July 1, 2052 - Paris, France
The President of the United Republic of Europe, Louis Hubble, stares out onto Paris. He had called a press conference a day prior to speak about several issues, including the Great Amazonian War, the superbug, and several other topics. He wore an expensive suit, polished shoes, and slicked back hair. As the press arrived, he went over what he wanted to say in his mind, repeating it until it was effectively burned into his brain. 7:00 arrives and the doors close, no more people are being allowed into the press conference room.
<Hubble> "Hello, citizens of the United Republic, and of the world. I would like to begin this press conference by congratulating the North African Federation on their completion of genetically modified plants, sure to be a measure to assist against the famine which plagues the world. This bit of scientific advancement shows that North Africa has ascended to the modern world, and is capable of competing with superpowers. A North Africa which has the potential to prosper even more under the Eslam Nadeen and the Technocratic Party. Nadeen is a man who understands technology, and the role it plays in modern times. He's a man who will bring prosperity to North Africa in the form of technological advancements and higher standards of living. Most of all, however, he's a man who cares about the people of North Africa and the nation's future, and for that I respect and admire him.
I would also like to welcome our new brothers into the Union. The people of Austria, South Tyrol, and Aosta Valley have joined the United Republic, and I hope dearly that they will find prosperity as members, and that the regions of Piedmont and Liguria will follow suit. After the destruction caused by the War of Rome, the provinces and nations integrated have been damaged, broken. The integrated states will be rebuilt, and the people of the states will prosper yet again.
Furthermore, I congratulate the nation of Padamia on their independence, European occupation has been completely removed and your sovereignty has been restored. The United Republic wishes for a fruitful relationship in the future, and may Padamia continue to prosper in the future as an ally of the United Republic.
However, fair people of the union, the news brought to our papers recently has put at risk the stability of the nation, and the world. It has been a dark past months, as the South American nations battle for supremacy. This war was, several months ago, very limited in scale. However, with 'recent' developments such as Zhongjiang joining the War and the obscene violations against human rights committed by Pramilandert, it was time something was done. This war shows the true faces of the leaders of the warring factions, The incompetence of the Brazilian government, leaving without prior notice and negotiation, and the deplorable nature of Prahomija, declaring war on the basis of an over-inflated ego being damaged. These nations spill the blood of their populations, ignoring the larger, global issues that plague our world. The Superbug Epidemic continues to grow quicker, famines ravage the world, and ocean-levels are reaching dangerous heights. This world is a sinking boat, everyone must do their part to fill in the holes. However, the foolish nations who continue to fight at a time like this only cause more holes, dragging us all down. As the acting leader of the International Defense Federation, I demand that a peace is found to this pointless war. This is a war that can be fought another day, but I will not stand idly by as you plunge this world into darkness. If peace cannot be found for the time being, expect the wrath of the International Defense Federation on both of you."
He clears his throat and straightens his tie, an excuse to gauge the reaction of the press. He had expressed a level of aggression which had not been seen in his presidency so far, he hoped it would push peace for peace in South America.
<Hubble> "Along with this plague on the international world, we face internal plagues as well. The same people responsible for the death of Zachary Axalis and the bombing of the United Nations building are a disease on our fair nation. These Ultranationalist British Terrorists are Fascist vermin, and as such they should be quickly eradicated and dealt with. The protests in England have caught the attention of the United Republic without taking arms. These Ultranationalists only hurt the cause of British independence, in both the local and international community. I will not release, or even compromise, with a state that has the potential to fall into an alliance with our enemies under a tyrannical government. This pathetic movement will be torn down, and the dogs responsible will be held accountable for their crimes."
He answers questions for the next half hour by the press, most focused on his aggressive acts throughout his speech.
July 2, 2052 - London, England
The European Parliament gathers in London, England. The sky is overcast, like it always is in London. They each take their seats with their parties in the reformed, smaller Parliament building and the session begins.
Bill - Term Limit Reapplication Act
From - Wilfred Fieri, Parliament, Centrist
Description - An effort to limit the terms of a President to three five-year terms
Relatives - Term Limit Removal Act
<Socialist> "Term limits have existed for a reason, to stop potential corruption and to allow the government system to change more often. However, when term limits were removed, we subjected the United Republic to corruption and no change. This law needs to be reinstated to three five-year terms."
<Imperialist> "An awful proposal, for a socialist, one would think that you would have a 'Do what the people want' state of mind. If the people want the same President several times over, who are we to stop them? It's the will of the people, after all."
For - 154
Against - 68
Bill - Educational Knowledge Construction Act
From - Shinya Kaku, Minister, Technocrat
Description - A resolution to center schools on constructing knowledge
Relatives - Null
<Technocrat> "The school systems in the United Republic, and in nearly every other nation around the world, are awful. Specifically in Science classes, instead of teaching our students how to think, ask questions, and reason, we simply hand them information and expect them to regurgitate it. Now, having information is very important, but our schools should begin to shift to a system which teaches students how to think."
For - 235
Against - 23
Bill - Ultranationalist Offensive Act
From - Anne Curie, General, Republican
Description - Allowing the European Ministry of Defense to use force against British Ultranationalists
Relatives - Null
<Imperialist> "These British Ultranationalists have the potential to destroy the United Republic. If we do not deal with them now, it may be impossible to deal with them later. They continue to grow in power and in numbers, and if they successfully secede we have an enemy at our doorstep with our technology. This cannot happen, the United Republic must remain just that, united!"
For - 274
Against - 0
Bill - Temporary Parliament Relocation Act
From - Nicholas Burns, Parliament, Communist
Description - Temporarily Relocating the Parliament to Strasbourg due to British Ultranationalists
Relatives - Null
<Communist> "Right here, we're in the heart of the British nation, we're all in danger due to these ultranationalists. They'd just as soon blow us up as they did the UN Building or Zachary Axalis. None of us are safe here, so I am recommending temporary relocation to the unused Parliament building in Strasbourg."
<Centrist> "London is a globalist city, I doubt the ultranationalists have as much of a presence here. They are just as capable of bombing our current Parliament building as the one in Strasbourg, if we meet anywhere we're susceptible, there's no reason to move."
For - 103
Against - 151
July 3, 2052 - Brussels, Belgium
Minister Fresnel steps into the large War Room under the European Ministry of Defense building. The room is highly protected, with several layers of concrete and blast-resistant material at the top of the building. He takes the cigar our of his mouth and steps up to a table near the middle of the room, with a small map of Britain with larger, zoomed in satellite images of known hideouts of the British Ultranationalist group.
<Curie> "Welcome, Minister Fresnel. Our proposal was green-lit by Parliament, we are free to deal with the Ultranationalists through militaristic force."
<Fresnel> "I am aware, what do you know so far? How many members do they have, what cities are they in, everything we know."
General Pretre speaks up from the back of the room.
<Pretre> "We believe they have anywhere from ten thousand to fifty thousand members."
<Fresnel> "That large of a margin of error?"
<Pretre> "It's difficult to get intel on an underground group with fractured power, we don't even know who leads them."
<Fresnel> "Wonderful, so we know nothing. What of the cities they are stationed in?"
<Curie> "We believe they are stationed in more cities, but we've only confirmed Nottingham, Sheffield, York, and Hull."
Fresnel slams his hands on the table, one of which fell across the map of Great Britain. In the back of his mind, he wondered how much damage that would do in real life, but he suppresses the thought.
<Fresnel> "So we have no intel... We'd might as well begin to deploy in those cities. Keep the campaigns quick and painful, capture as many alive as possible. Disrupt communications around the area, we don't want word to get out to other hideouts that one of their bases was just raided."
<Curie> "We should only have to use light military forces for these, they're unorganized with numbers hardly comparable to our own."
<Fresnel> "Let's hope so."
He lights his cigar again and walks out of the room. The other Generals continue to plan the specifics of the operation, and soldiers are quickly mobilized to their designated locations.
July 4, 2052 - Avlose, France
The European Scientific Exposition, an annual event which allows civilians and universities to showcase scientific advancements and devices, has begun in Avlose. The city is full with people from around the United Republic, all coming to see the event. The first of the three days, as always, is focused on larger panels. The rest of the grounds are inactive, and only one large seating area is open. Night falls and the first panelist takes stage, Dr. Fermi of ETH Zurich.
<Fermi> "Greetings, people of the United Republic. I am Dr. Fermi, and I come with an exciting new development which could make all of our lives slightly easier. My team at ETH Zurich has developed a battery that has the potential to last hundreds of times longer than the strongest mobile batteries to date. Instead of using lithium with battery liquid, we used gold nanowires and electrolyte gel, which drastically increases how many charge cycles the battery will last before having to be replaced."
Fermi steps down from the stage, and is approached by the CEO of Riveria Computers. Another panelist steps onto the stage.
<Postel> "Clean drinking water is one of the most essential resources on Earth, without it, life as we know it would not exist. This device would use solar power plants to strip salt from water, which could provide water for many island nations and nations without any clean drinking water. This technology could be revolutional for the developing world, and nations without enough clean drinking water, providing energy and drinking water for the populations."
Postel steps off the stage and another panelist replaces her, a man from the University of Avlose, he had been at the exposition before showing off the LIAM model.
<King> "Hello, people of this beautiful city. I... Uh... I'm from the University of Avlose, and I wanted to show an update on LIAM, a robot capable of... it uses artificial limbs, something which has been difficult for the field of robotics to simulate."
Two other students push the robot onto a stage, and it walks to the center.
<King> "LIAM has been equipped with an... a basic CPU using qbits, allowing him... it to react much quicker. This paired with previous upgrades make this the second version of LIAM. Faster, more efficient, smarter."
As he walks off of the stage, several other students attempt to trip the bot, with it stopping once a foot is detected. One student steps behind LIAM and throws a tennis ball across the stage, with LIAM stepping to the left quickly once it is within range. After they leave the stage a man from the Center of European Nuclear Research, the organization responsible for the construction of the Large Hadron Collider and a large contributor to assist in the creation of fusion power plants steps onto the stage.
<Meitner> "Greetings, Avlose! I come as a representative of CERN, announcing a new and exciting initiative by our organization. For decades, the Large Hadron Collider has been the most powerful particle collider in the world. We hit a brick wall a decade or so ago, and the LHC was no longer capable of producing new particles for us to study. So, I am happy to announce the CESSC, the Central European Superconducting Supercollider. Planned to be 92 km in circumference, steered by superconducters. This collider will surely help us unlock the secrets of the universe!"
The crowd claps as the main panels end, the full event will begin tomorrow with hundreds of smaller panels.
July 5, 2052 - Berlin, Germany
Minister Dawkins sits in a conference room, drumming his fingers on the table in front of him. He waits for the Russian diplomat, but the purpose of the meeting was not known to him. He hated surprises. All of the sudden, the door opens and the envoys walk into the room, he shakes the hand of the envoy.
<Dawkins> "Ah, welcome to Berlin, Mr. Azarov. Take a seat."
Vadim Azarov was a serious man with an even more serious demeanor, of course it was to be expected. The diplomatic mission that he had been given was a delicate one, and one of the most important. It was a major agenda for Russia to reclaim St. Petersburg within peaceful means. Vadim Azarov wore the newly approved diplomatic uniform which was a brown twin breasted jacket with black pants and finely polished shoes, the party symbol was worn on an arm band on his left arm.
<Azarov> "Good day Mr. Dawkins it's a pleasure to be here in Berlin on this day. I have been appointed as the senior diplomatic officer to your fine nation. I hope this is just the first of many meetings that strengthen Russia's and your nation's relations. The first and most important issue is for the return of St. Petersburg to Russia. Also the Slavic Empire is acting aggressively towards us, perhaps you could intervene and help with the situation."
Minister Dawkins, while holding a straight face, is deeply surprised by his comment. He had expected this to be a diplomatic mission pushing to ease Russian-European relations.
<Dawkins> "The Slavic Empire's aggression is justified, we've all heard the stories of the Alanksandov Massacre, Mr. Azarov. I don't see the Slavic Empire turning St. Petersburg over to Russia, especially in the current diplomatic atmosphere between the two of you. Why did you not go to the Slavic government with these concerns?"
<Azarov> My good sir, the reason we come to you with this is due to the fact we believe that the Slavic Empire will listen to reason with you. After the war relations between Russia and the Slavic Empire has been stretched and with recent events it has been at a boiling point. Before I go any further, yes I as well have been notified of the crimes committed and I assure you that proper punishment is being handed out. Right now Eastern Europe is on the verge of another war, and one that will consume the world. If the Slavic Empire attacks or provokes us do you think that it will just be us that will act? We have allies and friends, perhaps more then the Slavic Empire does. I'm here to give you the chance to save millions. I'm sure your president wants to be known as the man who saved the world. I have a letter here from Chancellor Reltih with a promise of peace in our time but it depends on how you receive it. Yes we want St. Petersburg back, the treaty of Paris that dismantled Russia was an unjust one and we just want assurance that you take this serious. The Slavic Empire will listen to you. Now do you wish to proceed with our talks or do I need to go back to Moscow to inform the Chancellor of my failure and make plans for the war to come? Which side of history do you and your president want to stand on?
<Dawkins> "The Treaty of Paris was meant to cripple the possibility of dictatorial regimes taking power in nations, and to weaken their militaristic capabilities. I'm sure the millions of Indians ruthlessly slaughtered in the nuclear bombings of Mumbai and New Delhi would disagree on your stance of the treaty. St. Petersburg is Slavic territory, I will not push my ally to concede land without justification, the people of St. Petersburg are content. Your threats of war and the deaths of millions show the side of the Russian Federation in history. I'd rather be on the side of history of a nation which stood against evil than one who let it happen. I don't want to have to spill the blood of innocents on the aggression of Russia, but I will defend my allies if it comes to it. If you have nothing else to say, you may leave."
Azarov grabs his coat and stomps out of the room, followed by the other Russian envoys. After they leave, Dawkins collects his papers and returns to his office. When he arrives, he drops into his chair and stares up at the ceiling, putting his hands on his forehead and beginning to chuckle.
<Dawkins> "Wow... What a fucking complete disaster... That couldn't have gone more horribly."
He sits up in his chair and opens his email. Even though his previous diplomatic mission has failed, it wouldn't stop another bold initiative.
United Republic of Europe Ministry of Foreign Affairs
10117 Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany
United Republic of Europe
United we Stand Strong and Progress Towards a Brighter Future
10117 Unter donas Linden, Berlino, Germanio
Unuiĝinta Respubliko de Eŭropo
Unuiĝintaj ni Staru Fortaj kaj progreson al pli brila estonteco
To - Albert Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
From - Francis Dawkins, Minister of Foreign Affairs, United Republic of Europe
Subject - Integration into the United Republic.
Hello, Minister Verhagen. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Republic of Europe, I would like to request conference with your government on the topic of possible integration into the United Republic. I understand any hesitance you may have to do so, we haven't been the most peaceful nation with our neighbors in past decades, but our new administration will remedy that. We do not seek war with your people, and we do not threaten you with such if conference is not held, but we request serious consideration on this request. Together, we could stand as a strong, European state. A united world is the inevitable outcome of humanity's continued progression, and we would like your help to make that a reality. Thank you for your time, Minister Verhagen.
United we Stand Strong and Progress Towards a Brighter Future
July 7, 2052 - York, England
Night is falling in York, soldiers of the United Republic sent to quell the British Ultranationalists have been standing by all day.
<Aveline> "Just got the signal from Colonel Delsarte, we're good to go."
<Marais> "Let's hope we time this right... If we can take them by surprise at the same time, this base should fall."
<Aveline> "Let's not delay... Go."
They rush through the dark to near the front door, shooting two guards at the front entrance. They hear gunshots in the distance.
<Derocles> "Sounds like they made it."
All three entrances are burst at the same time by three different groups, attempting to capture as many as possible. Bullets fly through the base as soldiers fight their way inwards, in attempts to capture the director of their hideout in York. Several run away from the base, but are caught by helicopters hovering above the base. The base is captured, with large casualties on both sides. All locations or method of contact with any of the other bases were destroyed during the fight and the leader of the base was killed, but several other revolutionaries were captured and moved for interrogation.
<Delsarte> "Well, we destroyed a base, but we gained no intelligence on the organization... Minister Fresnel isn't going to be happy."
<Aveline> "Let's hope the other three bases were secured and that they gained some intel."
(I asked Entitaria about this last one, it's good)