Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
- William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
- William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming
Prologue
On New Years Eve in Csongrad, the snow was coming down in droves. Some people were in the streets, celebrating the change from 2008 to 2009. Most hoped, not without reason, that 2008 would prove a better year for themselves and their country than 2009 had. The two men and one woman in the downtown apartment felt the same – but far from celebrating, they were plotting. The one man who led the meeting had a shaped jaw and piercing green eyes, handsome features that stuck out despite his age.
Vaclav Cernik, the future President of Sylvakia, had fought in every war his nation had endured since its independence. Fighting in a militia brigade as a child during the Rozpad Wars, he knew firsthand the sacrifice and horrors of battle. His experience and obvious intelligence had given him a spot in the Kralovice Military Academy, where he had studied and become an officer. Leading a brigade in the 2008 Karpat War, Cernik had become a national hero and household name – the only successful commander in a conflict that had ended with his nation ceding the province of Karpatya to their centuries-old rival, Vlachavia. The defeat had cost Sylvakia dearly in terms prestige, economy, and internal domestic stability.
Throughout his military service, and especially in the Karpat War the year prior, Cernik had developed his own ideas about his nation’s future. These ideas, on New Years Eve in 2008, finally took shape into a manifesto with the help of the other people in the Csongrad apartment. They called themselves Obrana Naroda – National Defense. Amongst them: Saviley Sedlacek, leader of the minority National Party in Parliament and future Vice President, Josef Kasparov, the future Attorney General, and Katerina von Steuben, sole owner and executive of the von Steuben Mining Corporation. Far from plotting to help stabilize the unstable Sylvan democracy, each of these people would play an integral part in its destruction.
On New Years Eve in Csongrad, the snow was coming down in droves. Some people were in the streets, celebrating the change from 2008 to 2009. Most hoped, not without reason, that 2008 would prove a better year for themselves and their country than 2009 had. The two men and one woman in the downtown apartment felt the same – but far from celebrating, they were plotting. The one man who led the meeting had a shaped jaw and piercing green eyes, handsome features that stuck out despite his age.
Vaclav Cernik, the future President of Sylvakia, had fought in every war his nation had endured since its independence. Fighting in a militia brigade as a child during the Rozpad Wars, he knew firsthand the sacrifice and horrors of battle. His experience and obvious intelligence had given him a spot in the Kralovice Military Academy, where he had studied and become an officer. Leading a brigade in the 2008 Karpat War, Cernik had become a national hero and household name – the only successful commander in a conflict that had ended with his nation ceding the province of Karpatya to their centuries-old rival, Vlachavia. The defeat had cost Sylvakia dearly in terms prestige, economy, and internal domestic stability.
Throughout his military service, and especially in the Karpat War the year prior, Cernik had developed his own ideas about his nation’s future. These ideas, on New Years Eve in 2008, finally took shape into a manifesto with the help of the other people in the Csongrad apartment. They called themselves Obrana Naroda – National Defense. Amongst them: Saviley Sedlacek, leader of the minority National Party in Parliament and future Vice President, Josef Kasparov, the future Attorney General, and Katerina von Steuben, sole owner and executive of the von Steuben Mining Corporation. Far from plotting to help stabilize the unstable Sylvan democracy, each of these people would play an integral part in its destruction.
The Pevnost
Kralovice, Sylvakia
April 2010
Kralovice, Sylvakia
April 2010
What do you think of this tie, Katerina?” Vaclav Cernik rolled his shoulders and let the suit set a bit better. In front of him, Katerina von Steuben parched her lip. With gentle hands she tied a perfect double Windsor knot with the silky red tie, before feeling down the suit.
“Bright red. Either you're a communist, or a patriot.”
“Who says you can’t be both?”
“The millions of dollars I donated to your campaign, that’s who,” Katerina said with a smile, and Vaclav snickered.
With a friendly, but not intimate, pat on the shoulders, Katerina departed, and Cernik took a deep breath. His campaign manager came up did a last minute mic check. “You're on in sixty seconds, sir. And may I say, congratulations,”
He smiled and shook his manager’s hand. He, like all the people of his campaign, had been instrumental in getting him elected. It didn’t hurt, of course, that his competition had become the subject of just about every internet meme in existence after asking in a debate what Avondale was the capital of. It also didn’t hurt that his political connections and a generous foreign donation allowed him to outspend the opposition by a factor of three times. But none of that mattered now. He was here, and it was official. He could hear his cue coming soon on the speakers.
He took a moment and looked around him. Crown Hill, in Kralovice, the seat of the executive branch of the Republic’s government. It was almost surreal to think about! Who could have guessed that the son of a high school professor would end up leading twelve million people?
“...Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the President Elect of the Sylvan Republic, Colonel Vaclav Cernik!”
The cheers and applause was legendary as ever. Putting on his best smile and ignoring the sickly feeling in his gut, Cernik walked onto the balcony, hand waving at the crowd that filled the lawn of Crown Hill. About a mile ahead he could see the glowing blue waters of the Viery River. Between that and the Hill, however, the perfectly trimmed lawns, sectioned off by pine trees, was roughly ten thousand of his most fervent supporters. He took the stage, the applause still rolling.
He motioned for them to be silent, and after a few seconds, it died down. He went over the opening lines of the speech for a second, then took a deep breath and straightened his shaking hands. He hated public speaking, but unfortunately, it was a role he would have to get used too.
“My fellow Sylvans. These last years have not given us much reason to celebrate. Our armies and nation was humiliated in 2008. Our economy has struggled and stagnated, and our internal politics have resembled more a drunken brawl than a civilized nation. No, we haven’t had much to celebrate indeed.
“But it is always darkest before dawn. The fact remains that our most valuable resource – you, the people of Sylvakia – are no less ingenious, no less hard working, and no less patriotic than you were a decade ago. The same Sylvan traditions that carried us from the collapse of Panlarova into an independent nation, I am sure, will guide us into a future more prosperous and glorious than we have yet seen. I have absolutely no doubt, brothers and sisters, that this nation’s greatest achievements lie in her future, not her past.”
Cernik had never been known for his charisma. But when he spoke, he did so in a way that made others listen – carefully and calculated. The crowd seemed to be listening to every word as he continued anew after a short breath.
“Under this administration, I promise to guide the country based on the principles on which you elected me for. They are the same tenets that have guided me through my lifetime of service to this nation, and as I have now attended its highest office, that service shall continue manifold. These come down to three simple words. Sila, Svoboda, Solidarita. Strength, Freedom, and Order. Strength – that we, as Sylvakia, must be ready to fight for our independence. For centuries, the great powers of the world and our neighbors have regarded us as an appendage to their empires. Our history, and indeed, our recent conflict, shows that we must fight to protect the way of life we hold so dear.
“But that life itself is manifested in the freedoms of the individual citizen. Nowhere in the world can the individual intellect and work ethic of a citizen be turned into personal profit and national pride. The ability to worship who you wish, love who you want, and engage in the business which you desire – these freedoms are the cornerstone of Sylvan life and history, from the Kapilist Wars until now. This freedom, however, does not apply to those who would destabilize our Republic. Above all, a house divided amongst itself cannot hope to stand to a strong wind. We must get our own house in order – stopping the rising crime rates, enforcing the laws of this land, and returning to a stable political status quo.
“For far too long, we have been considered second class by the nations of Lira, and I dare say, by those of the world as a whole. This troubles me deeply. The Republic is not just a nation which deserves respect – it must command it. We will get the respect we deserve! Sylvakia won’t be just a regional backwater. We will be a continental superpower!”
The applause broke out before he could continue. He tried to speak, only to be drowned out by the cheers and claps from crowd. He couldn’t help but to smile.
Objekat Military Complex
Black Mountains, Sylvakia
November 2010
Black Mountains, Sylvakia
November 2010
Down the corridors in the underground bunker which served as one of the Armed Forces primary command centers, two pairs of footsteps could be heard.
“You know, I’ve always wondering why Jaskowski kept the military so small.” Cernik said, his voice echoing along the corridors. “Increasing its size would have massive benefits to our economy. We can draw several hundred thousand young men and women into employment, not including the additional manpower required by the military-industrial complex. I was worried that it would drain our economy, but it might as well have the opposite effect after all, as long as we can foot the bill.”
“Jaskowski didn’t want the army to become too big,” replied Bernard Kornicek, the newly-appointed defense minister. “Because a strong Sylva means an angry Lunderfrau and an angry Ackesia. Both of them have always looked at the Larovans as their backyard playground, and us as their playthings. Jaskoswki was way too interested in keeping the so-called Great Powers off his back.”
“Oh yes, but now they have their own problems. And we’re on the rise,” Cernik said.
“Ackesia, despite its posturing, has its own domestic problems to deal with. And with the Velk making noise in the east, their attention is firmly focused elsewhere.” said Rudolf Hintner, the newly-appointed defense minister. “Lunderfrau proper is making some noise about our military buildup, but so far its just noise.”
Cernik smiled at that. “Let them complain, it’s not like they’ll be able to do that for much longer. Isn’t that why I’m here?” With that, he showed his ID to the guard, who opened the door to the situation room. Awaiting him were the familiar faces of the General Staff and accompanying officers. As a veteran himself, and a decorated one, he had always advocated more funding and expansion of the armed forces, something which made him popular amongst the army’s top brass who’d welcomed the change in leadership.
“Slava na Sylvakia,” Cernik began after everyone had settled down, giving the customary half greeting, half salute which he had introduced to the country upon his ascension to power. “In light of the changing international landscape, I believe that our defense apparatus is long past due some significant reform. In the view of our foes, Sylvakia is no more a harmless dog with no bite. It is time we show them otherwise.
“Two years ago, our Republic was forced to its knees, and its integral lands amputated without anesthetic. The Vlachavians and their great power backers imposed the impossible ceasefire agreement on us. This treaty will form a central part of our foreign policy from now on, as I will seek to recover what has been lost. In Grenzaria, we have almost a million Sylvans and hundreds of square kilometers territory in foreign hands. But most importantly, in Karpatya, we have over two million starving Sylvans suffering under the yoke of Vlachavian oppression who cry for liberation.
“Let us take a look at the map. With Karpatya under Vlachavian occupation, they are in a prime position to strike at our central industrial centers, or could drive south into the Viery and our farmlands. But I don’t care about the status quo ante bellum, or regaining strategic balance. If we do that, we will just be fighting again in another twenty years. No. The only way we can secure our future for the Sylvan people and nation is to destroy Vlachavia entirely. Make no mistake, gentlemen. I seek the complete and utter destruction of the Vlachavians as a sovereign nation. And after that? Then we can our attention to Grenzaria.”
Murmurs of agreement rose up from the ranks of the Generals. To most of them, this was exactly what they wanted to hear, and exactly what they had been pushing for over the past decade. However, they had to admit that the armed forces simply wasn’t strong enough for that yet.
“You – we - will have ten years to prepare for such an eventuality. I want to have an army that is capable of bringing not just the Vlachavians, but the Grenzarians to their knees. For that, you will have the necessary funding. Thankfully, while they are not obliged to assist us in the event of a preemptive offensive, the Boagans and Velkanians have agreed to provide us with a significant amount of low-interest loans. If absolutely necessary, we can double our defense budget.”
The generals around the room shared shocked but approving glances. Doubled expenditure! That was more money than they been able to utilize in decades.
“I will set up an independent commission to monitor your progress. By the end of these reforms, I want the continent to tremble at the renewed might of our military. We should have a proper strategy within this month which we will discuss in our coming meetings, so that you can properly prepare and train your units.”
“But if we suddenly start this huge build-up, won’t we alert Lunderfrau? I assure you that this will be practically impossible to hide.” The man who spoke up was generálporučík Ludwig Stejskal, who had been Cernik’s superior officer during the 2008 war.
“Ah, yes,” Cernik said. “But that’s not your concern. What do the nations of Lira care about the Larovans? They have always regarded us as a backwater, and when they do pay attention, its only to garner themselves unbalanced trade deals or to sell some antique tanks. And with the noise that Velkanika is making internationally, nobody will pay Sylvakia a second thought.”
Nods and murmurs of agreement sounded in the room. Cernik, having said all he wanted to say, thanked the staff and exited the room. War was coming to Lira again, that was for sure. But this time, it would be on his terms.