Renaissance of Fire

[Tretrid]

(OOC: Joint post with Rico)

July 25

Eoforwine was quite taken aback by Ilse Erika’s confidence. After all, she was making a very risky move, one that threatened Arkalarius’s international position.

Of course, he had to take advantage of it. He had already called Julius Karling and asked him for recon, and the needed intelligence would be obtained soon. Now, he needed to talk with his allies.

First of all, Kuthernburg. They were good, reliable allies, and had plenty of influence within the League.

So, he called Queen Naomi II.

Naomi had been looking at new laws that the Royal president wanted advice on, she would soon hear the phone ringing asking him to step out.

“Good Afternoon”

“Ah, Queen Naomi, it’s Eoforwine. I presume you’ve heard about the developments with Arkalarius and Karolingia?”

Naomi’s eyes would open wide, it was always good to hear from Eoforwine she considered him a good friend.

“Of course, though we may seem to be always focused on Kuthern global influence, we never turn our eye to regional events that will affect the national security of the East. I have been monitoring it very closely with our regionals allies, Nacata, Duelland, Alythunia, and the Veridian Union, we support Karolingia freedom”

“How do you feel about Arkalarius’s recent claims on Karolingian territory?”

“I believe they go against everything Kuthernburg stands for, you can not simply claim another country that has already made clear they want nothing to do with them. Kuthernburg can not allow for that type of Gondwana style of government in Novaris, its pure greed.”

“Very well. I intend to get evidence that Arkalarius is preparing to invade Karolingia, so that we could confront them in the League of Novaris. I take it that we have Kuthern support in this endeavor?”

“You can count on the entire East to back you my dear friend” Naomi would say as she sipped her tea.

“Good to know. Soon, Arkalarius will have to reckon with their outward aggression, and I intend on making them pay for it.”

[Ark]

July 26th
Arkian Border Patrol Outpost
Arkian-Karolingian Border

The Karolingian diplomat gave the Major a suspicious look, and crossed her legs under the table as she picked up one of the printed photographs in front of her.

“So, Major, you’re telling me these photos of soldiers wearing what appears to be Arkian military uniforms taken in Karolingia are all either fakes, in fact from Arkalarius, or much older pictures?”

The major cleared his throat, staring at a point slightly above the diplomat’s face. “That is indeed correct ma’am. Also, from our studying of these photographs we can see no evidence that these are Arkian soldiers as you seem to think. In fact, they appear to be wearing the old Arkian uniforms from the civil war, which are still commonly used in Karolingia. Additionally, there are no distinguishing markings on these soldiers.”

A moment of silence passed, and the diplomat gave the major an appraising look, his face still giving away nothing.

“Well then… sir. It appears you would have me believe that these are Karolingian soldiers being falsely reported as invaders from Arkia. This is not so.” Here she pulls out a sheaf of papers from a briefcase at her side. “You’ll find here in these redacted public copies of Karolingian patrols in the past week, no soldiers were in these locations when these photos were taken.”

“I do apologize ma’am, but records can be altered, and redactions may be over clarifying parts.”

“Quite. As it appears you have no wishes to help clarify this unhappy misunderstanding, I will be on my way now. Keep the photographs.”

The diplomat walked out of the outpost with her small military escort. As she disappeared into the distance, the major leaned back into his chair, wiping his forehead. He turned to one of the other people in the room, a man in a black suit and sunglasses with no apparent military standing.

“I did as directed, although I’m sure they have their suspicions, nothing can be actually confirmed.”

“Good.” Responded the man in the suit, “I’m sure they’ll rush to tell their friends in Tretrid. The military has no more part in this, leave this to the diplomats now. Oh and, in fact, the military never did have any part in this. Remember that.”

[Ark]

July 27th
Karolingia City, Karolingia

Julius Karling inspected the documents before him, and looked closely at the photos that had been provided. After a few minutes of silent scrutiny, he looked up into the eyes of his newly appointed head of intelligence.

“So, Heinrich, you’re telling me that in the past two days you’ve not been able to get any reliable photo evidence? We have the testimony of multiple Karolingian citizens, as well as some of our soldiers claiming to have seen foreign militants. Yet, even with the odds in your favor, not one photograph we have can actually differentiate these Arkian invaders from our own soldiers?"

Heinrich Altmann waved his hands around assuringly, trying to muster a smile on his face. “Sir, I-I’m sure it’s not all in yet, my agents should be finding more data as we speak right now. The invaders are wearing uniforms identical to ours, and if we can prove these weren’t our soldiers, we could use the point that only Arkalarius has mass access to these uniforms, which were in service during the Arkian civil war.”

Karling let out a sigh, and laid the photos back down on his desk. “Whatever you say Altmann, but I expect concrete evidence by the end of the day. If you cannot find any, then I may have to resort to other means. Now leave me. I have a call to make."

As Altmann nervously scrambled to leave, Julius Karling leaned back in his chair, thinking to himself. If the Arkians didn’t want to play fair, then he didn’t have to either. As Karling made up his mind, he reached out for one of the phones on his desk, this one serving as a dedicated hotline to the Prime Minister’s office in Tretrid.

[Tretrid]

Tretridian High Command
Cynebury, Tretrid

Prime Minister Eoforwine and Defense Minister Eadweard looked at the rather detailed military plans.

After a minute, Eoforwine strongly shook his head. “No, I am not going to do that to our own allies, even if it gives us an edge. We should have enough evidence on our own without resorting to make stuff up.” And with that he left.

When he returned to his office, he noticed that he had missed a call from Julius Karling. Well, hopefully this should be about our evidence. Karling hadn’t left a message, however, likely because of the extremely sensitive nature of the call.

Eoforwine went and returned the call.

Within a few seconds, Karling picked up the call from his office in Karolingia. “Ah, Eoforwine. It seems you’ve gotten my call. There is something of utmost importance that I must discuss with you. Unfortunately, it isn’t because I’ve made a breakthrough. Quite the opposite really.”

“Oh, really? What’s preventing you from gathering the needed evidence?”

Karling responded in a sardonic tone. “Mr. Prime Minister, I have just orchestrated a coup. Although my takeover of the nation is beneficial to the state as a whole, some level of chaos is expected. Unfortunately, it seems the Arkians have been exploiting this, and their troops were in uniforms identical to our own. The only evidence we could provide for these not being our own soldiers are documents detailing patrols, and those of course can be faked, as the Arkians most certainly will say.”

Eoforwine sighed. “On a very similar note, my military command recently gave me plans for a false flag operation intended to manufacture dirt on Arkia. While normally I would never consider such a thing, it appears that we may have to actually consider putting it in place.”

A few moments of silence followed Eoforwine’s comment, but after what seemed like a moment of thought, Karling responded. “Eoforwine… what you’re proposing could very well work. This could give us the evidence we need to condemn and defeat Arkia once and for all. However, the ramifications for failing, especially if we’re caught, those ramifications are incredibly immense.”

“Yes, I agree. If we’re not exceedingly careful in executing this operation, we very well could start a massive war that could consume the continent, if not escalate into a repeat of the Great War.”

“I am willing to go through with this, and assist your operatives in this mission. However, I must see sufficient evidence that we can do this properly before we execute anything of this scale.”

Eoforwine took a deep breath. “I’ll look forward to having you cooperate with our agents, then.”

“Indeed. Oh, and Eoforwine. One last thing before you hang up.”

“Yes?”

“Remember, we only need to produce enough indisputable evidence that we can put the Arkians on trial in the LN. Any more could endanger our operations.”

With that, Karling hung up, their plans formulated.

Eoforwine took a moment after the call ended. He needed to think for a moment, about how momentous, and how dangerous his following actions could be. Perhaps even risking a situation that could devolve into a repeat of the Great War, the massive slaughter that destroyed empires the world over.

The things I do for the sake of my country.

He took a deep breath. His countrymen would never forgive him if he saw Tretrid losing its high standing in the world to Arkalarius. Eoforwine steeled himself and called the High Command.

Eadweard picked up the call. “Oh, Eoforwine!”

“Ah, yes, Eadweard. I’ve had a discussion with Mr. Karling. We’ve agreed that it was for the best that we do that false-flag operation.”

[Tretrid]

Off the Karolingian Coast

The ÞCS Fealcen was stationed off the coast of Karolingia. But that was a closely guarded secret. Like the rest of Tretrid’s submarines, their location was a closely guarded secret.

Captain Cynesige had received some most curious orders from the Admiralty. He gave the crew the necessary orders, and the Fealcen started their operation.

He ordered that the Fealcen hoist the ensign of the Arkian Empire. At this point, for all most people could tell, this was an Arkian submarine now, not a Tretridian one.

The Falcon then sailed in Karolingian waters, trying their best to act like Arkian aggressors intruding upon Karolingia. Meanwhile, in the torpedo bay, crewmen were busy readying the torpedo tubes.

The submarine eventually arrived at a specific location at a specific time, as was specified by the orders from Cynebury.

As expected, there was a Karolingian ship. It wasn’t a particularly large ship, but it certainly was there.

And they were on orders to sink it.

After getting close enough to the ship that the crew almost certainly could identify the Arkian flag, the Fealcen submerged.

“Sir, the torpedos are armed and ready to fire at your command,” an officer told Cynesige.

Cynesige hesitated for a moment. He knew that what was about to happen would have major implications throughout Novaris. “Fire.”

[Ark]

Off the coast of Karolingia

Captain Erhardt Armbruster couldn’t believe his mind. It had been ten minutes since the radar on the KKS Konstantin Böhm had detected the submarine. They’d tried contacting it with radio, and informed the vessel that it was in Karolingian waters, and would be fired upon if it did not leave, but got to response.

Five minutes after that, the vessel had been spotted above the water, flying the flag of the Arkian Empire no less! Erhardt ordered his men to ready the guns, but hold their fire. He sent the same message over the radio once more, and again, nothing happened.

He was about to order his men to fire a warning shot from the light cannon on the small frigate, when suddenly one of the sailors started screaming, and within seconds people were running around on decks.

“Captain!” One of the new recruits shouted, as he raced up the stairs to the upper deck. “Sir! Torpedoes!”

For just a split second, everything was silent, but the resounding crash of the first torpedo hitting it’s target ended that swiftly. Erhardt was thrown down the stairs, while a long fragment of the metal railing hit the sailor in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

The second torpedo struck the bow of the ship a few moment later, and the second devastating blast did even more damage than the first. Within minutes, the ship was sinking, and casualties were mounting, with the submarine nowhere to be seen.

As the water slowly claimed his ship, Erhardt was dragged back onto the deck, half of which was now burning. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the face of the bosun, helping him to one of the lifeboats.

[Ark]

Karolingia City,
Karolingia

“-after widespread speculation about the attack, it has been confirmed by multiple of the survivors as well as emergency photographs taken of the submarine that this vessel was part of the Arkian navy. It was spotted flying both the Imperial flag and the Reichskriegflagge of the nation of Arkalarius only minutes before the Karolingian frigate KKS Konstantin Böhm was struck twice by torpedoes. Unfortunately, there were many fatalities, and it has not yet been confirmed if-”

With a sigh, Julius Karling turned off the television, and leaned back in his chair. Was it really worth it? The operation had been a resounding success, and the sailors hadn’t even thought of photographing the submarine itself, they only had two pictures showing the flagpole. The loss of loyal Karolingian sailors was regrettable… a shame that captain Armbruster survived, he was known to be an Arkian loyalist at heart, but at least he obeyed orders.

The doors to Karling’s office opened, and two men and a woman entered his office. The men were High Admiral of the Navy Georg Beckmann, and his second in command, Arnold Müller, while the woman was Air Marshal Johanna Spitzer, the commander of the Karolingian Air Force.

“Sir!” Barked Beckmann, laying a sheaf of paper on Karling’s desk. “The last reports have come in, it appears the submarine has disappeared without a trace. For some reason, even when we got on high alert, we did not spot a single vessel crossing back towards Arkalarius or Arkian Irnac.”

“Strange.” Said Karling, lying through his teeth as he thought about the submarine making it’s way back to Tretrid as he spoke. “Perhaps it circled far around to land in southern Riesigfels.”

“That seems likely sir.” Responded Müller.

“Indeed. Now, I’m going to have to make a public response to this in a few minutes. Is this all of the info we have?”

“I’m sorry sir, but I’m afraid so.”

“So be it then, I can make something of this. Now, you two.” He said, gesturing to Müller and Beckmann. “Get back out there, I need you to organize your navy and get boats out there. We are on high alert, make sure we have constant patrolling.”

"Understood sir, we will get right to it.” Said Beckmann, he and Müller turning sharply and walking out the door.

With the two naval officers dealt with, Karling turned to Spitzer. “Now what news do you have for me Air Marshal?”

She saluted, and handed him her own sheaf of papers, adding to the pile on Karling’s desk. “We didn’t manage to get any aerial photographs of the submarine, it must have submerged and retreated once it was too far underwater to be detected by any means like that.”

“Predictable, but still disappointing. At least it seems like it’s gone, and not making any more attacks.”

“Indeed sir. However, it we did intercept a heavily encoded message being sent, and the odd thing is that it seems to be using a different encryption system to the Arkians. We can’t crack either of them of course, they’re both very advanced, but it’s like this message was encoded with an entirely different program.”

“I’ll take that into consideration Spitzer, you may go now.” Said Karling, internally cursing the captain of the submarine for reporting back before he arrived in Tretrid.

Well, at least he could pass it off as a new Arkian encryption system if anyone asked about it. It’s not like the public would hear of this detail, and there’s no way to confirm it’s Tretridian at all.

With that out of the way, Karling rose, and walked out of his office, and down to the front steps of the government building to deliver his address to the nation. And this address was going to end with an official condemnation, hopefully soon backed up by the League of Novaris. The Arkians stood no chance now, they were going to be completely diplomatically isolated.

Freyaelv,
Arkalarius

After watching the Karolingian news go wild, and soon the rest of the world’s news teams joining in on the excitement, Ilse Erika was not exactly in a good mood. She was feeling sardonic, maybe even mordacious.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Reichssenat, Reichstag, Reichsrat, and the Arkian government and people as a whole, events have transpired today beyond any reason or plans we could have had.”

“Earlier this very day, a Karolingian light frigate was attacked and sunk by a rogue submarine purported to have been flying the Arkian flag.”

She paused for a few seconds, and then continued. “People of Arkalarius, and people of Urth, I was just as shocked and surprised as you were when I heard this. Before continuing, I must say that I, and the nation of Arkalarius, publicly and officially condemn the actions of this submarine, and whatever nation or people are behind it. Flying a flag does not mean your vessel is from that nation. False flag attacks have happened before, and that is exactly what I believe this to be.”

“We have no records of any submarines actively patrolling, much less invading and attacking sovereign waters at the moment, and I will have our records of submarine activity as of the attack partially publicized to at least show where all of our submarines were at this moment. Of course, we cannot fully release records for national security reasons, but I am willing to go this far to help clear up the current situation.”

“We will return to this topic once more information is disclosed about the event by the Karolingian government and press, but as of right now this is all we have on the subject. Thank you, that is all.”

As von Freyaelv walked away, ignoring the hundreds, of not thousands of reporters asking for her to answer their questions, her mind was racing, and by the time she returned to her office in the Königskammer, she had already prepared her next moves.

“Otto, fetch Noske, I need to have a talk with him about how to move on from here.”

“Of course my lady.” Responded Otto, and he dropped the papers he had been reading on his desk, before getting up and preparing to leave.

“Oh, Otto, and one more thing."

“Yes my lady?”

“It’s Ilse, or Ilse Erika, not ‘my lady’. You know I hate it when you call me that.”

Otto nodded, and swiftly retreated out the door.

[Tretrid]

Prime Minister Eoforwine was holding a press conference. It was one like any other, with the usual statements on the doings of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. However, this time Eoforwine was feeling unusually nervous. He knew reporters would ask about the attack on the Karolingian ship, and Tretrid’s future essentially depended on how well he could conceal his involvement.

He pointed to one of the reporters with their arm raised.

It was Eadgar, the correspondent for the Cynebury Herald. “Mr. Eoforwine, do you have any comment on the sinking of the Karolingian frigate KKS Konstantin Böhm by an Arkian submarine?”

Eoforwine replied, “This is a blatant attack on Karolingian sovereignty by the Arkians, much like their earlier claims on Karolingian territory. While we currently don’t know where the Arkian submarine went, we have our suspicions.”

Eadgar had another question. The Prime Minister chose to oblige him. The reporter said, “Do you have any response to the Arkian claim that the sinking of the Konstantin Böhm was a false flag operation perpetrated by another nation?”

Eoforwine took a quick breath before responding. “Von Fraeyelv’s claims are completely unsubstantiated, and there is no evidence that the submarine was operated by any party other than the Arkian Empire. She is merely trying to deflect blame from herself.”

When Eoforwine got back to his office after the press conference, he picked up the phone. He needed to contact Ambassador Beohrtsige, to now present their case in front of the League of Novaris.

[Acronis]

The phone did not even finish the first ring before the soldier picked up the receiver. There was only one person who could call it.

“Ma’am?”

“Move Blade of Storm and Carrier Battle Group 1 to Rodoka, Sinajarv Sector. Move to submarine surveillance sweep plan six in the north, with sitreps twice daily. Fifth and Sixth Air Forces on standby. For the home islands, pull back Zhavrazhan and CBG2 to Anara Sector. We’re reducing the Ragea-Flame Channel Group to treaty minimums. One frigate at each entry point. Move destroyers to replace Zhavrazhan at Port Oculus Sector, move the rest to replace CBG1 in the Capital Sector. Rodoka to Threat Readiness Level 3, all other sectors Level 4.”

“Acknowledged,” replied the soldier, who had been typing the Prime Minister’s orders into the command system as she said them. Above her head, a set of five indicator lamps that had been in place in the Command Center for decades switched on. The amber light labeled 4 shone steady, and the one above 3 flashed, indicating a partial readiness increase. The soldier looked above her head for a moment and it occurred to her that it was the first time in fifteen years the third light had ever been lit.

---

Ministry of External Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Non-Classified

STATEMENT REGARDING MILITARY SITUATION IN ARKALARIUS AND KAROLINGIA

Acronian Minister of External Affairs Atra Lanash Metravar has released the following statement regarding the military situation in Arkalarius and Karolingia:

“The Acronian Empire is incredibly concerned to learn of the attack and sinking of the Karolingian vessel KKS Konstantin Böhm by what reports at this time indicate was a submarine flying the flag of Arkalarius. While the situation is still being investigated, if true, this represents an unacceptable violation of Karolingian sovereignty and a severe escalation of tension in an already tense environment. The Acronian Empire unequivocally and whole-heartedly condemns any act of unprovoked violence against Karolingia, and affirms its recognition of Karolingia as a sovereign state.”

“That said, the exact details of this event are still unclear. The parties involved must act quickly and with conviction with the goal of peace in mind and at heart. If allowed to continue to escalate, this conflict threatens the safety and security of the entire region of West Novaris. Acronis encourages its partners in the League of Novaris to act now to de-escalate the conflict.”

“We must act now to ensure that this conflict is resolved as quickly and as peacefully as possible. With five million people living on Rodoka, West Novaran security is Acronian security. We ourselves are still reeling from a deadly terrorist attack on Rodokan soil not even a week ago. Security and peace in West Novaris are tenuous and fragile. We must work together now, with conviction and with haste, to protect this peace that has been paid for with the blood of thousands. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and each other.”

[Tretrid]

Tretridian High Command, Cynebury

“Have you made sure that there are no records of the Fealcen in Karolingian waters?” The Prime Minister almost seemed worried.

Eadweard nodded.

“Good. We’ll need to do our best to cover our tracks. If the international community finds out who actually perpetrated this, we’re essentially doomed. Heck, even if internal investigators find out, the resulting scandal would badly damage Tretrid.” And so Eoforwine left the building.
[hr]
Later that day

Eoforwine flicked the news on. “Several mass gatherings have arisen all over Tretrid, calling for Tretrid to take more stringent action against Arkalarius. Some of the more hardline demonstrators have been calling for outright war-” He turned off the television.

One of the side effects of “Arkian” aggression was that the old hatred of Arkia had been revived for the first time since the Arkian Civil War. It appeared that nationalist elements in Tretrid had reawakened, and Eoforwine figured they could only get louder from there.

Was it worth it? He wasn’t too sure. He still felt really bad about having to resort to trickery to make Arkalarius look bad, and now he had to bear the secret of the false-flag operation. Only he, the Tretridian High Command, and the officers on the Fealcen knew.

But politics was all about trickery and lies. After all, if you didn’t resort to deceit, someone else will, and they will get an advantage over you. This applied to diplomacy as well. In the end, the only thing that mattered was Tretrid.

Eoforwine sighed. He had vowed at the start of his tenure as Prime Minister to keep Tretrid’s place in the world at any cost. But he hadn’t foreseen how deep the cost of leading a nation was. But now, it was all too clear. He had to lie to Tretrid’s own allies, he had to deceive everybody back home. He had to sacrifice his own morals to keep Tretrid at the top. After all, if you’re unwilling to resort to questionable things, others will and will gain the advantage. Such was the true cost of power.

He slumped as he sat down into his chair. Tretrid, much like himself, was changing, and he did not like where the country seemed to go. Sure, it would still be one of the main Novaran powers, but at what price?

Eoforwine was interrupted from his own guilt by a phone call

“You’ve reached the Prime Minister,” he said, his voice unusually weary.

“Ah, Mr. Eoforwine, it’s Beorhtsige.”

“Ah, yes, Beorhtsige. What did the Novaran Council decide?”

“They’ve decided to create an independent commission to investigate both the alleged border incursion and the submarine attack. One run by neutral parties. And they’ve agreed to hold a referendum on Karolingia.”

“That’s… not ideal, but I suppose I could work around that.” Eoforwine hung up the phone.

At least he had covered his tracks the best he could. For all anyone knew, the Fealcen was in the Atlantian Sea and had been there for the past few days. But the Karolingian refendum? An absolute recipe for unrest and disaster, no matter which ways it went.

[Ark]

July 31st
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

Karling slammed his fist down on the oak wood of his desk, his anger visible to all in the room. “You’re saying even after all of the evidence we had, after they overtly attacked one of our ships and killed our men, even after all of that they got away with only an investigation? Not to mention the fact that we’re being investigated as well."

“Well, yes sir… and, um… there’s one more thing.”

“Yes? Don’t be so timid, what is it?” said Karling, and it seemed clear he was trying to calm down.

“They’re going to force us to hold a referendum to rejoin Arkalarius, sir.”

A few seconds of stunned silence filled the room as Karling took in what his advisor had just said. “They WHAT?” He said, any attempts at regaining his calm disposition thrown out the metaphorical window. “You’re telling me that not only do we have to be subject to foreign agents investigating our nation, but they’re going to make us vote on our independence? I cannot believe this. You all, leave my office at once, I need to make a call.”

As Karling’s advisors shuffled out of his office, he furiously picked up the direct line telephone to Eoforwine’s office in Tretrid, and waited for him to pick up. “Those low down pieces of filth in the League will pay for this…”

[Ark]

August 5th,
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

The polling booths were being erected in the square, directly below his office window. This was a direct insult from the League of Novaris, Karling was sure of it. They had the gall to put their voting tents right next to the statue of Eckhardt Karling, the Revolutionary War hero and Julius’ direct ancestor.

As cars drove by outside and a gathering crowd collected around the League of Novaris referendum workers, Karling’s brooding was interrupted by a short series of sharp knocks on the oak door to his office. “Come in.” he said distractedly, but didn’t look up from his view of the square.

“High Lord Karling, it’s the League of Novaris diplomat sir.” said the attendant, as he opened the door for the woman in question.

“Hello Mr. Karling.” she said to him, making a point of not glancing at the four armed guards on either side of the door.

Karling turned to face her, a welcoming, if rather tired and forced, expression on his face. “And you must be Jeanne Cadieux, the League of Novaris emissary from Lissia.”

“Indeed I am. Progress on preparing for the referendum has been going well, we are starting polling in major cities and have been collecting votes in person and through mail in more rural areas for a few days now. Results will be ready in two months, at the beginning of October.”

“All seems to be in order then.” responded Karling, “I do hope the League isn’t working itself too hard.”

“We try our best, Karling.”

A few seconds of silence passed, and the two size eachother up, both completely poker-faced.

“Indeed… don’t we all. Very well then, in the name of democracy and peace, let us carry on.” said Karling the mocking tone barely detectable.

Cadieux merely nods, and exits the office. One of the guards gives Karling a meaningful glance, but Karling signals back negative. It wouldn’t look good to have the ambassador from the League of Novaris killed on Karolingian soil, that would merely… complicate things. Eoforwine had a plan after all. Eoforwine always had a plan.

[Tretrid]

(OOC: Joint post with Meagh)

General Érne Mhaighe, the Chief Executive and Commander of the Private Secular Militia heard ringing on the phone in her office. Sighing a little bit, she picked up the phone, she was a bit tired that day. “Hello, Erne Mhaige, MAP incorporated speaking. How can I help you?”

“Ah, Ms. Mhaige,” said a voice on the other end. “There is an interesting… business opportunity I have for you.”

Erne perked up, she recognized the voice instantly, but she kept it to herself. “That’s General Mhaige to you sir. A business opportunity is something that I would be most interested in. Specifics are of course needed for a proper contract.”

“You are probably aware that there is a referendum in Karolingia, about its continued independence. I would like your organization to… make sure that they vote to stay independent.”

Erne let out a slightly evil smile. “Of course. The Karolingian people must be ensured self determination, whether they like it or not. Of course the operating costs of such a venture, seeming legitimate and such would require extra compensation.”

“Of course. Your payment will be sent in what is ostensibly an aid package to Meagharia. Also, as far as anyone is concerned, this call did not happen.”

“Of course sir. I will begin preparing a team that should be perfect for your needs.”

“Then so be it. Make sure my confidence in you is well-placed.” The line went dead.

Erne placed the phone back down on the receiver. “Well thats a far more prestigious employer than i expected at this point.” She called in her subcommanders to help her start drafting plans.

[Ark]

August 10th,
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

A storm was brewing, no doubt. Karling could feel it in the air as he ascended the steps of the Capitol Building. The question was, he thought to himself, as he opened the mahogany doors to his office, which had once been the meeting room of the now deposed Neu Arkian council, how far would they go? The two-faced backstabbers in Arkalarius would surely do anything in their power to make sure the damned referendum came out in their favor, which would result in his nation being ripped from his grasp, and eagerly devoured by the Ilse woman and her cronies.

Karling sat down behind the polished round table that he had left in the center of the room for use as his desk, and absentmindedly reached for his in tray, taking the first document off the top of the sheaf of papers within. As for the others… Durakia was in no position to do anything, nor did they wish to. The same would probably apply to Meagharia, though he couldn’t be sure. Aponivia was too neutral to care, even if they were on Karling’s very doorstep, and the rest were inconsequential. Tretrid however… he thought he could trust Eoforwine, but could he be sure? Even if he tried something, it would probably be in Karling’s favor. Probably.

His line of thought was quickly interrupted by the headline on the piece of paper he’d just taken out of his in tray. Breaking: Polls Show Reunification Leading in the Referendum - Can Karling Pull Through? It took him half a second to register what he had just read, and another to check the newspaper. Arkian, as he had assumed. No Karolingian paper would be allowed to print this drivel and remain in business. The Alstradt Times however, they were a different story. Karling sighed with resignation, and pushed the paper aside. Polls had only really begun in large population centers, mainly the cities close to Arkalarius, which just so happened to be majority in favor of rejoining the latter. According to his team working on the referendum, it looked like independence would catch up and win in the end, and would they lie to Karling? Well, almost certainly they would, but they wouldn’t get away with it for long.

Karling had just set down the newspaper to take a look at the other documents in the steadily accumulating pile of paper on his desk when his office doors swung open once more, admitting his newly appointed minister of foreign relations. The previous one had been caught selling information to Arkian diplomats, and although this one wasn’t nearly as well trained for such a job, but he was far too cowardly to try anything like that.

The man stood there uncomfortably, shifting around nervously as he waited for Karling to address him.

“Yes? Speak up man, what is it?” Said Karling at last, a tone of exasperation entering his voice.

“Er, Mr. Karling—that is, Your Lordship,” he said, stumbling over his own words, “I’ve just come from the office downstairs, one of my diplomats is reporting suspicious Arkian behavior at their embassy.”

Karling sighed, and gestured for the man to sit down. It wasn’t the fool’s job to tell him this, but he was still new, and it wasn’t like the Karolingian government was in the best of places anyway.

“Very well, tell them to look into it with extreme discretion. And next time you get something like this, have a clark send it up to me, there’s no need to to it personally. You merely need to worry about our relations with foreign states, not every piece of gossip from the men and women in your employ. Do you understand?”

The man nodded vigorously, and responded to Karling, gulping in trepidation as he did so. “Yes your lordship, I’ll know what to do next time.”

A moment later, the wooden doors were swinging shut behind his rapidly retreating figure, and Karling was left alone with his thoughts and his papers once more. He wasn’t disturbed for several hours after that, and spent the majority of the time reading reports and talking to people over the phone. Just as he was finishing a call with a Acronian statesman however, his secretary came in bearing another copy of the Alstradt Times. Wordlessly, she handed Karling the newspaper, and backed out of the room while he was still reading the headline, closing the door behind her. Karling threw the paper to the ground with a distasteful snort as he saw the headline on the accursed article. Kaiserin Ilse Erika Promises Compensation, Legal Protection for Karolingians Post-Unification. So she thought she could bribe her way to victory? Surely not. This must be a ploy, after all, it always was with her.

[Ark]

August 12th,
Freyaelv,
Arkalarius

The inner machinations of Ilse Erika’s thoughts were a mystery to most, and an enigma to the rest. She had often remarked the only person who could tell what she was thinking was her personal assistant, Otto Schultze. Of course, now that he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs she had other people to help. Still, they were no Otto.

Ilse walked to the long, curved window overlooking Capitol Square, and looked down at the people walking below while she thought. The view from the Königskammer was rather nice, pity it had to be tainted by the poor news of the day. According to her informants, armed poll watchers had been spotted in Karolingia. None had been caught, but that was no surprise. The strange part was that Karling legitimately seemed to think she was the one behind all of this, as if the poll watchers were making people vote in favor of reunification. One could only hope, though of course Ilse herself was not foolish enough to do so. She’d barely even entertained the idea before dismissing it.

That wasn’t all though. Some irregularities were appearing in the projected polls, irregularities Karling would be hard put to orchestrate. No, it was likely somebody else in the League, perhaps somebody was bribing officials? Unlikely, but not impossible. Whatever the case, it was clear that outside interference was on the course to alter the results of the Karolingian referendum. This could not be tolerated. Ilse would have to do something about this interference, even if it meant interfering a little bit herself. She smiled to herself, before turning around, and striding out of her office. She had business to attend to.

Meanwhile,
WAR Headquarters,
Tretrid

The final document was placed on his the table. The course of action was clear, and everybody at the meeting agreed. He knew he could trust them all, every man or woman here would gladly give their life for the Arkian Republic. The man stood, smiling at the individuals grouped before him.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. I believe this matter has been settled. Now, I have a meeting with my good friend Mr. Eoforwine.”

He made his way out of the long room, shaking hands as he went. There was still a long way to go until democracy could be restored in Arkia, but he would not falter. Not one bit. With that thought in his mind, the last President of the Arkian Republic walked out the door. George Westwood Gray was back, and he was ready to get to work.

[Socialist_Dylan]

Zurska, Durakia

Alov had meant well. Of course he had. Despite his position as Secretary of Diplonacy he had put the will of the Karolingian People over Durakia’s misgivings about Arkia.

But, Alov wasn’t in charge of Novari Diplomacy anymore. The man was too overworked to not delegate.

Adolf Yarotov took the unmarked Colech and smiled. “Pleasure doing buisness with you, Comrade.”

The DCP agent simply nodded. They now had access to officials within Karolingia, given directly from the League of Novaris Ambassador.

The Durakan Communist Party were no stranger to underhand tactics to acheive their goals, and defying Arkian dominance was certainly worth the Colech.

Now, they would have some calls to make and some money to ensure this plan goes smoothly. Bribes set, Agents in Karolingia. Simple In-Out operation.

Arik Maylow, Communist Party Chairman and Leader of the Opposition, took a drink of Yorsh as the report came in that the deal had gone well and agents deployed. All going as planned.

[Ark]

August 12,
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

Investigators from the League of Novaris had been working to make sure the Karolingian referendum was not tampered with since the beginning. It was of paramount importance that this vote be allowed to conclude itself. If it didn’t, it could cause a serious risk to regional stability, especially with the once more rising Tretrido-Arkian tensions.

So, when only a few weeks from the conclusion of the vote on September 1st, evidence of possible fraud came up, the team working on the referendum were all abuzz. Something had to be done, and luckily for them, their evidence in question was the assistant of a Lissian man named Jean Jutras from the League helping to secure the referendum. All they had to do was tap his phone line and wait for more conclusive evidence of fraud to come up.

Surprisingly enough, they did not have to wait for very long. The next day, on August 12th, one of Jean’s calls turned out to be extremely useful. Although the details were vague, it appeared he was going to be meeting somebody this very day to receive an undisclosed amount of money, in cash.

Naturally, upon learning of this extremely suspicious meeting, the team sent a small task force of League officials backed up by the Karolingian police to observe the meeting and arrest both parties if necessary. To their surprise, upon arresting both men, they were easily able to identify the stranger, and he was no Karolingian. In fact, his name and face would be plastered over newspapers and news channels alike for the next few days, as he was none other than a Mr. Korovin Cheslav of the Durakian Communist Party.

[Socialist_Dylan]

(OOC: Joint Post with Tretrid)

Wesnov, Durakia

Adley had just come home from a series of flights, and Jet Lag was getting to the Direklieter. He had grabbed a drink of water and sat at his desk, hoping to have a short day at work. Not much was happening, due to the upcoming recess, so he was pretty hopeful.

But then, a phone ringing cut his thoughts of holidays with his family short. He sighed and picked up the phone, before tiredly speaking into it.

“Direklieter Adley, speaking. How cam I help you?”

“Ah, Mr. Adley, it’s Prime Minister Eoforwine. As you no doubt know, there’s some… worrying developments that have been happening.”

He sighs, “You’ll have to catch me up, Prime Minister. I’d have to guess this is relating to something in Arkia?”

Eoforwine groaned. “Unfortunately, yes, and it also involves your country.”

“That is…rather concerning. I hadn’t seen anything wrong in Irnac, but with the jet lag I haven’t been caught up to much.”

“I take it you are aware of the referendum in Karolingia?”

“Yes I believe so, Alov said he had supported the idea, one of his last actions in the LN before that job was given to Yarotov.”

“League investigators apprehended one Korovin Cheslav, a member of the DCP. I believe that they may have been trying to interfere in the Karolingian referendum.”

Adley sighed again and took a long drink of water, trying to process this. “…I suppose an Inquest into the Communists are in order. I wish I could tell you I was suprised but that would imply that this against exactly something Mr Maylow would’ve wanted to do. Regardless of either of our opinions on Arkia, election fraud cannot stand.”

“The very concept of interference in the Karolingian referendum is extremely concerning, and even despite my own political biases I do believe that the Karolingian people are entitled to have their voice heard in a free and fair election, instead of having the outcome chosen for them by others.”

“On that subject I believe that there are allegations that the Arkians themselves tried to interfere, which is even more concerning. I’m not sure whether the people who interfered were trying to sway the outcome or to undermine the legitimacy of the referendum.”

“As far as I know, the DCP could want either. Arkia themselves, while I am wary of their place in West Novaris, I am not sure. Allegations are not enough to act on, so I leave that up to the LN. I will have to give Maylow a piece of my mind though.”

“Yes, I presume the LN will probably move to investigating what happened in that referendum. Hopefully nothing like this happens again, but given how high-stakes West Novaran politics are, I wouldn’t count on it.”

Adley gave an empty laugh. “That’s West Novaris for you. I expect this is not the last of instability in the region by far.”

Eoforwine sighed. “I believe that the instability only will get worse from here.”

“West Novaris is destabilizing again, and I fear to see what the outcome of this new instability is.”

“It’s not the first time we’ve dealt with instability. I just worry of what my successor will have to deal with in five years.”

“Unfortunately, West Novaris always finds new and creative ways to disappoint us.”

“I’ll say. Just seems to go from one crisis to the next. I certainly can’t say I look at Irnac with any optimism.”

“I wish that the nations of Novaris would be able to come together in these times and respond to these problems in a peaceful way, but politics always gets in the way. Even in Tretrid, which is generally seen as far away from the fray, there’s increased nationalist activity and more popular demand for more stringent anti-Arkian measures.”

“Frankly, I hear people saying I’m the last thing keeping the SDP in power. I already was concerned of a DWP-DCP Coalition before the I knew the communists were infering in Karolingia. If I can hold together our relations with the UCA and our allies in West Novaris, I have to worry if the next Direklieter would just want to ruin that for ‘a return to revolutionary spirit’. I fear the age of Moderates is coming to an abrupt end soon.”

“I could say the same for Tretrid, really. The far right is becoming more mobilized because of this nationalist spirit and I fear that they’d cast away all of Tretrid’s foreign policy for some ‘greater Tretridian State’ or something dumb like that.”

“Nationalism seems to be a fog that blinds cooperation, whether left or right I suppose. I’d hope the inquest into the DCP will tarnish their name, but I imagine they’ll double-down and state they were ‘fighting Imperialism through false democracy’.I’d call it sad if I wasn’t acutely aware of how effective it is.”

“We can wallow in how terrible the future seems, but I guess that makes it all the more urgent that we cooperate in the present. Despite what the nationalists might say, Tretrid needs its friends and allies, and the country is nothing without them.”

“Exactly, I’d like to say we are one of them. Thank you for your call, Prime Minister. Needless to say, this matter shall be dealt with by our law enforcement, and I hope both you and I may be ready for the next domino in this seemingly endless chain of instability.”

“As ready as we can be, with how volatile this seems. I wish you the best of luck in your inquiry.”

“Thank you. I hope our next phone call may be over something more positive. I wish you all the best in the minefield politics seems to be these days”

Adley hung up, sighing. He was never a man to anger but, even if he was at a point of rage, he was too tired. He took another drink of water, called up his Secretary to get him the paperwork required to authorize an inquest, and just sat at his desk.

“I suppose it is time I tackle the DCP directly after all. I don’t know what Maylow thinks he’s doing, but I refuse to let him and his men soil the ideals of democracy we are built on.”

[Ark]

September 1st, 2020
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

Julius Karling was a very busy man. The days leading up to the final count of the referendum votes had been extremely taxing, and he was in no mood for more interruptions. Nevertheless, the universe seemed to conspire against him. Not only did he now have suspicions that both the Arkians and the Durakians had tried to interfere with the referendum, but the League of Novaris investigators were reporting… inconsistencies. There was no link they could draw to Durakia or Arkia however, and that was concerning. The only other parties that would risk interfering would be Tretrid, but Karling was certain Eoforwine wouldn’t try anything. At least, he thought he was. Now that the blasted referendum was to be completed in only a matter of days, he was having some doubts on the matter.

Karling’s reverie was broken by the shrill ringing of a telephone. He looked down at his desk, and picked up the phone, slightly perplexed. He didn’t have any calls scheduled, yet this was the high-priority telephone, specifically for calls from other state leaders, or for figures of similar political importance.

“This is Julius Karling speaking.” he said into the phone, reaching for a paper and pen to get some legal work done while he talked to whoever had called him.

As the person from the other side of the line responded, Karling’s heart sunk, and he nearly dropped his pen. He knew that voice. Did she really have the audacity to call him, mere days before the referendum was over?

“Yes, I imagine you would be, seeing as I called you. This is of course Ilse Erika von Freyaelv speaking, and I do hope I am not disrupting anything important.”

Karling clenched his jaw in rage, biting down on his scathing response. At a time like this, he must remain calm, collected, and observe proper diplomatic protocol. “Of course. So then, mein Kaiserin,” he said, using the title almost mockingly, “for what reason have you called me?”

“Oh, a matter of little importance, but seeing as it concerns the wellbeing of your nation I thought you ought to know. To put it bluntly, I have reason believe Tretrid is interfering in the referendum. From what I can gather from the League’s detectives, not only have armed poll watchers and other possibly dangerous individuals been spotted coercing individuals to vote for independence, but voting inconsistencies are growing, possibly indicating corruption within the League, tampering with the very counting of the votes. I do plan to bring this up in a meeting of the League of Novaris of course, but I thought you should hear of it first.”

Karling stayed silent for a few moments, his mind racing. Every part of his body wanted to scream into the phone, tell the stuck-up pompous interfering woman to take her damned suspicions to the League and so he it. Yet, he didn’t. For the first time since he had seized power, he was beginning to lose trust in Eoforwine. What if Von Freyaelv was correct? What if Tretrid really was interfering with the referendum? What if, the Allfather forbid, the attack on the Konstantin Böhm actually had been orchestrated by the very man he considered an ally?

No. Surely not. Karling shook the insidious suspicions out of his head, and responded derisively. “I thank you for the consideration, but I am afraid that cannot be the case.”

Even as he said it, Karling was feeling the doubt growing in his head, but he pushed it back and continued talking. “You must be mistaken, for my reports contain no such inconsistencies. Thank you for the information once more.” he said, hanging up before she could respond.

Karling sighed, and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. As much as he hated to admit it, she might have a point. He truly did want to trust Eoforwine, yet somehow he just wasn’t able to have complete faith in the man. Reaching a decision, Karling leaned over to grab the phone again, and began making a call to Eoforwine. If Karolingia was to prevail, it would need allies. If Tretrid really was interfering with the vote, well, at least it was in Karling’s favor.

•••

Cynebury,
Tretrid

George Gray strolled out of his meeting with Eoforwine feeling rather on top of things. The meeting had gone well, excellently even. Eoforwine had received many of his suggestions and requests rather well, and even made an extremely interesting proposal of his own, one that would definitely have to be officially voted on, though George had no doubts that his government would see it positively.

George, or as many people called him, Jeb was the Bundespräsident, Federal President of the Arkian Confederation, the exiled democratic government of Arkalarius. He had been in exile for 15 years now, and finally, after all this time, democracy was to be given another chance.

As the flames of instability roared across West Novaris, a phoenix had been given the opportunity to rise from within them, and reclaim its place in the world order.

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[Ark]

(OOC: Joint post with me and SocDyl)

September 2nd, 2020,
Wesnov,
Durakia

George Gray stepped into the office of Emil Petrov, Durakian Deputy of the Union Council. It had been an agreeable enough flight from Cynebury, and he was in a good mood.

“Mr. Petrov? Your assistant said you would be waiting for me.”

Emil nodded, sat behind his desk and placed down the paperwork he had been looking over. “Yes, hello Mr Gray. Would you like some water or coffee before we begin?”

George smiled, and nodded in return. “I would be rather partial to a cup of coffee, thank you.”

“Of course, I’ll ask Karl to get two if you’d like to take a seat.” Emil said, before paging in the request to his assistant. “Unfortunately, for diplomatic reasons, we can’t officially treat this as a state visit, but I hope the hospitality we offered has been good.”

George took the seat offered, and nodded once more. “Indeed, your hospitality has been most appreciated. As for the diplomatic issue, hopefully that will not be a problem for long. That’s actually part of the reason I came here you see. I believe I have a chance to restore democracy to West Novaris, and I’m certainly going to take it.”

Emil smiled, “I had assumed such, that’s why we were happy to have you here. There are some…let’s say obstacles to offering our full support, but I will say your goal is rather admirable, Mr Gray, and I am certainly happy to hear you out.”

George spread his hands in a gesture of gratitude as he listened to Emil. “And I thank you for that. Eoforwine seems to share your opinion, for he has recently given me this chance of a lifetime. Without him, I likely wouldn’t be here today. Even so, if I do manage to bring about a restored Arkian state, I must have allies, and I’m not sure Tretrid and Arkalarius will be able to get along without quite a lot of outside help. I’ve come here to secure a promise of friendship. If my plan pans out as it should, I want Durakia as my ally.”

“Hm.” Emil took a sheet of paper from his desk. “There are a few barriers to a formal Durakan-Arkian alliance, but a Democratic regime would certainly have a positive impact. What is always going to be a barrier is the Socialists and the situation in Irnac, however I believe the latter may be a solution to the former, if we may arrive at a solution.”

“Indeed, although of course for some time we will not be ‘Arkalarius’ as you know it. Eoforwine has proposed setting up the democratic government in the Tretridian-occupied Arkian territory of Schlesia. This means until I can secure the peninsula, I will not hold any of central Arkia itself.” George laughed, and said jokingly, “It’s not like I can just march into Freyaelv and depose the imperialists on my own.”

“If only,” Emil said, cracking a smile. “However, my point is that so long as you remain a claimant to the Arkian Government, your official statement on the island of Irnac would be a powerful bargaining chip not only for Durakia, but for me to gain the blessings of the Democratic Workers’ Party to officially recognize you as such. And, if all does come to your plan, a new friendly Arkian government offering a solution to Irnac would be an appealing ally.”

As they spoke, coffee was brought in and Emil nodded a thank you to Karl as he awaited George’s reaction.

George steepled his fingers pensively, and shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive answer. Unlike Von Freyaelv, I’m not a dictator, and the people of Arkalarius will have to answer themselves, once democracy is restored to them.”

He takes a sip of his coffee, nodding politely to Karl.

“This is frankly the impasse that has kept us recognizing the government in Freyaelv. While Durakia agrees the Arkian people should be determining their state, those whom I need the support of to get anything changed would argue the Rydanian and Ernokish speaking dwarves and men under Arkian Dominion should be the ones to determine themselves, and the popularity of the Anarchistic “Liberation” terrorist group grows, the voices that demand those Ernokish voices be heard by either Arkian government get louder and louder on our side of the border. If you are to state that you would support their decision on Irnac, then you put us in a position to challenge Freyaelv and allow me to push for your recognition.”

George cocked his head to the side, and sat in thought for a few seconds, before sighing, and spreading his hands wide again. “And yet, these people, they preach of ‘liberation’ for these people, but would see them annexed by the Durakian state, not given the true liberation of an independent nation of Irnac, untarnished by powers from across the waves. I am sorry Mr. Petrov, but I cannot stray from what I believe to be right. I stand for democracy and freedom, and Durakia used this freedom to settle their issue over Irnac with the Freyaelv government in 2015. What you have are discontented politicians, and although I agree with their sentiment, I do not support the choices they wish to make. If I am to truly restore democracy to Arkalarius, it shall not be as a pawn of Tretrid and anyone who lends support to me in exchange for power, but as a legitimate independent government returning to the land whence it came.”

Emil sighed and nodded. “Well, the only path I have to offer to get an alliance is that quite honestly. My personal opinions of Arkia and Irnac are aside from my offer here, because what you ask of me is to convince politicians, who have had family die as members of volunteer brigades to fight your and von Freyaelv’s governments, to support you over the government currently in power. Unless I am to get such a bargaining chip as the weakening of Arkian hold over Irnac, I have little to offer you other than words of good luck.”

George looked directly into Emil’s eyes, a deep, penetrating stare. “If they chose to support a federation of secessionist states in the civil war, they must live with that burden. I am not responsible for the deaths of their family members, and that doesn’t seem to have stopped them dealing with the imperialists. I truly do wish to do this with Durakian support, but if I must go alone, I shall.”

“Then I’m afraid under the current climate, you shall. It is no longer the same situation in 2015, we are formally led by the DWP, and they are unhappy with the dealings with the Imperials as much as you are, unless you give me something to offer them, any recognition or cooperation with you will be voted against without question. I stand in a position where I may not be in my position in two years, and those who could replace me do not believe in your government. I called a vote to recognize your government when I stood as Union Council Leader, but without a reason to sway the left, it was brought down by the DWP and Communists. I’m afraid unless you can offer me a tool in which to put you over the ruling government in Freyaelv, Arkia must liberate itself before any friendship may be offered by the Durakan Government.”

“I cannot and will not make any promises about Irnac, it is far too early for that. However, unlike the Imperialists, I am willing to open further discussions and conferences on the topic, as well as economic and social policies that would be mutually beneficial. Irnac may never be unified, but even so, we could make it function as if it was. There is much I can offer, but for any of that to come to be, they must first have faith in me and the rightful government of Arkalarius.”

George stood, and nodded to Emil. “Thank you for your time Mr. Petrov. I am sorry that I cannot offer more, but Durakia must choose their own path, and I will not lie to them.”

Emil nodded. “On a personal level, I hope you may suceed and that we may support you as you dot, but as a politician all I may say is that I shall make a formal consideration of your offer with the Council of Trade Unions, and I thank you for coming to meet me. I certainly have faith, but it shall be convincing the Union Council that shall decide where our state may fall. I wish you all the best, Mr Gray.”

George Gray leaned over the desk to shake Emil’s hand, and then walked out of his office, lamenting that the meeting could not have gone better in his head. All things considered however, it had not been terrible. Although the Irnac situation had, as expected, put a spanner in the works, he would just have to wait and see if Emil could work his magic and convince the Union Council.

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