To: Minister of Foreign Affairs: Hosidius Geta, Governor of Peregrino
From: Carmen Alamillo, Foreign Minister, Solisian Empire
Subject: Our Position and Our Answer To Your Country
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Dear Minister,
I must inform you that the position taken by my country must be known to you, with the blessing of Her Majesty Meriall Satarana to say these things to you, and with her request that you bring these words to His Majesty, King Elijah IV.
The position taken, then, is strongly supported by Her government and by the Foreign Office of Solisia. The position is simple: We support our allies, especially Vionna-Frankenlisch. Even though we acknowledge your country as a good neighbor upon this world, as a great ally during the time of crisis from beyond this region, and as a potential friend in the future, it has been decided, after much debate, that this Empire cannot agree with the behavior of your monarch towards the monarch of our ally over a petty insult.
We urge you, as Her Majesty urges, to limit the quarrel between you and the King of Vionna-Frankenlisch, or else bring about a wider, greater conflict concerning this world. But word spreads as quickly as threats and bullets do. Clouds of dark doubts and despair come quickly now.
Thus, it is my duty to tell you that this Empire, by Her Majesty’s will, will choose to oppose you should you raise war upon Vionna-Frankenlisch and/or their allies. Until the end of the war which you, should your country choose to bring about, would raise, this Empire would fight on and on.
Sincerely,
Carmen Alamillo, Foreign Minister of Solisia
To: Her Enlightened Majesty the Mother Empress Chella Resyanna fe Shrailleen
From: Her Majesty Meriall Satarana, Queen of Solisia, Empress of the Solisian Empire
Subject: My Hand to Yours
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Greetings,
I humbly seek your response to my letter should you receive it as I must present my hand, truly, and fully so, to you.
My hand holds both the blade of war and the tenderness of peace. Today is a grave day as I must inform you that should war come between my empire and the people of your ally, the Edomites, I must fight that war. If peace prevails, for which I pray despite my increasing disbelief in organized religion, then that would be so much better than the former. However, war comes and I am sure of it, despite my wishes against it.
So now, I give my hand to you, hoping, dearly, that you may listen to me and allow me to speak to you, to request that you would spare any of my people currently standing on the soil of your domain. Spare the families that may be visiting your holy sites and their friends there. Spare, too, the diplomats serving in my name. Spare, too, anyone who holds the name of my empire as proof of their citizenship.
Should war come, especially between us, I pray that you would respect my request and I too, by my word, on my life, promise to honor you by sparing your people within my domain and I, by my promise, will spare your people their worship in my domain.
That is all I could say in strength for I am growing anxious and terribly disturbed over the coming of war between my ally, Vionna-Frankenlisch, and your own. I pray that my letter would not be written in vain to be ignored by you, the Enlightened One.
Sincerely, and with all my dearest respect,
Meriall
Queen of Solisia and her Commonwealth
To: Simon Alvarado,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republica de Gran Chaco
From: Carmen Alamillo, Foreign Minister, Solisian Empire
Subject: Deployment
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Dear minister, it is my honor, despite the delay and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding this matter, that it is simply a journalistic error. Her Majesty's government is currently speaking with the writer of the article and hopes that your government would forgive that writer for her mistake, as enthusiastic as she is towards the contribution of our country to the security of our new ally. On the matter of us sending troops to New Columbia however, that is simply a rumor. The writer of the article in question has not bothered to ask us first for any confirmation and she had forgotten to display proper journalistic behavior.
Please rest assured that we mean you no harm and that you will not see any troops from our country on the soil of New Columbia.
Sincerely,
Foreign Minister of Her Majesty's Cabinet
Carmen Alamillo
To: The Matriarch of Foreign Affairs, Orlena T'lok
From: Her Majesty Meriall Satarana, Queen of Solisia, Empress of the Solisian Empire
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Matriarch Orlena, as the Empress of Solisia's territories, the very Queen of the Three Peoples of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, it is my honor to break the silence between my country and yours; however, it is not my honor to speak to you concerning our desire to join our hands with yours in war. Although we share some concerns against the tide of the reds, we believe that there too are great differences which created the lasting gap between our countries.
I am, however, very happy to welcome you to my capital; I shall arrange for the fastest transport so that you may come without delay and speak your mind; perhaps, then, we may consider your offer of friendship as war forges it.
Sincerely,
Her Majesty Meriall Satarana, the Queen of Solisia, the Empress of the Solisian Empire
To: His Imperial Majesty King James I Turrell of Vionna-Frankenlisch
From: Her Majesty Meriall Satarana, Queen of Solisia, Empress of the Solisian Empire
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Your Majesty, the King of Vionna-Frankenlisch, I am glad to support you. Moreso, I am happy to provide you and your country whatever support we can give in terms of our military and our political power. On the other hand, we do apologize dearly for the mistakes of some of our journalists. However, we assure you that their mistakes won't be the end of our new relationship; I firmly believe that despite the setback, everything will go according to plan more or less.
Now, I confirm to you in this letter, and only to you, that my Empire has my blessing to send forth to your territories several of my best troops to aid you in your defensive operations should New Edom and their allies strike us for your words. My own opinion on the matter is reserved; instead, I give to you only my hand for assistance and my goodwill for the sake of our new alliance.
Come hell or high water, the Solisians support you. We will not stop fighting with you and for you until we win or lose.
Sincerely,
Her Majesty Meriall Satarana, Queen of Solisia, Empress of the Solisian Empire
To: Jarl Ghatak,
From: Carmen Alamillo, Foreign Minister, Solisian Empire
Subject: Basing
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Her Majesty has given me the blessing to inform you that your request for basing rights upon our territories has been granted. In addition, we, as allies to your great country, vow to fight by your side in the name of honoring our agreement with Vionna and in the name of protecting one another from the aggression and insults of others beyond our alliance.
Sincerely,
Carmen Alamillo, Foreign Minister
The light faded from all the corners of the Solisian sky, once again departing from their places in favor of their sisters in the dark. The moon and the stars would seek the places once occupied by the sun, and all under it would fall into the embrace of the cool, peaceful shadows. The winds would prevail and the tides would change, but the Empire itself would remain as it is...for now.
Bearing witness to the changing sky was the Empress herself and her former student, the General Rivera. It was only fortunate for both of them; the Empress had nothing else to do and the General had accomplished much of her duties. Together, they stood at the balcony of an mansion the Empress owned for herself, conveniently located at a hill a way bit off from the capital. Together, they sought each other's company, away from all unnecessary politics, rumors and corrupting shadows of the courts and the Palace.
"Have you slept well, my general?" Meriall asked as she looked to her , who stood to her right , elbows on the balcony's rail, just as she stared into the withering light of the day. The empress gave her little time to speak by laying her hand on her shoulder. It acknowledged the unspoken fact that her general is no longer a student but a subordinate. Despite that, the Empress inwardly cringed at treating her like that. Her student did not deserve such treatment
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Azen officer replied, lifting her elbows off the rail to face her fully, sparing no word from her lips, realizing that the Empress needed her attention, "I have. Although, I am sure once the war begins, there will be no more for me and my fellow officers." She turned away quickly, to the dying horizon, wishing herself to study the silhouettes of the tall buildings which decorated the vast city her former teacher ruled and — with great hope as a servant would hold for a good master — will continue to rule.
She said, "I regret that I could not accept the offer of becoming the commander in chief for the coming war. I don't regret that I would continue to follow your orders concerning your desire to form and a battalion of special, voluntary troops in New Columbia. I hope you will accept my chosen substitute as commander of my division while I am serving there."
"I do. And you are right to feel regret and not to. For me, do not feel that way; I'm more satisfied with you than I am not. You pleased me for so long. Should I be displeased with you now?" said the Empress, smiling at her junior as she leaned on the rail, trying to get closer to her.
Unfortunately, the general could not reciprocate the friendly gesture and, for the sake of her station and protocol, had to step away. Both looked at each other painfully, but both of the women were unable to apologize as it was what was expected of them. They may be alone but the Empress, to the general's opinion, was highly sacred enough to cause her to keep her distance.
"I thank you, but I have concerns," the general said, trying to smile back but being unable to return it without coating it in true worry, "especially about our ability to actually send our ground forces from the Empire's territories into New Columbia. As far as I know, our future enemies have already deployed elements of their air forces and navies. We might be at a time too late to send them through and we may unfortunately cause the war to begin earlier than we want it to. Despite the presence of our Cossack allies in our waters now, I am afraid to say that the future would be positively in our favor concerning the deployment of our forces."
"I share the same concerns but we have no more choices left to take," the empress sighed as she reached out to her former student and took her by the arm, gently squeezing it through the sleeve of her uniform, not letting go, holding her own against the general's half-hearted attempt to keep away from Her, "and I must say to you that despite their actions, we must be proactive. I taught you that and I would tell you again, as a reminder, that it is better to focus on what we do rather than the actions of others. We cannot surrender the initiative willingly."
"And we won't, Your Majesty," the general told her, eye to eye, no longer resisting the grasp of her teacher. She realized now that the Empress did not wish to respect the protocol established and still would like to address her as before. The student, in question, accepted this by stepping one step forward towards the Empress. She said, "We never will, not with the plans we have set in motion already."
"Confidently," the empress said, letting go of her student's arm, and instead holding her hands, "we can rely on all our forces. The rest, especially the politics and the diplomacy, I will handle." She paused and then said, with an air of curious speculation about it, "Rivera, how sure are you that we can win this war?"
"Against two empires and the increasing set of allies behind them? Their navies are reportedly greater than ours. I can be sure that their economies are much more resilient than our own; they have fought greater wars than we have, with more attention given already to their machinery thanks to their experience. They can fight well; I've read about them and I've seen them in action, on television and in reality."
It did not bring the Empress relief to see her general's face transform into one of disgust, frustration, and wasted opportunity. Had she only given her general a voice in the Cabinet, perhaps things would have come out diffently in the face of such a looming threat to the security of the Empire. She said, "The reports I collected and created myself, while I was in New Edom, would confirm my belief that they are superior to us alone. But we are allied to Vionna and the Cossacks, including the rest of the nations who wish to oppose them — the Edomites and the Shrailleeni." Then, only briefly, the general's eyes presented a window of hope.
"We may have a better chance of winning this war than we would alone or with Vionna only," spoke the Azen.
"And that belief is shared among the ranks of the army?" the empress questioned her, a hint of optimism injected in between the words.
The general shrugged and told her, "Not absolutely, but many of my companions agree that, with caution and preparation, we will be able to fight and last in this war."
"I see," whispered the Empress. Then, as sudden as feelings cause people to, she looked to her student, with fear, with the kind of attention that mothers give to children they hold so dear to their breast, she said to her, "Fight well, lead well, and live well, my General. Be an example to your men.."
"And I vow to follow your words, " replied the general, "for as long as I live, for I am your general, and for I am a sword you wield to defend your name and the people of your name."
And then, without much, an embrace was made. For a long while, it held. Then it fractured, as things should, but not without the feeling left behind by a true friendship, lingering in the corners of minds, in the chambers of hearts.
From the Solisian island outpost…“Look - ships!” a young marine would say to her companion outside as the winds blew from the seas and the waves crashed against the shores of their tiny home away from home, a fortunate and unfortunate aspect of their service to the Empire...
The entry of ships from their Cossack allies into the waters of the Empire was welcomed. At first notice, the best that the Solisians did to tell their new friends that they were welcome to cross and enter into Solisian marine territories was by directly establishing radio contact with them. A friendly Solisian gesture following that would be to send out a small ship to guide their way through the waters with a Solisian pair of fighter jets flying over the heads of the sailors, both foreign and Solisian, after they took off from the nearest air base at one of the larger islands.
As soon as their Cossack allies were out of their territorial waters, the jets reluctantly gave their farewells to them by radio and the little boat which showed them the best way through their holdings too sailed back to where it came from. Waves and shouts of encouragement. A faint cheer. Hope.
Meanwhile...Solisian Imperial Civilian Flight #52The great passenger plane, coated in Ghostwhite paint, flew through clouds and thinning air, towards their destination, an international airport at the capital of New Columbia. It was not alone, and it was not the last plane to fly towards that small, quiet, and growing colony of the Solisian ally, Vionna. After the first passenger plane, Flight #23, landed in the airport a day before, and silently disgorged over 458 troops and their personal equipment and materiel - along with 1568 kilograms of small arms ammunition (as carried by Flight #41, a civilian cargo plane that was hired quietly by the government through one of their “private” companies in order to decrease suspicions of Solisian involvement in New Columbia), as well as an estimated 596 kilograms worth of food, water, rations, clothes, and other items and materials deemed proper for use by infantry formations. If time and circumstances permitted, so long as Solisian planes could enter and leave New Columbia safely until the war finally was declared on Solisia, there would come more and more arms and supplies to that territory.
But good Solisian officers would keep on with the worrying; so would responsible Solisian politicians.
Legionary Lady - Subteniente Sofia Vera took one more deep, tense breath, hoping to ease her anxious heart by filling her crazed lungs with recycled, air conditioned air. Aboard the cramped airliner, she did her best, encouraging herself with pre-packaged positive thoughts, to remain calm. She was excited but she was also worried about her fate in the coming days. After so many months of training under the hot Nannasian sun on vast fields, narrow valleys, and muddy, unused farmlands; after weeks of conditioning to all kinds of weather, from the highly treacherous chills of Sayaria and Ashia to the murderous dust storms of the Azen lands; and after days of interesting briefings, boring classroom sessions, and endless field lessons, she and the rest of her sisters and brothers, her comrades from the Solisian Legions and companions from the Azen Legion, would finally be unleashed beyond the boundaries of great Solisia.
Yes, she told herself, I can finally see myself elsewhere, out of the reaches of my country. Yet, to her, and to some of the younger, more immature and not-so-adjusted members of the “special battalion” which the good General Rivera formed in the name of Her Majesty, the future quickly took into its embrace the form of a nightmare which does not speak.
Her mother’s farewell haunted her. The way her frail fingers left her furious hands; the way her trembling face gave way to a round of dignified weeping as the train began to roll out of the station; and the way her oh-so-delicately written letter of motherly attentions and admonitions seemed to speak to her in the voice she treasured for most of her life. That, she thought, left an impression on her, one that appealed to her to preserve her life, her sanity, and her humanity, so that she could return home to her mother, as she had done so many times as a rebellious but tender child, without frightening the kindness out of her.
A hand took hers firmly, almost suddenly. It took her out of her trance. She almost struck the hand with the other but when her eyes turned too, she saw that the hand belonged to her seat-mate, a friend from Elizara - a good man named Isagani.
“Hey,” he said. His voice could have reminded her of her father. Though he’s passed on without too much good to his name, his own was equal to the fruitiness of Isagani’s.
A smile. The nerves would calm down from seeing a nice smile.
“I’m all right,” she told him.
“You are,” he replied. “I am only making sure.”
The stories of individuals, both named and not, often dominate the beginnings, the courses, and the endings of wars. Yet, the stories of nations and their governments too must prevail.
In this case, the Solisian Empire saw the change of law.
Mobilization no longer was partial; beginning today, reserves were being called up. Trains and all other public transportation capable of moving vast numbers of men and women as quickly as they could to their posts or to their rallying areas were overtaken by their governments, local and territorial. The media was censored. Air defense and radar stations were activated. Pilots and sailors were summoned to their ships and planes. All these events would begin and slowly, gradually go through their courses.
On the border facing the Deadorans, troops roused from their rest and work and leisure at home were forming their units, readying themselves for a crossing into the foreign land, through it, so they may, if they must, if fate approves of it, fight the Edomites together with the savages.
Upon the soil facing the waters, on every island owned by the crown of Meriall, both the natives and their masters - the Solisians - began to prepare. It would take time, yes. It would consume hours until it began to consume days until it began to consume weeks until it began to consume more and more. But as it began, all the peoples of the Empire - the Sayaritans, the Ashians, the Elizarans, the Nannasians, and the Azens - would follow the call of their masters - the Solas, the Lunas, and the Exilei - to a war that would come.
Fathers and mothers bid farewell to sons and daughters, fearing that they may see them not again, as do children to their parents should they depart their homes or their jobs for their comrades. Legionnaires, most especially the loyal soldiers of the Azenia, either tearfully or stoically separate themselves from their quiet villages or their lively clans and tribes. And no war ever spares the rich from the fate of the poor; the weak from the fate of the strong; the intelligent from the fate of the stupid.
And though Solisia may seek to fight for the security and honor of herself and her ally, perhaps, once the end of the war comes, Solisia may have to fight the demons within once more, to confront the red armies of her past.
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 3:20 pm
