Freedom From Fear (ATTN Conglomerate, ODECON)

[Anemos Major]

“It’s two in the morning.” Hearing the voice behind him, the uniformed man stopped at the doorway, bag in hand. “Where are you going?”

“… I’ve been mobilised.”

“Mobilised? But you’re on one month leave. What can they possibly want from you now?”

“… I don’t know. All they told me was that I’d be commanding the Battalion again; I think it’s war.”

“…What about our holiday?” The man looked down uncomfortably, and eventually, the woman behind him sighed. “Sorry. I’m not helping, am I.”

“We’ve only been married for four months. I can understand why you’re annoyed, and I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll leave the Army after this, find another job. I don’t want you to suffer every time the Army moves into action.”

“No. Don’t. I’m proud of what you do, and I promised to stand by you in everything you did.”

“But I don’t want to have to leave at two in the morning like this all the time. These days, though, with the Army, it’s not like there’s much choice.”

“Selenyr, I don’t mind. I know you do what you do for your country. It might be inconvenient for us, but it’s because of those noble intents that I married you; I don’t want you to cast them away for me, of all people. I just want you to promise that you won’t do anything reckless if it comes to the worst.”

“Don’t worry. I promise I won’t; you mean the entire world to me.” They stood, slightly distant, for a single moment, and eventually, the husband pushed the door open and left.

Major Selenyr Ostrofendis, CiC High Lord’s Pennant Bearers Battalion. He was just one of many who would be pulled back to their units that fateful night. On the horizon, in the corner of his eye, he could see the towering spires of the Imperial Citadel, gleaming ominously amidst the darkened night sky. Somewhere, somewhere within the depths of the Citadel, within the Halls of Solitude, a single boy stood, clad in the robes of a dynasty too heavy for his shoulders, reflecting upon his decision to go to war.

The Second Holy Empire of Anemos Major/Ei Imperyr Divinatei Dinstei dei Etatyr Anemonei
Holy Office of Foreign Affairs/Directoratyr dei Incinits Externei

Morality is a curious thing. In the context of modern politics and amidst the open oceans of today’s warring world, it is a word with a lost cause, with no place in the hearts of those who have set out to raze the ground about them to the ground in the name of gain and personal profit, in the name of greed and lust and exploitation. But those who have cast it away have unknowingly cast away the compassion and care that is the shining example of what should be the cornerstone of human society. And yet, one after another, like mindless sheep, lost and wandering over the barren terrain, so many join the ranks of the ruthless, casting aside their identities one by one to join a system, to join the ranks of the legions of the heartless in an unending quest to exploit and profit until there is nothing left to gain. And it will only be amidst the hellish, inferno of a dystopia that has been created by aeons of human greed and corrupted immorality that the last human will realise that he has brought about his own demise.

We are a beacon, shining bright. In the face of slavery and cruelty so unspeakably atrocious, in the face of brutal, archaic practices and the mindset of savage selfishness and mindless, boundless jealousy, it is the last of its kind, shining bright. It is with a heavy heart we string the bow of justice and board our vessels to cross the wide ocean with the intent to wage war, but a heart saddened not only by the prospect of war but by the knowledge that it is also an unavoidable war, to purge the world of the evils perpetrated by men ready to cast aside morality and human conscience in the name of profit and gain. And it is our ardent hope that others will turn away from the darkness and step into the light, swords shining bright, as we embark on this greatest of struggles in the name of what is truly important, and in the name of a morality that the world has seemingly forgotten amidst the chaos of competition and bitter rivalry.
We stand united, in the face of adversity. It is the Holy Empire’s honour to announce that it will be stepping forth to join the ranks of the Oceanic Defence Coalition in its stand against the mindless violence and tyrannical rule of the corrupt Conglomerate who, even now, stand behind the wall of old and tattered words and papers writ in noble times but cast into decadence since by their doings, by their immorality and their continued descent into inhumanity through the mindless wielding of the weapons of death and the annexation and slavery of countless, faceless human beings, all in the hope of attaining a material greatness, horribly warped and twisted in meaning by the jealousy and greed that commands the nations of the Conglomerate.

Spears in hand and shields before us,
Loyalty unto death.

His Imperial Majesty Thryn Erenthi I, High Lord of the Second Holy Empire of Anemos Major

[Castleclose]

Closian Embassy,
13 St. Constantine's Promenade,
Constantinoplolis Secundus
New Chalcedon

"Ok thanks Will. Enjoy the Saurean weather. Ok bye." Larkin hung up the phone. He checked the clock on his desk 'Ok the time is about right.' He proceeded to dial another number into the phone and waited the few moments for the encryption to finish.

Clasdon Diet Hall,
Clasdon,
Castleclose

"PM's office. Colin Fairbanks speaking." "Colin how nice to hear you again. It's Argent, how are you?" "Perfectly fine sir. And you?" "Oh I'm fine just been busy. Tell me is Lynch in?" "Yes the PM is here." "Is he having lunch?" "Yes." "Could you tell him I would politely like a word with him?" "Please hold." Colin pushed the intercom on his desk "Sir Argent Larkin is on line 3 for you." "Thank you Colin put him through." Colin pressed the button on the phone and he started counting. After twelve he heard the sound of a cup hitting the door and a very loud "You Son of a Bitch."

Closian Embassy,
13 St. Constantine's Promenade,
Constantinoplolis Secundus
New Chalcedon

"Now, now Garret. No need for that language." "What do you mean no need for that language? You went behind my back to negotiate a treaty throughout the region that could lead to military action. I should have you fucking shot for this." 'Oh yeah cause the last time worked so well' "We have to do it. It's all set up and if you turn your back now you will look like a coward." "Fuck you Larkin. Let's get our superior to see about this?"

Clasdon Winter Palace,
Clasdon,
Castleclose

"Your Majesty, PM Lynch and Argent Larkin are on the phone for you." "Let me guess" Edmund closed his eyes and held a hand to his head "they are bickering about something?" "You are correct sir. Here you go."

"Ok gentlemen before you start please note I have just had a two hour long meeting with Julian Hadron so make it short." They filled him in. "Ok then here is my decision. Two choices. One, Lynch makes the announcement and then Larkin takes a forfeit." "What sort of forfeit?" "Whatever I see fit." "Two, I fire Larkin for misconduct and dissolve the Diet so Lynch is out of a job. Then while your civilians I have you drafted and put through the most rigours training regime on earth. So gents One or Two?"

There was silence down the phone for a minute. "Option One." "Yeah me too." "Ok Gents option One it is. Larkin your forfeit is to get back to Clasdon and I will fill in the rest. Lynch type up something special."

To: Leadership of ODECON and Conglomerate
From: Garret Lynch, Prime-Minister of Castleclose
RE: Escapikickass
Encryption: -1 (Open/Civilian)

Dear Sirs/Madams

This letter is on behalf of the governments of Escapikickass. We would wish for you to acknowledge the region's neutrality meaning that we do not wish to see any fighting in our region. Due to this region being the home of members of both your organisations we wish to discourage from attempting any aggressive moves within the region.

Any violent actions within the region will be reciprocated in kind.

Yours Sincerely,

Garret Lynch, P.M.

[Jenrak]

Graciousness be to Enkur
and his wit, his intelligence, and his kindness,
the one God who deserves the most veneration.

My first of Generals has noted to me of the offer by the President Brachmeier to hold peace talks. Given that it was my initial intentions beforehand, I will be willing to hold peace talks. However, due to particular circumstances, peace talks must be held in my bastion of Sasz Kerenuk on the Methronnian mainland. Furthermore, all ODECON representatives of every ODECON member are allowed to attend and provide their input.

On the other hand, all Conglomerate members are eligible to join the talks. If you accept this, President Brachmeier, I will be holding it shortly within the next few days. And until then, I will order withholding all Amalgamate forces from firing upon ODECON vessels, and I expect that your piracy is tempered.

Should you accept, details and information will be sent in regards to the address and the time of the meetings. I will vouch for your presence in the Amalgamate based on my legitimacy.

Yours truly,
His Most Beautiful,
Sephilia Tezekilth,
Queen of the Amalgamate.

[The World Soviet Party]

Diplomatic Communique

The Republic of Osthafen hereby informs all of the involved nations that any action taken against Osthafenite shipping will constitute an act of war against the Republic and will be responded in kind.

From the desk of the Lord Chancellor,
The Most Honourable Bernhard Von Rottestadt.

[Nakh]

Truly agree with your assessment!

[Ustio North]

St. Stanmore Air Force Base
150 Miles Outside Of Artorius, Ustio

The air was clear and the skies quiet around St. Stanmore. It was normally like this here. The old airbase, still with flak guns and outdated bloodhound SAM sites dotted here and there, had been unused for about 40 years. Rusted airframes of piston-engined aircraft sat untended to, dying quietly. It was a metaphor for the Imperial Republic, really; untended to, dying slowly and quietly, trying desperately to cling to life.

Although, it was now that there were people at Stanmore. Ground crews, pilots and the like had been working to get what remained of the old control tower functional for over a week now, and having just got it working, the Bears had returned to Stanmore. The Tu-95s, also old and a bit on the rusty side, now lined the flightline, ground crews attending to them and repairing damage that they had suffered over the years of neglect, in favour of the more advanced Tu-22Ms and Tu-160s. They had been all but scrapped, and now these two dozen aircraft were the very last still capable of flight within Imperial borders. And for some ungodly reason, someone high up had said they should be put to good use before they were scrapped completely. How or what good use they expected from them was unknown to all on the ground, and indeed, outside of the person who said it. But these were the orders, so they would be flying again.

Approaching the base by a winding, unkempt road, a small convoy rolled quickly and carefully along. Led by a black Rover SD1, two trucks followed close behind, with a UAZ-469 following behind them. They pulled onto the tarmac before the row of Bears, and the screeching of Rover brakes signalled the convoy coming to a halt. From the rear of the trucks, personell clad in flight suits and helmets disembarked, whilst another pilot, wearing a similar dull grey flight suit and with a helmet tucked under his arm, stepped out of the Rover, closing the door with little appreciation for the car itself. He stepped to one side, looking at the row of Bears before him.

"Jesus sweet Christ" he muttered under his breath, moving over to the nearest one. It was unattended, and looked to be in near mint condition from the outside. He ran his hand along the black rubber of the front tyre, moving further under the aircraft "They actually want us to fly these Goddamn things?"

"Yes, we do" a voice answered him. The man looked around, unstartled by the fact that someone had been listening to his mutterings. A man, dressed in the black uniform, hat and cloth bandage mask that one typically associated with a Seneschal, stepped out from behind the rear wheels of the aircraft "And we expect you to keep such remarks to yourself, Group Captain"

The man considered answering back. In fact, it took all of his energy not to fire off a sarky comment at the Seneschal. Instead, he simply saluted - weakly - and said nothing.

"There is nothing wrong with these aircraft, Group Captain" the Senschal continued "They will excell at the job they will be performing. As will you."

"Of course, sir" the Group Captain replied, half-heartedly. The Seneschal handed him a piece of paper, presumably his orders, and then walked off without a second glance back at him. Once he was out of earshot, the Captain muttered under his breath; "Arsehole"

Having read his orders, he stepped back over to the group of pilots assembled before him. Seeing that he was about to make an pseudo-official announcement, a few of them quietened down and hinted to their fellows to do the same. After a moment, they were silent.

"Gentlemen, you've been brought here, to St. Stanmore, because you all have experience with strategic bombers, such as these" Captain Samia began "I'm sure you know what we're going to be doing, so I suggest you get to work re-familiarising yourself with these Tu-95's. Targets are ODECON nations, beginning with the Federal Republic of Lesitung. Get to it"

They scattered, each heading for a different aircraft, and Samia headed for the mess hall in search of a stiff drink. Or any drink, come to think of it.

____________________

Imperial Air Force Bomber Flight
Callsign: Ravager
International Waters, approaching Haven

The hum of turboprop engines filled the air as the three Tu-95 Bears emerged from a cloud bank, over the sea that led into southern Haven. At about 35,000 feet and still a good 500 miles out, they were still a way off yet. However, if their direction finding was up to speed, they were in the right place. Samia checked his gauges - everything was normal. Yet he was uncomfortable. All he had to do was fly to the edge of Haven territory, and fly back. It seemed so simple, yet the Leistungi were likely to kick up a fuss about three enemy bombers flying around their borders. Still, if they opened fire, they would be declaring the aggression between ODECON and The Conglomerate. He ajusted his oxygen mask, keeping the aircraft on course with his free hand

"Ravager One to all Ravagers" he said over the radio "We're now approaching into Haven territory. Be advised that not all Haven nations are enemies of The Conglomerate, so check your fire. And don't fire unless fired upon either. Out"

Returning to his own plane, he watched the skies and waited for Haven fighters to appear on their own RADAR.

[The Wolf Hold]

Official statement from the Office of the Marshall
To: Open statement | CC: N/A | Subject: Securing the future

I now see it was one of my finer moments when I decided to withdraw Nidia from the Conglomerate. My predecessor, Marshall Cain would never of made such an error has he know of such blatant support for regimes that openly practice slavery. He certainly wouldn't off and I do not, the Military Federation does not. I hope I have made our intentions clear by seizing the slaver ship which passed so close to our waters. The deaths of those slavers was a victory scored in the name of oppressed peoples all across the world, peoples who It is obvious to me now, the Conglomerate intends to keep suppressed. Whilst we welcome the recent deceleration from the government of Brewmedonia, this doesn't exonerate the Conglomerate from sheltering a great deal of other, more horrific crimes.

Genocide, unprovoked nuclear strikes, extortion and terrorism all on top of slavery are crimes the Conglomerate is directly guilty of perpetrating. They have until now been held un-accountable for their actions. they wish to be seen as a joined super state and justly, by their wishes we will judge them as such. The Military Federation will no longer stand idly by and watch as this so called "super-state" spits in the faces of freedom loving people all across the world. So in tandem with our allies in ODECON we declare a state of open conflict between the Military Federation of Nidia and the member-states of the Conglomerate.

Our brothers in the Armed Republic of Salzland have already said a lot that needs to be said. We fight today to make amends for our apathy so far. To the countless families that live in utter despair and sadness because of our apathy, I know my apologies will never restore what you have lost but I promise you that I will avenge your losses and make the world a safer place for a children. If that requires me to burn down the entire Conglomerate, then so be it, that is the punishment they have brought upon themselves.

My final words go to the leaders of the Conglomerate nations themselves. Cower in the shadows while you may, we will find you. Our great engines of battle will lay waste to your twisted accomplishments. Where are armies tread, there will only be death and lamentations in their wake. Our mighty forces will crack open your defenses, lay siege to your capitals. We will bring this war to your doorsteps. We will raise our mighty banner on city after city. Victory and glory our are vanguard, our guiding light. The foul practices that you represent will be destroyed. The time for tributes, appeasements and mercy is over.

You have gained our attention and wrought your destruction in doing so. This war has only just begun and we have not yet begun to fight, but by the end you will of paid for your errors.

Marshall in Command of the Military Federation Marcus Fell

Port Palla Naval Command- Port Palla- Nidia


A red glow was cast across the deep blue waters of city. Rising in the east, the sun was just peaking above the horizon. Painting the sky and sea with its brilliant orange. The red, cloudless sky was filled with small black dots, as the airbases of Nidia disgorged their charges. Thousands of aircraft had taken to the skies as they transferred to their carriers waiting just out to sea, the large constructs forming another black line on the horizon. In the harbours, dockyards and ship berths of the naval base the great machines of war Fell had referred to slipped from their homes, a low rumble filling the air as hundreds of warships began to make for the open ocean. Throughout out the city, despite the early hour people had gathered to watch this awesome spectacle, this display of military might.

A young army captain stood on the roof of his apartment block with his family and neighbours, eyes fixed out to sea. All of them were wrapped up in big, warm coats to save themselves from the brisk wind that whipped over the buildings. The captain gained more than a few glances and whispers from people on the roof, his long, black trench coat a dead giveaway as to his job. He himself realized the implications of what he was seeing. He was scared, frightened beyond all comprehension. Nidia had faced conflict before but not on such a scale, not with such implications. A part of him wanted peace to win out but then again, he had seen the news, the reports. The Conglomerate must be brought to justice, and he was more then willing to give his life to save the future, to protect his little eight year old. His mind then drifted to another of his friend, a captain in the Federal Navy, who was at that very moment, brining his ship into formation

That friend was Captain Nathaniel Roebuck, commander of the NWS Firefox, a brand new Loki class cruiser fresh out of the vast naval construction yards of Port Palla. Hastily completed in time to meet the needs of the most recent conflict that had griped Nidia. Captain Roebuck was less than confident in the abilities of his ship and crew. The whole thing had been hastily put together. A crew thrown together from naval reserves and recalled personnel, no one knew each other and it was very hard to integrate everyone when the ship was still being constructed around you. Work crews and IT technicians were working constantly to finish the ship even as it set off to join the 5th fleet.

Standing in the centre of the bridge, casting an glare around the half completed bridge. All the necessary equipment and systems were present, but wiring was exposed, duct tape held in temporary coverings and the bulk head doors didn't seal. None of this however detracted from the fact it was his ship, his command and the completion of his dream to command one of the most powerful Nidian warships afloat. He stared out of the windows towards the masked 11" guns and forward VLS cells located on the bow, wondering if he would ever have to order those mighty weapons to fire. Glancing down at the small piece of paper in his hands, he guessed he would. Reading that small piece of paper again, he couldn’t help but feel a trickle of trepidation sneak down his spine. The paper read:

Code: Select all

FLASH-----FLASH
TO: 6TH/7TH FLT VESSELS
FRM: JFLTCOM
SUB: ROE CHANGE

-6TH/7TH FLT TO LEAVE PP AND HEAD FOR OPEN SEAS. THEN SPLIT INTO TASK GROUPS AND HEAD TO DESIGNATED SECTORS
-ALL FLT VESSELS TO NOW ACT UNDER ROE DELTA-4-GAMMA. MILCON 2 IS NOW IN EEFECT
-ALL CONG SHIPPING, MILITARY, CIVILLIAN OR OTHERWISE ARE NOW LEGITMATE TARGETS. TARGET AND DESTROY.
-BE ADVISED, ODECON AND ILAS WILL BE OPERATING IN SOME AREAS. THESE ARE ALLIED VESSELS
-FENRIR AND TOR GO WITH YOU

Only time would tell if these orders would prove beneficial to Nidia or not. The eyes of the world were turning and it wouldn't be long before the sparks ignited a fire.

[Brewdomia]

Transmission From The Nexus

ODECON calls for war. Why? To punish us for our supposed injustices that we have committed. The Nexus, contrary to the belief of...some is honorable and always upholds the legalities of documents signed between itself and various other state actors on the international stage. When the NAP was proposed, we had no objections, ODECON was a legitmate organization whose principles included honor and civility. Of course, our perceptions have been betrayed. No, this was not due to propaganda or some belief that our view clouds us of what is right and wrong.

We, believe that ODECON has lost it's sense of honor. Spitting in our face. Tearing up a document we held preciously. ODECON strives for a peaceful world and then scraps a document which held together peace between two, powerful organizations, which could cause utter destruction to us. We ask why, why was peace not even considered an option? Are we that revolting in the eyes of ODECON that basic civilty is not respected?

Before we are lambasted for being hypocrites, you must know, our previous actions...they were irresponsible and regretful. While the nuclear annihilation of West Troptopia was a stain on our reputation, you must know one thing. What if West Troptopia was allowed to continue with their nuclear strike upon Ostronopolis? Ostronopolis would have been devasted, West Troptopia would have been destroyed anyway, but far more lives would have been lost due to inaction. The nuclear fallout would have caused massive famine and destruction in Tyrrenhia and more conflicts would have been sparked for resources. Millions of more graves would have to be dug, all because of the fact West Troptopia was allowed to continue unabated.

What is done is done, for our actions would have saved millions more, something we believe our friends at the Oceanic Defense Coalition do not realize. For we mean no offense, but please consider that there is more to this situation than which meets the eyes. As for the matter of slavery, The practice was abolished several days ago due to the negative effects on the economy, and citzenry of The Nexus.

As of this time, The Grand Adjudicator Of The Nexus, hereby declares a state of immediate conflict between the Oceanic Defense Coalition and The Corporate Nexus Of Brewdomia unless talks for peace or compromise are in place.

[Salzland]

Second Fleet Mobilizing Off Coast of Salzland
(C) Arthur Willington Photography

Republic Navy Puts to Sea
On 'Defensive Posture'... For Now

The Rostgard Tribune
By: Jason Wright, Staff Writer

As tensions between member-states of the Oceanic Defense Coalition and The Conglomerate appear ready to boil over at a moment's notice, elements of the Salzland Navy have been surged forward on what one Defense Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, refered to as an "Aggressively defensive posture." While information regarding precise deployments has been classified, citizens living in costal regions have reported large formations of warships heading to sea in recent days. Armed military aircraft have been sighted flying patrols over major cities, for the first time since tensions with the Eurasian Socialist Republics nearly erupted into a full-scale war. Reports indicate that leaves for active-duty military personnel have been cancelled, reflecting the increasing likelihood of war.

While the possibility remains for a peaceful solution to this crisis, several parties have publicly stated their intent to pursue hostilities regardless of diplomacy. "We just don't see any reason to trust them," a highly-placed Foreign Ministry source stated. "For all of the horrible acts their members have committed in the past, and their continued protestations that the acts of one are not the acts of all, one Conglomerate member launching a crippling first strike during the peace process is by no means outside the realm of possibility. Why wouldn't they try persuading us to drop our guard, then have one 'lone wolf' strike? It's not like they have anything to lose by trying."

For the time being, it appears that only measures aimed at protecting Salzland shipping interests are being actively pursued by the military. Whether, and when, that will shift to offensive operations remains anyone's guess. For the time being, it appears that both sides are content to play the waiting game, to see when the first moves will be made.

**********

SDFS Liberator, Gerald R. Ford-class Carrier
Flagship, Second Fleet
International Waters

For the members of Naval Aviation Squadron 51, the 'Fighting 51st,' the current state of declared but uninitiated hostilities was one much like peacetime. They still flew regular combat air patrols, albeit with live ordinance instead of the traditional blue-painted training munitions. They still had stand-down periods, where the men and women of the 51st would gather in Pilot's Country with the Liberator's other off-duty pilots. The tone of those meetings had changed, from the relatively carefree casualness of peace-time to an undercurrent of tension on the eve of war. No one knew what the next day would bring, and which friends might no longer be there once the conflict truly began.

In the mean time, with the remainder of the Salzland naval forces surged out of port, the Liberator's air wing represented a portion of the sharp end of the spear aimed squarely at the Conglomerate. In all likelihood tens of thousands of aircraft, thousands of escort vessels, and well over one million men and women would be putting themselves on the line in the latest war against tyranny. How many would pay the price for their freedom remained to be seen.

[Leistung]

Official Communiqué of the Oceanic Defense Coalition

To: [Open]
From: Office of the President of ODECON
Subj: Re: Peace talks

With the combination of stressing that our offer was accepted only by the Amalgamate and the reports to my office from the Chancellor of Leistung that foreign aircraft were spotted some five hundred miles south of Haven making a beeline north, it would seem less than obvious that the Conglomerate as a whole is willing to pursue a peaceful resolution at all.

Nevertheless, representatives of ODECON will be dispatched to Sasz Kerenuk in three days. Any action taken against them will be considered an effective act of war, and one which we will not terminate until the unconditional surrender of the entire Conglomerate is presented to us.

Furthermore, ODECON forces will refrain from firing upon Amalgamate forces for the duration of the peace talks.

Very sincerely,


Evan Bachmeier
President of the Coalition

---

St Fontaine AFB
St Fontaine Island, Norfolk Islands
South Haven

“Mission zero-three, vector three-six-zero, flight level two-three-zero; scramble scramble scramble.”

The high pitched whine of the QRA alarm was unmistakable, and within seconds of the announcement, the six F/A-15 Cardinal interceptors stationed at St Fontaine were airborne, afterburners rocketing them into the sky.

The leader of the squadron was on the line a moment later. “St Fontaine control, this is zero-three; vector coordinates requested, over.”

“Zero-three, vector zero-two-two for target.” The air traffic controller at SF AFB glanced once more at the readout being displayed by the AWACS circling over south Haven, comparing it to his own OTH radar array. “Correction, vector zero-two-three.”

“Vector zero-two-three for target, over.” The back and forth went on for a few minutes, changes in bearing sent over secure, frequency hopping radios. “Nothing yet on radar, level at – ah, wait, yes I think I’ve got him – contact at ten right, level. Designate raid one.”

“Raid one confirmed, zero-three.” The controller hesitated for a moment. “Zero-three, can you identify the aircraft.”

“Roger that – three Tu-95s, Ustian markings. The ah, the bomber is nuclear capable obviously.”

“Understood zero-three,” the controller replied, nodding to his superior. The colonel put his finger over his throat and slid it across in a slicing motion. “Zero-three, you have been given full clearance from Falkenberg to engage and destroy raid one before they reach Leistungi airspace. Designate raid one as hostile. Lock and fire.”

“Roger that; zero-three engaging.” The lead Cardinal’s pilot flicked the red switch directly before him, arming his missiles. The aircraft’s fire control radar received a lock a moment later. “Zero-three, fox two.” He squeezed the trigger, sending the IIR-guided missile on a beeline for the lead bomber. It was met by two others from his wingmen, and soon after, three more from the second group of interceptors.

[Abruzi]

As promised the First MEU (SOC) and several additional cruisers and SSNs steamed out of Abruzian national waters at 0800 hours on the morning of April 17th. Cruising at a steady speed into international waters a course was set for Sanctuary which was about a month away at a quick pace. The sleek metal gray forms sliced through the sea and aboard the large instruments of war the Marines of the First Marine Expeditionary Unit passed away the time.

Peter Saoud slowly cleaned his M-16 service rifle, the sleek gun was like an extension of his body having forged this link during the intense training that accompanied enlistment in the Marine Corps. The small cabin he shared with several other Marines was a mess of sleeping bodies and random gear such as language books, Kevlar helmets, body armor, surf boards and other odd things the Marines carried with them.

Slipping the gun back together Saoud set it down on his bunk and slowly rose, he walked out of their cluttered space and up to the top deck of the troop transport ship they sailed upon. The sun was hot and almost forced Saoud back inside, raising his hand to block out the glaring orb he approached a group of Marines and Sailors crowded around a radio set. Pushing his way to the front Saoud quickly heard the announcement that peace talks were underway and that a tentative cease fire was in place.

Groaning with the rest of the Marines Saoud quickly snapped to attention as a Lieutenant strode heading for the "war room" which was really just the officer's mess hall. As the officer disappeared from view Saoud and the other Marines broke up to head below again, it was only the first out of about twenty one to thirty days they would be confined to the hulking boxy ship.

[LOVE DOG]

Official Statement from the King of the Helvacas Commonwealth, the United Dominion:

Greetings. The peace talks will not only have a single person to talk for the Conglomerate. There will be another soul at these talks. The United Dominion will be there. But my father, Caesar Jason Scotus Lupus, will not be there for too many reasons that I could list in this message. As the location of said peace talks, I will be at these talks as the voice of the United Dominion.

To Queen Sephilia, as you know about my race, I request that the room or building these talks will be held in not lit by the deadly rays of the Sun. If I wasn’t full blooded, then the talks could be held anywhere. Thank you for your time, Queen.

Signed,
King Edward Darkholme, the Prince of Ice
The King of the Helvacas Commonwealth
A Prince of the United Dominion
The Secretary of Law and Order of the United Dominon

[Solarva]

An Official Communication from The Solarvan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

---

To: [Open]
From: Head Representative Ka Hung Lee
Subj: Peace Talks

---

As a peace talks is being discussed with the Conglomerate and ODECON, Solarva is willing to send representatives as several of our diplomats are already in Ouridna in Jenrak. Johnathan Wu, our Foreign Minister is unable to attend. Instead, Clark Ainsworth, a qualified diplomat in Solarva would be in charge of our diplomatic dispatch in Jenrak, I'm sure both parties are willing to lay down their weapons for the sake of peace as the Solarvan High Command and Admiralty has ordered its fleet on stand-by around trade routes.

I thank Queen Sephilia for allowing this opportunity to happen. Since housing and board was already provided by our host, we ask only for transportation of our diplomat.

Sincerely,
Ka Hung Lee
Head Representative of the Solarvan Council
Representative of Azura Province

Location: Ouridna, the Methronnian mainland

It is a magnificent city, Ouridna, the center of Tsellian, as hundreds of Tsellian churches rose high from the ground especially during a nice day like today as the sky is crystal clear. Clark walks down a wide street towards one of these churches in white thin light armor. Layered by dents and scratches, it was as if he fought in a battle not too long ago. Even though the temperature around these parts was extremely hot, he doesn't seem to mind the heat. As he walk down the path, he could see a temsplace, a holy warrior priest, dressed in green armor, standing with young children around her as she tell stories of Enkur to the young ones. Wanting to hear some of her stories himself, Clark decided to stay and listen for a while.

It's been two months since he has been in Ouridna, it seem to him that he's Solarva's unofficial diplomat to Jenrak. Many things has happened in the last two years. Solarvan-Jenraki relations has drastically improved since the Rithos incident two years ago. With all the commotion between the Conglomerate and ODECON has really stirred up High Command as well as the foreign ministry back home. After fifteen minutes, he hear a soft beep in his left pocket as he reach inside. It was his communicator as its screen showed that it has received a message from the Solarvan High Command. Curious, he opened it.

Solarvan High Command

---

To: Clark Ainsworth
From: Jan Koizumi
Subj: Peace Talks - Conglomerate and ODECON

---

A new assignment has been given to you by High Command. You would be attending the peace talk in Jenrak representing the Solarvan government. Since Representative Wu is unable to attend due to several reasons, you would replace him for this event. The location of the peace talks would be in Sasz Kerenuk. Sorry for the inconvenience, we have our hands tied at High Command monitoring fleet movements. I'll make when you get back from your visit.

Sincerely,
Jan Koizumi
Governor General of Azura Province

Clark frowned. It was his vacation after all. After the last assignment, we wanted to has some free time at hand. After shaking off that though, he pocketed his communicator back. He gave a sigh. "Fine," he mumbled, "you better owe me. Well, this situation is serious anyways, I should get to the meeting as soon as possible." He ponders in though as he stood on the street. "If I remember correctly, Sasz Kerenuk is southeast of here, not to mention that is miles from where I am. How am I going to get there?"

He turn towards the temsplace and started to talk to her. Clearing his throat he spoke. "Yamaskti, dear temsplace, may I speak with you for a moment?" It was a very heavy accent that even he could hear it. She stopped as she and the children started to looked at him. The children started to burst in laughter as the temsplace wore no helmet at that time, you could spot a slight grin on her face. "Yes, I'm trying to make a fool of myself," he complained in his head, but continued with his conversation. "I would like to get to Sasz Kerenuk for something urgent, but I need transportation to get there. May I ask for your assistance?"

[LOVE DOG]

The Golden Rose, International Waters

The waters moved around the massive, nearly small city sized vessel as she moved on her path. It was truly a small city on the waters, a mobile platform of fun, food and other things. A cruise liner she was and she did her job well for enjoyment of her crew and passengers. As the passengers lose and won money in the casino, the crew was on edge from this crazy and out of hand issues between the Conglomerate and ODECON. The reason was as this vessel, the Golden Rose, was of Dominionite origin and could be tracked back to her base within the United Dominion. Her crew were Dominionite to the bone, her passenger were from all over the Conglomerate and maybe the world.

The Golden Rose was an Oasis class cruise liner, a massive beast of the sea for nothing but enjoyment. No weapons other then maybe the pistols of the crew, which was locked away in some armory somewhere on the ship. A little over five thousand souls were aboard this vessel enjoying their trips to the spa, the library, the gym or any of the other things within the hull of the ship.

Five thousands souls. Innocent in this time to enjoy life. The crew watching out for any threats. Message from home base were to only stop for vessels of the United Dominion. There is no international law that would force the Golden Rose to listen to orders or demands of any national navy. She wasn’t in anybody’s claimed waters, she was in international waters.

[Zoingo]

Port Bourgon

The spring sea-breeze gently tugged on the lines of the glittering ships within the port as the bright and clear morning sun approached into view over the city port. Situated above a rugged clifftop, the dense urban city above overlooked the piers and cargo cranes below, watching carefully for any changes within the calm brisk morning below. And indeed there was, two completely different social aspects ripped through and divided the seaside port into separate factions. One represented the military nationalism, and the other reflected the economic and mercantile pacifism of the nation.

One one hand, several refurbished and repainted gray missile cruisers peaked over their adjacent T and L heads, while black painted submarines poked out gently from under the clam waters and piers from which they were tied to. To accompany these ships was an immense crowd of onlookers and family members, clogging the docks by waiving and cheering goodbye to the lone marines and crewman who entered from the crowded, ascended up the sharp gangplanks, and joined other rank and file members as they too waved from the cruisers as they filled to capacity. Several shouted naively "See you in a few weeks!", waiving their hats and triumphantly showing their pride to the masses below, and continuing to stand as the ships swiftly pulled out into the harbor. Those on the submarines were not as lucky, having to go below deck, however their shift would come eventually, and they could be part of the stage above.

Meanwhile, across this scene of triumphant pride, was another quieter scene unfolding on the opposite side of the harbor, instead of guns and marines, there were cranes and passengers within the front lines, sailing briskly to and from various destinations within Tarquinia and around the closer corners of the world. Schedules had to be met, people had to go places (airfare was already ridiculously expensive to go out of region), and economics still churned, the war machine did not make the economic machine of the nation go to rest.

Still, at this early in the morning, people quietly made their way to the docks, along with giant cargo trucks zipping by trying to make their ships before they depart. To accompany this onset of merchant shipping, the Genera ocean liner was scheduled for this day to transport businesspeople, nationals, and travelers on the Zoingan-Kirav route into Nova. However, unlike previous brisk travel between the two nations, ODECON was at war, and that included the Commonwealth. To remind people large government posters hung within and outside the docks read:

NOTICE!

It is again reminded that a state of WAR exists on the high seas between the Coalition and Conglomerate forces, and that in the case of this war that areas outside of safe Tarquinian Waters are designated as "Red Zones" where there is likely enemy activity. All merchants and travelers wishing to embark on voyages to Haven, Nova, or any other region outside of Tarquinia that is on a vessel flies the Coalition and Zoingan flag may be subject to possible destruction by enemy vessels along these open ocean routes within the "Red Zone". The Royal Navy shall be providing limited protection to merchant and ocean bearing vessels that may travel outside of Tarquinian Waters and into this "Red Zone", however said mentioned people are to be informed that the government of the Commonwealth is not liable for any/all damages that could occur and travelers are advised to go about at their own risk.

Zoingan Department of Defense

General murmurs and grumblings could be heard as people passed by these signs, some stood back and expressed their disbelief at the level of danger one could find themselves in, but quickly dispersed as their vessels signaled its imminent departure out onto the open waters. The general public knew that the war would be costly to the national defense budget for providing "limited" escort for ships outside the region, that they could be directly impacted and be jeopardized by other ships, and that trade could all but dry up outside of Tarquinia, hitting the merchant class right in both the face and the pocketbook. As the merchant ships followed suit with their warlike counterparts and slowly moved out into the sea, they flowed into a rank and file motion behind the submarines as they made their way out into the waters of Tarquinia and beyond.

The Genera gave a final whistle blast, sending a quick puff of steam into the cloudless sky, before breaking off of its moors and into the bay with her more than 2000 passengers and travelers onboard. At the same time of this break a general consensus also broke back into home, that they had no idea what they were getting into.

---

States-General¹, Amsteldam, Zoingo

"I swear they make these hallways longer and longer every week," Alfred sighed as he walked briskly down the long, wood paneled corridor of the Assembly House, almost attempting to run before being noticed by a few aids who were too running down the carpeted hallways. The clock-tower within the Assembly gave 12 slight "gong!" 's confirming his view of the current time. As a result, he continued to briskly pass the arched windows to his left, casting a fast moving shadow as it lept from door to door of committee rooms and representative offices.

Being Speaker of Parliament (and having to be present at official voting periods) he was naturally late to some of the most important measures of the month within the Chamber of Commons, most notably measures to fund the Royal Navy operations and other reservé² bills that had to be brought to the floor. Surprised the sweeping vote that the Chamber of Lords passed supporting the Multilateral Authority, he expected the other side of the States-General, the lower house, to approve of all the measures and budged procedures that he and his, less than favorable (in his mind) partner Prime Minister Lexis Deboi, drafted to keep up with the written declaration. As he found the wide doors and armed guards that marked the entrance of his destination, he calmly collected himself, fine tuned his coat and the files in hand, and open the doors.

The chamber was abuzz with immense activity, 635 members walked briskly from one side of the chamber to another, with several people in a back balcony watching below. Representatives were busy conversing with one another in groups about the measures being brought to the chamber, asking party leaders the expected vote count. Others were sitting at the several tables dotted throughout the room, littered with piles of small measures and amendments constantly being reviewed, and contemplating with committee chairman to bring them too the floor. However, the main topic seemed to be discussing general chit chat with one another. Shrugging at the usual business, Alfred made his way up onto the rostrum in the center-back of the Chamber, walking up a few stair steps to the wide platform, to the chair where the Govenor³ of the Commons greeted him.

"Nice to see you showed up" she jokingly commented to Alfred, making him crack a smile as she handed off the gavel.

"All in good time, you know how long those walkways are" he replied. The resplendent speaker began reviewing the large touch-screen in the center of his desk, continuing to marvel at technology (even though he used this podium hundreds of times) by checking the voting tallies at a large, hanging visible monitor and on the small screen. After setting down his papers, and attaching his microphone, he picked up the gavel and began raping it on the desk, quieting the chamber.

"The Chamber is now in session and shall begin voting periods," Alfred announced, quieting the room and rushing people to their seats. "First up, CCB⁴ # 1664: Funding for Offensive Royal Navy Operations for the Coalition." The announcement brought up much murmuring amongst representatives within the various factions of the room, which was silenced for the most part by another hit of the gavel.

The Speaker fiddled about with his touchscreen to bring the bill up onto the monitor, but every single time he attempted to do that, the screen flashed Error!. Groaning at this slight of technology, he quickly tapped the screen trying to find out the reasons for the error message. Bill has not passed the following committee(s): Budget

"Budget....Budget..." Alfred thought, and with another rap of the gavel, he asked aloud, "Where is the honorable chairman of the Budget Committee, Mr. Wilkson?"

"I am here Lord Speaker," someone replied from a middle row of seats, standing up to show his neatly polished suit and tie, wearing a small pair of oval glasses and walking towards one of the speaking podiums in the back.

"Mr. Wilkson, why has the Budget Committee not passed CCB 1664?" Alfred asked inquisitively.

"Fairly simple Mr. Speaker," Wilkson started as he rubbed his glasses and walked about, "the Peace Caucus and the majority on the committee have decided to reject the measure-"

"Why?" The Speaker inquired, half shocked and half intrigued, yet keeping his posture.

"Because Mr. Speaker, you have outright lied to this deliberatory body." The representative announced boldly yet calmly, arousing more talk within the chamber. "The PM and yourself rushed us into this conflict without any warning and without any substance with a passage within the Lords. And in addition, Mr. Speaker, you did not inform us of any alternatives to the contrary about peace talks or other proposals which have now been brought to light by the Conglomerate. Also, think of the cost that this will cause to the average person within our country with all the services we now have to provide even the most innocent of ships? Since this has been brought out into the open, my coalition of 93 Peace Caucus members will attempt to block any sort of bills to the floor about funding offensive operations for ODECON. That is, until the Lord Speaker can find other alternatives to the costly war we have plunged ourselves into."

At that moment the chamber erupted into a mass applause, and yelling, with the gavel on the top not being able to silence the chamber no matter how many times it was raped....

---

The Frontier, International Waters

"It seems as though the Genera is continuing on its present course," Admiral Browne noted from the deck of the convoy flagship the Frontier, a small missile cruiser. "It is amazing how now we have to escort this collective of about 13 vessels into Kirav in such a odd fashion."

Browne was enjoying is mid morning tea, as so far nothing major had popped up on their voyage into the acclaimed dangerous international waters. His convoy contained a rotating outer ring of 6 submarines who patrolled for any change in sonar patterns, followed by diamond shape of 8 missile cruisers who were keeping a protective eye on the small merchant and cargo boats. The prize however, was the graceful Genera, continuing its careful tight zig-zag through the ocean and acting as the leader of the unarmed ships being protected by the Royal Navy.

Not that far behind the Zoingan vessels however, was a detachment of Nidian vessels and battleships which decided to help out (ooc: WH seal of approval) on this escort mission. Odd to say the least, but for the most part the Admiral didn't seem to mind the extra hand with the operation, any sort of help was less money that the treasury had to use.

Suddenly a call came into the bridge of the ship, to which a lower officer picked up the phone. "Ship incoming Admiral, about 30 degrees off of the starboard bow."

Setting down his tea, the Admiral grudgingly found his binoculars, and stepped out into the observation platform above the bridge.

"Hmm, get me the pilot," the old man said curiously as he saw the The Golden Rose come into view of his binoculars. He was briefly interrupted by the pilot coming up to meet him on the observation platform carrying a large book titled Royal Navy Ship Identification Collection Volume 23. The pilot also took out his own set of binoculars and viewed the ship coming into view, and rapidly flipping the pages of the book.

"The ship appears to be a large ocean liner of sorts, capacity of over 5000 people, bearing straight towards us...and with little identification of weapons or escort." Viewing his book again, he flipped back to the country of origin page. "It appears as though it is from the United Dominion."

The admiral sighed and started back down the steps, turning back up to the pilot, he said. "Well the ship is headed on a direct intercept course for us, so we might as well get out of the way. I have no intention of allowing any civilian loss of life on Zoingan hands, and especially not with the current tension back home. Let it be. " And with that the Admiral waved his hand and set out to contact all the ships to pick up speed.

"Inform the Nidians of this" he called back.

¹ (aka. Parliament)
² ("Supply" Bills, or measures of funding)
³ (Member of Zoingan Chamber who usually moderates debate time)
⁴ (Chamber of Commons Bill)

[Ustio North]

International Waters
Ravager-One

"Captain, i've got inbound contacts on my scope!" one of the crew announced, hurridly "Looks like six enemy fighters on an intercept course"

"They've taken the bait. Let's get out of here" Samia replied "Ravager One to all Ravagers, break off attack and head for home. Do not engage the enemy interceptors"

He turned the Tu-95 as sharply as he could, bringing the aircraft around 180 degrees. They began flying back to home. Then a voice from behind him said;

"Captain, those contacts are still following us. I - Holy shit! Break right!"

"What?!" Samia hesitated. He never got an answer. A missile flew straight up the Tu-95's tail and obliterated the rear of the aircraft, sending it plummeting uncontrolably earthwards. The other two met similar fates, the burning wreckage falling into the sea below.

***

The Tower
War Room

"They did what?!" Armin's voice echoed around the room as he shouted "Warmongering bastards!"

"We've prepared a retaliatory strike, Armin" Io added "We intend to begin with surgical missile strikes against known military targets. We can be ready to fi-"

"High Seneschal, if I may?" another of the Seneschal's voices cut across Io. Armin waved a hand for him to continue

"High Seneschal, the Leistungi still intend to go to the peace talks with The Amalgamate at this time. I suggest we curb our aggression in case peace can be won from the talks"

Armin remained silent for a moment, pondering the thought that the Seneschal had put forward

"Yes, you are right. Halt our aggressive moves but we will defend ourselves if attacked. That is all"

[The Master M]

'Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends.'
- J.R.R Tolkien

The wind moved through his hair, like the fantastical fingers of some forlorn lover, noisily whipping it into a side parting – far too long to be within accepted regulations, his hair gave purchase to the casual observer that this man was no ordinary soldier. If his hair did not, the ornate white and black uniform that adorned his well-build body, complete with gold braiding, gold buttons and several dozen glinting medals, should have. The extravagantly polished sabre hanging from his gold-buckled belt swung in the alluring wind, it’s jewel-encrusted handle creating a myriad of light reflections. Perhaps the most unusual adornments of the man were his shoes; the black leather of heavy cavalry boots were also polished to perfection, even though the boots themselves should by all rights be in a museum. Such were the eccentricities and traditional dresses of a Prince of the Most Serene Republic, and Prince Claudius IV was no exception to the rule.

Standing at the bow of the Super Dreadnought MMS Gothic Fury as she left Gholgothic regional waters, Prince Claudius noted with grim acceptance the duty that had befallen him. He was to lead the Master M Home Fleets out to sea, and make for the Conglomerate super-city Sanctuary – a risky move, one that would leave only a handful of naval vessels to safeguard the Most Serene Republic from attack. Behind the Gothic Fury, an impressive flotilla numbering close to a thousand naval vessels stretched to the horizon and beyond; destroyers built to fit a multitude of roles, cruisers, minesweepers, submarines, frigates, aircraft carriers – both a dozen carriers and one Atlantis Megacarrier – all moving towards Sanctuary as fast as the slowest ship could move, and at the lead of the single Super Dreadnought that the Most Serene Republic had and would ever build.

Claudius moved backwards from the bow, and began the ten minutes walk back to the bridge. The harsh sea air stung at his face, and caused his uniform to hand damp and heavy around his shoulders. His fur pelisse was long saturated, the long black hairs clinging together and absorbing the moisture in the air, dragging the garment down around his left shoulder. All in all, Claudius could think of a few thousand places he would rather be at this moment, but that was only because he disliked being wet and cold; his entire life had led to this moment, the moment when he would command the fleet that would operate out of Sanctuary.

Reaching the nearest entrance to the ships tower, the Prince stooped through the bulkhead hatch, past the usual pair of armed and uniformed sentries that nervously saluted him. Mockingly returning their salute, he continued onwards up the steps in front of him, with more sailors jumping out of his way in a quiet mixture of fear and respect. Smiling slightly at the thought of this, Prince Claudius continued along the passageway towards his private quarters, passing a myriad of departments and specialised sectors, his four man bodyguard detail always a few steps behind him. He smiles again as he walked through the ornate wooden doors that signified his quarters, the guards at the door smartly saluting as he stepped passed.

Unusually, there were three men standing at attention in his study. Never one to show surprise, the Prince merely sat in his large leather chair, and begun shuffling through the obscene amount of paperwork that his anxiety attack-prone secretary had deemed important enough for his eyes. After several minutes of needless pretence of actual work, the Prince was distracted by one of the uniformed men coughing. Suppressing a smile, Claudius spoke at last, his tone incredulous.

“Admiral, you should see a doctor about that cough, it could become quite nasty.”

“No disrespect mean, sir.” The Admiral barely concealed his dislike for the Prince; his presence with the fleets made his command redundant, and the Admiral was a proud man.

“I shall endeavour to forgive you. After all, one cannot expect the lower orders to understand the intricacies of something as trivial as proper manners.” The Prince’s smirk did volumes to enhance the sarcasm behind his statement. He enjoyed playing with those he deemed beneath his own power.

“Indeed, highness, your mercy is appreciated.”

“Indeed it should be. Now, gentlemen, I do believe that you should tell me what you have come to tell me, lest I should tire of you all.”

The Admiral wasted no time on the Prince’s games, rather electing to launch into the rant that had brewing inside of him since the declaration of hostilities by ODECON. “We make for Sanctuary, with enough supplies to last us a year and the entire Home Defence Fleet, and yet we leave the Most Serene Republic essentially defenceless!”

“Your orders are to follow my command and the command of your superiors, Admiral, not to muse on the predicament said orders may bring. Now, when shall we reach our destination?”

“Two weeks from today my liege, give or take a few hours. I really must protest, we risk leaving the homeland utterly def...” His voice trailed off as the Prince raised his hand, indicating that to continue would incur his wrath. Dejectedly, the Admiral held his tongue.

“You think that the ODECON scum would dare enter our home waters? You think that they would be smart enough to realise that we are sending our Home Defence Fleets out to sea? No...they will expect us to sit behind the protection of Gholgoth, and we shall meet them ship to ship in one bold stroke! Boldness wins the day man, boldness, not cowardice.”

Utterly dejected, the Admiral threw up a salute, before leaving with the two other uniformed men. Nursing a small headache that was the result of the copious amount of whiskey he had ingested the night before, Prince Claudius continued to sift through the papers on his desk. Finding one of interest, he pulled an ornate ivory and gold inlaid pen from its case, and began writing.

The Most Serene Republic of the Master M

---

XXVIII Martius
MMCDXIV

Recipient: Open
Sender: Prince Claudius Vastera IV
Subject: Oceanic Defence Coalition

---

Genocide? Massacre? Slavery? You accuse us of these acts, and yet you know nothing of us. Nothing. But I know of you all; ‘peacemongers’ that seek war, ‘liberators’ that seek to oppress. Hypocrites to the last, and yet we still entertain false notions that peace can be found. The Most Serene Republic will send a representative to oversee these delusions of peace, in the hope that the nations involved can seek a peaceful solution to this, however unlikely that seems giving your disregard for our previous offers of peace.
The Most Serene Republic will continue to safeguard both her shipping and the shipping of her allies to the best of our ability; we will not be drawn in to fire the first shots of this conflict.

Signed,

His Royal Highness Prince Claudius Vastera IV
Knight of the Order of Vastera
Prince of the Citydom of Vala
18th in Precedence

Placing down his pen, Claudius handed the piece of fine quality paper to an aide. As the Prince lay down on his bed, the communiqué had already been scanned and transmitted back to the Master M, from where it would be transmitted to the world...


---


‘He who stands with me shall be my brother’

MMS Thor’s Might
International Waters

Moving slowly beneath the waves, the sleek black hull of the Akula class attack submarine MMS Thor’s Might continued onwards, her diesel-electric engines slowly pushing her props forward. Running as silently as possible, the great machine and her ninety-four crew were one of over a hundred submarine patrols that the Most Serene Navy had sent out over the last few weeks, in the hope of learning as much about their enemy as possible. Satellite imagery had pointed to a moderately large concentration of Zoingan shipping moving on a course that would lead them to intercept a large cruise liner flying the flag of the United Dominion, one of the Most Serene Republics Conglomerate brothers. The nearest sub-surface naval vessel had been sent to observe the situation, and assist in any way that it could; this said, it’s number one priority was to stealthily observe, and only assist if truly necessary.

Around eight kilometres from the United Dominion cruise liner, the submarine ascended to a depth of one hundred metres and deployed a radio buoy to the surface. After only eight seconds, the data line to the buoy was cut, and the vessel began slowly diving again. Within her metallic hull, a tall man dressed in the finery of a naval lieutenant raced to the ships bridge, holding a small, half-torn piece of paper in his hand. Quickly he moved along the cramped corridor, passing various hard-working groups of saluting men; many were poorly dressed, preferring the vest tops and overalls that the less than strict enforcement of presentation standards aboard submarines allowed for. Finally, the lieutenant – who was actually the ships executive officer – reached the bridge, which was slowly filling up with crew at the report of nearby enemy vessels. The Executive Officer passed the transmission over to the captain.

Code: Select all

FLASHCOM

STRCOMST 118
ENC
***STBROAD***

a/b

***ENBROAD***

Looking up, the Captain turned to his Executive Officer. “We are to continue as before, and only to engage military vessels if they engage us or the cruise liner. Our rules of engagement remain not to engage civilian shipping under any circumstances. Take us back to silent; we will observe this situation...”

[Oseato]

FMS Peiter Denyenes, Second Fleet
International Waters

The ships of the Second Fleet cut through the swells of the sea as they sailed toward toward their patrol destination. Admiral Toby Phillips stood on flying bridge attached to the admiral's bridge of the large von Seelow class carrier, looking out across the assembled group of ships. The fleet had divided itself up into three large carrier battle groups all centered around three supercarriers like the Denyenes in preparation for the start of combat operations against Conglomerate shipping and naval units. The break down of the fleet into smaller, yet still powerful, fighting groups would allow Phillips and his subordinate commanders to cover more ground and operate more effectively. Beyond that, elements of the two other deployed fleets, the Fifth and the Seventh, were also within a days sail of the Second.

Phillips continued to watch silently as below him another flight of Stryx strike fighters were launched to relieve one of the flights already overhead participating in the combat air patrol that had been established over the fleet ever since they had left Tarquinian waters. The noise of the jet engines masked the arrival of the Admiral's aide as he stepped out onto the flying bridge to speak with Phillips. He waited a moment for the noise to die down before he announced his presence, "Sir, we've got new orders coming down from FLEETCOM that you should see."

"Thank you, John," Phillips took one last look out at the sea around him before he turned around and took the orders from his aide. He quickly read and reread his orders before turning back to his aide, "Get the task force commanders on the line, we're changing our heading to join up with the Leistungis," Phillips took a moment after speaking and shook his head, "Never thought I'd ever say that in my career....anyway, John, get me the latest news download from FLEETNET, I want to see what the Leistungi papers are saying about this bomber incident, ours too."

----

Your source for Oseaton and Tarquinian news.

LEISTUNGIS FOIL BOMBER RAID
Ustian attack comes as peace talks are scheduled to begin.

Osterwieck - Evan Bachmeier, President of the Oceanic Defense Coalition, announced Saturday ODECON's intention to commit to peace talks with Conglomerate representatives, as well as a cease fire with Amalgamate forces for the duration of the talks. However, the announcement was damped by the same announcement that unidentified bombers, later determined to be Ustian Tu-95 Bears, were on course to violate Leistungi airspace. The nuclear-capable combers were intercepted and shot down as flew towards the Norfolk Islands, a Leistungi Union member.

No official announcement has been made by the Ustian government to this action, though Consul Colton has fully condemned by the move as a "reckless escalation that has done nothing but inflame the tensions between ODECON and the Conglomerate during a time when peace should be the main focus of all nations." Oseaton forces in Tarquinia and Otcina have increased their readiness across the board in anticipation of similar raids against Oseaton assets and allies. The sight of F/A-15's has become permanent feature for all cities and military installations across the country, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the end of the Five Years' War nearly forty years ago.

When asked about the peace talks, the Foreign Ministry announced that an Oseaton representative would be attending the peace talks in Sasz Kerenuk in hopes of reaching some understanding between the two opposing sides in order to avoid further bloodshed. However an unnamed source has confirmed to this paper that hopes of ODECON and the Conglomerate reaching an agreement were extremely low, especially after repeated announcements that the Ustian would not be attending that talks and the recent bomber incident.

Leistungi F/A-15 Cardinal continues to keep the skies clear and safe following Ustian raid.

Languages: Afrikaans | English | German
© 2010 Clarke Media Group

[The Wolf Hold]

NWS Wolf's Bane- Battlegroup 44- Escorting Zoingan Convoy- International Waters

A clear blue sky and a warm sun shone down on the ships of Battlegroup 44. The sparkling sea and the realitve quiet gave off an atmosphere of peace and calm. The collection of fourteen ships was one of the many Nidian naval formations now scattered around the worlds oceans. This particular one was centered around a battleship squadron, a somewhat outdated concept but still one that could bring an overwhelming amount of firepower to modern day naval missile engagements. The battleship squadron consisted of one Vánagandr class missile battleship, mounting hundreds of VLS cells and two Ragnarök class multi-role battleships, their fearsome 18 inch main guns pointing into the sky. In support of them were six Fenrir class cruisers, double that in number of Sköll class destroyers and an even larger number of Freki class frigates. Alongside these the vessels of the Battlegroup were also accompanied by two Thor class light carriers acting as helicopter assault ships from which several companies of Federal Marines and Colonial Defence Corps operated.

On the bridge of the NWS Wolf's Bane, the Vánagandr class battleship and group flagship, rear admiral Vaughan Gray was reading the days Neftegaz paper, wondering at the headline news. Splayed across the front of the paper was the caption "The time for tributes, appeasements and mercy is over." That particular phrase had become increasingly popular with the Nidian media and the people of Nidia. Shuffling through several more pages, he scanned his eyes over the rest of Fell's letter and the special article dedicated to the recent crisis. It was whilst he was engrossed in a relatively inconsequential article to do with some new internet fad, that the Captain James Drecker tapped his shoulder, having failed to gain his admirals attention through voice alone.

"Erm, sir. You need to see this." Grays eyes drifted lazily up from the paper. His Adjutant voice gave no hint of urgency, nor did his manor seem to convey any urgency either. As such Gray didn't give that much attention to it at first, hoping to brush him off and enjoy the sun. "What is it? And before you answer it better not be about some bloody dolphins like it was last time." The last comment drew a grin from Drecker, shaking his head slowly. "No, no dolphins this time. We've picked up a cruise ship just off starboard."

"Oh?" Gray's interest now gained, the paper laying folded in his lap.

"Both our own and the Zoingian observers confirm it as a United Dominion flagged cruise liner. From the best we can tell, it's The Golden Rose."

"United Dominion...what does Operational Edict #45 state again in regards to enemy flagged civilian shipping?" Gray was now sitting forward in his seat, listening intently to Drecker. The smaller man thinking for a second before answering his superior.

"Edit #45 states that all shipping be it military or civilian flying the flag of a hostile nation listed in Edict #42 are to be stopped and searched for any illicit human cargo. Force to be used as necessary."

"That sounds pretty clear to me...what’s the estimated capacity of this cruise liner?"

"5000 comfortably is the official figure. If its transporting illicit human cargo, much, much more." Drecker was watching him carefully, unsure as to what he would take as the next action. If it had been a cargo vessel or a tanker things would of been much more clear cut, but as this was a cruise liner potentially packed full of civilians the lines were murkier. "Can we justify raiding a cruise liner sir? The morality seems blurred to say the least."

"We will do what we must. Captain signal general quarters, I'm heading to the CiC."

((OOC: Since people seem to think I am ignoring LD, I hope this post serves to show I’m not. I will edit in the rest when I get a chance. RL isn’t giving me the opportunity to post as much as I like and I’m sorry if you don’t like that then fuck you))

[Leistung]

BMS Unermüdlich
Nearing Gothic home waters

“Conn, sonar, target identified bearing zero-two-zero; surface. Recommend make depth five hundred meters to avoid.” The sonar officer spun his seat around from the display to a map of the sea floor and stuck a red pin where the vessel had been detected.

“Sonar, conn. Can you identify?” The officer turned back to the display.

“Aye sir, contact frequency indicates Mian minesweeper.” A flashing light appeared in his peripheral vision, and he twisted his chair again. “Conn, sonar, second contact identified bearing zero-two-zero, range two hundred fifty kilo – ” He paused again. “Third – Conn, sonar, fourth and fifth contacts identified bearing zero-two-zero, range two hundred fifty kilometers. Identify as three destroyers, one frigate, one minesweeper, all Mian.”

“Understood.” The skipper released his finger from the aptly named parler button and turned toward the helmsman. “Lieutenant, make depth three hundred meters. Communications, raise Bundesmarine Command and inform them of a formation of five vessels bearing zero-two-zero on grid coordinates 56-11.”

“Conn, sonar, six new contacts detected bearing zero-two-zero. All Mian.”

The voice came over the parler, but the skipper didn’t bother to acknowledge. “Comms, raise the buoy and send a flash message to Bundesmarine Command – RORSAT sweep requested over previously established grid coordinates.”

Bundesmarine Command
Kaiserslautern, Leistung

“Captain Berg has found something, has he?” The Grand Admiral strode into the room much in the same way he always did – his eyes droopy and his cup of coffee already half empty. “How long until RORSAT pass?”

“Thirty seconds, Admiral,” the technician answered, his eyes glued to the TV readout. “Twenty nine. Twenty – ”

Beckenbauer raised a hand to silence him. “Yes, I understand how to count. Berg’s message indicated that he had come across some formation of ships, correct?”

“Yes, sir. Last communication indicated that he had stumbled across six or seven vessels; he submerged to five hundred meters to avoid detection and we lost contact.”

The Admiral nodded. “The Fourth and Ninth fleets were last reported several thousand kilometers from Berg’s position; do we have knowledge of any allied contingents in the area, or will we be acting alone here?” The tech smirked, and the answer to Beckenbauer’s question was immediately clear. “The Oseatons?”

“Yes, sir, the Oseaton Second Fleet is operating at most five hundred kilometers south of our forces. Reports coming through Osterwieck indicate that they mean to link up with the Fourth and Ninth.”

“Someone pop the champagne then – or at the very least inform Admiral Feierabend that he should refrain from firing on southern targets,” Beckenbauer said dryly. “Has anyone had the sense to inform our submarines in the area?” The tech nodded, and turned his attention back to the monitor, where a picture of the dull blue-green sea had appeared. “What’s that there?” he quipped, pointing a gloved finger at a formation of barely visible shapes.

“My best guess would be a vanguard of some sort, Admiral, but our analysts will of course have their own ideas,” the technician replied. The next picture appeared on-screen, and Beckenbauer choked on the pastry he had begun eating. “That, however, is more likely than not the Mian Home Fleet.”

“Yes, I would be inclined to agree,” the Admiral replied, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “Send a flash message to Admiral Feierabend and whatever chap the Oseatons sent. The Second Fleet is Phillips, if I remember correctly. Inform them that a massive formation of hostile ships is steaming toward their location – recommend making their course zero-nine-five to intercept.”

“Aye, sir.”

Code: Select all

FLASH FLASH FLASH

RECOMMEND PROCEED TO VICINITY SIERRA TANGO DELTA AT MAXIMUM SPEED *X* INTERCEPT AND DESTROY MIAN FLEET GUARD FREQUENCY 2716 *X* THIS IS NOT REPEAT NOT A DRILL

FM: BMCMD KSLT
TO: SECOND OSEATON FLEET / FOURTH LEISTUNGI FLEET / NINTH LEISTUNGI FLEET ALL VESSELS

FLASH FLASH FLASH

BMS Osterfeld
Flagship, Second Fleet
Approx 4500 kilometers from Mian Fleet

Admiral Feierabend ripped the message off its printer roll and scanned it over intently, waving to the first mate as soon as his eyes passed over the words “maximum speed”. He handed the message to the waiting senior officer, whose eyes proceeded to widen to a roughly similar size.

“Well then,” the first mate said flatly.

“Well then indeed,” Feierabend replied. “Kindly inform the carriers to increase patrols to full combat level, and ensure that our pickets are informed of the situation. I want three bomber wings prepped in the next ten minutes; LM.50s, if you please.” The officer nodded and clicked his heel. He snapped off a salute before taking off for the communications officer’s station. “Oh, and Hans.”

He turned back. “Yes, sir?”

“Beat to quarters. All ships.”

[The Parthians]

Persepolis Palace

The Shah’s office was never described as anything less than fitting for one of the world’s most absolute of absolute monarchs. The gold and marble walls catching the light of the chandeliers sitting above a malachite desk which served as the Shah’s work surface. Crystal ashtrays, club leather chairs, the ever present mellow scent of tobacco smoke and tea seemed all to run together to something that kept the Defense Minister of Parthia, Lord-Marshall Ardeshir Nassiri, feeling quite at ease. The Shah sat across the malachite desk, looking upon the black uniformed Lord Marshall with a cigar in one hand and a steaming teacup resting upon the table. His gaze fixed into the old Marshall’s eyes was enough to cause lesser men to avert their own eyes. Who wouldn’t, after all, upon catching the gaze of a man who could have a head with a flick from his pen?

The Shah scowled a bit, “ODECON is a most troublesome collective, Lord Marshall… They bother me too much and too often for their own sakes…”

The Lord Marshall nodded, “Shahanshah, it is well known that this collective of scum and lies is a pain unto our nation and our own holiness and purity, but I must know how Your Majesty wishes to approach this. They have, after all, threatened to intercept shipping belonging to our Conglomerate allies… shall we do the same?”

The Shah drew deeply on his cigar as his eyes moved upward, focusing on the chandelier above his desk. With a pained breath, he let loose a cloud of smoke from the vintage Dunhill and fixed his gaze upon the Lord Marshall once again. His gaze hardened as he spoke in words of pure malice. “ODECON troubles me for the last time. They must be expunged from this Earth in the name of purity and holiness. Let their blood be spilled upon the seas. Let their merchantmen become the building blocks of coral reefs. Counteract their threats by destroying them.”

The Lord Marshall smiled, “Then I shall order the dispatch of all available submarines into the oceans with orders to destroy anything that flies the flag of ODECON states.” He took a sip of his own tea, his gaze meeting the Shahanshah’s before speaking again. “What else would you have me order?”

The Shah smiled a bit as he spoke, “ODECON is too troubling for my tastes. We must demonstrate once again the cruel price of attacking the Shahdom or our allies brings upon the self-righteous followers of the lie.”

The Lord Marshall nodded, “In due time, Shahanshah, but let us attend to the here and now before we lay plans for what must be done in due time…”

A quick smile crossed the Shah’s face as he nodded, “ Lord-Marshall, these men must pay the cruelest of prices for their blasphemies, their aggression. They must suffer. See to it that my will is carried out… Death and bloodshed for the peoples of ODECON nations!”

Somewhere in International Waters

The IPS Juvansher Nahavandi's regular jump to communications depth had brought a surprising message, one which Commander Bahman Sabzevari had expected, but hoped not to see pass. "Proceed towards Tarquinian Waters. Initiate Protocol C-22-39." References to a trio of commands contained in the submarine's cipher book. A series of targetting information rapidly followed, to be uploaded to the submarine's missile control system at a later point. It was with a sigh that Commander Sabzevari noted none of the cipher references referred to the use of the limited number of nuclear ballistic missiles the Nahavandi carried... not that this still was something he didn't approach with equal measure of excitement and dread.

The Nahavandi, a Zartosht class SSGN, was designed for two things, getting itself to a target as quietly as possible, then offloading a load of cruise missiles before silently escaping. For this task, it had been designed for being exceptionally quiet. Waterjet propulsion systems or a shrouded propeller could be used to move the submarine at a noise not substantially greater than the background noise of the ocean, while anechoic tiles helped to protect it from active sonar. Like all Parthian submarines, titanium construction allowed it to make use of an incredible operating depth, one which could easily place it into the SOFAR channel and out of the ear of dipping sonar or indeed, the sonar of anything dropped above the layer.

For this task, Commander Nahavandi would make use of these capabilities. His orders came out quickly, "Make my depth 350 meters. Set course for target point. Speed ten knots, run silently when we approach within 5,000 kilometers."

The Juvansher Nahavandi was not the only Parthian asset being sent towards Tarquinia. 14 other Zartosht class SSGNs would be sent from their patrol areas towards their territorial waters. Other submarines currently on patrol were simply ordered to prepare for engagements with ODECON shipping. The Shahdom of Parthia would deliver a blow on behalf of the Conglomerate when the time came...

[Whiskeasy]

RWNB Blue Rose, 30 KM outside of Multon

"Transmission, Zero, One, One, Zero, One, Zero, Zero. Code Break. DEFCOM pushed to Able, complete mobilization of active units. All leave is now cancelled. Reserve units are to stand by for further orders. Break. Tarquinian waters and airspace are not to be breached by Conglomerate flagged OPFOR. Engage to destroy. Break. Civilian vessels to be boarded and transported to a neutral Port. Break. Situation Critical. God Save The Queen. End Transmission." Looking up from the monitor the young Midshipman gave a shaky smile to the Admiral sitting opposite her. He was sat mouth firmly clasped shut, the remnants of three days growth on his face, a cup of tea clasped in his weathered hand. Grunting he looked down at the fistful of papers in front of him, a collection of Naval updates with scattered news articles among them. The top one reading LEISTUNGIS FOIL BOMBER RAID the article had come from an Oseaton news paper and was reportedly very accurate to the true turn of events. The situation was getting steadily worse and ODECON states had to prepare for the worst case scenarios, the worse case scenario was also quite probably the most likely scenario.

The Conglomerate was not going to accept ODECON's demands in these peace talks. Fair and reasonable though they may seem the Conglomerate obviously had too much pride to accept such an offer from ODECON. In fact too much pride to accept any offer by ODECON, it was the current consensus in the snappy diplomatic haunts of some of the many young rich staff officers that inhabited the Blue Rose. And Admiral Horne always heard what the staff officers had been up to, it paid to be in the know after all. He had seen this coming and had cancelled leave for the Fourth Fleet, sailors and airmen had been swearing about for the whole day their curses heard over the sounds of interceptors busily to-ing and fro-ing above the base.

Right across the nation the military was being mobilized and prepared for imminent action. Who knew what the Conglomerate would do, they had killed before and would most probably kill again.


St Gerrad's Lines, 3rd Airmobile Division HQ, Bowmore, Whiskeasy

The rumble of armour was constant across the lines, the metallic crackle of tracks on tarmac was abusive to the ears, the movement of APC's and light armour filled the air while trucks maneuvered themselves from warehouses to staging areas. The Division was preparing for immediate deployment to anywhere it may be needed. Be it somewhere in Tarquinia, or even a distant enemy. Planes were steadily being filled with armour and supplies, ranks of civilian airliners sat at the side of the runway. All had been 'rented' off the various Carrier companies that ran through Whiskeasy. Any plane not scheduled for flight use was now being used by the Royal Whiskeasian Air Force, pilots were grumbling across the nation as flight paths were being closed across various nations and regions across the globe. The CEO of Royal Whiskeasian Airways was very unamused at the state of the Commonwealths Foreign Relations, he had extra routes cropping up and now half his carriers had been taken by the Armed Forces. Sure he was being heavily compensated but it was still not the money he should be making.

In hangers and warehouses across the airbases of Whiskeasy supplies were being prepared for what could be a long drawn out and painful war. It would be centralized on the high seas, the shipping of the Conglomerate and ODECON were about to engage in one of the deadliest games of cat and mouse currently seen in the world. Patrols would chase smaller patrols until bigger patrols could be found to fight off the enemy. Millions of tons of shipping would be engaging each other with the deadliest and most up to date weaponry currently seen on the planet, the Leistungis would be hauling out some of their most efficient and as of yet un-tested missile systems. The way to secure the victory for ODECON was to seize the throat of their enemy and tear it out.

Diplomatic Communiqué

To OPEN
From Jack Daniels, Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of Whiskeasy
Subject Closure of Tarquinian Waters

It is with increasing foreboding that I write this letter. However I write it with more conviction than ever before in that this entire escapade is morally just. As of seven PM yesterday the 3rd, 7th and 12th fleets were fully mobilized and deploying for operations. While we hope to avoid the open outbreak of hostilities it seems inevitable after the breakdown of peace talks. I have given orders to the Whiskeasian Armed Forces to engage any military flagged Conglomerate vessel or aircraft entering Tarquinian Regional Waters and Airspace under the Safe Waters Skies Safe Skies agreement. Any civilian flagged Conglomerate vessels are due to be dealt with in a manner befitting the situation.

I think I speak for all Tarquinian states, ODECON and the Commonwealth when I say aggression shall not be tolerated and a blow shall only receive a blow. The time of an eye for an eye is nigh and we shall act with full co-operarion with our ODECON brethren in the ultimate aim to bring these troublesome nations that reside in the Conglomerate to pay their dues to society.

God save the Queen,
Yours sincerly,
Jack Daniels,
Prime Minister

[Jenrak]

"We're stuck dealing with the frequent attacks by an unknown enemy in the outer Nakros states, Queen Sephilia. The Temsplaces are doing what they can to keep the peace, and Nahk Territurari's death will be a blow to the Territurari power structure." Avox suggested, standing in front of the Throne as Sephilia looked down at her, a small group of men and women behind Avox as they all stared at Sephilia. "Tezekilth, we must act appropriately. As they continue to prepare themselves to bring to their high horses, the situation will be continually grim and dire. They cannot have the high ground as it will be seen."

"The Parthians and the Shahanshah will act accordingly, I am told." Sephilia answered, the soft lines of the sky above in her dome moving about. "Besides, I - I didn't think I'd have to meet them in here." She sighed, her head hung low. "What is the deliberation of the Thrones? I, as the prominent and eminent throne of the Nakros states, head of Sasz Kerenuk, and Queen of the Amalgamate, ask in the name of Nuir Enkur, our blessed god and brother, to seek the answer from my brethren." She stood up, the long banners of silky lines ran amidst the lines in the sky.

"Avox Sauzaurum, of the Silver Throne, Queen of the Southern Empires of the Vithet Menning." Avox answered, bowing her head in fealty.

"Xoxus, of the Eastern Throne, Queen of the Proxy Armies, and lady of the Virgin Soil." A black haired, younger woman with wide and beaded eyes answered, her head held down to face Sephilia.

"Ememna Satassifra, King of the Sandurian Throne."

"Authaulus Annirak, King of the Obsidian Throne, Azhuj of the Ouridna amalgamate, and High Tempestra to the Zakakorn."

"Mahara Edoqlius, acting Overarch of the Rephalim network, Stewart to the Glass Throne."

"Karakorun Menerauk, King of the Porcelain, and Azhuj of the Haasdra basin."

"Then is it the deliberation of each King that insofar as we have the power, to prepare ourselves and recall our military amidst the high seas and prepare for war?" Sephilia asked, as they looked at each other, uneasy and unwilling in most senses. "Is it the deliberation of the Amalgamate that we will act, accordingly, without question, under my rule, to combat the internal and external threat of these mystery foes as well as deal with the enemy invasion by the Oceanic Defense Coalition?"

They hesitated. Hands were cold, clammy and sweaty. The noise of keys, jewelery chains were audible as they shifted uneasily.

"Do I have permission to enact these emergency powers?" Sephilia asked again, with a stronger sternness.

"Very well." Authaulus answered on behalf of the others, as they shot at him accepting glances. "In your request, the Thrones will answer accordingly. Sephilia Tezekilth, of the Throne of Sasz Kerenuk, you have emergency power as the highest Vizith. May Enkur bless you against our foes."

"Good." Sephilia answered, standing up. "I'm changing into something easier to move around in. Prepare the fiefs, and ready the Septa Vizhuj. I am sick and tired of playing subservient to these old men for too long."

[Van Luxemburg]

With a soft wipe, the dust disappeared from the dashboard of the car, sending the particles flying across the interior. The man handling the cloth knew all too well that the dust would return eventually, but he had not been able to find his microfibre cloth that he usually stored in the glove box of his car. Nevertheless, the dust on the dashboard annoyed him to no end, as it would be clearly visible as soon as someone would remove the dust from one part of the dashboard, for example as they opened the glove box or would set the airconditioning vents.

The car detailer that usually cleaned his cars had his usual day off, and then his employee would leave for a long weekend with his family, meaning that it was up to the owner of the vehicle to solve the things that annoyed him. As the dashboard was clean, only temporarily, he overlooked the brown leather interior of the Monteluci Ducareale, his own V12 SFS, with the license plate registration ‘GD 134’. For a person knowledgeable on Van Luxemburger license plates, it would be immediately apparent that this was a vehicle belonging to the Grand-Ducal family, more specifically the Van Luxemburger Head of State himself, Grand Duke Koen van Luxemburg.

As he sat inside his car, standing outside what used to be the Royal Stables, now also often called the Royal Garages, he could hear the typical sound of multiple boxer engines approaching, most likely Müller motorcycles. As he looked up, towards the driveway of Chateau Bertrange through the door of his Monteluci, the Grand Duke witnessed two motorcycles of the Autobahnpolizei, their orange stripe clearly reflecting in the sun and their blue LED strobes flashing irregularly. It was followed by a single VLT L7, the pearlescent coat of lacquer shining in the sun, obscuring the actual colour of the car. As the motorbikes reached the end of the driveway, they gave way to the large VLT, and the officers made a quick salute while standing by their bikes when the vehicle passed by. The L7 proceeded onto the driveway, and it halted only several metres away from the Ducareale the Grand Duke sat in, overlooking the scene. The driver quickly got out of the vehicle and walked around, opening the right rear door. Nodding at the driver, Premier Nicolas Hirtz left the car, walking directly towards the Grand Duke.

‘Your Highness..’ Hirtz began, bowing his head in respect.

‘Koen. Stop that Your Highness gibberish, Nicolas. You’ve been in your position long enough to know that.’ The Grand Duke answered, sitting back in his
vehicle, one leg leaning on the gravel outside the vehicle.

‘Yes, Sir. Anyways, it seems that Tarquinia might be facing a war soon, I assume you have read the letters exchanged between ODECON and the Conglomerate.’ Hirtz continued, only paying little attention to the naming issue.

‘I have, I have. What is it that brings you here, Nicolas? Has it got to do with Tarquinia? ODECON?’

‘Partly. It seems to the ZZ that it is better to declare an increased VERZOUS. Therefore I’m here to ask for approval to go from VERZOUS 1 to VERZOUS 2. That should be enough for increased safety measures.’

‘No VERZOUS 3?’ the Grand Duke answered, casually.

‘If you could come up with a reason why we should start preparing the deployment of our civil defense forces and ending all leaves for the military, then yes.’ Hirtz answered, somewhat sarcastically.

‘I suppose you’re right. You have my approval to elevate the defence readiness level. I also want an international letter of intent declaring our neutrality and the defense of our territories.’

‘Obviously, Sir. That was also required by the ZZ, but there is no need to request your approval for such a letter of intent. Should I include your signature below such a letter?’ Hirtz said, still not having moved an inch since he got out of his car.

‘Yes, please. So, from VERZOUS 1 to VERZOUS 2, and a letter of intent stating our neutrality and defensive measures. Would that be all?’ the Grand Duke replied, fairly calm. ‘I am fairly certain that we are safe with our current decisions. What added value would Van Luxemburg have when the primary targets are ODECON nations within Tarquinia?’

‘You never know, Sir, that is why we are increasing our defence readiness level, after all.’ Hirtz answered, somewhat more careful.

‘True, true. Also, it seems that your convoy is in a hurry, Nicolas.’ The Grand Duke commented, as he saw the driver gesturing towards the premier.

‘Indeed. The letter shall be sent and VERZOUS activated, sir. Have a good day.’ Hirtz said, while walking towards his car.

‘You too, Nicolas, you too.’ The Grand Duke mumbled, as he picked up his cloth again and wiped the last dust particles off the dashboard.

Across Van Luxemburg, several hours later

What had been communicated via the regular news shows on all TV channels happened rather quickly. In places where it was possible to cross the border, such as air- and seaports, the Marechaussee was now patrolling with submachine guns, and was, like all law enforcement agencies, now allowed to perform full body searches and identity checks without a grounded reason. Security around important figureheads of the Van Luxemburger government was increased, and the same happened to key locations in the Grand Duchy. Until Martigues nations would also increase their readiness level, Marechaussees would also perform passport checks of individuals travelling to and from Martigues territories, and would also equip the border station on the Ruccolian border.

At the same time, both the Arméi’s and Marine’s Air Arms would be sent out to perform more air patrols than usual, looking out for any suspicious activity. Maritime surveillance aircraft would be allowed to drop sonobuoys if deemed necessary, and AEW&C aircraft crews were instructed to keep their radar active at all times, and keep an eye out for unidentified or foreign military aviation.

The average civilian in Van Luxemburg most likely hardly noticed the change between the defence readiness levels, except perhaps those who were members of the civil defence forces (GVT). All members received both an SMS and an E-mail, to warn them for the increase to VERZOUS 2, and ask them to assist their professional counterparts wherever possible. Furthermore, travelling civilians would of course encounter the elevated customs activity, and those living near important objects or locations would notice an increase in security. However, it seemed these measures hardly bothered the Van Luxemburger civilian, as they experienced little obstructions in their daily routine.

As VERZOUS 2 was implemented, a letter to the world was sent out at the same time, to both inform and advise foreign governments on the Van Luxemburger actions taken to defend their territory.


Office of the Grand Duke of Van Luxemburg
Open communication

Subject: Increase of defence readiness and affirmation of neutrality

Dear Sir/Madam,

In response to the recent failure of the Haasdra peace talks and the declaration of open hostilities between Conglomerate nations and the Oceanic Defence Coalition, the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg has recently decided to elevate its defence readiness level, and reaffirm its neutrality. We expect fellow neutral Tarquinian nations will follow suit soon.

Our message shall not be one of nice words and soothing sentences, in order to be absolutely clear in our statements to the world. Van Luxemburg has always been a nation that remained neutral in major conflicts, a nation that has decided to not choose sides militarily. Therefore, we wish to re-affirm our neutrality in this war once again. This means that we expect both sides in this conflict to refrain from mounting offensive actions against our nation, and will also not make use of Van Luxemburger territory in order to mount military actions against other nations.

In order to protect our neutrality, we are prepared to defend our nation if necessary, and therefore have decided to elevate our defence readiness level from VERZOUS 1 (Peacetime readiness) to VERZOUS 2 (elevated readiness). This means all travelers to and from Van Luxemburg, even from nations under the Martigues Agreement, are now subject to identification requirements. Van Luxemburger law enforcement officers are allowed to perform body searches and identification checks at will.

Unidentified or foreign military naval vessels and aircraft from either side that are located near Van Luxemburger territorial waters and/or are subject to the Tarquinian Safe Waters, Safe Skies Agreement, will be summoned by the Van Luxemburger Armed Forces to stand down and turn around, or be impounded in a Van Luxemburger sea- or airport, depending on the severity of the situation. While the national armed forces will try to refrain from using lethal force in order to ensure the safety of our territory, non-complying vessels and aircraft will be sunk and shot down, respectively. We will however try to actively prevent the use of lethal force, and expect both sides to do so when dealing with Van Luxemburger vessels and/or aircraft defending their neutrality.

While we are sad that war has again called for these extreme measures, we see no other option than to instate these measures required for the defence of our neutrality. We would like to warn both sides that offensive actions against the Van Luxemburger Grand Duchy will result in the activation of the Tarquinian Commonwealth’s defence agreement, as well as the common defence of the Eastern Security and Cooperation Accord (ESCA).

We hope that every participating nation has fully understood these measures and will act to them in order to maintain the neutrality of the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg. Should any questions arise, feel free to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg. In case of serious military concern, or any questions related to the measures taken by the Van Luxemburger armed forces, we would recommend to contact the Ministry of Defence.

Signed,

His Royal Highness Koen van Luxemburg
Grand Duke of Van Luxemburg

His Excellency Nicolas Hirtz
Premier of the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg

His Excellency Jens Blom
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg

His Excellency Philippe Dermont
Minister of Defence of the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg

[Solarva]

Location: Orbis, Solarva

"...You can't be serious?" Ka Hung replied. His tone was flat for he doesn't really care for such matters anymore. Although he was eager for peace between the two powers, the previous talks has completely crushed what's left for the peaceful resolution that he has wanted. Before him was Johnathan Wu, the foreign minister who just came back from the Southern Provinces after speaking with their representatives. From inside the head representative's office you could see warships assembling on the far-side of the capital city. He has already heard of the reports of raids happening around Conglomerate waters as well as raids on ODECON waters. In the ocean there are no boundaries.

"This engagement between the Conglomerate and ODECON is inevitable," John replied in a slightly depressed tone, "many nations involved are already or mobilizing as we speak. We're no exception. With all of our home fleets mobilized after the previous message, High Command and Admiralty are starting to mobilize our offensive fleets for battle." He sighed speaking softly. "But I believe our greatest lost now is my dear friend that has passed away in Jenrak."

"Pity. He should have never learn of this." John couldn't hear what the head representative has just said as he turned towards the window. In the distance near Orbis harbor, the 9th fleet mobilizes from the distance and soon join the 1st and 2nd, which are assembling in the north near Ayra.

Location: An embassy somewhere in Haasdra

It has only been around several hours since the peace talks was officially shut down. The only solution from this conflict now seem to be anything but peace. Since Clark was travelling to Haasdra from Ourinda, he has just arrived in Haasdra, but he was immediately informed of the situation that has happened not too long ago. But he were surprised that the talks ended so sudden although he wasn't expecting much of a talk anyways. Inside the embassy now besides Clark and Jenraki civil servants and administrators, were the two Solarvan nobles who has finally scrambled outside of the airport. All three of them are in the front lobby. Micaiah was on the phone, Kent was sitting down on a chair, while Clark was standing next to the front door.

"The situation are now grim as the ODECON and the Conglomerate would start to engage in an all-out war," Kent replied with a sigh, "we should be getting back to Solarva." He stood up and walked towards Clark. "There's nothing you could do, you were in Ourinda. But I never expect that Nahk Territurari-." He stopped and turned as Micaiah tapped his shoulder. She was off the phone. Kent decided to drop the subject and ask Micaiah of home. "So how did it go?"

"Well, High Command and the Admiralty had already placed our fleets on highest alert," Micaiah said after she shook her head. "This isn't going to be pretty. We better get going. Preparations takes time." She looked at Clark. "You should stay here Clark. We still have a unit of Azuran Knights here, roughly two hundred in Ourinda. Notify the Queen of this, you never know when hardened units can come in handy. Tell her we give our regards."

"I'll do what I can," Clark answered, "see you two soon." It was saddening after seeing old friends for only a few moments under such circumstances, but this wasn't the time for leisure. This is war. The two Solarvans soon left the embassy to the airport and awaits their flight home.