The Least Worst System (CLOSED)

[Hittanryan]

To: Offices of Andrei Paler, Foreign Minister of Jedoria, Alessia Kallestrøm, Chancellor of the Scandinavian Federation, Priestess Ferene'es, Order of Comfort, Mara Obed, Queen of the Allied States of New Edom
From: Secretary of State Joseph Deol
Subject: Hurricane Relief

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On behalf of the people of the Republic of Adiron, we send our sincerest thanks for the outpouring of support for the victims of Hurricane Scarlett, the city of Isidium, and those Adirans who found themselves stranded abroad due to the storm. While Isidium is no stranger to tropical storms and the city was prepared as fully as possible given the available timeframe, nature's full fury was unleashed upon the southern coast two days ago. We will be forever grateful for any volunteers, donations, supplies, and prayers sent our way. As you have all expressed interest in or have already contributed to the relief effort, I am writing to you now to sum up the current situation in Isidium, the status of our own relief efforts at present, and what can be done to aid those in Scarlett's wake.

The city has been hit fairly hard, creating a challenging response environment owing to damaged infrastructure. As was likely reported in the news media, Hurricane Scarlett's strength increased to near Category 4 upon landfall, causing widespread damage throughout the city. By cruel fortune a tornado happened to pass directly through the city as well, devastating everything in its path, knocking out flood control systems, and exacerbating Scarlett's storm surge damage. Many districts of the city are still flooded, with the waters starting to recede in others. Roads throughout the city have become blocked by debris, two of the three bridges across the Markovnikov River are inoperable, and the city's road and rail tunnels have water in them. Isidium General Hospital has not yet been reopened due to a lack of power and blocked roads. As of this writing, 48 hours after landfall, thousands remain holed up in evacuation centers such as the Isidium West Stadium, while millions remain without power, water, and other utilities.

With that, the current status of Task Force Scarlett (TFS) in Isidium is as follows. The ANS Rockfish has arrived in Isidium and is currently acting as the primary airfield and command center for TFS. Search and rescue efforts began as soon as the weather permitted, carried out using carrier-based drones and helicopters. The first efforts were centered on the "Mandatory Evacuation" zones, the tornado's path, and any flooded districts. Since then, search and rescue has begun on the less vulnerable, less severely damaged, but much larger and likely more populated "High-Risk" zones. Time is a key factor in these efforts; while our assets are sufficient to search the city, additional search and rescue workers could speed the process and potentially save lives.

Until utilities can be restored, roughly 8 million people will remain in the city without power, water, and sewer for varying lengths of time ranging from days to potentially weeks or even months. In the short term, TFS will be establishing distribution centers to provide food, fresh water, sanitation, and fuel to residents without proper access, though residents were encouraged to stockpile appropriate supplies prior to Scarlett's landfall, in some areas those supplies could start to dwindle. Telecom companies have also offered to provide cell phone and internet access at these same centers. In addition, early estimates are that three to four hundred thousand homes have been either seriously damaged or destroyed.Displaced residents will be housed at TFS Camp Bastion in Toluca to the north near the provincial border.

Although donations to the distribution centers will of course be most helpful to the people of Isidium, volunteers of all stripes will be especially welcome. Restoring Isidium's municipal utilities would be greatly aided by additional manpower in the form of electric and water crews, technicians, and engineers qualified to inspect and repair infrastructure and homes. Construction crews could aid in clearing roads and moving rubble. The food kitchens could use more hands, either cooks or simply runners to deliver meals to those with limited mobility.

In terms of access, the Army Corps of Engineers has arrived at Isidium International Airport, and have cleared the largest runway of obstacles. This runway is capable of accommodating large aircraft, up to and inclining the largest commercial airliners as well as strategic airlifters. However, many roads surrounding the airport have not yet been cleared; from the airport some areas of the city remain impassable by land. In addition, power has not yet been restored to the airport, which limits the number of arrivals and departures. It may instead be preferable to route supplies through Camp Bastion in Toluca. Toluca has a smaller but fully-functional airport, and TFS can arrange for transport to Isidium by helicopter. Alternatively, ANS Rockfish is capable of supporting a number of helicopters and is the main command center for TFS in Isidium. Supplies delivered to the Rockfish will be distributed accordingly.

This government thanks you all for your support in these troubled times. We hope that with your help, Isidium will once again be the pride of Indigo Coast and one of Adiron's greatest cities. Any inquiries regarding military movements should come through the State Department, subject to review by the War Department. Relief agencies may also consider coordinating their efforts with the Isidium Foundation, whose headquarters, owing to circumstances, have been relocated to a secondary office in Puerto Rojas.

Sincerely,
Joseph Deol
Secretary of State, Republic of Adiron

[Hittanryan]

Isidium International Airport, 3 days after Scarlett
Isidium, Adiron

To relief forces attempting to reach Isidium through Isidium International, the damage to the airport was immediately apparent upon landing. The terminal was by and large still inoperable and unoccupied aside from building inspectors, with broken windows, puddles of standing water still lingering, and its distinctive facade of palm trees stripped of leaves or uprooted outright. Since time was critical, the military didn’t plan on restoring the terminal yet. Instead their air controllers, cargo handlers, and a few stockpiles of supplies were set up inside several of the larger hangars. These hangars had been built with Indigo Coast’s tropical storms in mind, and had survived Scarlett completely intact. Though it cut down on storage space a bit, there weren’t many flights coming in this way in the first place.

Engineers had been among the first on the scene prior to Scarlett, and had immediately cleared the main runway of wreckage using small front end loaders flown in by Chinook. A monument to their work was present in the form of a mountain of debris shunted off to the side of the runway. There was what looked like a wingless fuselage of a plane, a number of tree limbs, and even a boat which had been carried into the airport by the storm surge. Most of it was the remnants of a smaller hangar which the wind had seemingly cracked open like an egg.

The air controllers cleared the first of the foreign volunteers for their final descent, and the POGs all got ready to hustle.

When the D-140’s twelve landing gear tires touched down, the massive, 73 metre wingspan aircraft began to ground to a halt with its four engines still howling. It didn’t bear the marks of any specific nation, but rather the blue rectangle and circle of yellow stars of Altinum, denoting its international ownership. Not a bit later after it was directed, taxiing into its position, did its rear ramp drop.

The troops inside, a mixture of civilians and Aurelian and Avenian soldiers, trooped their way the rear ramp after the first officers who were meant to direct them to their unit rally areas whilst they waited for the Adirans meant to guide them.

Of the first two off were the commanding staff of the battalion of the Deutsche-Avische Brigade. Its commander, Oberstleutnant Jonas Eisler and the second-in-command Commandant Aurore Bordreau, were identified first and foremost by their lack of body armour and their positions at the bottom of the ramp with a few other personnel, overseeing the troops disembarking while the other aircraft carrying most of the aid supplies and more civilian volunteers touched down.

As the ramp came down, waiting a safe distance from the bottom was a rather young looking Major next to a Humvee. When he briefly scratched his head, from a distance they might notice his head was shaved, and he looked like he was in his early thirties, perhaps recently promoted. Wearing BDU and a patrol cap, the man adjusted his stance a bit, checked something on a clipboard, then handed the clipboard off to one of the nearby aides and started to approach the plane. Eventually he gave them a salute, customary for foreign allied officers in a joint operation.

“Lieutenant Colonel Eisler, I am Major Henry Harrison, Colonel Grey’s logistics chief,” he said, referring to the 65th Transport Regiment’s commanding officer. “Welcome to Isidium.”

Eisler was himself an older, hard faced man with angular, defined features. One could guess that he was around his late thirties, and his hair was cropped short. Bordreau herself fit the typical bill for a French woman in her mid twenties. A rather attractive, softer face that held a perceptible hard edge beneath it, her light brown hair tied into a ponytail under her cap. Eisler, as the superior of the two, returned the salute. His athletic frame stood at around 6’2”, looking down at the Major. “Thank you, Major. We are happy to be here to help.”

“So, from here you’ll be split up. Evacuees are currently being airlifted to Camp Bastion just outside of Toluca. Just received word from TFS CENTCOM that the evacuees have arrived and are getting situated. We’re going to move supplies and personnel designated for evacuees by helicopter, specifically those Chinooks over there,” he said, gesturing to an appropriate number of Chinooks with a number of techs doing system checks on them.

“As for relief for Isidium itself, we have supply routes for each of the distribution centers. We can reach every distribution center by road so far, but until all the roads are cleared, the fastest way to move personnel or small volumes of supplies might involve a ferry.

“Our personnel on standby to tend to refugees and evacuees are ready now. It will take more time to organise and prepare the personnel that are designated to aid in the city,” Eisler explained, motioning to where different groups of soldiers were formed up, and then to where they were still forming and moving around, aircraft crew working with Adiran lifters to unload supplies.

With a word from Harrison, the Adirans moved into action. Pallet loaders and Humvees quickly moved over to the lowered ramps. They had figured out ahead of time what was in each plane and how they would be unloaded. Harrison and the other commanders stood back from the men as they worked. “What was the final count on civilian aid workers?” Harrison asked. “They gave me an estimate, not a hard number. Space on the helos is kinda tight.”

“Seventy out of a total of 440. They’re the first volunteers- more are likely to be arriving over the space of the next few days,” Eisler responded, watching as troops unpacked necessary equipment and the various commanders organised themselves. “When will those helos be ready?”

“Techs said final systems checks are done, just have to load them,” Harrison replied. “How many civilians going to Camp Bastion out of the seventy?”

“About fifty. The last twenty are staying here to help with the organisation of supplies and priorities,” Eisler said as a soldier walked up to Bordreau, wearing the equipment and uniform of the Avenian Army.

“Régiment est prêt à se déplacer,” he said quickly, his face glancing for a moment at Harrison. Neveau nodded, sharing a glance with Eisler.

“Our troops are ready to head out if your Chinooks are ready. We should be moving the first supplies and establishing ourselves at the distribution centers,” the Oberstleutnant told Harrison, the Avenian soldier standing by.

Nodding, Harrison explained a bit more. “Latest figures on Camp Bastion are that there are about eighty thousand there now. We believe a majority of them won’t be there longer than a week; there’s transport available, but getting them all booked will take time. Meanwhile, they’ll be roughing it a bit. All the hotels in Toluca are booked, but there’s at least a hospital up there.” While they spoke, the first few Humvees had shuttled some of the Altian personnel over to the helos.

“Right. Let us get them all moving.”

Camp Bastion
Toluca, Adiron

Most of Camp Bastion stretched out over a hillside near the national highway, with paths running through a grassy meadow. There were muddy tire tracks by now where some of the military trucks had drove. Part of the field was a parking lot for the evacuees who had arrived by automobile. There was a sort of “town square” set up around the distribution center, with food trucks, water, a portable cell towers, and WiFi. Toluca electric crews had tied the camp into the city electric grid, and running water was available as well. Sanitation was less than ideal so far; there were plenty of portable toilets, but showers weren’t quite ready yet. Bastion’s HQ was set up near the helipad, which was big enough to accommodate the Army’s Chinooks. So far the helipad was gravel, but solid enough to support the Army’s trucks, pallet loaders, and other equipment.

The Isidium Foundation provided sturdy, family-sized insulated tents, which were erected in orderly rows with paths interlaced between them. The tents were customizable, with several openings to the outside which would give them options for windows and flaps inside which could be used to create separate rooms. A tent could have an entire family sharing the same large space, or it could be modified to have a central communal area connected to individual bedrooms.

Many were already trying to secure passage elsewhere in the country, people staying with relatives, friends, or hotels if they had nothing else. One of them was SPC Natalie Kasperek. After reporting back to Regiment, they wanted her back within a day or she’d be AWOL. Dressed in BDU and fitting right in with the Camp Bastion Army personnel, she was outside Ian’s tent. “You gotta get a ticket to somewhere. Get that arm looked at again,” she lectured him.

“Yeah I know, I’ll be fine,” Ian replied. He didn’t convince Casper. She’d found pills missing beyond the recommended dose.

“If that thing gets infected or something, you might lose it after all,” she said bluntly. “Don’t fuck around, got it? Or you might find yourself paddling in circles, surfer boy.”

“Just have to lift with the other one then,” he joked. She shook her head.

“Stay in one piece, Ian, don’t stay on this camping trip too long,” she concluded.

As Casper started to walk away, Ian heard Chinooks, carrying the first round of Altian troops and workers. The helicopter blades kicked the dew up off of the grass, beating the grass down and blowing through the leaves on the trees.

Among the first people on the ground was Audrey Neveux. She wasn’t an especially tall woman, standing about 5’8” and her light brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, but she certainly was attractive. In her early to mid twenties, with a fit and athletic shape that spoke of how much time she dedicated to her health. She covered her eyes from the dust as she sat with several Avenian soldiers and waited for the helicopter to lift back off before they all stood. She herself wore a uniform blouse over her tank top, paired with some well fitting jeans and boots. Not a surplus one, but in fact her uniform from a few years before. She looked around. The soldiers knew where to go, but the civilians, by some bureaucratic mishap, had no clue of where to go.

The soldiers were put to work mostly working on improving the camp’s infrastructure and moving supplies. In general it would be the civilian aid workers dealing with people; the ones manning the food kitchens, delivering food to anyone not moving around so good, and PR. The Altian aid workers ended up waiting until a woman in her mid-50’s approached, wearing muddy jeans and a cargo jacket. She had silver hair tied back in a bun, wore a thick pair of glasses, and had a face which was still pretty but starting to show signs of age: crows’ feet, laugh lines, and maybe a hint of sag.

“Hello, you must be from ADRO, it means so much that you came all this way,” she said warmly to whoever was in charge. “I’m Mission Coordinator Pauline Moreland, for the Isidium Foundation Mission for Hurricane Scarlett. I think our marching orders may have been lost in the shuffle.”

Audrey stood next to a man, about twenty years her senior with a hard face and body like most Altian men seemed to have. He was mostly bald, and though his face spoke of the things he had seen he kept a calm and rather pleasant aura about him the entire time.

“Andreas van der Voort,” he introduced himself, extending a hand towards Pauline. The Dutchman was, like many of the northern peoples, tall, standing above Pauline at 6’4”. “This is Audrey Neveux. We are happy to be here.”

Pauline shook his hand warmly, smiling as she did so. “There are thousands of people getting settled in right now. We’re hoping most of them have someplace to go, but in the meantime every little bit will help,” she said, turning to look a bit sadly at the camp. “A lot of them managed to evacuate on time, but Scarlett made landfall a bit earlier than expected, a sudden course change. Some of them are fresh from the evacuation centers, flew in only earlier today. Poor things are worn out, especially the kids.”

“I am sure that Audrey can find something to do with the kids. She is great with them,” Andreas said, looking down at the Frenchwoman. She nodded, and spoke with heavy, more fluidly accented English.

“Just tell us where to go and we will take care of things.”

“Well, for the kids, Teachers for the Future is trying to figure out school. The folks in Toluca have been great, they’re trying to figure out if displaced kids can attend school in local districts. The logistics of that depends on the number,” Pauline explained brightly, gesturing around the camp abstractly. “I think a site tour for your team leaders is in order for right now, get you acquainted. First we’ll start with the ‘town square’ as we’re calling it: the distribution center. Then we’ll get through some of the tents, show you how the living space is organized. Ready?”

“That would be great,” Audrey said, calling over two soldiers who were hauling massive bags full of supplies, helmets replaced with berets and their unloaded rifles dangling from slings swinging around haphazardly. “Nous pouvons laisser tomber ces fournitures hors sous les tentes!”

“All right, follow me everyone,” Pauline said in a friendly way. The ground underfoot was muddy. Though hurricane conditions hadn’t reached this far north, it had still seen plenty of rain. The main paths had crushed stone and gravel underfoot, dug so rain would run off to either side. Pauline explained that they wanted to see if they could get running water in tents, but it would be a ways off, and would eventually have to set up some public showers. The central distribution center was still apparently getting going. A number of food trucks had pulled in, on a road connected to the nearest highway. One of them was basically a deli, serving sandwiches and cold cuts. Another was apparently dedicated entirely to water, while another seemed to have a rotation of hot meals. A cell phone antenna towered over the square.

As they walked, just ahead of Pauline and the Altians was a young couple carrying a toddler. The way the father was holding the little girl, the top of her head peeked up over his shoulder, studying the Altians intently. She shyly clutched at her father’s arm, most of her face buried in his shirt. Eventually they walked up to one of the food trucks, the mother pulling the father to one side. The parents looked thoroughly exhausted. In a hoarse voice, one of them asked the man inside the deli truck how it would all work, apparently being her first time. The man inside was actually more like a boy, a teenager, who nevertheless spoke articulately about their mission, and that all evacuees were entitled to 3 meals a day. Eventually he mentioned baby food, not sure how old their daughter was. The toddler looked up at him a bit drowsily then lost interest, rubbing her eyes a bit and looking back at the Altians as they walked away.

Audrey and Andreas looked around interested, while the soldiers were looking for a place to unload the supplies they were carrying and give the people here the first look at the sort of stuff that was being sent over. The supplies were eventually directed by members of TFC to a set of quonset huts being used as warehouses.

“It is good to see that everything is organised, at least,” Andreas said, as he looked around. Audrey, on the other hand, looked down at the kids that, in all their innocence, were still running around and making the best of their situation, as bad and rough as it was.

One kid, a boy with straight blonde hair, had his head against a tree covering his eyes, looking to be about six years old. Eventually he yelled “Fifty!” and started sneaking around, flattening himself against the side of a tent. Looking harder, she might have noticed a few hidden figures. A girl with dark hair and tan skin was some distance off, peeking out from behind a bush. She saw the seeker go around the tent, then made a mad dash for the tree. However, she shrieked as the boy came sprinting out from behind a tent right for her. As the group move on they could hear the happy, sometimes frantic action as the game of hide-and-seek progressed.

Audrey’s eyes held a softness as she looked at the kids. She’d always had a soft spot and a motherly instinct, regardless of the fact that she had never had children of her own. She was glad she was here. Glad that she could help, if anything. A few of the Avenian soldiers eyed her uniform blouse, clearly one that marked her as a veteran, with a bit of interest, namely because of the fact that it also held a small Iron Cross patch on the left breast next to the other patches that marked Avenian decorations.

“Do you have a hospital set up here?” Andreas asked.

“There’s a hospital in the city, and the ambulance can reach us here. Most of the pressure is on the ICU in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but that should die down. Plus if there’s overflow, other hospitals in the area are on standby for medevac. It’s all hands on deck for right now, so they’re making accommodations for us,” Pauline explained.

“Still, it’s almost a hundred thousand people here, which means more stress on the local doctors. We’re working on setting up a clinic that can handle more mundane things. Check-ups, minor injuries, stuff for flu, colds, ear infections, anything like that.”

As the tour wound down, Audrey trailed off from them on her own for a moment, walking through tents. She looked at all the people there, until she came out into what looked like a playground. A small smile crept up on her face as she watched everything around her, crossing her arms under her breasts. The playground equipment had been donated from a local company. It was a chaotic-looking structure, two haphazard towers connected by monkey bars, a slide running down from one of them. It had only opened this morning, so it was a popular spot.

Eventually a girl of about eight, wearing shorts and a tank-top with long brown hair slid headfirst down the slide on her back, rolling over backwards when she reached the bottom. A Han boy with black hair popped up from the top of the tower, his hands raised in triumph. “I win! I’m king of the castle!” he shouted.

The girl immediately sprung to her feet and defiantly yelled back “You’re king of the DUMB castle! Know how I know it’s dumb? YOU’RE in it!”

Silly insult as it was, it seemed to set the boy off, who quickly rocketed down the slide and took off after the girl in a sprint. The girl had a head start, and ran straight at Audrey. Eventually she ran right behind her, blowing a big raspberry and keeping Audrey between her and the boy, circling around a few times quickly.

Audrey rolled her eyes, keeping herself in between the two. Almost immediately, she crouched down to her height, raising her eyebrows first at the girl and then at the boy. “Hey, hey you two. Cut it out.”

“She started it!” the boy proclaimed with a smile, sidestepping around Audrey. “Besides, that’s how king of the castle works!”

“If you’re dumb!” the girl snapped back with a wide grin, maneuvering again. “And it’s QUEEN of the castle!”

“Not if you’re a boy!” he argued. “And you don’t even have a castle!”

“Neither do you!” she said with a grin. “You left the castle, so you’re not king!”

That seemed to dawn on the boy, who quickly wheeled around, ran up the slide and announced his victory with a raspberry from the top of the structure.

Audrey sighed and shook her head with a smirk, looking at the girl. She raised one eyebrow curiously, hoping that her accent didn’t make her difficult to understand. “Why did you not go there instead of telling him?”

“I didn’t want to play anymore, besides, he couldn’t even figure it out,” the girl said with a smirk, brushing a bit of dirt off her knees from the slide. Then she looked up at Audrey. “Hey, who are you?”

“My name is Audrey,” Audrey introduced, extending a hand delicately to the young girl and brushing a loose few strands of hair out of her face.

The girl looked at her, then shook her hand a bit gently. “My name’s Michelle. What are you doing here?”

“I am here to help you and your family,” Audrey said truthfully. She pulled the tie out of her ponytail, letting her hair fall about her shoulders and frame her face.

“Do you know where my cousin Dylan is?” she asked, her face suddenly urgent.

“No I do not, sorry. I just got here. I will be sure to be on the lookout though,” Audrey reassured her with a small smile.

“Okay…” Michelle said dejectedly.

[Hittanryan]

Damned if you Do...

Though a constant source of controversy, conscription had been part of Adiron's defense strategy since the Blue Mountains War. In the 1990's the Velez government downsized the military to the point that the Army was meeting its recruitment targets solely with volunteers. During the First Burnt Hills War, however, it became clear that not even Adiron's technological superiority could offset the sheer disparity in numbers it faced at the start of the war. Even though recruitment swelled to help liberate Aldrich and expel the Imperium from Plainterre, it would take a vast military machine to keep each soldier fighting, each tank in the field, and each plane in the air.

The way Adiron implemented conscription back then was a compromise. No one seemed to want to send conscripts to the front line, not even the top military brass. Generals said the conscripts would be inferior infantry to the volunteers, and would split the military establishment between the elite volunteers and draftees, likely fostering resentment and undermining morale. It was also too much to ask of many mothers and fathers who weren't sure the war was being handled right or that it was even being fought for the right reasons. What Adiron needed was more mundane: truck drivers, bookkeepers, ditch diggers, cooks, and any of the other tens of individuals needed to fully sustain a single infantryman.

So that's what Adiran conscripts did. They were the pogues, fobbits, and REMFs of the Adiran armed forces. Volunteers who signed up for those specializations were fast-tracked for promotion. The combat personnel and techs were still volunteers. It seemed to work. Aldrich was liberated, Sturnn was driven back over the border, and the Adiran Republic Army was no longer in danger of being steamrolled under sheer weight of numbers.

The next war quickly proved that conscription wasn't as simple as that. The Imperials knew the Adiran supply chain was being held together by conscripts: sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers who didn't have any say in the matter and also weren't as well-trained as the soldiers. In occupied territories insurgents began attacking them deliberately, a steady stream of bodies that quickly added up. Then it got worse. When the Imperial counteroffensive began, it worked to bypass Adiran strongpoints, driving into rear areas to cut lines of resupply and communication. That meant conscripts who were told wouldn't see combat were suddenly coming under direct attack by the full brunt of the Imperial military. Just because they weren't intended to see combat didn't mean they wouldn't. The casualties and military setbacks ultimately contributed to a lack of political will in Adiron to continue the Overhauser War.

In the Second Burnt Hills War, the Imperium and Urdnotia didn't give Adiron a choice in the matter. During the darkest days of 2011, recruitment soared as Adiron perceived a serious threat to its very existence, but the institution of conscription was still necessary. The conscripts took losses as before, but this time they were dying on Adiran soil, their deaths serving to galvanize rather than demoralize the Adiran public.

Once the war was won, however, grieving and protective parents throughout the nation started to oppose the policy. There were lobbying groups, mostly affiliated with the Liberals, who sought to end the draft. There were even a few members of the ruling coalition, namely in the Green Party, who supported restricting its use to times of national crisis, such as a direct invasion of Adiran soil. Green Party Leader Tao was keeping them in check better than Summers had been.

Despite needing to maintain military readiness, the government had to appear sensitive to veterans, military families, and young people. It looked for ways of reducing the number of men and women drafted into service. First it tried lengthening the terms of service from two to three years, which would in practice reduce the quotas for any given quarter. That had mixed results, with the most recent draftees feeling like they got shafted and many criticizing the longer disruption in the draftees' lives. They gave conscripts more leave, but that was probably only possible in peacetime. More and more pogue work was starting to be mechanized, reducing manpower demands overall, but that couldn't cover everything.

The government finally resorted to a new measure to fill support roles and further reduce the need to conscript Adiran youth. On the plus side, it would reduce training and pension costs, minimize politically-sensitive casualties, and give the Adiran military greater operational flexibility. It was nonetheless controversial, as it sought to supplement the roles filled by conscripts with private military contractors.

Eventually the government had to pass a revised budget accounting for the new idea, and the Assembly debate topic was set: Which is worse? Conscription or PMCs?

[Hittanryan]

National Assembly Floor
New Laconia, Adiron

Since the issue of the draft vs. contractors was fundamentally a military question, the Armed Forces Committee was ultimately on the front lines. The budget hadn't even reached the floor and it was already sparking debate. The committee chair, Andrew Michaels, was one of the government's key players. Michaels was known as a steadfastly loyal SDP man, close to DeGroot and with the Secretary of War in particular. He had a wide sort of nose, thin lips, and a heavy sort of brow that gave him the appearance of frowning a bit all of the time. A veteran himself, he had fought in Tau City during the Civil War, and his son was an Air Force captain, his young age the result of a battlefield promotion made permanent.

He was currently sparring with Assemblywoman Denise Spann, a Libertarian and outspoken critic of the draft, to the point where she had become one of the "faces" of anti-conscription sentiment in Adiron. A former businesswoman with an angular face and her hair in an officious-looking bun, in manner she seemed exactly the sort of bureaucrat who would consider people little more than "human resources." Some of her critics believed her opposition to the draft was only because it was the government doing it, not out of her valuing human life or civil liberties.

"Your Party Leader once said conscription constitutes involuntary servitude, equating them with slaves," Michaels was saying. "Not only is that a grievous insult to the millions who have served in the Adiran military, it is pure fiction. A recent poll conducted among draftees who served in wartime show that a majority of them feel proud to have contributed. This is true even among those who also answered that they had never considered enlisting."

"That is a cherry-picked poll. It is well-established that military service conditions individuals into supporting..." she held up a hand as there were angry murmurs all around her.

Michaels joined in with the disapproving voices, folding his arms and quickly retorting "The Adiran military does not brainwash recruits, Assemblywoman."

"I didn't say brainwash. I said, let me finish, conditions," she said, looking around her at the dissenting voices until they quieted down a bit. "Being in the military changes your attitudes towards it. No one can deny that. Of course someone who serves, voluntarily or not, will have a different view on the matter. A better metric is to ask the prospective recruits, before they enter the service. Our own polls show that among men and women eligible for selective service in peacetime who are not thinking of enlisting, a majority hope they are not drafted. A similar poll among parents mirror those results when asked about their children."

"During peacetime? When conscription rates are at their lowest?" Michaels replied with a quizzical look.

"Yes, thanks to your backhanded attempt at 'reducing' conscription by lengthening the term by a year," Spann said with air quotes, unfazed. "Three years is an awfully long time to put your life on hold, from school to work to simply taking advantage of your prime youth years."

"You appear to be comparing national service with some kind of prison sentence, which is, again, patently false. Let us again look at the facts. We've already discussed how the draftees themselves feel. As far as schooling and work experience, draftees have the option to attend training programs and receive what might be their first full-time work experience. Both are highly valued by vocational schools, university admissions boards, and even the private sector. Draftees are eligible for government benefits, including pensions and various health benefits. Furthermore, among the Adiran people respect and gratitude for members of the armed forces is essentially universal...except, perhaps, among certain Libertarians."

The Libertarian caucus suddenly started shaking their heads in disapproval. "That was uncalled for, Chairman," Spann said with a glare.

"Really? I think it's uncalled for to refer to our soldiers as slaves, but that could be just me," Michaels quipped. "But look, the men and women of the Adiran military will continue to defend your right to freedom of speech, even if exercising that right means bad-mouthing them. That's because, like it or not, we're all in this together, and they will do their duty, as always, with professionalism and determination."

"Grandstanding is all well and good, Assemblyman, but by touting the abilities of the current Adiran military you have avoided discussing the changes you wish to make to it. Namely the expansion of the use of private military contractors," Liberal Assemblyman Cliff Engman cut in. "In Operation Overcast your very government touted the dangers of PMC overreach, citing Badlands Security. Are we to follow that same model?"

"No, not the same model. Badlands was a private army engaged in piracy, terrorism, and human trafficking. The company leadership devolved into warlordism, and Urdnot military personnel filled the company ranks. You're comparing apples to granite."

"Yet this government did not expand the use of PMCs even during wartime?" Engman pressed.

"The middle of a war is no time to reorganize your entire Army," Michaels said dismissively.

"And what about the fact that a majority of Adirans remain distrustful of private military contractors? It stands to reason that the growth of a privatized war industry could increase the chances of military action in the future, both through lobbying and removing some of the political cost of casualties."

"The political cost of casualties, Assemblyman?" Michaels asked, feigning confusion.

"Reliance on conscripts is politically inconvenient for the government when it considers military action," Engman said. Saito suddenly frowned, looked over at Engman.

A smirk crossed Michaels' face. "All right, so if I understand you correctly, the use of conscription makes nations less likely to resort to military force?" There were a few chuckles, people seeing where Michaels was leading into. " According to your line of thought, Assemblyman, we and every other nation would be far more peaceful if our entire military was staffed by conscripts. That doesn't bear much resemblance to reality. "

Saito was seen to shake his head, while Engman took a moment to respond. "Gotcha moments don't solve policy disputes, Mr. Chairman," he finally said. "You have yet to respond in any substantive way to the concerns about the use of PMCs within the Adiran military."

"Because there's so little to respond to other than scare tactics and political backpedaling. The Opposition has consistently opposed conscription since it was adopted under Ridgeway. This government has now proposed measures intended to reduce the military's need for a draft, and now the Opposition is against it. It seems you want to catch us coming and going. Can't keep the draft, can't get rid of the draft. Meanwhile, in terms of your ethical dilemmas, private military contractors are volunteers. No one is forcing them into this line of work. So let's talk practical solutions."

Saito then rose to his feet, seemingly having waited for an opening. "Very well, Assemblyman, we will talk solutions and practical realities. Ignoring the ethical dilemmas for now, the long-term use of contractors in high-intensity warfare is unsustainable. This budget proposal demonstrates why, and also demonstrates why despite our opposition to conscription, the Opposition does not view private military contractors as a viable alternative."

"Enlighten us, Opposition Leader," Michaels challenged. DeGroot now looked over at him, who returned the glance with a confident knowing look.

"Perhaps if this government had been more open to the private sector from the start and created a framework such as Novitera's for PMCs, they would be viable. However, it has not, and therefore a competitive market for these contracts does not exist. This can explain why the anticipated costs require such an expansion of the military budget," Saito continued. Michaels didn't respond, and DeGroot looked at Saito intently, studying him. He would have to have a word with the Chairman, he just gave Saito an opening to get on a soapbox.

"In some markets like Novitera, shifting part of the costs of training, benefits, and pensions to the private sector can alleviate costs. Due to the nature of the Adiran market for private military contracts, however, this doesn't appear to be the case. Novitera is not likely to engage in large-scale conventional warfare in the near future, and its active duty forces are accordingly smaller. The demand for PMCs will be greater in Adiron, with a limited labor pool for this type of work, driving wages up. Furthermore, most Adiran contractors are former military themselves. That means they are neither saving us costs on training or pensions."

Realizing Michaels was walking into something unpleasant, DeGroot now rose to the challenge. "I think the Opposition Leader has somehow missed the point entirely. Of all the numerous concerns raised about national service in the past, cost has never been one of them. We've heard philosophical arguments that conscription is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. We've heard practical considerations from the military, which states its preference is for volunteers. We've heard the legitimate concerns from worried parents, and we've heard abstract, politically-charged claims that conscription gives rise to militarism and is therefore a threat to peace in of itself regardless of context. With all of these claims, it stood to reason that virtually anything was better than the draft."

"But it also stood to reason there would be a tradeoff. An increased cost in dollars in exchange for a lower cost to the lives of the Adiran people. This government understood that in forming this policy. If the Opposition is indeed so concerned about the lives of Adiran servicemen as opposed to political gain, then it should have little real reason to oppose a budget increase if it means reducing an institution it finds so objectionable."

"Mr. President, let's have a moment of honesty. No loaded polls, no spin, no clever quips. The armed forces and the Adiran public are united in their preference for an all-volunteer, non-privatized military. There is no need for a peacetime draft; all it has truly sustained since 2013 are various adventures very far from the soil those conscripts were told they would be defending. So I put it to you, is your government responsive to the Adiran people or is it not?"

"Yes, it is," DeGroot said simply.

"Then how will it deliver on this bipartisan issue?" Saito asked.

"A study," the President replied. Saito seemed to gesture to him to continue, folding his arms and challenging him. "A fact-finding study of the world's most successful, modern, experienced volunteer military forces. To determine if, given projected recruitment levels, our military can still maintain adequate readiness to defend our nation's borders."

"Yes, and when this study inevitably fails to meet the likely shifting expectations the government sets, we will either push forward with this budget, or resume the status quo? Have I got that right, Mr. President?" Saito asked dismissively.

"Afraid not, Opposition Leader. We are forming a subcommittee made up of legislators from every party in the Assembly. The results of the study will be made public, and members of the subcommittee will be able to talk to the press freely," DeGroot replied. "Transparency is very important, after all."

Saito seemed momentarily confused, a rare thing for him, before regaining his confidence. Giving him an ominous smirk, he concluded with "Very well, Mr. President. Just remember, you may have just given hope to millions of parents, siblings, friends, and lovers that there is a chance the draft could be abolished. I hope you will not let them down..."

[Hittanryan]

Still in the Dark
Isidium

With at least 8 million people still without power, restoring electricity was one more part of the relief effort. Despite a push for green power, the Eros Nuclear Power Station still provided Isidium with almost all of its electricity. The province's frequent hurricanes, even storms weaker than Scarlett, would pose a real danger to offshore wind turbines. Solar power could only offset a fraction of the large city's energy consumption. New hydro on the southern Markovnikov would flood too large an area of the largely flat surrounding farmland, and was thus opposed by environmental groups and the agricultural lobby alike. All of that meant without Eros, Isidium would be left in the dark.

And it was still in the dark. It was becoming clear that the damage to the city's infrastructure went beyond severed power lines and blown transformers. One of the victims of the tornado was a major electrical substation, which was needed to step down the voltage from the major transmission lines to the lines connected to homes and businesses. Where other substations were damaged to one degree or another from flooding, wind, or debris, this one had been mangled into twisted metal and ripped out of the ground. It would have to be completely rebuilt, and the part of the city which that substation serviced would be out of power for weeks, if not months.

Not only that, several of the big overhead power lines had been knocked out as well. One of them just seemed to be missing at first glance, though it had actually been toppled over in a heap. The other served as a terrifying reminder of the storm's power: the towering steel structure had been bent in half and twisted like a pretzel.

There were other parts of the power grid that had been badly damaged. The tornado's path scoured the land of power lines, but additional parts of the metro area had been ravaged by fire as well. When the search and rescue arrived they found the smoldering embers of three large fire which had consumed several blocks. Investigators believed they started with broken natural gas lines and a blown transformer, with the flames quickly spread by winds in excess of 180 kilometers per hour. Firefighters were delayed by the intense winds and flooding, and the blaze consumed over 400 homes before the winds died down and it began to burn itself out.

On top of all of this, the storm caused serious damage to Isidium's transportation network. 8 tunnels were flooded, two of them now with serious structural problems that would require major repairs. The subway system was inoperable, bridges were knocked out, and streets were blocked by floods and wreckage. Considering how much Isidium's population relied on public transit, many were practically stranded. It also continued to hamper repairs; ironically it had been a bit easier to travel around the city by boat while it was still heavily flooded. Now road crews were stuck trying to clear paths.

If a lack of power wasn't bad enough, water was a problem as well. The hurricane had either physically damaged wastewater treatment plants or overwhelmed them with all the excess runoff. There were a couple of releases of raw sewage, with more just barely prevented by quick thinking and prior preparation. That meant drinking water throughout the city was compromised; assuming your taps were working, boil water orders were in effect. If your gas was shut off or if your power was out, you were essentially relying on the distribution centers for potable water.

The relief agencies were quickly realizing they were in for the long haul. Appealing to donors, they made it clear that using their current strategies, there was a very real possibility they would run out of funding before Isidium's infrastructure was repaired. Rather than cut off support, they would instead have to cut back, limiting food rations to much more basic foodstuffs, reducing fuel rations for non-essential functions, and limiting cell phone coverage to certain times of the day. Unless big donations reached the relief organizations or the reconstruction efforts received an influx of volunteers, that was how it would have to be.

[New Edom]

Fineberg, New Edom

"I for one," said Sarah Carmel, "used to live in Adiron, and I think that God's judgement has come on those people at last. They are n a way the worst of all liberal nations, because they don't see how the spread of their ideas affects those who are stupid and ill willd. They do not understand how discipline and clarity are more important than their precious liberty. I say that we let them rot. Teh more they are hurt by the hurricane, the more their resources are drained. The more our greatness and that of the Imperium will sweep over them. Let them suffer. It is the will of God."

The Queen looked up at the head of the Free Congress,and then round the table at the other government leaders who were there representing their views from their government departments of parties. "That is a horrible thing to say. We are talking about human lives."

"Your Majesty," said Carmel, looking at her calmly, "They are just that, human lives. Human lives are a mere blink of the eye. It is the soul that matters the most."

"And if we do not tend their bodies, shall their souls not follow/" asked the Queen.

Sarah Carmel spread her hands.

"I agree with the Free Congress leader," said Most Holy Elder Brother Malachi, the Royal Chaplain. "But I also agree with the Queen. After all, Christ came and tended the sinful and weak as well as the righteous. As he said, he came to tend the sick, not the healthy. We are not instructed to give charity to those who are holy alone."

"I've been talking to people from Callban, and we can get help in organizing drops of equipment for localized emergency infrastructure," said Elizabeth Corbulo. "It is possible."

"We can make use of Air Force units to bring in ROWPUS and other hygiene units," suggested Colleen Fish.

"Thank God," said Queen Mara. "I would like the Adiran ambassador informed of this. I would like numbers of equipment, personnel, and time tables presented with the information please."

The Deputies present said little about the matter, but Dr. Delmar did say, "i agree with the sentiment Your Majesty has stated, and with the Elder Brother's views as well. But this will definitely cut into resources which might otherwise have been contributed towards Ashabi. We are concerned with the plight of Christians there. To not be able to contribute fully to that matter when we are helping people who are essentially a mob of socialist atheists...I think I speak for al when I say we are a trifle dubious."

"They helped us," said Mara hotly. Delmar lowered her eyes politely but continued,

"Your Majesty, I appreciate that. But the Christians in Ashabi are dying. The people in Adiron could simply be evacuated to otehr cities in what i hope we can all agree is one of the most prosperous nations in the Region.I am reluctant to put the whole weight of the Chamber behind this, and I must stress that we are generally agreed that we would be unlikely to vote in favour of financing this action. It must come out of the currently existing budgetary resources. And we would frown heavily on this cutting into the support for Christians in Ashabi."

"Is this unanimous?" asked Prince Enoch.

"No," said Claudis Glaber firmly. "It is not sir."

"But it is a majority view as far as we currently know," said Delmar.

"I will speak to the Chamber directly," said Mara looking a littl tired and sad. "I wish it did not come to this. Are we supposed to, as Christians, protect ourselves first? Are we to act as though we have only so little when our God is the God of all?"

"What does the Prophet say?" asked Sarah Carmel.

"The Prophet is neutral in this," said Malachi after a moment's hesitation. "He has said that he is praying on the matter. He urges us to wait."

"There it is then," said Sarah Carmel to the Queen with lowered eyes but a smile on ehr face. "If you are truly as pious as you say, Queen Mara, then you too must wait. REmember what happened to King Saul when he did not wait for the Judge Samuel to make the sacrifice."

"But they are suffering, and I want to show my gratitude," said Mara, with tears in her eyes but a resolute look at the freee Congress leader.. "And I have had no command to wait as Saul did, and so I will not wait. Even if I am the only one carting bits of an aquaponics kit out of a plane I hired myself."

The Deputes and officials were quiet a moment.

"I think out of respect I would like to delay a vote on this matter of any financial support for this action in the Chamber," said Dr. Delmar. "We should resolve the matter of whether or not we will support Ashabi directly befoer that, and that would resolve this issue without any unnecessary contention."

"And I would second that, and I can guarantee nearly al my party in that," said Glaber.

Sarah Carmel said, "This may surprise you all, but there are some in the CSDP and in the Wisdom Party who will back the Free Congress, and so I will agree to a delay--of one week. Then after that I will call for a vote in the Chamber. I ask you, Your Majesty, not to speak before the Chamber until that time."

Mara looked at the older woman a long moment, and then slowly nodded. "That is fair. I agree to that."

However sh was unhappy, and confessed to Enoch that she was bitter in hear heart at delaying even that long. "People are suffering there, and we debate and hesitate over money. I feel dirty."

Enoch had few words of comfort "Welcome to power. WE are all dirty."

[Hittanryan]

National Assembly
New Laconia

The announcement that reconstruction would take longer than anticipated brought Scarlett back to the floor of the Assembly. With millions in Indigo Coast Province affected, pressure mounted to take further action. First the government announced the release of several million barrels of various refined fuels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The military received fuel to keep its operations in Isidium going, relief organizations received shipments intended for use in Isidium, while fuel distributors received the rest in an effort to control fuel costs and mitigate shortages nationwide.

There was now a ticking clock on reconstruction, however. Originally the reconstruction plan called for a balanced across-the-board approach, trying to focus equally on repairing lines of transportation, restoring access to utilities, and providing the essentials to those trapped in the city as well as evacuees up in Toluca. However, a reevaluation of the damage to the city seemed to suggest it would be better to focus efforts on one thing at a time to restore them as quickly as possible. To that end, the government determined that it could quickly mobilize an additional 2,000 reservists to add to Task Force Scarlett.

Although the deployment itself was uncontroversial, there were disagreements as to what those reservists were supposed to do. Liberal Assemblyman Mike Taylor from Indigo Coast was opposed to the government's plan. "The phasing of the plan proposed by the Government is flawed. It talks about clearing roads that aren't being used, shoring up levies to flooded districts that have been completely evacuated, starting repairs on bridges and tunnels that could take months. Time is an issue here. What is all of this going to do for the victims of Hurricane Scarlett today?" There were open voices of approval from the Opposition.

"I'm sorry, but I don't appear to have caught what your alternative was in there," replied SDP Assemblywoman Wanda Harding.

"I'm saying this government needs to focus on the people of Isidium. They're without power, water, and sewer service. Restore the utilities first. For example, and I have plenty, if we restore power to Isidium, refrigeration gives us more long-term food storage options. Grocery stores could reopen, and residents could more easily stockpile certain foodstuffs."

"Assemblyman, how are residents supposed to reach a supermarket while districts remain flooded and roads remain impassable?" Harding retorted. "Furthermore, how will wholesalers even be able to make deliveries to the supermarkets short of airlifting it in?"

"Clearing a few key routes is all that would be necessary. Besides, if electricity was restored, it would be possible to get at least parts of the rail system running again. Fixing the rail tunnels is all well and good, but without power it's all for nothing."

"Restoring transportation links is not just about providing transport within the city. If reconstruction takes as long as the latest assessment predicted, it may be in our best interests to carry out further evacuations of Isidium. There are between seven and eight million people left in the city. We can't move any significant fraction of those people if we don't have roads," Harding said, to a buzz of conversation, positive and negative.

"You won't have to move them if you make their current conditions tolerable, and besides, where are you going to put all of these people?" Taylor asked.

"Look, you don't seem to get that you can't just string up a line straight from the power plant or patch up a water treatment plant and then flip a switch. We turn the power back on in a flooded district and suddenly we'll have fires on our hands, probably causing even more damage to the power grid in the process. There's a reason why a boil water order is in effect for the entire city: there's water main breaks all over the place with a contaminated water table. To make the repairs required before we restore utilities, we need access. That's why we need the roads cleared and floods drained first."

The Opposition continued to foment skepticism of the government's plan, but ultimately failed. The government's plan passed by majority vote, the coalition voting for the proposal without dissent.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Redstone in Fineberg passed along a sincere thanks to Queen Mara for the offers of assistance. Aware through his contacts that the government in Fineberg was loathe to divide resources between Ashab and Isidium, Redstone informed Mara's office of some of his own government's plans. It turned out that, through Adiran consulates and the embassy in Tarnum, the State Department was hoping to provide aid to victims of religious persecution, helping displaced persons apply for refugee status and eventually get them to relative safety elsewhere. That included Christians in hostile Republican territory, though it would also help Intaki in Catholic-held lands as well.

[Hittanryan]

Government Office
New Laconia, Adiron

Politics as usual returned to Adiron in the wake of the Palisades Crisis. The ceasefire and peacekeeping efforts were agreed to but one of the terms remained controversial. In exchange for peace, economic sanctions against the Imperium were to be lifted. Peace couldn't wait in limbo forever, though. The Imperial forces had withdrawn from the border area, but Anderson would need time to rebuild the fortifications that had been overrun and reconfigure those that hadn't which had likely been sighted by Imperial reconnaissance during the battle. If the war resumed, it would resume more or less where it left off, with Imperial forces quickly able to advance to their furthest extent and resume their push.

Philosophical debates over whether it was "right" to trade with a hostile power aside, the government needed to first ask one question about the sanctions: did they work? Were they affecting any political reform in the Imperium? Were they degrading the Imperium's ability or inclination to wage war? Had they diminished the tensions in Ceti? The answer to the final question seemed clear: no they had not. The answers to the others required a Defense Council meeting in which several other Cabinet Secretaries were invited, including Commerce Secretary Rhee, Energy Secretary Yang, and Environment Secretary Jester.

Once assembled they went through some preliminary greetings. Some were eating a bit of takeout for lunch, others like DeGroot himself had brought coffee. Ultimately it was the President who kicked things off. "All right, now we come down to holding our noses and restoring trade relations with the Imps. Nobody seems happy about it, but first and foremost I want to know if it's going to pose a threat. Vasquez, you've got figures on the subject, I take it?"

The stuffy AIS Director shuffled her papers and began with a lack of embellishment or introductory remarks, same as usual. "There is evidence that the sanctions have had a significant impact on the Imperium. Since the Imperium doesn't release reliable labor statistics, our analysts have had to piece together reports from field agents. However, we can comfortably say that the national unemployment rate in the Imperium is anywhere from eight to twenty percent. That's anywhere from twenty to fifty five million Imperial subjects out of work, despite the Curia's stated economic policy of seeking full national employment."

"Why? How?" DeGroot asked.

"The flight of foreign capital from the Imperium over the last decade," Vasquez answered. "Prior to 2001 the Imperium was a prime center for low-cost contract manufacturing. With that diminished and the vast majority of the Imperial workforce being uneducated and essentially unskilled, the Imperial economy has suffered. Standards of living have remained stagnant. Since there is a labor surplus, working conditions remain low as ever. Labor unrest continues to be suppressed by the Inquisition."

"So is it working?" Li asked.

"Certainly not winning Imperial hearts and minds, given that the Curia tells them what to feel and think. We're likely a convenient scapegoat," Deol remarked. "No political reform either."

"It depends what you mean by 'working,' Secretary," Vasquez said, addressing Li and ignoring Deol's commentary. "Less clear is what direct impact the sanctions have had on the Imperium's ability to wage war. This year we saw the Imperial Army remains more than capable of threatening the border, and their political leadership had few reservations about resorting to force until an alternative was presented by their allies. They were, after all, the aggressor. Recent reports even indicate the IAF may be considering upgrades to its fighter programs."

"Then how did their military industrial complex escape the sanctions unharmed?" DeGroot asked.

"There's evidence to suggest Imperial military spending, through production and high levels of standing forces, is being used as a relief measure of sorts," Vasquez explained.

"And they can afford that level of military funding because of those damn FODE dividends," Li griped.

"Secretary, that still hasn't fixed the Imperial economy. It's still weak in spite of government spending," Vasquez said calmly. "If the Imperium was smaller, perhaps, but with 275 million people it's a victim of its own population explosion."

"So it's unsustainable?" DeGroot asked. "Does that mean if we keep the pressure on long enough they'll collapse?"

"Without reliable figures it's impossible to say. The Curia can lean on Imperial industry in any number of ways, and I wouldn't count on dissidents being able to stand up to their state security apparatus while it remains intact," Vasquez said flatly. "Should the Imperium experience some kind of sudden loss of capital and credit, then it is possible. On the other hand, the Palisades Crisis may have indicated how the Imperium will react when cornered or desperate."

Deol glanced at the room during a brief pause. "It sounds as though the FODE embargo hurt us more than them. The alternative to full trade with FODE is continuing the war, which means it is politically feasible. Furthermore, based on Director Vasquez's findings, we know that FODE dividends alone will not undo this government's foreign policy."

"What about its honor?" Li snapped. "We've been waging war against the bastards for over a decade. They hate us. A lot of us hate them. Thousands have lost sons, brothers, and husbands to them. That's not hard to understand."

"The embargo was framed in terms of our national security," Vasquez replied. "The battles on the border this year suggest the Imperium will remain a threat regardless of the embargo."

"It's the principle of the thing," Li said.

DeGroot finally interjected at this point. "I don't want to do any kind of business with them either. Not only have they sought the destruction of this Republic, but their labor practices would make even Saito cringe. And there are millions of Adirans who feel the same way, been affected by these wars. So I ask this: who the fuck is going to be knocking their doors down to do business over there?"

The President looked around the room. "Hmm?" he said, spreading his hands to the room, looking for an answer. "How many Adiran companies are going to be dancing in the streets going 'oh thank fuck we can outsource to sweatshops that chain workers to their machines again'?"

"Sweatshops are cheap," Li said. "That's all some of those corporate types care about. And consumers have proven that they like cheap products regardless of their origin."

"Yeah, what about consumers?" DeGroot continued. "You think there won't be a catastrophic goddamned backlash against Imp-made products? Yeah consumers like their cheap shit from box stores, but the Imperium isn't the only nation with low labor costs, is it? If a company goes out of its way to outsource to the Imperium specifically, consumers could just say 'Catch you later, you fucking traitor.'"

"To be fair, Mr. President, New Edom is reforming its labor laws. The cost of labor there is going to rise, which means manufacturers will be looking to relocate," Secretary Rhee finally added sharply. "Other nations with cheap labor are also less amenable to free trade, like Hostillia and Akai. The Imps are going to continue to have some of the cheapest labor in the former Cornellian Empire with a government willing to bend over backwards for foreign investment. That's going to be hard to resist."

"Fine, but I think we're missing the point. Are these sanctions really the only thing stopping Adiran companies from filling up the Curia's treasury? Vasquez, is Imperial manufacturing really so great?"

"There is one recent development, Mr. President. We're still monitoring it, so I wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning, but there is a strike in Rhodinia at Ebern Precision Industries," Vasquez added.

"I give it five more minutes before the Inquisition guns them all down," Li remarked cynically.

"That's why it is of interest to us. Police arrived on scene over twenty four hours ago. Ordinarily it would have been quashed. However, the roadblocks remained all day and there were no sounds of violence whatsoever. Some time into the night, both the riot police and the strikers were seen leaving the factory complex en masse. We're not sure what it means, but Imperial labor might be undergoing some changes."

"Yes very good, but it sounds like we don't know if that's going to go anywhere yet," DeGroot concluded. "Look, we can debate the fine points of this, but it sounds to me like peace is worth this price, whatever that might be in the long run. Our line is that disbanding the embargo will bring peace. That's the most important thing, right?"

"Until they do this again," Li said.

"We don't have to be best friends with those shitheads, and that doesn't mean Adiran consumers won't be free to boycott any fuckers who outsource to the people trying to kill us," DeGroot said. "Companies are accountable too. People can vote with their wallet. That means our party will need to get this thing moving in the Assembly. Speaking of, Thorco..." he said, moving to the next topic. "They're getting buddy-buddy with Edomite National Petroleum and drawing flak from environmental groups for the Eskura oilfield project. How big a priority is this development now that we're trading with FODE?"

The bookish Secretary of Energy was Ian Yang, who tended to speak rather ponderously. "Well, it might be just what's needed to help bring prices down post-embargo and shore up our oil supply with an allied trading partner. Thorco is, however, a private enterprise. Their project manager was asked to submit a tentative plan to both of our departments. Ultimately, however, our say in the matter will be limited to the permitting and regulatory processes."

Yang looked over at Nancy Jester, the Secretary of the Environment. Jester looked the part of a Green despite being SDP, with long hair that didn't look like it had seen a bottle of conditioner in its life, not a speck of makeup on what was otherwise not an unattractive middle-aged face, and a slender build from a long stint as a vegetarian. She looked puzzled. "Are any of their operations going to be in Adiron? As far as I was aware it's the Ghantish permitting process they have to worry about."

" They will be providing key engineering and design services to the project. The manufacturing, however, is going to be done in New Edom. They're going to try to hire locally where possible," Yang recalled.

"Would've been easier if the damn thing hadn't been privatized..." Li quipped.

"Well now we've got Greens in both Adiron and Ghant up in arms about it, and in both nations they're part of the ruling coalitions," DeGroot pointed out. "Nymun's got protests all over and revolts in the legislature. And our own Greens are making noise too,. We all remember the Oversight Act, so we've already broken with one of their wings on foreign policy. What we still have going for us is environmental policy."

"Mr. President, don't you think the Greens are being a little unreasonable on this?" Yang asked. "We've seen what happens when the oil supply is disrupted. We're still clawing our way back out of recession. Meanwhile their supporters have been making remarks as though the oil embargo was a good thing."

"Well, they're not wrong, at least not for their green energy supporters," Jester pointed out. "Loss of oil imports gave them an opening and got more hybrids and electrics on the road."

"That pisses off ordinary people who can't afford a hybrid or electric," DeGroot pointed out. "Regardless, in case any of you forgot, we lose the Greens and we lose our majority. And if it comes down to a choice between doing this government and possibly Nymun's up the shithole or blocking some oil fat cats from raping and pillaging up in north Ghant, then the choice is obvious."

Afterwards, DeGroot approached Chief Whip Cullen about gauging opinion within his own party. He was concerned about the hawks, Michaels, Morrison and the like. Several committee chairs began drafting the bill that would end the embargoes while both Cullen and Vice President Colombo started putting out feelers for opinion on the subject. It was divisive, with plenty like Li arguing for its symbolic necessity. Vasquez's Imperial unemployment figures, which were largely speculation anyway, were therefore withheld from the Assembly as they could be used to argue in favor of keeping the sanctions.

[Hittanryan]

National Assembly and Government Offices
New Laconia, Adiron

As Cullen and Madrigal began privately working the Assembly Social Democrats, they ran into serious opposition to the terms of the peace agreement. Many were not opposed to peace necessarily, but lifting the embargo was enough of a sore spot that it threatened to split the party. In particular the SDP's left wing found the idea of allowing Adiran multinationals to outsource manufacturing to the Imperium distasteful, both from a moral and political standpoint.

"I thought we were going to negotiate on that, are we really lifting the embargo?" asked Sarah Garcia, who sat on the Commerce and Trade Committee. "If we really go through with that, it would allow Adiran companies to employ Imperial sweatshop labor. It's something the Liberals would go for. People voted for us because they're opposed to Noviteran-style politics."

"I don't really care if a bunch of fat cats can get rich off it. It's wrong. We've always maintained it's wrong," David Frazier, member of the Appropriations Committee, put even more bluntly. "There are more important things than quarterlies."

Justine Mayne, an east Adiran slated for the Education and Labor Committee, also spoke out. "What's that going to mean for jobs here? How am I going to explain to my constituency that I voted to allow outsourcing jobs to the country that killed people they knew?"

Michelle Swan, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, even spoke out a bit, apparently wanting to change how the negotiations were taking place. "This embargo problem could be because we're negotiating through New Edom. They may genuinely want peace, but it seems like they're also trying to support the Imperium, advancing their interests. We can't discount their efforts so far, but now we might be better off trying to find a new mediator, one with fewer vested interests."

Supporting the President were those who desired peace above all else, recognizing that some give and take would be necessary to avoid another long bloody war. They seemed to understand that the Imperium would need to make concessions of its own on the terror investigation. On the embargo, these MA's were either willing to entertain the possibility that expanded trade might reduce long standing tensions or were otherwise confident that Adirans could be trusted to voluntarily refuse to do business in the Imperium. A few argued that Imperial manufacturing could lower the costs of consumer goods, which would be helpful to the poor especially after the oil crisis. Some even speculated that labor conditions, and perhaps even the average standard of living, might improve in the Imperium if its apparent labor surplus was diminished.

Also opposed to the peace terms were hawks like Michaels, who would have preferred to fight it out in the short term and let the international community come down on the Imperium once and for all. This opposition went straight up into the Cabinet. The Defense Council convened once more, this time to discuss the latest communications from Ambassador Ramoth. Li had already voiced his strong opposition to the idea of Adiran companies propping up the Imperium, but he took issue with the tone Ramoth took.

"They're giving us marching orders?" Li said, tossing the paper back on the desk.

"Not orders. They're our go-between. They stopped the war. They're trying to bring peace, and they've been effective so far," Deol pointed out.

"Not to mention General Hesperinius is now standing between the Imperium and the Palisades," DeGroot added.

"Yeah and boy do they like to remind us of that. Look, when this thing broke out at least some members of the CPO were offering to send peacekeepers. Where are they?" Li said.

"The CPO? The Curia virtually ignored them," Deol asserted. "It was our diplomacy with New Edom that stopped the war, not the CPO."

"We need to face facts: Adiron and New Edom represent the only effective leadership in the CPO. When neither of us can lead, as happened here due to conflicts of interest, it falters," DeGroot added.

"Fine, if they don't work we can get Esperance International, they're already in Arcologia. Look, it doesn't really matter who else we get. The point is: I don't want the Edomites having enough leverage to dictate terms and advance their ally's interests against ours. And they are allies, still," Li said, pointing at Deol.

"Advance their...what are you talking about? We're going to nail them on these terrorism charges. If we lift the embargoes, they have to cooperate with this investigation," DeGroot said.

"What...Mr. President, were you born yesterday?" Li asked incredulously. "They'll cheat, they'll lie, and in the end they'll probably find some convenient scapegoat exonerating the rest of their rotten bloody regime. Meantime, we can't exactly cheat on lifting the embargo. It either is or it isn't. So they get something for nothing. Sorry, but I don't want to help that old fart Robertson who ordered this whole thing in the first place."

"Did you already forget how fucking grim the strategic situation was at the outbreak of hostilities?" DeGroot snapped. "They almost had Anderson outflanked. We had no fuel—which I might add was due to the embargo. We were on the defensive, they had the initiative."

"And we were still winning! Against the best they had. They didn't have us dead to rights. We had plans to address our weaknesses. The international community was turning against the Imperium..." Li recalled.

"You're not seriously suggesting we go back to war?" Deol asked.

"I'm suggesting we don't lose the peace given that we could've won the war," Li expounded. "The Imps seem distracted. I guarantee there were plenty of Cardinals who wanted to continue the war. They were fully committed, probably banking on winning this time. Now they don't seem to know what to do. Plus there's this possible labor thing too. So let them be distracted, see how that plays out, and maybe we can get better terms. Don't just give away the whole damn farm because the Edomites say so. Remember whose side they might've picked otherwise."

For right now, DeGroot kept trying to work his party privately, but sooner or later as the debate heated up, it was bound to go public.

[Arbites]

Chambers of the Holy Curia
Magus Civitas, Imperium of Arbites Materia

Bishop Engel was flown up to Magus Civitas quickly, where he quickly found himself rushed to the imposing Gothic structure that housed the Chambers of the Curia. Making his way to the floor, the bishop was surrounded by pewter statues and reliefs of the Saints adorning the corners and walls of the room, looking down upon them from on high. The ceiling was a religious mural, while the furniture and other adornments around the room were made of fine hardwood with gilded trim for where the Cardinals sat. There were no windows; all of the lighting was artificial but made to seem as natural as possible. The Cardinals themselves were almost regal in appearance by their ornate robes, though their age was betrayed by the deep lines on their faces and occasional presence of medical equipment such as Cardinal Dawes' oxygen tank. Acolytes attended to them.

In stark contrast with his surroundings was Bishop Engel himself. His robe was the simple charcoal habit of the Torlanolese monks, whom he had joined and whose ascetic lifestyle he had practiced and espoused since. Where the Cardinals teetered and strolled a bit ponderously, Engel moved as swift as a young man. He had no entourage of his own, though he was provided with a security detail. His eyes were alert, taking everything in as he was led to the floor of the Curia where he was to be questioned by his superiors. Though he was awestruck and humbled by the request, the real reason he was called to account in person was because the Curia could carry out the hearings in relative secrecy.

The Curia was called to order with a prayer in Latin by Cardinal Dawes, who shuffled to his feet. The entire chamber including Engel bowed their heads and occasionally recited an "amen" or part of a verse. There were some further introductory remarks, and then the inquiry began.

Robertson kicked it off. "Brother Engel, you have served the Emperor your entire life, joining the Torlanolese order at a young age before attending seminary, serving a series of urban parishes before being appointed to your current diocese, where you have aided the Inquisition in its efforts against urban unrest and leftist subversion, for which they are grateful," he began.

"It was only duty, Your Grace," Engel said humbly.

"Yes, duty..." Robertson said, fixating on the word. "Ordained as you are as a bishop of the Magi Church, it is indeed your duty to carry the Emperor's light to the people."

"Of which I have great pride," Engel said.

"Yet it is the Curia's economic policy to seek full employment, to obtain honest work for each of His subjects. For heresy and apostasy grow from idleness," Robertson said.

"Wise words, which I have impressed upon my own congregation," Engel agreed.

Robertson glanced over at Dawes, who didn't react. He seemed to be studying Engel. Turning back to the bishop, he continued. "Brother, your piety and faith over the years have been beyond question, which was why your actions in Rhodinia these past few days have led to much confusion and raised a great number of concerns among this body."

Engel seemed genuinely surprised. "Concerns, Your Grace?"

"At this critical juncture, as the Adiran-led embargoes crumble thanks to the efforts of General Sturnn and our Edomite allies, the Imperium is poised for a resurgence. As New Edom's labor laws become more restrictive, the Imperium stands as the region's foremost manufacturing center. No other nation can match the Imperium's combination of a strong, large workforce with favorable trade policies."

"Labor unrest and the perception of a divided government, however, will cost us this key advantage," Robertson concluded.

Engel's eyes searched the chamber briefly, seeing a number of disapproving or stoic expressions among the senior Cardinals. Many younger ones seemed more neutral. Engel paused a moment, shifting a bit before speaking. "Your Grace, I have long spoke on the need for honest labor as you said before. As is written, every man has his place on this, the Emperor's world. If it is His will, a man shall be elevated; leftists, which I proudly aided the Holy Inquisition in rooting out, sought to usurp their station."

"Yet...these foreign corporations understand nothing of faith. They and their agents come here expecting our people to act nearly as slaves to them. Faithful Imperial subjects should have no master in their hearts but the Emperor and those who speak His word."

"Well said, Brother," a voice said among the chamber. Robertson's eyes darted to find the source of the outburst, which had prompted some murmuring. He found several Cardinals looking in one direction. It was the relatively youthful figure of Cardinal Urban.

Engel looked around, apparently noticing the confusion. "My intention was to restore faith. The working men of Ebern and other factories in Rhodinia are expected to set aside faith for their work, for their management."

Robertson sighed, placing his hands upon the arms of his chair. The chamber was quiet as he spoke again. "The Emperor will provide for those who take Him into their hearts, Brother. Have faith in that. It grieves me that you did not consult with Archbishop Konig prior to taking action, for in doing so it appears as though you have acted on your own against Curia doctrine. We will need to discuss which measures..."

The Chamber grew restless, Robertson scanning the faces of the Cardinals around him. Some were looking at him, eyes occasionally darting around in confusion. Others were muttering and whispering to those next to them. Engel himself seemed stunned. Dawes seemed disquieted for the first time in decades.

Cardinal Urban stood and addressed the chamber. "Your Grace, with all due deference, has the Curia determined that Brother Engels has acted definitively against the Imperium's interests? There have been no deliberations on the matter, and by all accounts the Bishop has not broken any law. Indeed, it would be criminal to prevent the people of the Imperium from worshipping the Emperor publicly as he has encouraged."

Robertson had little patience for Urban's grandstanding. "Brother you should be well aware of the Curia's economic and labor policies."

The bald Cardinal Meyer then rose from his seat. "Your Grace, Brother Engels claimed to be addressing a crisis of faith. As you once taught me, faith is the mortar which binds the Imperium together. If Brother Engels had reason to take action, then in the name of the Emperor it is our duty to at least examine it further."

Aggrieved that a former protégé was turning against him, Robertson was increasingly aware that the chamber was being split. It was a mistake to bring Engels here, especially now that he was witnessing this division. He felt Dawes' eyes on him; as he turned around the elder Cardinal gave a slight nod. For the sake of appearances, this had to be discussed.

[Hittanryan]

Government Offices
New Laconia, Adiron

Political Advisor Irene Trammell had good looks for radio. She had a lumpy figure, spider veins already showing in her skin, her grey hair in a decidedly uninspired bun, and lines criss-crossing her face already. Trammell was a rare creature: an Adiran smoker, stubbornly persisting in the habit for several decades despite the spread of increasingly annoying anti-smoking practices. As such, after each cigarette an unpleasant odor tended to follow her around. There was some debate whether people underestimated her due to her homely appearance or if she had simply learned how to cut deals the hard way since her looks and habits did her no favors.

Trammell walked into DeGroot's office to find him standing behind his desk, hands on the table. When the bodyguard shut the door behind her, she promptly kicked off her shoes and more or less sprawled on the couch. DeGroot paced, explaining the latest news from Cullen. "What do you mean Cullen doesn't have the votes?" she asked when he dropped the main bombshell. "That's his goddamned job."

"Hooks and fucking Bauer are behind it," DeGroot said. "They're the ones who approached Swan, Frazier, Garcia, and Mayne. More are with them now. Apparently they can accept restoring trade with FODE to end the oil crisis, but not restoring full trade with the Imperium."

"Swan...Frazier...all lefties," Trammell mused.

"Labor practices and corporate greed was what they said," DeGroot recalled. "Worried that their constituency will 'string them up by the balls for doing exactly what the Liberals want.'"

"What about the war? They wanna go back to war?" Trammell asked.

"Oh, we've also got Michaels, Morrison and that whole crowd spoiling for better terms and a better mediator..." DeGroot recalled.

"A better mediator?" Trammell asked.

"They don't trust New Edom. Think they're going to get concessions out of us on behalf of the Imperium, while all the Curia has to do is produce a patsy for the bombings," he explained. "They and the left want Esperance International or the CPO to arbitrate instead, even when they haven't been able to stop anything so far."

Trammell exhaled, seemingly deflating as she did so. "Even if they're right and we're getting the shaft here, we're too far in. The voters were promised peace. If we renege, come election day we're fucked seven ways to Sunday."

"Look, Hooks is saying that doing business with the Imperium is tantamount to a betrayal of our party's principles, of this government's policy, and of the war dead," DeGroot said. "We're heading for a split in the party unless we handle this right. So what's the fucking way forward here?"

Trammell sat up, propping herself up on the couch. "Bring the damn thing to a vote. Right now they can say anything, make noise within the party, and there's no egg on their face. If it's on the floor, then they're going to have to publicly vote against peace."

"They'll be fucked if they do...but that could bring the party down with them," DeGroot pointed out.

Deol, meanwhile, was meeting with his own advisors on the peace terms. Sheila Pai was Deol's Trade Advisor, while Phil Norman was his go-to man for South Acheron affairs. They waited for him in a conference room, both sitting up straight, looking clean-cut in suits. Sheila was one of those ageless Han women with her dark hair in a neat bun, while Phil looked like some kind of stereotypical businessman. Deol entered the room last with a nod to both of them before sitting down at the table and folding his hands.

"I think we should begin with the trade reports. Sheila?" Deol said, prompting her to start.

"Of course, Secretary," she said, opening the folder in front of her. "Restoring full trade status to the Imperium would have a number of impacts on both of our economies. If Adiran companies are able to take advantage of the Imperial SEZ's, there could be a broad reduction in the prices of consumer goods, which would be felt twofold as the oil crisis comes to an end. In addition to stimulating the economy, it could also serve to make Adiran products more competitive overseas. However, in the event of hostilities breaking out along the border once more, Adiran firms are likely to be expelled, incurring major losses in the process."

"In the Imperium, a reduction in their labor surplus could potentially lead to rising wages. If wages rise high enough we may witness a flight of foreign investment from the Imperium. This is unlikely in the short term, as the Imperium's competitors all have much higher barriers to entry in terms of regulations, infrastructure, labor costs, and political climate. If wages rise gradually, the Imperium could become a substantial consumer market for Adiran goods. Currently the Imperial market is limited; it has a very small, largely professional middle class and rampant poverty among its working classes."

"Considering that the Imperial economy is dependent on its export sector, expanding trade with them could potentially deter the Curia from pursuing a military confrontation with us. However, this assumes that the Curia as a whole is more committed to trade than to the destruction of the Republic, which we can only speculate. With expanded trade, war would certainly be against the interests of the Imperial business elite, though the Curia can always pressure them.

"The penetration of Adiran goods and culture into the Imperium, coupled with the idea of doing business with us openly, may even serve to promote more liberal values among its people, even if the government does its best to curtail them. With this also comes the risk of major intellectual property theft."

Deol looked contemplative, in his usual way. "I see. Thank you Sheila, I'll take the full report back to my office. Phil, where do the Edomites stand here?"

Phil cleared his throat. "They're going to want an equitable settlement, Mr. Secretary. If we want the Curia to submit to the terror investigation and possibly sacrifice one of their own, we have to compromise. That will mean lifting the embargo and taking the first steps ourselves. It's going to ruffle some feathers here, but it will help us shame the Curia into action."

"One possible issue is that New Edom's price of labor is likely to rise at the same time the embargo is lifted. Manufacturers who contracted out to New Edom will likely consider relocating, and as Sheila said, the Imperium will be very competitive. We can argue about the ethical dilemmas of making a deal with the devil or even of the long-term risk of future conflict, but it's going to come down to dollars and cents. Cheap labor keeps prices low and profit margins high, and we know how many companies will act when there's short-term gains to be had. We might see a very rapid transfer of manufacturing to the Imperium."

"That said, although trade may serve to liberalize the Imperium to a degree as Sheila said, the opposite is possible as well. Though the Curia attempts to maintain a rigid party line, radicals will be upset by the decision to stop short of total victory for what appear to be largely economic reasons. That's not to say the more moderate parts of the Imperial government will like it, but they'll at least appreciate the practical advantages afforded by trade. For radicals though, trading with the enemy will be tantamount to blasphemy. If it turns ugly, that could sort the whole thing out for us and we don't even have to have this debate."

Deol was scrawling some notes before checking his watch. "Hmm, that will have to be all for now, meeting with the President. As usual though, very thorough, excellent work from both of you. Thank you." With that the three of them neatly gathered their things and rose from the table. Once Deol was gone Phil made a sidelong glance at Sheila, who gave a little smirk, whispered something in his ear, and then fading back into her neutral expression before parting ways.

[Arbites]

Chambers of the Holy Curia
Magus Civitas, Imperium of Arbites Materia

The Curia continued to debate the subject of labor relations and the implications of what Engel had done. A divide appeared to have formed between those who sought economic growth for the good of the Imperium and those who argued that total commitment to the faith needed to take priority over all other affairs of state. Cardinal Baker was speaking in favor of business. "The fact remains that the Imperium must remain competitive. The Edomite settlement has the potential to neutralize the Adiran threat for the foreseeable future. Once trade is restored, the Adiran companies which will invest here are bound to neither duty nor morality, only to their shareholders. Their people may protest at first, but not for long, certainly not when the prices of their goods drop. Then their government won't dare oppose us. We can then deal with the Adirans however we like, whenever we like."

"Disruptions in labor, however, will squander this opportunity, while at the same time damaging our own economy," Baker concluded.

Cardinal Meyer then rose in a rebuttal. "Your Grace, while your perspective on the wider whole of the Imperium is prescient, it fails to account for one thing: the soul," he said. "This Chamber is fully aware of how we encourage foreign investment: Imperial workers will do the same work for less."

"It is not skilled labor, Brother," Baker reminded him. "Let us not fool ourselves: anyone can be trained to do the sorts of simple, repetitive tasks that are asked of workers in the Special Economic Zones."

"Regardless, Your Grace, is it not written that a man must provide?" Meyer asked. "These men are not criminals or vagrants, if they were we wouldn't be having this discussion. They have enough pride not to live off the charity of others. They are fully employed, working each day as they should. They wish merely to fulfill their duties as men. As husbands. As fathers. As it is written and as this body promotes."

"It is not written that all men are born lords or kings," Baker retorted. "To each man his station, and these factory workers are not yeomen, tradesmen, or professionals. If it is fated that a man should rise, then the Emperor provides."

"Yet these men are told that work must come before prayers, before the Emperor. Even when, as you say, the work is mindless, when a day of prayer sanctioned by a bishop of the church in good standing leads to threats of dismissal and arrest by the owner," Meyer said, looking back at Baker, then over to Engel.

"Brother, the purpose of this hearing is to determine whether or not Brother Engel is, in fact, in good standing. In any case, Ebern had every reason to believe this was a labor dispute similar to the others. Otherwise, what you referred to would be blasphemy, and it would not be tolerated," Baker explained firmly.

"It is tolerated. Apparently by this very chamber, as long it results in economic gain," Cardinal Urban said, rising to his feet. "The old Free State fell when it lost faith and abandoned morality. It fell prey to Mammon, a temptation against which the Imperium must be ever vigilant. We must not be so focused on economic concerns as to forsake the Emperor's light."

"And what happens should the economy fail?" Robertson asked, rising to challenge Urban. "What happens when our treasury is depleted and our credit destroyed? What happens when we can no longer defend ourselves from the Adirans? What happens when we can no longer support our allies?"

"It is as Cardinal Baker said, the Emperor provides all. We may well be required to sacrifice, but He will see us through whatever may come. Faith and faith alone will see us through these trials," Urban asserted.

"What of the peace settlement? What of our allies who made it possible?" Robertson asked pointedly.

"Our ally. Heathens with a mad queen and decadent court which treats with the heretics," Urban scoffed.

"Yes, them. For their faults they remain committed to combating the spread of dangerous leftist anti-religious ideologies. They're pressuring the Adirans into a compromise as we speak on the Imperium's behalf. Think about what we would be squandering, brother," Cardinal Dawes pointed out, looking somewhat creaky.

"I have thought and prayed many hours about it, Your Grace, and I must question whether peace is wise," Urban said. "The heretics have waged war upon the Imperium. They have spilt the blood of thousands. They are faithless unbelievers who take pride in their blasphemy against the Emperor. We must destroy them, not enrich and trade with them while impoverishing our own people!"

"The Edomites, if they are as true allies to us as we have been to them, must choose. They must back us wholly or forsake the protection and support that we have provided," Urban asserted.

"The Edomites have been nothing but supportive to the Imperium," Dawes pointed out.

"Until they were forced to choose between us and the heretics," Urban replied, surprising the elderly Cardinal. "By accepting this limited peace offer, we have squandered years of military planning. Territory gained by blood and iron was bartered away by a stroke of the pen to serve businessmen which we have long allowed to live in decadence and sin 'for the good of the Imperium.'"

"Careful, brother..." Robertson cautioned with a glare.

Urban was undeterred, building himself up as though delivering a fire and brimstone sermon. "But the Curia does not serve them. We serve the Immortal God-Emperor of Man. If we must choose between peace and the Emperor, we must choose Him. If we must choose between prosperity and the Emperor, then we must choose Him. If we must choose between this nation's very destruction and the Emperor, then I say to you we must choose Him! For without Him..." he paused, calming down as he did so, looking around the chamber, "...we are lost."

Robertson surveyed the chamber now. He saw concerns from the old guard, but worryingly a number of nods of approval. A division had formed in the Curia, and it would have to be mended. "None can deny His word, brother. However, what we must decide now is whether or not Bishop Engel has in fact contradicted Curia doctrine, and I believe we have debated the matter sufficiently."

Urban stiffened a bit, and Robertson continued. "I call for an end to deliberations on this matter," he said, addressing the Guardians, who upheld it. "Now, Bishop Engel we will make a ruling, if you would step outside a moment."

"Of course, Your Grace," Engel said, exchanging a brief glance with Urban before leaving.

"By show of hands, does the Curia rule that Bishop Engel has acted against Curia doctrine and thus against the Imperium?" Robertson asked.

Urban and Meyer kept their hands folded. All of the Guardians raised their hands. There was murmuring and whispers throughout the chamber. Robertson's expression started to fall as he saw the chamber was not following his lead. He glared at a couple of Cardinals he could usually lean on, only to find them resolute. Urban looked confidently back up at Robertson and the rest of the old guard.

"The final ruling...Bishop Engel's actions do not contradict Curia policy," Robertson said, for a brief second looking as though he needed to keep his composure. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to sacrifice a few of their own to the investigators after all...

To: Ambassador Andrew Weber
CC: Democratic Verification, LLC
From: The Office of Cardinal Edward Long
Subject: Investigation
Encryption: Hand-delivered by diplomatic courier

Your Excellency,

The Imperium remains committed to the peace process for which the Imperium remains indebted to your government. It is the Curia's intention to cooperate fully with the investigation process, and therefore in preparation we have been conducting a number of intensive preliminary inquiries in the event that there is any possible merit to the Adirans' claims. After all, the Imperium unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms, and should any element of the government be found guilty of using Arbiter resources to commit such attacks they would naturally face swift retribution.

Given its reputation for impartiality, the Curia has agreed that Democratic Verification is the most suitable group to carry out the investigation. We would like to begin our partnership by requesting that Democratic Verification specify what information, records, and people investigators will need access to. Should Arbiter government officials be implicated in terrorism, under what court and whose law will they be tried?

By His Will,
Joshua Bayer
Undersecretary for Cetan Affairs

[New Edom]

The New Edomite Ambassador would lhave made an appointment to see the President, making it clear to the President's staff what the letter would be about. It was customary, it was explained by Ramoth, that this be done in this manner to signify its imporantance.

Ramoth would arrive in a dress uniform, his medals gleaming in two rows, in an official car, a uniformed driver stiffly saluting. He would go, wait to be seen, present the letter with a formal bow, and say, "Your Excellency, in the name of King Elijah and Queen Mara, I bring to you a proposed diplomatic solution to a great conflict." He would not be required to wait for an answer, but would politely leave when possible.

To: President Tavish DeGroot
From: King Elijah IV
Subject: the Imperium of Arbites
Encryption: Hand Delivered by Ambassador

Dear Mr. President,

I have taken the time to write to you personally. Along with this letter I have sent to you a copy of a set of writings I am working on entitled Appropriate Literary Wroks for the Edification of Military Service Personnel. I hope that you enjoy this and will give me feed back on it. I have heard that you are a man of blunt feelings and despise, as I do, shilly shallying about. My compliments to your devoted and lovely wife of many years as well.

The Allied States of New Edom remains committed to regional peace, but it has not been an easy matter. Adiron has been a good friend, but the Imperium is a blood brother. How then may a just man choose his course? It may seem easy to some, but without honour and justice a man is only an animal.

I have obtained the agreement of the Curia that the investigation should proceed. They have requested that Democratic Verification LLC, a Callabanese firm, should conduct the investigation. As I am sure yo uare aware, they helped provide some of the basis for our elections in New Edom, and have also provided their services in New Othman, Peregrino and in Ghant. To quote from a letter recently received from the Imperium's government:

Given its reputation for impartiality, the Curia has agreed that Democratic Verification is the most suitable group to carry out the investigation. We would like to begin our partnership by requesting that Democratic Verification specify what information, records, and people investigators will need access to. Should Arbiter government officials be implicated in terrorism, under what court and whose law will they be tried?

I feel that this last is a thing which must be discussed by your Cabinet and my Council of Ministers. If need be I would like to propose a meeting which would make the policy clear. However as I am sure you are all too well aware, this will be divisive. Therefore I think that if ther wer to be such a meeting it must have a very clear agenda, limit of time and transparency of purpose.

I look forward to your reply.

Elijah IV

Excerpt from Chapter III: A Review of Moby Dick, or The White Whale

...The novel begins with a vivid yet long description of ife in the fictional land of Nantucket, where a young man with a love for the sea rhapsodizes about travel and talks of how he enjoys when feeling the enui natural to uper class young men of leisure going to sea. This part of the hbook is a good example of how young men should do military, exploratory or other kinds of service which test their sinews and discipline a tendency which some young men have towards idleness or towards casual violence, both of which are detrimental to civilization.

There is a reference early in the book to a sermon preached by a clergyman who refers to the Book of Jonah.
I would argue that this is one of the finest sermons I have ever read.

However the moral tone of the book is not long maintained. For example it contains erroneous so called information about cetology which could be very deceiving to a casual reader. Furthermore, the book makes constant references to the homosexuality which appearas to be rife in the whaling fleet. Ishmael, the main character, and his friend Queequeg the harpooneer share a bed 'as a husband and wife'. There are other details I hesitate to mention, but one last which I will refer to.

In one chapter, the rendering of whale blubber is reasonably accurately described. However it mentions that some of the whale blubber rendered begins to take on a crystalline quality and form lumps. The men must squeeze these lumps out. It is apparently very pleasant and soothing to the hands, and the men enjoy this, smiling upon one another, gripping one anothers hands in a pearly white substance. The implications of this part of the book are disturbing.

Let this book be a lesson to those who only read the back jacket of a novel: it could be about anything...

[Hittanryan]

Government Office
New Laconia, Adiron

Ramoth would have been greeted at the door by the both the first layer of security and the President's Chief of Staff Aaron Jakobsson, who extended him all due courtesy. "Welcome to the Presidential Offices, Ambassador. It is clear by your presence here that His Majesty is taking this matter very seriously." They would come to a security checkpoint with a metal detector, Jakobsson would apologize, but it was standard for everyone past a certain point.

Once through security Ramoth was led down a hallway that might have seemed a bit spartan to an Edomite, looking more like it belonged in an upscale office. Mounted on the wall were photographs and paintings, many of them portraits of historical figures. Council leaders from the Civil War were featured heavily; many of them had entered politics following the end of the war and had official portraits done.

Three of the Council figures were only shown in black and white photographs, none of them portraits and one of them rather grainy. One was an officer smiling lightly at the head of a group of ragtag-looking Council soldiers, another was standing on a rocky lake shore apparently skipping stones, and a third was a middle-aged woman standing on the corner of a war-torn street. None of these three lived to the end of the war. There was a landscape from Nova Lake, popularly considered Adiron's birthplace. At the end of the hallway there were portraits of two very different but very influential Adiran presidents, Ridgeway and Velez.

When Ramoth reached DeGroot's office, he would find the president standing behind his desk and Deol standing off to one side. DeGroot listened to Ramoth with a small smile for the cameras, cameras which had been approved by the Press Secretary and Jakobsson. "Thank you, Ambassador," DeGroot said, accepting the letter. "I hope you will convey that the Adiran people remain grateful for the peace which your government has made possible."

"Please convey to the king our thanks in sending you over personally," Deol added. " A formal response will be delivered at earliest opportunity by Ambassador Redstone in turn."

When Ramoth, Deol, and the press were all gone, DeGroot was alone in the room with Jakobsson, who did a quick debrief before checking his phone. DeGroot examined the letter, then flipped open Elijah's book. Scanning the page it was open to a second, he checked the title again looking a little confused before continuing. As he continued he half frowned, squinting a bit as though he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

"Did you know in Moby Dick rendered whale blubber is used as an analogy for cum?" DeGroot quipped.

Jakobsson blinked and looked up. "What?"

"As written by His Majesty King Elijah IV of the Allied States of New Edom," DeGroot said with a smirk, holding the book up. "Read this thing or find someone to read this thing and get me a summary before the visit, will you?" Jakobsson's face fell.

[Hittanryan]

To: King Elijah IV
From: President Tavish DeGroot
Subject: the Imperium of Arbites
Encryption: Hand Delivered by Ambassador

Your Majesty,

The Republic is grateful for your continued efforts towards peace in Ceti. Ever since the conclusion of your last civil war it has been my position that your leadership represents the best hope for New Edom and by extension for peace in South Acheron in general. My compliments and regards to Her Majesty the Queen as well, and I hope that she continues to do well in these early stages of her pregnancy.

I have included a historical work with this letter which you may find interesting as well, The Evolution of Cetan Agriculture. It outlines the development of agricultural practices from independence through the Industrial Revolution. I have also attached a pair of seed packets for Her Majesty the Queen. One is a tropical flower found in Indigo Coast, the other is the seed of a mango tree from south of the border.

While other nations made offers of support, it was the Allied States of New Edom alone which was responsible for the Imperium offering terms so early. Despite what must have been considerable debates and being under tremendous pressure, once we fulfilled our end of the bargain with your border issues, your government was true to its word.

There is a broad consensus supporting peace among my government, the Opposition, and the Adiran people. My government has worked with Democratic Verification in many of the areas which you previously listed, and has found them to be professional, thorough, and diligent in their work.

The devil, as they say, is in the details. As you must be aware, certain aspects of the proposed peace terms remain hotly debated. Since it was your government which helped made the ceasefire possible, I am in agreement that high-level contact between my Cabinet and your Council of Ministers would be productive, if nothing else to assure the international community, including the Imperium, that we remain committed to the peace process.

My Chief of Staff will be in contact with your Master of Offices to plan your visit, including setting an agenda and timetable.

Regards,
President Tavish DeGroot

[Hittanryan]

National Assembly
New Laconia, Adiron

In Fineberg, Ambassador Redstone had formally delivered DeGroot's reply to Betharan Palace in person. Arriving in formal attire after having requested an official audience with the king, he presented the letter and gifts to King Elijah IV using all proper titles and forms of address. Both the King's and President's staff began coordinating and planning the visit.

DeGroot's coalition was not happy, however. The exchange conducted by the Edomite and Adiran ambassadors was a strong indication that the government, or at least the President, favored using New Edom as a go-between. Hawks had called it naive, socialists called it Faustian. The day after Redstone reached Betharan Palace, it boiled over on Question Time. It started with a prompt from the Opposition.

"We've heard a concept repeatedly thrown around in the international sphere this year, 'national honor,'" Growth MA Anthony Hassan said. He was a small, bald man with a bombastic manner of speech. "The Imperium must defend its allies in the Union, it's a matter of national honor. New Edom must support the Imperium, it's a matter of national honor. So I ask the President, where is Adiron's national honor?"

"I'm sorry, is there a policy question in there somewhere?" DeGroot said, glancing around the room. He noticed Saito looking disapprovingly at Hassan.

"We were attacked, and we backed down," Hassan charged.

"I would remind the Assemblyman that the men and women on the border did not back down. If the gentleman had been paying attention, it was the Curia who blinked first, thanks to careful yet tireless diplomacy."

"That was beyond the President's control. What other nation would tolerate an attack as we did? The Imperium wouldn't. New Edom wouldn't. Why does Adiron alone of the region's major powers feel the need to back down without gaining something?"

"What kind of answer is the gentleman looking for, exactly? Perhaps he would like me to say 'yes, we are morally bankrupt for discontinuing a war to save Adiran lives and protect its territory'? Would he like me to say this government has theocratic sympathies because of its diplomatic efforts? Or maybe he would have preferred us to simply beat our chest and press the attack at all costs?" DeGroot finally countered. He saw Hassan made a sideways glance and sit down.

A few questions passed until DeGroot saw Swan rise to her feet. "The President was dismissive of Mr. Hassan's question, and while I believe most of our Coalition supports peace, we have grave concerns about some of the proposed terms on principle. The Imperium's first demand is to lift trade restrictions, namely the embargoes."

"The government is still figuring out exactly what that will entail by closely examining the likely economic and legal ramifications. We will have to negotiate on all of these matters," DeGroot explained.

"With respect, the details could very well be irrelevant," Swan said. "The embargo is more than just an economic measure, in fact when it was enacted we knew that it would ultimately damage our own economy in the process. What it signifies is our opposition to a state which has repeatedly engaged in armed conflict with Adiron, oppresses its people, and as the recent crisis shows remains hostile to the Republic. Why has the President departed from this stance?"

There were murmurs from within the SDP caucus, with a couple of nods that DeGroot caught. "This government has had to make a number of difficult decisions. In all things we must consider the needs and wellbeing of the Adiran people as a whole.

Reggie Morrison stood now. Great, what next? "Building off the Assemblywoman's last point, lifting the embargo is going to cost Adiran jobs. Even more distastefully, those jobs are going to be shipped to the Imperium. I'm all for diplomacy, but does the President care more about Adirans or foreigners who are hostile to our way of life?"

"What is this, talk radio?" DeGroot quipped. "Does the gentleman have a serious question or was he just trying to get a talking point across?"

"It is not just a talking point. Not only are jobs at stake, but this government has claimed to support human rights. The President repeatedly ignores and overlooks the abuses of a nation his government is determined to cozy up to, as evidenced by the diplomatic visit the State Department apparently fast-tracked," Morrison said.

"Is the gentleman seriously contending that New Edom's human right record is worse than the Imperium, Urdnotia, Hostillia, or Deadora?" DeGroot countered.

"No, but the President has not claimed to have influence with any of them. If we have actual influence with New Edom, why do these abuses remain unchallenged? Is the President that eager to please?" Morrison asked, mostly rhetorically.

"A year ago there were no elections in New Edom. Reform is possible but anyone who tells you it's easy or straightforward is either a liar or hopelessly naive," DeGroot said.

"Will the President give the Imperium the Palisades too, now that Adiran blood has been shed over those mountains?" Morrison continued.

"Resolving the Palisades Crisis once and for all will involve a great deal of diplomacy, the basis of which must be actually agreed upon before it begins," DeGroot deflected, trying and failing to stare Morrison down only for another MA to stand up.

It was left-leaning SDP Assemblywoman Li Fan, a small, apparently ageless Han woman whose brazenness defied any possible stereotype. "Does the President think true reform has taken root in New Edom when it has embarked on what could be called a campaign of ethnic cleansing just south of the border?"

"The military is still assessing the appropriate response to the Arvo. By all accounts at least some more extreme elements of the Arvo Nation are engaged in human trafficking and piracy, and are currently engaged in a long term, low intensity armed conflict against the Confederation and the Union. Diplomatic efforts have unfortunately been stymied by what can only be described as xenophobia on the part of the Arvo," DeGroot explained.

There were some hushed conversations in the chamber, which Fan ignored. "The New Ceti Party enacted policies which amounted to forced population transfer and attempted reeducation geared at erasing their culture. Ever since then they've been beset on all sides by rampaging armies, greedy corporations, and warlords. Now they're being targeted by yet another foreign invader. Mr. President, under those circumstances, how else would a tribal society view the outside world?"

"Neither I nor this government can claim to speak for the Arvo nor New Ceti. What I can say is that this government will inquire with Fineberg on the intent and scope of their campaign, and if we are not satisfied with the answers then we will need to discuss the matter further," DeGroot said. There was no good answer to that question.

Assemblywoman Rocha spoke next. "The President has often touted his green credentials, encouraging renewable energy, sustainable development, and greater energy efficiency. How does this government reconcile that with the fact that it condones environmentally destructive practices in Ghant?"

"In Eskura this government will do everything in its power to ensure Thorco and its affiliates are held to the highest standards in terms of design, engineering, and risk management."

"Mr. President, it's an oilfield. There's no way to do it clean, and it's going to wipe out untold acres of old growth forest all for the sole benefit of oil giants," Rocha pressed.

No way out, need to deflect it. "I promise that this government and that of Prime Minister...the Ghantish government will be considering the matter very carefully. The project is, however, still in the planning, review, and approval stage, which will take months if not years for a development of this size."

There had been few answers this session. There had been few concrete answers the last one as well, and people were starting to notice. Liberal-leaning media outlets were starting to sense that DeGroot and his coalition, unassailable during wartime or a time of crisis, might finally be in hot water, just in time for an election year. Saito left the chamber with a smile on his face while members of the SDP left without making eye contact with one another.

[Hittanryan]

Cazares Square
Puerto Rojas, Adiron

The initial reaction to the peace terms had been one of relief, the war ending as suddenly and shockingly as it began. A sort of euphoria prevailed throughout the nation—except in Plainterre and Adir where Imperial troops were still withdrawing. Military families barely had time to dry their tears from the airport dropoff when their loved ones showed back up at the door again. People weren't thinking about how the fighting stopped or how a lasting peace might be achieved. All of this was despite the fact that on the Plainterre border both the Adiran and Imperial militaries were maintaining what was essentially wartime readiness. Engineers were taking advantage of what might be a temporary reprieve to rebuild fortification and lay fresh mines and obstacles. Fighter CAP and helicopter patrols were frequent on both sides of the border, with drones keeping a careful eye out for any signs of movement.

Several weeks after the Palisades Crisis, however, people had taken note of the details and had realized what was potentially at stake in exchange for peace. The casualty figures were sobering enough, but Reality was setting in about what Adiron would have to give up to stop the bloodshed. The Curia didn't offer terms out of some act of charity, it was demanding concessions. It certainly didn't help that the Imperium was largely unresponsive to diplomacy and was as opaque in its internal politics as it always had been.

Headlines started to appear as news outlets realized where the public consciousness was. The inevitable happened with two large military forces on the border, and the headline read Imperial Jet Enters Adiran Airspace. As the weeks wore on and Adiran troops still occupied the Palisades, the New Laconia Times ran a story titled Where is the CPO? Finally, after the MV Cora Nevis rescue, it was revealed that terrorists were involved and terror fears rebounded. Though the Curia had seemingly promised to cooperate with an investigation, the terror fears had never truly been addressed. Although it was later revealed that the terrorists killed on board were Homofront, not Inquisition, questions remained on whether the Arcologian border was truly secure after everything that had transpired. Before long the terms of the peace moved into the national spotlight, as did the mediators.

James Navarette was a sophomore at Puerto Rojas State University whose most pressing concern now was deciding whether he wanted to go into law or brave the more saturated waters of the business major. He didn't look the part for either field, sporting a goatee, a mop of dark hair, tattoos on his arms, and wearing a t-shirt with a metal band with a pair of jeans. Currently he was in a coffee shop about a block away from Cazares Plaza, the air rich with aromas. The decor was all told rather cheap, though a TV was in the corner. A talking head was saying "...are gathering in Cazares Squre about a variety of issues including human rights, economic policy, and..."

"Jim?" the barista said at last.

"Yeah," he said, grabbing the coffee and walking out the door. On the sidewalks were hundreds of people, some of whom looked more like him and others more clean-cut. Some people were not part of the crowd, even trying to move against the grain with a little difficulty, like a man in a suit with sunglasses who hurriedly brushed past a group of four. There were some scattered chants that he could hear, but none right where he was. Voices over megaphone could be heard some distance away.

Jim was part of a march on Cazares Square in protest of the concessions being demanded by the Imperium and by their supposed mediators New Edom. From where he was he saw some of the signs. He saw several identical copies of the same picket signs reading "HUMAN RIGHTS ARE UNIVERSAL" which had been distributed by the protest's organizers. Another distributed sign read "DIGNITY HAS NO PRICE" with "No Trade With the Imperium" in smaller letters just below. Homemade ones tended to be more varied and more colorful. One was simply the final casualty count from the border battle. Another read "DeGroot: Get Out of Bed with the Theocrats!" Some had photos of well-documented Imperial refugees. One had a political cartoon with a caricature of DeGroot fawning, scraping, and prostrating himself before King Elijah, who was a puppet with strings pulled by Cardinal Robertson. One crudely-made sign whose permanent marker wasn't quite thick enough to be seen from far away simply read "BOYCOTT BASTARDS!"

While they marched, there were other activists darting through the crowd. A woman who looked to be in her early forties or late thirties was moving around with a clipboard. She was thorough enough that she got around to Jim. "Will you sign this petition for the Liberty and Sustainability Pledge?"

"What's that?" Jim asked, having been rather dulled to canvassers by the multitude of them on campus.

"The Pledge is a petition which we are attempting to introduce in the Assembly. It states that the government is against trading with nations which consistently and knowingly violate human rights. It says Adiron is against FODE, will uphold the rights of minorities such as indigenous peoples and peaceful dissidents, and will fight to uphold international treaties on the environment and pollution. We're sending this petition to Assemblyman Alvarado urging him to support and ultimately sign the Pledge," she explained.

"Sure, I'll sign," he said.

"And if you could just give your email address to receive updates on events, meetings, and on things in general," she said, pointing to another sheet.

"Oh, uh, sure..." Jim said, putting down a fake address. Otherwise he'd be inundated with spam.

Approaching the Square itself, he saw crowds marching in from several directions. He could hear someone over a megaphone, saying "The Imperial terms are blackmail! They're telling us if we don't open our wallets and ship our jobs over there, then they're gonna kill us! Well fuck that and fuck them too!" Jim knew there was a bit more nuance to that, but the man was psyching the crowd up.

The crowd slowed a bit as it filtered into the square. That's about when Jim saw some passersby speaking animatedly to a group of protestors. One man with a trimmed beard in a button down was arguing "I don't get what you're trying to do at all. You want peace without negotiating on anything?" A larger man next to him looked like he was biting his tongue.

"We shouldn't compromise on fundamental human rights," replied a protestor, a woman with a short bob haircut and wearing a hoodie.

The big guy next to the bearded bystander spoke up. "If you'd ever seen combat and what it does to a man you'd understand that any compromise we can make is worth it."

"Listen to yourself, they're not compromising, what are they giving us? Do you want us to give up all of our values just to make a deal?" the woman replied, pointing at him.

"Do you want war? Because if you want to wait until the Imps improve their human rights record to make peace, then you can be damn sure we're going back to war," he said.

"I don't want a war, but we shouldn't just give everything up when they're the ones who attacked us," Jim heard her say, trailing off as the march continued.

Jim was less interested in getting into arguments with people and was instead hoping to see one speaker in particular. Frederick Lindholm was a refugee from the Imperium who had published accounts of his experiences. Outed as a liberal, the Inquisition threatened and eventually tortured several members of his family as part of the interrogation process. His accounts spoke of rampant poverty, willful disregard for human life, outrageous hypocrisy from the elites, and the joyful plundering of the natural world. He escaped to Adiron with most of his family during the First Burnt Hills War and had since become an activist and writer.

As Cazares Square filled up, the crowds gathered around several focal points, usually activists giving speeches, phones raised in the air. Jim was caught up in someone talking about the embargoes and what actions needed to be taken. He looked to be another college student, wearing a t-shirt and khakis, but he spoke confidently and passionately, perched as he was on an electrical box. "Fat cats won't care about human rights, they only care about what makes them money. So, if they ship jobs overseas to the Imperium save a buck on labor costs, we gotta cost them ten in lost business. A boycott is the only language they'll understand, because we're just walking wallets to them. We gotta stick to it even if it is cheaper, because money isn't everything."

The speaker paused a moment, seeing a woman crying, saying a few words to her then announcing with a motion "This is Mckenzie, her husband died fighting the Imperium. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Our troops didn't fight and die so we could make the Curia rich!" The crowd responded enthusiastically. "If we start trading with the Imps, we'll legitimize them. The government will be more worried about special interests that have invested over there than doing what's right! We won't be able to fight them anymore!"

Eventually they began scheduled speeches for higher-profile activists, and from a distance Jim could see Lindholm himself walking up the steps to a stage that had been set up. He was shorter and thinner than his photographs seemed to suggest, a slight, almost gaunt sort of man with dirty blond hair and cold blue eyes.

Jim had to make his way through the crowd, past more chants and picketers, sidestepping another argument on the periphery. When he got within earshot of Lindholm he realized he wasn't talking about the Imperium, but New Edom. "The President has invited the Edomites to the capital to mediate and set the terms. The Edomites, the Imperium's only ally, who are barely better than them. Let's list the things that are illegal in both the Imperium and New Edom, shall we? Adultery, homosexuality, contraception, abortion, political parties, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly...the way they deal with them is different, but they're all still illegal."

"And now look at what the Edomites are doing to the Arvo. South Cetan indigenous peoples got screwed seven ways to Saturday by governments that didn't give a damn about them and did everything they could to get them off their land and wipe out their culture. And you wonder why some of them hate us? New Edom has now joined that not-so-proud tradition. "

"And these are the people we're trusting to broker a fair and lasting peace?" Lindholm concluded.

Suddenly Lindholm was joined by another activist who came through the crowd. "They're expanding throughout the region, staking broad claims on natural resources and effectively leading an entire bloc of dictatorships!"

"They ought to get their own house in order before they break ours!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Terranova is only two blocks away," he said, pointing to the east. The Terranova Stock Exchange was the largest in Adiron. "So are the corporate HQ's of a dozen companies that would sell us all out. That's where we're going next!"

Cazares Square began to empty, the crowd having been mobilized semi-spontaneously by the various speeches. People on Terranova Street were better-dressed than the protestors, largely a sea of business suits and designer clothes. When they saw the crowd coming they paused and stared. Some turned on their heels and made their way back to the Stock Exchange or their offices, trying to warn their coworkers or bosses. Others didn't run. They stood and watched, intrigued by the signs. When the march reached them, they struck up conversations, some even joining the march themselves at least for a short time.

The trading floor was often in its own little world, one where a few points on the markets could be the difference between life and death. The traders were isolated from the outside...until they heard megaphones blaring on the steps. Attempting to ignore it at first, a small cohort of protestors burst through one of the side doors after sneaking past security, where they began angrily shouting that Terranova Street would sell Adiron out to the Imperium. The trading floor began to empty as the rest of the crowd from Cazares arrived, forming a human chain around the entrance. Once established, the protestors began issuing demands that Adiran companies refuse to do business in the Imperium if the embargo was lifted.

Soon the police arrived, sirens lighting up the street as trading shut down early for the day. The crowd was reluctant to let the cruisers and vans through, but ultimately yielded. It took an hour for the police to open a corridor to the Stock Exchange's entrance, protected by cordons, which a few of the more devoted protestors attempted to prevent by force and were subsequently arrested. Other corporate offices faced similar but smaller turmoil, though Thorco got some of the worst of it due to the Eskura project. Though police managed to protect company property for the most part, the protestors quickly made it clear they weren't going anywhere. They would stay for most of the night and return the next day.

[Gloria Regis]

Puerto Rojas

STOP THE PATRIARCHY IN NEW EDOM, THE IMPERIUM AND ARCOLOGIA! STAND WITH YOUR SISTERS! WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKIES, STOP THE IMPERIALISTS AWFUL LIES!

So went the chants of the Gloria Regian activists and students who were in Adiron. A number of these young men and women had volunteered during the crisi the previous year, seeing it as their home away from home. Gloria Regians tended to have a small town perspectrive of community, and were used to voluntering and getting involved politically. Like many of Cornellian descent they were also argumentative and proud people.

At a glance th ey would look like any number of other Adiran students--jeans, t-shirts, striped skirts, jean jackets, short hair, long hair. Their accents often gave them away though some of them came from academic families and had the trans-Cornellian acent in Latin and English that well educated people around the Region had.

They took part in the marches in solidarity, but also had their own agenda.

"Pollution and indigenous rights, peace and safety for all are also feminist issues," proclaimed Zara Philips. They also stood up for exiled Edomite feminsits in Adiron.

"Did you know environmentalists, feminists and communists have been exiled from New Edom? Did you know there is a special prison in New Edom called Stonehaven where they torture poltical prisoners?" Zara Philips would say, handing out pamphlets. "Do you agree that women in New Edom and the imperium should have bodily freedom? Did you know that women in the Imperium are being forced into marriage?"

Zara on the day of the march if given a chance said, "On behalf of the Student Union of Gloria Regis, we stand with the people of Puerto Rojas..." she brushed a tear away, getting choked a moment, "Which is a second home to us--as they march for peace and freedom! Because your cause is oupr cause, and we hope our cause is your cause! We need to see how it all ties together--those who will pollute the earth will exploit workers! Those who exploit workers will exploit women! Those who abuse their power will promote war! Adiron is one of the freest countries in the world, but your government is lying to you, and is in bed with people who buy and sell women's bodies, force them into pregnancy, ignore their cries of rape! We're not going to just look at our tv screens and say this is not our country--we will stand with you and march with you!"

Zara wore slim dark rimmed glasses, had dark brown shoulder length wavy hair, was slightly chubby and had a taste for jean jackets and skirts and tights. There were about twenty five Gloria Regian students in Puerto Rojas, but also nearly a hundred more had come from Gloria Regis to march in protest.

"What affects the Region affects everyone," said Octavia Severinus, ,a frizzy haired thin Psychology grad student who had joined the activists and come to Puerto Rojas as part of her summer practicum volunteering with a shelter there. "Nothing is separate in this world, we can t live with that lie anymore. Peace is something that goes beyond borders."

[New Edom]

The New Edomite government were largely optimistic about the future when it came to Adiron, albeit thoughtful and cautiously so. As Count Lalery put it, "We cannot just go to this feast with our dicks hanging out, we must put on a nice outfit and arrive with bows and wine." Prince Enoch Tubal-Cain, Count Lalery, Director-General David Daniels, General Ashdod and other senior officials were busy coordinating for the royal visit to Adiron.

"The King," Prince Enoch advised the Adiran President's office through Ambassador Ramoth, "Will prefer a quiet visit though a press briefing would be acceptable at some point. He would like to have a day at least for this summit meeting if not longer, to get to know the President and other key members of his government more directly. He would prefer to meet somewhere not in the midst of a bustling city. The food and drink may be simple enough,f or he is not a man of extravagant tastes. We hope the Queen will be well enough to travel, but if that is the case she would prefer to be able to travel with her dog."

The New Edomite Embassy

As it happened, it was the celebrated day of Saint Rita.

General Ramoth, the Ambassador, insisted on having the celebratin of the Saint published.

The website told of how Saint Rita, born in the middle Ages, had been visited by a swarm of white bees which went in and out of her mouth but did not sting her. In spite of being married to a cruel man who mistreated her and cheated on her. His sons took after him and were part of a vendetta between oble families. In spite of this, her unflinching piety and determination to be a peace maker was constant, and indeed the Saint was seen as an example that had inspired Queen Mara herself. Embassy officials handed out pamphlets about this and reminded people that thi was an example of how women should truly behave. As for concerns about the peace:
"New Edom's government is more devoted to peace than any nation in the Region, even the Shrailleeni. It was Our nation which founded the CPo, our nation which as led the way in nearly all peacekeeping missions. Have faith and be at peace," the embassy chaplain urged people.

General Ramoth was scheduled for a meeting at the Union of South Ceti embassy. If required, police were requested to help clear the way so that his car could go there. He looked at none of the protesters but seemed indiffernt to them as though theyw er mildly unpleaant weather.

---

Among things that might have disgruntled Adiran journalists, activists, soldiers or politicians was that the New Edomite military personnel in the Palisades made no bones about the fact that while they wer doing their duty, it was not with what one might have called absolute neutrality. Iamges that would leak back would include the folowing:

Officers of the 18th Mounted Light Infantry including Colonel Abishai Hagar dining with Imperium officers, toasting them and laughing and joking with them.

A potentially violent misunderstanding when during a signals miscommunication a New Edomite Terrier fired a warning shot at an Adiran Redwing, the pilot mistakenly believing that the Adiran pilot had crossed the no fly zone.

New Edomtie engineers and support troops puting up prefab buidlngs and reinforcing the Imperium's FOB. General Hesperinus rather tersely told an Adiran reporter "Not to worry your pretty little head about it. It's standard operating procedure, honey," before patting her rump in dismissal. However he also told her she could visit his HQ anytime, especially if she brought a lovely friend or two.

However it was probably the details of the recent treaty negotiations with Akai and Vozgarnor that would be fodder the most discussion in Adiron. It was not even a leak--it was simply published in the Palace Gazette, matter of factly, as a report on government activities. The King, after all, did claim to believe in transparency.

[Hittanryan]

Muckraking and Whistleblowing

The Cazares Square protests continued, as did others throughout the nation. The Edomite embassy was once again the site of a major demonstration after an Adiran fighter was engaged over the Palisades. The pamphlets only seemed to make things worse. The first of the protestors to receive the pamphlets furrowed their brows as they read them, their expressions changing from confusion to anger. "This isn't the Middle Ages," a woman lectured the embassy staff member who handed her the pamphlet, "I'm not a Christian, women aren't property, and I'm not going to be a doormat who stays with an abusive husband." The Air Force meanwhile filed a protest to Hesperinius' office over the conduct of his pilot, asking that disciplinary measures be enacted especially given that a number of Imperial incursions had not been similarly dealt with by the Edomite CAP.

Just as the first embassy protest was dying down, what would later be known as the "groping incident" fanned the flames again, bring the crowds back once more. Hesperinius himself got an earful of the reporter's outrage; heedless of the possible danger she warned him never to lay a hand on her again, promising him that everyone from Puerto Rojas to New Ankara would hear about it. Her account was accompanied by a damning article saying that Hesperinius was working to fortify Imperial positions throughout the Palisades and was making no pretense of neutrality. Commentators began to argue that in the absence of a CPO force, General Vance, whose forces were still in the Palisades in division strength, needed to start fortifying his positions as well.

News of the treaties with Akai and Vozgarnor prompted even more questions about the Edomites' intentions. It was increasingly looking like the civil war-torn nation which had received such outpourings of support were trying to repay the region by dominating it. It was assembling a collection of dictatorships and demanding extraction rights to natural resources throughout the developing world. Why wasn't the government doing anything about this?

Aware that the border and Edomite controversies were in the public interest, Chris Olsen started calling in favors in the military. An Army public relations officer he worked with in the last war almost immediately put him in contact with someone in the Department of the Navy up in the capital, Commander Lucy Hsia. He was so quick to direct him her way that Olsen was a little suspicious when he called her.

"First off, I don't think I'm supposed to be talking to you, Mr. Olsen," she said, before correcting herself. "In fact I know I'm not supposed to."

Chris grimaced a bit, this could be another dead end. "Commander, I will respect your confidentiality. We don't have to go on record until you're ready."

"I won't be doing any interviews, either," she added rather curtly. "Some documents are going to fall into your lap. Do we understand each other?"

"We do, you're a whistleblower, not a source. But it would help if I knew exactly what I am going to be looking at?"

"Communications and reports from Admiral Franklin's intel chief, Captain Emmett Ainsworth. Our people combed the islands the Edomites bombed. They were looking for intel on human trafficking and piracy, they stumbled onto evidence of some pretty gruesome stuff," Hsia explained.

"What do you mean?"

"The Bible says 'Do not repay evil unto evil.' For such devout Christians the Edomites seem to follow their scripture only as closely as it suits them. There's photos of mass graves and burnt villages. There are bodies left out to rot of women and children. And in one communication, before the teams went in, the Edomites confirmed that they're forcibly relocating any survivors to camps in the Union, implication being reeducation," she said.

"How did you get all of that?" Chris asked, furrowing his brow. Hsia didn't respond at first, so he continued. "Commander, you must understand that if we publish this, I'm going to need to convince my editors that it's genuine before they let me put any of this to paper. I need to know how you obtained this information."

"I'm not the only one in uniform who isn't exactly thrilled that the Edomites are all over south Ceti now," she explained.

"What do you mean?"

"We already had to stomach Hesperinius' division right off our border, wining and dining the Imps, trying to shoot down our fighters, playing grabass with reporters. You know he'll back the Imps if the fighting heats up again. Now there's an Edomite fleet in the Ura committing war crimes against an admittedly dangerous but also primitive and aggrieved indigenous people. It isn't right."

"So there are concerns about New Edom in Arcologia in the military?" Chris asked.

"Not just Arcologia. Those Edomites are expanding everywhere. They're gobbling up mineral rights to entire nations, putting in bases across the region, and between their recent treaties and FODE, they're at the head of their own little club of some of the region's worst dictatorships. Plus, who do you think gets to foot the bill if the Edomites screw the pooch down here and pull out? In the meantime all our government does is protect Franklin. It's gotta stop somewhere, especially considering there's no guarantee that they won't take the Imps' side if the balloon goes up again."

"Speaking of, do you know if Franklin is still in the capital?"

"No, they've already sent him back down south again. That's what I mean when I said protect," she said.

They figured out a way to transfer the documents to Chris and then said goodbye. Hsia told him not to contact her in the future, she would contact him.

Once he received the documents, however, Chris faced a different problem other than sifting through stacks of jargon-laden military intelligence reports: he made the mistake of mentioning it to Holly.

"Chris, you can't publish this stuff," she said.

"Why not?"

"It'll make people hate New Edom. They're already starting to," she said.

"That's not up to us, Holly. The public has a right to know," he said, patting the papers. "There's some seriously sick stuff happening down in Arcologia right now."

"Chris, you were there. You saw the Heir's forces gunning down protestors. You saw the war. And then you saw what it took to save the country," she argued. "They're reforming, Chris, those people just don't understand what it's like over there."

"Those people? It's our job to give those people the facts and let them decide, not tell them what to think," Chris said, irritated. "If we're journalists we have to be objective."

"Fine...fine!" Holly said, storming off into the bedroom and locking the door behind her. Chris slept on the couch that night and for several nights after his article was published. The main revelation was that the women and children were being moved to camps for reeducation, which made the Edomites' activities seem all the more sinister.

The protestors started to move towards attacking New Edomite interests in addition to preemptively trying to punish companies that refused to pledge not to outsource. A boycott of the more successful Edomite businesses like Paladin Cinemas began, while smear campaigns began attacking other businesses. Mike's Monkey House was accused of animal cruelty, while 100% Pure Beef, already targeted by Adiran food safety inspectors, was ridiculed. The obvious joke was "Less than 50% Pure Beef," which caught on quickly.

[New Edom]

Damage Control

At the embassy, it was perhaps inevitable that arguments would ensue.

"Saint Rita was not merely a doormat. But she had difficult issues to face and did so with grace, courage and resolve in spite of a lack of power to change them. Obviously modern Edomite women have been blessed by the advantages of industrialism, but you mistake the lesson, young lady' explained the embassy's assistant chaplain. "Saint Rita is a reminder to us that we must be patient, thoughtful and wise in the face of adversity. Surely you believe in patience, thougtulness and wisdom?"

General Ramoth expressed concerns with the Secretary of State's office. "Our government has been working very hard to guarantee regional peace, and we thought we were acting in harmony. I am shocked that your Air Force would directly attack the reputation of our forces in the Plisades rather than having one of your senior officers talk privately with General Hesperinus. It would be wiser in future if that were done. After all Christ teaches us to only air things before the whole community if there is no other way of being heard. I assure you that General Hesperinus is a rough character but an honourable man."

Junior Lieutenant Obadiah Fostus, a young naval officer attached to the Naval Tactical Air Squadron which provided fighter, drone and early warning coverage for the Light Infantry Division, was upheld by Heperinus and by his immediate comanding officer, Commander Joanna Heep, who said, "Unfortunatley when you have a lot of air units moving around at such speeds with so many signals, some will get mixed. Lieutenant Fostus fired a warning shot after all and did not merely engage, and is quite willing to apologize for his mistake. If need be he will apologize in person to the officer who was flying the Redwing that he fired at. He has also been docked two months' pay and confined to base for the time being, with a full re-briefing on the rules of engagement. I am personally making sure all our personnel understand this."

General Hesperinus said to an NENN news reporter, "I am shocked by the poor showing of that journalist lady who came her from Adiron. First of all, she abused my hospitality with her rude ways. And I paid her a very nice compliment. She was frankly being rather seductive, waving her bottom around in tight capris and then not accepting my compliment, perhaps oversensitive. After all I said she had a nice ass! And what pretty lady doesn't like a pat on the bottom now and then?"

He showed the NENN journalists and other foreigners who might want to see the general dispositions. We have set up prefab buildings, yes, for field kitchens, headquarters, signals, hygiene facilities, showers--things which are the barest minimum of civilization. If the CPO is going to hesitate, and this peace process is taking so long, we may be here a while. As for fortifications, yes, after all if a cease fire breaks then where will we be? We are 20,000 against hundreds of thousands. The cease fires in New Othman and in Dengali were constantly threatened.

"I stand by the conduct of my pilots here. They have an extremly difficult job to do, and there have been a mere handful of incidents. Yes we get along better with the Imperium--why? Because the protocols go beyond this mission. Neveretheless I have been instructed to behave as a neutral and I do. I cannot help it if the Adirans do not invite my officers and NCOs to supper like gentlemen."

[Hittanryan]

The Fourth Estate

The reporter who Hesperinius had harassed, Maria Withers, only hit right back when she heard his account of things. "So he's both a liar and a pervert. Can't say I'm surprised. Did you know two years ago he entered into an arranged marriage with a nineteen year old girl? And he's already gotten her pregnant twice? I think it's abundantly clear what the good general thinks of women. Feel sorry for any who are serving under him." She then posted a word-for-word account of the incident on social media, in which no advances were made by Withers at any point. Her crew then verified it.

Assemblyman Tomas Alvarado was in his office when his aide Al burst through the door looking badly winded. "Tom...saw...in...in the..." he said, completely out of breath.

"Al, take it easy, what is it?" Tom asked, holding a hand up and taking another sip of coffee. When Al tossed the paper on the table, Tom abruptly choked on his drink and started coughing violently. "What the...what the actual fuck?!"

The headline read Foreign Relations Experience: the Princess and the MA. There was an older picture of Mara next to a photo of Tom. It had finally caught up with him. Claiming many saw Tom and Mara flirting at the WA, it included an account by embassy staff of Tom coming to the Edomite embassy late at night, somewhat intoxicated, spending the night with Mara, and having a pleasant breakfast the next morning together. The article concluded that the fling had ended some time ago, as they hadn't been seen together since Mara's first marriage. However, it noted that Tom had been seen in the company of another pretty Edomite woman during the King's birthday celebration. He must have a thing for Edomite ladies, the article speculated.

The closest thing the government came to commenting on the matter was stating that the intimate details of an MA's personal life, particularly a matter in the past before entering public service, was irrelevant to his ability to govern. The media and the Internet, on the other hand, commented more liberally. Gossip shows made jokes out of it, talking about making a cute couple. Others, however, were shocked that New Edom's living saint had once had cheap drunken sex with a cute guy she met at a bar. That prompted the gossip columns to dredge up more accounts of Mara's past life. Political commentators, on the other hand, pointed out that Tom had been a member of the party sent to negotiate with New Edom during the Palisades Crisis. Given that he had a thing for Edomite women, how objective was he really?

As the protests and controversies continued, the larger media personalities began commenting on events as well beyond news coverage. On Political Capital the analysts stayed on the subject for virtually the entire hour.

One of the analysts was Carmen Fletcher, a woman who looked to be in her late fifties with blond hair and a distinguished manner about her. "I think people have underestimated New Edom for a long time, really. It was in the news plenty but it was always so far away. Now that they're involved here in Ceti, people are suddenly taking a harder look at what they're doing."

"I think they're doing what they can in a difficult and dangerous situation," said Kevin Koch, an older man with a crown of white hair who had been defending the President's position. "Remember they're allied with the Imperium. It probably would've been an easier choice for them to simply support their ally, but they very clearly didn't do that."

"But that's not all they've done, Kevin," Fletcher replied, holding up a finger. "If you look at these recent treaties, they're steadily expanding throughout the region. In the Treaties of Padan and Svarvard, they lay claim to mineral rights in South Ceti, Ahara, and Ghant. They also stipulate recognition of New Edom's...right to conduct military operations off the Ghantish coast, the Ura Sea, within Ahara, Gloria Regian waters, within Dengali, and within Ashab. Does that not strike you as a bit, shall we say, ambitious?"

"And that doesn't even get into what they're doing with some of those military forces," said Neil Zimmerman, a man with a rather full white beard and head of hair. "They've issued an ultimatum to Gloria Regis threatening to impose a blockade, which I think could be a precursor to a regime change effort similar to that carried out by Pahath-Moab. In Ashab their forces were supporting a rebellion against the Anjideen government seemingly without consideration for that faction's support of terrorism in Ayaca. And now, most recently, they've begun a determined effort to wipe out the Arvo people."

"It's fair to ask whether they're the kind of people we can trust to broker a fair peace," Fletcher said.

"Well the CPO hasn't exactly stepped up. The peacekeepers were supposed to have been mobilized weeks ago," Koch pointed out.

"Be that as it may, a lot of people are concerned about their human rights record," Fletcher continued. "There are still claims, which have yet to be thoroughly investigated, that the Pahath-Moab government tortured and executed political prisoners. It is public knowledge that a range of political parties are illegal. And both the ACSW statement and the incident with Ms. Withers served as reminders that women's rights are lacking in New Edom."

"While I don't dispute that, human rights are even worse in the Imperium, Deadora, Urdnotia, Akai, Ahara, and Hostillia," Koch tried to argue.

"I agree, they're worse," Zimmerman said. "In fact they're so much worse that we can't even deal with them. We can deal with New Edom. It may be uncomfortable at first, but ultimately it's the right thing to do."

"In fact, they're forging ties with many of those nations you listed," Fletcher pointed out, motioning to Koch. "Through FODE and the recent treaties, they may act as a gateway for progress in nations which are, as you pointed out, even worse."

They continued on a bit of a tangent until they got back to the topic of trying to affect reform in New Edom. Zimmerman finally interrupted Koch as he waffled a bit. "Kevin, I know you believe in the peace, but we're dealing with fundamentally aggressive nations here. The Edomites, like the Imperials, are nationalists, and actually, I would argue that they demonstrate some imperialist tendencies as well. They see their culture, their customs, their religion, their morals, and their entire nations as the pinnacle of civilization. They perceive many threats to these and respond violently to them. They believe that spreading their values and ways of life by force is worth any cost, including widespread loss of life and the destruction of other cultures. After all, they're doing the poor savages a favor by civilizing them."

"Come on, Neil, that seems like a bit of an extreme claim. I could see the Imperium, but the Edomites couldn't conquer the region if they tried. They don't have the resources," Koch said.

"What else could you call what they're doing in Arcologia, then?" Zimmerman fired back. "Who knows what's going on in these camps they're sending the Arvo to? They could be Inquisition concentration camps for all we know."

"And it's not as though we've been hostile to New Edom," Fletcher said. "For years now Adiron has been sending millions in aid to New Edom, both through relief organizations like Isidium and in peacekeeping efforts. We're trading partners, which means we're helping keep the postwar Edomite economy afloat. I don't think the government would be in the wrong here to start asking them to return the favor. So why haven't any of the recent, supposedly Herculean, efforts been focused on human rights?"

The analysts kept going back and forth like that until the hour was up. Offscreen they actually continued to debate among themselves. The experts didn't actually seem to have the answers, but they prompted even more conversations throughout the nation.

Ironically it was the military that seemed to be the most forgiving, despite being in the most immediate danger. Perhaps it was because they understood the reality of military operations. The Air Force communicated that it was satisfied with the disciplinary action levied on Lieutenant Fostus. Colonel Liu at Dalton left it up to the Redwing pilot, Lieutenant Jean Montgomery, to decide if Fostus needed to issue an apology. When she was told about Fostus' punishment, she said "Grounded two whole months? Damn. No, he's paying for it enough." She added that she had no desire to publicly humiliate the man for a mistake by subjecting him to a media circus. Montgomery's wishes were then relayed to Hesperinius and Heep. It was further clarified that the Air Force had not issued a press statement about the incident, but rather it reached the media due to 'failures in information security.' In other words, it leaked because in the heat of the moment word spread too rapidly to contain.

[Hittanryan]

Green Grassroots and High Tides

Green protests began to follow in the wake of the SDP's internal turmoil. Picketers blocked access to a number of Thorco affiliated gas stations out of opposition to the Eskura project. These were fairly ragged bands of activists who simply wanted to hurt Thorco's business and raise awareness. A more organized Green protest took place in New Laconia, with several hundred people marching on the Assembly. Despite the granola appearance of many of the protestors, the event was highly organized, much more so than the Puerto Rojas march on Terranova Street. Protestors arrived in advance by train, flyers had been distributed around the city, and in media appearances nearly every protestor interviewed was consistently on-message.

Once the march reached its destination, high-profile speakers emerged from the crowd. David Plumley was one of two men considered the fathers of Adiran environmentalism and had a national park named after him. By now pushing eighty, he spoke in his ponderous, measured tone about the need to balance economic progress against the damage caused to the environment, and further added that the Edomites didn't seem to have any appreciation for what they might destroy in northern Ghant. Plumley spoke of old growth forests hundreds of years old, unspoiled by human development and virtually irreplaceable. He further spoke of the wanton carelessness of Old Ceti which heedlessly overexploited its natural resources, clear-cutting its forests, depleting its soils, blasting away its mountains, draining its wetlands, and destroying its ecosystems with careless pollution. Eventually, he said, the resources were depleted, and the short-term unsustainable growth came crashing down. He concluded by urging people not to allow the same reckless greed to win out again.

Somewhat embarrassingly for the government, Green Assemblywoman Sara Paquin stepped up as another keynote speaker. A hero to more devoted environmentalists, Paquin looked like the sort of woman who didn't know what makeup or conditioner was. As always when the Assembly wasn't in session, she was relatively dressed down, wearing a non-designer label button down and blue jeans. it was Paquin who formally announced the protest's central demand and seemingly implicating the Green Party in its organization. The protest's central demand was that President DeGroot support the Ghantish EPA in subjecting the Eskura oil project to full scrutiny. Thorco was an Adiran company and Ghant was an Adiran ally, and that meant it was DeGroot's responsibility to ensure that Adiran firms fully complied with their environmental regulations. This would mean the Eskura planners would need to conduct full environmental impact studies in every area they planned to develop, hold public hearings opening up the plans to public debate, and allow regulators to deny aspects of the project deemed overly speculative.

Protests continued throughout Adiron. The SDP was the largest party in the Assembly, so accordingly there were more protests organized by their supporters. Access was blocked by picketers to several Paladin Cinemas locations in big cities, with picket signs decrying the company for being complicit in Edomite government censorship. Activist groups began to seek out media appearances.

That wasn't to say the protest movement was particularly united or coherent. Jim Navarette witnessed a human rights protest descend into a debate on SDP politics. "Listen, Saito's opening a bottle of champagne every day we fight among ourselves," one of the leaders, a somewhat chunky man with a beard pointed out. "If we don't have this settled by the time of the election, we're screwed." There were some nods of agreement.

"You can't scare people into line. People are allowed to disagree," a woman with long dark hair with blue streaks said, jabbing her finger at him. A small group loudly supported her.

"So you'd cost us the election? You know the Libs won't stop the outsourcing," the first man pressed.

"No, they won't. They won't listen to us. That's why I'm petitioning our party. They're supposed to be for labor rights and against shipping jobs to hellholes with sweatshops," the woman replied. This went back and forth for some time.

By this point the Edomites would begin to receive inquiries directly. The South Ceti Tribal Federation (SCTF) was the largest tribal advocacy group in Adiron and began writing to Ambassador Ramoth. Their four main questions were as follows:

1. What was the military necessity of attacking civilian settlements in the Diols?
2. If the villages were believed to be pirate hubs, what evidence supported that?
3. Under what conditions were the displaced Arvo peoples being held?
4. What was New Edom doing to prevent the destruction of tribal culture in the Ura Sea?

If Ramoth deflected their inquiries or the answers he did provide consistently failed to satisfy the SCTF, they would go more or less to the source. They began a letter-writing campaign primarily directed to the Edomite Ministry of Defense, Foreign Ministry, and Council of Ministers. If they received no satisfactory replies, they would go to the press and let protest groups know that New Edom was unresponsive to concerns about tribal welfare.

[New Edom]

The New Edomite Embassy
New Laconia

Mr. Pagiel Camon bustled into the office, taking off his coat and putting aside his elegant walking stick. His long narrow face was frowning, his balding round head gleaming in the light. "Morning," he said to the receptionist in the office. She was a midle aged woman wearing a light cotton jacket that was currently laced shut and nothing else, in case she had to go downstairs and deal with the general public, but otherwise the upper executive floors were clothing optional.

"His Excellency in?" he asked.

"Yes sir, and he said to go right in," said the woman with a faint smile. "are those lunatics all still out there?"

"Are you joking? I needed to request a police escort to ge through them," Camon said with a grimace. "Tea fresh?"

"Yes sir," she said, rising to fill him a cup, stirring the honey for him.

"Thank you, Seraphina," he said with a nod, taking his cup and saucer and managing somehow to carry this and his briefcase headed into the Ambassador's ofice.

General Ramoth's office was a large one with a hearth in case of cold, a large oaken desk, and several comfortable armchairs. A painting of Perrin Pahath-Moab, looking thoughtfully at the painter was on one wall. The marriage portrait of the King and Queen was on another, and yet another showed the 19th Century Battle of Sterry, with Cornellian Imperial troops clashing with Queen Adah's Royal Army. If you peered at the center background, you could see Cetian troops arriving on the coast in the distance.

"Good morning, Camon," said Ramoth, who was siting at his desk looking over papers with a magnifying glass, for he was poor of sight and din't believe in wearing glasses. He felt they were unhealthy.

"Morning sir," said Camon. "have you had tea?"

"I have, Camon," said Ramoth, looking back at the paper he was examining, which was a map of the Lesser Diols.

"Good..." Camon maneuvered his briefcase down and managed to sit without shaking his cup too much, though a litlt mint tea droplet or two flicked his cuff, and he tsked in irritation. "And you've seen the papers?"

"I have seen them, Camon," sighed Ramoth, trying to focus on the map.

"in bed with New Edom," said Camon, shaking his head.

"What?" said Ramoth.

"What they are saying about Alvarado, that Assemblyman, slept with the Queen before she was Queen," said Camon. "Among other things..."

"Vulgar things," Ramoth growled. "Musn't say these vulgar things about her, Camon. But what can we do about it?"

"You and I, Excellency, are of the habit of wondering what the Boy General would have done in our place," said Camon.

Ramoth nodded, lowering the magnifying glas. "We are. I am. I will." he stood up and looked at the painting, walking towards it, looking up at those mysterious dark eyes. "He was right as right could be that when there is danger to the state, it is those who have the courage to risk their lives for it who most merit respect and must be called upon in those times. I have had other messages, Camon. From Prince Enoch, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Minister of Defense...all wondering what I shall do, all advising me of what I should do. But my orders from the King are very clear and I shall carry them out."

"Very sensible, sir," said Camon. "May I recommend calling in the Press Adviser?"

"You may not," said Ramoth sternly. "I have made it clear that I do not wish to see that...gentleman..until he knows how to conduct himsel at my table."

"Yes sir," said Camon. "If one were to have...well...had a conversation with him, and one were to have sen a nuggest of wisdom in one of his remarks..if it were simply floated as a hypothetical..."

"Oh very well, Camon," sighed Ramoth, looking away reluctantly from Pahath-Moab's portrait. "What does the fellow say?"

"Well, sir, he has suggested that we coordinate with the government and have a press conference to clear up the concerns," said Camon. "I took the liberty of consulting with the staff of some of the members of the Council of Ministers' concerned with this business..." Ramoth looked at him sharply, and he corrected himself, "Er, the matters of state at hand, and managed to impress upon Captain Peleg in particular the importance of keeping this, er, in house as it were. Though they may wish to forward some advice."

"As long as it is confined to that," said Ramoth. "The King promised me I would not be puppetized and divided like a piece of halvah," Ramoth said firmly.

"Thank you sir," said Camon. "Well in a nutshell then the idea is this: for you, General Hesperinus and myself to appear at this press conference, and for representatives of the Adiran groups conerned about the issues that have been raised to be permitted to come as well. I think this would help clear things up a great deal. Um, there is one other thing..."

Ramoth looked at him steadily. "What is it? Spit it out."

"The Queen wants to make a public address about the news, she is very upset, but has been advised to say nothing atthis time in the strongest possible terms by His Majesty and others. I...well the press adviser is dubious about that."

"And quite right they were," said Ramoth, shocked. "For the Queen's character to be impugned in this manner is unthinkable. I have only withheld my censure on the advice of the Foreign Minister who has urged me to say nothing for the time being, all we are saying is 'the matter is being looked into and it is requested that the Queen's person be respected." Disgraceful."

"The press adviser suggests that the cultural gap betwen New Edom and Adiron, given the importance of a number of policies.." Camon said, holding up a placating hand.

"I will not countenance any statement, and will certainly not advise Her Majesty contrary to what the King has said! No!" Ramoth said, not hsouting but raising his voice to a parade ground snap.

"Yes sir," said Camon, inclining his head. "May I suggest we begin planning matters fo rthe press conference then?"

A message was sent out later to: Adiran press as relevant to the case, particularly Maria Withers and Chris Olsen, to the South Ceti Tribal Federation, the relevant cabinet offices of the Adiran government, the Greens, the relvant feminst groups, and to foreign press or diplomats who would care to attend, containing an invitation. There would be a series of public statemnts made and a question and answer period which would feature General Ramoth, General Hesperinus, Admiral Esarhaddon, Mr. Pagiel Camon (the Diplomatic Affairs Attache), as well as other members of the embassy and military mission staff. There would be a buffet lunch as well. The embasy's ballroom would be the site as it would be large enough to hold at least three hundred people comfortably.

Meanwhile, the South Ceti Tribal Federation was responded to courteously. Their questions would be answered in public at the embassy so that other parties concerned could hear their responses.

[Hittanryan]

ACSW Headquarters
New Laconia, Adiron

The Council was mostly preparing to make its case to the CPO and OCS. Their goal was to form a committee which could oversee the investigations they called for previously or, if all three nations refused, to make democratic nations aware of the abuses which continued unabated. The press conference would, however, make an ideal platform to keep up the pressure, so they accepted the invitation. They were sending Valerie Ko, the girlish-looking South Acheron Director, and Peter Danforth, one of the Council's press officers.

"I'm telling you this is going to be about as transparent as a brick wall," Ko said to Chairwoman Benitez the day before. "They're almost all military officers."

"Nevertheless we were invited," Dorothy said, sipping on a cup of tea. "More importantly there's going to be Q&A. If there's no 'A' then that's what we say happened. By the way, I heard...who's that reporter, covered the last civil war in New Edom?"

"Oh I know who you mean. That younger one, good looking guy...what's his name again?" Ko said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Olsen," Dorothy said after checking. "Christopher Olsen, anyway, he's going to be there."

"I dunno, he might be a bit young for me," Ko mused a bit dreamily.

Rolling her eyes, Dorothy said "No, no. There was a woman working with him named Lemay, she did a series on postwar New Edom. I think we should tap her to be our girl over there."

"Wait...not that bimbo?" Ko asked incredulously, eyebrow raised.

"She has access and connections. Reportedly she's friendly with Queen Mara herself. Plus, she's not an avowed feminist. That's liable to spook the more paranoid Edomites."

Ko began to say "I bet she knows absolutely nothing about the issues..."

"...so she'll probably just do what we tell her," Dorothy interrupted with a knowing look.

Ko seemed to understand now. "She won't take the lead, she'll just get the investigators in the door."

"Bingo," Dorothy said. "I want you and Pete to try to find Olsen there and see if he can connect you. Don't forget to wear something nice."

Valles Port

At his apartment Chris Olsen had taken to picking up after Holly; he was still in the doghouse, after all. Glasses and mugs left out made their way into the sink, shoes were shunted out of the doorway, and he began to consolidate the things she still had yet to unpack. Following an unceremonious dinner consisting of Hostillian takeout, Chris was doing the dishes when he heard Holly exclaim "Oh my god!"

She came out, staring at her phone with her mouth hanging open. "I can't believe them, those...ugh!"

"What? What is it?" Chris asked, shutting off the water so he could hear.

"Queen Mara's Wild Past," she read the headline, followed by the introductory sentence, voice rather shaky as she contained her outrage. "Though today renowned for her charity work and peace efforts while living the life of an ascetic, Queen Mara Obed until recently lived a life full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. In addition to the fling with Assemblyman Alvarado, new sources have come forward claiming the Queen also participated in wild orgies in Cacerta after she was crowned."

"I can't believe those paparazzi creeps would go after Mara like this! Those bastards!" Holly almost shouted, letting her phone clatter on the coffee table. "She does so much to put that life behind her..."

"You mean that story's true? I thought it was just gossip," Chris asked, resuming the dishes, keeping the water lower so he could hear her.

"She told me..." Holly said, collapsing on the couch, stretched out on her back.

"I thought that was just rumor, stuff spread by the Heir and Under during the Civil War," Chris said, rinsing off one last plate and opening the dishwasher.

"No...she talked about it. She's not ashamed of what she did, but she wants to move on from it. That's part of why she's so religious now, it helps her control her passions," she said. "She always said it keeps her from losing control."

Chris walked over to the couch. When Holly sat up to make room, he started to massage her shoulders. She continued, the tension in her voice slowly evaporating. "Mara didn't tell me his name, but she actually told me about Alvarado too. It wasn't just some trashy hookup like these jerks are making it out to be," she said, referring to the articles. "She actually liked him, said she still does. They actually had some chemistry. She doesn't know how it would've turned out if things didn't get so complicated that year or they didn't lead such different lives."

"Mara's been through a lot. Have you talked to her lately?" Chris asked, hands moving up to her neck.

"Sure, but I didn't know what to do about all this..." she said, letting her head loll forward a bit.

"It probably helps just having a friend she can talk to, especially with everything going on," he said. "Listen, I'm invited to that press conference at the embassy. You should come with me."

"Hmm?" Holly mumbled, now languid.

"I know how worried you've been about this latest New Edom stuff. I bet if you got back in the action again, you'll start to feel better," he offered.

She leaned back and kissed him. "Thanks, Chris." They talked for a bit longer. She hadn't forgotten the reason she was upset with him. Though Chris didn't apologize for doing his job per se, he explained that now the Edomites had decided to go on record in the face of pressure. That meant less speculation and hopefully less fear, assuming the press conference went well. But what could go wrong?

At the very least he didn't sleep on the couch again that night.