Renaissance of Fire

[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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[Ark]

September 3rd, 2020
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

It was the evening before the final day of voting, and Karling inwardly dreaded the results that would start to be calculated on the fifth. Sure, according to most news services the statistics were pointing to Karolingian independence winning out, but it was close, too close to call even.

Karling’s car turned the corner, second in a line of identical vehicles, flanked by a police escort on each side. With a sudden jerk, the sleek automobile stopped only a few meters down the road, and the driver looked back to Karling, shaking his head.

“Sorry Sir, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to deviate from our course slightly. The police are keeping them contained, but the protestors are out in force, they’re blocking off an entire street.” he said, before reaching for his radio and signaling for the police escort to turn around.

Ah yes, that was the other half of the problem. Even if the League’s investigators were working hard to make sure the referendum went untampered, their own reports seemed to signal otherwise. Pro-Arkian protestors had flooded the streets a week ago, and that had quickly devolved into violence, no matter how emphatically Karling had told his police not to allow that to happen. Now with the Arkians getting the League to formally investigate Tretrid under suspicions of referendum fraud, people were flocking to the streets to protest, both for Arkian reunification and for Karolingian independence.

As Karling mused to himself, his car pulled to a stop outside the gates to the capitol building’s driveway, which was quickly opened for the convoy of vehicles to pass through.

A few minutes later, as Karling exited the vehicle, he was approached by a tall grey-haired man he didn’t recognize, who extended a hand in greeting.

“Mr. Karling, it is good to meet you at last. I am Jean Vesserin of the League of Novaris Independent Commission for the Security and Integrity of the Karolingian Referendum.” he said, grimacing at the organization’s long name. “Or the ICSIKR. Catchy, I know.”

If he was expecting a response, he didn’t get one. Karling merely raised an eyebrow quizzically and motioned for Jean to follow him. “Alright, come with me then, we can talk in my office.”

“Actually your lordship, I think it prudent that we discuss this immediately, perhaps on the way there. This matter is of extreme importance, time is of the essence here.”

Karling glanced over at him, his interested piqued. “Do tell.”

“As you know, we have been investigating certain irregularities within the process of the Karolingian independence referendum. One of the issues that repeatedly cropped up was reports of armed poll watchers. Unfortunately, we had never caught one. That is, until now. Working with local police, League agents have managed to arrest two men, both of whom have been identified. Strangely enough, they are both Meagharian nationals, and even stranger, they belong to a Meagharia-based private military company known as the Private Secular Militia. Thus far, they have not answered any of our questions, and the company that employs them is refusing to comment.”

“Indeed, this is quite…” Karling paused for a second, “…concerning. I do of course wish you and your team the best of luck. It is of paramount importance that this referendum goes untampered with, as we must prove that the Karolingian people have a will of their own.”

Karling of course knew he was lying through his teeth, but what else could he tell the investigator? “Thank you very much, now please bugger off and tell the Meagharians thanks.”? He certainly didn’t think so.

As they reached his office, Karling nodded to Jean respectfully, and shook his hand. “Thank you for coming to me with his information. I trust it will be made public shortly?” Jean nodded, and Karling smiled to himself. Perfect. The media would eat it up, and that slimy bastard Eoforwine would get them out of everything scot-free. He was certainly good at what he did, Karling had to admit.

•••

Cynebury,
Tretrid

As the sun set below the city skyline, George Gray convened the exiled government of the Arkian Confederation. They were a motley ragtag of old politicians, nobles still loyal to the Confederation, and young disillusioned Arkians who had fled the Empire to join Gray’s cause. Nevertheless, in Gray’s eyes, they were far more legitimate than the glorified military dictatorship in mainland Arkia.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have Tretrid on our side, and sympathizers in Durakia, though many still distrust us for the events that transpired in the civil war. It may not be much, but we have a fighting chance, and I intend to take it. The red and gold of the Arkian people shall wave once more.” said George solemnly, placing one hand on his chest. “I pledge on my life to reclaim the Arkian peninsula for its people, and deliver them from autocracy to democracy. We shall restore the Confederation, and the people of Arkalarius shall once more be free.”

Clapping filled the room, and George waited for it to subside. “And these are no empty words, no promises never to be fulfilled. I have convened the entire government here today to discuss a matter of immense importance. Eoforwine has given us a chance to obtain legitimacy as a nation. He intends to transfer control of the Tretridian-occupied territory of Schlesia to us, so that we may embark on this journey of redemption.”

Before George could continue, voices filled the room, and he had to calmly wait for the exited conversations to die down.

“Indeed comrades, this is the first step to a true rebirth of the Arkian Confederation. We shall have a renaissance like no other, one born from the heart of fire.”

George ‘Jeb’ Gray smiled as the people he knew and trusted cheered. For the first time in fifteen years, they had hope.

[Socialist_Dylan]

Deichlander Volkstag, Bohrstadt
November 1st, 2020

Elias entered the Volkstag Building as he usually would on any normal day, taking his place at the front of the Volkstag. On his right stood the 19 men that made up his coalition, while his left stood the 17 members of the Opposition. The Volkstag was a rather small government, but certainly not a weak one when under the right leadership.

Elias took a deep breath and took a second to glance around the well-lit grey room, with a painting of the Black Phoenix of Deichland displayed proudly upon the wall opposite to him. There was an unusual tension in the air, but it was one the Lord Minister could not place a reason to. He met eyes with Lars Kreir, the Head of the Deichlander Arbeiterpartei, then Alwin Steube, Shadow Minister and head of the Liberale Partei von Deichland, but these two men had nothing new in their eyes. In fact, if Elias was to guess, they were just as confused by the tension as him.

The Lord Minister sighed, maybe he was just projecting on them, the off feeling would likely leave him soon.

“As Lord Minister, I call upon those chosen by the People of Deichland to be seated, as I call this meeting of the Volkstag in session.” He announced in his usual firm and inexpressive tone. It was a phrase he had learned off by heart now, so he did not need to think before saying it as he waited for the Volkstag members to take their seats. All, as expected, did.

Well, all except one

“I ask the Lord Minister to halt today’s proceedings, as I wish to speak first.”

Elias looked over to the direction of the voice, unsure of what he had just heard. The audacity it took to deny a call to sit for the Volkstag was enough to shake Elias slightly, but as he met the eyes of the man who remained standing, the confusion and anger turned to dread.

“…Very well. The Lord Minister gives notice to the request of the Vice Minister. You may speak as you wish, Mr Ebert.”

The members of the Volkstag looked towards Vice Minister Heinz Ebert, curious as to what was so important for him to say. The tall black haired man stood confidently as he gained the attention of his fellow politicians, meeting their confusion and concern with a smile.

Ebert’s Party, the Sozialistische Nationale Volkspartei, was certainly the wildcard in Deichlander politics. formerly a radical socialist party, the SNVP had been known to border ideals of Communal Nationalism and Facism throughout the years. Ebert had risen through the ranks as a supporter of a more moderate Left Wing Nationalism, allowing his party to steal seats from the APD after the scandals involving its former leader Sofia Otto - even managing to form a coalition government with Elias’ Deichlander Ökologische Arbeiterpartei to become Vice Minister.

Ebert, after assuring he had got the undivided attention of the Volkstag, began speaking:

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Volkstag, Representatives of Deichland, Those who have the legacy of a proud revolutionary people. The hour has come where I am to speak to you frankly. The Deichlander People stood united once, in 1848. We stood for a Deichland that ruled by its own right, by no foolish noble who claimed to represent gods we do not hold as our own. Troops of those states who defied our people came and fell to our superiority, and now where are we? Stuck under a Kaserin who has no right to lead our great people. Neither I nor the People of Deichland harbor hostile feeling towards the other Arkian States, but if they are to stand under this system of foolish rulers that with to set democracies like us aflame for the sake of holding their domination over Arkalarius. I shall stand for it no longer! Members of the Volkstag! Socialists, Patriots and Nationalists! Do we really wish to allow ourselves to live under the boot of von Freyaelv? Or do we leave this government who kneels at the boot of their Empress and join forces with those who wish to bring all of Arkalarius back to its former glory?”

The Volkstag erupted in voices, as some stood to decry the Vice Minister as a traitor while others called in support that any who did not stand for a return to an Arkian Democracy were the true traitors.

Elias simply stood there, waiting for the Volkstag to quieten down as he ordered those who intended to leave to do so with their resignations. He looked at the 29 men who remained and sighed before dismissing them.

He knew now that the events in Schlesia would tear this Republic apart should something not be done, and done quickly.

[Ark]

September 4, 2020
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

“Lord Karling, this is Alstradt Central Television, do you have any statements on the current unrest in the streets?”

“Dalarai Intero Ranaš, for the CNS. Is it true that rioters have been met with lethal force in multiple cities?”

The mob of reporters swarmed Karling, barely kept at bay by his escort as they waved their microphones and raised their damn cameras above each other’s heads.

“And for the Cryrian News Network, what is your stance on the rumors of Tretrid giving up control of Schlesia?” said another one of them, thrusting the microphone forward over the security team. “This is Josef Ekdahl for CNN.”

Karling just kept walking, his security detail would deal with the reporters. Damn those information hungry bastards he thought to himself as the doors to the Lord’s Building were opened by two members of his entourage. They would stop at nothing to get even the smallest amount of dirt on him, and when they did inevitably find some reason to blame him for everything wrong in the world, by Thaer they would use it.

“Sir, the latest statistics have come in, I think you’d like to take a look.”

Karling looked up to see the young, slightly acne-scarred face of Liam Altmann, a new assistant hired to help keep track of the referendum. Liam was too young to remember the days of the Arkian Confederation, the lad had grown up with an independent Neu Arkia, and now he supported the independent Karolingia. A pawn to be sure, but a useful one.

“Well? What is it then?” said Karling in return, glancing over at the pile of paper spilling out of Liam’s office.

“Going off of multiple outside news sources, it’s neck and neck, favoring Arkian reunification. However, newer statistics just in from the counting centers seem to show a heavy shift towards independence. The change is rather unusual, but if it keeps going like this we should win the referendum handily.”

Karling merely nodded slowly as the young man gestured to some graphs pinned to the wall. He was not nearly as confident, but he wouldn’t let that show.

“Excellent work Altmann, thank you for letting me know.”

Liam beamed at the complement, but before he could go into any further detail Karling cut him off.

“Unfortunately, there is work to be done on my side as well, and I must be off. The ministers are waiting for me.”

Liam nodded, slightly crestfallen, but he knew better than to object. With that out of the way, Karling made for the stairs, and quickly ascended, followed by his security detail. As he neared the door to his office, the former council chamber of the corrupt lords of Neu Arkia, they fanned out to make way for him, and Karling entered the room.

It was lit mostly by a large circular skylight, of similar diameter to the table directly below it. Spread out around the table were the various men and women that made up Karling’s government. They certainly weren’t the best, but they were all loyal enough to make up for that. Karling would rather have a team of morons he could trust than a team of geniuses he couldn’t.

“Ministers.” he said respectfully, nodding to them in turn before he took his seat. “I gather you all are aware of the situation.”

“Yes my lord, but what should we do about it?” said Klaus Brahm, Karling’s Minister of Internal Security. “I’ve already mobilized the police, but they can only do so much, and violence is bound to break out.”

Karling shook his head. “Any violence may serve as an unfortunate and regrettable drawback to the safety of our nation, but it is a necessary evil. I would rather have one or two dead rioters than one or two burning cities, plunged into anarchy by pro-Arkian insurgents.”

Brahm nodded enthusiastically. Whatever faults the man had, at least he knew how to take orders mused Karling. On the other hand, the execution of those orders may not be so admirable.

A woman on the far side of the table shook her head disapprovingly. “Unnecessary violence will only further escalate the situation. We should focus on calming the masses, not keeping them in line. Let them protest, don’t step in.”

Karling gave her a blank stare. Gertrude Schumer was his new minister of internal affairs. Unlike the previous occupant of her position, she was rather competent. However, also unlike him, she was much less receptive to Karling’s orders. Loyal, yes, but she probably would have supported a democracy in Karolingia if that were an option. Still, she would have to be kept in line.

“I cannot stand by and let these people burn buildings and smash windows. However, you do have a point. Brahm, organize the police defensively, instruct them to only use force when overtly provoked, and to mainly focus on keeping the protests nonviolent. Understood?”

“Yessir.” he said, a slight twitch of disappointment flickering across his face.

Karling nodded to him, inwardly repulsed by the man’s lack of composure. If you were going to be a slimy bastard who held no regard for sentient life, you should at least try and hide it. With an inward sigh, Karling moved on to the next subject at hand.

“Good. Now, what is the state of Schlesia? I heard there were rumors of Tretrid giving up power, is this true?”

“Yes sir.” said one of his aides, putting a document on the table in front of him. "But not to the Arkian Empire. Eoforwine’s granting control of it to old ‘Jeb’ Gray and his lot.

Karling almost started at the news. George Gray? Now that was a surprise. He’d thought the old Arkian government died years ago, and now they were coming back from the grave in Schlesia of all places, with support from Tretrid and Eoforwine of all people. That was Karling’s first reaction at least, because within a few seconds another had surfaced. Why had Eoforwine given the land to the exiled Confederation instead of him? Did he really trust a second generation Morstaybishlian immigrant to run Arkalarius over him, Julius Karling?

“This… I… very good, thank you.” he said to the aide, quickly regaining his composure. “Now then, if that’s settled, I have some work to attend to. We’re cutting the meeting short, I did not expect this to come up.”

The ministers stood and bowed respectfully in turn, but Karling could swear he caught Schumer giving him an odd look as she left.

“Damn!” he said as soon as he was alone, slamming the mahogany table with his fist. Nothing was working out the way it should. First the referendum, then riots in the streets, and now this? He glanced longingly at the drinks cabinet in the corner, but steeled himself. Karolingia needed a strong leader now, in its time of need. And if his nation so required, Karling would deliver.

Mistral,
Schlesia

George ‘Jeb’ Gray marveled at the ancient architecture of the aptly named “fortress city” Mistral. The massive city was easily the biggest in Schlesia, taking up the whole island of Mistral. Three layers of well-maintained stone walls ringed the inner city, but by now the people of Mistral had ventured long beyond the old Tretridian fortifications. Partially because of the old walls, the city boasted a very centralized design, with the streets emanating from a central square. At the end of this square lay the building Jeb felt honored to have his government installed in. Once a palace for the lord of this city in the times of Tretridian West Novaris, the building was a five story fortress of a mansion, two large wings extending from either side to encircle a small part of the city’s huge central square. Unfortunately the old structure was not well taken care of for some years, but upon Schlesian occupation by Tretrid, it had been renovated in a half-modern half-medieval theme that represented the city so well.

“This city is a wonderful mix of old and new.” said George earnestly, looking around at the skyscrapers and old stone walls. “I truly feel honored to have it serve as the capital of this new republic.”

His party arrived at the doors of the new Capitol Building—Hauptgebäude in Arkian—and made their way inside. Despite the outside appearance, the interior was very much all new. Shoes clicked on the polished stone floor as the new government arrived in their nation. George oversaw assignment of offices as reporters filmed from inside and outside the building. A sizable crowd had arrived, and the overall pro-Tretridian pro-democratic sentiment in the air gave George a sense of hope. Perhaps they really could put old grievances aside and come together as allies.

Once some very basic organization had been completed, George and the rest of the government walked down to see the spacious chambers they would be using for the upper and lower houses of the legislature. A legislature that would have to be completely rebuilt, now that George thought about it. Maybe not the ideal situation, but he was excited. George Gray very much enjoyed work and organization, and this was a chance to let his genius take control. Together, he and the people of Schlesia would forge a brilliant new future.

Freyaelv,
Arkalarius

The sound of shuffling feet filled the Königskammer as the Reichstag adjourned, mumbling voices growing quieter and quieter as the nobles and leaders of Arkia left the chamber. Archduke Erwin IV von Deschen walked out of the Königskammer alongside his fellows, talking to the young Großfürst von Justinianische. They were deep in conversation about economic systems and the state of worker unions when the Archduke was pulled to the side by Kaiserin Ilse Erika.

“Kaiserin.” he said respectfully, giving her a short bow. “What is it?”

“I need you to mobilize the Stralzian 1st. It is of utmost importance that any Landsknecht troops on the Karolingian border are extremely disciplined, and your men and women are the best of the best. I am wary of the unrest in Karolingia. If worst comes to worst, I need soldiers who can adapt to any situation, be that one of diplomacy or one of war.”

Erwin looked taken aback, and it took the old man a few seconds to compose himself. “I suppose I can do so, for the good of the Empire of course.”

Ilse Erika nodded, and gave him a folder from her briefcase. “Here, take this, it has all necessary information from the recent meeting of the Diet. Have your officers make that into a briefing, and you should be well prepared.”

The Archduke took the folder wordlessly, and turned to go, stopping only to make one last comment. “I am of course confident in your judgement mein Kaiserin, but do you really believe it could come to war so quickly?”

Ilse Erika merely smiled in return. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Hope is of course a mere deception, but it is one that we live by. Good day to you Archduke.”

Sent from my TI-84 Plus CE using Tapatalk

[Socialist_Dylan]

Erinstal, Deichland
November 7th, 2020

The Sozialistische Nationale Volkspartei met for what some thought would be their last meeting. In some ways, it was. Ebert addressed his men and stated his intention to seek allies in Schlesia. Despite Ebert’s impassioned speech, there was a solemn mood amongst the ranks of the SNVP as they knew that their dear Kommandant had forced them into a position where they would never again sit in the Volkstag.

That moment of greatest melancholy was put to an abrupt end when the crate of AWR-Xs was revealed to the men. The Sozialistische Nationale Volkspartei would no longer take their places in the democratic system, yes, but their absentitian from the government would be no excuse for silence.

The Volkspartei would become the Volkskorps, and this new paramilitary would act as the Vanguard of Dissent. The Government could call the Landsknecht back for all they cared. The Nationale Sozialistische Volkskorps would be happy to make the streets their battlefield against the monarchist sympathizers of Bohrstadt.

Bohrstadt, Deichland
November 7th, 2020

It would be the second time a Government of National Security would be formed in the past 20 years. Elias did not like it, but he knew it was the only way to ensure the Volkstag held together until the next election.

Members of the three major parties, the DÖAP, LPD and DAP, met to form a new cabinet, with Elias remaining at it’s head, while Alwin Steube was awarded the position of Vice Minister once again. This new government had a firm majority in comparison to the Deichlander Einheitspartei and the now absent SNVP.

But ensuring a majority was never the issue in a Government of National Defense, rather it was a balancing act of parties. The topic of discussion had only just turned to the SNVP, but Elias already saw what he would have to deal with over these next months. The LPD and DAP, who once seemed to get along well under the days of the Krier-Elbar Ministry, had now very different leaders. The LPD motioned to take this matter to the Imperial Diet, but the DAP retorted that doing so would just be proving Ebert’s point for him, proposing the arrest of high ranking SNVP officials on charges of treason so they could fill their seats in parliament. Elias simply sat at the end of the table, wondering if it would be fair to start taking bets on when his government would once again collapse. He wondered if all this was part of Ebert’s plan, or if this string of events was simply a ripple effect of the actions of the Tretridians and Mr Gray. Perhaps it was a little of both.

[Tretrid]

Cynebury, Tretrid
September 5, 2020

It was yet another press conference, and another press conference meant more questions.

“Mr. Eoforwine, do you have any comment on allegations of Tretridian interference in the Karolingian referendum?”

“We take these allegations incredibly seriously. Tretrid is very much willing to cooperate in any investigation of the League, so that we can definitively prove these claims false. I also condemn any other individual, organization, or nation-state that may try to sway or undermine confidence in the referendum.”

The reporters all raised their hands again. Eoforwine picked the correspondent from the Cynebury Herald.

“Mr. Eoforwine, do you have any comment on the deployment of Arkian Landsknecht troops to the Arkian-Karolingian border?”

“Either this is an attempt for von Freyaelv to undermine Karolingia while trying to avoid direct responsibility, or she is simply too ineffective to stop her nobles from acting on their own. Either way, it is an implied threat towards Karolingia, and the troops we have stationed in Schlesia are on alert pending any… further developments.” Eoforwine picked another reporter.

“Mr. Eoforwine, are you ceding control of Schlesia?”

“Schlesia has long been… a point of contention… between Tretrid and Arkia. I will confirm that I am taking steps to bring the military occupation of Schlesia to a close, and facilitating the setup of a civilian government. This government is united with us in opposition to von Freyaelv’s Arkia, which is all I will say of them at this time.”

[Acronis]

September 5th, 2020 CE
Royal Naval Base Kanor Minor
Isles of Kanor, West Novaris

“How far out did you say we are from completion?” The Prime Minister, still wearing the hard hat they had provided her for a photo-op earlier, was looking up at scaffolding still placed on the side of a building that would soon be a naval aviation hangar.

“About four months. We expect to be finished with the renovations around the New Year.” The Admiral was beaming. She was clearly quite proud of the project, and Žarís had no reason to think she shouldn’t. It was certainly impressive. She had served her own conscription at Sinajärv Air Base, which was among Acronis’ largest, but this eclipsed that and then some.

“Prime Minister?” An aide appeared at her shoulder, bearing a tablet. “I have something from ExtAff.”

“We’ve seen just about everything, ma’am, so if you have other business to attend to, please feel free,” said the Admiral.

“Thank you for the tour, Admiral, I’m very excited to see this come to fruition.” The Prime Minister shook her hand and walked back into one of the actually completed buildings, where some of her staff had already assembled.

“I have Atra on speaker,” said an aide.

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister,” said the voice of Atra Lanaš Metravar, the Minister of External Affairs. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have some news in regards to the Arkalarius-Karolingia-Tretrid… er, situation.”

“Oh, Akrona wept, what is it now? I’m not currently being shepherded into a bunker, so am I safe to presume no one is launching any missiles?” As she spoke, the Prime Minister took the tablet her aide had offered her and began to scan the report.

“No missiles ma’am, although we are getting reports of tension in Karolingia. Protests, police activity, that sort of thing. But what I actually wanted to talk about is-”

“Schlesia,” said Žarís in an interested tone of voice, still reading the report. “I didn’t expect this to come up, but sure, why not. Let’s just add more fuel to the fire.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Atra sympathetically. “Technically these are just whispers we’re hearing now, but there’s a lot of them and Eoforwine was coy enough with the press earlier that I’m inclined to believe them. It looks like they’re going to set up George Gray in Schlesia. And as you can imagine, Prime Minister, this puts us in something of an awkward spot.”

“We supported George Gray in the civil war. Since then, of course, we’ve-”

“This is MoD.” The voice of Nama Oren Kantoreš, the Minister of Defense interrupted the Prime Minister as she joined the call.

“Thank you for joining us, Nama,” said Atra. “Are you up to speed on the Schlesia situation?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

“As I was saying, we supported Gray in the civil war, but since then we’ve recognized Von Freyaelv’s government as legitimate. And I expect now, we are supposed to determine if we will support Gray again?”

“I strongly recommend it,” said the Minister of Defense. “Acronis should be consistent, and Gray has a far more concrete commitment to democracy and peace in the region. Look at Freyaelv, she’s already put troops on the border.”

“That isn’t entirely accurate, Nama, she-” Atra began to speak, but the Prime Minister cut her off.

“Acronian involvement in the Arkian Civil War has been the single most embarrassing thing we’ve done this century, and I’m including last month’s LN vote in that. Nama, you were MoD back then as well, and it was on your advice that we moved into Arkia. It destroyed your career. I brought you on to my team because you’re a damn good strategist and you know how the game is played, but I have no intention of turning this situation into some kind of… redemption for you. I’m not seeing any election returns from Schlesia electing George Gray, so I don’t think his commitment to democracy is that strong.”

“Exactly my thoughts,” said the External Affairs Minister. “And it’s worth noting that he’s being put there by Tretrid, and Eoforwine himself said to the press earlier today that Schlesia would ‘be united’ with him. And I’m not sure it’s wise for us to align ourselves too closely with Tretrid, considering the company they keep these days. This could be a chance, Prime Minister, for us to improve our position with Arkia.”

“Well, both of them are still fairly annoyed with us about the LN thing, I should expect,” said Žarís. “I’m not sure that this could move the needle that much with the Arkians, but it certainly could move it with Tretrid, in the wrong direction. And Nama has a point. There are Arkian troops on the border. Do we want to appear to endorse that? I understand the whole militia thing, but if anything, that just shows they can’t control their own people. How are we supposed to expect consistent foreign relations with a country that can’t even control where all of its troops are? It asks for chaos.”

“Well… whatever we do, we have to do it quickly and with conviction. If you want to side with the Empress, fine, just do it and be done with it.” The Minister of Defense was speaking in a rather snappy voice. The Prime Minister had clearly struck a nerve with her.

“If we side with the Arkians, we lose Tretrid forever and Akrona only knows how much egg we’ll have on our faces if they can’t get the militias in line,” said Žarís. She was aware there was a particular Arkian word for the militias, but she couldn’t pronounce it. “If we legitimize George Gray, it’s likely we’d lose whatever little credence we have with the Empress and give Eoforwine a blank checkbook to continue to send whomever and whatever he likes into Meagharia. But if we do nothing, the two of them continue to remain deadlocked at an impasse, the unstoppable force and the immovable object.”

“Acronis has the opportunity to tip the scales,” said Atra.

“But every option is terrible,” said the Prime Minister.

“That’s how the game works,” said the Minister of Defense.

All three women were silent for quite some time. Eventually, it was the Prime Minister who spoke again. “Ilse Erika isn’t sending crates full of money to an oppressive regime that thinks we shouldn’t exist, and Ilse Erika isn’t dressing up any puppets as the head of state of occupied territories. So long as Tretrid calls Meagharia an ally, I simply cannot justify getting any closer to them. It’s a question of national security at this point. We’ve already seen Meagharian actors in Karolingia. We could see them in Rodoka if we aren’t careful.”

“So we cast our lot with the Kaiserin?” Atra’s voice was impossible to read.

“I want to wait until the referendum is done before we make a public statement, but Atra, I want you to reach out to our ambassadors in Cynebury and Freyaelv. Make it clear to both of them, in no uncertain terms, that we will not recognize the Gray government as legitimate unless we see a free and fair election with more than one candidate on the ballot electing him. Make it clear that we cannot in good faith support the Tretridian position so long as they continue to prop up the Meagharian regime. And make it clear that if the Empress wants an Acronian ear, we are available any time she wants to call.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Atra.

“They might not want it. They might not care. Obviously if either of them particularly wanted our partnership, they would have voted in our favor at the League of Novaris. But it’s clear to me that the two of them alone can’t do anything except escalate this crisis. Acronis is ready to step up and be part of Novaris. If they want our help tipping the scale, well, they know how to get it. We aren’t building this giant military base for nothing. Let’s get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said the two Ministers in unison. The call ended.

The Prime Minister turned to the aide at her side. “I have a special job for you,” she said. “I need four statements prepared. Two of them will be for if Karolingia votes to rejoin Arkalarius, and two if they vote not to. The difference between them will be if we like the outcome or not.”

“Do you know which one we’ll actually use, ma’am?”

“No. That will be up to Eoforwine and Ilse Erika.”

“And if neither are receptive?”

“Well, then whatever dumpster fire happens afterward isn’t our responsibility, and I get more time to sleep at night,” said Žarís simply.

[Tretrid]

Cynebury, Tretrid
September 5, 2020

Eoforwine read the list of Acronian demands for the nth time.

It was at times like this that he wished he wasn’t Prime Minister.

He reached for his phone and groaned. This was a call he didn’t want to make, but he had to do so.

He dialed the number of the Acronian Prime Minister.

A switchboard operator answered the call and quickly transferred it. After a moment’s hold, a voice answered. “Mr. Prime Minister, this is Žarís Nevran Alandar. I’m very pleased that you called.”

“I take it you know exactly why I’m calling you.”

“I believe so. I want to be very clear, and I imagine you’ve already read over what our Ambassador sent, but the simple fact of the matter is that your country has allied itself with Meagharia, which is a country that essentially believes that Acronis shouldn’t exist. And while I want Acronis to be of assistance in the situation in West Novaris, I simply can’t take any action that would appear to condone these entreaties to Meagharia.”

“I can easily comply with most of your demands, but with Meagharia… things are a bit more complicated. Publicly disavowing Meagharia will probably anger Durakia, which isn’t really something I can afford to do. However, I can take more… private measures to make sure Meagharia’s anger is directed… elsewhere.”

“Ultimately, what I need is to assure my national security. There are parts of Acronis that are less than 3 kilometers from Meagharia. I know we’re all treading a delicate line. But I’m willing to trust you if you tell me that you will work to make sure Meagharia takes no action against us. But I must warn you. In such a case, if they ever do, then the responsibility falls on you.”

“I assure you that Tretrid will disavow Meagharia should they ever try to invade or commit terrorism towards Rodoka. While I do need those Durakan ties, it would be simply foolish to let them invade another country without consequences.”

“Durakia is a UCA ally of ours. I will do what I can to make sure they remain a team player.” Žarís sighed. “So, technically what I’ve heard about Schlesia is only rumored, but it seems pretty plain to me that you’re placing George Gray in Schlesia. What is the intention there? Is there a plan for some kind of vote? It’s awkward, frankly, if it isn’t. And it seems… provocatory. Is Gray going to claim he’s the legitimate leader of all of Arkia?”

“Gray’s government needs a legislature, so at the very least he would need to hold legislative elections. I’m sure he’ll be fine with also holding presidential elections, too. And as for giving Schlesia to him, well, part of that is that Tretrid can’t just keep occupying Schlesia. It’s too costly and does too much to increase Arkian-Tretridian animosity. The people of Schlesia would be much better off being led by a government that has continuity with the government that ruled them before the Arkian Civil War. It gives them more legitimacy than the military government. Though I’m not sure whether Gray seeks to claim all of Arkia.”

“The last thing this continent needs is a rehash of the Arkian Civil War. I suppose Gray is better than a military occupation. I hope, and I expect, that ultimately the people of Schlesia will be the final say, though I suppose that isn’t really the most critical situation. The tensions between you and Arkalarius put all of us in danger. I’m willing to put some Acronian political capital on the line to try and… tip the scales, as it were. Meagharia depends on the aid and development you send, and I can only hope they’re smart enough to believe you and act on it when you tell them the aid is contingent on peace between them and us. Acronis is already on the record in support of the referendum. Acronis can back you in any political situations that might arise after the results come out. But, there is one further thing to note.”

“Do tell.”

“Well, to be blunt - because I think we need more clarity in international politics - I presented a similar offer to the Empress. I haven’t heard from her side yet. If she presents a stronger alternative to your personal word that you will reign in Meagharia, then I would be obligated by Acronian interest to take that deal. Ultimately, Prime Minister, what I need is the ability to sleep at night without fearing that Rodoka is in danger. This whole… this… whatever it is we’re neck deep in in West Novaris puts Rodoka in danger. I will choose the option that makes us the safest.”

“Well, it is only natural that you be concerned for your country. I would have done much the same if I were in your situation.”

“I think you and I are on the same page in this. I appreciate you calling. As I said, given your assurances regarding Meagharia, I am prepared to align Acronis with you in the Karolingia matter.” She was silent for a moment, wondering if she should finish her actual thought. She decided to. “For now.”

“Very well, then.”

“I have a meeting, so I’ll leave you for now. But I’ll instruct my staff to make sure I am notified if you call again. I am sure the situation will change rapidly. It always does. Take care, Prime Minister.” A click on the end of the line indicated that the Acronian Prime Minister had hung up.

Eoforwine let out a sigh. He was fine with promising Acronis to redirect Meagharia’s anger, but that would involve another dreaded phone call.

[Norgsveldet]

6th Setember, 1370 ADN, Osfjord

Johanna Sverdrup sighed as she read the recent reports about the Arkian-Tretrid-Karolingian situsation. As she sat in her office chair, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“By Odin’s beard they going to start a war If it continues like this.” Johanna said with her voice fitting well with the emotions of annoyance she is having.

“West Novaris Powder keg seems oh so ready to exlpode.” her trusted foreign minister, John said as he looked over the report of Arkian troops at the Karolingian border.

“Thank you, sir obvious” Johanna said as she rolled her eyes. “Tretrid have been acting more and more… annoying with their recent actions.” Johanna stood up from her chair, as she started to walk around the room. Pondering.

“Their decision to do something as brazen as to ally Meagharia, has put huge amount of pressure from the opposition for us to start pressuring Tretrid. Or atleast to give an offical position over the situsation.” John stated as he took a sip from a glass of water. “Rumours also have it of Tretrid putting the former president of Arkian Republic called George Grey in the Schlesia region”

“If they do, then Norgsveldet will side with the empress of Arkia.” Johanna stated with clear certainty. “We sided with the Imperialists in the Civil War, we shall not recognise the loser of that war just because Eoforwine decided to give him land.”

“You will still have to act carefully, the election in only in like two months miss Sverdrup.” John stated as he watched her body language carefully. Johanna had stopped passing around the room, as she stood in place. Her back still towards John.

“And I shall.” Johanna said as she turned around with a smirk on her face. “Not to mention, my election promises did hold clear position of making Norgsveldet a larger geopolitical power.”

“Yes, and how will this play into that?” John said as he gave an cautious eyebrow.

“Well, us refusing to recognise a Morst friendly goverment in Schlesia would do wonders…”

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[Socialist_Dylan]

Wesnov, Durakia
Tolbakmyet 1, 105 AR
September 9th, 2020

The choice to speak up on the sitiation in Karolingia was frankly a brave one from Petrov. The Council of Trade Unions had rather seemed to hyperfixate on what was to be done with the former territory of the Vakari once an unconditional surrender is secured.

Even if he wished to play only to the current government, there were many in the SDP wary of his position. He was actively taking a stance against the Norgsveltians here, in a time in which both Arkian and Norgsveltian troops were stationed in lands Durakia wished to call their own, yet all he may offer was the words of a man who was not as universally appreciated in Durakia as much as he was abroad.

Yet, his alienation of some of his party did not come without the benefit of gaining support from the left, so he had mixed feelings as to which way the vote would fall.

VOTE TO RECOGNIZE THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION AS THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT OF SCHLESIA

AYE: 147
NAY: 55
ABSTAIN: 98

VOTE TO RECOGNIZE THE GRAY ADMINISTRATION AS THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT OF ARKALARIUS

AYE: 68
NAY: 135
ABSTAIN: 97

[Tretrid]

Cynebury, Tretrid
September 5, 2020

Eoforwine dialed his phone, very much not looking forward to the conversation.

The Young Secretary picked up the phone, looking sharp in his Private’s uniform. “The Office of the Grand Marshal of the Secular Republic speaking, how may I help you?”

“This is the Prime Minister of Tretrid. Please put the Grand Marshal on the line, I have an important matter I must speak to him about.”

“Yes Sir!” with that the line was transferred. “Yes Prime Minister? Make it quick i have a lot on plate right now, but I’ll be sure to help you with whatever you need.”

“I feel like there isn’t a more pleasant way to state this. I need a guarantee that you will not commit terrorist acts or initiate a war as an aggressor against Acronis.”

“Meagharia has never been involved in such an action, and as much as I appreciate your friendship it is insulting that you would feel the need to speak to me directly on the subject.”

“Again, I fear that there isn’t any other way to approach this. I personally believe that your nation will act in good faith, but I’m afraid there are individuals that… lend themselves into thinking that your country’s rhetoric precipitates a war or other aggressive actions.”

“The Reason for my nation’s Rhetroic, Prime Minister is Acronis acting in aggressive ways against us. We have a right to feel threatened. Do not worry Prime Minister, i am not an idiot, i do not start conflicts I cannot win, I simply prepare my people mentally for conflicts that may be inevitable.”

“Very well. I think Meagharia and Acronis could do well with deescalating tensions, and Tretrid would be open to mediating talks for a more stable peace. I’ll try to make sure Acronis doesn’t act too harshly against Meagharia, even though they are unsurprisingly concerned that your country believes that they should not exist.”

“Prime Minister, do speak to me of deescalating tensions another time, and remember the assistance we have given you in…deescalation by your next election. We would be most grateful in that. You may have my assurances that we will engage in no hostile action against Acronis.”

“I hope we can talk about something better another time, Grand Marshal.”

“Yes, an increase in medical support would be helpful, there are some scant rumors of plague in the Gier countryside, it’s probably nothing but we cant be too careful. It has been good talking to you again. Goodbye.” He hung up the phone.

Eoforwine sighed. Hopefully Acronis would support Tretrid in this dispute, but Eoforwine had a bad feeling that this could lead to even worse tensions between Tretrid and Arkia.

Maybe if you actually cared about deescalating things you could have not gotten your hands over Karolingia. You could have even held talks over ceding Schlesia to Arkia. That sounds like it could have buried the hatchet!

Ugh, no. That was impossible now, and there was no use in regretting things that could not be changed. You could only move on and hope you learned your lesson.

And yet your every action makes things worse. That doesn’t sound like learning from your mistakes.

[Ark]

September 6, 2020
Karolingia City,
Karolingia

It was 7:00 AM on September 6th, and 15 people were dead. Protestors had flooded the streets after the referendum votes had begun to be counted, backed up by international news sources claiming the numbers recorded by the League of Novaris were far more pro-independence than they should be, according to the heavy polling that had gone on for weeks in Karolingia. Karolingia City itself had faced the worst of this, as the city had been rather divided, even more pro-reunification, but was turning out extremely pro-independence. All of this was of course lies, Karling knew it, but that didn’t change the fact his police had shot innocent protestors. Well, protestors. He wasn’t so sure about the innocent part.

Karling sat at his desk, glumly watching the latest news from the Cynebury Herald. ‘-so it seems like votes coming in so far are decisively in favor of independence, aside from a few key areas.’ said the news anchor. ‘Yes, this is indeed the case. Some of the most notable pro-reunification areas are large cities such as Zernburg, Alsmarck, and Baronsveldt. However, Nervin—that is, Karolingia City, sorry—has remained mostly in favor of independence, despite initial polling showing the opposite would be the case.’ responded the analytics expert.

He sighed in exasperation and rubbed his temples as the talk show played in the background. This was bound to have happened anyway, even if every single vote was completely legitimate, and Karling knew very well that was not the case. Durakians, Meagharians, alleged interference by the Tretridians, and somewhere in there the Arkians. West Novaris truly was a mess, and Karolingia was right at the center of it. If Karling didn’t act now, Karolingia was going to become the biggest mess of them all.

Karling’s hand had nearly reached the phone when the explosion rocked the building. Within seconds security had barged into the office, but Karling was already at the window, looking at the pillar of black smoke rising in the East.

“Sir.” one of the members of his security detail said, clipping a radio back to his belt. “Chatter says the explosion hit the central police station, sounds like it was a car bomb.”

Bombs? Karling had expected some regrettable violence, but if he was to be completely honest with himself, he thought his police officers were going to be the perpetrators, not the ones on the receiving end.

“A car bomb? Is there any news on casualties? This could have been a targeted attack.” said Karling calmly, his mind racing as he strode across the room, heading for the doorway.

“None yet sir, you’ll have to give it a few minutes.” said the man with the radio, listening to it as he spoke.

Karling nodded to him, and motioned for the security detail to move out with him. “I’m heading to the council room, get any ministers you can find in there right now.” he said, before gesturing to the man with the radio. “You, keep me informed. As soon as you get the info, I want to know who was harmed in the blast, what the current situation is, and who is responsible for this act of terrorism.”

The man nodded and ran to keep up with Karling’s brisk pace. He was absolutely furious. Protests were one thing, but this was unacceptable. If the people of Karolingia truly did not wish to do this peacefully, Karling had no choice but to respond in turn.

When he arrived at the council chamber the door was already ajar, and waiting inside were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Director of the Karolingian Guard, the new national guard Karling had created to keep the peace.

Before any of them could say anything the radioman raised his hand suddenly, listening to something being said over the radio. “Sirs, the vehicle has been identified as the personal car of the Minister of Internal Security. Klaus Brahm is dead, along with 2 others and 5 wounded. The rioters stormed the police station, the officers have been forced to retreat, it’s completely under the control of the terrorists.”

Karling stood in absolute shock for a fraction of a second. Brahm was dead? No doubt the bastard deserved it, but actually dead? The situation was beginning to get complicated. “Günther.” he said, turning to the Director of the Karolingian Guard. “Get your men ready, we are calling upon the guard to get this situation under control. Bring riot shields and tear gas if necessary, try to break up the riots without violence if possible. Lethal force is authorized on the terrorists, they’ve killed a member of the government. Clearly they will stop at nothing to harm government officials and those employed by them, so we shall not hesitate either. Be ready, I am going to declare a state of national emergency in about an hour.”

The Director nodded, receptive to Karling’s tone of voice. The best action right now is to simply do as he was told, and not to ask any questions. Karling was a very proud man, and any direct provocation never ended well.

As Günther shuffled out of the meeting room, somebody else pushed past him urgently. “Lord Karling! A mob has assembled outside in the square! Police are holding them back, but they’re growing by the second, and the foreign news services are starting to catch on to what’s happening. What do we do?” said the woman who had entered the room, waving her hands about frantically.

“Officer, please, calm yourself. There is nothing to worry about. The Karolingian Guard will be arriving shortly to reinforce you, just keep the mob under control, there are known terrorists among them.” said Karling, processing what she had just said. “Foreign news services?”

“Yes my lord, CNN, CNS, ACT, the Cynebury Herald, they’re all talking about Karolingia.” she said, eyes darting back to the door.

“Thank you for the… enlightening information. You may go now officer.” said Karling. As the policewoman ran for the front doors to rejoin her fellow officers, Karling opened a government laptop sitting on the table, and tuned into the Cynebury Herald for the second time this hour.

“Breaking News! After reports of violent mobs in Karolingia City, it appears the pro-Arkian insurrectionists have taken things too far. Minutes ago a car bomb was set off near the Karolingia City Central Police Office. As of right now, casualties are still unknown to us.” The newscaster paused for a second as more information was relayed to him. “Oh my. It seems protestors have gathered in Government Plaza, outside the Lord’s Building, where High Lord Julius Karling is currently presumed to be located. Brave police officers are fending off the violent mob, but we don’t know how long they’ll be able to hold them back. Check back in after this quick ad break.”

With that, Karling shut the laptop. “This is unacceptable! Scheiße! What do they expect me to do now, mow down the protestors to find a couple guilty terrorists? Or do they think I should sit here idly and wait for them to storm the building and kill us all.” Karling stopped for a moment, pacing wildly around the room. “The League… yes, they’re responsible for all of this unrest, it’s all because of them. Yes, without those interfering charlatans I would still be in control. Eoforwine must answer for this, why can Tretrid not hold the League responsible?”

At this point, Karling was talking only to himself. The Minister of Foreign Affairs moved to speak, but was cut off by a short bark of a laugh from Karling. He shook his head, and stormed out of the room. His security team tried to stop him, but he would not listen to them, he was beyond reason. There was only one thing on his mind, and it was pure, unadulterated fury.

Karling slammed open the doors to his office, and rushed to his desk, grabbing the direct telephone line to Tretrid. As gunfire from the police erupted outside, the shrill ringing of the telephone filled Karling’s office.

Mistral,
Schlesia

George Gray had just spent a sleepless day and night organizing the legislative elections. It may be grueling work, but for the first time in 15 years he was truly in his element again. Gray smiled, and waved cheerily to the squad of Tretridian soldiers standing guard outside the Capitol Building. They saluted in return, and George strolled past them, through the doors, a spring in his step.

This cheery attitude was of course shortly hampered with the news that Karolingia was in flames—both literally and metaphorically. Rather than let this weigh him down, Gray took the man who had told him by the shoulder and led him down to one of the large chambers they were using, this being the biggest one, used for the lower house. “Come, walk with me. So, you say Karolingia is experiencing riots?”

“Yes Mr. President. There was a car bomb set off around fifteen minutes ago, and there’s a huge mob outside Karling’s capitol building. Every international news source is covering it.”

Gray nodded solemnly. “International news sources… speaking of that, has anyone taken our offer of tax cuts to establish a news service in Schlesia?”

The man nodded. “Two so far. The first is the Mistral Times, they’ve taken up our offer and have begun to set up a real online and television news program. The other is a new venture, they’re calling themselves the Öffentlicher Nachrichtendienst.”

Gray smiled, and waved to the newly appointed Minister of Finance. “These are good tidings. I must attend a meeting now, but I thank you for your assistance.”

George Gray walked into the chamber, where many were already seated. Karolingia was burning to the ground, the Arkian Confederation was back in Schlesia, what next? This year would never cease to surprise him.

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[Acronis]

Ministry of External Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Non-Classified

6 September 2020 CE
22 Danamet 541 KV

Statement Regarding Recent Events in West Novaris

Acronian Minister of External Affairs Atra Lanaš Metravar has released the following statement regarding unfolding events in West Novaris:

The Acronian Empire watches with great concern the events in Karolingia, most notably the reports of a political assassination through bombing and a violent police response. Early indications that chemical dispersants have been used - some reports even indicate mustard gas, a chemical weapon of war - by government security forces in Karolingia. If true, this is a deeply concerning matter. The results of the referendum are still being counted, and they must be allowed to continue to be counted peacefully. The democratic process must be upheld in all circumstances. Violence has no place in this process. Tensions must be de-escalated.

The Acronian Empire also watches with interest the situation in Schlesia, a territory which has been under a non-self governing Tretridian military rule for some time. The Empire sees it as a very promising development that a native government, under George Gray, is being formed. We emphasize that the process of government building must in every single circumstance directly involve local Schlesian stakeholders. The people of Schlesia themselves must be the ultimate authority to which their government answers. So long as popular sovereignty in Schlesia is respected, the Acronian Empire is pleased to work and cooperate with the Gray administration, and the Empire stands ready to assist in the process should Schlesia request it, alongside our partners in Tretrid, and others. West Novaris clearly needs more peace and stability. We have great hopes that the new government in Schlesia will live up to these needs.