Operation Conquer Gondwana

Feel free to join in!

I will get to the actual claim on Gondwana when I post a picture and make a claim in the claims thread, but for now, here’s a story about a badass girl from the Gutters who changed her nation!

Kiahuaeni was a girl from the Oan Isles. She had lived in a city called Port of the Rock. She belonged to a poor family, at the bottom of society, literally. Cities in the Oan Isles are architectural perculiarities. Their boundaries were fixed by immovable laws. Developers had no choice, but to build tall. REALLY tall. Buildings stretched kilometres into the sky. Concrete and steel covered every square inch of the available surface. The buildings were so high, that their bases on the city floor were in perpetual darkness. Dim lights cast long eerie shadows. The unmistakable smell of excrement lingered in the air. The poor lived in cheap and small apartments. The persistent black market sold and bought cheap, smuggled and sometimes illegal goods.

Kiahuaeni’s family struggled to make ends meet. Kiahuaeni was bright. She excelled in school when she was younger. The toll of a strained life and the hormones of adolescence changed her. She smoked on street corners and went out late. A new mayor had taken the reins of power and wanted to crackdown on illicit industries. He summoned the armed forces. Humvees bolted down the narrow avenues and tunnels. Soldiers leapt out of cars and searched businesses and homes. They arrested suspects. She had the unfortunate fortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

She was sitting with her friends who were sniffing strange powders. She was satisfied with her roll of weed. Glass shattered and the door flew open. Soldiers rushed in like a mighty wave. The soldier clasped her wrists with his powerful hands. She headbutted him and kicked him in the groin. She jumped for a knife on the table. She stretched out her hand as another tried to hold her. He managed to pull her and hold her in his tremendously strong arms.

She struggled and struggled. He threw her into the carriage like a caged bird. She punched the walls of the carriage until her hands bled. Her fighting spirit had never died. It got her threw the grey cells. It got her through the sexist interrogation, it got het threw naval academy and threw the gruelling six days on the high seas over seven years ago…

Kiahuaeni had been with General Oaluoa Uye, seven years ago when they discovered the islands that now form Harmony and Tranquility province to the north of the Oan Isles.

The islands had been eerily spoken of, but no one knew if they truly existed. They had stumbled upon them by chance. A strange natural phenomenon called the Vortex, had made finding these islands difficult. There was a high level of static energy in a funnel in their general direction that affected electronics.

One day Kiahuaeni was training in the navy. She happened to be training aboard the patrol ship that the head of the armed forces, Oaluoa Uye was inspecting. They sailed the ship on a routine patrol of the Oan Isles northern waters. The instruments on the ship began behaving strangely. They gave false readings and eventually many of them stopped working. Luckily there was emergency power to control the emergency systems, which were on line.

They sailed blind and couldn’t contact the main base back home. They sailed for days. A storm came in. It was powerful and electric . It was as though the whole ocean were rising in epileptic convulsions. They were tossed and turned. The hull was pierced by submerged rocks. Water poured in and debris floated around. They tried to close the large gap. Kiahuaeni bravely rallied the troops and led them.

A large piece of metal made a huge laceration in her thigh. Her mind rang with pain. The ship was slowly filling with water. They were thrust upon dry land, cold, hungry, disheveled and in pain. The medics tended to her wounds and numbed her pain with morphine. They on the islands and made repairs to the ship.

They enjoyed the fish and sun and fought the flies. She had been injured so she stayed at the beech camp. Some soldiers and General Uye managed to explore the islands for a few days. When the ship was finally ready to go, the General made a strange request.

He asked them to swear to keep this place a secret. They were sworn to secrecy by the secret and ancient blood pact of the Amyositanian people who once ruled the Oan Isles thousands of years ago. They sailed away, back home.

The incident sharpened her mind and gave her new determination. Over seven years she rose through the military to the third highest rank in the military, that of Major.

Major Kiahuaeni Luawuye stood on the deck of the TOIS Torrent. She was looking at the islands she never thought she would see again. Construction was already underway to build a home for Oan colonists. It was called Harmony City. She would meet General Oaluoa Uye there, who had been banished to these new lands.

She met him at the dock. He had been waiting for her arrival. She walked onto the deck and saluted him.He reciprocated. They simultaneously broke the stoic ritual and ran toward each other like long lost father and daughter and embraced each other. They gleefully spoke and he led her to the car that would take them to the Harmony Islands Military Base.

The building was gigantic. It pierced the sky and housed the command centres of the local army, fleet and flight. It possessed incredible gadgets. He led her to the Command Room where a giant holographic projection of the islands hovered in the air. All sorts of people were manipulating various compinents of it, either adding, changing or removing information they had collected.

She was impressed by the shear scale of the operation and the effeciency with which it was conducted. She was led to her apartment. It was large and comfortable. She virtually sank into her goose feather pillows and silk bed linen. She washed up and prepared for dinner with the General and some soldiers and important guests.

She was a bit of a tomboy, so she didn’t like to dress up. She simply wore her ceremonial military jacket and a skirt. She walked tall and entered the Dining Hall with confidence. Extravagantly dressed men amd women conversed and enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres. She mingled with the eclectic crowd of politicians, businessmen, high ranking military officials and scientists.

The General stood on a pedestal an addressed the crowd. General Oaluoa Uye spoke, his formidable voice echoing across the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen”, he said, " I have called you for more than just a party. You are men and women who hold the political, economic, intellectual and cultural reins of the Oan Isles. I have identified you as the game changers and trend setters of our glorious nation. I know that we share divergent interests. Some of us want power, others want wealth, yet I want to make this country the greatest nation on Urth!"

The crowd rose to applause. He continued, “I want to give you an opportunity to make that happen. For a long time our nation has bowed to the whim of peace and modesty. Our potential remains unrealised and our goals remain unfulfilled. I say no more! Today we take back our proud and we bring prosperity to this nation”.

The crowd applauded again. Major Kiahuaeni had never heard him talk like this so she didn’t know where he was going with this. He continued, " We sail to Gondwana!"

She understood what he meant. He spoke again, “I need your help to take the Great Continent and Unexplored expanse of Gondwana. Untapped resources, unused space and dormant potential lay at our fingertips. Let us reign as Kings and Queens on this Urth the way that we were meant to. I may die before that dream is fulfilled. But I know that it lives in us”.

She looked into the greedy eyes of the wealthy and powerful. They milked this up. Dollar signs and diamond rings seemed to spew forth from the General’s lips. She didn’t truly understand what he wanted to do or how he aimed to achieve this.

He spoke, " We will bring back the Empire of Heaven. Let us drink and be merry for tomorrow we takr Gondwana!".

The crowd stood up to clap for him and he walked through them. He greeted everyone. He was walking toward Kiahuaeni.

He whispered into her ear, “Come with me. I have something to show you”…

General Oaluoa Uye led Major Kiahuaeni Luawuye to the Command Room. He had made a speech that she didn’t know how to interpret. She wasn’t much of a political think. She was like 70% of Oans, generally apathetic towards politics. Oans voted regularly, submitted or participated in petitions and that sort of thing. They were more focused on dealing with community issues like leaking pipes, bad water, lack of food and that sort of thing. They weren’t concerned about the Democratic Congress winning a plurality in the national elections. Politics just wasn’t really a topic of conversation, or reading material or film. She was like many Oan people - pragmatic. In their view life had too many problems and pleasures to worry about politics.

She did not want to jump the gun, by making presumptions into what his intentions, especially from his speech, were. She kept her mind open to the possibilities of whatever insane proposal he had in mind.

The main lights of the dimly lit room shuddered on and filled the room with light. She went to the hologram platform in the centre and stood next to him. He keyed in a number of values, selected files and this popped up.


He said, “This is the first phase of the Empire of Heaven. It is an expansion into Gondwana. Our country is just a bunch of random islands in the middle of a turbulent sea. Moving goods and people from A to B is a nightmare. There isn’t enough space to comfortably house our people without harming their beautiful home. There aren’t enough resources to give them happy lives even with the expansion into Harmony and Tranquility Province without ruthlessly stripping the sea and land of their bounty as more savage nations frequently do. We have to make life better for the people of our nations who may not be at the receiving end of the gravy train”.

She replied, " That may be true, but Oans live more comfortably than most people. I used to think that life was an unfair b**** who should be shot in the head. But when I was given the option to join the navy, while it was hard, I realised that there is always a way out, a solution to our problems. Oan people fight, we fought for life when we crawled from the sea, jumped from the trees and walked out of the dark. How is what you’re doing so different from the people who colonised our nation many years ago?"

Beneath his ego and hubristic justifications (of which many would be contrived in the most fantastic fashion from this point), he knew there wasn’t. He was like many politicians and great and powerful men and women, a gigantomaniac.The great, wealthy and powerful wanted more and more. For what conceivable reason? No one knows. Scientists have wracked their brains for centuries and have come short (their hubristic search for knowledge may disqualify them from objectively carrying out the search).

Unlike Kiahuaeni, he was an idealist. He believed that the world belonged to the Oan nation, the greatest on Urth. He knew that taking over the isthmus and building a massive highway and railway from one point on the South Pacific Ocean to the Inner Sea of Gondwana gave him a strategic position over the complex geopolitics of the area and a strategic advantage in trade. All this spelt out more power. He sought to cement his legacy, to be remembered forever, as man’s finite nature and small mind often leads him to. The ability to effect events that defined history would be his ultimate reward.

Kiahuaeni went back to her apartment to think about what he said. She felt like something was wrong. He fed her everything that would make her happy, but nothing that would better inform her. Expanding a nation by claiming territory, inhabited or not, needed policy changes or law changes or something. Where would he get the money, she asked herself.

He needed the authorisation of all sorts of bodies to use military hardware and manpower and to move the capital and people to make his dream a reality. Perhaps his sense had been overtaken by sensation, or perhaps he would get the authorisation he needed by force.

He wouldn’t! She told herself. He wouldn’t have called the rich and powerful here to support it either! He wouldn’t have even proposed the idea either! She yelled at herself. It was clear that the man she had called a mentor and a father had changed drastically. His behaviour was questionable in the extreme.

Why would he rush to start a new colony so soon after colonising Tranquility and Harmony Province? He surrounded his plan with themes of exaltation and divine ascendence. Was it just a veil to conceal the ugliness of his plan or solicit support from disaffectionate masses or was there something more? Was this self-deification? She was confused.

She went to the gym to find balance and focus. She beat the punching bag. She did not punch it. She beat it! Every punch carried her full body weight. It carried the power of her muscular back, her rough hands and her strong legs.

Hualua was also having a tough day. He walked in and saw her voraciously assailing the punching bag.

“Major Luawuye!” He called to her, “Major Luawuye, Major!”

She snapped from her daze and looked at him. Then the adrenaline receded. Her muscles were in pain and her chest ached. She was over exerting herself and had she continued, she might have injured herself. He tried to help her to a seat, but she brushed it off. She looked at the punching bag. It was seriously damaged.

She took his inner arm, as did he hers, and they touched their foreheads in the traditional fashion of the ancient warriors.

He introduced himself, “I am Hualua. I am a corporal in the navy. I personally served under the General”.

She replied, " So did I. I’m…"

“Major Kiahuaeni Luawuye. You passed your exams at the academy in Northern Province with some of the best marks of that year. Your rise to major was meteoric. How did you do it?”

“You make it sound a lot more impressive than it really was”, she said, " I just looked forward until I got here. Look I don’t have a whole lot of conversational ability. I’m just trying to take mind off things. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just I have a lot to think about".

“Well take it one step at a time”, Hualua said, " You can’t just cross an ocean in one swoop. You get there one breath at a time, one stroke at the time and one island at a time".

He went to the treadmills and left her alone. She thought about what he said and realised what she had to do…

(Took your http://forum.theeastpacific.com/topic/5231687/13/ Tuv).

The General called a meeting of his strategists, politicians, high ranking military officials and other people. He had been cultivating his expansionist goals and ambitions for a long time. When he landed on the Harmony Islands, his eyes, as he claims, were opened.

He sent notes slipped underneath doors and held secret meetings in inconspicuous corners beneath tremendous cities. It was all very theatrical and Dan Brown-esque. Regardless, it worked. It took time to instill the fear or to gain the trust in those whom he wished to use to sell his plan and advance his ambitions.

The only person who’s cooperation he was not certain he had, was the one he needed the most: Kiahuaeni. He used the program of military expansion to gain the capital, men and political leverage that would advance his goals. The government willfully ignored the more dubious aspects of his plan. He gave them a route to the elevation of their own legacy and means to carry out secret operations without the ubiquitous eye of media and judiciary. You’d think that this sort of thing, even if it wete on a smaller scale, were common in this country. You’d be surprised. Things were changing. It more than a political or economic syst he threatened to disrupt. He threatened a culture, an identity and a way of life. What he thought was his sharpest weapon would turn to slice, not his enemies, but himself.

Kiahuaeni came to the meeting and sat at the back. She wanted to be there, even though she didn’t want to be, and still distant from the main action. He rallied them like soldiers. They knew that the war ahead was painful and most likely meaningless, but they needed hope. They needed hope that it was worth it. They needed to dull the realities that faced them. They needed something. Kiahuaeni did not need anything. At least she didn’t need words. She needed action and behind it the genuine intention not to make an Orwellian dystopia a reality. She also held close to her chest, concealed from view and at the back of her mind.

She was rather bothered and wanted to change the topic that the dictation was heading toward.

She stood up and said, “Hi. My name is Kiahuaeni…”

The General interjected, “We all know who you are Major. Please give a round of applause to the One who will light the way in the dark”.

A thunderous applause and whistling rose from the eager crowd. Yikes, she thought to herself, the expectations are high.

" It’s all well and fine to talk about patriotism and the need to expand", she said, “But there are practical things we need to take into account”.

She walked over to the screen and pulled up a picture of the " Pacific" Oceanic Area. “Southwest Gondwana is thousands of miles away”, she said, “There are hundreds of islands and atolls in between. There is so much that we have not explored. There are so many dangers that we don’t know or begin to fathom. I don’t want to rain on the parade, but the carriage going anywhere without the horses”.

She took a digital pen and drew a black boundary on the screen. She circled a vast swathe of islands in the middle of the ocean.


" Let’s take these islands first. You can’t cross an ocean all at once. You can only do it one breathe at a time, one stroke at a time and one island at a time".

Hualua smiled.[edit_reason]Added image and link[/edit_reason]

She was afraid that she had overstepped her boundaries. She knew one could not shie fear or hesitation before the General. If it was rebellion then so be it; do it fully or not at all. She was a Major.Oan society was stratified. Laws attempted to resolve the gaps, but only society could trully change them. While it begrudgingly made the march toward egalitarianism, it wsn’t as fast as it led one to believe. It had to be faced with balls of steel. Only then would it be forced to move. He admired her bur she wasn’t a man. She knew that. She was always one to pull the Middle finger at convention, so she did her own thing, anyway.

The eggheads started asking more sober questions and aporoaching the matter with the pragmatism for which they were known. A plan was devised. [Plan coming soon]

To: Foreign Minister of The Oan Isles, Locklyn le Roy

We have heard about your plans to settle into the Continent, Gondwana, which is were the Empire of Celannica is located. Despite what you may have heard about our people or our nations in the past, we hope we would become Allies as the World is full of surprises, and should you ever require assistance, consider contacting the Celan Empire.

From: Wolfe N. Stien
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Empire of Celannica

Setznan SECDEF Velhaus Kranz and Nat. Security Advisor Jack Ryan looked at the same report as they drank their coffee in the Presidential Estate Lounge otherwise known as the ‘Blue Room’. There was a picture of former president William S. Schultz hanging over the fireplace.

“This is a bit of an issue, isn’t it…” spoke Ryan, who looked at his friend.

“Damnit… The hell is happening to our little corner of the Urth? We might need to get Will down here” replied Velhaus as he sipped his coffee.

“I wouldn’t really call Gondwana little, gentlemen” said a third voice in a slightly commanding tone. The two men sitting down on the couches looked up to find President Verlhan standing in the doorway.

“Ah, sit with us would you?” Velhaus beckoned and William would sit next to his childhood friend.

“So Oan Isles is expanding a bit too quickly huh?” William himself would pick up the report from the National Intelligence & Security Agency and looked over the details.

“Just a bit too quickly and a bit too much. We’re on good terms with Oan Isles, but… This expansion is quite alarming. Wilhelm and the rest of his crew at Cantaz has already picked up on this” Ryan would take out a map of Urth and lay it down on the table for the three of them to see, then he would take out a pen.

“What do you want to show us, Jack?” William looked at his Security Advisor.

“According to the intelligence report, I’ve come to a reasonable conclusion that they want to take this island chain here… and this strip of land here…” Jack Ryan would circle the islands and the isthmus.

“Control of those islands means trouble for us in terms of control of the ocean doesn’t it?”

“No, not necessarily, Will, our Navy with the help of Stratarin’s can choke the islands into submission by using submarines and area denial tactics. It’s just the issue with the isthmus and the fact that those Island chains will give Oan Isles the perfect place to set up military infrastructure…”

“National Security risks and threats everywhere, eh?” William leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms, sighing after doing so. Maybe this is an issue for another day… Let’s just hope shit doesn’t go down too quickly.

Ese Ulua had been feeling very ill lately. In an old person, illness spells trouble. He was taking incredible strain running around the Defender’s Official Residence, running around La Rochelle and runnng around the country. At his age it was far far more than he should or could handle. The Cabinet politely and gently asked him to take a break for a week to let his body heal and mind rest. They were genuinely concerned about his health and wellbeing and… they needed him away for a while so they could deal with the large problem was rising to the east.

The Treasurer of the Oan Isles was Celeste Uataka. She was more of a technocrat than a politician. She had a long history working in banks and was the least politically unstable candidate for the job, which is why Ese Ulua employed her. She mostly stayed in La Rochelle rather than run around the country which was getting larger and more exhausting to keep up with.

A lot of things had stopped making sense. Vast amounts of money were being poured into the new Harmony and Tranquility Islands. She decided to see what that money was doing. She decided to travel with a small team, arrive unannounced amd work quietly (not silently then she would be spying).

When she arrived she was impressed. Concrete and steel were rising into the sky faster than she thought possible. Oan people are pretty good builders, but they are not that good. She decided to inspect the infrastructure of the buildings and roads. It was an exhausting job, but it revealed serious problems. The buildings had been hastily and shoddily erected on unsound foundations. Many had been thrown into existence.

At least the electrical and water supply was decent, but it wasn’t saving them money. Everything in the Oan Isles was made painfully slowly, but it worked. The cities were clean, the buildings withstood Urthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t this bad. Everything here was hurried.

It was clear from how quickly boats were being filled with stuff (Dieu knows what!), to cars running in and out of the epic monolithic tower that was the Harmony Island Military Base. There was something going on. She knew that The General was expanding the territory and building up the armed forces very quickly, but this was ridiculous and did not make financial sense. The economic growth was fast, but the bubble would pop in everyone’s face and the damage would have been done.

She went to him to confront him. He was in the Command Room inspecting his vast empire. He saw her and his face turned grey. He tried to suppress his panic and irritation. He smiled and lifted her hand up to his forehead and she lifted his hand up to her forehead. This is the customary greeting among people of different genders unless both genders are warriors. He led her to his office.

He poured her a small shot of whiskey and drank two glasses without her notice. He knew that this meeting would end badly.

“I have a few concerns”, she said.

" Always down to business", he replied.

“There is something very wrong with this place. We are losing money. You’ve been by passing my office for too long. With Ese’s support you managed to side step me on ludicrous appropriation bills. What do you need $40 million on clothes for?”

He walked to the closet and reveal the contents thereof. There were two suits in the semi traditional Oan style.

He explained, “These are the summer and winter constumes of the Defender of the Realm”.

" You mean of the Defender of the Republic".

“No my lady. The buckle is made from the biggest diamonds in our nation. They bind the capes. The cape and pant are made from red silk for summer and white ermine for winter. They are decorated with 90 evenly spaced diamonds each. The hems are lined with gold for summer and platinum for winter. Ese would look good in this don’t you think?”.

He revealed the true horror of the situation held out a head piece. It was made of gold and had diamonds all over it. It had four Spix macaw tail feathers at the back.

She said, " This is the diadem of the Emperor, isn’t it? Only he was allowed to where four Spix macaw tail feathers on his head".

“You know your history”.

She stood up and walked out. She didn’t say a word until she got to the aeroplane. She searched every corner for bugs. A troop of soldiers walked onto the plane and into her cabin. They carried guns and wore armour. They were ready for a fight.

“My honourable lady”, their leader said, " Please come with us".

She begrudgingly obliged. They were very gentle with her and drove her to penthouse, which she knew she would not leave in some time. But a lady always has a trick or two up her sleeve…

Surveyors came to Maya Jaxacyl, who was helping surveying the new port. (Original thread here: http://forum.theeastpacific.com/topic/7005685/1/#new)

“Ma’am!” they shouted. “The Oan Isles are starting to conquer Gondwana! They will cross the ocean!”

She thought, and thought better of it. They wouldn’t be much of a threat to her country.

— Begin quote from ____

To: Foreign Minister of The Oan Isles, Locklyn le Roy

We have heard about your plans to settle into the Continent, Gondwana, which is were the Empire of Celannica is located. Despite what you may have heard about our people or our nations in the past, we hope we would become Allies as the World is full of surprises, and should you ever require assistance, consider contacting the Celan Empire.

From: Wolfe N. Stien
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Empire of Celannica

— End quote

Locklyn was sitting at his desk preparing for negotiations with the King-Emperor of Staynes-Caltharus. His secretary gave him a letter. He looked over it and threw it in a pile with the others. He continued his work. Then he took it again and read over it.

“How much is the price of mangoes?”, he yelled out. That’s a polite way in the Oan Isles of saying " What the f***!".

Settlement in where? He thought to himself. He had known that there were only research stations, not a settlement. The fact that this had moved the Celan government to send a letter with very diplomatically hidden warnings was a sign of trouble. The General was doing thingsz he shouldn’t be…

Originally posted elsewhere
[hr]
Oaluoa Uye was sitting alone in his study and enjoying a cigar. He enjoyed the spice flavour of the Oan Spicewood Tree that had been imbued into the potent brew. It helped him calm down and think clearly.

He knew that he didn’t have enough money or domestic and political support to carry out his over ambitious expansion plan. He decided to pook for potential allies. He had received information from his spies that The Atlae Isles was planning on building ports and colonising land on Gondwana. He sent a letter to Maya Jaxacyl.

Dear Maya Jaxacyl

I’m sure you’ve never heard of me or my country, but I have it on good authority that you have heard of our expansion plan. We have heard of your plan to extend your reach to warmer water.

I want to extend a hand of friendship and extend your reach. Your legislature needs encouragement to support your plan. If you have a parter in that endeavour, they might be receptive to the idea.

I simply ask for money and I save you the incredible inconvenience of using your own forces to colonise the area. If you are particularly ambitious, you might find it apt to invest in the colonisation of the isthmus that leads to Celannica. Trade and power await you.

I suggest you take them.

Sincerely
General Oaluoa Uye of the Oan Isles.

Locklyn Le Roy knew that he needed to stay behind and put his trip to Sani Bursil on a back burner. He decided to send his Undersecretary for Auroran Affairs instead. He decided to reassure Celannica that all was well and at he was sure of a situation he was not sure of.

He summoned the Celan ambassador to the Oan Isles, to reassure him that the Oan isles was not taking an aggressive stance toward Celannica and was appreciative of the help it was willing to provide in its aims.

He went to the Defender’s Official Residence and read the note Ese Ulua had scribbled and pasted on the wall.

“Hey Locklyn, off to Tretridia, take care of things for me, see you soon”.

Locklyn didn’t know what to make of Ese Ulua’s eccentricities. All that he knew was that he was in charge until he came back.

He called a meeting to correct the situation. He instructed to Oan ambassador to Setzna, John Dew, to smooth out the fears they may have.

John Dew was laughing at the drips and drabs of information he was getting. He telephoned the Setznan leader to get an appointment to smooth things over.


Kiahuaeni knew that things were wrong. She hadn’t heard from Celeste in a long time. She had received an encrypted message purporting that Celeste was held captive by the General. She got on a motorcycle and followed the strange clues.

She arrived at a nondescript place in town. It didn’t look particularly fancy, so this must have been the right place. Kiahuaeni knew that he wouldn’t want her there. She managed to get a squad of men in the army to rescue her.

They wore balaclavas and leather jackets. One threw a grenade into the corridor of the apartment in which she was held. The explosion shook the creaking wood floors and dry wall. Some of the guards ran to confront the intruder from their deduced point of origin. They exchange gunfire.

Kiahuaeni’s tech savvy master of all gadgets sent an EMP blast over a limitef area that shut of their electrical gear, except for Kiahuaeni’s squad’s gesr, since they had been insulated with copper.

The first team fought with the guards. They sent bullets and received a few. There was shouting and running around. In the confusion, Kiahuaeni picked the locks to Celeste’s apartment. The elder politician gracefully walked out and confidently strode into the corridor. She took out a gun and pointed it at one of her captors, who was shooting at her rescuers.

“Put your arms where I can see them”, she proclaimed. He put the gun down and lifted his hands up. Kiahuaeni tied his wrists and ankles and gagged him. Celeste pointed her to a hatch in the wall. They crawled through and reached the van waiting in the delivery bay.

They sat in the car. Their veins coarsed with adrenaline.

Celeste turned to Kiahuaeni and said, " There are some things you need to know about your mentor".

Above the Ocean, heading to Oan Isles

Wolfe N. Stien, dressed in a white overcoat with a bit of crimson, a peaked hat, and in a pair of black jackboots, was sitting in a government stealth helicopter that was taking him to the Oan Isles to meet with the Oan ambassador. The discussion would be between the recent expansion of Oan Isles into Gondwana and their relations between the two countries. The Celan Minister of Foreign Affairs only hoped that everything would go right for his Empire. . .

(OOC: Where should we meet at?)

— Begin quote from ____

Above the Ocean, heading to Oan Isles

Wolfe N. Stien, dressed in a white overcoat with a bit of crimson, a peaked hat, and in a pair of black jackboots, was sitting in a government stealth helicopter that was taking him to the Oan Isles to meet with the Oan ambassador. The discussion would be between the recent expansion of Oan Isles into Gondwana and their relations between the two countries. The Celan Minister of Foreign Affairs only hoped that everything would go right for his Empire. . .

(OOC: Where should we meet at?)

— End quote

Well we should have either met at the Oan embassy in Celannica or the residence of the Supreme Court, since I was requesting an audience, but I should have used the appropriate diplomatic language, my bad.
[hr]
Official Communication of the Oan Isles
To: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Celannica
From: The Foreign Office of the Oan Isles

Dear Wolfe Stien

We cordially invite you to our capital La Rochelle. You will be met by a guard of honour at The Rock Air Force Base then arrive at the Tower of Freedom, the headquarters of our government. You will be free to use the lodgings in the Celan Embassy on 18 Diplomats Road, La Rochelle, although we would prefer to accommodate you in the luxury guesthouse along the beech. We shall meet in the Tower for a dinner and then discuss these matters.

Sincerely
Locklyn Le Roy
Foreign Minister and Defender pro tempore

“A man will want a bigger car, a bigger house, a girl with bigger boobs and a country with a bigger territory, because his balls are screwed on too tight and he believes they are shrinking or at least not big enough”, Celeste Uataka said.

" The General had a daughter and a wife. They passed away a long time ago. When he met you many years ago, he thought he could replace you with them and redeem his sub par parenting and husband-liness by being good to you".

She was shocked by her words and found t difficult to process them. She didn’t think that she needed a man to achieve success and to believe that ber success was only attained because of a man, was disgraceful.

“So I only got Major because he liked me”, she asked.

Celeste responded, " No. You were good. That doesn’t mean anything if you have the ability to bare chidren. So a boost isn’t too demeaning".

“The real question is ‘why?’” Celeste asked, “Not so much what makes you so special that he should choose you, but what does he gain from it”.

She looked at Kiahueni and said, " Men don’t love unconditionally. They can love deeply and richly, but not unconditionally. It has been a blessing and a bane that has moved us, as a species, forward or back. He loves you on the condition that you redeem him and restore his honour. We women think we’ve civilised and domesticated men, but a wild animal is always wild. They will bow to such primal things as honour and pride and it’s our job to make sure that the world is still standing when they are done".

Kiahuaeni looked at the elder stateswoman amd thought, what a cow?! But she spoke the truth and then it occured to Kiahuaeni not to underestimate her value or overestimate her reach. She had to dig deeper and figure out what the next course of action was.

The General was becoming impatient. Maya Jaxacyl from the Atlae Isles/Atlaesia was spearheading her nation’s Gondwana colonisation effort. He had been waiting for a response, but none was forthcoming. He thought that maybe he should plough ahead and hope he wouldn’t crash.

A bad day and a pounding headache got worse when he learnt that Celeste Uataka, the Treasurer of the Oan Isles, had been rescued.

Corporal Hualua gave him the report of events that had occurred. An unidentified well armed gang attacked the apartment building in which she was being held. They had an intricate understanding of the building and their escape had been planned out thoroughly. The General sent helicopters to search for her. He imposed a curfew on the city. Search parties ran around the forests and turned every stone (literally) to find her. He had to catch her before she left the island.

He had to divert resources and manpower to the search , which were already in short supply. If she left she would bring the full fury of the state back with her. His plan would be demolished and he would be arrested. He started to panick.

He tried the cigar, but it was useless. He took his medication, but it would only take effect in ten minutes at best. He did something he never thought he would do… he prayed. He knelt, folded his hands and addressed powers that frightened him more than anything.

He asked for strength, for help, for guidance, for a way out, for an opportunity, for a solution, for a map, for a compass, for an astrolabe, for an aelithiometre, for a sign, for divine intercession, for something. He spoke and spoke for some time. Then someone else spoke.

“The way is not yours”.

He didn’t hear a voice or tone or pitch or pace or origin, just words. He jumped up and thought to himself, " This is exactly why I don’t pray".

He decided to find Kiahuaeni and test her loyalty. He sent her a simple and clear instruction, “Find and kill Celeste Uataka and her rescuers”.[edit_reason]spelling error[/edit_reason]

— Begin quote from ____

Dear Maya Jaxacyl

I’m sure you’ve never heard of me or my country, but I have it on good authority that you have heard of our expansion plan. We have heard of your plan to extend your reach to warmer water.

I want to extend a hand of friendship and extend your reach. Your legislature needs encouragement to support your plan. If you have a parter in that endeavour, they might be receptive to the idea.

I simply ask for money and I save you the incredible inconvenience of using your own forces to colonise the area. If you are particularly ambitious, you might find it apt to invest in the colonisation of the isthmus that leads to Celannica. Trade and power await you.

I suggest you take them.

Sincerely
General Oaluoa Uye of the Oan Isles.

— End quote

To: General Oalua Uye, Oan Isles

I have indeed heard of your expansion plan. I have in fact been briefed on your expansion, so much the possibility that it might hinder ours.

Our legislature has enough funds to support the building of our new port, though we appreciate your support greatly.

Thankfully, the area is uninhabited, so we do not need to use military force to colonize the area. Now, when investing in your “colonization,” then that seems a bit of a stretch. The land that you will take does not seem to be an isthmus, anyway.

Now, my government meticulously regulates the transfer of money to foreign governments. We have transferred a sum of 300,000 Karubles to your military to help with your colonization, with an additional sum of 200,000 Karubles contingent on 2.5% profits from your trade for the next year.

Thank you,
Maya Jaxacyl

Secretary of Regional Affairs
The Atlae Isles

General Oaluoa Uye received a reply from Maya Jaxacyl. She laid out the monies her government would transfer to the military to allow it continue its operations. He could not jump for joy just yet. Celeste Uataka was still not found and Kiahuaeni had not given him a clear report or answer.

He tried to call her on her personal cell phone number. He tried to page her. She was not in the base. He was worried that she may not be as loyal to him as he may have thought or she was not as strong as he may have believed


Kiahuaeni had received an instruction from General Oaluoa Uye asking her to do something that was so repulsive, it could curdle blood. She knew that war came with death, but his request was disgusting. Killing civilians especially without any probable cause was savage; it was criminal. Her country had changed. She felt like the rule of law and democracy fell apart when individual ambitions came to the fore.

She told Celeste about the directive she had received. Celeste merely askef her, “What will you do?”

There was doubt, fear, apprehension and worry. Each seemed essentially the same, but subtle nuances changed the heart beat rate, the amount of air that filled the lungs. They arrived at a point near the coast, where a boat had been waiting.

Celeste said to her, “You can choose to carry out his order, or you can choose to do what is right. You can allow the same ungodly spirit that has perversef him to perverse you. Or you can come to La Rochelle and be safe”.

Kiahuaeni looked her and said, “I may be young, but I am not stupid. I can’t trust the only man I thought I could and I can’t trust you. It is clear that this is a hostile situation. The law thus placed you under my protection. You are not leaving this island”.

She ordered the soldiers to tie down and unman the boat and keep Celeste Uataka from leaving. She took Celeste’s cell phone and contacted Locklyn Le Roy.


Locklyn was in the middle of preparing for the meeting with representatives from Stratarin and Celannica. She imparted the details of what had happened and what she experienced when she came here. She divulged General Oaluoa’s plan to solicit Atlaesian assistance to pursue his imperialistic ambitions and the help he got from weakthy benefactors.

Locklyn had known that his actions were massive and terrifying, yet he had never known their gravitas. It was clear that he had underestimated Oaluoa Uye and the operstion he was undertaking, the speed with which he carried out his plan, the methods he employed and the ramifications it had on the constitutional democracy.

It showed several things. There were parts of the armed forces that were loyal enough to Oaluoa Uye to break the law and betray the government for him. There were rich people who were willing to use their money to get ahead, far ahead and they had acted foolishly by giving the General free rein to champion this policy. They had played into his hands and by consequence extended the trouble they were in.