LGBT Protestors Attacked by Government Forces (MT)

[New Edom]

From the Office of the Foreign Minister

(Most Secret Encryption as Appropriate to Officials Relevant, Visayan Embassy)
To Dominic Kang, Ambassador

Your Excellency

Sharing Intelligence to the effect of possible Homofront connections discovered. Angela Michaels, an official in the NGO “Church Human Rights Interests Syndicate of the Tabernacle” had her apartment investigated. A Ministry of Police raid on her privately rented apartment discovered the following: Five RPG-7's with 50 rounds of ammunition, an MP-40 with 500 rounds of ammunition, a sixty millimeter mortar with 10 rounds, and 25 pounds of C-4. Several associated individuals have been arrested as a result.

On the recommendations of senior Ministry of Justice officials, the rest of the cell at large outside the embassy was apprehended.

[*] Leah Martin - block secretary (Currently in custody)
[*] Jeremiah Winston - block treasurer (Currently in custody)
[*] Elisha Stewart - group leader (Currently in custody)
[*] Gabriel Thompson - block leader (Currently in custody)
[*] "Rainbow Warrior" - financier (Whereabouts unknown)

I have the honour to be,
Hosidius Geta
Foreign Minister

Embassy School, Fineberg

Jacob Kadesh was not far off from the twins, now and then sneaking a look at them, but too shy to do much about it. He was focused on a math problem anyway. The skinny but nice looking son of a senior civil service bureaucrat in the Ministry of Tourism, he was among a curious sizeable minority of Edomites among the collection of children of foreign diplomats and businesspeople. 'If a rifle fires a bullet straight up with a muzzle speed of 300 m/s, how high will the bullet rise? (Ignore air resistance)' he mumbled to himself, unconsciously sticking his tongue out against his upper lip as he often did while thinking.

Meanwhile, a thin, pale boy from Lazodiria named Rene Lamontagne with dark hair from Lazodiria along with a few other kids were playing some music to keep everyone relaxed. They played classical dances and folk airs that were sometimes cheery, sometimes melancholy.

Leah Koren, who taught history and civics, had been teaching at the Embassy School for 3 years. She was attractive, medium tall, slender, with brown hair that reached her shoulders, light brown eyes, and a triangular face. Like all the female teachers, she wore a long blue A line dress, low modest heels, and a cross around her neck. Foreign students were always treated modestly, though like most Edomites she had a minimal modesty taboo. She was also one of those teachers to whom girls brought their problems; she was upbeat and always willing to listen to the latest bad boyfriend story. Educated in Adiron during her teaching school years, she had what were often called ‘modern ideas’ but had been licensed by the church because of a need to meet general international standards. She was sad lately though; her husband had been fatally injured in Hostillia and she was a widow. In fact her leave of absence had been about to begin when this emergency happened. The school had been discreet though; only students who were good at spying knew anything. She walked nearby the students including the twins, giving comforting smiles and making sure no one was too nervous. Seeing one of the sentries outside, the teacher felt a moment of sorrow and her smile faltered. Then she cleared her throat. “Everyone stay away from the widows” she said in a clear voice.

No sooner had she spoken than the fire alarm went off. Her olive tanned features went pale. “Alright everyone,” she said, clapping her hands. “Please form a line and move in an orderly manner towards the assembly area.”

A number of the other students began to look alarmed, and the dark haired boy lowered his clarinet and said, “But...but….what if they’re just trying to lure us outside, to kill us there?”

Mrs. Koren said, looking suddenly worried even more, “We have no idea what is happening, but if there is a fire we must at least move towards a fire exist…”

“Madame,” said the sentry, in black tactical gear with a carbine, approaching, “Please do so but do not exit the building until we have determined what is going on. Kids, do as your teacher says!”

[New Edom]

The Shrailleeni Embassy

Sister Beatrice felt an assuredness in her spirit that overwhelmed fear, grief and worry. They had not vanished, but were yet present. It had never really been clear to her if she sinned in her personal love, but it was clear that her duty lay in providing for the poor, comforting those spiritually assaulted and healing the sick as Christ commanded.

As the Shrailleeni woman approached, she bowed to her and thanked her quietly for her hospitality.

"Sister," she said politely. "I understand that you may have the support of the Archbishop of Bara. I would very much like to facilitate contact between the Archbishop and yourself if it would ease the fears of your people here, and enable their safe return to their homes. You know that I cannot harbor your people indefinitely."

At that moment, the solution shone clear as the Star of David to her. “I thank you,” she said, softly and with dignity, “For your great kindness and courtesy. .I believe that to contact His Excellency would indeed be a good gesture and would make for a peaceful withdrawal from your embassy possible.”

She paused, feeling a need to clarify her position. “We are not rebels nor are we really radicals,” she explained, “But we are a voice for peace and a reminder of the true mission of Christ in our country, upon which our laws are based, and we are less concerned for theology than for holiness, for an encouragement to see all our citizens as people of God. It would be very wrong of us to take advantage of your hospitality, and so I hope we will soon no longer be a burden upon you, though we are also of course very much in your debt.”

[Solisian Union]

Sailing

---

For now, as her boat sailed beneath the waves of the world's waters, she reviewed her order of battle. In her command, she had

3 x Aura Class Attack Subs
2 x Pyro Class Attack Subs
1 x Valhine Class Ballistic Missile Sub
2 x Frigates with 2 x ASW Helicopters
1 x LHD
4 x large transport ships

The submarines were all new except for her own. It was named, according to her wishes, the Cruel Angel's Thesis. It was a suggestion that her long-dead daughter gave to her. It was something she took from that animated TV show about a young boy who was forced to use a big robot against alien invaders. She wondered if naming her boat, one that carried so many of her precious officers and crew who were either her friends or respected comrades, would have made her proud. But it doesn't matter anymore, does it?

She is dead. She died because of the cancer that started in her lungs. The Commander in Chief of the Solisian Imperial Navy sent out here to help their allies and to test their own bit her bottom lip and closed the folder. She put it on the desk and left her room. She let sailors and officers who passed her by salute but all she did to return their gestures was to nod. It was a way she adopted from some of those people who came into the Empire. They called themselves Azens, do they not? They compared themselves to Exilei, if she recalled correctly, and such was the way of the world.

For now, she made it to the CIC, greeting everyone inside with a nod and a few words

"Be easy, men. Don't worry about me. Where's the chief?"

The chief who was commanding the CIC for now was Taman Mercier. A man this time. She smirked at him when he sharply saluted his superior. For that, she rewarded him with a pat on his head. Taman said

"Ma'am. Things are quiet. No contacts so far and the readings are all good. We are still with the rest of the boats." He paused when the commander looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Something up, Commander?" The woman nodded, pointing to the folder that her executive officer and second in command over all the forces she had in her hands. She told him without waiting "Yes. This ORBAT. It's lacking. Even though I have requested more surface ships again and again, Sede (Headquarters) does not tell me a thing, not a thing. I might be lucky to get a frigate or perhaps two destroyers but we are in the middle of the waters of the world now, Mr. Taman. What do you think?"

Taman blinked and turned to the folder which was now open. He thought about the reasons why Sede didn't want to give them any more ships. Perhaps they wanted to make the Solisian entry into this affair with Lanorth and New Edom just a little more quiet? Maybe the allies asked them specifically not to send too many ships? There were many possibilities and the Empire's general staff and headquarters know things that he and his superior did not know or were not allowed to know.

The man shrugged. The woman groaned and straightened herself as she gave orders

"Very well. In fifteen minutes, I want you to take us up to periscope depth and slow us down, 10 knots. Transmit to Sede again for reinforcements and inform them that we are at..." She consulted her PDA which tracked the data that her navigators keyed in on their own consoles. She told him the coordinates. She continued "After that, return to previous speed. Do not let us return to the depth of 300 feet. Take us down until we are at 500 until we reach our allies. I also want you to include a message for our allies. Tell them that we are really on our way. They shouldn't worry."

We should. We are all late.

She then let a curse escape her brown lips as she turned to the door and told Taman

"Take a rest, dear Mercier. Your pretty green eyes are starting to turn red."

---

At the same time that the CINC of the ships and boats sent out by the Empire had her own things to think about, there too was a CINC pondering over the approach she has to take with her men. Under her, she had at least 11894 men and women armed for war if it had to come. She had, at least, been in contact with both the allies of her nation and Sede.

According to them, there is a Board of Inquiry being set into place. In addition, there were threats of war flying from country to country. There were hostilities being expressed by the lips of women and men who probably never tasted war or any kind of conflict that cost real lives, real equipment and real spirit. And again, there was a bombing. Bombings were not strange to the Solisians. They sometimes had to deal with Exilei rogues or with their Azen guests or even with the old people who still believed in socialism and democracy and the like.

The CINC of the ground forces, whose name was simply Zera to her men, chuckled. Socialism and democracy. Are they really worth trying again? She shook her head as she recalled the last battle she participated in when she was still so, so young. She remembered tasting blood as she bayoneted foolish women who took up arms against their monarchy. Zera now returned to current events as she fingered the pages.

Huh. There are a few news about SACTO. At least, Zera thought, this is a great opportunity for the Empire to show their better teeth to their allies in that organization rather than simply show off to the rest of the alliance they were already in. There were wishes being overheard in Sede about the possibility of entry into SACTO. But to her, she did not mind. She just wanted to do her job. And to see her husband again.

If she recalled correctly, he would be home now. At least he can relax and watch the TV with their grandson and grand daughter while she did this. This was exciting. That was soft. And to be soft now was not in her mind.

She reviewed this time the documents she received from their allies. She read again the one with the subject: Operational Order Proposal Delilah Updates. She reminded herself of the bombing at the Cossack Khanate and again read the one that came before the Updates on Delilah.

She sighed. She rubbed her eyes. She stopped. No, she thought over it, don't rub your eyes. You're getting old. You're going to be 60 soon. And at that, having unwittingly reminded herself of that, groaned.

[New Edom]

Meeting of The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms
Outside Fineberg, New Edom

Simon Silvanus glanced out the window of his chauffeur driven car and a faint smile of approval dawned upon his otherwise grave Cornellian features. The gardeners had done a good job in transforming the land into something presentable. At long last, the roads whose names had celebrated various species of tree were actually turned over to their cultivation. There was now elm, oak, beech and sycamore on land that once sported their names. Nevertheless, there hadn't been enough time for the trees to grow especially tall. Although the genetic modification that facilitated rapid growth and disease resistance made the landscape rather more densely forested than would otherwise have been the case, the trees could scarcely be described as towering. They seemed short even to Silvanus, who despite his great wealth was not similarly blessed by great stature.

As he got out of his car, he was greeted by Corsus, his personal secretary, who bowed as his boss set his fine leather shoes down on the fine gravel of the driveway before the steps leading up to the columns of the portico of the house. “Welcome sir,” said Corsus.

“Thank you, Corsus. Is everyone here?” he asked him.

“Yes sir,” Corsus dogged him up the stairs while the chauffeur drove the car off to the garage. “Ratel says that there’s been some speculation but nothing...leaky or risky.”

Ratel was the head of security. Silvanus had had the rooms bugged and wanted to make sure that none of his guests would betray him. He nodded and smiled faintly at Corsus before heading in. He handed the secretary his briefcase, glanced in one of the foyer mirrors to make sure he looked calm and not a dark well combed hair out of place before walking into the presence of his guests with a smile. A room full of Deputies as well as financial and social supporters.

His wife, Zoe, came up and greeted him with a warm smile. She had her light brown hair in a razor edged bob with bangs, and wore a tunic dress that hinted at a womanly swimmer’s figure. She had, indeed, been a middle class girl who had excellent in that very sport at university, and he genuinely loved her. “Everyone is fine, drinks, cigars and food, but I think Mr. Glaber is not happy you arrived after him.”

And, in fact, Claudius Glaber, the Chairman of the Intellectual Party, was looking at him with a friendly smile above a duelist’s eyes. The Chairman was not a handsome man; he was very rough featured, built like a yam, and had unfortunate facial hair that gave him five o clock shadow an hour after shaving, but there was nothing wrong with his mind. The other Deputies and guests had sunk into the embrace of the huge leather armchairs and sipped from wine from his fine cellar.

“My dear Mr. Glaber,” said Simon, greeting him first, Roman style, with a clasp of the forearm. “I am aghast that I arrived so late. But there were so many roadblocks. Appalling situation.”

“It is.” said Glaber. “We appreciate the hospitality t hough, and Zoe was more than a fine substitute.” he smiled at her warmly in a way that Simon didn’t like. In spite of his appearance, Glaber had a reputation for the ladies, perhaps it was charisma or sheer power, but his smile seemed genuine. “But I hate to be rude and rush things, however...we should get on with it. As I understand it, you wanted to talk about the results of the demonstration and the way forward.”

“I did, Mr. Glaber.” Silvanus sat down. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we can all agree that this was a disaster. It has been accompanied by others. Our best friend in the Council, Count Lalery, has been removed from the Presidency, but he is still Finance Minister, so that is not a complete disaster. What is is that the King-Emperor has made it very clear that the Presidency is not the director of policy, merely the guide of general administration. Arguably, the Royal Master of Offices has more power. Ours is merely raising funds and making laws. And yet, given our constitution, we cannot in any way curtail the power of the Monarch or the Judiciary, and we can see the results: the people raise their voice, and the guns sound.”

“Ah yes,” said Glaber, looking around at the sumptuous luxury of the sitting room. “The people. Are there any representatives of them here?”

Aelia Drubetskaya, a former resident of Gloria Regis, who sat smoking a cigarette with elegant legs crossed, snorted at that. “There are not. But that is not the point, Claudius.” Aelia was a closet feminist, and a very rich and privately decadent woman. “But we are not talking about having a hundred million anxious people in here but about how to lead and represent them. I did not escape one oppressive regime to see another flourish here under a thinly guised, monarchical, religious dictatorship.”

“Precisely,” said Silvanus. “Were the issues the protests raised improper, illegal? Were they ungodly? Possibly. I am a godly man. I do not advocate for sin. But can an Edomite citizen not voice concerns and raise questions without violence? I am afraid that the concerns that existed before our new constitution yet remain. Now: issues were raised by both the Adiran and Shrailleeni governments that, however undeserved, the hostility and the violence are nevertheless the natural fruit of repression.”

Uriah Bannon, one of the members of the Peace and Harmony Party, frowned and set his wine down. “Simon, this is all very well, but it’s political theory. Our country needs to work out how to fund more flood control, how to prepare for the aftermath of the latest conflicts, how to encourage investment and reduce the likelihood of conflict at our borders.”

“My precise point,” said Silvanus sharply. “Let’s be honest, I don’t care about a bunch of shirt lifters and rug munchers any more than the rest of you. No offense, Aelia…”

“None taken,” she said with a vixenish smile.

“But I do care about foreign trade. Whenever these things happen, it scares the gentler folk out there.” Silvanus glanced around the room. “Now we had people out there. They were swept up in all this. The way these protests and frustration are dealt with, I don’t care if it is foreigners encouraging it--in fact I’m almost certain it is--we need a way of filtering it so it’s not an issue anymore. And by the same token we need more influence with the Monarchs. What I want to propose is this: The Imperial Office of Petitions. The way it would work is that as long as petitions are phrased with courtesy and with proper respect to God and the Monarchs, people would be able to request any changes to law, and be promised a process of consideration. Protests can legally be done--provided they have gone through this office first, and then they are designated to particular places, and must not restrict traffic, that sort of thing. It’s like venting an engine.”

Claudius Glaber frowned. “How does this help pursue the party’s goal of establishing an elected Council of Ministers, religious freedom and the universal franchise of citizens?”

Silvanus looked at him. “It doesn’t. What it does is reduce chaos, establish order, and better trade, and keeps us all rich.”

There was enough applause in the room that Glaber simply laughed and as he rose he said, “We shall see. I must admire...your ablatisque testiculis, my friend.”

“I think we should still encourage further protest. Protest of the killings and woundings,” said Aelia firmly. “This is a decent plan if all else fails, Simon, but you are cynically forgetting that it is people’s rights and lives that are at stake.”

Several heads were nodding at this. “I want to be rich as much as any of you,” agreed Bannon. “But I think especially that the protest concert should take place at Prince Joachim Park. Let them see that the online communications will lead to gatherings they cannot anticipate, and let them tremble at that. It will show the defiance of the people. Most importantly, it will sway more from my party to support the The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms.”

This motion was carried. Silvanus bade them farewell as cars, chauffeured or otherwise, made their way down his driveway and headed either to other estates or the city.

“I don’t trust him at all,” Claudius Glaber said to his own wife, Doria, as they drove back to Fineberg. They had to slow down to deal with a roadblock, and his driver presented his Chamber of Deputies ID as a soldier peered in the car at them.

“I don’t doubt it,” said Doria with a sigh. “What do you think of his ideas though?”

“I think he’s using them, and the protests, to make himself necessary to the Monarchs. He imagines that is the only way to power. But if New Othman can become a secular state, why can’t we?” he nodded as the soldier stepped back from the car and saluted. The vehicle drove on. He noticed that the private cars leaving the city outnumbered those entering it.

[New Edom]

From the Office of the Foreign Minister

(Most Secret Encryption as Appropriate to Officials Relevant)
To Foreign Affairs Minister Ryan Vehrs

Dear Minister,

One of my officials brought to my attention a very pleasant meeting he had with your Lieutenant Dusk, and he proposed closer ties between our countries. I very much appreciate your offer of help during our time of trouble.

One matter that was brought up when I mentioned this issue to my friend, Minister of Defense Unwerth, is that we have no idea if this Lanorth expeditionary force even exists or where it might be. Much of our nation’s defense capabilities are focused on our own Region.

While we explore closer relations, wI wonder if it would be possible for your government to try to track down, analyze and observe Lanorth’s activities and present a picture of what they are up to and some analysis of what they are capable of? We would be most grateful, and it would go a long way towards building the alliance you seek.

I have the honour to be,
Hosidius Geta
Foreign Minister

[Ocreau]

The nation of Ocreau officially denounces the nation of new Edom for its unacceptable moral decadence

[New Edom]

Military District of Fineberg Parade Ground

The Iron March played as Colonel Cosmo Weber and 700 other Hussars were on parade, wearing urban combat battle dress with body armour. The music, the location...it brought a vivid memory to him.

Weber had had a quiet private moment with Pahath-Moab that morning; they had relived old actions, talked about old friends present and gone, and he had gotten a sense that the President of the Council wished he was doing something simpler than his present duties. They had enjoyed playing Frisbee with the President’s cheerful Airedale terrier, and had enjoyed a pleasant simple breakfast together. Pahath-Moab’s tastes hadn’t changed in that; he liked having a medium boiled egg, some warm bread, sliced fruit and hot mint tea with honey.

“Well…” Weber had said, looking at him, and feeling suddenly at a loss.

“There are no goodbyes for us, Cosmo.” Perrin Pahath-Moab said. “Go with God though.”

They embraced, and he had left, not looking back. Boots marching, just one pair and then hundreds later, striking the ground so perfectly they almost sounded like a platoon rather than a Squadron. The stiff breeze caught the Regimental, Army and National flags in the wind. The Regimental mascot, a fierce blue, yellow and white terror bird, gave croaks and growls, raising its beak as though in salute (though this was the habit o the big flightless birds during a high wind, it was a nice image).

It was the stiff breeze that brought tears to his eyes, nothing more. There was another sound, not so neat and tidy, that clearly were several hundred Municipal Militia in their light blue uniforms marching down the street. Nearby him, Major Fabian muttered, “God save the King-Emperor.”

Sergeant-Major Tusk cleared his throat. Colonel Weber was grateful for the moment, which distracted him. He was just getting older, that was all. Unfitting for a senior officer to get lost in memory.

Commandant Bajith had wanted to conduct the decoration ceremony before anything else tonight. It was scheduled, and anyway, it would remind people of what they were all about. When he saluted Weber, he wondered if he imagined the contempt on the man’s face. He had always been despised as a child as he was unattractive, awkward and hopeless at football or basketball, the most popular sports in the country. His pudginess had always been held to ridicule by boys and girls alike. This was made even worse in his teens when pimples were added to his troubles. An overly sexed boy who got aroused even at a girl’s smile, he was doomed to be rejected by all the girls, even the ugly ones, who of course he was not interested in. He had been embarrassingly punished more than once for being ‘inappropriate’.

Before the First Civil War, he had done passably well at school and had gone on afterwards to work in a bank. This was a boring job, made worse in those pre-war days because the secretarial pool was strictly divided from the men, as only men at that time were bank tellers or loans officers. He was isolated and lonely. Then the Civil War had come, and everything changed. The old Royal Police Service had fallen apart, and he found that he had a gift for organization within the new National Militia organizations. Since he was an educated man, he had risen to his present rank with meteoric speed, and made sure he was very useful to men like Misabel.

Calling Sergeant Eve Cyprian forward, he eyed the Dengali woman. He had not realized she was so freakishly big; she was standing there, all six dark brown feet of her, looking like some Dengali heathen war spirit’s statue with her full lips, high cheeks and flat nose. “Sergeant Cyprian,” he called out in a voice he at least made dignified if he could not make it deep, “You are recognized for your gallantry and courage in the face of a great threat, responding in a time of crisis and showing courage in a manner most becoming to the Fineberg Militia, for which you are presented with the Gold Link.” He smiled as he pinned it on her. She saluted, expressionless, and then at the word to fall back in, took two paces back into the ranks.

Once this was done, Major-General Adam Merari walked out onto the parade square and stood facing the ranks. “Soldiers and Militia!” he barked out in a parade ground voice. “Yesterday, the King-Emperor ordered that all Edomite citizens are to be removed from foreign embassies by the end of a 24 hour period! As you have all been briefed, at the end of this period, each embassy that is known to have Edomite citizens within who have no official business there are to be removed. Ministry of Justice officials will be calling on said embassies to confirm their departure. If there is failure to cooperate, the Militia or Army will, as required, make sure that there is compliance. While the minimum force necessary is ordered, it is believed that some embassies may have had their security compromised, or that some embassies may be acting against the security of the Holy Empire. All actions are to be ordered by officers of no less than Company or Sub-Commandancy grade. I remind you all: you are under sacred oath at all times to conduct yourselves in a manner as though God, and your Monarchs, are watching. That is all.”

[Lanorth]

The Tyronian Government have agreed to cancel Operation: Stormbreaker after tensions have risen higher than predicted by Tyronian Military Specialists. 4,000 soldiers out of the 500,000 in Operation: Stormbreaker remain on alert and armed, most tanks have been temporarily discharged, like every other unit, except from the navy, which circles the Tyronian Sea 24/7, in attempt to guard the nation from foreign vessels that have been reported, with sightings from espionage agents, mostly from SCORPIA, or Saboutage, Corruption, Intelligence and Assassination; Lanorth's best organization ever formed, designed for espionage and assassinations worldwide.


SCORPIA Operatives landing on a beach in a classified location, September 2018.


A SCORPIA Operative returning to Lake Paddal, Lanorth, after a reconnaissance mission ended successfully.

The Tyronian Navy remain on high alert, otherwise known as Karabrax 3. Their guns, missiles, cannons, crew, radar systems, transmission interceptors and cameras of all forms and sizes are always on alert, no matter what their Commanders tell them. The Chancellor has ordered Karabrax 3, and the Chancellor, and only the Chancellor can choose when to end the alert. Until then, 240 naval vessels of all classes are sailing around the Tyronian sea, armed and dangerous, it's crew ready to fight and die at any given second, minute, hour, day or night.


A Tyronian Aircraft Carrier, surrounded by helicopters and a Destroyer on patrol during Karabrax 3, somewhere in the Tyronian Sea.

Further Updates Coming Soon

[Cossack Khanate]

Lamboro Atoll, Cossack Khanate

Marshall Chander Keo paced up and down the large docks at the Lamboro base. In addition to the Tolstall submarine fleet, he now had enough ships to properly take on a military transport fleet. Under his command, he had:

CRNF Envira - Aircraft Carrier
Loch Striven - Destroyer
Koraaga - Destroyer
Farshan - Cruiser
Donglass - Littoral Combat Ship
Honur - Littoral Combat ship
Livenza - Cruiser
Waree - Armed Transport
Bacoi - Armed Transport / Dock Landing Ship
Kajira - Nuclear Submarine
Dnepr - Nuclear Submarine
Matsya - Nuclear Submarine
Urdansta - Nuclear Submarine
Halie - Mine Countermeasures Ship
Patheou - Patrol Ship

The 3,600 troops of the 36th, 37th, and 38th Strike Force Battalions were agitated, as a single order from Selvik would mean that they would have to pack immediately onto the ships and head for Edom. The newly flown in 39th Strike Force Battalion was helping around the docks, or sitting around idly at the airfield where the planes that had brought them had been told to remain at Lamboro. Along with the ships that were currently docked, there were some other patrol and defense ships that could be deployed, but were told to remain to protect the atoll.

Lamboro was a comfortable place for any soldier. The barracks were clean, the weather was always nice, and the defenses on the island were powerful enough to warrant them a degree of safety. Patrol ships sailed the coasts, and anti-air defenses were stationed around the coast. The shooting range and the various training grounds gave the officers something to focus their troops on, and the armory was always stocked.

For Keo, combat wasn’t a new or scary experience, he had fought too many battles for that. But for some reason, even on this cool day, he began to perspire in the thought of war in Edom…

Selvik, Cossack Khanate

Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan knew that the man next to him would rather have war than peace in Edom. Konzul-General Travis Abdullov was an arrogant man who was always eager to demonstrate power, and the Imperator only kept him around as a top commander because Abdullov usually made the right decisions. A veteran of the Farkasfalkan-UCP War, a war that in the end relied on heavy air strikes, MBTs, and intense machine gun combat, Abdullov was known for his quick, crushing victories and a dislike of long attrition wars.

The two men walked around the pathways of the Imperial gardens, discussing the situation in edom and the various military capabilities of the powers involved.

“Personally, I believe that Edom could hold off against most aggressors even without the Imperion and SACTO forces. Now add in the Imperion and SACTO forces and the problem is over. Plus the host of countries, including ourselves, that speak of defending Edom. But this gives us opportunity to test our navy. Especially the newer ships, the littoral combat ships and the others.” insisted Abdullov.
“Reign in your eagerness, General. We have to keep our heads straight at this time”, said the Imperator.

At that moment a messenger ran up to the Imperator and bowed, as was customary, before handing him a folded letter. The Imperator opened it and read the handwritten note at the top of the telegram. It was written by Minister Vehr, and the telegram was one from the Edomite foreign ministry. Vehr wanted to follow through with the Edomite request.

(Most Secret Encryption as Appropriate to Officials Relevant)
To Foreign Affairs Minister Ryan Vehrs

Dear Minister,

One of my officials brought to my attention a very pleasant meeting he had with your Lieutenant Dusk, and he proposed closer ties between our countries. I very much appreciate your offer of help during our time of trouble.

One matter that was brought up when I mentioned this issue to my friend, Minister of Defense Unwerth, is that we have no idea if this Lanorth expeditionary force even exists or where it might be. Much of our nation’s defense capabilities are focused on our own Region.

While we explore closer relations, I wonder if it would be possible for your government to try to track down, analyze and observe Lanorth’s activities and present a picture of what they are up to and some analysis of what they are capable of? We would be most grateful, and it would go a long way towards building the alliance you seek.

I have the honour to be,
Hosidius Geta
Foreign Minister

“The Edomites seem to be reacting positively to our diplomatic moves. It would be beneficial to perform the surveillance that they are asking. We need to know more about Lanorth anyway. We’ll get Cossack Military Intelligence and C.C.O to conduct some satellite surveillance.”
“We can’t capture everything with satellites sir. We might need to send actual reconnaissance planes”
The Imperator seemed unsure. “We would be putting Cossack pilots at risk...they might get shot down..”
All the more reason to start a war, thought Abdullov. “I think they’ll be fine sir”
The Imperator turned to look at him. “General, go ahead. But remember that if anything goes wrong, you have to answer to the public. Your position won’t suffer, don’t fear about that. But I think you’ll find that Cossacks won’t be happy about losing their own kind unnecessarily. You have been warned. Mind you actions carefully general. Dismissed, have a good day now.”

Abdullov turned and went, a smile creeping across his face. He had gotten another opportunity to flex the military’s muscle...

[Lanorth]

Everything seemed normal in H2-756. It was a nice, clear, sunny day in Lanorth, problems seemed unlikely, and a good day seemed inevitable. It all changed when unidentified aircraft appeared on H2-756's radars.

"Fucking hell, sir, look at this!" Said Junior-Translator Moratack of the 5th Radar Division, who was scanning the radar he was assigned to. The commander, Senior-Observor Gorsail, approached his chair and looked upon the radar. He stared at it, as it showed slow-moving jets of some description, glide across the screen.

"Contact them. Same protocal. Quickly now, hurry the fuck up!" Gorsail barked.

"Yes, sir." Said Moratack, before turning a dial slightly, and speaking clearly:
"This is Junior-Translator Moratack of H2-756 whom belongs to the 5th Radar Division. We have picked you up upon our radars, and advise you to turn back and re-direct your course. We will give you 5 minutes and 3 warnings to re-direct your course, or we will engage emergency protocal." He then temporarily turned off his long-range transmission machine, which the Tyronian has used since it's development in June 2018. "Now, we wait." He finished.

"Yes. Yes we do." Said Gorsail.

One minute passed, the planes still were flying deeper into Tyronian airspace, so warning one was given:
"This is your first warning. Re-direct your course or there will be consequences." No reply. The same warning was issued another time after they did not re-direct their course. The third and final warning was then issued:
"Turn around immediately or we will take dramatic and drastic action which may result in your inevitable deaths." They gave the aircraft an extra 2 minutes to reply. They waited.

Whilst they waited, Anti-Aircraft guns were prepared, and in a nearby airbase, jet fighters were prepared. Twelve men, six pilots and six ground crew members charged out of the barracks, after they were told to prepare for a QRA, and to their MF-96s, where the pilots simultaneously started the engines whilst outside the cockpit, pulled on their vests, tightened a holster which carried their chosen pistol and equiped their oxygen supplies, and climbed inside the plane which was ready to go. The cockpit windows sealed shut, and the planes rolled out onto the runway, and waited for instructions.

[Cossack Khanate]

Tyronian Airspace
Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard flew his RK-45 reconnaissance/fighter plane over Tyronian airspace. The sensors onboard were being relayed directly to High Command, recording pictures, video, and other information. Although the plane was armed with a RA-14 gatling machine gun and 4 AA/AG launchers, he had orders not to fire unless fired upon. He turned off his external radio. He didn’t need it.

Of course, observing a neutral leaning on enemy’s base would leave war up to chance. He could see now through his cockpit that men were scurrying about on the base, preparing anti-air guns.

“Men, all of you turn your planes around. I am going to stick it out”
Adalhard’s men were hesitant to leave, but they had to follow orders. One by one, the remaining planes flew away and out of harm’s way. Adalhard gunned his plane forward...

Unknown location, Montz City, Cossack Khanate
“I don’t care about your troubles, I only need to get to Deodara.”

“It strikes me as odd, ma’am, that you seem to care so much about the cause -

The “Ma’am” casually started loading her revolver. The young man in front of her realized his mistake and cleared his throat. “I mean, ma’am, perhaps we should not be so invested in the cause”

Sophie Hocking let a wicked grin spread across her pale face. “Michael, you are mistaken. It’s not the LGBT nonsense I’m interested. Causing unrest is a high-paying job, you know.” Hocking set her loaded revolver on the table next to her, the only other furniture in the room except for the chairs she and Michael were sitting on. She crossed her legs and stretched them out in front of her. “And I have been called upon to cause unrest in these monarchical conservative countries. I have been instructed to cause some unrest in Edom, so I need to get to Deodara. Can it be done or do I have to look for..alternatives?”

Michael gulped, almost imperceptibly. “No ma’am, I can get it done.”

“Good. Now get out.”

[Lanorth]

The 2 MF-96s who were prepared were ordered to chase after that lone reconnaissance craft. Within minutes, the MF-96s reached their top speed of 2,110mph, so it only took the MF-96s a matter of minutes to catch up with the craft.

"Alright, sir. We all have a lock. Shall we, or shall one fire?" Said one of the Pilots, contacting someone on the ground.

"Give them everything you have got." Replied the Commander upon the ground. So, in turn, they fired one cruise missile each. 2, in total were fired. They both hit the target without difficulty. It was on fire, smoke engulfing most of the craft. It plummeted down from the air and towards a shallow lake, somewhere in Eastern Lanorth.

It crashed down, bumping around violently. The flames were extinguished by the water, but the pilot would either be dead or will have sustained serious injuries. A rescue helicopter arrived at the crash site minutes later, and retrived a very injured man, though still alive. He was given medical attention inside the helicopter which was headed for the nearest hospital.

The pilot, identified as Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard, had a broken left wrist, right arm, both collarbones, right femur, one burst testicle, 7 missing teeth and one missing finger on his right hand. We was immediatwly treated at hospital, and became the most treated man in the hospital's history. The Tyronian Military presented him the TMFV, or the Tyronian Medal For Valour. He was left to heal after the major treatment, while the High Court decided his punishment. The likely one was execution.

[Neue Regensburg]

The Regensburger Marine deployed part of its Coast Guard, with Marines on standby, stationed on a Littoral Combat Carrier. A merchant ship, the SS Kiel, had been hijacked, and even without the heightened threat level, there would be hell to pay.

Off the Diamond Shore, 10 km north of the Port of Neue Lazien

Task Force Nordbergen, Regensburger Coast Guard

Epsilon Squad, 2nd Platoon, 1st Company, 3rd Elitemarineinfanteriebataillon, led by Oberleutnant Thomas Gänzig.

Oberst(Colonel) Nikolaus Proschen, the battalion commander, had seen to it that they were assigned to this mission, having served with Gänzig’s father in the guerilla wars in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. He had joined the special forces, being promoted several times from Oberleutnant as a young 28 year old to a now 45 year old with invaluable experience. “Now, he sat in a command center at Diamond Shore Naval Base, having specially requested to supervise this operation. This angered some of his inferiors, though they’d never mention it, but they’d most likely lose the chance for a promotion while the Oberst got the glory. Outwardly though, as any good Regensburger; the Oberst’s aide(an Oberstleutnant, or Lieutenant Colonel), the company Oberhauptmann(Senior Captain) and the Platoon Hauptmann(Captain) were all obedient to a fault, knowing that if the Colonel wanted to back-seat drive because of his friend’s son, that was his prerogative.

“Colonel, we have a sight on the Kiel. We estimate 10 hostiles on board.” This came from an attack helicopter designated Bravo 0-9, scouting ahead for the task force.
“Copy that.”

Proschen switched his radio frequency to that which would be used for the operation, and contacted Gänzig. “Oberleutnant, you are clear to initiate Operation Reclamation.”
“Jawohl, Oberst.”

Gänzig powered up the RHIB boat, and it began the fast approach to the Kiel. As they prepared to board the lower deck, gunfire rained down on them from the upper deck. Leutnant Werner Yanbring was shot in the head from the rusty G3
fire. “GO, GO, GO” he shouted, as they made contact with the ship. Quickly, the men boarded it, and made their way through the first hallway. Thomas aimed his B56 Carbine down into a room, seeing about a year’s worth of explosives inside.

“Oberst, Leutnant Yanbring is down. We have a significant amount of explosives here. Continuing sweep.”
Staff Sergeant Euing, followed by the remaining three members of the squad, went after Gänzig into the room. They took photographs of the room while Gänzig held the perimeter. When they were done, the squad advanced upstairs. Immediately, they came under a hail of gunfire, and kept in cover at the stairwell.

Gänzig primed a flashbang grenade and tossed it inside, temporarily blinding the terrorists. He entered first, firing three 6.5 mm rounds into the skull of the first hostile he’d seen. If these guys were Homofront, they were much better trained than any the “King’s Men,” as Peter von Wittlesburg’s unit was sarcastically known, had encountered in the Forest. Euing and the rest came in quickly. The 7.62 round from Euing’s ZR47 DMR took the head clean off the second hostile. The men advanced to a set of metal crates, and let the enemy dump their magazines into the effective shields. The returning hail of fire from an N48 machine gun, the ZR47 and 2 B56 Carbines proved sufficient to kill three other terrorists and force the rest to retreat.

They did, however, manage to kill a young private from Salzbrück before retreating. A G3 round penetrated his helmet, cutting through his brain and lodging in the back side of his helmet. He dropped to the floor, and died in Euing’s arms. Euing softly wept as the young boy met his end. The men had all loved Leutnant Yanbring, but the Private was like a little brother to the entire unit. The remaining 3 aside from Euing held back tears, before Gänzig snapped, “Let’s kill the rest of these fucks.”

Thomas called the chopper, “Bravo 0-9, we have already lost two men, can you lot up the hostiles headed bridge side? We’ll keep them occupied from this end.”
“Copy that, Oberleutnant. Opening fire on the bridge.”

As the remainder of Epsilon squad fired into anybody trying to make it past them or tht was too slow to retreat to the bridge, Bravo 0-9 opened fire on the room proper. Bullets hailed inside at over 900 feet per second, ending the lives of the puny few that remained.

Epsilon entered the bridge to find their foes dead.

“Oberst, bridge secured. Request medevac for the the two brothers we have lost today, as well as EOD for the explosives. We’re going to stick around and gather evidence for the-“
“Thomas, let Intelligence handle it. Epsilon has lost quite enough today, it’s time to go home. “

6 Hours Later
Ministry of Defence Black Site
Nova Roma
King Peter stared at the report. Two dead marines, God rest their souls, 25 pounds of C4, several hundred dollars in old ‘70s weapons tech and nothing identifying these men.
“General Eisenherz, what do you make of this?”

“My King, whoever this is, they were planning an extremely deadly attack. Until the intelligence ministry can ascertain the identities of these men, I recommend we go from threat level INDIEN to threat level ROMEO. You know what that means, but given the circumstances...”

“Putting our armed forces on high alert is nothing compared to the greatest threat faced since we have served, General. Give the order. If you’ll excuse me, I have a letter to write.”

Priority Transmission to the New Edomite Crown

Encryption: Indien
Priority: Sierra

Dear King Elijah, I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I hope Queen Mara and the rest of Your Majesty’s family is well. I wish to offer my sympathy for the tragic occurrences of the past few days, and as well to insist that we will be there if New Edom needs any thing following the horrific attacks on your people. I am writing because while we are about to remove the embassy from lockdown status in Fineberg, my daughter Princess Christina is extremely scared, and in her innocence worries greatly as she gets reports of what comes from the outside.

Despite my daughter’s fear, she greatly looks forward to the possibility of witnessing more of your nation, and has asked me if she could stay for a couple weeks longer. That perhaps is my fault. I was hoping that perhaps, at your leisure and perogative of course, Your Majesty would be willing to arrange for something to make her feel more comfortable, because while I have visited and admire your great nation, my daughter arrived only on the day of the unrest, and unlike myself, has no history of military service to strengthen her against the realities of the outside world.

It was a pleasure to write you, and my wife and I hope to see Your Majesty and Queen Mara soon.

Pax Christi,
König Peter IX

[Ardoki]

Ardokian Embassy, Fineberg,
New Edom

Norah Deirdre Ward sat behind her desk in her office. She'd been a lot busier than usual as of late, with all the protsestors flooding into the embassy grounds requesting asylum. It was a logistical nightmare. The embassy had not been built to house however many refugees were currently on the grounds. Norah took a deep sip from the steaming cup of coffee on her desk. 'Fuck!' She spilt a bit over her desk as she rushed to place the cup back down on the saucer, her tongue was burning and it would no doubt feel tingly for the next few days. She was normally a tea person.

Norah moved some soiled papers aside. Nothing important thank the grand emperor! She proceeded to wipe the small puddle of spilt coffee the cherry wood desk up with a handful of tissues. I'll have to get a cleaner in here later. She was halfway up from her chair when there was a knock on the door. 'Come in.'

The door opened and a man walked a few paces in. 'Your Excellency.'

It was Kane, an imperial attaché. She didn't know the rest of his name, or even if Kane was his name. She didn't ask. He had arrived at the embassy over a week ago, and she was convinced he was ISD (Intelligence and Security Directorate). So far they had stayed out of each others ways. She didn't think he was here to spy on her, that would be too obvious. Norah had served twenty years in the ISD herself, of course it is best not to advertise this fact to New Edom. He was probably just here to manage field agents.

'Some of the refugees are unhappy with their current accommodations. They are demanding your presence.'

'They'll survive. I'm no more happy with this situation than they are.'

'Should I tell them that before or after they stage an uprising?'

'Don't exaggerate Kane. They should be grateful we opened our doors. Remind them of that, as well as the New Edomite presence outside.'

'And the music?'

Ambassador Ward paused to look directly at Kane. 'What music?'

'The refugees down in the basement. Some of guards thought it funny to put His Grand Imperial Majesty's latest album on full blast down there. As superb as the album is, I fear it is a bit much. May I suggest another of His Grand Imperial Majesty's album for the coming week?'

Norah just stood there, not knowing what to say. Do you think this is a joke you idiot! 'Of course. We wouldn't want them to miss out on the vast musical range His Grand Imperial Majesty is capable of.'

Kane beamed a wide smile. 'Excellent!' He turned around and walked right out of the room.

What was that all about... Norah walked to the door, and closed it. Sometimes she worried what was wrong with her fellow Ardokians. She removed her reading glasses and rubbed at her eyes. Over 30 years working for the government and I still have to deal with this shit! She walked over to a cabinet, pulled out a bottle of liquor then walked over to her desk.

---

Kane walked down the large central staircase with a spring in his step. He should't have tried joking with the ambassador. She probably thought he was an ISD spy of some sort. She wasn't entirely wrong. He was from, something of a sister organisation, and one could characterise his job here as spying. Landing on the marble floor he turned towards the rear of the embassy, to the back gardens. He felt a bit sorry for the poor people stuck in the basement. He had heard Moriarty actually used his own music as a form of torture. Funny! But not the type of thing one should say out loud, even if it was true. He'd have to tell the guards to turn the music off. It had only been a couple of ours a day, something he didn't tell the ambassador, but we wouldn't want to annoy our new guests.

He finally reached the back gardens. Refugees were milling about here and there. Fresh air is an important part of a healthy lifestyle! He had been watching the refugees, talking to them, getting to know each and everyone of them. Not all of them would be suitable for live in Ardoki. They had all been wiling to engage in anti-state activity in New Edom, this would not be allowed in Ardoki. The compatible ones would be used as propaganda about how progressive Ardoki is. The others... well the Advanced Research and Development Directorate has a very high attrition rate. He'd heard that the Ardokian and New Edomite governments were in discussions about further refugees, he hoped they were successful.

[Montenbourg]

Montenbourg
His Majesty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Elizabeth McCord
Minister of Foreign Affairs
World Assembly "Remarks on the Humanitarian Crisis in New Edom"
February 10, 2019

Thank you. Thank you, everybody. On the situation in New Edom, our Kingdom stands with the information given by the Edomite Freedom Coalition, The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms, and members of The Order of the Purple Cross on the past events targeting LGBT citizens and foreigns whom actively participated in the protests, the representatives of the EFC and FPG along with some members of the OPC are being offered asylum under our Embassy in Fineberg for them to keep providing information to all of us about the situation.

We are pushing towards freezing the conflict in every way possible under diplomatic negotiations pushing for the implementation of the WA Security Council resolution that condemns these attacks by the government of New Edom to LGBTI citizens. As of today,The Federal Union of Guadalupador, the Neo-British Empire, the Shrailleeni Empire, and more than four countries have joined us condemning this crisis fueled by New Edom officials. As many of you know, there are meetings, yesterday and today in the Palace of Westfalia, about the crisis in New Edom. Instead of trying to accommodate General Nicanor through contact groups or dialogue, we urge countries to recognize the expansion of New Edom’s legal civil rights and political freedoms and call new elections to include a nationally elected Council of Ministers, we encourage embassies and universities to call for freedom of political assembly, and to support the right to protest and to speak on behalf of LGBT interests join us in responding their call for immediate international humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the Edomite people.

New Edom officials under General Nicanor has proven he will manipulate any call for negotiations to his advantage, and he has often used so-called dialogues as a way to play for time and continue to abuse LGBTI and minorities. We urge all involved to deal solely with the Edomite Freedom Coalition and The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms. The time for dialogue with Nicanor has long passed, let's not repeat 2012 when their government executed genocide against Elwe people and in 2014 when President of the Council General Perrin Pahath-Moab order the shooting of demonstrators in the former province of Gloria Regis. Every day that General Nicanor remains in power is a day where political prisoners remain in jail, detainees are abused, killed and some forced to emigrate.

His Majesty's Government is coordinating with the Edomite Freedom Coalition and The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms and team of experts, other governments in the region, our humanitarian partners, on the logistics of deploying aid to mobilize a response efficiently and safely. We are prepositioning items – relief items, food, nutritional supplements, hygiene kits, medical kits in our embassies so that they’re available to reach LGBT edomites in need.

I would like to state that we are imposing visa restrictions and revoking the visas of members of the illegitimate council of ministers. This body has usurped all of the constitutional powers of the National Chamber of Deputies, the legitimate National Assembly, and embodies the militaristic destruction of democratic institutions. While I cannot name names because visa information is protected, I can state that we will continue to take action against those destroying New Edom's democratic institutions. We’ve engaged a massive economic pressure campaign against New Edom. To date, we have issued 19 rounds of sanctions on New Edom, designating 168 targets as part of our maximum pressure campaign. We have gone after the financial networks that New Edom regime uses to fuel its terrorist proxies such as Homofront and to support the systematic oppression of minorities.

As of Monday February 11th, the final round of snapback sanctions will be enforced on New Edom's energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors. As part of this action on Monday, His Majesty's Treasury will add more than 700 names to our list of blocked entities. We are sending a very clear message with our maximum pressure campaign that the Kingdom of Montenbourg intends to aggressively enforce our sanctions. Any financial institution, company, or individual who evades our sanctions risks losing access to Montenbourg and the European Union financial system and the ability to do business with the Kingdom or European companies. We are intent on ensuring that global funds stop flowing to the coffers of the Edomite regime. These sanctions will include targeting Edom's automotive sector, trade in gold, and other key metals, and will include targeting Edom's energy sector and and transactions with their banks including their central bank.

Again, we have a clear and compelling vision for a better future for the Edomite people. This future can only be realized, though, if New Edom meets the demands to become a country respectful of Human Rights. Normal countries don’t terrorize their nationals.

And let me be clear, this strategy is not about changing the regime, it is about changing the behavior of the leadership in New Edom to comport with what the Edomite people really want them to do.

It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity.

This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn't cultural; it's criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights. In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.

Here I am’ is an invitation to all: See me, recognize me, and understand me as a person, regardless of how I define my gender and sexuality. Because my rights are also your rights, because we are all humans.

God Save the King

[Montenbourg]

His Majesty, Lawrence the First, by the Grace of God of the Kingdom of Montenbourg of His other Realms and Territories King, Supreme Head of the Church of Montenbourg.

---

To all the nations and peoples concerned with the events currently transpiring in the Empire of New Edom

One of the greatest choices a person can make in their life is the choice to serve their fellow citizens. Maybe it’s in government, in the military, in a police force or as a monarch. In whatever capacity one serves, dedicating your life to making Montenbourg—and indeed, the world—a better place is a calling of the highest order. Imagine, if you will, being told that the very country you would willingly lay down your life to defend doesn’t want you. Doesn’t accept you. Sees you as defective. Sees you as a threat to our national security. Not because you can’t do the job, or because you lack patriotism or courage—no, because of who you are as a person, and because of who your sexual partners are. Now imagine, being subjected to laws, policies, and hiring practices that label you as different—as “less than.” Imagine having to fight for the basic rights that your peers enjoy, over and over again. And imagine being criminalized for being who you are. I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country’s record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect.

This is the truth for many in some countries.This is the devastating story of people who were branded criminals by the government. People who lost their livelihoods, and in some cases, their lives. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. With the declaration of human rights, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people.

It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments and monarchs are bound to protect them.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm. Being gay is not an invention; it is a human reality. Being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.

Progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We need to ask ourselves, “How would it feel if it were a crime to love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for something about myself that I cannot change?” This challenge applies to all of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater understanding. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together.

-Lawrence the First, King of Montenbourg

[Cossack Khanate]

Official Communique from the Ministry of Security
To: The Government of Lanorth
From: Minister Jarl Ghatak, Ministry of Security, Cossack Khanate

Dear Sirs/Madams,

I will be straight to the point in this letter. I have received news that a Cossack pilot, Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard, was shot down over Tyronian airspace while conducting a reconnaissance mission. I have further received news that he had survived, and has been graciously treated and given a medal of honor by your government.

It is true that the mission in question was authorized. The actions of the Tyronian military in Operation Stormbreaker caused a great deal of worry in the international community. As it has been shown that the Tyronian government has bluffed before, the Cossack military wanted to make it clear that your forces had indeed stood down and were simply on alert. However, the Sergeant Adalhard strayed off original course o gain better information without permission, and therefore was shot down by your forces.

The Cossack government will not take this event as an offense if the Tyronian government similarly does not take action based on this incident, and returns Adalhard back to the Khanate. If monetary terms must be discussed for his safe return on an unarmed Cossack vessel, then that may be an option. If under any circumstances Adalhard dies an unnatural death, the Cossack government will take that as an offense.

I urge you to remember that Adalhard was not supposed to stray into your airspace, only to fly near it. We have also lost a plane over this incident. We urge you to take the right decision.

Signed,
Minister Ghatak
Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan

Selvik, Cossack Khanate

The Imperator, dressed in a long black top that reached his thighs, and equally black loose pants, stepped up behind bulletproof glass to speak into the microphone. He was addressing the public from the 1st Selvik National Auditorium, with guards flanking the stage. Although there were only the important few who sat inside the auditorium, the speech was broadcasted outside on screens in the squares, and through the internet and television.

“Ladies and gentlemen, people of the Khanate, Cossacks of the world. The past weeks have been tumultuous ones. I’m sure all of you, as educated citizens of the Khanate, have been following the news from our friends in New Edom. An so-called LGBT protest against righteous Edomite policy was met with force. The Edomite government was not the one that ordered the firing, instead an officer or perhaps a civilian began the violence. Cossacks, this is a simple event. There is no need for war, there is no need for international condemnations, yet that is what the enemies of humankind are trying to do!”

The Imperator’s voice had risen to express the anger by both himself and the people.

“Let us take the Kingdom of Montenbourg, for example. Their Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, in a speech, I quote “We have gone after the financial networks that New Edom regime uses to fuel its terrorist proxies such as Homofront and to support the systematic oppression of minorities.”
I ask you, my people, what kind of ignorance does this portray? Are they suggesting that Homofront, a vile and disgusting organization for a vile and disgusting cause, is a fake, a puppet, a tool used by the god-fearing people of Edom to somehow prosper? All of you remember the attack on our own people perpetrated by Homofront, twice now. Are these degenerates suggesting that that is all somehow unreal, and Homofront doesn’t exist? That their cause and their methods aren’t a threat to humankind?”

The Imperator looked around to the mass assembled in front of him, but also directly at the cameras aimed at him.

“All of you know, from the bottom of your hearts, that homosexuality is a tool of destruction, created in hell, brought to our world to test our will and our strength. For the foreigners who listen to this and retort, I say, can two men create a child? Can two women create a child? The Gods above made a man and woman create a child for reason, to secure the reproduction of our kind! How dare one must be to challenge this? Not only do they challenge it, they act on it, they perform unspeakable degenerate acts, and they have the audacity to interfere with the national sovereignty of enlightened nations such as New Edom!!”

At this, the people in front of him applauded. The people on the streets were even more excited. On the next passage, the Imperator occasionally raised his fist.

“The question has been given to us, will you stand against the fire of hell, the fury of war, the tide of destruction, and we will say Yes! If we do not fight now, the generations that follow us will live a life of suffering, and if we do not fight now, we will live to see the end of humankind! If anyone asks you, or anyone asks me, why do the Cossacks take such a strict stance against homosexuals, we will say that it is our duty to stand against the crumbling of our world! We will not tolerate the ignorance of such acts, and we will not tolerate the violence propagated against us by organizations such as Homofront! No more!”

The Imperator snapped a crisp Cossack salute, three fingers parallel to his eyebrows first, then a turn of the hand to face his palm outwards. Massive applause sounded both inside the auditorium and out.

[Lanorth]

The Khudashov Palace
Khudashov, Lanorth
House of The Chancellor

---

---

The Chancellor of Lanorth was sitting at her desk watching a football match between the Tyronian Rangers and some random foreign country they were playing against, when she was annoyed to hear a knock at her door. She paused the television, and stood up. She walked around her desk, buttoning up her suit jacket. She approached the door, placing her dark and light brown hair, obviously dyed, behind her ear. She opened the door and was surprised to see the Minister of Communications standing at her door. They disliked each other, and were rivals, but they did, every now and again, have a mature talk between formal adults, who are, politcians.

"Minister. Do come in." The Chancellor said, nodding slightly in her general direction.

"Madam Chancellor." Said the Minister, returning an unenthusiastic nod. She shut the door behind her, before walking towards a chair opposite the Chancellor's desk.

"I do think that you would not have come here if it was not important." Said the Chancellor, a smirk appearing on her face. "What is so important that you had to disturb me in my free time, at ten o'clock at night, and force me to pause my sports programme?" Said the Chancellor, sitting upon her desk chair. The Minister's eyes darted behind her for a second, before returning to the Chancellor.

"Read this." Said the Minister, handing over a document from a file he was holding. She began to read.

Official Communique from the Ministry of Security
To: The Government of Lanorth
From: Minister Jarl Ghatak, Ministry of Security, Cossack Khanate

Dear Sirs/Madams,

I will be straight to the point in this letter. I have received news that a Cossack pilot, Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard, was shot down over Tyronian airspace while conducting a reconnaissance mission. I have further received news that he had survived, and has been graciously treated and given a medal of honor by your government.

It is true that the mission in question was authorized. The actions of the Tyronian military in Operation Stormbreaker caused a great deal of worry in the international community. As it has been shown that the Tyronian government has bluffed before, the Cossack military wanted to make it clear that your forces had indeed stood down and were simply on alert. However, the Sergeant Adalhard strayed off original course o gain better information without permission, and therefore was shot down by your forces.

The Cossack government will not take this event as an offense if the Tyronian government similarly does not take action based on this incident, and returns Adalhard back to the Khanate. If monetary terms must be discussed for his safe return on an unarmed Cossack vessel, then that may be an option. If under any circumstances Adalhard dies an unnatural death, the Cossack government will take that as an offense.

I urge you to remember that Adalhard was not supposed to stray into your airspace, only to fly near it. We have also lost a plane over this incident. We urge you to take the right decision.

Signed,
Minister Ghatak
Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan

She finished reading, and blinked a few times. She opened a drawer, and placed the document carefully inside. The Minister glared at her, but urged himself not to react. Then, the Chancellor started writing a letter of her own.

The Official Communications From The Palace of Khudashov

To: The Honourable Minister Ghatak, Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan, The Ministry of Security (of Cossack Khante)
Subject: Re: Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard
From: Madam Chancellor Synrush, Elected Chancellor of Lanorth

Dear whomever it may concern,

Allow me to cut straight to the chase. We respect Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard for his duty and his infinite loyalty to his nation, but we cannot let him go, I am afraid. The pilot violated Tyronian airspace, and because your nation has informed myself and the Government that the flights were authorized, makes the situation better, though will not make us reconsider our stance. We have him under protection, and the pilot is currently hospitalised, but following his recovery, he will receive a punishment suitable for the offence he has commited, and it will be fair and voted upon.

If any retaliation is used against our action, we will also retaliate. If this turns into a full-scale war, we will be prepared. Following the incident, our Military is as active as it was in 1962 during The Cuban Missile Crisis. We will be prepared if retalliation is decided. But, we all hope that retaliation will not be necessary, and that our two nations can diplomatically agree on some sort of diplomatic action.

There is a way that Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard can be released, but we will reveal the few actions that can result in his return if diplomatic actions begin. Until then, we will wait and see. We wish you the best of luck and health throughout the coming future. It may not last for long.

Best regards and wishes,
Katadel Aylasar Miedran Synrush
Tyronian Chancellor

She handed the document to the Minister, who walked out of the double-doors without any word spoken. The Chancellor locked the doors seconds after he turned the corridor, and away.

[Cossack Khanate]

Official Communique from the Office of the Imperator
To: The Honorable Madam Chancellor Synrush, Elected Chancellor of Lanorth
From: Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan
Re: Sergeant Bhaskar Adalhard

At this point, I believe we have both expressed that we wish to be straightforward. As I’m sure you would agree, this is quite the petty issue to go to war over. We could also perhaps agree that both our nations are perfectly prepared for any war.

Furthermore, due to the fact that my government is quite transparent with the Cossack people, the general populace now knows of Adalhard and his mission, as well as his current situation. As a leader, I must do what my people will and what is best for the nation. They want Adalhard back as a hero, so that is what I want as well. If diplomatic moves must be taken, let that be.

Personally, I think perhaps a treaty of nonaggression in the near future. As I write this, I have ordered Ambassador Camilla Soun to Zhaburn to meet with the relevant Tyrnonian officials. She is a capable representative who also has a fair amount of experience in military matters.
I hope this can be resolved with both sides getting what we want, at least from each other if not in New Edom.

Signed,
Imperator SRC Cyprus Khan

Unknown airspace, Cossack Airways Flight

Ambassador Camilla Soun sat back in her first class seat and tried to relax her jumpy nerves. She was a young, reflective, and quite serious professional. She had served an assistant to the diplomatic team to Das Deutschland Reich during the brief Cossack-German War. And here she was again, dealing with military matters. She tucked her dark brown curls behind her ear and stared out the window. She was expected to see Zhaburn in 6 hours. Until then, she was offered a wide range of electronic entertainment, yet she couldn’t bring herself to use them when she had so much of a daunting task in front of her…

[New Visayan Islands]

TO: The Foreign Ministry of the Holy Empire of New Edom
FROM: The Visayan Embassy to New Edom
RE: LGBT Riots--ERRATUM

Allow us to begin by updating you on what has transpired.

As the 24-hour window closes, we have come to a final tally: of the 142 people--not 127 as was initially listed--who came in to flee the unrest, 53 have left the Embassy unassisted, 18 were taken to a nearby hospital for medical conditions ranging from convulsions to myocardial infarction, and 65 have applied for asylum. Not included in the grand total are the six Persons of Interest, whose responses are as follows:

1. Martin Hood - team leader -- Accepted Witness Protection
2. Emily Bradford - team leader -- Declined Witness Protection
3. Obadiah Carson - group leader -- Declined Witness Protection
4. Claire Johnson - group leader -- Accepted Witness Protection
5. Leah Jackson - team leader -- Accepted Witness Protection
6. Terrence Clarke - group treasurer -- Accepted Witness Protection

As always, I remain here in the Embassy to represent Visayan interests in New Edom.

Sincerely,

(Sgd.)
Dominic Kang, MBA
Ambassador
Visayan Embassy to New Edom

TO: The Shrailleeni Embassy to New Edom
FROM: The Visayan Embassy to New Edom
RE: LGBT Concerns--ERRATUM

On behalf of the Confederation, we wish to give you an update.

The Rainbow Pipeline is the result of talks aimed at reconciling the peaceful emigration of New Edom's LGBT population with security concerns surrounding the militant LGBT organization called Homofront. While as a policy it is not efficient on its own, it serves as a pragmatic response to those concerns.

Under the Rainbow Pipeline, we have processed 5924 asylees in the previous year; progress for a policy enacted during the final months of 2018. As of this letter, we are processing 1865 asylees under the Pipeline and counting.

As for what had happened during the unrest, we have taken in a total of 142 people--not 127 as was initially listed--seeking sanctuary. Of that number, 53 have left the Embassy unassisted, 18 were taken to a nearby hospital for medical conditions, and 65 have applied for asylum. Not included in the grand total are six Persons of Interest currently within the Embassy; of those six, four have accepted Witness Protection and two have declined.

All things said, we wish you good tidings, not only between members of the New Edomite Diplomatic Corps, but also between two nations of entirely different systems.

Sincerely,

(Sgd.)
Dominic Kang, MBA
Ambassador
Visayan Embassy to New Edom

TO: The Adiran Embassy to New Edom
FROM: The Visayan Embassy to New Edom
RE: LGBT Concerns

On behalf of the Confederation, we thanks you for your concern and share your sentiments.

The Rainbow Pipeline is the result of talks aimed at reconciling the peaceful emigration of New Edom's LGBT population with security concerns surrounding the militant LGBT organization called Homofront. This policy, which was first implemented in the closing months of the previous year, serves as a pragmatic response to those concerns.

Under the Rainbow Pipeline, we have processed 5924 asylees in the previous year; progress for a policy enacted during the final months of 2018. As of this letter, we are processing 1865 asylees under the Pipeline and counting.

As for what had happened during the unrest, we have taken in a total of 142 people--not 127 as was initially listed--seeking sanctuary. Of that number, 53 have left the Embassy unassisted, 18 were taken to a nearby hospital for medical conditions, and 65 have applied for asylum. Not included in the grand total are six Persons of Interest currently within the Embassy; of those six, four have accepted Witness Protection and two have declined.

As a final note, our ultimate intentions are to ensure that New Edom continues to enjoy the stability this recent incident had sorely tested. If we must address the proverbial elephant in the room by peaceful means, we shall.

All things said, we wish you good tidings, not only between members of the New Edomite Diplomatic Corps, but also between two nations of entirely different systems.

Sincerely,

(Sgd.)
Dominic Kang, MBA
Ambassador
Visayan Embassy to New Edom

Evan Edwards
Approaching the Embassy School

The driver had stopped at the gates of the Embassy School. The sound of commotion wasn't a good sign; Evan and the driver had reached for their service pistols until they saw what seemed to be security personnel. After exchanging prearranged codes, the SUV got in.

Alighting from the vehicle, Evan spoke with one of the soldiers.

"Evan Edwards, Visayan Embassy. I'm here for the Kang twins."

Dominic Kang
Visayan Embassy to New Edom

"Well?" Dominic asked Emilio.

"Would you believe four of them took WitPro?"

"Only if you gave me the names." Emilio did. "Guess it's Bradford's and Carson's funerals." Bradford and Carson had left an hour earlier.

Angela Kang
Embassy School

As the fire alarm rang, Angela and Joanna fell in line and made their way to the assembly area. Noticing the armed sentries, they stayed alert. Stories of how Dad met Mom had given them incentive to keep their heads on a swivel, always on the lookout for anything that might be of help in keeping them alive.

[New Aeyariss]

KOJIRO-SAMA DELIVERS A SPEECH REGARDING MONTENBURG!

Ishikawa, Nifon - on swiftly called emergency press conference regarding the recent actions by Montenburgian goovernment, Kojiro-sama delivered a speech about his plans for a Nifonese response. His excellency had nothing but criticism for the Montenburgian actions,, and asked the allied groups from Santiago Treaty and Imperion Coalition for a swift and decessive action to portray our unified stance. Kojiro-sama is currently broadcasting a list of points to be directed at the Montenburgian government:

The speech shall be broadcast shortly.

More to come later!

---

@INN | Nifon | COMMENT

OFFICIAL BROADCAST OF THE SHOGUN MAKI KOJIRO

To all honorable people around the world;,

The speech that I am delivering comes as a direct response to the speech recently delivered by honorable Elizabeth McCord - san, minister of Foreign affairs of Montenburg, in WA. It's clear that this speech was a call to action so I am going to permit myself to deliver a speech being a call to action as well.

The government of Montenburg had greatly overstepped it's authority. Her Majesty is officially permitted to enact justice in Montenburg, and Lord of Heaven bless her on that quest. However, in wake of recent events in New Edom, the Montenburgian government saw it fit to begin an official campaign of political pressure that is to be applied against the Edomite state. This campaign is nothing else than grave violation of national sovereignity of the Edomite state. Claims of the Montenburgian side went as far as declaring the Edomite government as, in some way, being illegal or without popular support.

Let me answer it clearly; a horde of paid agitators, organized, sponsored and trained by foreign agents, and liberal NGOs with known connections to corrupt special interest groups, with confirmed support of terrorist organizations that were responsible for massive campaigns of rape and slaughter across the world, are NOT, in any case, the voice of Edomite people, and will not be seen as such by the Shogunate.

In every culture existing so far, there has always been a taboo regarding sexuality. You never, for example, could marry your sister, your brother, or your mother, at least not among the Sons of Admiral Yi. The perversion that currently attempts to extend it's tentacles is not unknown by the Nifonese; for it came even here from abroad in the days of old, and was widespread before the Saint Lord himself, during his crusade, forbid it from being practiced. Nifonese state, on basis of multiple analyses performed by our scientists, philosophers and clergymen, has full ground to believe that the okama are not, in any way, behaving in healthy or moral manner. The people, we are debating, have been confirmed to be driven solely by lust to engage in sexual excesses that a normal human being finds merely detestable. By doing so, they contribute to massive spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Had they been left to their own twisted devices, the Nifonese government would have decreed that a private matter; yet once again, those groups find themselves at the forefront of another campaign to demoralize yet another society; a campaign which, if not halted at it's inception, will soon reach the Empire of Greater Nifon.

Nifonese government will not permit social harmony of the Nifonese society to be disrupted for the mere sake of hedonistic sexual pleasure. By engaging in campaign of aggressive pressure-creating, the Montenburgian government had struck a key economic partner of the Nifonese state, and the Empire of Greater Nifon will respond in kind.

As such, I have put forward a motion in the Imperial diet to implement full scale sanctions regarding luxury goods, defense-related products and commercial electronics. The bill will also introduce 50% entry tariffs on all Montenburgian goods entering the Nifonese market, and will grant the Empire of New Edom the status of Most Favored Nation. Her Augustness the Empress had already put forward her full support for the bill, and I hope that all the houses will support my motion.

Gunpeitai will be tasked with identifying Montenburgian politicians responsible for the recent course of policy. They will be blacklisted from entering the Empire of Greater Nifon, and their assets seized of frozen. The same will apply to any Montenburgian NGOs involved in fomenting disorder and demoralization of the Edomite state.

Due to recent announcment, the Empire of Greater Nifon will be considering Edomite Freedom Coalition and The Fineberg Petition Group for Civil Rights and Freedoms, and other associated NGOs as foreign agents. Gunpeitai will be tasked with launching it's own, independent investigation into those organizations, and should associated NGOs be found operating in the Empire of Greater Nifon, they will be instantly closed and their personnel put under strict monitoring by the Nifonese intelligence services, to ensure that they shall not be used to forment domestic unrest on behalf on their communist masters.

The Empire of Greater Nifon is calling all the members of Santiago Pact and Imperion Coalition to join the Nifonese state in sanctions delivered against the Montenburgian state. Let the Montenburgian government understand that they, in no way, represent the voice of international community, neither have moral right to impose their own gaijin views on sovereign nations.

I openly call Montenburgian government to stop the current policy. Aside from nonexistent chances at success, the policy will only needlessly antagonize nations that Montenburgian government could enjoy positive ties with - had it only stopped actively pushing cultural marxism on them.


Honor be with you, Namu Iesu Krishtou!

YELLOW_HORNET_PATRIOT (@Suzumebachi)
Just now from Ishikawa

KOJIRO-SAMA! WE ARE WITH YOU! YOU AS ALWAYS NEVER DISAPPOINT! STRIKE THE OKAMA! BREAK THE GAIJIN DEVIANT! DESTROY THE AKA!

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[New Aeyariss]

OOC: This post had been co-written with Greater Carloso.

*** Cadena Islands, Carloso

The atmosphere was dark. Night had covered the Cadena Islands with a tight shroud; and ever falling cloak of rain was pouring down from the sky. From time to time, a single thunder tore the heavens asunder, perfectly portraying wrath of nature. Maki Kojiro stood facing the window, gazing into some point over the horizon. Like usually in Kojiro's case, not even a muscle moved on his face, resembling a figure of marble set in a room. His counterpart, President Tobón, had departed from Madrigal International Airport via a small government jet about an hour earlier, his destination being an airfield located on the second largest of the Cadena Islands, Setugoa. He had been put on particularly short notice by Kojiro, and so left for the airport immediately after the conclusion of a meeting with members of the Executive Council. Presumably, the Nifonese Shogun wished to discuss the situation in New Edom with him.

On the south side of the island, overlooking the great vast expanse that was the Musgorocian Ocean, was the Madrino Resort, a large facility owned by the Carlosian government. It had one purpose; to serve as a secure location for particularly sensitive and important meetings between the Carlosian government and international figures. It was somewhat secluded by several kilometers of forest which separated it from the nearest settlement, though it was still plainly visible from the air. After arriving at the air field, Tobón was taken by an SUV up a broken road and through various security checkpoints until he eventually arrived at the resort. Once he got there, he made his way down one of the many grand corridors to one of the meeting rooms on the ground floor of the building, now only waiting for Shogun Kojiro himself to arrive for a meeting behind closed doors. Maki Kojiro arrived soon after, in a wide train of SUVs. Each of them was unmarked, painted in equally dark colors - to prevent the eventual attackers from knowing in which SUV Maki Kojiro was sitting. Then, a single member of the PSD would walk out, survey the area. On given signal, the detail led Shogun Kojiro out. Maki merely looked into the sky once again: "The storm is coming" he whispered unto himself, as he walked into the mansion.

This, of course, could be taken quiet figuratively or literally. Of all the provinces of Carloso, the Cadena Islands were notorious for the violent weather they were exposed to year after year. Tropical storms coming up from the warmer seas near Bourgougia were known to develop into formidable hurricanes, which in the past had dealt great damage to infrastructure and property. In particular, many could still remember the horrors Hurricane Augustín which struck in the autumn of 2007.

Meanwhile, President Tobón was safe in the knowledge that in this building, the two men would be safe from any dangers, either natural or man-made. After a few minutes, Kojiro eventually appeared before Tobón, absolutely unflinching. President Tobón moved forward, extending his hand in order to welcome the Shogun to Carloso for a second time.

"Konabawa, Tobon-san. I just wish we could have met under different circumstances." Spoke Maki in a warm tone. The Nifonese Shogun was known for his admiration for the Carlosian president, and meeting him again, even if unofficially, was always a great pleasure "I have to apologize for calling this meeting early, but the circumstances were. dire. I trust that head of state such as yourself is well informed about the recent events in New Edom, and that your excellency's intelligence services have provided the list of NGOs backing the so called gay protests?"

"Its no problem, Mr Kojiro." Tobón assured him, "Yeah, I'm aware of what's going on in Fineberg. I've been told by NISFO that we have men on the ground investigating some organisations of interest. All sorts of NGOs have their fingers stuck in this, but every one of them is the exact same at the end of the day."

"NGOs" Kojiro paused, looking at the rain. It reminded him of that day - the day his mentor died, and he with him "It's a funny world we live in, Tobon-san. When I was born, everything was so clear. There were nation states, nations had armies and waged wars with those armies. Today, as Alvin Toffler had noticed, the nation state is undergoing a crisis, attacked from above by multinational organizations, and from below by various non-state actors. Carloso, had it's own fair share of problems with those actors, I take"

"I wish we lived in simpler times too, but everything has changed, even since my time in the Army." Tobón responded, "We had our own problems to deal with, but were lucky the Carlosian people woke up before these parasites got a hold on everything. That said, I can't say we are 100% safe in Carloso. Some would rather I wasn't the leader of this country. I think joining SACTO sealed the deal in that regard."

"If you think it's Carloso alone, bother not - I have heard rumors that my minister of national security is plotting against me. It looks like I will have to find a replacement when I get home" for a second, a wicked grin appeared on Kojiro's face. Tobon could easily guess fate of the rebellious minister - as the last one to engage in conspiracy against Kojiro was torn apart by one of Kojiro's shisas live on TV.

Tobón rose an eyebrow for a second at the revelation but laughed it off, "We're not that way inclined in Carloso, but I agree that these people need to be dealt with. Down through history, in every independence struggle, there will always be traitorous collaborators who work with foreign enemies to destroy a country, thinking they'll be the ones put in charge when the uprising in crushed. Most don't realise they are only pawns in the great game of chess being played.."

"Great game of chess...." Kojiro lowered his voice as it slowed down indicating a deep state of thought "It's ironic though. I am aware that even with the Carlosian intelligence, your excellency is not aware of the true range of the problem. Are you familiar with the fate of Gen. 3 Star Date Kazuhiro, former cheif of General Staff of the Empire of Greater Nifon?"

"Kazuhiro? I don't think I've heard that name before." Tobón said, "What happened?"

"Former cheif of General Staff of the empire of Greater Nifon. Died in 1986. I met him, shortly before his death. He mentioned to me that he had uncovered something - as he had put it, a network of corruption at the very top." Kojiro's voice progressively went more and more furious: "Then I got visited by the minister of defense. With a simple kill order. I told myself that it was my duty, and that I should put my personal feelings, even right and wrong aside. I gave the command to shoot myself, as I was ordered. And, as I looked at his dead body, pierced by a sniper round fired at my own command" Kojiro now wasn't hiding his anger "I swore that I will get the konoyaros who made me to do this. It was exactly fortieth assassination my unit carried out at the order of the government. Thus, when I got promoted for my obedience, I gathered a network of allies among patriotic generals, and entrepreneurs that were put aside. Some wanted power. Others revenge. Others really wanted to make a difference. The rest history, which I believe your excellency knows already. After all, PM Kazushi's severed head impaled on top of Millenium Tower was shown on the news many times."

No matter how risky it was to tell Tobon his past; speaking of his greatest crime made Maki Koijro feel as if a massive stone was lifted from his chest. For twenty years he had been forced to walk with consciousness that, in that moment of trial, he failed.

And thus, the former cheif of Gunpeitai and the Shogun of Nifon swore to himself that he shall fail never again.

"God almighty." Tobón said to himself silently, "I knew he had a dark past but..." he gazed at Shogun Kojiro. "We all have our skeletons in the closet, past mistakes that we'd rather we never made. Not all of us get to right them sadly. Its all history at the end of the day though, as you said, and we can only look to the future now. The situation in New Edom is a more pressing concern for both our countries."

"I would not have touched upon this situation, not upon painful memory of my closest friend and mentor, if it was not relevant" continued Kojiro "I thought that I had the deed done with Goya Kazushi. However, what intrigued me that no matter how many Kazushis or Jacobs I have killed, there always emerged a new one. At one point, I started questioning where they are coming from. My conclusion is simple; we have merely scratched the surface. When I sent Gunpeitai to sniff after Kazushi's life, I found intriguing evidence; evidence that before I captured him, Kazushi had been contacted, and advised, by several inter-governmental organizations. Think-tanks. Corporations. Lobbyists. When you look at what's below, you find a deeply oiled, political machine that's set to influence our politicans and that's nothing strange."

Kojiro looked outside:

"The changes the modern world had wrought... 4th generation warfare... information warfare... cyberwarfare... network-centric warfare... are all cost effective. Someone with enough resources and sufficient lust for power was meant to use the inter-connected world sooner or later... "

"The gravediggers of nations... Mr Kojiro" Tobón stressed, "They're everywhere. Just when you think ones been destroyed, ten more come out of nowhere to take their place, scurrying over each to do as much damage as possible. Some even come back from the dead, now that I think of it." a look of concern broke across his face, "I'm guessing Gunpeitai know about this 'Nordholt' individual who was spotted in New Sodom last year. He isn't meant to be in the land of the living anymore."

"Nordholt-san is a well documented individual. New Sodom isn't his only place of operation." still looking outside, puzzled Maki continued" It turned out he was also behind delivery of left-wing terrorists to Oceanica. Not to mention the fact that shortly after Jacob had died, someone mysteriously started taking over his funds. Where they are, not even Gunpeitai was able to estimate. Not to mention that when you track all the arms terrorists in Zabolehovye, Bangka, Oceanica and all those places have, a pattern shows up. And such a pattern can mean only one thing; somewhere there exists a network which facilitates those transfers. And we can safely conclude that this network is politically active, and has been supporting our enemies, both foreign and domestic."

Tobón nodded in agreement. He knew Nordholt wouldn't be able to do this all on his own. "Jacob Redshield of the infamous Redshield Foundation, I remember him. I always thought the sudden takeover of Russel's company by the Foundation after his assassination to be very... suspicious." He thought of something for a moment, then looked directly into Kojiro's eyes, "You're right. Someone has to be guiding Nordholt's hand in all this, and there's plenty of suspects, maybe even too many. It remains to be seen what their true intentions in New Edom are. If they do turn out to be involved, its obvious that this is their latest attempt to have SACTO excluded from the rest of the international community." Tobón uttered, clenching his fist, "It's our duty to expose this stunt for what it really is."

"Worry not. As you could have seen with the last Montnenburgian attempt, it won't happen - not at least if we give them a steady, concentrated resistance" replied Kojiro, still couldn't fathom how someone could even care for such a petty issue as human rights "My recommendation will be to sanction them. After all, weather they like it or not, SACTO nations are new, rising economic powers that wont let themselves be closed off like that. Sadly to some of the gaijin, the XIX century hadn't ended, and they think that the political order that came with it is still here"

"You're right." Tobón agreed, "The economies of SACTO are large and diverse enough that it forms its own cohesive trading bloc. I don't think sanctions will be very effective on the Montnenburgians. The only deterrent to their ideological imperialism will be military force. A squadron of Carlosian Air Force strategic bombers will be moved to New Edom soon enough, and they'll strike down any foreign warship that comes to harm our allies."

"Edomites are more than capable" Kojiro smiled, knowing exactly how efficient are SACTO militaries. In truth, he had no doubts that Edomite state would have survived even if SACTO wasn't around, considering amount of invasions that the Edomite state had fended off in the past "Aside from the official SACTOSFOR detachment, which will constist an elite airmobile infantry battalion, Cheif of General Staff of the Imperial Nifonese Navy had suggested me to deploy a submarine screen to Tempestan ocean. Four Kairyus. I am myself surprised at times what kind of wonders the Nifonese defense industry can design...But it's not their armies I am concerned about. What really concerns me are the armies that can't be seen."

"Armies that can't be seen..." Tobón repeated, "They are the most dangerous. Our enemies will never stop trying to flip our countries over to the other side, even if they fail a hundred times over. I've seen it myself; there cannot be any pluralism in the liberal worldview, its either their way or the high way. If we want to stay on top, we must continue to adapt and respond to their strategies even beyond the day their ideology inevitably exhausts themselves." Tobón paused for a moment, sombrely looking into Kojiro's eyes. "You know, there are elections due in Carloso next year."

"Worldview is one thing; the means are another. I would like to confirm that your excellency will have full cooperation with Gunpeitai on this matter" Kojiro paused. He was nor surprised, for Gunpeitai always kept him briefed - but he indeed was watching with observant eyes elections in such a close partner nation "I can only hope that Carlosian people will choose well."

"Excellent. NISFO will continue to work with Gunpeitai in our mutual national interests." Tobón assured Kojiro, "I was planning not to seek another term as President, but I'm afraid the rapidly changing international arena is making me reconsider it. If I do go ahead with it, I'm confident Estebán Santander will do an equally good job of representing Carloso's best interests as you represent Nifon's."

"It's not my place to make the choices of Carlosian people, but I am sure that Santander - san would be a proper leader for Carloso" spoke Kojiro "I think that we have touched on the most important points we had to discuss. All that awaits is to see their implementation"

"Indeed." Tobón acknowledged, rising our of his chair. He extended his hand towards Kojiro, "It was a pleasure to talk to you, as always. I hope the Lord above grants us his protection in the coming days."

And with that, both of them went to their duties, knowing that the days to come will be tiresome to both of them.

*** Kesslerstaadt

On the opposite corner of the world, rain was falling as well. Looking at it, Amihan Russel stirred. Unlike for Maki Kojiro, for the banker - turned - criminal rain was not a symbol of sadness; on the contrary, Russel quite enjoyed hearing it's sounds against the glass. And he looked into the distance... smiling.

The entire world thought him head, killed by a bomb that went off in his company's building, on behalf of a business rival that Maki Kojiro allied with, then promptly eliminated after creating a civil war between two major factions in the underworld. Yet Amihan Russel was not so foolish, and used the occasion to convince the entire world that he was no longer among the living. Now, his council was going to act with even greater vigor than before.

He smiled, as reported read yet another declaration regarding the current Edomite crisis. While the NGOs that paranoid rightist leaders were targeting were not under his control, he was very eager to exploit the situation and throw his backing before the newly growing civil rights movement in New Edom.

"Time to call Nordholt. At least this time I am relying on someone with a firm knowledge of the affair, rather than on wannabe Yudishtira." muttered Russel to himself, remembering his past failure, when he used a Hindu supremacist group to stage a conflict against the Nifonese. The guru who formented the rebellion was promptly disposed off, and his place taken over by a Dibetan Buddhist lama named Djwal Khul.

This time... he wasn't going to fail.

[Guadalupador]

Guadalupadorian Embassy, Fineberg, New Edom

Ambassador Romienda quietly walked the embassy grounds, it was the early morning following the protests and attacks. He passed the emergency medical tent in the middle of the garden, medical cots were strewn about the area, each one inhabited by a wounded asylum seeker. The tent was still lit from the inside as the doctor was still at work attempting to save lives, while two full body bags were resting just out of the view of many of the asylum seekers. Romienda still made the rounds in the same bloodstained clothing he wore the day before, he had barely slept he was too busy to attending to the situation and easing the fears of the ambassadorial troops. The explosions that followed the suppression put everyone on edge, the Guadalupadorian Embassy was effectively an island with no real outside communication for the time being. The “radio silence” from the embassy was self-imposed as not to attract the attention of possible raiders.
The silence ended when the government in Divouga finally got through to Romienda with an official policy decision. The diplomatic cable was sent overnight and the Ambassador grappled with sending it forward to the public. It was short and to the point, very much like what Grand Premier Marcos was accustomed to. He took the walk around the embassy to gauge his options and after seeing the scores of refugees both wounded and shocked on his embassy grounds he decided to forward it to the Edomite government and public.

To: His Imperial Majesty, King-Emperor Elijah IV of New Edom.
The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hosidius Geta.
From: The Grand Premier of the Federal Union of Guadalupador, Saito Marcos.
The Guadalupadorian Ambassador to New Edom, Arturo Romienda
Subject: Guadalupadorian Policy Regarding Asylum Seekers in New Edom.
Encryption: PUBLIC

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After the unfortunate events of the past day, the Federal Union of Guadalupador sends its condolences to the victims and their families of such a strong and unnecessary action taken by the Edomite Militiamen in Fineberg.
The government also sends its condolences to those that lost their lives in the subsequent attack by the cowardly and opportunistic Homofront.
While the Guadalupadorian government sees such actions as heinous, unjustified and deserving of an investigation, it will continue its current policy of nonintervention in the domestic policy of states that do not present a national security risk to the Federal Union.
However, the Guadalupadorian Government will continue to preserve the rights of all those that wish to seek Asylum within the Federal Union of Guadalupador, this includes the demonstrators that are currently present within our Embassy in Fineberg. They are classified as asylum-seekers and should not be harassed by their former government.
We understand that the Edomite Government itself does not want people like those that reside within the Embassy at this moment and the Government of Guadalupador is open to negotiations to secure the safe passage of these asylum seekers out of New Edom.

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Divouga, Guadalupador

The response by the Guadalupadorian public to the events in Fineberg were heated, but much more muted than they would have been years earlier. To the Dorians it wasn’t surprising that a SACTO nation was killing its own citizens to assert some sort of control over their lives. Many pundits within the media lambasted the Edomite government and the monarchs in particular as the figures of such policy. The pundits were much more direct and fiercely critical than the lukewarm response of the Dorian government, which was seemingly attempting to walk on a balance beam.
One of the most controversial images of the Dorian media response was that of the Yanamaist Magazine, “Ever Vigilant,” which featured an illustration of King Elijah IV and Queen Mara of New Edom, nude, bathing in the blood of their citizens, with the headline:

“Another SACTO Crime Against Humanity.”

Other publications hit a satirical note with ”The Shallot”, Guadalupador’s Premier satirical news magazine running this as a headline:

“Dorian public pissed off that rest of world is only now realizing that SACTO aren’t the good guys.”

Many outside of the media were calling on boycotting Paladin Cinemas and its subsidiaries in Guadalupador, with some campaigns actually gaining traction over social media. In a generally anti-SACTO opinionated society, the events in Fineberg only solidified the long-standing opinions that SACTO only stood for tyranny of the few and holier-than-thou over popular feelings.

[Brytene]

Nass City Centre Branch

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The first of the loading vans had arrived. It was early in the morning, barely yet 4am, as Goldwing Finance preferred to handle the matter discretely - having vans gutting your offices in broad daylight was bound to raise some questions and make for some unpleasant photos in the next days' papers.

Harlaus nervously smoked a cigarette by the front door as workers struggled back and forth with crates and boxes. Most of the office furniture had already been sold, largely at cost to a local removal company - plenty was being returned to Brytene, for use in future branches, but generic desks and wheely chairs were not worth the shipping costs. The location was rented, although the $120,000 to update the vault was an investment the bank was going to have to eat. Not all of the branches had vaults, at least.

He glanced over at the burly man stood just inside the doorway. The man, who had introduced himself just as 'Jimmy', had been dispatched by headquarters to oversee the logistics of the withdrawal. Harlaus was not entirely sure what Jimmy's role was within the company, but he didn't quite dare to ask. Jimmy was burly, with knotted tattoos on his muscular arms and a thick, bristly moustache beneath weather-crinkled eyes. His clean-shaven jaw was strong and he wore a grey sweater and cheap jeans, and his every motion was economical and swift. He was polite enough, but spoke little other than to chivvy the workers and bark out orders.

Jimmy watched as the branches 3D printer was humped into the truck. Originally purchased as a gimmick, the branch used it to print practically unforgeable 'stealth keys' with their teeth on the inside of a hollowed, bevelled profile, but now it was all being shipped back home. He viewed the job as a simple in-and-out, but he did wonder how the local staff felt about it all. Harlaus seemed despondent and nervous, but some of the other staff had been practically cheerful, especially those whose commercial flights had already left.

Things were tense here in New Edom. The prospect of war seemed very, frighteningly real. Local security personnel, from a private firm, had arrived with a police officer in tow to take custody of the material goods in the vault - the solid goods that couldn't be transferred to their rightful owners digitally, and they had all seemed nervous and jittery even as they had loaded the handful of paintings, the supposedly 'priceless' statuette, and the one jewellery box into their armoured truck. It had made Jimmy laugh to see the shaky contractors throwing fearful glances up and down the street, as if these branches were secretly Homofront weapons caches, but to be fair things in New Edom were a little chaotic right now and he wouldn't enjoy riding around with a truckload of money for shitty pay either.

No, he was here shepherding bank tellers home for shittier pay. Joke was on him, he guessed...

[American Pere Housh]

An APH Confederate Navy SSN sails silently through Tyronian keeping an eye on The Tyronian Navy. Captain Brown asks his sonar operater, "What is the range of the nearest Tyronian warship, Mr. Wright?" Sonar Operater First class Michael Wright responds to his captain's question, " 35,000 yards or 17½ nautical miles away sir." The Captain pats him on the shoulder telling him great job.