Connections

Todd_McCloud · May 6, 2010, 5:06am

It was only a matter of time before the delegations from ACTEP would have to break for the night. As the sun set on the Pittsburgh skyline, Evesuni resumed having his back turned away from the window, finding his work on his laptop more interesting. Or, maybe he just didnt like the city altogether. It wasnt home that much was certain and even though he wished he was back in his home nation, speaking his own language and immersed back into his familiar culture, he knew he couldnt leave yet. Not now, at least. The aging dictator stopped typing in mid sentence and sighed as the orange sun beat against his back. He knew he wasnt cut out to be a leader. To lead. He was too rough, too raw, too hot-headed, spoke his mind too much. That, and he just wasnt educated in the ways the other leaders were. He couldnt speak English properly to save his life. Philosophies on democracy and debates on the basis of republics and government went right over his head. Outside of algebra, there really wasnt much in line for math either. The feeling of inadequacy wrapped around his fingers even when he typed, forming tight-knit vines that cascaded and dipped over his vein-riddled digits, then clenched against his hands, freezing his typing instantly. Is it past or passed?

Too forceful, too shadowy, too weak. Dammit it cant be helped, the Listonian dictator thought as he sighed. He checked a grammar guide on his laptop, but to no avail it wasnt very accurate with translations anyway. He had embarrassed himself before with these things, handcuffed by the writers of some flashy Vekaiyun guide where opening the program showed a vulpine male and female interacting with human co-workers, obviously speaking some English. He hated it. He could never tell if some world leaders never got back to him because they genuinely refused to work with him, or if they found his language skills underdeveloped and juvenile. It was probably the former more than the latter, but maybe a part of him liked to believe it was a balance. He didnt think of himself as bad or evil, or at least trying to be, but he was at least aware of how his policies come came across, and what he did behind the scenes.

He sunk his shoulders at his unfamiliar desk, the new leather chair sighing with him as he sunk into it.

The emotion was so exaggerated he noticed one of his suspenders had fallen off a shoulder. He didnt care, though. He didnt even dress the part of a world leader for the most part, except during photo shoots, public appearances, dealings with important people, and anything else the watchful eyes of the photograph bulbs would follow. The newspaper would print their garbage, their television stations, now airing across the globe, would speak of his sophistication, his charm, his warm fatherly smile that was a constant beacon of reassurance. He hated all of it. All of it was garbage. He wasnt some dashing, charming individual who was capable of leading a nation in the 21st century. He was an aging vulpine who could barely keep his pants from falling down as he typed like a child who had never seen a computer still hunting for that lost r key, even though it was always between the e and the t.

What are you writing about?

Stapen looked behind him and spotted the Vekaiyun Kral Commodore, Kivia Levinile. He quickly moved the fallen suspender back in its rightful place. Oh um well, see, I think its important for this alliance to keep its ties strengthened. Therefore, Id like to, you know, keep our options open.

She smiled as she stepped closer. You dont have to do that we can both do that if you really want to. She noticed he paid little heed to what she said, instead choosing to go back to the quagmire of a keyboard. Your outburst in during the talks was needed, I think. Selvala is always an elitist, and it showed in how she dealt with you. She doesnt understand that others are just as valid as she is. Shes cut from the old Maxist way of thinking.

Ive dealt with that kind before.

Then you should understand that she doesnt mean to do it. I mean, she just wants-

Control. Yeah, I know. You dont need to educate me on her demeanor or defend her petty actions. Shes the one holding your nation back. And I say that without bias she is difficult and brash. Impossible. A poison, even.

Ikrisia ignored his comments. Her eyes instead slowly moved over to his laptop screen, something that Evesuni really didnt attempt to protect. After all, the alliance would figure it out sooner or later, but for now, it didnt hurt to keep up contacts.

Mahanoy? Ikrisia asked. Her eyes lit up, then moved to slits. I havent heard of their nation for a long time.

Evesuni didnt even flinch. Yeah.

That was something Selvala messed up more than you did. Shes the one who should be writing to them, not you.

And shes going to apologize? At all? He swiveled in his chair to gaze at the young Kral Commodore with his tired eyes, the arteries appearing like red spider webs over his porcelain windows. Listen to me, Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu. Sometimes it takes a lot of humility to come forward and apologize on behalf of another. We are separate nations. To them, we are vulpine. It may or may not be fair, but thats the reality of the situation. And Im not going to tuck myself between my tail and pretend it doesnt exist. The fact of the matter is, it does. And to someone who cares about his people, hes willing to reach out to such people. Good or bad. Well see what happens. He rotated his chair back to his desk. Cant hurt.

A puzzled look fell across Ikrisias façade. I thought you dont kiss ass.

This isnt about that, Evesuni remarked. He continued typing a few more sentences, a process that was taking a long time. Ikrisia sat on his bed, next to his desk, the silken sheets folding and ruffling against her impression. Im old, he finally confessed. Im not going to be around forever. Im not looking at the prosperous now. I want to ensure we have a good future. And were not going to have that if nations are pushed away.

But why them?

The Listonian dictator paused. I feel we didnt give them a chance. They are powerful. They are strong. But more so than that, they could be a potential ally. They can help us. Plus we need to connect to human nations. Being isolated and defensive might have worked in past times, but were dealing with nations that could easily smite other nations just like that. Any leader who has any degree of sanity would respect this.

Ikrisia furrowed her brow. They are so far away.

Thats the point, Evesuni chimed. Their weapons arent, neither is their presence. In this day and age, length is all relative. It means nothing.

She frowned as she put a hand on his shoulder. Evesuni tensed slightly, but slowly lowered his guard, knowing this was her own way of alleviating the problem. You know, I used to know a Mahanionian, Ikrisia began. Damon was his name he wasnt very protocol-oriented, or a slave to procedure. He was a detailed oriented type. But I could sense some kind of care about him the Mahanionians, they arent all hard-line individuals all the time, they have feelings underneath those black uniforms. He actually helped me a while ago, long while ago. Maybe even saved my life, depending on how you view the situation. She kept her face forward as Stapen looked back at her, then returned to writing. You have your skeletons, I have mine. And its their, not there, with an e-i-r yeah, like that.

Stapen sighed and struck the delete key a few times. Thank you.

You might as well have me look it over. I dont mean to be rude, but I probably have better English than you.

I wouldnt doubt it.

She hovered her finger over the screen. Change passed to past. Put and over there, add a comma before it. Yeah there you go, like that.

What about this sentence? It kind of reads funny.

Her wiry digit moved over the sentence as she read it. It wasnt like her English was bad - perhaps a part of her just wanted to teach him. After all, from hearing the limited stories he told, she knew two things: learning was sacred to him, and he hated feeling inadequate. What sounds off with that sentence?

It just sounds awkward.

Nothings wrong with it.

Nothing?

Yeah, youre allowed to begin a sentence like that in English. And standoffish is a word its not formal, but its a word. Change sarcasm to guile too it just sounds better.

He tapped his fingers on the keys to make the necessary change. Does it read well now?

She bent over in front of him and grabbed the keyboard, typing away at a fast rate. The Listonian dictator, on the other hand, started to roll his eyes, but stopped himself. After all, she didnt have to help him it should be more welcomed than anything else.

Now it is, she said as she stepped back and pushed his seat back in place.

Evesuni read it slowly, making sure it made sense to him.

— Begin quote from ____

To General Novac of Mahanoy,

It concerns me that our two nations do not really have good, strong relations. I am well aware of the past problems between our two nations, and I wish to have the opportunity to offer an olive branch instead of continued silence. I want to show you Listonia is willing to advance in the world spectrum as a peaceful nation that is merely concerned about defense. I say this without guile or shrewdness; as a world leader, I know better than to do that to a superpower.

I wish to invite you to our capital city of Yeleli to discuss this in detail. I foresee strong relations between our two nations will be greatly accepted. The farce that is the standoffish nature of vulpines needs to be lifted, and I wish to at least commence the end of such a misconception. It is to this end that I wish to formally apologize for the actions of myself, my nation, and its people. Such an action cannot be done over an email; therefore, it must be done publically. I want you to have the chance to be present for such an important event.

I ask that you consider my offer and get back with me when you have the time. Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Stapen K. Evesuni

— End quote

He looked back at Ikrisia, who gave a nod. With a hesitant exhale, he clicked send. The blood quickly melted from his head to his feet as the exhale continued to flow from his nose. I hope Im doing the right thing.

I could maybe try to contact Damon again, if you believe it would help.

He nodded. For the sake of your nation, I would.

Todd_McCloud · May 8, 2010, 4:08am

How charming She smiled as she looked around the bedchamber, her high-heeled boots clacking against the tiled floor with rhythmic repetition. Little bed. Little desk. Little lamp in the corner of this little room. Too small for the Prime Minister of the Vekaiyu Holy Republic. She moved to her bed and sat down, careful not to sit on her tail. But, it will suffice.

Arguably the most powerful vulpine on the face of the planet, Selvala McEva was a woman who knew what she wanted and didnt let anyone stand in the way of obtaining it. Opposition was a game: a game of chess, in which she had the entire collection of black pieces and the white pieces were all pawns. The little pawns would move forward, trying to get to her, but to no avail. Rook to g4. Knight to b7. Pawns would disappear left and right. But the queen would do nothing she would only sit and watch, protected under the watchful guard of her own pawns, pawns that were quite expendable. But, so were knights. So were bishops. So were rooks. And the king well, with Leyuski gone, it was even better. No more did she have adequate opposition. No more was that soft-spoken voice squirming its way into her cavernous ears, inching her brain ever closer to a cataclysmic eruption where she would inevitably lash out at her opponent for beating her at her own game, somehow moving the pawns to the other side and turning them into queens and rooks. But, he did just that. The other side had their queen in the annoying Ikrisia Levinile, and their rook in the inept Stapen Evesuni. All one needed to win a chess game was a queen and a rook, after all. There were other combinations, but those two made winning quite possible. Plus, one couldnt pick off pawns anymore. Knight to b7 would be caught by Ikrisia and sent to the Sanakun. Rook to g4 would pit it just on the outskirts of the Kunnat Highlands, right next to Stapen, who watched from his castle, scouring the landscape with that tattooed eye socket that looked almost as if a smoke-like bug was attempting to encircle it. She hated such restrictions. Hated it. Hated the sense of no control, or of limited control. She was Selvala, the queen of Vekaiyu unofficially of course. Prime minister is similar to queen, perhaps. Both have degrees of ultimate power, both could conjure up people or groups to do their bidding. But where the knight failed and the rook fell, the queen would rise. After all, if one wants something done right, shell have to do it herself.

Fuck the pawns. I want the big pieces.

Growing up in a Vekaiyun orphanage during the reign of Max Venavle didnt necessarily help push her away from such an obsession. If anything, it enhanced it. Orphans were synonymous with soldiers, and older orphans that could no longer be supported by their respective containments donned new uniforms to fight for Vekaiyu in far away lands. She moved up the ranks, and was eventually encased in the suit of a field commodore, the plastic and metal covering her face gave her the appearance of someone, or something, that had little regard for the lessers as she often spoke of in a cold, sub-mechanized voice. Her suit was replaced by a more lively look when she moved to Ler Commodore, promoted by none other than Max Venavle, a name which still shudders across the forested lands of the Levanasi and is whipped across the jagged mountains of the TaLaveros. But, her thirst for power could not be quenched, and the whispers of the Venavle name were just too loud for her liking. It proved easy to remove the lustful dictator: he was stabbed in the eyes with her hairpins when he looked upon the siren too closely, and had his head removed when the judgment came in the form of dull shears, his screams abruptly changing to a watery sigh once she passed the shears across his windpipe, then a final breath when she put her hand over his chest for leverage to stand up, his lungs no more than simple bladders of dead tissue. But, where his picture had fallen, hers was resurrected. A crooked court case led to crooked elections, which led to a crooked and broken government, a government that had stalled with the creation of a congress, something the people wanted but as for her, well her desires were her own.

She carefully removed her long hairpins from the back of her head, letting her hair melt from between the backs her ears to her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes caught the shadows cast from the light in her room the tall wooden bedpost with its spherical ends created an interesting picture as its shadow reached out toward her. To a less creative, perhaps even a less cunning mind, it would appear just as a simple shadow, and nothing more. But she always thought big. Her hands played with the shadowy ball, moving her fur-covered appendages over it, then, with her bony fingers, she played with the shadow more, producing an image that appeared as if she was holding the ball in addition to the pedestal. The hands of the civilized world are indeed covered with fur, she muttered as a smile grew across her face. She rolled her eyes though, knowing her little power trip was childish, but with no one around, who was keeping score? She was alone here, alone to dabble in her own thoughts, alone to plot and think and plan.

Oh Evesuni, she sighed as she removed her uniform, revealing a simple tunic. You might be worth keeping on after all. Her head hit the pillow. Too easy to control.

She hated the man, hated how he was like sandpaper on a chalkboard whenever the two met anymore. But, she could at least control the degree of the tone. He was easy to make fun of, even easier to pull strings. Stubborn as a mule, though. Too stubborn, maybe. Perhaps it was time for her hairpins to make an encore on the world stage, take a bow, then pull the curtains down for the next act: absorbing Listonia and removing Ikrisia from the equation. Queen to capture rook. Oh, dear no more Stapen. I guess I get to move again. She smiled as her eyelids slowly melted over her eyes.

Todd_McCloud · May 11, 2010, 10:42pm

((OOC: This is a collaborative post between Kandarin and I))

For the sake of your nation, I would.

The words of the Listonian dictator echoed in Ikrisias mind as she sat up on her bed, staring at a darkened wall illuminated only by the moonlight and the afterglow of the city. She couldnt sleep. All she could do was continue to stare at the darkened space, rotating her phone in her hand as her mind raced around the room. But it was more than that. Her heart pumped into her feet. And while the room may have been heated, she felt cold. Perhaps it could be the transition from her uniform to her dressing gown, or the relative coolness of the bed and its sheets, or maybe the tile against her feet, but she was all too knowing of the main cause of her chills.

What do I tell him? What the hell do I tell him?

She wanted to just click the number on speed dial, wait for it to ring, then get it over with. But she hesitated. Always hesitated. Just like her days of Shiro, how she would literally run from her problems in order to buy more time to deal with them. Just a few more moments okay, now a few more days okay, maybe later in the distant future. Ivalsa was a problem, but she was conveniently contained, and could run away from it. When she became out of hand, Leyuski and Damon took care of it  it wasnt a problem anymore. She lost her real arms from a light tank and had to re-learn how to use new ones. But, Leyuski was there for her too. Heck, even when she was still polishing her English skills, she was able to hide behind a standard Unonian translation device. But now that was no more. Now, she had nothing to hide behind. Selvala would continue to treat her badly, continue to goose-step her nation into isolation, and continue to ruin what she spent eighteen years of her life learning. And while her knowledge was faulty, she understood one truth about it: there are just some problems that are too big to accomplish on ones own. It didnt mean that she was weak, or hiding, or that someone else was solving the problem for her. No, now she was attacking it head-on. Now she was the person who had to be proactive, who had to motivate herself to do it. No Leyuski was there to give her advice and encouragement. No Damon was there to tell her to be proactive. No one was there this time. Well, maybe Stapen, but she knew that there would be no motivation from him outside of simple advice. Whatever came of this, she would have to shoulder the responsibility this time, and swallow any remnants of pride in the process.

What the heck do I say? Hey, Damon, remember me, that one snotty vixen who pretended to know everything? So how is your arm doing? Hope youre doing better since the last time I saw you as an almost corpse on the steps to our capital! Hope those stairs were comfy and cozy! Selvala sends her regards! Oh, by the way, hope you dont want to vaporize us off the planet yet!

She shook her head, defeated. This was another one of her problems. It was a growing problem, but it was most likely attributed to her current position. She had very little confidence in herself. Despite all that shed been through, despite surviving a horrible project and trying to fit in with normal society, despite all the strides she had made, she felt like a failure. A lackey. A stuffed shirt in which Selvala told her what to do, say, and think. She hated it, and she hated her. Hated her. And while she was taught that true vulpines must not hate (or feel any emotion for that matter), she honestly could say she hated her.

Come on just open the phone dial the number answer it if he picks up. Cant fault me for just calling right? Yeah. She swallowed hard. Its either that, or I dont sleep tonight.

With a quick jerk, she flipped her phone up and immediately dialed the number. She still held her breath even as it rang, her fingers feeling cold against the plastic composite. Static on the other end indicated the transmission was complete. He-hello? she said in English. It was a whisper at first as the air in her lungs squeaked out, but finally became a more substantial inquiry once she managed to utter her first syllable.

The phone rang once. Anna Alexander thought she saw Damon stir a little, but all that accomplished was to leave him slumped further against the hull of the helicopter. His hands still lay limp at his sides, ignoring the phone that blared, seemingly angry and impatient, in his pants pocket. In the crowded din of the helicopter, no one else on the team was close enough to hear it.

The phone ran again, and Damon did not even flinch. Anna wondered for a moment about Mahanonian technology how was he getting reception out here? The earpieces would work here, of course, but Elite technology didnt exactly scream mainstream. Damons phone was different Damons phone was little different from phones hed seen any number of Mahanonians using, though certainly no one outside of the country. Mentally, Anna reclassified Mahanoys potential tech level to watch out for as high as it would go. That kind of subtlety was a favorite Kandarinese trick, but she knew they werent the only masters.

The phone rang a third time, tearing Anna out of reflection with the simple fact that no one was getting it. No doubt confusing anyone who was watching, she fished around in his pants for it, pushed back her hood, and clamped it to her ear. She did not at first recognize the voice on the other end. Youve picked a bad time to call. She said matter-of-factly.

Ikrisias eyes widened at the sudden response. Either Damon had an operation she was totally unaware of, or someone else had picked up the receiver. What do you mean? Who is this? She tried to go over her mind as to who it could be, but, it was a little hard to discern with the wind blowing in the background. It was almost sounded as if the person on the other end was out at sea. From where are you calling from, also? She shook her head. Im sorry, this is Ikrisia Levinile, of Vekaiyu. Im trying to reach Damon. Is he there?

This is Anna Alexander, of Kandarin. Damon is here, justbusy. She wasnt serious before, but it really was a terrible time to call. And after all this time! Ikrisia must really have had something urgent on her mind. Were currently in a helicopter in the stereotypical frozen middle of nowhere. I dont think I can get Damon at the moment. Is there anything you wanted to pass along to him?

Helicopter? Frozen middle of nowhere?

Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to think of something, anything that would grab the attention of Damon, something that, whenever Anna would be near Damon, shed know to tell him. She cleared her throat. When you get a chance to see him again, let him know that I have some very urgent news regarding the current status between his nation of Mahanoy and my nation Vekaiyu. I understand relations deteriorated during the attempted assassination of Damon and how crudely my superior, Kivia McEva, handled it, but I still she suddenly paused. I still must relay this information to him. I have recently determined it was her that ordered the assassination attempt. I do not know any extra details at this time, other than what I have seen from her, but shes convinced me. Shes the one.

She swallowed hard. Quick with a readied lie. But maybe it wasnt totally a lie. After all, if it wasnt her, who could it be? And Selvala was already responsible for mysterious deaths before. She was even capable of luring Max Venavle to his death. Whos to say shes not responsible? Plus, it wasnt like she was the best leader anyway. Selfish and bull-headed, she would do anything to get her way. Maybe it wasnt so much a lie as it was a godsend, if it worked out. After all, it would at least have the potential to damn her and absolve her nation, something that needed to be done above anything else.

Tell him I need his help, and that I need to speak with him urgently! She paused again. These are difficult times, and it would be nice to have the company of old friends again.

Anna listened quietly, holding the phone tight to drown out the din outside. Shes the onebut she couldnt be. The assassins were Mahanonians. They had Mahanonian looks, Mahanonian politics, Mahanonian grudges. In Kandarin, such a killing would be normal, more normal than an assassination by an outsider. And the savviest outsiders would know to hire the Kandarinese to do the job. Could it be done in Mahanoy? Could Selvala McEva have hired a Mahanonian to kill a Mahanonian?

I will pass it along to him. Thank you, Ikrisia. I realize this isnt the best of times, but late is better than never to pass on this critical news.

No. From Prosperos stories of Damons missions, from everything Anna had ever heard, Mahanonian teams ran missions for Mahanoy and the Elite Empire and all that was in it. She had never heard of a Mahanonian team going mercenary. But she admitted that she didnt know that they didnt, either. Corruption, perhaps? For the right price, with the right pressure, any mission orders could be changed. There must be someone higher up who hated Damon, right? There was always one in Kandarin. A deal with them and orders could turn from backup to a bullet in the head.

A lots gone on since we last talked. I haveI have bad news for you, Ikrisia. Viktor died fulfilling his mission. He saved our lives, but we lost him.

The words felt alien and distant coming out of Annas mouth. She was inserting filler to give herself time to think, and she knew it. Why am I thinking about this now? No, no, no. It didnt make sense. The image of Viktors lifeless face flashed across her vision, blood on the snow. Blood, a room full of blood. Her hands covered in blood. Quentins blood, lying there like Viktor. Quentin shouting at Julien, choking him, calling him and Damon and Damons father a traitor to the government. Who was Damons father? Politics, politics, surely Damon had made enemies like anyone else. Everyone had enemies.

Im sorry to pass that along. I guess we both have bad news.

Blood, a room full of blood, Viktors blood on the snow, her hands covered in blood. Blood on Juliens lab coat.Why am I thinking about this now?! Julien was confessing, he never meant to hurt the boy. When? In the assassinationno, before that. Years before, years and years. I am afraid we took all hope away from him… Novac mentioned that Damon seemed to no longer enjoy life. He does work for the shadow government through. He has been working for them for years. You dont believe me, do you? Then he may be on our side after all. Our side. Our side. Our side.

Hes being hunted. Anna thought out loud. There was a sound of alarm on the other end of the phone. What?

Damons being hunted. Hes been hunted. Selvala didnt do it, not unless shes been doing it for years. I dont know who did. But I know who would know.

Ikrisia’s eyes widened. “Hunted?” she replied into the receiver. “What do you mean by hunted? Is he okay? And Viktor dead?” She ran a tongue over her teeth, trying to keep her tone from sounding more and more concerned and shocked. “And you don’t understand… Selvala, she’s killed many people, even Venavle! Well, I mean, it wasn’t totally proven in court, but everyone knows that case was a fix… she’s been horrible to our people, it only makes sense that she would be involved in such a plot!”

She put her hand on her leg. Well, more like slapped it. There was no turning back now. “Keep talking, come on. If she doesn’t buy it, I’m dead. And so is the rest of us.”

Ikrisia, however, remained silent.

“There are a lot of horrible people in the world.” Anna replied, all too aware of that fact in the moment. “Who do a lot of horrible things. But why this thing to this person?”

“I mean,” Anna plagiarised Prospero’s argument, “Why shoot at Damon? Why not shoot at you?”

Ikrisia looked down. “I… I don’t know, to be honest. Perhaps she was aiming at me, even…” She paused to think the situation over. “Why not me, if him?” “Selvala doesn’t tell me anything… to her, I’m just a pawn. Oh, it was just easier when I was a student with you. It is difficult playing this role - sometimes I wish I was back there, as much as I complained and bitched about everything. I was so choked up in Vekaiyun nationalism I couldn’t see anything else.” She sighed, not even sure why she kept going on. Perhaps it was because no one really listened to her. Or, maybe she just wanted someone she could trust who wasn’t directly involved.

“The poison in our race has to stop,” she added. “If she’s killed all of those people, I don’t put it past her that she could exterminate our entire race with how poorly she handles foreign policy. Though… though she did say she didn’t like Damon. She told me right… yes! Right before our talk, she told me that it wouldn’t matter, and he would be a dead man if he came in and told her how to run our nation. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but I distinctly remember it, because right after that she told me to shut my mouth if I knew what was good for me.” She sighed again, kicking the back of her legs against the bedrailing. “So much for the Ikrisia you once knew… I’m reduced to a yes man, and nothing more, I guess.”

“Look, I want to help you, but…” Anna stopped. Most people at this point would have said I can’t in good faith let you live a lie or something like that. But this was Anna. And more to the point, Anna had already spent more than a little time telling Ikrisia to live a lie if it’d help her feel better. Selvala had to go, all right - and if Anna reasoned correctly, there was another threat to Ikrisia to consider.

“Look, Ikrisia, I trust you, you’re probably right, but…it’s more complicated. In Listonia, I…I fought the assassins who attacked Damon.” The memory was vivid - it had not been much of a battle. Blood…Anna shook her head.

“The team fought the assassins?” Ikrisia asked. “We spent so much time and effort-”

“No, not the team.” Anna understood her gaffe immediately after the damage was done. “I was just talking about me.” At some point, Anna had hinted to Ikrisia of what she was capable of, but she simply let that sink in. “The assassins…they were from Mahanoy, too. The man who pulled the trigger was from Mahanoy. They’re compromised…someone in Mahanoy conspired with Selvala, and I don’t know who. You can’t trust them.”

Ikrisia bit her lip, staring at her feet and the tile floor below her. “Mahanoy helped with this too? But why would anyone from there want to do that to one of their own? Do they not like Damon? Is he unliked? No… that has to be impossible… look at how they reacted to his shooting.” She didn’t quite know what to make of it, but a sudden fear came over her. “Selvala is more powerful and more connected than I once thought, if that’s the case… can I even stop her?”.

She nodded, her ears bending back. “I believe you. Listen, these are dangerous times. I’m sure you know this… I need Damon’s help. And, I need yours too.” A tear rolled down her furry cheek, but she knew it would never touch the invisible radiowaves of her phone. “I hate to sound desperate, but I’m really worried about my own safety, as well as the safety of those around us. Just… when you’re around Damon, please let him know. And… maybe if it’s soon, have him call me. I’ll be up all night.”

“I will let him know.” The sounds of the helicopter around her changed, and Anna knew they would be coming in for a landing soon. “I can’t make any promises about reaching you again soon, Ikrisia. There’s a good chance…” …that we’re all going to die out here. “…that we’re going to be without any means of communication for quite some time. But I will let him know.”

Ikrisia let out a slight sigh, catching herself as to not sound too disappointed over the phone. “I see. Thank you, Anna. Best of luck to you and Damon, and my sincere condolences for the loss of Viktor. Take care.”

She closed her phone and carefully set the phone on her desk. From there her hands moved from the device to her head, where she put them over her ears as she lowered her head. Apparently her division from the old ties to the project allowed her to experience emotions - good and bad. But really, way crying such a bad emotion? She found it to be more liberating than anything else. And, as she heaved in a breath, displaying her point of no return, she felt maybe somewhat comforted. Her sobs turn to something more pitiful as she knew it would take a tremendous effort to just keep her safe, let alone her nation. As it stood right now, her life and the life of her nation rested in the trusting hands of a nine year old girl. Where she went from that, she couldn’t tell.

Todd_McCloud · May 15, 2010, 4:19am

A soft patter grew in the dead of night, only to suddenly stop almost immediately. The patter then increased in frequency, slowly at first, but then grew to be something more substantial. Oh, it was still quite silent, but to someone who wasnt sleeping, it was at least something that could be heard if only in the shadows in which the mind delved into when one was in that amorphous state of just waking up or just falling asleep. Maybe it was the tiles creaking in the tower. Perhaps it was someone who just needed to get up and walk around. Or, it couldve been a heartbeat. Yeah. Maybe it was just beating faster, the way a healthy heart does when its anxious.

She couldnt stand it.

Yes, she could hear it in her own ears. Vulpines were like that sometimes its one of those inner instincts that reassure the host that they are in fact alive and not dead. But it could also be nerve wracking, as if someone was taking the dull blade of a Swiss army knife and cutting deeper into the skin, then deeper still, then, as the blood began to smear the view, find a strand of white, and slowly sliver it away. Of course, it wasnt totally like that. But hey, moments such as this were designed to be nerve-wracking, the brain wielding that knife and twirling it in its proverbial fingers. It knows when you are afraid. And its bad at keeping that a secret really bad. It tells the heart, which tells the fingers, the lungs, and practically every other organ in the body hears about it, like some bad game of telephone. And it speaks loud. So loud that even the whole damn body tries to broadcast it to the whole world. Are you okay? You dont look so well. But thats the beauty of the night so long as you arent a superstitious type who listens to yourself very easily, you can conceal the dumb mind and its tricks a bit easier.

Of course, for killers, its like a sixth sense.

The doorknob twisted slowly, the mechanized device clicking and panging as it bypassed the lock function and groaned against itself. Suddenly, the door began to push backward, all in a fluid motion. Even the hinges were caught off guard by the motion, the typical squeaks and creaks absent from the gentle touch the handler gave the door. Its funny how machines often act the opposite of people. Much less predictable people are; even if you do everything right, and everything works in the right way with everyone everywhere satisfied, disaster may strike. It doesnt take much. Even perfection can do it. But machines, theyre more forgiving. The door swung open just enough for her to brush passed, not even a shuffle from her stockings made noise. It was just all too perfect. As she carefully shut the door and removed her hand from the knob like a dying lover, she smiled. She was completely satisfied with how this all had been turning out so far. Nothing to fear, calm as calm can be. And her victim was already lying down in a pose fit for a funeral. By morning his body would be stiff, ready for a coffin, with everyone shocked and gasping. She could hear them now. Who would do this? Ohmygod! Hes dead! Why would he die in Allegheny?! And from there, well, it would all unfold. Easy enough. No one had to know the wiser.

He was just lying there. He looked absolutely pitiful as a leader, with his suspenders that rested on his shoulders that made him look more like a relic than an actual living creature. The wheezes which came from his rising and falling chest covered her footsteps perfectly as she inched closer. Thank God he smoked like a chimney. As she moved closer, more features became noticeable. Much of the fur on the tops of his hands was missing, which now explained why he wore gloves to the meeting. She stopped suddenly when his left ear twitched, only to immediately return to her pace and approach him from where he laid. And there it was. That damn tattoo. Circling his eye like a weird shiner. Who the hell did he think he was? Some renegade? A tough guy? Special, perhaps? It made him look even uglier. Like some filthy pagan who could barely speak a language or write eloquently. But there would be time for comparisons later.

She was at least careful enough to disinfect her long hairpins before attempting this, and then heat them to burn off any residues they might have acquired. She was at least more careful this time at covering her tracks. After all, it would be all over in three seconds. She stood directly over him, positioning one of her thick, long pins directly over his right eye. Just thrust hard enough to break through the eye, breaking through the orbital and into the brain, pull out, and hes dead. Just like that. It wasnt a very messy way to kill someone, and not as clumsy as trying to stab someone elsewhere, like the heart where one had to dodge a rib cage. No need for a lot of noise either, or evidence left behind like a bullet or any other form of struggle. In, then out. Probably something he was used to doing anyway. Do it. Now. Make sure your target is right. Strike. In, then out. Walk away. Finish what has to be done. Come on. One jerk and itll all be over.

She missed.

The sharp tip of the hairpin dug deep into the side of his tattoo, apparently saving his life. Not that it was a special tattoo, but that the size of it and the black ink made targeting his eye socket difficult in the dark. His skin tore downwards as he lifted up his head in a sharp, loud groan. Selvala backed up, heading for the door, but Evesuni reached down his pants and pulled a small gun from the side.

Who the hell are you? He looked around, but apparently his eyes hadnt adjusted to the dark like hers had. Goddamn what did you do? He gripped the side of his head in pain, lifting his hand to try and glance at the blood, but he continued to point his gun aimlessly, helplessly.

When he turned his back, Selvala put her hand back on the doorknob, but the warm embrace from her hand was not well-received this time, and a quick creak emitted from the mechanism. Evesuni turned around in a flash and stood up from his bed. Now her heart raced, her mind exposing her nervousness as he moved closer, his feet hitting the cool tiled floor as he stepped closer to her.

So, talk to me. I want to hear your words before shoot you to hell.

She had only heard of Evesunis killing style from various papers and reports back when he was with People for an Independent Listonia. Shoot them directly on their head it sends their soul to hell faster, not like they needed to have any form of judgment or anything like that. He seemed fairly confident too. For all intents and purposes, she couldve had a gun too. Well?

A sudden distraction was all she needed. While he was looking for a lightswitch, he turned his head in a split second. The light flicked on, and she lunged for him, grabbing at his gun and digging her nails into his wrists. Evesuni countered by trapping her arm in his armpit, standing up amidst the struggle, and ramming her into the wall. Blood stained her fur as his eye socket rubbed against her ear, the sensation stinging badly, announced by a painful grunt. Her other hand, now free of a hairpin, began to tear at his shoulder, breaking the skin until he finally let go of her. Her claws quickly turned to strikes as her skills learned from her days in the Vekaiyun armed forces were now put to the test, jabbing her bony fists into his side, the dictator bending over in pain. She had to get that gun free. The two assailants exchanged more blows, Evesuni controlling the dance as he twisted around, still locked at the wrist. Her fingers followed and dug trenches in his skin. A sharp cry caused the Listonian Dictator to release his weapon. Selvala dove for it, but Evesuni was quick to tangle his leg with hers, causing her to slam into the ground with a thud against the cold tile floor, biting her tongue. His kneecap swiftly crashed into the back of the Vekaiyun Prime Minister, plowing into her shoulder blades as the gun was at last hers. Evesuni immediately grasped her hand and slammed it repeatedly against the floor, her knuckles feeling sheer hell with each strike. She suppressed her yelps as the pain from her hand was tremendous, the bones in her fingers chipping and chiseling away at the constant abuse. The gun dropped with a metallic clang, yet Evesuni didnt grab it, which caught Selvala off guard. He was careful to not release her hand. Instead, he dragged her by the arm and flung her against the side of the wall, falling down in the process. Now was his time to grip the gun. He reached for it and cocked it directly at her, catching his breath.

Go ahead, Stapen, she said while holding her hand, shoot me. Shoot me! Shoot the Vekaiyun Prime Minister. And with my death will follow the death of your nation!

He was still catching his breath as blood ran down his white t-shirt. He kept the gun pointed at her, but he knew she was right. What the hell is the matter with you? Ive killed little pieces of shit like you time and time again! Youre lucky I dont blast you head off right now!

Oh stop being so dramatic! she shouted. Tough guy! You think youre so tough? Im going to have so much pleasure putting you away for good. Youd look good in an orange jumpsuit better than in those piece of shit clothes you have on!

Youre the one whos going to be put away, not me.

Who would believe you? She smiled as she moved some of her hair away from her face. Terrorist, right? I could find enough dirt on you to sell you to the highest bidder, Evesuni. All I have to do is ask my Kral Commodore. Shell tell me exactly what I want to hear. And itll only take her little mouth to damn you and connect you to criminal organizations!

She doesnt know anything! She thinks Im-

Your what?

Forget it. Fucking forget it. The two vulpine leaders continued to stare at each other in a much more relaxed tone, but the amount of enmity in the room could easily fill the entire tower.

So am I just going to keep staring at your ugly eyes, or are we going to finish this?

You know I want to, Selvala. You know I want to. Evesuni stood and walked over to her, placing the barrel of the gun over her head. But someone else should have that privilege. Youre killing your nation by being a bitch, and you know it. Only thinking about yourself. Its all about that goddamned pride, isnt it? Right? That vulpine nationalism you and the moron before you, Max, pumped into their minds, right? What gives you the right to corrupt them?

Thats just your opinion, she said, matter-of-factly. And how many people did you kill to install your corruption?

Maybe I should blow your brains out right here.

She rolled her eyes. Or you could just let me live and Ill promise never to speak of this again.

His finger rested on the trigger. He just wanted to finish her, right then and there. Ikrisia would at least be happy. Maybe shed leave him alone if he was in prison. Maybe someone in Listonia would step up to the plate and have his same ideals and same strength to prevent a crime war of epic proportions. Or, maybe not. Evesuni stepped back and jerked the gun up and down, instructing her to stand up.

One last thing. How did you know I wasnt going to shoot you when the lights were out?

He scowled at her. You dont get where I am today without knowing that if a killer had a gun, he wouldve used it when you were sleeping and not stab you with a fucking hairpin.

Allegheny · May 15, 2010, 9:52pm

Penn Tower, Security Camera Room 10. 2:30 AM

Hey man, pass me those cheese crisps. The guard said. The security room was a small office with a bank of screens at the opposite end from the door. Two young security guards sat watching a hockey game on one of the screens while they monitored the security cameras and hallway microphones.

Man the Pencil Pushers are crushing the competition this season! Said one guard excitedly.

Twelve straight wins man, thats a big change from when they first started out. Were going to win the championships if we keep going like this. The other guard responded.

Unbeknown to them Selvala crept through the hallways in complete silence.

Alright time to do a camera check. Sectors 101 and 102 are clear, The guard continued to check all the sectors the station was responsible for. Hmm we got one of those diplomats in the hallways, dont worry about it though shes probably just going to the head. All right all sectors are clear and accounted for, no anomalous noises in the microphones either, time to slack off some more. The guard turned back to the television.

Ah shit man I got this cheese crap all over me, I hope the lieutenant doesnt come down for an inspection tonight. He worried.

No way man Johnny couldnt be bothered to check on us during a night shift, that guy is to worried about the perimeter security then the inside."

While the two guards continued to watch the game the noise monitors began to register increased sound levels.

HOLY CRAP! That guy got checked right into the ref, ha! Aw man this game is intense. The guard clapped as a fight broke out in the game

Shh man, I think I heard something, turn the television off. The sound monitors were no longer registering sound, and then they spiked. The guard could hear yelling coming out of the speakers. Oh shit we got something going down on level forty, guest rooms sector 230. What do we do?! The younger of the two panicked.

Ill take care of this. Sec room ten to barracks on level twenty, please respond. The guard in control yelled into his radio.

This is the Republican Guard here on level twenty, what is the situation? Someone radioed back.

There is a disturbance on level forty, we request two RGs to check it out immediately Code Red. The camera guard quickly replied.

Understood.

Two guards armed with pistols entered into the express elevators and quickly ascended the tower to level forty. They could hear the yelling coming from the hallways on the other end. Running towards the sound.

Stack up on that door. The guard ordered to his partner. The guard who had issued the order put his hand on the doorknob and the other on his holstered pistol. He looked up at the other guard and nodded telling him he was going to open the door. The door swung open quickly and the two guards rushed into the room. It was quite the scene, the guard who had opened the door noticed Evesunis handgun and pulled his own out and pointed it at the armed Listonian. The other guard kept his holstered and began to examine the situation.

PUT THE GUN DOWN IMMEDIATELY! The guard yelled.

The other guard noticed the blood dripping from around his eye. Look Joe! He’s bleeding.

The other guard still kept his weapon drawn on Evesuni, You two got some fucking explaining to do, get talking! A bloodied hairpin sat on the floor near Selvala, the other guard gave off a nervous laugh when he noticed it, Yeah this should be interesting.

Warr · May 17, 2010, 5:57am

Ard Riocht Na Warre, Lumina Province, City of Lumina, Carrickaodh

It was cold, but that was to be expected in a place like Carrickaodh. Once favored seat of the Warreic Kingship, it’s descendant and heir, the first high King of Warre, had chosen it as his new throne following the destruction of the newer palace in the time of mists. It was modernized, and imposing. A fortress of beautiful grey-blue rocks mined from Luminan Quarries and brought here for it’s strength and beauty. It felt old, ancient, like you were trepassing on your ancient ancestor’s from centuries ago’s stomping grounds. And it was decorated in a deliciously modern medieval flare, ancient heraldry and modern heraldry intermeshed, tartans, shields, swords, and quite a few models of guns. It was a beautiful place, but it was eerie, spooky, dreary. Even for the Royal Guard, there were qualms about this place, and they were only made worse by the Ard Ri’s new tendencies.

The guards assigned to his quarters themselves stood at attention this chilly night, listening to the babbling of several voices, which were only slightly pitches off from the Ard Ri. If the rumors were to be believed, the time in the mists, and the defeating of his opponents and rivals for the Ard Ri title, they had done things to his psyche, to his persona. He heard the voices of those whom he had defeated. It was saddening, but for the nation’s strength and security, it had to be a secret, at least until the King could find a wife and they could produce an heir. It had too, and so his vassal kings, ri, and teryn, they were allowed to speak for the nation, after the Ard Ri reviewed their planned statements. He made appearances still, but not for long, leaving his cousins to deal with vassals and foreign heads of state.

And behind the doors which those guards stood guard over, the Ard Ri couldn’t help but think himself a very clever fellow, icy blue eyes scanning over a scaled map of the North-West Eastern Pacific, which was large enough to cover a sizable dining table, and was marked with numerous towns, military positions, and military bases. The Warreic and Dverian areas were marked a keen Mahogany, with their territories cleanly marked with the positions, and covered with little figures representing the units Warre had deployed in both the archipelago and the Dverian Territories, with markings for territories and military installations and deployments of the other nations as well, but most of those assuredly haphazard. Despite the fact he couldn’t hear the voices his stereo was projecting thanks to earplugs, he imagined they were doing the job, from the din of discussion from the other side of this great room which was the entry way to his apartments.

After looking at his toy, that table, he headed towards his offices, and towards the streaming videos displayed upon the monitors there. Plopping into the comfortable canvas chair set up within the office, he began to take in the events, watching the news cameras a few at a time, and taking in knowledge from them all, even if he shouldn’t understand the language they were speaking. Knowledge of dozens of other hims was capable freely available. He could gain knowledge of Kelssekian Politics and had an distinct understanding of French from the him who had been a lt. Governor in a Kelssekian Protectorate Warre, from the leader of the Human Liberation Front, his equivalent in the world were an United Vekaiyu and Listonia controlled not only their nations, but also Warre, Dveria, and several other nations within the gulf, he understood certain matters of politic. As his previously simply prodigal brain whirred over data, he calmly remarked That’s right, the modern Vekaiyuian government requires the head of the military and the head of state to work in cohesion in alliances discussions and similar things. I should keep that in mind for future situations.

At the sight of it all, he calmly watched, his face twitching slightly in displeasure at things which he found uninteresting or felt was a problem. At the mention of a new East Pacific Treaty Organization summit in Tricorne, RNH, he couldn’t help but be unhappy. Even more so when it was revealed EPTO was offering membership to a number of new nations, and thereby making it so that those nations couldn’t be recruited by the Warreic Ard Riocht in the struggle against Packilvanian aggression. Some other rulers might have ignored the threat, and focused on more mundane things, such as how they were going to get a vast territory gain settled in any way to allow it to lose the chance of being a lawless frontier. But the Ard Ri had competent vassals, and left the current situation in Dveria to them for that matter. As he watched things, and watched them well, he continued to plot mentally, considering things and watching the television there. With a click of a remote, the screens moved from their current channels to various other ones. The attack of the mysterious man in Listonia’s capital, various speeches by the Maxist, Sevala McEva. Various news instances from throughout that time, and the current time. Of the conference within Pittsburgh, Allegheny, in regards to the new organization that Allegheny, Vekaiyu, and Listonia hoped to create.

And after dozens of minutes watching those videos, his brain processed it all, and the icy blue eyes of his almost showed a spark of epiphany. He chuckled, quickly picked the orange gunmetal colored and durable phone which sat on his desk, and dialed a number.

Bring me our little Kivia. Wake her gently, and treat her gently, but do not tell her where she is going until she sees me.

And then he hung up the phone, grabbing a soda from a small refrigerator within the office, and popping it open, drinking the cool beverage as he waited. Caffeine had become essential to him as of late, as it was so hard to sleep, and his body used so much energy. But this drink was more than about essentials. It was to calm him, and prepare him for what must be done. Absentmindedly, he stripped out of his slightly dirty casual clothes, and grabbed one of the mahogany uniforms of the Warreic Royal Military, heading to the shower, and leaving it clean and refreshed, ready for the complex study and lesson which he was about to partake in.

                                                                   ----------

After a few moments, a young vixen appeared from the stone-carved entrance of the Ard Ri’s personal quarters. She was completely vulpine - but she couldn’t have been more than twelve. Her fur was a pale white. Dark brown hair fell to her shoulders without much of a degree of curl or waviness, her ears peeking over the brown with the front of her hair combed back… A simple vertical-striped night gown was draped over her thin body, her feet against the cold stone floor. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, exposing an impressive set of teeth, common among the vulpine race, but showing a potential dark side to her otherwise innocent appearance.

“Hello Ard Ri,” she said as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes. “What’s going on… will I be late for my morning swim?” Blinking her eyes, they focused onto the Warreic king, curiously trying to peer at the various television screens next to him.

                                                                 ----------

And he was waiting, in standing in the shadows of his desk, a figure with a smile on his face. Keenly, those icy blue eyes accessed his wardling, this Kivia of the Vekaiyuian people, this prize of the most high stature. For a man such as himself, who despite being from a democracy was pro-monarchy, seeing as it being a more direct way to deal with foreign politics and domestic struggles, and likewise less likely to waste time in making solutions to problems.

Attempting to be as friendly as he could be, he cut away and semblance of aggression, and simply smiled to the young Vulpiness. Hello, Kivia Leina. Sorry to disturb your rest, but I felt it was time to have a talk. You know why you’re under my care, and what you are; correct?

Those icy eyes warmed for a second, the expression accross the Ard Ri’s face making them seem like a cool glass of water. In fact, young mister McCue stepped forward, slowly at first, but moved to give the young Vixen a patronic hug. “Well, you see, Miss Leina, that is true. But do you know the signifigance of your surname?”

She smiled at the announcement of the hug, looking away slightly to prevent her muzzle from bumping into his face. Almost as if it was instinctual, she stood on her toes, used to the difference in height. She was well-versed in her anatomy enough to realize that she wouldn’t get much passed 5’0’’ or 5’2’', but she had at least another foot and a half to go before she would level off. “I know it’s an important one, and it’s royal. I know about Vekaiyun kings and queens. But I never met anyone a part of my family. I heard… things about what happened.” The young vixen looked down, truly unsure of how to deal with the complex emotions. What exactly caused all of this? Why was she alone in a this nation, of a different race, and removed from her own kind? The Ard Ri was very nice to her, and there was the occassional vulpine living in the archepelago, but she couldn’t shake the differences, especially as she got older. It was a question she wanted to know. What caused this to happen?

He nodded, and gingerly picked the little kit up. It showed something of himself beyond what most might see, that he was gentle as he picked her up and carried her to his nearby chair, in a way to make her sit in it.

“Your family was indeed royal, and from Vekaiyu. Your line made up the Kings and Queens of the Vulpine nation, and ruled justly for many years. For untold centuries, they ruled Vekaiyu justly. Until about twenty years ago, when a madman named Max Venavle lead an attack upon them and over threw them. They were executed, and in the end, only your mother and your cousin Leina survived.”

She remembered the name Max from a history book she had skimmed through. It belonged to an older classmate in her school, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind it missing for a few days. The way it told about his rise to power was frightening, how he could speak and people would just listen to him. Whatver she couldn’t really understand from the text she got clearly from the photographic insert - that of a portion of the royal family doused in spray paint and with sacks over their head and their necks tethered from rope. Were the people in that picture cheering, or were they shocked and telling him to stop? How could someone be that cruel to someone else? “But why did it happen?” she finally asked. “Why did he do that? Did anyone try to stop him? And… what happened to my mother and my cousin?”

He shook his head gently. It was good that this girl was innocent enough to be shocked about this, as that meant she would be a beneficent ruler to her people. But if she was not desensitized to things, she would certainly be a tool for whomever was truly in power. He nodded, gently. “Your people did not bow in the face of this tyranny. His horrific evil, they saw clearly, but some chose to blind themselves from it, and only a choice few had the courage to fight actively against him. They did, but in the end, they could do nothing but contact the Warreic government at the time, and ask for Asylum. They could not rescue the whole royal family, but your mother and cousin were able to escape. -They had been vacationing in one of the Port Towns of Vekaiyu.”

He nodded. “They escaped, brought to Warre by our navy, and were given Asylum and kept in hiding. This continued for a time, but roughly four or five years after your mother’s arrival, she returned to Vekaiyu, and we faciliated it. It was the tradition of your family to have their children within Vekaiyu, even if they did not live the themselves, and she made sure to do that. One of Vevalve’s party members was within the nursery staff and also recognized your mother. After you were born, she quickly injected your mother with a sickness we had never seen, and while our agents were able to return the both of you to Warre before Velvalve’s agents could get on the scene. While your mother survived for a few years, she was never truly healthy again.”

Leina looked to the floor, but it wasn’t as much of a look as it was a distant stare, swimming in emotions instead of a pool like she had planned to do today, not really paying attention to her surroundings. A tear ran down her soft white fur. “Why couldn’t they let them live?” she finally spoke, inhaling a quivering sigh as she wiped her eyes. “Why did they have to kill them?”

“Madmen don’t think about things like anyone else, and just because she was a member of the royal family, and an heir to the throne, they saw her as a threat. And indeed, they did see you as a threat as well, but by the time they could get to you, Vekaiyu’s government had changed. They died, but died to make sure you could live. By running from the threat that Max Vevalve posed, they protected you, and your nation’s hope.” He reached out, and gently ran a hand down her face, wiping the tear from her fur as best as he could.

She rubbed her head against his hand, sniffling through her nose. “Is Vekaiyu like that now?” She remembered she had to close the history book after seeing that picture. She didn’t have much of a desire to really know what happened to her nation, too afraid to really know.the outcome. But now that she was beginning to know, it might as well be placed in the mix.

He shook his head. “It’s gotten much better, and many of the extremists have gotten to old to cause any threat. There’s only one major threat now, and with my help and a few within Vekaiyu and Listonia, even she can be eliminated from being a threat you you, Leina.”

Sniffling again, the kit looked back up at Warren McCue. “Do you mean it?” A million more questions floated through her mind, but assurance was a good thing to have at this time .

He smiled, nodding. His moved his face to inches from her’s, where his icy eyes might seem as if they were peering into her soul, and he replied. “I always mean what I say, and in thi case, I mean what I say entirely. We can stop her, but I’ll need your help, and I’ll need you to resolve something.”

Her eyebrows twisted in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“The only way we can do it is if you come out against her in public. And beyond simply doing that, you’ll have to invoke you’re ancestors titles. You are of royal blood, and your mother was a princess. With no one else of your line surviving, that means a simple thing. Vekaiyu is -your- nation. You are it’s queen. You will have to invoke this, and do so with a level of righteous indignation towards Kivia McEva. Do you know what righteous indignation is?”

She shook her head. It was truly overwhelming for a young kit like herself to learn all of this. And what about McEva? Was she the one who was causing problems in her nation?

“It means shock, and indeed, I’m surprised the people of Vekaiyu haven’t reacted with shock at her actions yet. I’m going to show you some of the things she’s done, and you can close your eyes if it gets too much for you. I’ll make sure to turn the video off. But be brave and watch as much as you can.”

She nodded. “Okay… I will be brave.” She turned her head to the television screens, not really knowing what either of them were broadcasting. One had an Unonian prompt running on the bottom, but it was something about a conference in another nation. Sighing, she curled up in the chair and put her hands close to her face.

There was a click click click noise as he quickly typed in a prompt into a computer, and then video archive footage began to roll. Things from McEva’s days before her current position, and things since then. The brutal acclimation of the Kunnat Highlands, the Vulpine Nationalism at the expense of others, and her continuing use of threats. Further than that, a few ‘classified’ cases of footage from both the Listonian Crisis and situations before then after McEva took power. One including a Vekaiyuian soldier smashing in a human infant’s face.

She shook her head, her eyes glued to the screen. “Why do they fight like that?” Her hands, now clenched in fists out of fear, inched closer and closer to her face. She felt sick to her stomach as the images floated by, of people dying, being murdered, killed, decapitated. She saw an experiment performed on a vulpine in which he suddenly began to writhe in pain and shoot blood out of his mouth as his body tensed up and his spine cracked in half. The end of the image said ‘V-X Nerve test 022’. “Why can’t they stop it? Don’t they know how to stop it?” Her voice was louder than before, probably competing with the images on the screen to give her some assurance that it was only a TV and, while she believed the images were true, knowing that these happened in the past and not right now was at least a mild comfort.

The Ard Ri watched patiently, and when those words came, answered simply. “They can’t stop it because tyrants come into power before the secrets of before can come into view, and they make sure no one else ever realizes what happened, because they know the good people of Vekaiyu, the citizens who don’t know of these atrocities, would not stand for it. That, my dear.” He gently placed his hand upon her shoulder, as if he was trying to give her some of his internal strength. “Is why they need you. You, to be their vanguard and to protect them. Being royal is more than simply fancy clothes and having fun. It’s about taking into your mind your nation’s spirit, and protecting them as your family. If you can do that, they’ll do the same for you, and the people who did this.” He thumbed towards an image of Sevala McEva, to reiterate and subtly hint who he meant, “They’ll lose their power. They’ll be removed from power and won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.” He stopped, before adding. “But it’s up to you. You can choose to ignore the plight, nad you are free to stay here. Either way, I will protect you. As you were raised in my people’s ways, and love the waters of Warre as much as I do. That makes you my family as well as Vekaiyu’s.”

She nodded, looking at his face and feeling some assemblence of assurance. Her eyes moved downward, toward herself, looking at her hands, covered in a thin layer of white fur. They rested in her lap, laying idle, with her tail curled up next to her lap. Her body was clearly vulpine, and clearly Vekaiyun. While she did like living here and felt safe and content, she knew she had to do something about what happened. While people here did their best to help her fit in, she knew she’d never feel better until she came back to Vekaiyu. And while it was easier to spend her days here and swim laps all day, she knew that wasn’t what she had to do. She had to fix it. Somehow. It was overwhelming, especially for a kit of heer age. “I want to do it,” she finally said, her ears moving back slightly to display a clear sense of fear.

He nodded, and smiled. “Okay, Leina. I think you should go get some rest and have some fun, and soon enough, we’ll set it up so you can start doing your part. All it’ll take right now is letting your nation’s common people know you’re alive, and know that you care about them.” He rubbed his hand against her shoulder gently. “Now, go on, Donald will take you back to your quarters, and if you’re scared of feel like you need to talk to me, then just come. I’ll make sure they let you through.” But before he finished, he gave her a tight hug, trying to impart strength. “You’ll be a good queen to your people.”

She nodded, swallowing hard. “Thank you.” It was weird. Leina didn’t know what to make of all this… it was all coming at her fast. Especially considering the fact that she was only 12 years old. Can a 12 year old even be a queen? “Would it be okay if I went swimming instead? It helps me think about things.”

He smiled. “Yes, just make sure Donald can see you. Wild things can be out at night.” Then he gave her a dismissing nod, before looking to the screens as he stood up.

She nodded. “Yes sir,” she responded, getting up from the chair and walking towards the door, fully awake, but keeping her gaze low now. “Don’t think you can’t call me Warren, Leina. Have a nice swim.”

She nodded, her ears perking up slightly as she smiled.

                                                                               --------------

Perhaps ten minutes passed from the time the Warreic Ard Ri finished his discussion with his Vekaiyuian Ward, and then he moved to his next step, grabbing the same phone from before, and quickly dialing a series on numbers, no less than twelve, before putting the phone to his ear. It was a number he shouldn’t even have, but his agents in Vekaiyu had been doing a lot of work recently. Without Vekaiyu at his side, and with all hopes, Allegheny and Listonia, Warre would have a much too powerful neighbor in no less than a Decade. And Ard Ri McCue had no interest in seeing cyborgs from his nation’s southern shores.

The phone rang a few times, but was eventually picked up. “H-hello?” a relatively crisp voice inquired on the other end. “Who is this?”

He was ready, and his words came forward with an edge. He was ready to speak as a panther might be ready to pounce, and he was restraining himself at the same time. Beyond that, though, his voice would be familar enough from his speeches. “A friend, miss Ikirisa. A friend with a proposition.”

Ikrisia was a little worried. After speaking with Anna no less than a few hours ago, she gets a mysterious call. No one really should have this number, but she huffed a sigh through her nose and decided to give it a go. She was in deep water now, what’s another three feet going to do? “Um, okay… I’m listening.” She didn’t know what to say beyond that, but she at least tried, tried to sound confident.

The Ard Ri listened, and waited a few seconds after began. “I understand very well what it must feel like for a logical, sane, person like yourself to have to deal with a madwoman like Kivia McEva. And further than simply that, I understand that you see the venomous threat she poses to your nation. She corners it against one ravenous locust of a wall in Packilvania, and does not even care to treat those who see the same threat as equals. I’ve not seen such a staunch maxist in your nation’s political scene that goes beyond her.”

“Vaguely,” she replied. “It was before my time, honestly.”

“It was not nearly as complete as Max would have liked it to be. Even with his efforts, an heiress exists. And my people hold her in safe keeping.” He chuckled, a chuckle that was slightly condescending. “While you may know Sevala is a danger to your nation, you cannot do away with her alone. And neither could my ward retake her rightful throne without your help. She has seen the crimes Sevala has committed, and she wishes to help her nation. She wishes to do these things, and to retake her birthright.”

Ikrisia paused. “To whom am I speaking with?”

It was simple, unhesitating. “The Ard Ri of Warre.”

“I see,” she replied. She really hadn’t dealt with Warreic politics, but she did know about the situations presented in Dveria and Listonia. Still, the promise of royalty appealed to her. She was well aware that if Selvala was removed, it would create another power void which she would fill, but what about when she was finished? Or some Maxist killed her? Really, the only way to stabilize the state was to attempt to restore the royalty. “Who would carry the line on? Can I meet her? You’ll have to excuse me, Ard Ri, it’s not every day I hear news like this. That doesn’t mean I’m against it, though. I just… really want to make sure we get it right this time.”

“It’s understandable, and you can. You’ll have to find some excuse to come to Warre, but as soon as you do, we’ll find an excuse to bring her in. You can call this number back, but do so three times in a row if you want an answer. But now, it’s…” He yawned. “Time for some sleep.”

“Okay. Please keep me posted. Also, is there anything you can send me on who she is, what she looks like, etc?” Her legs continued to rock back and forth.

He nods, and smiles. “Can you receive your e-mail where you are at? Do you have an e-mail not connected to a government account?”

“I do,” she replied. “IL_88@huseli.vek.”

Despite the fact she couldn’t see it, he nodded, and she could hear extremely quick hits of a keyboard, from quick typing. “Okay, it should be on it’s way. Along with some proof of who she is.”

“Okay,” she replied, moving the phone away from her to conceal a yawn. “Thank you.”

He nodded again, despite the fact she couldn’t see him. “I think that concludes our business, goodbye.” He moved to hang up the phone.

Ikrisia closed her phone and stared at the wall in front of her. So much has happened in such a small amount of time, it’s as if the dynamics of her nation had changed with the snap of a finger. She had no idea what would happen or come of it, but, as she tried to close her eyes and lay down in bed, she hoped that at least it would all turn out better than how they entered the situation.

Todd_McCloud · May 19, 2010, 4:43am

((OOC: This post was written in collaboration with Allegheny and I))

Certainly, Selvala said as she turned to the guards in a pose that radiated cautious comfort. I heard noises, so I came into this mans room to see if he was okay. You know, I couldnt really sleep, and I figured at least if I could get him to shut up, I could get to sleep. But when I came into his room, he lunged at me, totally unprovoked. I defended myself with my hairpin of all things, and managed to get him off me. There was a struggle he hurt my hand when I tried to push him off, and when I did, he grabbed his gun and pointed it at me. Thats when you arrived.

Pleesay wayt. Letamegeet edia trahslaytourplees. he pointed to the nightstand, while keeping his arms in the air. The desk itself had a few papers on it, his laptop, and a small device that looked similar to an extended hearing aid. He inched toward the table, not wanting to really stay in one spot. He couldnt totally make out what Selvala was saying, but he knew it was probably full of lies and half-truths. Anything to damn him further. It was torture, her foreign words felt like glass being dragged across his eardrums as each word she spoke forced the frame over his profile just a little more harder.

What else does he have as far as weapons are concerned? she said with a matter-of-fact tone. Gentlemen, this man is Stapen Evesuni, dictator of Listonia. Before he became dictator, he was a part of the terrorist organization of PIL. We have been trying to cut the man breaks, and he goes off and does this. Do you understand how frustrating that can be, gentlemen? To keep waiting for someone to show a glimmer of change, maybe, just maybe, acting like a world leader who does not regress into the behavior of a criminal mind. Really

OKAY! Shut up now, The guard holding his gun yelled interrupting her speech. Both of you with your backs against the wall immediately. Selvala immediately did as the guard asked, but Evesuni had trouble understanding. The guard motioned with his gun for him to do the same and Evesuni also complied.

The other guard relaxed and went over to the nightstand, I think he needs this earpiece, Joe.

Give it too him, he replied.

The guard threw the ear piece to Evesuni. Put it on, he instructed. Randall, report this to the lieutenant. Randall immediately began speaking into his radio and informed his superior, after getting a reply his face took on a worried look. Hes going to wake the President, Joe.

Joe smirked, Id say this is reason enough.

Stapen flashed a glare at Selvala after putting his translating device back in his ear, knowing that the guards were probably preoccupied with their radios to care otherwise. What did you tell them?

She smiled back. The truth, of course. What else would I tell them?

If you told the truth, then it would be your back to the wall, and not both of us.

The Vekaiyun Prime Minister shook her head and turned to face forward. What do you mean? They would never trust a terrorist, no matter how innocent you may think you are.

All of a sudden the guards saluted the doorway, Allen Gordon stood there in shorts and a white T-shirt, his slighty graying brown hair, which was usually combed back, was now strewn about his head due to his pillow, a fog lay across his blue eyes. Report. Was all he could manage to say as he fought off the urge to yawn.

Sir, we detected a disturbance in this sector, when we came to check it out, this one, pointing at Evesuni, Was brandishing a weapon at her. As you can see he is injured near his eye and we found this bloody hairpin. The female said that she was attacked when she came to his room to talk.

Gordon stood there his eyes halfway closed. Good work corporal, you may take the weapon and the hairpin and lock them up. As for these two, I will deal with this myself.

The guard saluted again and motioned for his partner to leave the room. As the one guard left Gordon closed the door and pulled a chair from the desk to sit on. OK children, you will both stay on that wall and explain to me what is going on here, Evesuni first.

“How dare you address a world leader in such a manner!” Selvala steamed.

Evesuni glared at her, then looked at Gordon. “I was sleeping. I’ve been worried about my nation in its place in the world spectrum, but the moment I decided to lay down, I fell asleep. I awoke to a sharp pain on the side of my eye,” he added, pointing at the deep gash that was beginning to dry with blood, but still looked quite impressive, especially as a fissure had developed from the cut all the way to his sleeveless t-shirt. “I thought someone was trying to kill me. Well, I didn’t think - I knew. I pulled my gun out and told the assailant to identify themself. I couldn’t see anything… so I reached for the lights and she lunged at me, grabbing for my gun. We fought over it for a while. She clawed at my shoulder like an animal. I eventually dropped the weapon. I did whatever I could to prevent her from getting that gun, because if she did, I knew she would use it on me… I could feel it in her hands - they were warm, not cold like someone who was truly afraid. Finally I was able to grab the weapon. We talked for a little, but I didn’t fire it at her. I… was going to let her go.”

Gordon sighed and looked at the floor, This is just ridiculous. Running his hand through his hair he looked back up to address them. And you know Selvala, you are in my territory now so next time watch how you address me. In this country we work to get to the top, not like Vekaiyu from what I have heard. Gordon said with a smirk. There is no one to serve you here, no one to address you in a politically correct manner, so keep your rhetoric to yourself and answer my question.

Selvala was quick to drop her emotions. She cleared her throat. “I was the one who couldn’t sleep. I kept hearing noises from his room, so I figured I’d find out what he was doing. At least I could get some sleep if I told him to cut it out. When I came into his room, he grabbed me. I didn’t know what to do, so I stabbed him with my hairpin. He just wouldn’t stop. I don’t know what was happening. We struggled, and he tried to break my hand. I eventually got him off me, and he backed up and pulled out a gun. He pointed it at me.” She huffed out a sigh. “I can’t honestly remember being… that scared in a long while. It’s not every day that happens to me, you know, a gun in the face like that. I’m glad your guards came when they did, because I don’t know what would’ve happened if they didn’t.”

Evesuni furrowed his brow. He couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. Lies. All of it, lies. He held his jaw open slightly as he looked back at the president, then around the guards of the room, not sure if he should say something to counter it or let Gordon to pick away at her lie. “That’s not how it happened at all,” he finally spoke.

Gordon stood up and looked deeply into Selvalas eyes after she finished her story. Bullshit. He said slowly. This building was specifically built with sound absorbent stone on a steel superstructure, if it hadnt we would all be drowned out by a cacophony of sound and no one would be able to work or live in here. Therefore, Mr. Evesuni must be telling me the truth, but, just for posterity I will give you the chance to tell it to me with your own voice. Explain.

She curtly pointed to her ears. “Vulpines can hear much better than humans can, right? It does benefit us, but sometimes it’s a pain when one has to try and get to sleep. Just because you can’t hear it, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

“I’m going to sit down,” Stapen replied, holding the side of his face as he slid his back against the wall, then made contact with the tiled floor.

“Please,” Selvala replied, looking down at Evesuni. “You don’t get points for being pathetic. Especially since you know what you did.”

Suddenly, the door creaked as Ikrisia walked in, still in mid-yawn. “What’s going on?” she asked, apparently not too phased by the whole ordeal. She was having a rough night as it was, what else could go wrong?

Gordon put his face in his hands in frustration, Selvala had an explanation for everything and now with Ikrisia here he was almost ready to leave and forget about the whole thing.

Corporal Joe who had stayed behind in case something else went wrong was bored out of his mind, although he had been exciting when he had found out the situation, he had now taken to standing very still and keeping quiet as the President questioned the two fox people, he had never seen a vulpine before and was brimming with questions. As he looked around the room he took interest in the bed. He thought to himself, I should have looked around here better before Mr. President showed up, I could have given a better report. He then saw it, red splotches sitting upon the screwed up sheets and pillow, he had to say something, Sir! You should take a look at this! He interrupted.

Gordon said nothing as he examined the bloody sheets. Well, this certainly doesnt work with your story and I have tried to be impartial, but this is damning evidence. Why is there blood on the sheets, Selvala?

Selvala smirked. “I simply pushed him on the bed after he tried to overpower me. The detail slipped my mind… I didn’t know how exact I had to be with my story.”

By now Ikrisia was beginning to put the pieces together. Apparently there was a struggle, and someone attacked someone else. While she was well-aware of Stapen’s difficulties with containing his anger and his tongue, why would he lure Selvala into his room to subdue her? Or kill her? It all didn’t make sense. She continued to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she stepped forward. “What happened? And if Stapen would’ve hit the bed, why would the blood pool like that? Wouldn’t it spatter, unless his head landed at a different angle?”

“I think we’re focusing on too many details here,” she replied. “Let’s analyze Evesuni’s story, shall we? If I really wanted to kill him or hurt him, I would’ve. But I don’t operate in such a manner. How does Evesuni operate? Do we really have to visit all those unmarked graves in Listonia where bodies flew from the various bombings orchestrated by PIL were? Really, it’s a known fact he killed at least fifteen thousand people. Fifteen thousand, and it is probably more than that. I mean, the man sleeps with a gun for crying out loud!”

“Do you lie like this to your people too? Do you shield them from the details? You lie like a child.” Gordon retorted.

“So we’re going to regress into a name calling feud?” She countered.

Ikrisia stepped up to Stapen, who was holding the side of his head and somewhat slouched over. She stepped down and removed his hand from the wound. By now the wound was wet, but not bleeding as badly as it looked like it had been, but fur was definitely among the fissures of the wound. “Maybe he should get some disinfectant or something,” she finally spoke. The Listonian dictator kept his right eye shut as Ikrisia tried to clean it out slightly. “Look, I don’t really know what happened here, but the fact that he came within centimeters of getting his eye stabbed out tells me that there was more than just self-defense going on here.”

“I can’t aim very well when someone is attacking me?”

“What did you attack him with?” she looked at Selvala, but didn’t look her in the eye, knowing that at this point, there was no turning back. “An ice pick?”

The Vekaiyun Kral Commodore sighed. This was dragging on longer than she had expected. “No. One of my hairpins.”

Pausing, Ikrisia looked around the room. “Where’d they go? I want to see if the angles make sense.”

“We only found one m’am.” Joe quickly answered.

Ikrisia flashed a puzzled look. “What do you mean you only found one? These pins don’t work unless there are two in place. And even that, who sleeps in hairpins?”

“You are welcome to look around m’am, Ill admit in the confusion and excitement there wasn’t much of a chance to take a good look.”

Ikrisia stood up and looked around. Her journeys carried her around the floor, moving some sheets and looking under the bed, then turning and looking under the night table and desk, moving one of them slightly. “I don’t…” she looked at Joe’s hand and grabbed the pin. “Well, I only see one. The other appears to be missing.” She walked up to Gordon. “See, well, since you’re not Vekaiyun or a woman, you might not understand this, but for those of us who put our hair up, we can use pins. They don’t really work if there’s just one in your hair, and you can’t sleep in them. At least not comfortably and safely.”

Gordon stared intently at Selvala. “Please continue, Commander.”

She shook her head and scoffed. “I can see we’ve wasted our time tonight. Goodnight, all.” With another scoff, Selvala moved from the wall and headed for the exit.

“Say it!” Evesuni shouted as he rested his head in his hands. “Say you did this! If not for your nation, then for your own damned soul!”

Selvala shook her head. “I don’t have to answer to anyone. I’m going to bed.”

Gordon had enough of the stalling, he swiftly moved to the door and slammed it closed. “I bring you to my country to negotiate better trade and friendship, I let you stay as my guest and now I am woken up by my very own guards to find this going on under my nose. I give you these things and all I have been given in return is lies.” He finished is brief rant, his face red, his rage apparent. “I’ve had men killed for less.”

Selvala looked Gordon dead in the eyes. “Open this door, Mr. President.”

The Corporal put his hand on his weapon expecting danger to come to the President. Gordon’s angry face did not change. “Or what? Attack me, do it.”

“Do we really have to do this, Gordon?” Selvala said, staring him down. “Really now, I don’t see what the big problem here is. Now, kindly step aside so I may get to bed or I will be forced to find other means to get passed you!”

Ikrisia looked at Gordon with her eyes practically begging him to do something. She held Evesuni’s head, which had slouched into her arms during the standoff. She wanted to say something, anything, but with all the events going on during the course of the evening, she didn’t know what was sensible anymore. Damon lost… somewhere. The Ard Ri calling her number directly and informing her of the royal family’s last remaining member, apparently. And now this. What the hell was going on? A quick look at her nightgown revealed Evesuni’s blood from his shoulder had stained it pretty good. Now she was mad. Her own father had become a target of Selvala. While he would never admit it, she knew he was in a lot of pain. She had to take a stand, say something, make him proud of her instead of just accept her as a lean-to. “Everyone in this room knows she did it. The sheets, the hairpin, everything. She tried to murder this man!”

“Ikrisia,” she added, speaking through her teeth, “if I were you I would be very careful.”

“Shut up! I’m tired of being your damn lackey! I have a brain! And I know you’ve spoken to me dozens of times about wanting to remove Evesuni, so you could absorb Listonia and make it your own! Before I even knew you, I was confident, I was strong, I was respected. You can’t take that from me anymore! Get the hell out of here!”

Selvala turned and gripped Ikrisia by the neck, pushing her to the wall, then lifting upward, causing her to stand. Ikrisia did nothing to stop her, instead she decided to dramatize it by appearing to be in pain. “You’re the one who’s been overstepping your bounds by coming here and planning unannounced trips to Listonia!”

Gordon smiled. “Corporal arrest this woman for assault.” The corporal pulled Selvala off of Ikrisia and pushed her up against the wall. A struggle ensued but a kick to the back off her knee caused her to lose her balance giving the corporal a chance to cuff her. “Before you leave please call up a medic for my friend here.” The corporal nodded and took out his radio. “Medic to level forty room 203.” The corporal left with his quarry to leave the building and detain her somewhere else upon the campus. Gordon sighed. “Well I have had enough of this, I will be going back to sleep, come see me tomorrow so that we can talk.” And with that Gordon left the room for the elevators.

Todd_McCloud · May 23, 2010, 1:34am

They always have that light right in your eyes. You never seem to wake up in a hospital when the lights are off and its dark in the room. No, it has to be when the overhead lights are directly in your eyes, almost blinding you. Any graceful attempts at welcoming you back into the real world are dashed a gentle whisper becomes a loud shout, nearly catching you off guard. Why is there a light on anyway? Its not like anyone really needed to view you you were just there, sleeping, then all of a sudden, bam, youre awake. Nothing much passed that.

Dont move, you might pull your stitches out.

Turn that damn light out, youll burn my eyes out.

Ikrisia moved over to the light switch and flicked the switch a few times until just one of the bulbs were shinning. That better? She waited for an affirmation, but he more or less just stared off and kept his face forward. How do you feel?

Stapen cleared his throat, and then began to sputter. Im fine, he replied in between a cough.

The Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu moved over to a seat next to his bed. She reached over to his hand and, with a slow, gentle motion, squeezed it. Pressure wasnt that difficult to gauge in regards to her steel composite arms, at least not now, as she had enough practice with them where she knew what levels were appropriate for a gentle touch. She barely even noticed them anymore. It did take getting used to, though, especially when the initial intent was to use them for fighting, long ago, when her arms were vaporized by a light tank. It didnt help that this was now her second pair of arms and, while they were better than her first pair, that didnt quite ameliorate the situation. It was a poor substitute. She wished her real hand was holding that of her fathers, especially when she swore he responded with a squeeze back, like he was finally accepting her presence, a sort of acknowledgement that he was comfortable with her around him.

Youre going to be fine, she replied as her other hand moved some of the sheets back over his body. Youll just be here a little longer, and things should be better after that. We can leave Allegheny and go back to our respective nations.

How? How are you going to go back to Vekaiyu? Your leader is being detained by another nation. How do you expect they will take it?

I know. Ikrisia sighed. Thats why I need your support. Her voice trailed off as she looked into his eyes. He glanced over to her, but returned to a state of defiance, staring off into space, looking at nothing in particular, perhaps. I will need help. You told me Selvala had to go in order for my nation to survive and grow, to enter into the world spectrum as a positive contributor.

I never said the last part.

But you meant it. Look, the point is Ill need your support. The Maxists will try to stop all of this from happening and will fight with all they have in order to quell this rebellion. They hate anyone who isnt like them youve told me you dealt with them before, so you have to understand what Im talking about. They wont go away easily.

What do you need me to do? he finally replied.

She lifted his hand to her face, rubbing it on her cheek. If things get bad I might need Listonian help. I dont know how strong the Maxist presence is in our military, but if its substantial, it will make for a very difficult fight. I want to be able to count on your nations forces in case things get bad.

He paused. This will make my nation quite vulnerable.

Please, she replied. Better to have a more stable neighbor than another Selvala atop our nation or someone even worse than her. I need this from you, and Ill owe you. Big time.

He sighed, moving his eyes around in thought. Suddenly, his eyes widened My eye

They tried to line up the tattoo as best they could. It will heal as long as you dont pick or scratch at it. Just leave it alone, and itll be fine. They can touch it up later.

No, he replied sternly, shaking his head. She could detect a certain degree of alarm in his voice, something that was so unexpected it caused her ears to flinch slightly. You dont understand. I am Voxian Catholic, and this is my seal to the Almighty, something that identifies me. It was bestowed by who you refer to as the Holy Spirit. It cant be touched up or fixed. Its as much a part of my body as it is my soul, and must remain as such.

It should heal well, she reassured. She noticed his hand moving against her hand, as if he was feeling for something. Why was he rolling one of her fingers in between his own like that? Did he have trouble believing someone was actually grasping his hand? It was then Ikrisia realized he had probably figured out something about her appendage wasnt quite right. She gently pulled away. Can I have your word dad?

He furrowed his brow, looking as if he wanted to say something else, but he decided against it. Yes, he finally replied. I will help out where I can. I want to see your nation in better shape.

She smiled as her hand moved onto his chest, feeling it moving up and down with an almost distinct rattle following each exhale. I need to go. I have to speak to Mr. Gordon about the current situation in Vekaiyu, along with anyone else I believe can help. Standing up from her chair, she tried to look back into his eyes, but again, he kept a defiant gaze forward. When we meet again Ill tell you more about me. You deserve to know, because you told me about yourself. She couldnt tell, but it looked like he nodded. Maybe he didnt hear, or was thinking about other things, but it had been apparent to her months ago that he was not a man who was chipper or friendly. He was a very private individual, but she believed, deep down inside, there had to be someone who enjoyed her presence.

She stepped outside of the room, letting the door shut on its own with a gentle click as his doctor approached her from the side. Did you tell him?

I couldnt. He wouldve never accepted the procedure. Hes a

Difficult man, Im sure. The doctor wrote on his clipboard, paying little attention to her words. Instead, the ventilation duct they stood over seemed to be more important, blowing his thinning scalp as he wrote something down in English. He stood closer to her to move out of harms way. This is a fairly atypical procedure, especially since we dont have very many vulpine trained staff on hand. He lifted his eyebrows. But, I cant say Listonian hospitals are much better.

What does he have? she finally asked.

Well, hes a smoker, he said matter-of-factly. Emphysema was inevitable for someone who smokes as frequently as you told me, and now he officially has it. He also has what is believed to be a few bullae cysts in his lungs which, when removed, should help his breathing. But it will in no way remove the symptoms. He looked at her over his glasses. He will develop lung cancer. Emphysema and lung cancer tend to go hand in hand. He might be at an early stage for the cancer, but the prognoses for such ailments are typically not good. Just be thankful we did those x-rays when we did. You know, maybe its a good thing he was attacked last night.

The news caused her head to drop slightly, and her ears to bend back. She was just getting to know him, and now something like this had to take form? It was like a brick wall had suddenly fallen on her spirits, crushing her hopes and dreams in pieces on the ground. When will he develop cancer? Is that preventable?

Hard to say, he replied. But, one thing at a time. One thing is certain, he will probably not get better, only worse. If I were you, I would tell him to quit smoking for good as fast as you can.

She nodded, biting her lip. I will. Ill see him when hes finished with the surgery.

He probably wont do a lot of talking after this is done, not for a couple days, so you should be able to tell him whatevers on your mind. He gave her a reassuring smile. Now Ill need him to sign off for the procedure, and-

Please, she interrupted. Let me sign it. Im his daughter.

He picked his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose, the vent above them relentless on the cheesy comb over his hair was styled in an attempt to cling to a bit of his youth, no doubt. You are?

She nodded. Yes. Its just kind of a secret. We would rather this didnt get out to anyone, and I dont need to explain why. But you can do a DNA test if youd like, I really dont care. All I can tell you is Im his daughter.

He handed her the clipboard. On the line there.

She wrote her signature out in Unonian. Please take care of him.

Well do our very best, he said with a reassuring smile. Would you like us to inform you when his procedure is complete.

She nodded. Yes. Immediately, please.

Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel · May 24, 2010, 2:32am

Brandon Dinardeau

The gold lettering of the black onyx faceplate shimmered in the early morning rising sun. Despite its warm rays, a cool breeze blew threw the open window, scattering a stack of papers across the immaculate desk onto the polished floor. The office was pristine, untouched, meticulously ornate and with its opulent touches as if it were built for a god and left uninhabited in fear of tarnishing its divine beauty. The blend of past and present played itself across the room from hardwood and onyx to advanced communication systems, a trait typical of the elitists in Mahanoy.

And not a step out of place was the screen of the computer sitting off to the side of the desk, still showing the email that had prompted the room’s sole occupant from leaving…the email addressed to General Novac.

Tearing down the halls, Brandon walked with a speed and determination that suggested a man on a mission, a man with imperative news to deliver before the time was too late. He rushed down the guard lined corridor, a number that seemed to augment each time he walked down, as of the aging General were growing paranoid in his years.

Stopped at the doors, he saluted the guards before announcing an emergent meeting. Matters of national security still took precedence, or at least he hoped. Times seemed to be changing quickly within these corridors.

Slowly entering the darkened room, Brandon looked across the room to the unoccupied desk. He felt his pulse raise, the hairs on his arm sensing every movement, his uniform now suddenly stifling.

“What do you want?” the voice was cold, unforgiving, unwelcoming, and echoing across all corners of the room.

Brandon looked around quickly, his eyes darting from one wall to the next until he found the man he was looking for, standing against the wall, appearing to be lost in thought.

“Sir, I intercepted an important email addressed to General Novac.”

“Novac,” the man hissed, “the man is Novac.”

“Yes sir, my apologies, it will not happen again. I intercepted communications to Novac just moments ago,” Brandon stopped, waiting for another verbal lash.

“Go on,” the voice grew irritated as if Brandon’s mere presence were a grating of metal on his ears.

“It seems that an Ikrisia Levenile has information that suggests Selvala McEva of Vekaiyu is responsible for the assassination attempt on Damon Diehl. Additionally, a Stapen Evesuni of Listonia wants to arrange a meeting to form diplomatic ties with Mahanoy, sir.”

“Very well. Send an ambassador,” the man waved his hand carelessly, growing steadily annoyed with their intrusion.

“Sir, but we are responsible for Damon’s assassination. This woman is clearly inno-”

“SILENCE!” the voice raised and bellowed, a shuffle of feet outside the doors confirming the guards were getting anxious, “They say they have a killer. Who cares about her innocence? It takes the light off us once and for all. In fact, let’s raise the stakes. Tell Evesuni they’ll get their alliance when they bring us this Selvala. And while you are at, pack up and head out that way. I want you over there by the start of tomorrow. This situation in The East Pacific is starting to growing concerning. Take care of matters and contact me when you arrive.”

“Yes sir,” the man responded, his voice falling into the silent acceptance of command. He hated this man, hated this government, hated his own nation at that moment. Even while he saluted and left, his maintained the exterior of a dedicated soldier, fighting until death to preserve their beliefs. But inside, no inside, he was bleeding, aching with guilt. Innocents would die. Innocents have died. Their own Figurehead causality in this shadow war. When would it end?

— Begin quote from ____

Official Correspondence of The Elite Empire

Evesuni, Stapen.

I have received your request for diplomatic relationships between our two nations. Know that Mahanoy will not form an alliance with any nation affiliated with those responsible for the assassination attempt on our most esteemed ambassador and son of Mahanoy.

To prove your loyalty and worth to The Elite Empire, we ask that you bring us a token. This token shall be a symbol your commitment to furthering ties between our great nations. We ask that you bring Selvala McEva. In return, we shall meet with you to discuss furthering diplomatic relationships.

Sincerely,

General Novac

End of Official Correspondence of The Elite Empire

— End quote

Sending away the email, Brandon frowned and placed his face into his hands. How much more bloodshed would have to be spilled?

Todd_McCloud · May 25, 2010, 6:51am

Leina didnt sleep very much the night before. It wasnt that her bed was too hard, or it was too warm or cold outside where the wind entered the windows, or even very noisy, for that matter. Other than her mind, everything was pretty much at peace. As she fought a yawn, she really wished she could get inside her head and tap certain parts of her mind, turning them off and allowing her to sleep against the starlight. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Everything was much more confusing now. While most kids her age were worrying about schoolwork or playing with their friends, or being curious at the other gender, her mind was immersed in the relatively unknown arenas of political situations, of wars and chemical attacks, of hangings and demonic dictators. It was the stuff that most kids would ignore like some bad homework assignment, or perhaps question and attempt to form opinions out of a very shaky foundation with only an incomplete understanding of what was really going on. None of her classmates would really pay attention to the current situation, or even what transpired in the past it was only two pages in their over 600 page history books, and nothing more. Just a few pictures, stuff that could be forgotten with a good swim or an hour of playing video games.

Leina sighed as she rested against a rock, floating in the water fairly effortlessly. She slowly began to sink, moving downward until everything below the nose was under the refractive cover. It wasnt to say she wasnt an unusual kid to begin with. She enjoyed stories about nymphs, fairies, and especially mermaids. The vulpine stories of mermaids were especially intriguing. The fact that one could leave their life behind to spend their days in the water, carefree and happy, where everyone seemed to get along and understand their place in the world was something almost euphoric. How lucky they were. Not only were they pretty, but they didnt have any wars or battles, no horrible chemicals or jealousy. It was all foreign to them. And while the character in one of the stories who was privileged to live among them did eventually return to her family, she returned to a family that was no longer preoccupied with fishing or farm life they were glad to see her. She was hugged and given all sorts of attention. And at the end of the story was a moral: do not take advantage of what you have, for it could be gone tomorrow. But for them, it all turned out well in the end.

She bobbed up, spitting some water out of her cheeks and again using the rock for support as she swam backwards up into it. Her body naturally floated upward, and her Vekaiyun-made bathing suit glistening in the morning sun. As she looked at her legs, which also floated to the surface in an attempt to balance out buoyancy, she realized soon enough she too would have to leave this small lake, no longer a small vixen kit who dreamed of mermaids, but as something much different. And, unlike the story, when she came home, there would be no one to hug her or make over her. She would find just a damaged nation, a nation of her people, of kids just like her, but perhaps not as well off as she was. What was the moral this time? What was she supposed to get from this?

Her gaze slowly moved across the water and onto the horizon. It really wasnt that big of a lake, but it felt big to her. It took at least a few minutes to swim across. And it was deep enough to snorkel in, which was fun in its own right. Of course there had to be lakes like this in Vekaiyu. But it would be nice to at least have someone there who could tell her such things. Just one person. The Ard Ri was a very nice man, but he wasnt vulpine like she was, and couldnt understand all that she really was. She had vulpine classmates, but none were connected to Vekaiyu, and none could reassure her that maybe this wouldnt be so bad. No. She would have to leave it all behind: her friends, her class, her caretaker, and her lake. Go back to where she came from. Somehow.

By now she was floating, looking upward at a cloudy sky with the sun somewhere in the east. The world seemed like a pretty big place before. Now it seemed enormous. Leina let a sigh escape her nose as she brought her limbs close to her body. The water soon overcame her, and she began to sink. Totally submerged, she watched as the refraction from the sunlight caused the waves she made dance as she sank toward the bottom. What if she couldnt do it? What if Vekaiyu wouldnt recover and her family died with her? Was her mother even proud of her? What would her dad say if he ever saw her? What was her dads name, even? What if she couldnt get passed Selvala? Would Vekaiyuns accept her? What if her Unonian wasnt totally perfect? Or she messed up one of the Vayan Catholic hymns? And what about death? What happens when you die? Is it clouds, or fire, or a forested land like her religion taught? Was she even allowed to question that?

With a slight bound, her rear hit the bottom of the lake. Only the sunlight and some bubbles from her nose were present. But her mind raced. At least if she stayed here, she wouldnt be held responsible for anything wrong happening. Shed just be another vulpine. But what about those other vulpines? Would they be footnotes in history books too? Couldnt someone help them? No, only she could, apparently. But she was only a kit. Then again, maybe shes all they got. Who was she to rob them of a chance at being free like she was? They counted on her. Somehow. A twelve year old vulpine. Somehow. Almighty willing, it would happen. Somehow. Just a little push, a little determination, and a blind leap forward never hurt anyone. Give this body the strength to carry on, to move forward, and let the soul never sway from what is right and good. It might not be perfect, but it will be the good. Okay then. Altogether now.

She moved her legs down as her feet touched the muddy bottom of the lake. Hands moved in front of her face as her legs kicked and her arms worked to propel her forward. When her face broke the surface tension of the water, she gasped. Back to the world, with the glistening sun and the cloudy sky. Back to looking at the surface of the water of some lake, her lake. Back to the current situation. But maybe it didnt have to be looked upon with disdain anymore. Itd be okay. Innocence tends to block worries and put a damper on fears anyway.

As she swam to the shore to grab her snorkeling gear, Leina felt that the fears and worries had subsided for a bit, left somewhere at the bottom of the lake. It wasnt like she was going down there to rescue them; on the contrary, maybe she could get rid of a few more of them.

Todd_McCloud · May 26, 2010, 7:59am

((OOC: This post was written in collaboration between Warre and I))

Sitting in Evesunis room, Ikrisia sat on the chair next to the window, staring out at the cityscape below. She knew she was worried, but it wasnt like she hadnt been worried before. This time was a bit different though. Her worries had evolved, using different tactics. For some reason, they adopted the classic German Pincer movement on her mind, encircling it with dozens of concerns. Whats going to happen to Vekaiyu? Who was this royal blood? How big of a war will transpire? When will Novac or Damon get back with her? Will Stapen somewhat improve after this surgery, and just how mad will he be at her for going over his head?

The last time she cried was years and years ago. Back when Leyuski refused to do his job until her arms were repaired from that light tank incident. Why would someone care for her that much? The enigma was too much for her mind back then. It immersed it in emotion. So much so that it leaked from her eyes in the form of tears. Almighty am I doing it right now? she thought as she heaved in a deep breath to prevent her nose from running. “Not yet… not yet.” The last thing she wanted to be was the person responsible for the destruction of the vulpine race. Or putting it in so much jeopardy that it could take a tremendous amount of time to recover. Whatever the possible outcomes, one thing was clear: she had to figure it out this time.

But, first thing first. Ikrisia wiped her eyes and cleared her throat as she took her phone out of her purse. She opened her phone and clicked send twice. The phone rang a few times, but finally, it picked up. Hello? This is Ikrisia Levinile, K- she stopped herself. She had no idea what position shed fill in the next few days. Ikrisia Levinile, of Vekaiyu. Id like to speak to you regarding the one with royal blood, if thats okay.

“The one with royal blood?” the voice of the Ard Ri seemed to carry a ton of emotino in that very simple question, formed even simplier from the words the Vixen had spoke to him. “Is that how you plan to speak of her in the future when she’s not around?”

“Well… I’ve never actually been told her name,” she responded, rubbing her foot against the heat radiator in the room.

“Yet those words would come first, instead of something as ‘The Kit you spoke of’.'” There was a cryptic chuckle, and he went on. “I see it as my duty to protect young Leina, Ikirisa. And not because my nation offered her asylum, or because she would be an useful tool. Do you know why, Ikirisa?”

Ikrisia paused. While this was no time to show anger, she had her fill of being talked down to when Selvala was in power, and the added stress didn’t help resolve any issues faster. She cleared her throat. “No, I do not know why.” She gritted her teeth a little. Apparently her attempts at being respectful had fallen through the cracks. Finally, she eased the pressure by letting a sigh escape her nose.

“Oh, come on. I know that you must know why. You are Kral Commodore. What can you tell me about Warre, my dear vixen?” his voice was not taunting, but it wasn’t friendly either. He was testing her, obviously, but it didn’t seem to be out of spite.

“I believe you wish to restore another monarchy in the region,” she finally replied. “Which is fine with me. Look, I have nothing against the monarchy or the old ways of my nation. If it brings us peace and stability as well as good relations with other nations, I’m all for it. And certain situations have developed where this might be a reality and not me just wishing things would be nicer.”

“Do not confuse me for my nation, Ikirisa. But I’ll answer the question. I was chosen by my nation, and all but forcibly drafted into the position of monarch. I was not even from Warre, and yet the legislature decided I should be the next King. They sought to use me as a tool, and with your princess, Leina, I will not see this done either. Thinks can be nicer, but it will still take sweat and blood, from your people and mine.”

“I am aware of that,” she replied. “But… I haven’t even met Leina. I want to meet her. I want to be able to see her with my own eyes and speak to her. You have to understand, Ard Ri. Selvala’s been arrested here in Allegheny for assaulting the Listonian Dictator, Stapen Evesuni. This will inevitably cause conflict between the Maxists and non-Maxists.” She paused. “It’s important to me to hear her words. I have no real interest in leading this nation, but if she is willing and strong, she will. I need to know who she is, so I know who it is I will be fighting for.”

“Very well, Ikirisa. I’ll arrange for you to meet her. All you’ll have to do is take a plane here. It’s important that you do, because we can’t have her falling into the Maxists hands, and because it’ll give us time to speak on strategy.” He chuckled. “With your nation lacking Maxists controlling the government, things will be much better.”

Ikrisia paused. “Would it be possible for the three of us to meet here, in Allegheny? The situation here is fairly tense, and with Evesuni out of commission, I… would like to make sure he is okay. I would also like to prevent any leaks of Selvala in jail. Forgive me, but once this goes public, things will get very bad quick.” She began to draw circles on the window from the condensation her breath made on the glass.

He was silent for no less than a minute, as if considering it. “Allegheny would be a neutral enough place. Yes, I think it would be fine. I’ll arrange transport. But don’t be expecting what you see or hear on TV. Haha.” he paused. “But it is of upmost important this happen soon. So good bye for now.”

She nodded, swallowing a breath. “Certainly. I will inform President Gordon that you will be here and arriving in secrecy. I’m certain he will make arrangements.” She smiled slightly. “And thank you. I am looking forward to meeting her.”

She hung up the phone and stared out at the city from the comfort of the window. It was hard to shake the odd tones of the Ard Ri, with his questioning and odd laughter at inopportune moments. Ikrisia blinked her eyes hard, trying to restore them from the lack of sleep she received from the night before. I hope Im doing the right thing. If shes strong and smart, shell be able to figure things out herself too. She frowned. There wasnt much she could do to understand a young kit. After all, she had no childhood just experimentation, regimentation, and, for some, termination. At least she was living a better life. Looking down at the ground, she understood that based on her past, there was no way she would be able to lead the nation anyway. May the Almighty be with her.

Standing up, the kral commodore picked up the chair and moved it back in front of the desk. But, as she pushed it in place, she noticed Evesunis computer was still on, as the bump from the chair must have disrupted the screen saver. The email indicator was blinking. She bent down, clicked open the window, and noticed Novac had replied to his email, the first one amidst some other new mail, one apparently from his friend Leon that she had met back when she traveled to Listonia. She decided to hover the mouse over the mail. After all, that wasnt necessarily opening it. And she just finished signing him off to surgery, so, why not? He trusted her enough where if it was urgent, shed be able to respond or deliver the news to him whenever he woke up. She was family, after all.

The first mail was from Novac. She read it carefully, then read it again to make certain she understood it correctly.

— Begin quote from ____

Evesuni, Stapen.

I have received your request for diplomatic relationships between our two nations. Know that Mahanoy will not form an alliance with any nation affiliated with those responsible for the assassination attempt on our most esteemed ambassador and son of Mahanoy.

To prove your loyalty and worth to The Elite Empire, we ask that you bring us a token. This token shall be a symbol your commitment to furthering ties between our great nations. We ask that you bring Selvala McEva. In return, we shall meet with you to discuss furthering diplomatic relationships.

Sincerely,

General Novac

— End quote

They want Selvala? Fine by me. She opened another window and signed into her account. When the screen was finished loading, she clicked compose and copied Novacs email address into the send bar.

— Begin quote from ____

General Novac,

This is Ikrisia Levinile, Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu. I wanted to inform you that both Kivo Stapen Evesuni and I agree to the transaction. I feel I must also apologize for my actions in the past as well as those performed by my superior. It is unfortunate that such consequences had to develop form these events, but I am grateful to be working on the right track.

Kivia Selvala McEva is currently being detained in an Allegheny prison for assaulting Kivo Evesuni and I. We will ensure that she remains there, and I would be more than happy to meet with you within the next few days. Unfortunately, Kivo Evesuni is out of commission for a few days, but he should be in good health after that.

Thank you for the opportunity and your time. We are both looking forward to this.

Regards,
Ikrisia Levinile
Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu

— End quote

Clicking send, she felt a little better. At least something was looking fairly positive. When she closed out of the window, she felt the need to hover her mouse over one more email. I wonder what Leon wants with him.

— Begin quote from ____

Stap,

How are the talks in Allegheny going? Things are going fairly well over here, and Im still recovering from the terrorist attack last week. But remember, Selvala will try and bend the delegation a bit. Bitch gotta go. Does their kral commodore still believe shes your kid? If so, you might want to keep milking that for all you have, because its been working so far. As long as we have that, things should be alright.

Keep in touch,
Leon.

— End quote

She could barely read the last few words the tears in her eyes were too large.

Allegheny · May 28, 2010, 6:05am

This was getting stupidly difficult for him, but arresting the Prime Minister of a foreign power took the caek. Gordon sat in his office, he spent to much time in this office when he should be spending it with his wife. His wife and his country, they both equally yearned for his attention. In his opinion, his advisers were incompetent, the senators complacent, and the people cried out in need, this nation required the micromanagement of a god, but Gordon was not so full of himself as to think that he was a god, no, he was only a man who tried to do his best and who tried be a good husband.

He sat at his desk, a stack of paper in his hands, he filed through them glancing at their contents, but, he could not get anything done. The bourbon in his desk’s secret compartment called out to him, he could not resist it, soon enough he found himself imbibing the drink he cherished so much. These vulpines were new quantities to him, in his mind they did not act like proper leaders, more like bickering siblings vying for their father’s approval, but if he wanted to keep Allegheny’s position in this region strong he needed to keep them as friends. The drink was taking effect, a cozy warmth emanated from his chest and stomach, nothing could ruin this small moment of peace, or so he hoped.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was a gentle knock, but certainly one that could be heard fairly well in the room.

Gordon scoffed, “Sinclair if that’s you, you can go fuck yourself, I’m not ready to brief the senate on the current situation.” Clearly the drink had taken too much of an ‘effect.’

Ikrisia pushed the door open a crack, just enough where her body was partially visible behind the wooden slab. “Um, President Gordon. May I have a word, please?”

Gordon squinted, the low light of his office did not afford too much visibility, he turned on another light and was surprised, “Oh, Commander Ikrisia, please come in, I’m terribly sorry.”

She shook her head, stepping forward and blinking her eyes to strengthen them. Unfortunately, a day which required a lot of energy to overcome was hindered by a lack of sleep. Giving a slight nod in the form of a common vulpine form of respect, Ikrisia slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. “Thank you. I would like to discuss with you the current situation that has befallen my nation.”

Gordon put away the bourbon he had been drinking, “Ok, then, what did you have in mind?”

She rubbed her eyes. “It’s honestly not looking too promising. I have big worries about the Maxists and non-Maxists causing a civil war in Vekaiyu. Selvala is a Maxist, and someone I do not want to have back in power, because it’s apparent, she’ll kill me. I am a non-Maxist, and if the Maxists will cause trouble, I will fight them in order to restore peace and harmony in my nation. But I cannot do this alone. You see, because the two factions have been getting along fairly well, both sides are highly integrated in our society… and our military. I don’t know who is and is not a Maxist, but I have my ideas. I believe they are a minority, but… it’s all guesswork right now.”

She huffed out a sigh. “I guess what I’m asking from you is support. It’s probably clear my policies are different than Selvala’s or any other Maxist, but I don’t want to have a long, drawn-out civil war. I will need help.” Ikrisia looked up a Gordon. “We vulpines have had difficulty in trusting mankind during our history. I want to end that difficulty. If you were to help us, and help us well, you would gain a powerful ally, but more than that, a powerful, stable ally. I can’t explain all of what would happen, but trust me, I will not let this nation of mine fall into the wrong hands again.”

“Are you asking for Military support? You want to be put in power? Is that it?”

“I don’t think I’m going to be put into power when this is all said and done,” she replied. “Apparently there is a survivor in my nation’s royal family line. I will need to make certain of this, but judging from my past, I really don’t think I should become the leader of a nation. I’m not built that way, I think. We will see, though. As for support… any support would be welcomed. Anything that will remove any advantages to the Maxists.”

Gordon scratched his head, and gave a few minutes to thought. “Well we could offer a few divisions, but do you think that would be the best option? I have arrested your nation’s leader, she forced me into this and now there is no turning back now, if we commit divisions or even an entire field army then the only direction we have is into the fire. Are you ready to make that commitment? What you ask will lead to war with the maxists and the deaths of many vulpines.”

Ikrisia rubbed her eyes with open palms. “I don’t know… all I know is something has to be done quickly, because time is not on my side. I know the Maxists will not give up that easily - they’re fairly good at lingering and holding onto things. I almost feel like war is inevitable, unfortunately. All I know is I do have the key-code to deactivate our nuclear warheads. That will at least help, and buy time to see who is on which side… but even that’s perilous.” She looked back up, her eyes red. "I don’t know what to do, really. This all has kind of come up fast.

Gordon continued with his constant stream of questions,“And how do you think it would look, if 100,000-200,000 human soldiers marched into Vekaiyu?”

“I didn’t say it had to be a military commitment immediately,” Ikrisia responded. “But… I don’t know how bad things will get. Economic help would be beneficial. But what I think I’m looking for right now is just some sort of commitment to help. I think the world would appreciate a non-Maxist in power, and we would too.”

“Mhm.” Gordon tapped his finger on his desk a few times. "Ikrisia, would you like to know why there is only a small amount of people over the age of 70 in this country?

“I assume it is not because of the life expectancy,” she replied. “Could it be related to a civil war?”

Gordon smiled. “You have done your homework. It’s because every child born with in the time period either died in direct assaults on populated area’s or lived long enough to be killed by deadly chemical’s left in their bodies after the chem attacks. Allegheny paid the price in blood, specifically the blood of 150 million people and if you don’t eliminate the maxists in one fell swoop then the same thing will happen to you. The fascists swept through entire metropolitan areas before the rebellion could mount an offensive of their own.” Gordon looked Ikirsia directly in the eye, “The maxists will roll over you like a rolling pin, your country failed to keep them in check when Mr. Venalve’s head was separated from his body and now they spread their filth in between your own ideologies. Your country’s situation is more volatile then a un-cooled uranium fuel rod.” Gordon took a breath, “Now you can have economic support, but that won’t mean spit when the fire starts, or you can have an entire army group sitting on the border waiting to tip the scales in your favor.”

Ikrisia paused. “That sounds good… but perhaps there could be a way to decrease the severity of a civil war. The problem is, I don’t know of any plan that could really help. I’d rather have this happen with the least amount of pain and casualties possible, but I don’t foresee another option.” She sighed. “Or maybe I just need some sleep.”

First we need to see what will happen when this royal family member is revealed, the only other way is to make a deal with Selvala herself." Gordon suggested.

She grimaced. “Yeah… about that. Mahanoy wants her in return for diplomacy. I… think Evesuni and I are inclined to take that deal.”

Gordon smiled. “I see, be strong Ikrisia, you have friends here, but this new undertaking is mainly your struggle, we can only offer our help, not our control.”

“I am aware of that. I need to figure a few things out before tomorrow. The Ard Ri has agreed to meet with me in private so I can meet this kit. But before that… I need to iron a few more things out.” She paused, then stood up. “Thank you for your time.”

“Wait.” Gordon also stood up and took out the bottle bourbon and two glasses, “Please join me in a toast.”

Her ears bent back slightly as she returned to her seat. “Okay, sure.”

Gordon lifted his glass. “To peace, and friendship, may they always go hand in hand.”

She nodded, and raised her glass. “Yeah, to that.”

They both raised their glasses and drank.

Todd_McCloud · May 29, 2010, 9:23pm

Ikrisia received the call while sleeping in Penn Tower. Rather than immediately act upon the news that Stapen Evesuni underwent successful surgery and was permitted a visitor, she closed her phone and decided to sleep the rest of the afternoon. Whatever he was thinking about, whatever he was going through, it could all wait. She needed the sleep anyway.

Now, however, she was standing right at his door. She didnt know why she decided to come and see him, but something inside her told her to at least say her peace and leave him be. It was too tiring to hold grudges anyway and, especially with the potential for a civil war within her nation, it could be dangerous too. She really wasnt one who liked to hold grudges anymore anyway. After all, they always seemed to bite her when she wasnt looking, burning bridges she could never have foreseen in the future. This time would be different.

Grabbing the door handle, she pushed it forward and stepped inside. In the room was a fairly weathered version of the Listonian dictator: filled with pain killers and resting on a bed, some medical devices at his side. She stepped up to him, noticing he had a plastic tube down his throat, with his wrists wrapped in Velcro and tied to the bed railings. Apparently he didnt like his current predicament. When she pulled up a chair and scooted it close to his bedside, her glare did not leave his eyes, which looked back at hers. They looked down as soon as he realized her gaze would not waver.

You know, dont you? she finally said. You know why Im mad, right? As she spoke, Evesuni tried to move his wrists, a gentle huff coming from his mouth. Shut the fuck up, she responded. Youve got nothing to complain about I saved your life by signing your operation for this, and youre going to fucking deal with it. I think thats a small price to pay for someone youve been lying to.

Her eyes carried over to one of his hands, which were trying to reach out to her. Oh, so now that Ive found out your little lie, now you want me? Yeah, I was never good enough for you, even though I spent almost a year agonizing over thinking you were my father, and then spending months trying to get you to just listen! But you were too prideful, too much of a bastard to really give a damn. She had no idea why her language was deteriorating, but her emotions had been marinating the entire day. Even so, she couldnt remember being this angry, not even at Selvala. At least Selvalas honest in her hatred, because hes not. I bent over backwards for you. I wanted nothing more than to be your daughter, to love and help you. And even if I wasnt, well, I wouldve at least been there to help you. Hell, I was there for you at this damn conference! Sticking my head out for your lying ass! Stupid piece of shit! No wonder your dad beat your dumb ass when you were a kid!

She got up and began to pace around him. Eye contact was constant. No, I cant even believe that anymore. Anything about your past. You see what happens when you lie to someone about this? Especially something like this! Dont you have any morals? Does your stupid fucking heretic religion tell you to do this? If so, then Im glad I didnt come from your dick. How can anyone believe you regarding anything? Have you told me anything that is true? Anything at all?

He just stared at her, unable to speak. Finally, he lowered his view.

But I dont get it why did you do it? How could you do this to someone? You dont know what its like to live the way I did, in some fucking experiment, where you werent a child, you were a test subject and you crying and wanting an ounce of comfort but getting none of it wasnt cruel, it was the conditions of an experiment! Dont you think Id trade all thats happened to me just to say I have a dad? She wiped her eyes as she sat back down. A father? A father that doesnt have to be perfect, but at least a father that was your own flesh and blood? Huh? What the fuck is the matter with you? She started to break down. Her words were overcome with sobs, her head bowed and a hand shadowed her eyes, too ashamed to really show her emotions out in the open. It was something she had been programmed to do: years of being punished for being disobedient or resisting in any form brought chaos to her mind, clashing her feelings with her believed ideals.

She looked up, feeling a hand on her arm. Get off me! You wicked, evil man! Havent you caused enough pain? Upon speaking, she watched as his arm tried to break a restraint. You want to kill yourself? Fine. Be my guest. At least do something honorable for a change. She undid the strap to his left wrist, but rather than tear his tube out, he clumsily reached for a pad and paper resting on top of some kind of table or machine it was somewhat difficult to tell. Ikrisia rolled her eyes as she tapped the pad and paper closer to his straining fingers. He finally gripped the materials with an almost frustrated yank, then set the pad in his lap. Unable to really hold the pad, he began to write.

Your name is Ilesira Venavila Evesuni. At least thats what it looked like he wrote. Under each name he drew a line, writing mother, eyes; Max; family name respectfully. It was difficult to tell, though, as he was unaware of where his pen was going, and he wrote on top of two words.

She knew the coincidence was too odd for there to be no connection. There was no way he wouldve known the derailed train coincided with her story, and losing someone to that train meant there was a one in eight chance they were related, at the very least. Plus, it might have made sense that they completely changed the names of the children, but even so, that was just reaching. However, she knew there was no kid with the name Evesuni in her group.

Sighing, Ikrisia looked back at the paper, reviewing what he wrote. Venavila? You named your kid after Max? She watched as he nodded. What were you on? Shrooms? She watched him write more, something about how 1987 was a different time. It did coincide with her apparent age, but she couldnt accept the new fact. So, if youre convinced, then why? Ikrisia followed his hand as it pointed to her. She looked behind herself, then back at him, but he was still pointing. What?

He started to write, but it was directly on previous words. She moved the pad up a bit, gripped his hand, and then moved it to the edge of the margin.

Write.

He quickly began to write, only stopping to feel for the edge of the paper so he wouldnt write on the blanket. His pen strokes were frantic, like he knew exactly what he was going to say before even asked the question. When Evesuni finished, he dropped the pen. Ikrisia quickly picked up the pad. My wife was the strongest, most caring, thoughtful, and intelligent person I ever knew. She gave me all that is good in my heart. When she was killed, I was afraid I lost that part of my life forever. For over twenty years I was alone. But when you began believing I was your father, I didnt know what to think. I never thought you were still alive, and I didnt believe it at first. I am so very sorry. But the more I saw you, the more I did believe. Because you remind me of her. I see her strength in you.

Ikrisia paused. She couldnt help but to detect the irony in the situation. She had been the one who reached out to him for almost a year, but now he was reaching out to her. Now she was the one who was questioning and skeptical. So I cause you pain by being here, because whenever you see me, youre reminded of her death? She didnt wait for a response. Then maybe we should part ways. You gave me pain by lying to me, I give you pain by reminding you of your past. I really hope you find whatever youre missing in this world. Goodbye, Kivo Evesuni.

With an almost impassive gaze, the Vekaiyun Kral Commodore stood from her seat and pulled the chair aside. She didnt even glance back, not even caring if he wanted to say something or not. She quickly opened the door, then allowed it to shut. As she stepped away from the room, she spotted Evesunis doctor walked toward his room.

How was it? he asked.

Thats not for you to know, she replied, clearing her throat and trying to talk above her emotions. But before he leaves here, you collect some of his blood. I want a DNA test to figure this out once and for all.

But I thought you said you were his daughter?

Lets just say Ive been having second thoughts. Get a sample of my blood too. I dont care if its right now.

He nodded slowly. Alright. Ill have a nurse prep you for a finger prick.

Not on my fingers my upper arm. Im not as sensitive there.

Todd_McCloud · May 31, 2010, 6:15am

((OOC: This was a collaborative post by Allegheny, Warre, and I))

Gordon had arranged for a room with plush couches and beverages to be prepared for his new arrivals, things were going at a breakneck speed now. Gordon had personally made sure everything was to his liking and praised his assistant for actually getting something right this time, He had also told the Supreme Commander to be on standby just in case, that had pissed her off, and there was nothing more fun in the world to Gordon then pissing off Cassandra, unless it was the Senate’s majority leader Jack Sinclair.

In any case everything was ready for the arrival of his guests. “You may call them and tell them that I am ready to begin the meeting.” Gordon told his assistant, and with his word the assistant scurried off to relay the message.

Within moments, Ikrisia entered the room and slowly stepped forward. It was at least a relaxing atmosphere, nothing foreboding or tense was to be had here by the arraingement of the room. While she had not seen the Ard Ri or Leina, she anticipated they’d be here soon. “Hello,” she replied, noding her head deliberately. At least today was better than yesterday so far. She had cooled down since her
altercation with Evesuni, but she meant every word. What needed to be said was said, and that was it. “May I take a seat?”

It wasn’t formal attire, to say the least. A pair of tennis shoes, jeans, a t-shirt, and an unzipped zip-up hoodie. Despite the fact he wasn’t in any regalia or accopanied by any body guards, as he walked hand in hand with the Vekaiyuian princess, it was obvious who he was. His Warreic passport for those nonbelievers, he had finally made it to the chambers. Mentally, he was edging towards blurting out to Ikirisa that this wasn’t the deal in and of itself.

Ikrisia, spotting the Ard Ri enter the door, decided to stand until everyone else was ready to sit down. Her eyes were glued onto Leina, who looked back at her with a nervous stare. She appeared sharp though, dressed in a nice black dress and red stockings that went up to her knees. She looked healthy, innocent, and bright. Ikrisia grinned at her, trying to appear friendly. Leina smiled slightly but her gaze quickly sunk to the floor.

“A pleasure to meet you, Ard Ri,” Ikrisia opened. She bent down to Leina’s level. “And you must be Leina Kivlevov. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you,” she answered in a crisp Unonian tongue. She gave a deliberate nod at Ikrisia.
“My name is Ikrisia Levinile, it’s very nice to meet you,” she added while smiling, speaking in Unonian back to her.

“Good morning everyone,” Gordon said smiling. You may all sit down and I have had beverages and some light snacks provided, please help yourself." Gordon took a sip of his tea and se the cup back down on the saucer dish. Gordon placed his eyes upon Leina, “My name is Allen Gordon, I am the President of this country, it is quite the pleasure to meet you Ms. Kivlevov.”

She quickly sat into a chair, wrapping her tail around to the front once her feet left solid ground. “Nice to meet you, Kivo Gordon.” She smiled slightly.

“Now I am assuming we all know what we are here for, to answer the question of Vekaiyu and what to do with Ms. Selvala.”

The Ard Ri remained standing, watching. Neither of the other politicians had said a word to him, so he didn’t bother to say a word to them yet. He simply watched and listened. A good hunter knew when to watch and when to stalk, and when to attack.

Ikrisia nodded, folding one leg over the other. “The way I see it, we have a major problem in that the Maxists are highly integrated into our society. While I believe they are in the severe minority, they could be anywhere - from civilians to governmental workers to even ranked members in the military. Because it hadn’t been an issue for so long, no one really monitored who was and was not a Maxist. While it is clear Selvala was and still is, the rest are question marks. I have my suspicions for at least half a dozen ranked military contemporaries, but I cannot gain anything concrete.”

Gordon nodded. “Seeing as how you are the commander for your entire armded forces, what are we looking at in terms of a split in your military?”

“Anything from light to dangerous,” she replied. “I took the liberty yesterday to give the order out to have all nuclear and biological weapons switched to offline. This is a standard procedure, as we often run these tests at random intervals. At least we shouldn’t have to worry about that, though that isn’t 100%. It does take a few days to put them back online though, as offline procedures usually involve checking the warheads, which will take time to re-assemble and make ready for operation. After that time, we should at least have control of most warheads, which would create a stalemate and remove them from the equation, unless they are radical enough to do it, which I certainly wouldn’t rule out. Therefore, we have a limited window before things become unsafe.”

She paused and drew in a slow breath. “Military forces will be divided, which means our troops will fight against each other. But there should be initial confusion as to who is on what side, as I would imagine our armed services would attempt to regroup. This again gives us time. I expect the first round of fighting to begin with the civilians, which will include bombings. Really, that should be the first wave.”

“So then the possibility for a civil war is unavoidable.” Gordon said with a seriosu tone.

“I believe so,” she replied. “But the confusion should buy us time. Again, Maxists and non-Maxists are spread around in our military, so it will take time to regroup them. My hope is this will be too difficult to do in a short period of time, but I’m not counting on it.”

Gordon sighed and slumped over as he prepared his response. “This is going to get really ugly really fast, Ikrisia. All I can see here is messy insurgency.”

The Ard Ri nodded. “We’ve got to preempt them. While I know Maxists are extremely agressive, they’re not without a problem. Most don’t know what to do without someone telling them what to do. THe only other way we can do it is to get the people to rise up themselves in regards to the current situation. Sevala has done a lot to hurt your country.”

Ikrisia nodded. “There are rumors of what she has done… if those rumors were found to be true, that would severely damage their campaign.” She looked back at Leina, then to the Ard Ri. “The Maxists are intelligent though, the only thing separating them from non-Maxists are their ideals. The problem with my race is they will fight for something they believe in very passionately. That has been a blessing in the past, but here it could hurt us. But, if one takes away that passion and replaces it with truth, the will quickly drops. History has shown that. Therefore, if we can quickly gain the upper hand and find any dirt on her or the Maxists, we will have the day.”

The Ard Ri nods in agreement, but doesn’t say anymore beyond that. He figures he should go back to scouting the conversation.

Gordon nodded in the direction of Leina, “And what of this young one here? How can we put a child in power of a country as potentially unstable as Vekaiyu.”

She looked down, kicking her feet back and forth. “I just have to do it,” she said meekly. Finally, Leina looked up. “But I want to. I don’t want there to be any fighting, really.”

Ikrisia turned to her, smiling. “What would you like to see happen, Leina?”

Turning to Ikrisia, she began to play with her tail. “If both sides won’t fight altogether, that’d be better. We’re all vulpine, can’t we just be thankful for that?”

Ikrisia nodded. “I like how you think, Leina. Because a lot of people in our nation have lost their ways. They fight for frivilous reasons… even killing people in their family to get what they want. I don’t like it, but it’s real and it exists. I’d like to see a time when that didn’t have to exist, but it’s going to take a lot to get there. Do you understand?”

Leina nodded. “Yeah, I do. I’ll try my best.”

Ikrisia nodded. “Good. We need someone strong, Leina. We really do. Someone who’s stronger than me, even. You have to be there for the people.”

“And that’s how we defeat the instability.” it was only a slight comment, but it was a comment to show he was still listening.

Gordon was flabbergasted, he couldn’t beleive they were ready to put a country’s very existance upon a small child who’s idea of defusing the situation was saying, “can’t we all just get along?”
“Installing a monarch will defeat instability? Have you wall gone insane? What makes you so sure that the Vulpine people are ready for another monarchy?”

“Having a monarchy in place would at least diffuse the situation for someone to take control,” Ikrisia countered. “Prior to Max, we had one for thousands of years. To us, that is stability. Now, while the monarch is by no means absolute, I personally feel it is better than the alternative: another Max or Selvala. We will have to return to a more stable form of government. A modification of that form, but the idea should be similar. We just have to ensure that the new monarchy is not like the previous monarch, who neglected the nation’s defense.”

Suddenly the once closed door swung open, “Thats quite enough Mr. President.” The proud voice came from Jack Sinclair, the Senate majority leader. "You have gone over the Senate’s heads for far too long and now it’s time that we are included, we have been listening in on your meeting thanks to your assistant here.

Cassandra Phillips the Supreme Commander had also just come into the room, she saluted the President. “Sir, I also have become quite perturbed with how you have allowed yourself to talk about military decisions without me being present.” Gordon did not say a word, his boiling rage was quite apparent by the color of his face, which has now become a beet red. Sinclair got closer to Gordon and smirked, “This is a democracy not a dictatorship and we will make you treat it like one.” Sinclair turned to the guests in the room and his face became quite serious. “That is why you will all report to the Senate Chambers so that we may discuss this in a proper manner!”

Leina looked to Ikrisia and the Ard Ri as to what they should do next. Ikrisia, however, remained in her chair. “If this is how it must be done in your nation, then that is fine. We don’t have that much time to spare here, so I won’t argue.”

The Ard Ri chuckled, and nodded. “Though I must say one thing, mister Sinclair. Don’t even think about ever visiting my country. If you’ve got such an attitude of noble oblige.”

“Quiet King, your station means nothing here.”

The King smiles, and cracks his shoulders. Before, smiling. “I never said it did. But if you tell me to shut up again, mister Sinclair? You’ll lose teeth. Our nation doesn’t allow leaders to be weak, as it’s aparent they do in your nation, or you’d never be in power.”

SInclair gave an annoyed frown, “Follow me.” Sinclair walked out the door towards an elevator, the elevator was big enough to fit everyone into it quite comfortably, Gordon stood in the back while he silently fumed. The elevator doors opened up to the large senate chambers which made up the heart of Penn Tower, many of the Senators were already seated.

Leina looked out to the crowd in front of them. While she had initially hidden behind Ikrisia and the Ard Ri, she slowly began to move in front of them, trying to understand the situation at hand.
((done))

“Ah You’ve finally reined in our run-away Executive,” the Parlimentarian said. “We may begin with this emergency sessesion of the Union Senate.” A table with enough chairs to seat the President and his guests sat in the recessed half circle in front of were the scribes, the Parlimentarian and the Majority and Minority leaders sat. The guests were ushered to the seats. The Parlimentarian stood back up, “Now that we are all situated we will take opening comments.”

Ikrisia sighed. “Look, the situation is dire. There are so many unanswerable variables within my nation right now that we don’t have the time to go through all possible scenarios. The fact of the matter is there must be a power shift in Vekaiyu to prevent any further problems.” She remained broad, uncertain at how informed the rest of the Senate was.

“Yes i’d like to make a proposal to the senate if you please.” The Parlimentarian looked up at a heavy set man with glasses. “Jordan Cheever of the Union Party has the floor for 2 minutes.” The heavy set man walked up to the podium facing the table and the senators. “Ladies and Gentleman of the Union Senate, Vekaiyu is weak, there fool leader is in our custody and their even more foolish Commander has disabled their nuclear armament. The time for our glorious expansion is now. With our Armed Forces under the command of our highly competent Supreme Commander, we will crush them in no time at all. No civil wars to deal with, no troublesome monarchy, and an already established coastline.” The senate chambers was filled with whispering and gasping as the proposal sank in.

Gordon stood up, “You can’t be fucking serious, I’d veto that immediately.”

The Ard Ri did as well. “And that’s probably the most retarded fucking idea I’ve ever heard. How do you think Packilvania will react? They’ve already begun to invade Tassalvalta, and I don’t see how you’d not be next.”

“Trust me,” Ikrisia added, her nails digging into the table so hard they began to distort the wood, “you do not want to take away a vulpine nation’s freedom. Taking a vulpine nation is like swallowing a knife - eventually it escapes, but kills the host in the process.”

“Not to mention such an expansionist movement would immediately provoke my nation to move to Vekaiyu’s defense. With out without me to give the order, before you get any ideas.”

The heavy set senator laughed, “Vulpines are inferior in ever…” Cassandra stood up. “If I may interject senator. The Armed forces do not have the ability to deal with an invasion of this magnitude. I also will not subject my men to that kind of hardship. I’d suggest leaving strategy and invasions to myself and my competent staff. Besides, attacking the vulpine people will turn many nation’s against us and we would be the fools for even trying such an endavour. I implore the Union Senate to find a peaceful less violent option.” Cassandra sat back down, apparently the words had an effect as the heavy set senator stepped down in shame as other’s booed him off the podium.

“Give us a chance,” Ikrisia replied. “You have to understand you are our neighbors and will be for a very long time, most likely. Who would you like to have as a neighbor - someone as threatening as Max or Selvala, or someone who will be more flexible, kind, and patient? I am not saying a regime change would automatically change things in our nation. But I do believe good things will come if a Maxist is removed from power once and for all.”

“If I may make a proposal?” The Parlimentarian pointed at another of the Senators. “Harold Benson of the Independent Party has the floor” Benson walked over to the podium and put on his glasses. “I think that President was going in the right direction, albeit he went about it the wrong way, but I digress. Vekaiyu is our neighbor and our friend, therefore why not give them the economic support that they need to take out these maxists? We could use the boost in economy we would get by selling them whatever they needed, and we would gain a stronger friendship and Alliance if we allow this young women to take up their empty throne.” Jack Sinclair stood up his face was now red. “Absolutely not, Vekaiyu has played a loosing card, this is their battle not ours, Selvala made the mistake when she tried to commit murder on our land.”

“You are a fool Sinclair!” Gordon yelled.

Benson continued his proposal. “Ladies and Gentleman of the Union Senate, we have the ways and means to make this work, there may be some bloodshed, but in the end, we will have peace.” Another Senator stood up, I second this proposal, this needs to be brought to a consensus now!"

Leina watched the entire process unfold before her eyes. She was careful to watch the opinions of all on the floor, trying to figure out everything that was going on. “Shouldn’t vulpines figure out what happens to Vekaiyu?” she said as she looked up at Ikrisia.

The Kral Commodore smiled. “Yes. But we need help. In order to have our nation free, we have to have help. I like how you think, but
it’s always important to remember those outside of our nation can and do want to help. We can’t be isolated anymore.”

The Parlimentarian stood up, “Then so be it, the Senate will now build consensus.” The Senators began to put in their votes, the process took about a half hour as conversations and private debates were held. Eventually the room became quiet and the Parlimentarian returned back to his seat. "The vote for economic and limited military support is 22 yea votes to 18 nay votes. This motion has passed and is now pending Presidential review. Gordon smirked at Sinclair, “It looks like your little plan backfired you spineless whore.” The paper was brought down to Gordon and he promptly signed it into effect.

Todd_McCloud · June 5, 2010, 1:38am

So tell me about yourself.

Leina looked up at Ikrisia as they walked through a fairly secluded area of the gardens on campus. It was fairly beautiful, especially after the rainstorm that occurred roughly one half-hour ago. The sun peaked through the remnants of towering clouds, and a gentle breeze blew across the watered plants and vegetation, kissing the petals of possibly hundreds of flowers with a soft breeze. At least it was no longer humid out. After all, the vulpine fur didnt take to humid climates in a very fond way.

Im twelve years old. I get very good grades in school, and have training in athletics and fighting after school and on the weekends. They had both decided to speak Unonian to each other. It was probably safer to do so. However, even with that in mind, Leina was much more used to English than the Unonian tongue, yet she switched instinctively to the tongue of her species. It was odd, but also comforting to her. Maybe the switch to the Vekaiyun culture wouldnt be that difficult of a transition.

Oh? Whats the fighting like?

Its really fun. Ive learned both Vekaiyun and Warreic ways of fighting, and I like them both. I like how the Vekaiyun one is really spiritual.

Are you a Vayan Catholic?

I am, Leina replied. I was baptized as one when I was born in Vekaiyu, Ive been told. I have questions about our religion though, like why couldnt Vayan and Roman Catholicism ever agree with each other? Isnt it wrong to split religion like that?

Ikrisia smiled back at her. You question things. I like that. But just because our religions are different doesnt mean one is right and the other is wrong. On the contrary, do you really believe us mortals really know the Almighty in his entirety? Perhaps the reason we have so many different beliefs is because we can only know so much. Were restricted. It doesnt mean we are right and they are wrong, or that the split is wrong, it just means that we reach to the Almighty in different ways with the limited resources we have. I am pretty sure he understands that. She huffed out a sigh. One year ago, she wouldve had a much different response, still choking on a steady diet of blind nationalism fed to her since birth. Maybe she was weaker in some eyes for watering down the truths of her species. But she was fairly certain that was a Maxist belief. Once she was able to discern between the two, things became easier to understand, and tolerance followed suit. She knew vulpines didnt have all the answers, even with the nationalistic ideal. But, perhaps they didnt even have most of the answers either. Perhaps they were as lost as mankind was, as lost as everyone was. Whether or not it was true, she was more than aware of the destructive nature of elitism, believing they were greater than another race. It had to stop.

What happened to your tail? she asked, pointing to Ikrisias skirt.

I well, I was a swimmer in college, and I had it cut off. Its what swimmers usually do to make them faster.

I swim too. It helps me to think things over. But I was told I cant cut my tail off. She started to laugh. I also like to snorkel, but I havent really seen anything special in the water. Just mud and stuff. And fishes.

Ive never done that before, Ikrisia said as she moved toward a bench, the young Vekaiyun princess following. It sounds like fun though. Theres a lot I havent done, but, Im sure I will eventually. She sat down and, picking up the kit, she placed her onto the stone bench. The Kral Commodore cringed slightly, knowing that the strength in her arms would be a very peculiar thing shed have to find a way to excuse away, but it didnt help that she was too comfortable with interacting with Leina.

Youre really strong, arent you?

It also didnt help that Leina was apparently very observant. Yeah. I guess you could say that. Listen, Leina, do you know who I am? Do you understand the situation in Vekaiyu totally? She waited for her to shake her head. Well, you know my name already. But Im the Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu. That means Im in charge of the Vekaiyun armed forces. And Im going to be the person responsible for getting you to where you need to be as leader of our nation. I dont know what that means right now, but thats for me to worry, not you. Your job is to grow into a vixen with a beautiful heart and a keen eye for judgment among other things.

I dont know if I can do that. She looked up at Ikrisia, her ears bending back. Im afraid of letting people down.

You will know exactly what you need to do when the time comes, Ikrisia comforted. But it will be hard. It will be painful. And there will be times when you will feel like the loneliest person in the world. But someone has to do it, Leina, because if you wont, someone will take it for themselves, and we will have another Selvala. But I believe in you. I feel that your heart is good and your mind is in the right place. You just need to keep growing and get a little bit of confidence.

She nodded. Were you around when there were wars?

Ikrisia frowned. Yes. I was.

Did you fight? If you did which side were you on?

Her mind raced for an appropriate answer, something that would bend the truth slightly or change the subject so she didnt have to go into those details. Suddenly, she stopped herself. Am I a Levinile, or an Evesuni? I cant lie to her like he did to me she has to know the truth. She paused. Well, I I cant tell her it all shed never trust me. And I dont want to hurt her she isnt really ready to know just yet. I was a fighter. And for a time, I was forced to fight on the wrong side. But I have since been able to fight on my own terms, with my own choices.

Did you ever know my parents?

No no, I never knew who they were. That was really before my time.

Oh okay. She looked down and began to kick her legs back and forth.

But Im sure they are proud of who youve become. And who you will be.

I never really knew who they were.

The same could be said for me, Ikrisia replied. I wish I did, though.

You never knew your parents either?

With a sigh, Ikrisia shook her head. No. I never knew them. See well, I was separated from them and lived with other kits my age.

An orphanage?

Yeah, I guess you could say that. I dont know. I cant say I wonder if theyre out there. I get worked up when I feel like Ive found someone in my family. Well, its a little different when youre an adult, because you realize I mean, well, you realize that there are sometimes reasons for why they couldnt be there for you. Real reasons. They just wanted you to have a better life, even if it meant they couldnt be there for you. Its complicated, but it happens out of love, Im sure.

She nodded. The sun was beginning to come out in full-force now, a warm summer day was beginning to take form, much warmer than yesterday, especially in between dealing with the Alleghenian Senate, something that neither vulpine seemed too fond of.

Is Vekaiyu the nation for vulpines? It isnt, right? Theres Listonia, right?

Ikrisia nodded. Of course.

Since Selvala is removed, will we do the same with Kivo Evesuni?

Puzzled, Ikrisia turned to the young kit. What do you mean?

I heard about the war in Dveria, how it was very destructive to both sides. But Ive also heard Evesuni is a terrorist, that he was the one who started it all. Shouldnt we remove him next?

No, of course not! Ikrisia quickly paused as she bit her lip. I mean, no. He comes from a different time Dverians treated vulpines badly in that region for a long time. Really, both sides are at least a little wrong. But hes really brought stability to that region. Somehow. Hes on our side. I know its probably something you didnt expect, but trust me. He does well when it comes to his people, from what I know.

This is so very complicated.

Were very complex people, we vulpines are. She laughed slightly. Its no wonder mankind doesnt know what to make of us. But thats another thing mankind is different too. Not wrong, just different. The Maxists forgot that.

I know. I wont either. She blinked her eyes and looked up at Ikrisia. But it is nice to be among my own kind.

The Kral Commodore nodded as she slowly moved a hand over to her far shoulder and began to rub it slightly. I understand.

The Ard Ri, he is a very good man, but he doesnt understand everything Im just different.

Youre a vulpine, Leina. You come from an entirely different background, from an entirely different culture. Being back home might help you, in all honesty. I know youre probably scared, but you dont have to be Ill be there to help you.

Promise?

Yes. Her fingers moved from her shoulder to her hair, and she gently began to rake her fingers in it. Leina moved closer to her and sighed. Her head sank into Ikrisias lap, but Ikrisia didnt complain the kit needed the comfort anyway. Im so glad I have been able to meet you, Leina. You are the pure person our nation needs. All I ask for you to do is be strong, dont be afraid to question, and always remember you are here to serve the people and not anyone or anything else.

Leina nodded, twitching her leg slightly as Ikrisia scratched behind her ear. Ill do my best.

Thank you. Ikrisia sighed as Leina continued to let her play with her hair. She wasnt very good with children in the past, mainly because she didnt understand them. She couldnt wrap her mind around how vastly different the common childs life was compared to her own childhood. Uniquely different. Far too different. But for some reason, she was connecting with Leina., if only slightly. As she stared out at the expansive vegetation in the garden, she couldnt help to think that it was due to their needs. Her need for a family. Leinas need for comfort and acceptance. And both of their needs to have some kind of closure as to what happened to their families.

Leina?

Yes, Ikrisia?

Would you think someone who mistreated you, someone who really mistreated you, deserves a second chance? She had no idea why she was asking her of all people, but at least it felt good to talk about it. They hurt you really bad. But theyve had a really difficult life, or that you yourself might have caused them pain, and you think maybe that was the cause of why they did what they did. Do you give them another chance, or just walk away and let whatever happens, happens?

Leina paused. The Almighty says we need to forgive, because he forgives us. St. Aiya says there is no love without forgiveness, and no forgiveness without love.

Ikrisia nodded. Good answer, Leina.

Allegheny · June 5, 2010, 6:57am

… “Dr. Fischer has yet to make any headway on finding Project Eldridge, rejection rates on the newest iterations of combat injections and implants have a decreased rejection rate, from, umm, ten percent to a rate of two percent.”

Cassandra sat in a chair across from Gordon as she rattled off different reports on the state of the military. Gordon was once again at his desk fidgeting around, his hair was slightly ruffled as if he had been running his hands through it constantly.

“Sir? With all due respect, are you even listening to my report?”

Gordon looked up, his eyes had seemed distant as if he was thinking about something else rather than focusing on her words. He simply waved his hand for her to continue.

"Commander General Sullivan has reported that Prospect Corporation’s new fighter designs are ahead of schedule against Riker Design Bureau’s own fighter designs. The competition for funding is still scheduled for August and both firms should have prototypes to present to the Air Force by then. Commander General Shepard has reported that the 152mm armament refit for the T-205 Schofield’s are behind schedule and only seventy percent finished the refit was supposed to be finished this week, but there have been problems with the manufacturer of the 152mm cannons, supposedly they cannot keep up with demand. "

Gordon was still fidgeting as his Supreme Commander General continued her report.

“Bectel Armament will be losing the contract for the Schofield’s cannon production after the refit is completed.” Cassandra’s usual frown had become even more sour as she saw the President was once again ignoring her report. "Sir, is there something wrong?’

Gordon looked back up and cringed at her angry look. “God damn Phillips, why can’t you look less like a cold hearted killer, put a smile on, actually look like you enjoy your work, because I know you do.”

Cassandra sighed, “Sir I only look pissed off because you make me do these silly reports and you can’t even bother to pay attention to them. I can smell the alcohol on you, you are a drunkard and you, sir, are loosing control.”

An empty glass lay empty upon his desk, Cassandra stood up and examined it. “Whiskey your drink of choice tonight?” She threw the glass across the room in disgust. “Is this how you make your decisions for our country? Under the influence? What happened to the man who was eager to lead Allegheny forward into the future. The man who pledged to make us the best we could be…”

Gordon slumped over in his chair, his secret hadn’t been so secret after all. “The senate, they have held me back since the beginning. That pissant Sinclair is there to challenge me at every turn.”

A hand grabbed him by the throat and before he could react he could feel himself pinned against a wall. Cassandra’s face in his, subdued by his very own trusted Commander.

“Weak, that is what you are, weak. Too drunk to stop me from pinning you here, I could kill you right now.”

Gordon smiled, “Did I ever tell you, you have beautiful eyes.” A fist slammed into his cheek and he fell onto his back.

“I didn’t physically lose a piece of myself protecting this country so that a man like you could ruin it. If Sinclair is causing you problems then solve it the way a true Alleghenian would, might is right Mr. President, but from what I see, you don’t have what it takes, instead you wallow in your own self pity.”

Gordon laughed as Cassandra stood over him, “Well Commander, your report was quite thorough, you may return to your duties.”

The commander left after straightening her uniform back into place. Gordon stood back up, a bruise had quickly formed upon his left cheek and he could taste blood in his mouth.

Todd_McCloud · June 8, 2010, 5:49am

((OOC: This post was a collaboration between Allegheny, Warr, and I))

Jagged bits tore down her throat as Selvala finished off the last piece of stale bread rationed to her. The bread, however, was the best part of the meal Almighty only knew what was in the gravy, and what sort of animal(s) consisted of the mystery meat. It didnt really matter, though. The days were starting to run together anyway. A single naked lightbulb hanging in the room switched on and off from time to time, possibly at the same time each day, signifying night and day. She didnt really sleep, though. After all, while she had been a prime minister for a few years, her baseline was that of a soldier, of a field commander, wearing that god awful plastic and steel composite suit that cooked her from the inside campaign after campaign, of a Ler Commodore, having to serve under Max the twisted, caught between a Scylla and Charybdis of protecting her nation and protecting herself from a dictator with a mommy complex. Shes seen it all. But for the past few days, she didnt see much of anything. Instead, she spent her time leaning against a wall, staring, not even attempting to fix her dislocated fingers on the hand that Evesuni beat against the floor.

Selvala was a soldier again. Serving a cause, as usual. This time, however, there was no Max, no one to tell her what to do, see, think, or feel. She was completely alone. Consequently, her survival skills clicked back into place, sleeping sparingly in a manner the Vekaiyun army taught her so that she would be able to wake up with a simple pin drop. But even with the soldier instincts in her, she was better than that. Ler commodores dont just become ler commodores because theyre charismatic or pretty they rise above the masses, from the pathetic to the pristine, clawing and scraping until they reach the top. Somehow, shed have to do that again. Somehow, shed have to get back to Vekaiyu, declare martial law, and invade Allegheny for the atrocities they put her through. Somehow shed have to kill Evesuni and Ikrisia. This was no way to treat the leader of a nation. It was an insult, and an insult to her kind. Her eyes glowed with anger as they peered from the long strands of hair, her mouth frozen in a permanent scowl, staring at the other end of the wall with a menacing gaze. Somehow. Somehow. It would all work, somehow.

The slat on the door opened up, Cassandra peered into it. “Good morning my favorite prisoner! Having more delusions of grandeur today? Don’t answer, it was a rhetorical question. Aha, I see you have eaten your food, I made sure the cooks put extra fecal matter into it. You will be having visitors today.” Cassandra gave an evil smirk and closed the slat, her laughs reverberating off the concrete wall.

She was almost completely motionless. No response was had from her throughout the snide remarks made by the supreme commander general. Whatever that was. Instead, she remained, stewing in her anger, going over scenarios over and over again in her head.

Cassandra walked back into where the Ard Ri and Ikrisia had been waiting. The smile was still on her face, “She is ready for you to see her, I will have a room prepared immediatly, it will have a two way mirror and a seperate room should you wish to talk in private away from her.” Cassandra left to have the room prepared and returned back a few minutes later. “The room is ready, is there anything you two need to do before I have the guards fetch the prisoner?”

Ikrisia flashed her a puzzled look. “No, I’m fine, thank you.” “Prisoner? I thought she was being detained…” Ikrisia looked back up at her, but decided not to say anything. After all, it was Selvala anyway.

The Ard Ri shrugged, picking up a small package from outside of his pocket. He nodded. “No, beyond this I don’t think we’ll need anything for the interrogation.” Then his face turned into a frown. “This and a water hose connected to a water source, actually.”

Cassandra nodded with a knowing smile, she liked the way the Warreic Ard Ri thought. “As you wish, now if you will follow me I will lead you to our destination.” Before leaving, Cassandra spoke a few words to the guard and he quickly left the room. Back at the cell the slat had opened once again. “STEP BACK FROM THE DOOR!”

Still, no response was to be had from the former Vekaiyun prime minister. She remained fairly still. She was far enough from the door as it was, and who said she had to follow orders from her captors?

The door swiftly opened and two soldiers with stun batons and handcuffs entered. “ON YOUR BELLY! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!”

She slowly moved her head to face the two soldiers. “Go ahead. Maim me. I’ll be sure to show my bruises and injuries to an international court of law.”

The two soldiers with the stun baton’s laughed their souless mechanical eyes gave away their next move, as they closed in to beat Selvala. "Hold her down for me while I get these cuffs ready. “The other soldier nodded and brought his baton across her face.”

Selvala grunted as she slowly shut her left eye, the sting of the club causing her to grit her teeth. “You’re only making it worse for yourself!” she finally spoke. “You are breaking laws for treating a captive that you are illegally detaining!”

The soldiers did not respond, though they did cease with their beatings. The handcuffs were promptly placed upon her wrists and her arms forcibly moved behind her back. They marched into the interogation room and nodded at the mirror, signaling she was ready. Cassandra came closer to the window and looked upon her quarry, “Well there she is, I’m going to get a glass of water, you two can carry on as you please. Here is the key.” She handed the key to Ikrisia. “Would any of you like a glass of water, I don’t know about you but I’ve become quite parched.”

“Okay, that’s fine,” she replied. Her attention was tured to Selvala, noticing her left eye was starting to swell, but she stood with a hint of disturbed silence. She was a shell of her former self - no longer obsessed with her looks or how she would appear in public - now she was unfit for her own uniform, which was maintained fairly well despite her appearance. Ikrisia turned to her. “If this wasn’t Selvala, I would be deeply concerned with her treatment. She is, after all, still a vulpine, all things considered.”

Cassandra turned back toward Ikrisia. “Oh, well consider this preferential treatment, Kral Commodore, most state enemies die before they reach their one year anniversary of imprisonment. Ms. Selvala here should consider herself lucky she is in my care and not in that of our more, shall I say, enthusiastic prison wardens. Now if you will, I will be back in a few minutes with a pitcher of water. I’m sure Selvala is quite thirsty too.” Cassandra walked out the door and left the Ard Ri and Ikrisia to their own devices.

“Well, she’s probably at least thankful she isn’t in the Sanakun,” Ikrisia said as an aside. She turned to the Ard Ri. “It’s weird. I’ve never seen her like this - it’s almost as if it isn’t even her.” She sighed. “It’ll be nice to get her to Mahanoy once we’re finished here with her. Unless… do you think she’d be tried for crimes against sentients?”

“It’s unquestionable that she should, but the further away from the East Pacific she is when she’s on trial, the better it is. If it was in Warre or here, Maxists might have a chance of trying to break her out.”

Ikrisia nodded. “I would like to avoid that if at all possible. But as I was telling President Gordon earlier, I suspect she’s done much more than the killings in Dveria. She is very private, at least when she was dealing with me.” She folded her hands and proped her head up on them. “It concerns me. But if we can find out such things… that would be a tremendous help.”

The Ard Ri smiled, and gave a nod. “I’ll see what my agents within Vekaiyu have dug up, after we’re done here.”

“Alright. Anything that could decrease the severity of the situation would be very important. She’s a Maxist… but I doubt she’d tell anything, unless we literally forced stuff out of her.”

The Ard Ri smiled. “I didn’t plan to play patty-cake with her. People like her can’t give any information without coaxing. As she is, she thinks she’s an empress. We have to remind her of what she really is.”

“She was an orphan,” Ikrisia finally added as she attempted to remember the bits and pieces from her past. “And had a Jewish father. She grew up and was placed in the Vekaiyun army. The rest is practically common knowledge. We all know she killed Max, but she was pardoned. And she tried to kill Kivo Evesuni. There has to be more we can use.”

The Ard Ri nodded, reaching out and handing a disc from out of the package to the Kral Commodore. “This has copies of information that’d be useful for such a trial.”

“What do they contain?”

“Footage of where her and the Maxists have done. I’ve given you a select set of it, but it’s unquestionable it was their mark. And quite a bit of it is upon Vulpines themselves.”

Ikrisia nodded. “I see. I don’t deny it. I just wish this would’ve happened sooner.”

The door opened again and Cassandra stood there, a few cups and a pitcher of water cradled in her arm. “So then, shall we start or would you like more time? I will let you handle the questioning, I am mostly here to observe and help should it be needed.”

“No, I think we can start. Do we move into the next room?”

Cassandra gave a small smile, “Of course we move into the next room. Interrogations aren’t fun if it isn’t face to face.”

“Indeed, though we may need to hold her down if she’s still fighting the interrogation.”

“I can handle her if she has any fight left in her. I’ve been a soldier all my life and spent most of that time in the Special Forces fighting insurgents. Plus there are three of us and on of her, she is also cuffed to the chair, though i agree we should still be cautious.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.” He chuckled, picking up his package and walking towards the door, opening it with the key, and nodding.

Ikrisia arched an eyebrow as she stood up. “If she’s smart, she will comply.” A glance back at the mirror showed that Selvala hadn’t really moved since being moved to one of the chairs in the room. It was a weird feeling seeing her like that, one that was a mixture of relief, anger, and perhaps even a little bit of sadness. If anything, the nightmare was at least looking like it was coming to an end.

She followed the Ard Ri as they entered the interrogation room.

“Heya, Sevala. How’s karma treating you, eh?” The Ard Ri’s words were quick, but they were targetted as well. No reason to start this off with kind words. She wasn’t a diplomat, just an enemy of the state.

Selvala said nothing, even as Ikrisia dragged a wooden chair across the floor to place in front of the table and sit down on it.

“I would speak if I were you,” the kral commodore said to her former superior. “There’s really nothing else you can do at this point.” She waited for her to respond, but again, Selvala said nothing. Instead, she continued to stare at the mirror in front of her, the room they had been inside while she was moved across to this room.

Cassandra poured a few glasses of water and set one in front of Selvala knowing that Selvala could not use her hands to drink it. The Supreme Commander took of her red beret, rolled it up and inserted it into her pants pocket before sitting down. “Hello again Selvala, enjoying your stay?” She said sarcastically.

“You are detaining me illegally under the conventions outlined by the international rules of the realm of The East Pacific,” she said with a hint of anger in her voice. “Each breech of this international agreement strengthens my case. The ill treatment I have received here will not go unnoticed, and to those who admire justice, they will see that and declare you and your nation to be out of order.”

Cassandra simply kept on smiling, she was enjoying this far too much.

“I find it ironic that you take pleasure out of that, for you are guilty of the very thing you are detaining me for - intent to harm and maim a world leader.”

“Oh shut your asslicking mouth, Sevala. Do you really think we care about the rules the other good boys and girls in our realm play by? You’ve hurt thousands of people and I have evidence.” He spat, quite litterally. Both his words were quick and he punctuated them with a shot of spit towards her face.

Selvala blinked as the Ard Ri’s shower. “Please,” she finally responded. “If you have all the evidence you need, you would not be interrogating me right now, you would have shipped me off and tried me for whatever crimes you believe I have committed.”

“We don’t need any more information to convict you” Ikrisia countered. “You’ve done quite enough in our realm.”

“Then what would you like me to do for you? Do you want me to sit here and tremble in fear? Yes, you finally have me. You did it illegally, and any tribune will recognize this, but you win. Is that good enough? May I go back to my cell to be beaten by more soldiers? Or should I just fillibuster and recite hymns until you are finished with me?”

“Ilevistre ni sol solineru, os kiselivi pikasi volevistru, ni ko va, roleta, le lebiresti uselvo beru, Kivia McEva.”

His words were cool, calm, and his eyes looked towards the Vulpine woman with a cool intensity.
Selvala looked back at the Ard Ri with a sour look. “Yeah, something like that, I suppose. I can do this all day.”

Without a word, the Ard Ri walked towards another of the chairs, and picked it up gingerly, as if testing a baseball bat. Still wordlessly, he slammed the chair into the vulpine prisoner, shaking his head. “You don’t seem to understand Unonian very well, Miss McEva. So I kindly provided you the Warreic translation. I’m not here to play, and neither are my fellow officials. Be glad you didn’t try that shit in Warre. I’d have put a noose around your neck and thrown you off my castle’s highest tower. Which might be arranged if you don’t learn that you don’t have any power in this situation. You need to learn to be a good girl and use your remaining bargaining chips to make sure you don’t die or face something worse. And I’m sure someone such as you knows there are fates worse than death.”

Ikrisia pounded the table with a fist as Selvala bent over in her chair. “That’s enough! I of all people should be the most pissed off at this piece of garbage, but you don’t see me beating her down like this! She’s fuck-en trash, but she’s still a damn vulpine!” She grabbed Selvala by her neck and sat her back up, not at all concerned by the grip in her steel composite arm. “Now you’re going to fucking talk and you’re going to tell us everything you know about Maxists in Vekaiyu. Or we’ll ship you off to Mahanoy, but after we drag you across this whole goddamned region!”

Cassandra stood up slightly shocked but pleased at the Ard RI’s chair slamming move. “I don’t think she’s going to talk, maybe we can hook her up to the shock table?”

Selvala caught her breath as she drew in a breath through her nose, pulling the blood back inter her nasal cavity. “So, you… want to kill me, eh? You can kill me, but you can never kill the dream!”

Cassandra picked up Selvala’s head in her hand. “Fool, the dream already died the moment you tried your hand at assassination.” She let go and wiped the blood and spittle into Selvala’s sleeve.

Selvala gritted her teeth. “Do you really think you’re going to get any information out of me regarding that? It happened! It is done! Look at me! I am bruised and battered - the fingers of my left hand are still dislocated from days ago! Do you really think inflicting any more physical pain is going to drag things out of me, things that you have no business knowing about?”

“Enough of this.” The Ard Ri shook his head a bit irritatedly, and then ripped open the package, pulling out an oval shaped pill, and wrestling with the Vulpine Captive for a moment, trying to force it down her throat. IT wasn’t elegant, and he had to elbow her to try to keep teeth from fingers, but with any luck it’d work. And if it did, she’d start muttering incoherently.

She kicked and grunted, jerking her head around. “What the… hell are you doing?”

He continued to struggle with her for a moment, and then palmed the pill towards her snout, using his other hand to tilt her head back. “You lost the priviledge of being talked to liek a grown up.”

The former Vekaiyun prime minister felt the obstruction slide down her throat as she swallowed. “Since when was this legal by any standards?” she said as her teeth clenched hard in anger.

The Ard Ri chuckled. “It’s perfectly legal when dealing with criminals.” Then he nodded. “Commanders, please back up. Do we have the water hoses ready yet?”

“Yes, I will send for the fire hose.” Cassandra quickly replied as she walked back towards the door. She spoke to the gaurd outside and a minute later he arrived with the hose. “Is this sufficient?”

Ikrisia stood from her chair, puzzled at the recent developments. Selvala followed her with her eyes, but her head suddenly began to stretch and bend, like a lava lamp. As a matter of fact, the entire room appeared to bend and globulate, like the room was slowly turning to pudding. She arched an eyebrow and attempted to focus her eyes onto something, but Ikrisia’s head was much more interesting, floating and bobbing as the image became distorted again, her teeth becoming almost as large as her face. “What the hell’s going on?” she shouted.

The guard stood ready with the hose waiting for the drug to take total effect. Cassandra stod beside him, she knew what the Ard Ri had in mind. “Let her rip.” The hose exploded with water full blast into the drugged Selvala.
is that okay warre or did you have something else in mind.

The Ard Ri nodded, smiling. “Shouldn’t be too long, but you should order your troops to alternate between wet and dry. It’ll help simulate things a bit better.”

In an instance, the pressure from the water hose caused her to fall back on the back of her chair. The chair slammed onto the concrete floor, then twisted backwards slightly. It almost felt like intense rain. A very intense rain. Like perhaps it was raining so hard it was flooding. Really, all of it was difficult to tell. Whatever drug she had swallowed, it was certainly having an effect on her. The pain was immense - it felt as if thousands of forks were stabbing her all in unison. Or maybe it was stings, like a swarm of bees. No. As she opened her eyes, it was definitely teeth. The large, pointed teeth of some animal, gnawing at her flesh, biting down and jerking her back and forth. There was a pull backwards, though. Perhaps something was trying to rescue her? Or maybe she was clinging to something? She reached out behind her, but her arms couldn’t really move. Yes, she was definitely holding onto sometthing, probably the only thing keeping her alive

“Thats enough for the moment,” Cassandra ordered. The soldier turned the vavle and the water stopped rushing out.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. She felt the tree branch snap back, but as she opened her eyes to brace for whiplash, the scenery had changed to something almost desert-like. Her skin was raw, though, almost as if… well, it seemed to melt off. Was it the hot sun? Or something else? She began to heave in and out breaths.
“What’s going on?” Ikrisia asked

The Supreme Commander shrugged, “Hell if I know, we usually don’t use drugs in our interrogations.” She emphasized the last part of her sentence with a hint of irritation. She looked over at the Warriec Ard Ri looking for an answer.

The Ard Ri smiled, nodding simply. “Miss McEva is in the far ancestral home of your ancestors, Ikirisa. The drug I gave her was a semi-hallucingen… it taps into one’s ancestral memories.” He smiled, as if he thought he was the smartest man in the room, and nodded again. “That’s what the water was important for and is important for. It’ll help simulate what she’s feeling. The Vekaiyu-Listonia Basin was theorized to flood often, was it not?”

Ikrisia paused, then looked at the Ard Ri. “Yes… it is theorized, at least.”

“We only recently discovered it, but it’s proved effective when someone has been brainwashed all their life.” He added simply.

“Whatever.” Cassandra grunted. “Hit her again.” The soldier opened up another volley of water upon Selvala.

Ikrisia watched as Selvala’s body joistled and jerked from the immediate spray from the hose. She moved her head left and right, choking on the water, almost as if she was drowning. “Enough,” Ikrisia finally said. “We don’t want to kill her - she wouldn’t be worth anything to us or Mahanoy dead.”

The guard ceased the flow of water. The room now had water flowing out the door and pooling in uneven parts of the floor.

Selvala moaned and groaned against the floor, her head rocking back and forth in a disoriented state.

“Well, she certainly is in state to answer questions now,” Cassandra said sarcastically.

The Ard Ri nodded, and strolled forward through the water like one might a fine cut of grass, walking to where Sevala was tied, and quickly grabbing her hand. Smiling, he gave a nod. “It’s okay, dear, it’s okay. We’re here, we’re here. You’re not in the dark place anymore…” Without a bit of heistation he positioned the chair upright.

Her head jerked to the side as the chair slowly moved upward. Finally, it sat leveled on her neck, but her eyes were perfect windows to her state of mind. She clearly wasn’t all there, especially as they seemed to focus in and out, her pupils increasing and decreasing in intervals.

He smiled, nodding to himself. It was definitely working. “Sevala, if we help you up are you going to be a good girl and listen to what you’re asked?”

The former Vekaiyun leader gurgled slightly, but nodded her head.

Cassandra walked over to were the hallucinating vulpine sat, “Tell me who are some of the prominent maxists in your government.”

Selvala rolled her head. “Ehjy Nimuos…”

Ikrisia flashed a look at her. “Ehjy? Well… I can’t say I’m not too surprised… who else?”

“Nikolo… Eskale. Vinsent Biseristre… Xa Velikeste… Yiisu Koleveri…”

“Good, good, do not worry Selvala, this will all be over soon.” Cassandra said in a fake caring voice. She stepped back to give someone else a chance to ask a question.

“That’s the Ler Commodore, three Ikole Generals, and one Hejul General.” Ikrisia paused. “They are quite high in our military.”

“Well we will figure out how to deal with them later.” Cassandra said as a matter of fact.

Ikrisia nodded. “Well… seeing as she’s in this catatonic state… where are they located? Where is the greatest concentration of them located right now?”

Selvala closed her eyes. “Iruk. They should be there.”

The Ard Ri nodded simply, it was working as he thought. “And Maxist hQ’s of omportance?”

She turned her head. “It changes. It is in Iruk.”

“Any knowledge on how well protected these generals are?” Cassandra asked already thinking of a plan.

“Guarded,” she said. “In an inauspicious building.”

“What building,” Cassandra’s voice becoming more irratated, “Tell me about the building.”

“Warehouse. White. Next to train tracks.”

“Come now, little Selvala, there has to be hundreds of white warehouses in Iruk.” Cassandra said with a glance at Ikrisia.

Ikrisia paused. “We need a name,” she finally responded. She walked up to her and grabbed her hair., “Give me the name.”

“I don’t know the name. Didn’t get phone call yesterday.”

Ikrisia looked back at the other two. “We have to find this building. As soon as possible. There’s no telling how many times they tried to call her…” She looked back at her. “Would they expect foul play?”

“I don’t think so…”

“We will need to scour the city. Looking for a bland white warehouse… there has to be at least a dozen that fits that description… Tell me anything you know about this warehouse!”

“Large. White. Sarin inside.”

Cassandra grabbed Selvala’s wet shirt, “Come on little girl, give us a name, or else you’ll get the hose again.”

“Y,” she finally responded.

“What does that mean?” Cassandra whispered to Ikrisia.

Ikrisia shrugged. “Perhaps the first letter in the building name? The Industry name? The only Y industry I know in Iruk is Yamistuse, a chemical company. Suppose there is a connection between them and Sarin?”

Cassandra nodded and let go of Selvala. “We probably won’t get anything more out of her, she looks like she is about to pass out.”

Ikrisia nodded. “We should look for such a building immediately. They may suspect something is wrong with Selvala not answering… and the Sarin production worries me… it means there is no room for error, should we decide to take them out… right now.”

With a bit of strangeness, the Ard Ri ruffled the Prime Minister of Vekaiyu’s hair. “Go to sleep then, pup.” And then turned. “Good work.” And then he stretched. “Sorry about that, but it was the only way. If we didn’t do it, we’d not get any information.”

Smiling, Cassandra turned back to the Ard Ri, “well played Sir. I will have her taken care of in a more civil manner now that she has actually proved usefull.” Looking down at her watch she noticed it was about one o’clock in the afternoon. “Lets meet back in my office at 1700 hours so that we can plan our next move, in the meantime seperate quarters have been arranged for you here on base, make use of them as you like, I for one am going to get some food from the mess.” Cassandra gave a casual salute and left the interrogation room.

Allegheny · June 14, 2010, 7:53pm

Allen Gordon sat in the living room of the Presidential apartment; he sat in thought, reflecting upon himself and his place in the world. The sun shined through the many windows which looked out upon the city. He had been drinking once again, slightly drunk, his wife had become increasingly irritated with his constant imbibing of alcohol, she was now spending time in the garden listening to the sounds and take in the smells.

“A beautiful day isn’t it friend?” A deep voice asked from behind where Gordon was sitting. Gordon quickly turned around on the couch almost losing his balance. A man was standing next to the window his back facing Gordon. “I said, beautiful day isn’t it friend?”

Gordon didn’t know what to say, security would have never let anyone in here. He quickly stuck his hand underneath his coffee table looking for a panic button. Calm down friend, the button isnt working at the moment. The Strange Man said as he turned away from the window, the sun now beating upon his back. The Strange Man stepped closer toward Gordon; he was wearing a black vest and tie, with a white button down shirt and black slacks, common dress for a city dweller. His hair was dark brown and slicked back and he had a full mustache of the same color, he looked to be around 50 years old.

Who are you, how d…did you get in here? Gordon said, slightly stammering to get the words out. The Strange Man simply smiled and took a few steps closer. Hows the wife Allen, may I call you that? I always thought you to be a first name basis kind of guy.

Gordon stood up to face The Strange Man, Tell me who you are and how you got in here. He said assertively. The Strange man walked up to the back of the couch his hands now resting on the headrests. The specifics arent really relevant and my name is useless to you. We are all strangers in some form or another, Allen. Gordon became increasingly irritated at The Strange Mans cryptic answers. Stop playing around, what are you doing here? The Strange Man continued his silence, a kind smile upon his face.

You drinking again Al? I thought you stopped doing that after you left the Army. The Strange Man inquired. Gordons anger was apparent now. What business are my habits to you? He yelled. Gordon turned back to the table and opened a drawer revealing a revolver; he grabbed the gun and pointed it at The Strange Man.

The Strange Mans smile grew and a hearty laugh erupted from his belly. Go ahead shoot! Gordon didnt need to be told twice, he pulled the trigger but only an unsatisfying click could be heard. The gun is unloaded friend. Gordon threw the gun aside, he had to be hallucinating now, too much drink, he told himself. Gordon sat back down in a chair facing the couch he had been sitting on earlier. You are just a figment of my imagination, Gordon said as he poured himself more alcohol.

The Strange Man shook his head, Sorry Al, but I am very real.

What do you want from me? Gordon groaned.

Hmmm. What do I want? Oh nothing really, I was just coming here to check up on you. You see big things are ahead of you, big things… The Strange Man said cryptically. I know what you are planning, and Im here to tell you that you need to wait, till after Vekaiyu stabilizes if you wish to see your dreams come true.

What the devil are you talking about? Gordon said inquisitively.

The Strange Man simply smiled and started walking towards the door. Remember what I told you, friend, your life will change dramatically in the coming future. So lay off the drink and watch for your cue. The Strange man opened the door and quickly stepped out. As soon as the door shut Gordon drunkenly ran toward it and reopened it, an expansive hallway with only one exit at the end of it lay empty, as if that Strange Man had never been there.

Todd_McCloud · June 14, 2010, 10:45pm

Xa, pass me that pen,

A young vulpine female sighed as she reached over the desk next to her for the writing utensil. She brushed some of her short black hair from her face. Of course, Xa Velikeste replied, swallowing her apparent irked mood. She leaned back in her chair, but stopped once her back reached a concrete barrel of liquid sarin resting on its side and stacked one on top of another. Do we have to stay in this building? Its not settling well with me. If I was clumsy, Id just sit in the middle of the floor all day.

Relax, the middle-aged vulpine male responded. Were safe here. These barrels are stable for ten thousand years, long enough that when they do fail well probably have better means to contain them, as well as more potent organophosphates to replace them.

I hope youre right, Vinsent, she finally responded. But it just creeps me out.

He smiled. Obviously you have no backing in chemistry.

I do! she finally shouted. But theres enough of that chemical in here to obliterate an entire province, let alone this city! Why the hell do we store this stuff here instead of somewhere else, like in a place where no one really lives?

He shook his head. There are detectors all along the ceiling as well as the walls. They detect gas and the sudden increase in pressure will cause the sarin to boil off into a gas. But even a drop of the chemical released into the atmosphere will cause these sensors to first shut metal casings over the windows and doors, then concrete effaces. Solvent would then be poured through the sprinklers.

How quickly does this all happen?

Drop of a hat.

So if anyone was inside theyd be trapped here.

Correct. But again, dont worry about that. Were safe here. Who in their mind would attack a chemical stockpile? No one.

Selvala hasnt reached me yet.

Vinsent looked up from his letter at the new vulpine as Xa stepped towards the exit. You appear concerned, Ehjy.

Ehjy Nimous sat in a chair next to the desk in the room. It isnt like her to not respond something is wrong.

Please, Vinsent Biseristre replied, I honestly wouldnt worry about it. There could be a number of reasons why she isnt answering. Perhaps there isnt good reception where shes at.

We wouldve received an email.

Her phone couldve died without her knowing.

She is that scatterbrained? You are grasping at straws here. There is something wrong.

The middle aged vulpine set his pen down, choosing to fold his hands on the desk instead. This is why I like you, Ehjy. Always concerned with the situation. Calm and collected on the outside, but an obsessive detail-oriented person on the inside. A perfect mix for the defender of a nation, if you ask me. What do you propose we do, Ler Commodore?

He slammed his hands down on the desk, which caused Vinsent to jump slightly. We will call Kivo Gordon, he replied immediately in a stern tone, standing over his desk with a foreboding gaze. And we will have him put Selvala on the line for us to speak to her.

Vinsent tilted his head as he stared into Ehjys eyes. But you will not make that call, he added slowly. Your emotions are too high strung.

He cleared his throat. Agreed. He would respond more openly to a female, especially one that has a fairly pleasant voice. The ler commodore looked behind him. Xa! he bellowed. Get over here, now! He kept his head turned, but didnt seem to watch her approach. Instead, he merely listened to the click of her high-heels on the concrete floor.

Were getting out of here, right?

No! He grabbed a cell phone and presented it to her. Were going to have you make a collect call, directly to Pittsburgh.

Its fairly late for that, she replied, and weve already established we cant reach Selvala.

Were not calling Selvala, he spoke through his teeth. His sinewy hands forced hers open as she let out a yelp and bent her legs in response to the pain. We are calling Kivo Gordon.

She gasped and stood up. Why do you need me for this?

Ehjy smiled as he seemed to drop his anger immediately. Instead, he brushed her shoulders off and pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her muzzle, which obviously made her uncomfortable, but after the previous altercation she didnt feel like objecting. Because. Because you have a pleasant, feminine voice. You also know English. Its almost as if you volunteered by default.

What do I say to him? she asked, opening the phone.

Oh, ask him how he is. Hows the weather, how his blind wife is. You know, small talk. Then ask to speak with Selvala. Do not back down until you hear her voice, or you will have much bigger problems to worry about than the sudden disappearance of the Vekaiyun Premiere.

Allegheny · June 19, 2010, 5:31am

((This was a collab between Todd and I))

The main control room of the Alleghenian Central Command was expansive to say the least; a large screen with satellite trajectories and current air traffic above the Alleghenian Vekaiyun border was displayed. Gordon, Ikrisia, and Cassandra stood before the screen speaking about the latest development in the interrogation of Selvala McEva.

Currently the targets are residing in a white warehouse in the Vekaiyun city of Iruk. We know that there are several Maxist generals, we also know that this warehouse may be filled with sarin gas.

Gordon stroked his chin, while taking in the information, What the hell are they doing in a warehouse full of sarin?

“Vekaiyun chemical warfare,” Ikrisia said with a hint of jest. She walked closer to the screen. “And who would want to know what’s going on in a Sarin storage facility? It’s really a perfect spot, so long as it is secure.”

Gordon scowled. “Oh really? And how secure is it? Do we know? Because one fuck up and this is an disaster on an international scale, the last thing I need is Vekaiyun separatists blowing up my factories in the east.”

Ikrisia brought a hand to her muzzle in thought. Like a scanner, her tongue moved from one side of her mouth to the next, hidden by her lips, rubbing against her teeth. “I’ve seen these buildings before. They’re pretty secure… like; they have some sort of system in place where if detectors find a leak, the place shuts down. And by shut down I literally mean shut down, like the place is sealed and nothing really can get out, including anyone inside. We… haven’t exactly had an accident to my knowledge, though.”

“I didn’t know this sir.” Cassandra said as she became aware of Gordon’s increasing level of frustration. “Well thats great, Commander, now we can add a dead team to our list of things to worry about.” Gordon replied sarcastically. Cassandra turned to Ikrisia, “Is there a way of disabling this system so our team can escape?”

“It’s what your people call a catch-22. We can disable the system, though it would be difficult, plus we may endanger the city in the process. And… well… I don’t think I could approve of something that will greatly endanger millions of lives.”

Cassandra nodded. “Indeed.” Gordon ran his hand through his hair. “There is no way I can approve this mission without a guarantee of safety and that it won’t become public knowledge.”

“I am inclined to agree.” Cassandra said while looking back at the screen.

Ikrisia pulled up a chair and leaned on the counter in front of her, propping her head up with her hands. “Then it appears we’ve reached an impasse,” she finally replied. “Us Vekaiyuns… are very particular about our chemicals, though. We’re also good about containing and protecting them.” She looked up. “The building will at least be guarded and fenced, no doubt. It’s not easy to steal biological agents from us… we don’t want it used against us…”

As the three were pondering a captain approached with a phone. “Mr. President?” Gordon turned around to face the saluting captain. “There is a Xa Velikeste calling about Selvala McEva, the call was transferred from Penn Tower, she is currently on hold.” Cassandra’s eyes slightly widened when the captain said the name. “That’s one of the targets sir.” Gordon looked at the phone, “Jesus Christ, this is not good.” He took the phone and pressed the hold button. “Allen Gordon speaking.”

There was a short pause on the other end. “Hello, Kivo Gordon,” a fairly light hearted tone answered, “I am concerned about the current state of our Premiere, Kivia Selvala McEva. It is unlike her to not answer her phone, especially on foreign conferences such as this, and… I was wondering if I could have a word with her.”

Gordon took a moment to calm down before responding. “Ah, yes, I must apologize this building we are in is not very good for cell phone reception it’s why I do not own one. Let me tell you Ms. McEva is in good care here in Allegheny, I must also unfortunately tell you that she has elected to turn in earlier than usual today, the negotiations for our next project has drained her and quite frankly I myself am quite tired. If you were to call tomorrow in the morning I will make sure she knows to go outside so her phone can receive it. Let’s say around nine o’clock.”

Another long pause occurred on the other end. “I wish to speak with her now, if that is not much of a trouble. A-again, we Vekaiyuns can at times be paranoid creatures.” She paused again, the phone sounding as if it was resting on something. After what sounded like a sniff and a cough, her voice came through. “Well, regardless, it would be best if I could speak to her. You understand, right?”

“Yes, yes I understand quite well Ms. Velikeste, but to disturb her sleep would only serve to cause a loss of sleep which would bring down her effectiveness in our next round of negotiations, I must once again apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you and If I may go off topic for a moment, you have a very exotic name, I like saying it, Velikeste, Velikeste, very regal if you ask me.” Gordon was stalling, but sighed in relief as the captain gave a thumbs up, the call was now triangulated.

She paused again. “Well… um, you see…” Another pause. “I…”

“Well if you have nothing else to discuss, I must be going, thank you for your call.” Gordon finished.

“Ah… yes, very well. I will call in the morning, thank you.”

Gordon pumped his arm in celebration and turned off the phone. “Well thats over with, the plan is approved, I don’t want to deal with this again.”

“Wait,” Ikrisia replied. “What did she say?”

“They are getting suspicious I presume, she was asking to talk to McEva.”

“I see… then we don’t have much time to waste.”

Cassandra nodded, “I will assemble a team. Kral Commodore, do you wish to accompany me?”

Ikrisia nodded. “Of course I would… I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else during this charade anyway.”

Cassandra saluted the President and walked towards the door. “We will have to employ the skills of the SOU, or special operations unit. I don’t usually approve suicide missions like this but it’s the only way I suppose. We will be taking a helicopter east to Fort Grable. There is a detachment of the SOU stationed there. Hopefully the air quality is okay, I’m not too fond of gas masks.” An elevator was already waiting at the end of the hallway. “After you.” Cassandra motioned

Ikrisia nodded slightly as she stood from her chair and walked toward the doorway. “Thank you,” she replied as she moved into the elevator.

The elevator sped up the shaft for a few minutes before exiting outside; a helicopter was all ready spinning up the blades for take off. Inside the helicopter the pilot handed to wireless headsets to his passengers. "Good evening commanders, we will be flying to Fort Grable the ride should take approximately one hour, the briefer forcasted an air quality warnings over Carlysle and Ashland so we may be needing gas masks.

The pilot leaned back to hand out the gas masks when he noticed Ikrisia. "Oh sorry, m’am didn’t know you weren’t human, unfortunately I do not have a mask that will fit you, here you can take this rag, and I will try to avoid the dirtier air, there’s been a temperature inversion and all the pollutants are being trapped near the ground, hopefully the weather will change later.

“Um… okay,” she replied. She quickly grabbed the rag and grabbed a canteen to wet it. Apparently she remembered a few things from her “rudimentary” basic training while graduating from her tenure on Project Uveshk and being installed into the Vekaiyun army. It was a walk in the park, as far as things went, but a few bits and pieces she learned from experience and from other soldiers were invaluable. She dropped to her knees and waited.

The helicopter quickly lifted-off and gained altitude, the landscape beneath them consisted of rolling hills and a small city off to the south. Central Command was a few miles west from the capitol of Pittsburgh. Towards the east large columns of smoke could be seen coming up from behind the hills, the sunset illuminating them in a reddish glow. The columns grew large as the helicopter neared, Cassandra donned her gas mask as the air became filled with the smell of sulfur. The landscape had turned to a barren wasteland filled with dead forests, factories populated the ground between them, the cities here were much smaller dwarfed by the massive production facilities. Cassandra looked out the window, “the price we pay for our economy, shame isn’t it?” The pilot nodded, “This is why I don’t travel farther then Elyse if I don’t have to.” The pilot flew in between the darker portions of air trying to avoid the worst of it.

“Mmmn, yes,” Ikrisia muttered, holding the rag to her muzzle. “This is nothing like Vekaiyu… at least I can count on green scenery… maybe not a sensible government, but even if this doesn’t work out, even if this ends up annihilating our entire race, nature will survive in Vekaiyu. Somehow.”

“And many vulpine people work down here?”

“Hmm.” Cassandra thought. “I don’t know the demographics, but Allegheny really limits permanent immigration, so I couldn’t tell you, probably not very many.”

“Alright,” Ikrisia responded, continuing to look at the scenery below.

The helicopter continued, Fort Grable was now in sight. Fort Grable was quite expansive with many barracks and several runways. Off in the distance a large black spot lay upon the surface. “Over there is were we tested our first nuclear bomb, just recently actually. Fort Grable is our largest base, it is also the production site of the Regulus ICBM.”

“Interesting,” Ikrisia said as she scanned the area. “We are safe from the adverse effects of radiation? I assume we are in some sort of exclusion zone, right?” She squinted her eyes. “We Vekaiyuns… pride ourselves with our astute chemical weapons program and various missiles.” She held her breath. “Perhaps that may change at war’s end. We will see.”

“We are far enough away, the rad levels are just slightly above normal background radiation, nothing to be worried about.” Cassandra assured her.

Ikrisia nodded as they continued on toward the fort. She coughed. “If this works, Vekaiyu is going to open its doors… but it’d be nice if the world was receptive in return. Accommodations would be… nice.”

The helicopter came in for landing as one the pad, the pilot leaned back to speak, “Well here we are, Good ol’ Fort Grable, I’ll be here when you are ready to leave Commander General.” Cassandra nodded and removed the gas mask. The door slid open and Cassandra stepped out onto the tarmac. The Alleghenian mountains loomed over the base, clouds obscured the tips. “Haven’t been here for a while.” Cassandra lazily said as she stretched her arms.

Ikrisia looked around the touchdown area, her hair blowing from the slowing blades of the vehicle as her ears bent back from the whistling sound the air made as it flowed past them. “It isn’t every day I am allowed a tour of a neighboring nation’s bases. I suppose it’s for a drastic measure.” “I see,” she replied, looking around the confines.

“The people we will be meeting are just ahead in that building, so if you will follow me.” Cassandra began walking towards one of the larger buildings in the complex. Inside the building was another setup similar to Central Command’s. As soon as Cassandra had stepped into the room the 50 or so people in the room simultaneously stood and saluted. Cassandra returned the salute. “At ease gentlemen.” The soldiers returned to their positions and began working again.

Ikrisia arched an eyebrow, still trying to recover from the smell of sulfur now fully penetrated into her uniform. She gave a slight nod and waited for Cassandra to brief her crew.

Cassandra saw who she was looking for and walked briskly towards the older man and his team. “Colonel Patterson.” The Colonel Saluted along with his team, Cassandra returned the salute and the team stood at attention, The Colonel however did not. “Come on Cassie, is that anyway to treat an old friend?” Cassandra smiled at the older man’s gruff voice. “Shouldn’t you be retired old man?” The older man laughed. “Aren’t you a little young to be carrying that rank, little girl?” Cassandra slightly blushed, and Colonel Patterson’s laugh became a little louder. “Come here, gimme a hug, It’s been too long.” The older man quickly bear hugged Cassandra, “Stop it James, this isn’t professional at all.” The Colonel let go and stepped back looking a little emotionally hurt. “Aww that desk job of yours got your panties all in a bunch. What happened to the Corporal I knew back when you were in the Unit?” Cassandra began to scowl. “Those fucking terrorists blew my fucking lower left leg off, thats what happened.” The Colonel sighed, “Okay, I didn’t mean to bring up old memories. Who’s your friend?”

Ikrisia stepped forward. “Anyway, I do not think we have time for formalities… the situation at hand requires rapid yet well-planned methods of operation.”

The Colonel, waved his hand disapprovingly. “Another tight ass, well don’t worry miss, my team and I have been briefed on the situation. However I am not happy about it, there will be casualties.”

“Casualties are sometimes unavoidable… while I do not want to cause any deaths at the hands of the current situation, better it be a few or a dozen over millions, and perhaps even more than that… perhaps even your nation here. For you forget, we are your neighbors. And if the Maxists were to find out we are collaborating an attack upon my own nation, that would obliterate this best-case scenario in the blink of an eye.”

“Mhm, well my men are ready in any case, best of the best I think.” The Colonel assured. Cassandra nodded, “It will have to do, anyways, civilian casualties are forbidden and your men will need to be careful as the warehouse is filled with Sarin gas. Also there is a system in place that will lock the place down in the event of a leak.”

The Colonel gave a slight groan, “Thats all fine and dandy but we still don’t know the layout of the inside, which is going to make this very difficult.”

Ikrisia paused. “I am not very familiar with the confines. All I know is it will be guarded, and it will be fenced. And I assume… warehouses often feature one large room and a few smaller rooms, most likely the building is a few stories high. Fairly expansive… I would imagine.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. We are not quite uniform in our warehouse designs… it prevents people from having an adequate entrance to the warehouse that would otherwise be easier to detect. In short, it is designed to prevent this.” She paused. “But… if you could find the building code, I would be able to… draw the plans out.” She bit her lip, not wanting to reveal too much her unusual knowledge of Vekaiyun installations and chemistry. But, whatever worked would have to be used.

The Colonel nodded, “alright then. How many guards will there be?”

“At least a dozen,” she replied, “probably more. Possibly snipers… but that is typically not used… I can’t imagine they’d be used near a stockpile warehouse. Unless they suspect something, it shouldn’t be more than a heightened presence of personnel.”

One of the strike team members took a few steps forward. “We are ready for this.” The Colonel nodded, “fine then, make it so.” Cassandra also nodded, “we will be monitoring the situation here. Good luck.” The strike team saluted and walked towards the exit. Cassandra turned toward Ikrisia. “I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t know.” She said shaking her head.

“If this doesn’t work… we’re going to be in one hell of a mess,” she replied. “I hope we know what we’re doing… Almighty be with us.”

“Indeed.” Was all she could say.