

“How are you holding up?” - he asked Conrad, his grey eyes looking slightly sad as he sat in front of the prince.

“You can say I’m better than people might imagine. I think there were people calling for me and my dad to be lethally injected this morning. Those were perhaps the least violent things suggested. Of course, I learned something new on the internet today. Apparently you CAN hang someone upside down by their manhood, and it won’t snap off immediately. The things you learn by the violent stuff in the world today.” Conrad said with a nervous laugh

. “But, don’t mind me, I think it’s been just… tiring. I don’t think it’s been so long since we’ve had this much trouble. Mind, I’ve seen people have problems I haven’t had, but I think that they don’t have the problems I have. I suppose it is true what they say, ‘Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.’, well, unless there’s a drought, in which all the grass is dry and dead.”

The Captain smiled only slightly at the joke, then spoke. “Well, I’m part of regiment Ravenwing. It’s our job to protect the Emperor’s family from assassins. So you don’t need to worry about any of these commie bastards any more. Ravenwing has already intercepted its fair share of idiot assassins, and will intercept Edolians quite as well as it does Spireans. The point I am making, young man, is that you are safe.” - he forgot, perhaps purposefully, to mention that Conrad’s father was far less safe.

“What’s a Spirean?” Conrad asked as he looked over at the Ravenwing guard as he seemed to be unfamiliar with the term.

“They’re a small country that assassins come from.” - the guard replied.

“If assassins come from there, why do you not simply destroy it?” The boy asked confused as he has never heard of a country where only assassins dwelled. It would seem to make the disposal of assassins easier in his mind, as all one would need to do is cluster bomb it or well placed tac nukes in population centers.

“Well, for the sake of the people living there who are not assassins, one imagines.” - the soldier said. “Or just some kind of leftist weakness. Either way, of the fourteen Spireans that visited the Emperor’s palace last year, ten were assassins. You can say I am biased. Do you like the sandwiches?”

“I have very little of an appetite. I already had dinner before. I remember having a bit of roast lamb with a smoky dry rub, green beans with pepper sauce, and a garden salad with sweet strawberry vinaigrette dressing.” The boy said with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just.. I’m not hungry. It’s about Eight fifteen at night, and I had dinner at seven thirty.”

“Well, you’re welcome to them,” - the Captain said with a smile, though he felt uncomfortable talking this way to a boy whom he considered to be as good as an orphan already - “Maybe you should get a glass of champagne and go to bed - there is a bed on the plane, in the Personal Suite. It’s a long flight to Reichsburg, after all.”

[Socialist Dwarven Republics]

Encrypted Message

To: Chairman Sasha Neumann

From: Chairman Hrothar Gianslay

Greetings friend, our allies to the north, the Thoricians, have called upon us in their endeavor in helping your country. My countrymen and I have responded to this call with an outpouring of charity. As i write this letter the 1rst Iron Armada leaves the Port of Delmoor to link up with the Thoricians, together the two fleets will set sail for Edolia, we regret that we must have the cargo ships be accompanied by such a heavy escort but the ships by themselves would be easy pickings for pirates and any other sort of high seas bandits. We are also contributing several pieces of farming and construction equipment to your country, a gift from the farming states is being sent as well. Furthermore we are replicating the Thorician plan and have begun an airlift as well in an effort to supply you with aid as immediate as possible. I look forward to a relationship growing between our countries as we unite together in your struggle to be free.

Port of Delmoor

The cargo ships and transport ships were loaded and were leaving the safety of the SDR harbor, they would link up with the dwarven fleet that awaited them in the Gulf of Tarragon. Four supercarriers awaited them along with ten pocket carriers, several more arsenal ships, missile cruiser, destroyers, frigates, and corvettes awaited as well to guard the shipments headed for Edolia. A large number of LHD and LHP ships accompanied the armada as well. It was the largest force of dwarven ships ever assembled to aid a foreign country, The Thellin-class cargo ships rivaled the size of even the Ox-class Thorician vessels, they were filled to the brim with farm equipment, construction equipment, food stocks, and countless gallons of water. A few of the smaller Getlin-class cargo ships were filled with the seeds of a hybrid strain of wheat, oats, and barley that were drought resistant and disease resistant, a gift from the dwarven farmer states to help Edolia get back on its feet once the conflict was over. The 1rst Iron Armada would sail west past the undead lands of Lichmoor, it would link up with the 1rst Thorician Battle Fleet past Romanogreca. Together the two fleets would make headway for Edolia and begin shuffling aid from the cargo ships to Edolia, the combined fleets would park themselves several hundred kilometers off the coast of Edolia and support the aid efforts there.

[New Edom]

Dr. Thomas Ballard and Dr. Elizabeth Salt had met with ageing Archibshop William Laudner and the de facto Patriarch of the Council of Five Churches, Bishop Zecharias, to discuss aid to troubled Edolia. The clergy and the former President of the National Council of Refugees had agreed that this was a necessary move and had urged President Pahath-Moab to make it, and were gratified that he had responded so enthusiastically. While Elizabeth Salt was now Minister of Education, she had had so much to do with the peace process in both civil wars, so much to do with helping refugees in her own country that she was believed to be one of the fundamental persons to go to for such work. It would also free up Prince Elijah for higher diplomacy and military advice if it was required.

With the full blessings of the cooperative Church and State, they had embraced their nearest and dearest and had boarded the plane with Prince Elijah and his immediate staff.

It wasn’t as though such missions came easily; a lot of the surplus food came from the Red Cross and also was donated by the wealthy—Arcanum Armaments for example and Mike Mallarhyde, New Edom’s wealthiest individual person. Nevertheless: it was a sacrifice of resources and material that they knew set their own people back. But their people were not starving or dying of thirst; they had a surplus of water at least.

It was not merely symbolic or tied to royalty that Elijah was heading the group of officials going. The Province of Etruria Majora was one of the major industrial sections of the country; from the port of Reme and it’s airport and air force base would some of the planes intended for Edolia depart. As the Province's Governor he would be a key element in ay discussions.

Not all. Through tiny windows Lieutenat Capel could see the wings on both sides and icraning his neck, the shadow of tall tail in the rear. The enormous, loud, loud, loud propellers, with these propellers began to drag the plane into the air, and up from the tarmac at Tsar Boris AFB in Delvian States.

As the plane leveled off for the noisy, he glanced along the the sides of the interior storage area, there were seats made out of netting, where the paratroopers hung off of the wall of the plane. Chewing gum, chattering among themselves; the whole Company of 180 Paras now off on another mission, away, away from their base in Delvian States and off to Edolia. They had spent two hours being briefed, and no one was really happy about the lack of serious intel. It seemed like a potentially rotten mission to Capel. However most of the veterans were cheerful, focused on other things. They had known war since their teens, many of them; this was just another day. Catrina Loring and her squad were singing some filthy song. Off they went, again, into the wild blue yonder.

[British Prussia]

In the name of Prince Caesar Dominic II, renowned, victorius, and triumphant,

The British Prussian government would like to inform the Empire of Edolia, and the international community that the routine scheduled joint manuvers by the British Prussian Navy and the Edolian Navy will take place in one week. The purpose of these excercises is to learn from each others navies, as well as to put both fleets to the test through sports and parades, which the public are more than welcome to watch. The BP Navy will operate along the coast of Edolia, as well as using Edolian docking facilities. These exercises will take one month, or 31 days. These manuvers have long been planned in advance, and Prince Dominic II himself will be present will be present aboard the flagship HMS Endeavour.

Sir Travis Alexander,
First Minister of the British Prussian Foreign Office.[/quote]
----

This was entirely the Prince's plan... After all, who really checks up on these exercises? Even if reporters say that there was no mention of these excercises before, they could just make some nonsense about it being secret because nuclear ships were involved, or for the security of the Prince... Sir Alexander was worried, the public wanted action from the government, and the Prince. The Prince himself, was pushing to see the rebellion die down. Perhaps this might scare off some of the rebels... The First Minister hoped...
----
Caesariensis, Home of the British Prussian Royal II Squadron Fleet

Admiral Maximilian Hood, Head of II Squadron was deligted that he would sail with the British Prussian Grand Fleet's HMS Endeavour, which just finished the journey from the capital at Castle Wolfenstein. The British Prussian Grand Fleet based at Castle Wolfenstein was only a small force, hence II Squadron was selected for the excercises with the Edolians. Though thr Grand Fleet was small, the Admiral definately admired HMS Endeavour. Its design meant that it sacrified armour fro speed and agility. Its size was large, but silhouette was small. Its firepower... Massive. They don't make ships like these anymore, for the lives lost and the financial cost would be great, should it sink... But the British Prussian Navy insisted on at least one 'old style' battleship. The Admiral was admiring the ship so much, he forgot the Prince was inside...

Upon boarding the ship, and saluting the usual formation of sailors that would stand at attention whenever someone of importance came, one would appreciate spectacular size of the ship, but in reality, it was only slightly larger than the navy's big destroyers, and slightly smaller than a carrier. However, the Admiral suddenly didn't appear interested anymore. This was a navy ship, although grand and expensive, it was designed with efficiency and fuctionality in mind, thinking about that, he was able to carry on with his duties, rather than gawk like a tourist. And because he knew the general layout of most BP ships, it wasn't too hard to find the Prince's room. A ship like this, he'd have his own office, and bathroom as well... The Admiral thought of his quarters, but a tad bigger, and much more luxurious. A junior officer saluted, the door war opened, and there was the heir to the Principate.

"Sir!" the Admiral saluted.
"Ah. Admiral Hood. Is the fleet ready?" the Prince was calm.
"Yes. We only have to re-supply your ship, and we'll be off."
"Good. Now you understand... We must be combat ready... I'm sure you've heard of our annual investments in Endolia?" the Prince continued before the Admiral could speak. "I'm sure you have... So you must understand, this is very serious, and thus I cannot be too joyous, though I do respect you, Admiral..."
"Thank you, sir..."
"These manuvers must scare off the rebels. I don't want to go to another, expensive war..." the Prince recalled another foreign conflict. He wasn't addressed as 'Victorious' for nothing...
"I understand sir. I've prepared a large force, sir."
"Good. You may return to your carrier... Unless you want to tour the ship..." the Prince gave a small, warm smile.
Though the Admiral did want that tour, it would be improper for him to inspect. He was an Admiral... Not a foreign dignitary... "Perhaps I will inspect the ship at some other time, when we don't have more pressing matters to attend to, with respect, your highness..."
"Of course. You may leave."
The Admiral gave a salute. As he was leaving, the Prince spoke again "All of these ships are mine, Admiral..."
He left the office. He had a whole fleet to move, and to plan a months worth of excercises...

[Allanea]

At Sea, rather far away from Edolia, SIC

The submarines continue their motion, slick, black monstrosities, like oversized whales. In total with Balgareth, there are now nine of them, three tasked to a point two thousand kilometers to the North of Edolia, three - a point one and a half thousand kilometers due West, and three - a similar point due East of the country.

By tradition, the Ursa Major class submarines of the CAPINTERN fleet are named after great historical villains, the better to intimidate the enemies of capitalism and Greater Prussia. Though the Edolians do not know it yet, the ships of this task force are no exception.

Loviatar, for example, is named after the Goddess of Pain and Torture. It seems fitting. The Lady of Pain is a master in inflicting suffering in precise, calculated blows - the CNS Loviatar carries precision guided missiles. Riding under the waves near her is CNS Ankalagon, named after a furious firebreathing dragon of ancient history. For a guided missile submarine, this name is also fitting.

Arcing down towards the Western approach vectors are three more ships named after dragons - the CNS Smaug, Thauramlaug, and Glaurung, moving towards the east - submarines named after vengeful monsters - Shelob, Cthulhu, and Tiamat.

And yet, despite these measures, Allanea and CAPINTERN are not yet making orders to wage war - or do anything warlike - quite yet. The submarines remain underwater, hundreds of kilometers outside any territorial waters - indeed, outside even Edolia’s time zone.

This is, so far, not war. This is not even a threat. This is is mere, and top secret, readiness.

The action Allanea takes openly will be a surprisingly peaceful one. Indeed, it’d be an amazing gesture of peace even if undertaken by any other nation.

A message is sent out.

Official Message from Alexander Blaken-Kazansky, Emperor of Greater Prussia, King of Allanea and Reichskamphen, etc.

My dear friends!

My erstwhile Edolian allies!

I have promised to meet with my Imperial Brother Herbord in the coming peace negotiations. Unfortunately, I must apologize to him. In my stead, I am sending my faithful Foreign Minister, Maverick Monningham. I myself am speeding where I have been offended, where I have been slandered - and where my aid is needed the most. That is, to Edolia.

There have been slanderous rumors in Edolia. Rumors that my Imperial Brother Herbord does not care for his people. These are a lie - had he not cared, he would not have vetoed the nationalization measures that would have made the plight of the Edolian people worse and not better. Rumors that Greater Prussian countries do not care - a blatant lie, for even now the throne of British Prussia, the rulers of Spectare, and the Crown of Greater Prussia have been sending tons upon tons of aid to Edolia. It is simply untrue to say ‘Greater Prussia does not care’.

I have organized a new aid convoy, and we are on our way to Blätterschplitt, carrying with us shipments of food to the local population. No, I have not misspoken. When I say, ‘we’ I mean I am on my way. I will go and personally help in distributing the aid. I, Alexander Blaken-Kazansky, will work among the aid workers. I, and my squire Wilhelm Stossel, will organize the food distribution. I will take point in the effort.

Thus shall the world know what a Greater Prussian Emperor truly is like.

[New Edom]

Airfield of Mühlhausen

For Dr. Elizabeth Salt, taking charge of the organization of a large aid drop was as sweet as coming home from a trip abroad and shucking off her sinful enticing clothing to restore her edenic state. It reminded her of when she hadn't dirtied herself with politics and had instead focused on the needs of the hungry and frightened, fulfilling part of the mission of Christ and demonstrating that she was truly one of the faithful.

Among other things it was one of the rare areas of deployment they had many trained people for--it was hot and dry, like Haran Province, and many of them were very used to that, so she wore a light bush jacket, a t shirt, bush pants tucked into boots, and felt herself sweating pleasantly as she went over the organizational plan with division leaders before meeting with local members of the Ministry to deal with where everything was to go. With other foreign aid packages arriving, they had to coordinate around that too. C-10 Minotaurs are big transports, requiring a lot of runway space. They also didn't want to step on anyone's toes.

Arriving Edomite officials were very courteous people, preferring bowing to shaking hands (though they would, with varying degrees of success, if pressed--often either too soft or too hard since few of them were used to doing this apart from senior officials like Dr. Salt)

She was an attractive brown haired woman with slightly round Cornellian features, now middle aged but still in excellent shape, and was a pediatrician by training. Renowned in her own country for her compassion, she was an odd duck in the Pahath-Moab government as Minister of Education, but it was claimed by them that this was proof of their determination to make merit do the talking.

Meanwhile, Airborne soldiers such as Lieutenant Capel and his platoon helped set up security--not so much that they were paranoid about their hosts, but rather knowing that there was civil strife it was believed that seeing the uniform and their determination would at least give casual threats some serious pause, and they could afford to focus on such things. There were not that many soldiers coming with the air units coming in--just 180 Paras, though Marine Infantry would be arriving with the Naval convoy a few days later.

At the same time as this, Prince Elijah arrived, parted with Dr. Salt and accompanied by Dr. Ballard, Undersecretary Offenbach, a couple of aides and the RPS security team as well as a Council Police adviser made his way to meet with the Edolian Chancellor...

In the background, efficient yellow and black sleek forklifts donated by Mike Mallarhyde that had stenciled on one side "Mike's Monkey House" and on the other "NCR Edolian Assistance" zipped back and forth as they began to move pallet stacks out of the cavernous planes, while from others long water tankers were carefully guided out with loud beeps. Workers who were not yet active raised their hands in prayer and gave thanksgiving that the Lord provided and enabled them to give to others.

[Rohane Alista]

Airfield of Mühlhausen

As the day's last Osprey class heli took off and headed back to the combined fleet, Dr. Morris waited for the Edolian leader patiently. Dr. Morris was, of course, a very patient man, as all brain surgeons had to be, but he had been waiting for quite a while and was starting to get bored. It was why he was watching out the window, against the Omega operatives advice, one might add, and it was why he noticed the Edomites coming in before anyone else. Figuring that this would probably be another force here to bring aid to Edolia, he figured the proper and polite course of action was to go meet them himself, compare notes on the aid brought in, and then see what kind of human resources they had brought along as well. He wasn't presumptuous enough to assume they'd just let him take control of the medical aid, though he was hopeful they would see his experience and at least allow him to work equally with whoever they had brought, but he did believe in making friends. Making friends was, after all, the best way to spend ones time, and when done between two potentially important people to their nations, making friends could even be a good political move. With that in mind, he summoned two of the Omega operatives and walked out to great who he assumed was in charge- after all, he was the one surrounded by all of the aids.

[New Edom]

Airfield of Mühlhausen

It wasn't easy to casually approach Prince Elijah. The RPS as well as nearby paras would slow down anyone they didn't recognize and who wasn't approaching with the proper protocols. So Lieutenant Capel, a young Para officer wearing desert pattern BDUs, a loose woven scarf around his neck, goggles, and with his rifle's stock folded, held up a hand firmly but politely. When he spoke he sounded like he regularly spoke English with a touch of something else, which was his native accented Latin/Baran. Other Paras nearby observed this approach near the shadow of the great wing of a C-10, metal seeming hot and dusty in the dry heat.

"Excuse me, sir, are you lost, or can I help you in some way?" said Capel briskly, with a 'that's far enough' look to his face and his body. He discreetly signaled to Corporal Catrina Loring who was commanding the unit nearest to him, who became alert for the possibility that this was a distraction of some kind.

However the man was distracted apparently by the coincidental arrival of some Edolians, and vanished in the cloud of dust of a vehicle. Capel shrugged at Loring and went back to his security duties.

"These people look like fuckin' Damn-dammies," said Loring idly. "Do you think they also fuck like rabbits?"

"They're the people we came to help. Let's act like pros, Corporal," chided Capel. A year ago he wouldn't have been so blithe, but he had led the platoon in action several times very successfully and it was a sign of things that she just grinned deprecatingly and strolled over to check on her Paras.

Meanwhile, Prince Elijah took out a round small mint candy from a package in one of the pockets of his khaki Naval Desert Uniform 2 and munched it sadly and thoughtfully, thinking wistfully of his Capybara ranch back home and feeling rather useless until the negotiations began. After all Dr. Salt had this in the bag, as far as he could see. Even the military mission was not under his direct command, though there was a tacit understanding that he would have a very direct hand if things went south in some way.

"As soon as the vehicles arrive we'll be on our way," remarked Esther Offenbach.

"Without the vehicles it would be a long walk." Eliah replied. She began to laugh but realized he wasn't actually joking.

[Edolia]

[OOC]:The following post was written cooperatively with Thoricia

The Airfield of Mülhausen
The City of Arthburg
February 1st, Eight AM

The oppressive heat around them would feel like a weight pressed upon their shoulders, and the birds were singing happily with the bright sun bearing witness to the actions around them. The Edolian that was grabbed was surprised by Doctor Morris and took a look over at the man. She had long black hair coiled in a rope braid, and pale skin with almond shaped eyes which were dark honey nut brown. She was wearing a green uniform which hugged her curvaceous form, and had a knee high skirt which revealed her tight calves covered in flesh toned stockings and black high heels. She had a soft and gentle voice with a honey sweet tone.

"Excuse me, sir I sense you are with the Edolian Recovery Charities? If you are looking for the Ministry of Edolian Disaster Recovery, you can find the Ministry in the city. There you can speak with Miss Kanya Suttikul. She will direct you to the places where recovery aid is needed the most." She said regaining her composure. "You'll know which one is here when you see her, trust me." She said demurely as she gestured to the locale where the convoy cars had been set and fueled for use by the Charity Workers. Some drivers were standing and waiting by the road and one of them, a young man with those same almond eyes with the epicanthic fold that seemed to be common among the natives. He greeted the aid workers and cheerfully opened the car door for them to enter. As they entered and he hopped into the car eagerly and turned the ignition, he began to drive the aid workers through to the city of Arthburg.

"So I trust you've heard the news going through the grapevine? The Allanean Emperor is going to come and deliver aid personally to Edolia. I cannot say that I am unworried." The young driver said as they passed underneath the buildings, the shadows of the mountain were in the distance, and the sky had a few clouds, but was still dry and hot. "They say that the Allanean Emperor is like a psychopathic manchild, a selfish arrogant prick, who has no concern for the lives and safety of others, has no concern for what they want for themselves, nor any concern for the conventional laws of any country." The Driver said with a calm tone of voice. "That he's willing to inhibit our democracy to attempt to promote the Monarchy when we have outright declared without a fragment of doubt that we wish for Herbord to step down. That he still insists Herbord is our ruler speaks volumes to his character." The driver said as he drove through Greenwood Street. The traffic was light and the pavement had haze rising from the ground from the sheer heat.

The people of Edolia that the aid workers could spot from the drive seemed to be interestingly opposite of their expectation when it came to their appearance. They commonly have tanned skin with golden undertones, and seemed to commonly have epicanthic folds which made their eyes almond shaped and narrow, and they had small flatter narrow noses. Their heads were typically broad and they seemed to have dark hair which was smooth and straight, with rare redder and brown tones. They had summer clothing which meant that women were wearing short skirts and shorts with tank tops, men wore short sleeves and polo shirts and capris pants, or in other cases, they'd wear traditional clothing, which seemed to be for women a sweeping wrap skirt with a long piece of silk, about a foot wide, draped diagonally around the chest covering one shoulder with its end dropping behind the back, and for men it seemed to be loose pants and a loose tailored hip length coat with buttons down the front and a short rounded edged collar with either draping or cut off sleeves. Despite the large volume of Germanic named objects and Germanic persons in power, there seemed to be oddly few Germanic looking people.

The Green Council Building seemed to be a large building in Greenwood, which was said to be where the Parliament was currently conducting their meetings, and where they had prepared their proposals to offer to the Prussians, but naturally the aid workers were not headed to that building. They instead headed to the Ministry of Edolian Recovery, and they headed toward an enormous skyscraper which was in the art deco style. The parking garage was to the east side of the building and the driver took a ticket to enter beyond the gate and he parked the car by the east entrance.

"Good luck with your work for the Edolian people, Comrade! I hope you have an easier time than we have been." He said with a tired glance as the aid workers would enter through the automatic double doors, and they would walk over smooth mosaic patterned tiles and up front there was the pathway to the secretary's desk, and to their left were the elevators going up, and to their right were elevators going down. There was also a small waiting area where the hickory wood desk was. The secretary seemed to be a young man with tanned skin and narrow almond eyes, his dark hair was short cropped around his head, and the top of his head was styled with gel, having it spike straight up, and he wore a pinstripe grey suit and red silken tie. He placed his hands together to greet the foreigners and slightly bowed his head.

"Welcome, how may I help you, Sirs?" He asked as there was a beautiful tall woman coming down the stairs, wearing a short skirt and a loose cotton blouse. She had dark almond shaped eyes and was wearing a touch of red rouge and spoke in a clear and powerful voice. Her long black hair was tied in a messy bun.

"I am not afraid of that fucker, and if he has a problem with us doing our job, he's welcome to come here and tell me! I'm damn well not going to bow down and lick his toes." She said to a group of men who were with her, they seemed to be foreign, and were wearing trucker suits that were bright white and loose. "As for now, we need to get these networks all set up, and I need for all the goods to be transported to the areas I have given you on the list. Blätterschplitt is still a bit dangerous for foreign aid workers, so you all are not expected to go there. You are expected to disseminate aid from Arthburg to as far as Sëfrul, Gerburg and Heri. Avoiding the Heavenly Mountains in the Center of the country will be important. No one wants you to go there as well." She said openly. "Are you paying attention?" She asked as she snapped her fingers.

The three Thoricians nodded their heads in affirmation, only Major Colin Franks was slightly annoyed at the fingers being snapped at it, however he didn’t outwardly show it. Colin was dressed in a pair of dark gray battle fatigues, his last name was stitched in black onto the left side above his pocket and a set of Major’s stripes also stitched in black adorned the shirts short sleeves. A black leather belt held up his his pants which travelled down and covered a pair of black leather boots. The Major was a fit man and his face was clean shaven and his blonde hair was trimmed short in accordance with Thorician Army dress code.

“Understood ma’am, are there any specific areas that we can coordinate setting setting up aid stations for anyone that is sick or wounded and do not have access to proper medical care?” asked Dr. Carmen Marek. She was slightly shorter than the Major who stood at six foot tall, she hardly had to look up at him when they talked, her light teal cotton t-shirt was tucked in a pair of khaki pants, her somewhat large chest area was accented by shirt being drawn down. Her hiking shoes were an ordinary brown colored high end model that was imported into Thoricia from the Federated States of Idoa. Her dark brunette hair was cut to shoulder length and it was tied up in a ponytail to keep any loose strands out of the good doctors face, her dark blue eyes scanned the room curiously as she was intrigued by this new country.

The final member of the group was silent his dark gray eyes also scanned the room, is was not out of curiosity however. He was even taller than the Major was his hair and trimmed beard were a mix of gray and black with a mix white sprinkled throughout, his eyes were dark gray and at a glance they seemed saddened by some unknown tragedy. He also wore a pair of dark khaki pants as well with a pair of hiking boots of the same brand as the Doctors. He wore nothing more than a plain gray cotton t-shirt as he stood silently and observing the goings on around him, a very close inspection of the man’s hair and beard would reveal it was dyed, the color of his eyes were artificially altered as well by a pair of contacts.

“There are many places for which I shall distribute maps and locations where all blood and platelets will be taken, and where all medical aid workers will need to go. Regardless, we have still much more things we shall need for transport. Once we have the manpower and the goods to the areas that are struggling, we’ll be able to reassess the infrastructural goals to handle the drought and the food shortages.” She said calmly as she snapped again, not seeming to be snapping at the Thoricians, but the secretary. She looked over at him with a frustrated sigh finally and spoke with him.

“I think these are some more aid workers, and we’re going to need more copies of the map locations and for you to give them an updated GPS, please. Thank you.” She said as the Secretary realized his mistake.

“Oh, I’m sorry, let’s see. Ah, you will need to head to the City of Araka, north of here, once you get there, you will be headed for Danis Metropolitian hospital where you will be able to get an orientation as to where you will be working. Chances are, you’ll be working surgical and trauma. We’ve had a lot of injuries and problems with terrible skirmishing in some of the cities with increasing problems as we get closer to Blätterschplitt. I need you Thoricians to get to Trimena Metropolitan here in Arthburg, and for your hospital aid workers to get to Adisak Moojwai as fast as you can get. We anticipate things getting ugly if Kazansky does come to Edolia.”

“We’ve brought several qualified surgical teams which we hope are enough to act upon any crisis that arises Madam, there are also several medical teams from the Thorician military on hand as well to respond to any major events that happen in the field, which right now seems to be anticipated.” Carmen said

Major nodded his head in affirmation before he spoke “The dwarven air fleet is due to arrive soon as well, current estimates put them only another day out on their air fleet being ready to depart.”
“Will there be any need for airdrops into some of the more troubled locations Madame?” asked the Thorician officer “Several of the cargo VTOLs are suited for combat operations if there is a need to get aid into some of the more loyalist areas.”

“Absolutely, we’ve got the most fatalities from the famine hitting us in the south of Tetelburg, which is closest to the great desert. The main problem is getting there is more difficult, but Marxburg and Tetelburg are currently struggling with the drought and famine conditions.” The woman said with a frown. “We’re doing our best to bring in what we can from here and to take the goods and coordinate with the local government there, and currently if you needed to discuss with the MP from Tetelburg, you can speak with him at noon today at the Green Council.”

“We can divert several of the cargo VTOLs that are too large for landing on ships into ferrying operations here.” nodded the Major in affirmation “Their versatility in being able to land in almost any terrain and conditions would prove to be an asset in distributing aid to these areas, also I will need to speak to speak with an officer of the Edolian Air Force on a matter that pertains to a mission that the Thorician Air Force has been tasked with handling.”

“I’ll need to begin preparations with the rest of my team immediately so we can get started on helping any of the sick and wounded as soon as possible Madame, if there is nothing else I would like to get started as quickly as I can.” stated Carmen, her abruptness at wanting to leave was not meant to offensive to the Edolians, it was nothing more than the Thorician doctor’s eagerness to begin getting help to people that needed it as quickly as possible.

For the first time since the meeting began the bearded man that had shuffled off to the side and had up until now been fairly quiet spoke up in a quiet voice.

“If its not to much trouble Madame I would be pleased to meet the parliamentarian member when he arrives, I believe there are some matters that I wish to discuss with him if it’s possible.”

“He will likely come with Chairman Sasha Neumann, as they are heading to Rohane Alista today to address this madness about the ‘Impërator’ and the issues with the civil conflict in Edolia. We need to get this dealt with as soon as possible so that we can stop dealing with this nonsense over who is or is not able to ‘rule’.” The woman said impatiently as she nodded in approval at the Thorician who rushed off to act. She respected proper agency.

The quiet man nodded his approval and was inwardly pleased that he was so fortuitous at having an opportunity to meet this Chairman in person. There was only so much one man could glean from about another person’s character from news articles, online reports, and even intelligence reports. Andrew had always been of the opinion that you could not truly judge a man until you had met him in person.

“If Í may ask Madame could you please direct me to this Green Council?” the soft spoken man asked Miss Kanya.

“Of course, you remember that green tiled building you saw on the way here that was in the center of Greenwood Street?” She asked as she pointed in that general direction.

“Ah yes I do.” nodded Andrew as he remembered the distinct building and was certain he could make his way there by foot, he wanted a chance to stretch his legs out after the long flight and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“It shouldn’t be too bad, but be careful not to stay outside too long. The heat is murderous and can actually give you real trouble, and remember there is very little potable water to alleviate your feelings of exhaustion. So do not push yourself too hard, Sir.” The woman said as she noticed him heading in that direction.

Thoricians were more accustomed to the cold so Andrew took the woman’s advice seriously, the Major unclipped a water bottle from his side that Andrew hadn’t noticed before and tossed it to him, Andrew caught the bottle a little clumsily before, he managed to gain control of it before it hit the floor though.

“I’m headed back to the Air Base as soon as I find someone from the Air Force to talk to.” explained the Major.

“Of course, Sir.” The woman said as she offered the GPS to the Thoricians. “Now let’s get to it!” She said as she stepped out into the warehouse.

[Menelmacar]

Altacormafarmë System

The star was a rogue. Many millions of years past, it had suffered a close pass from a neutron star. Its planets had been torn away or destroyed, and the star itself had been bodily ejected from its home galaxy of Andromeda. Since then, and to this day, the rogue star was hurtling off in the general direction of M33 Triangulum at a relative velocity of about half a percent of c.

Its story had not ended, though. The star's situation had presented itself as useful, and here had been hidden a great treasure.

It was vast. Impossibly vast. One of the priorities of the principle of strategic depth -- ensuring the impossibility of total destruction and the continuity of civilization -- that governed much of what Menelmacar did, was to ensure the food security, forever, of possibly, eventually, trillions of people. The Altacormafarmë, or Great Ring of Plenty, was a Banks orbital, designed to provide an optimum situation for the production and harvest of prodigious quantities of food. It was a vast hoop, nearly 1.9 milllion kilometers in radius and five thousand kilometers wide, providing a surface area 114 times that of Earth, and only a tiny portion of its eventual capacity was today in use.

Of course, one reason this had been so vastly overengineered (aside from the dimensions necessary to provide earthlike conditions) was for capacity for growth. Another, was for capacity for do-gooding. This would come in handy soon.

Fëanor Palace, Vinyatírion, Menelmacar

"One to five hundred million."

"What?!" Sirithil's reply was incredulous. "How did we let this sneak up on us?"

"Well, we... sort of thought the Allaneans had it well in hand, given they pretty much run Edölia like a province, or did until recently. We don't keep much in the way of intelligence assets there these days, and this unrest involving the local puppet-king just recently boiled over." Lady Serendis frowned as she spoke.

"So we looked into it?" asked the Elentári.

"Indeed," said her son, Haryon Maglor, also Prefect of Compassionate Relief. He'd likely be the point elf on salvaging something from this cockup. "Best estimates are that it's actually too late to prevent on the order of a quarter-billion deaths by famine. One hundred million best case scenario, five worst -- if we act quickly and on considerable scale. The relief operation necessary is.... vast, mother."

"Get started," Sirithil answered.

Túrelio was aghast. "Now? Before we've even talked to them? What if they refuse our help? We can't do anything on this scale without local government support. We'll need to use their infrastructure to capacity."

"Yes, now," Sirithil answered. "Every hour we delay could cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Maglor, go to Edölia, though. Talk to this... Chairman Neumann? He seems to have more of his shit together than the king. How fast can you start?"

Maglor nodded. "Immediately. There are contingencies in place, all I need do is activate them. I can have ships being loaded in hours, and I can coordinate it from my vessel."

"The Allaneans will be displeased," Túrelio noted. "If we are dealing with what they consider a rebel government."

"Rebels that have the right of this situation," answered the Haryon. "What will the Allaneans do about it really? Shoot at Menelmacari ships full of food? Still, we should stress we're not recognizing either side as the government right now. We just want to get people fed."

[Rohane Alista]

Somewhere between Arthburg and the Airfield of Mülhausen

Dr. Morris was annoyed. Highly annoyed, in fact, and he felt he had every right to be so. He had been attempting to meet with another leader- though the security annoyed him, he could understand, the Omega Unit would've probably reacted even slightly more hostile- but he had been dragged away by an Edolian volunteer before he could introduce himself. Of course that made the entire attempt not only a waste of his time, but possibly would have a negative impact on Rohane Alista. He didn't mind wasting his time- all brain surgeons are ridiculously patient, or at least he tells himself that constantly- but he wasn't happy about potentially hurting his nations standing, especially when it was due to events out of his control. "Ah well," he sighed to himself, "At least the country has held up surprisingly well."
And it had- the people, though clearly hungry, thirsty, and tired, had a bit of a glow about them, something indicting they refused to give up on life quite yet. He admired this, as he had never really been poor, hungry, thirsty, or homeless, since the Rohanian economy was always bustling, and couldn't even begin to imagine how painful it must be. As he glanced at the citizens outside and half listened to the driver drone on and on, he noticed none of the citizens seemed to be wearing anything younger than a couple of years old. "Makes sense," he thought to himself, "It's not like they've got the extra money to spend. I feel like Jaciob really made the right choice on which government to support... clearly the king of this place had no idea what he was doing. Too bad they didn't have a ruler like ours- or, I guess, too bad their leaders like ours weren't allowed to truly exercise the power they needed."
As the car pulled up in front of a building in Arthburg Dr. Morris gave a soft "Thank you" to the driver before being escorted inside by his guards. They seemed nervous, understandably, but Dr. Morris felt right at home. Soon he and the other volunteers could put to use their expertise. It was then that he spotted her- a beautiful woman, in casual seeming clothes, but clearly radiating authority. "You would be miss Kanya Suttikul, I assume? I'm Dr. Morris from Rohane Alista. I'm in charge of the volunteers we brought- all are highly qualified doctors or medical professionals in their own rights, and we brought two expert nutritionists as well, in the hope they could help make the food being brought in go farther. I myself am a brain surgeon, though of course I can perform general surgery as well, and spent some time as administrator of a hospital, so I can manage that as well. Tell me, where would you like us? If possible I'd like to get to work as soon as the rest of the volunteers arrive from the airport."