This is a Bad Idea

Roleplay Library
21

http://wopr.airforce/roleplay/elplane.png
Enroute to Free Pacific States, 34,000 ft, 10:45AM
The plane had been completely silent for about a half hour; the phones where dead, and they had been informed trying to file would be seen as a felonies offense. Elias had been assigned, on behalf of the Elizabeth Post, to report from the President’s plane (the Vice President had been filling in for him) at the conference on diplomacy. Lo and behold, he would be reporting on much more.

The press in the cabin could no longer sit silently when they saw a carrier-borne fighter appear on the right wing; they guessed they had been over ocean for at least 3 hours already. This may of been intentional, but they no longer could sit silently in the back of the plane.

“Jessica, you need to tell us what is going on here!” The press secretary stood at the front of the cabin, before sighing.

“I don’t really know myself.” She left the cabin, moving upstairs to the President’s quarters. She entered to find him surrounded by the planes on-staff military advisors, and on the phone in a conversation.

She waited for them to hang up the phone then spoke up, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Mr. President, I don’t think it’s bes-…” The advisor was cut off by the President himself “She has a right to know more than anyone. We’ve detected a nuclear detonation in Listonia, low yield but in the middle of a population center, Vilines, Packlivania is mobilizing and everyone else is hitting the panic button. We’re deciding if we need to carry on to the Pacific States or return home. That said, the cabin still is not to know of this. Make something up.”

“Embassy attack?”

“That works, just don’t mention the word nuke because they’ll all be trying to file to their papers using morse code.”

“Yes, Mr. President” The press secretary left the room, leaving the President to his advisors.

“Put the second carrier battlegroup out of Tano on ready alert” The President placed his reading glasses on the table, rubbing his forehead. “And get me Premiers Evesuni and Leninville please, preferably in that order”

22

Adviser Reason entered into the High Commander’s office, quickly shutting the door behind him. High Commander Tristan Lytle became suddenly concerned with this unexpected meeting from his closest adviser.“What’s the meaning of this interruption?”

There was a few seconds of silence as Reason collected his thoughts,“High Commander, there has been a serious tragedy that has happened that seems to be causing everyone to panic. There was a nuclear blast in a city that’s in the country Listonia.” He paused for a moment to let it sink in.“We are still unaware of the the casualties or the reason of the attack, but I’m sure we will find out.”

Tristan slowly stood up from his chair while he pondered over the news,“why was I not informed about this sooner?”

"We decided that we would wait until we had more information,"Reason replied defensively. He reached into his coat to pull out a stack of papers and placed it on the High Commander’s desk.“Here is all that we gathered, its not much since it is still unknown for the reason of the explosion as I stated before.”

As Tristan shuffled through the papers given to him, Reason went on,“there’s also more disturbing news. It seems that our neighbors to the east, the Pax, has gone on full alert. Not only that, but there has been reports that the Free Pacific States are also doing the same thing. It might mean nothing really, but with us so close…”

The room fell quiet again while Tristan thought.“What do you advise that we must do?” He asked.

“I believe that we also should be on alert, just in case something drastic does happen,” Reason replied,“of course to do this we need your permission.”

The High Commander slowly shook his head in agreement."Alright, place everyone on full alert as soon as possible. Get Commander Romano on the phone also. We are just doing this in an act of defense. It probably has nothing to do with us, but you can never be too sure."Tristan collapsed in his chair, still viewing the papers in front of him.“Also see if we can send aid to those affected by the nuke blast, it would be the right thing to do.”

23

Laiatanese Embassy, FPS

“… nearly ten thousand casualties, and most militaries on the continent are on high alert following…”

The television was drowned out by the bustling of staffers and personnel in the lobby while President Kreskov shut the conference room door. On the wall was a projected feed of the Cabinet and General Staff of the Laiatanese Federation. As Kreskov took his seat, his National Security Adviser joined the room in Volkgoroda.

“Okay, so what do we know for sure?” Kreskov asked, folding his fingers together and resting his hands on the table.

The Defense Minister, Avksentiy Utkin, shuffled a few notes around before speaking. “Small yield nuclear device detonated in Vilines, Listonia. Unknown in origin, unknown perpetrator.” He flipped through a few more sheets of paper. “FPS, Pax, Fortuna, and Vekaiyun Union militaries are on high alert. We can assume Kerilo has been invoked through section 7.” Kreskov nodded as he read along from the report.

“We need to do the same then. I want the military on alert, and heightened security at our borders and airports. We will not have something like this happen on our soil. I will be informing Premier Levinile and Premier Evesuni that our country stands with them, and they can expect full humanitarian support for their people and military support for taking down the perpetrators.”

The group on the screen nodded in agreement and understanding, and the call ended.

24

Marion Heleck stood in her apartment. This time with GS-13 operatives in the same room, and occupying a few rooms across the building. Passports, money, and the cover stories for each operative checked out. Some of them were couples, others just singles traveling in a group. A backup force was maintained in another building, just opposite of the hotel.

Her phone starting ringing, which she picked from her right pocket and answered, “This is President Heleck, speak.”

On the other end was Val Saarbac. He replied, “GS-13 in position? You want to go back?”

“No, I’m staying, and yes, the operatives are here,” she spoke while standing near the window, overlooking the street and people walking around. The sidewalks looked less packed than before, probably out of fear with the recent nuclear bombing.

“Good. I’ve gave the direct order to not go on alert.”

“Fine, last thing I want is this crap escalating out of control,” she remarked, as her left hand started to pinch the bridge of the nose.

“I had men on…”

“Look Val,” she interrupted, “I know how your company is, I know how you are. Whatever you are trying to tell me, don’t. But at least tell me you weren’t behind it.”

The voice on the other end stopped for a moment before resuming, “I have not given the order, nor has my company done it. It wasn’t the Elphene people either.”

She sounded a little stunned, “Then who?”

“What is said must never be said again, ever. We have information that could drastically change the face of politics on Urth. Last thing I want is to upset that balance,” Val remarked in a rather cold tone. “What is true is that we have a rouge faction in play. Contrary to public information, the responsibility does not fall upon the Elphene people. Otherwise, I would have heard of such a device from my agents there.”

“The Pax then?”

“Maybe, them mobilizing does point clues, but it is reactionary. Had they been behind it, we would have seen a full scale invasion from the Pax by now.”

“Vekaiyuns or the Listonians?”

“Maybe, but I highly doubt that. They may be a bit fanatical at times, but they would never nuke themselves. You know that too Marion.”

“Yes, then who?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I’m not sending any men because the Listonians have it locked down tighter than Scrooge McDuck’s vault.”

A breif moment of pause was present in the phone call, until Val spoke up again, “Proceed as if you never heard this conversation. Whoever the Vekaiyuns or Listonians say is responsible, help them if at all possible. Believe them even though they might be flat out lying. Those nuclear testing documents might be fabricated.”

“But what…” Marion said until she was interrupted.

“Marion, trust me. I’ve played this game long before you did. It’s not a game of chess, it is The Campaign: Vekaiyun Edition.”

((OOC: Google The Campaign for North Africa for a good idea on the complexity of the game. LOL))

With a sigh, she then said. “Fine, just hope Prussia doesn’t get involved. Goodbye.”

She hung up the phone and went to her bed. Wanting to sleep it off after the whole conversation.

25

Outskirts of Matthews, 06:45 Elizabeth Centralized Time (10:37AM Vekaiyun Standard Time)

“And the Matthews Stock Exchange has been closed before market open for the first time in 17 years today following the nuclear attack in Vilines…”

The van rolled up to the gate, the Matthews skyline predominating the other side of the Grand Pacific River. A sign ‘NO TRESPASSING’ marked the gate, the gate and fence separating the compound of wires, arrays, and electrical boxes from the outside world.

“Can I help you-…” The security guards last word was uttered as he was gunned down by a silenced pistol through the window. The van rammed through the gate, a second security guard firing several shots at the van and radiong in before himself being killed.

Sirens echoed in the distance; it would not be long before police arrived. The original plan was scrapped; It was decided they would die with their bomb.

[hr]

“Guns ready, armed hostiles, Breach and clear” Sergeant Piers instructed his men as the armored car stopped outfront; The gunmen had responded to attempts to negotiate by firing on police. The standoff had lasted for 15 minutes. They seemed to be not interested in taking hostages; the plants workers, outside of the two dead security guards, had fled.

The Emergency Response Team (Matthew’s PDs version of SWAT) went up the staircase, kicking the door in to the power plant. They expected a armed lunatic with a gun, but they where met with a well-organized, suicidal militia with a bomb.

The team didin’t get a chance to fire their weapons. The bomb was immediately detonated; blowing up half the plant and taking a majority of the Matthews power grid down with it.

It seemed to be chaos the group wanted, and chaos they had achieved. Was it the same group as the nuclear detonation? Simply a off-beat terror group looking for attention? A start to a deeper, more thought out plan? Time would tell.

[spoiler]
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[/spoiler]

26

DuVall, just outside the International Bank of Business and Credit regional location, 12:43 Elizabeth Centralized Time (4:35 PM Vekaiyun Standard Time)


Several men in nice suits were taking a stroll down the busy street wearing overcoats and sunglasses. A few were carrying gym bags. They all walked in the bank at different times in different manners. The newly arrived guests were seen by the security cameras in the lobby that linked to the Control Room, a nerve center of all access points and countermeasures designed to defeat the same people that just came in.

Unbeknowest to the rest of the world, all the security people inside the Control Room were slain. Blood still dripping from slit throats and sliding down the walls where brain matter landed from the violent entry of jacketed hollow point rounds. Several men clad in tactical suits walked around, monitoring the situation outside, until one man in the very center of the room reached up into his earpiece and said, “Alarms and Countermeasures are disabled. Start the party.”

At that very moment, the suited guests in the lobby dropped their overcoats, revealing AK-74Us and sawed off pump shotguns. One of them started yelling in a calm manner, “All Right! You know the drill people! You’ve seen the movies! Get down on the floor with your hands behind your heads!”

Another spoke out, “Don’t do anything you might regret! I know some of you are carrying here, so trust me when I say it, think about your children and wives and husbands!”

One of the tellers hit the silent alarm under her counter but to no avail. Alas the Control Room was where the buck stopped when it came to alarms, and the police was never notified. The men holding the gym bags split up. One group went straight into the back room where the vault was. The other went up into the server rooms, where the data for bank transactions and numbers were stored. The vault was being opened by those in the control room, inside were gold bars, deposit boxes, and various forms of currency being stored. The men in the server rooms were busy setting C4 explosives.

The backup servers were off location in some nondescript building a few miles down the road. Too bad that place was already set to blow.

One major flaw the bank designers failed to account was the fact that there was a subway system that ran underneath the building. The men that planted the C4 in the server room came to the vault area. Just outside the giant triple steel melonited and abrasive iron reiforced door was a square that was hastily spray painted, showing the locations of where the breaching charges were to be set.

After a few minutes the breaching charges were set. One of the men pressed a button connecting to the charges and a loud explosion was heard. The dust settled, revealing a gaping hole to the subway system.

“knock-off, Prometheus, start the loading, over,” said one of the men in the area just outside the vault.

“Prometheus, this is knock-off, good copy.”

Through the hole in the floor a subway train started backing up, pushing rubble off the tracks and revealing a cut section of the roof for easy loading. The men started dashing to throw the bags down the hole.

Within half an hour, the vault was cleaned out, save for the deposit boxes.

The same man responded in his earpiece, “Promethus, this is knock-off. Loading done, begin passengers.”

Then he switched the channel as the train began backing up further to allow the heisters a ride out. He said again, “Ares, this is knock-off, begin extraction.”

The leader in the Control Room replied, “knock-off, this is Ares, good copy. Beginning Extract.”

[hr]

Just opposite of the bank, a office worker was minding his own business, making copies for an upcoming meeting with some bosses. He started to staple bundles together until a loud explosion took place. He was confused at first, thinking it came from the bank but nothing could be seen coming from there thanks to his near-nearsightedness. Everyone else was too busy minding their own business listening to their music and typing away. It wasn’t until 20 minutes later another explosion, this time much louder and more dramatic erupted from the bank. A section of the building was blown clear out and smoke was erupting. All of the sudden, people inside the bank were rushing outside, screaming.

He didn’t know what to think, all that he could do was call emergency services like the rest of everyone.

27

An Hour After the Bank Attack

Val Saarbac was busy in a conference with a few of the major banking leaders and businessmen across the world. It wasn’t held in Rhodesia, but rather the corporate islands just a few hundred miles away. After a minute or two of swapping jokes and smoking cigars rolled by the severely disadvantaged in third world dumps, a phone began ringing. Val put it on speaker for everyone in the room to hear.

After a minute of silence as the bankers and businessmen were listening intently, a voice came over the phone, “Coverage is complete, I say again, Coverage is complete.” Then the voice hung up.

Val picked up the phone and put it back down. “Well then, time to collect on the insurance and push for more contracts,” he remarked to the rest of the conference. This move would seriously tighten the bonds of the Military Industrial complex of Rhodesia, and seriously cause a huge spending spree for the invested parties. Granted their initial stocks might drop, but that was easily negated by the previous investments into military contractors. The stocks would skyrocket and everyone else starts buying and buying in hopes of riding the gravy train to the top.

The current CEO of the IBBC started clapping his hands in congratulations and then spoke in a husky tone, his elderly but chubby face began to move, “Well now, with the planted evidence of the said ‘terrorists’ being Genoshans, and the contents of the vault heading that way. You just might get to see your dreams of Rhodesia annexing that area. Meanwhile I’ll be sitting rich.” He started chuckling, his suit barely holding the bulging middle-section of the man. “Good thing you suggested that idea. It was a good choice to stand behind you and help you come up with the necessary capital for Wey-Yu Industries in the first place.”

He spoke again, this time raising a glass of scotch, “Ladies and Gentlemen, our host here has outdone himself once more.”

“Hear hear!” were some of the replies as everyone toasted to Saarbac and started drinking and chatting what they were gonna do with the excess of money from selling the stocks.

28

Looking out the open doors to the balcony at the peaceful view of the azure waters of Dragon Bay, the Grand Duke of Dragonia sighs and turns back to the person sitting in the chair across from his ironwood desk.

“Lord Shadow, what do we know of the Abomination that happened in Listonia?”

“Your Grace, at this time, we know it was about the size of a suitcase, we also know that the Listonian’s have a suspect in custody, female, do not know what race at this time.” The Lord Shadow pauses.

“Go on, My Lord Shadow, what else?” The Grand Duke quietly asked.

“Your Grace, what assets we had at the time in Listonia where able to gather this much from what witnesses we were able to get to before the Listonian Forces arrived.” Looking at his Ruler, the Lord Shadow continued, “the female was apparently shot and shoved out of a van, witness statements say she said something like, ‘follow me if you wish to live’ as she dragged herself bleeding to a subway station.”

“Was that all?”

“Unfortunately Your Grace, our asset had to leave off questioning anymore, the area was to ‘hot’ for them with all the Listonian Military and Government Agents canvasing the areas for witnesses. They had to go silent.”

Sighing again, the Grand Duke looks back out to the serene view he usually can enjoy, but not today. Getting back to his ‘guest’, “We want you to find out who is ultimately responsible for letting off that Abomination upon Mother Urth. We want the person or organization found, We want them to feel the pain that they have given to Mother Urth.” the Grand Duke stated forcefully, slamming his fist down onto his ironwood desk hard enough to crack it.

“Do you, Lord Shadow, understand these orders?” The Grand Duke asks quietly.

“Yes Your Grace, I do,” the Lord Shadow bows his head to his Duke.

“Good, good. Now, what do We know about that bomb that went off in Rhodesia?” The Grand Duke asked next.

“Your Grace, right now, we know as much as the rest of the Urth does. We have assets in Rhodesia looking into it as we speak.” The Lord Shadow stated.

“I see,” the Grand Duke pauses, thinking of the possibilities and opportunities, “lets start sending out the Shadows, lets start digging, see what ‘dirt’ we find. Either this is someones start to a war, or a diversion for something else. Lets start looking into it shall we?”

Knowing a dismissal when he hears it, “Yes Your Grace, I shall begin ‘digging’.” the Lord Shadow stands and bows to his Duke, turns and leaves the room.

29

The room was so quiet it that even made Adviser Reason uncomfortable. Behind the desk sat Tristan Lytle who was looking over the recent reports. The two men standing in front, Reason and Commander Flavio Romano, watched in silence waiting for their leader to finish. After a few more minutes Tristan finished the last page and closed the file. He looked up and stared into the unknown while pondering over what he just read.

After what seemed like forever Tristan finally spoke up, “What the hell is going on? I mean, a nuclear device being set off in Listonia, a power plant being bombed in the Ellis Islands, and now an attack on a major bank in Rhodesia. Not only that, but from these reports it seemed to have been all done by professionals. This is the work of one group or separate groups. Either way they are a danger to everyone on Urth. I want answers.”

The two stayed quiet, daring each other to speak first. Gaining up his courage, Romano answered his leader. “Sir, we are doing the best we can. It’s kind of hard to get information right now, but I’m sure something will turn out.”

“How about that woman that was detained in Listonia?” Tristan asked.

“We have no more information on the suspect except for eyewitness accounts; we’ll have to wait until the Listonians publicly announce their findings on her.”

Reason waited until Romano was finished before pitching in. “I agree, until then we should focus our resources in the investigation of the other two attacks. There is most likely no connection between them, but its better than staying idle.”

Tristan nodded his head in agreement with his advisers. The investigations in Listonia would have to wait a bit until things there calmed down. The discussion reminded him of a question that was nagging at him ever since the nuclear attack. “Is it possible for an attack on us?” He looked in the direction of the two men, demanding an answer.

They were both a little stunned by the question. Both of them were too busy to even think of an attack on Fortunan soil. Reason decided to speak up, “well, uh, let’s say that no one on Urth is safe from an attack by these terrorists. We just need to be prepared if we become a target. I believe the best way to defend ourselves right now is by going on the offensive and taking out this group before they can hurt anyone else.”

“Yeah! Lets take out those cowards!” Romano cheered.

The High Commander smiled at his commander’s excitement. “Alright, for now provide support in the investigation of these attacks; hopefully we can find some clues. Have our agents also looking into them, especially the one Rhodesia. It was the most recent and none of the attackers were reported killed in the attack, that might mean something. Also Romano I want you to boost up security on anything that seems significant, just in case. We won’t let them waltz into Fortuna without a fight.”

“As you command sir.” Romano replied. Reason merely gave a nod.

“Like I said before, this might not have anything to do with us, but you never know. You are both dismissed.”

The two bowed to their leader and left the room leaving Tristan alone with his thoughts.

30

Somewhere in Genosha…

Within a day since the economic strike against Rhodesia, the gold and some of the forms of currency were sitting pretty in used shipping crates on the docks. It was already night time and the local warlord was meeting with the assigned men. From there on the Warlord would take the gold and money, and send it farther down the line.

The lord of war snapped his fingers and barked out a few orders to the nearby rag tag group of men and malnourished child soldiers carrying AKs. They were to guard the crates and help load it onto semi-trucks for transportation to a more secure location. A few heavily used pick up trucks with mounted heavy machine guns were on standby until it was time to go.

A group of men in tactical clothing, the same men and women that hit the bank, were awaiting their ride while the leader spoke to the warlord. He talked over the sounds of the dock hands and machinery working, “This goes to the agreed location! Keep an eye out! If this goes well, Serenitech will deeply reward your work here and help outfit your army for years!”

The blonde hair man by the name of Beck finished up his conversation, a visible logo belonging to Serenitech was present on his uniform and the rest of his team. Soon the sounds of a helicopter came over the horizon, the blades beating the air into submission as the copter maneuvered it’s way to the dock. In a few minutes it was hovering over a cleared area and begun it’s descent. Once the wheels hit the ground, the lights illuminated it, revealing to be a Genoshan government Mi-24 Hind Gunship, colored in the same pattern and sporting the government insignia. The men and women with Beck climbed into the helicopter. Once the last man was in, the doors closed and the gunship picked up altitude. It headed back south to where it came from, into the wilderness.

[hr]

Meanwhile at DuVall’s Special Activities Division…

An assistant sat at her desk as she was browsing the files of the identified attackers. Not much could be seen, as most of the footage was scrambled and only bits and pieces were still left. Only 3 of the total number of attackers were confirmed. Each attacker had history sheets longer than the agent’s arms. They were all of Genoshan nationality, one of them having family ties to high ranking officials in the government of Genosha. Even some of the DNA traces matched.

“What the hell are the Genoshans doing?” she asked before picking up the phone to notify her boss and formalize a report.

31

“BREACH! BREACH!” shouted one of the armored men carrying OSWs, furthered shortened versions of the FAL in service with the Rhodesian military. One of the Marines stacked up against the door leading into the bridge of the container ship went in. Then followed a string of expletives and commands telling the bridge crew to get down.

One of the crew members drew out a handgun, only to be put down by successive bursts from a few Marines. The now dead body was on the deck, pouring blood while the marines started forcing down the already scared crew. One poor fellow wet his pants while another had his face rubbed against the growing pool of blood with a two hundred pound pissed off fighter holding a knee to his head.

Outside the ship, visible smoke could be seen from a hole punctured into the aft section of the hull. A shot made by a nearby Frigate to immobilize the vessel.

[hr]

The Next Day…

The Captain of the Ranzac frigate, RS Volker, was at the bridge of his ship. He stood there listening intently to the XO’s interrogation report of the arrested crew members.

“The crew is comprised mostly of multiple nationalities. The man who drew the handgun and then was put down is of Genoshan nationality. Collaborating statements include that he was to oversee the ship during the transport of the stolen gold and money. They also said that they were paid by Serenitech, who had operatives overseeing the crate,” said the XO.

“Sir. We are less than 50 nautical miles away from DuVall,” said the maritime pilot as he manned the wheel.

The captain stood there for a few minutes looking at the nearby coast before responding, “Pilot, maintain course. XO, send the documents to Special Activities Division and prepare the ship for berthing.”

At the harbor, several prison transport SUVs and local police cars waited for the crew for further interrogation and evidence. The crew’s testimony confirmed that the stolen gold and the terrorists went to Genosha. The only two questions were, would Genosha allow the Rhodesians to find and punish the terrorists, or would they rather grant safe heaven to them? And what about the testimonies of Serenitech involvement, are they in on it or is it a rouge element?

32

The plane carrying Stapen Evesuni and his delegation from Free Pacific States touched down in Vilines as the rain poured from the heavens. Vilines was, for all intents and purposes, his homeland, as the city was dubbed the “gateway to the vulpine world” to the east, and dabbled in various creoles of Vayan Catholicism and pagan traditions, but of course, the city adhered to the Vayan Pope, but just couldn’t let go of tradition and the ancient separations from times of old.

The warm smell of baking fish mixed with the mist of the rain as native Vilinesians cooked for the displaced populace, the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of orphans still waiting relocation to orphanages, or families across the Vekaiyun Union, or, if they’re lucky, to a family in Vekaiyu and far away from the volatile nature of Listonia. As Evesuni walked, holding an umbrella but only half-heartedly, he couldn’t help but think of the displaced children, and his own child, who he had to give up when she was so young. He couldn’t tell her, but in reality, after all the mistakes and stupid decisions he’d made in his life, that was the worst. She probably knew that or something. He didn’t need to tell her any of that.

He didn’t care if the newspapers spoke about how he was walking with various heads of Listonian criminal undergrounds. Let them talk - they were his friends since he was an illiterate child hopping trains to escape an abusive alcoholic of a father. Let the papers run their stories. He equally didn’t care about entering the exclusion zone, which had been sequestered off from the public. He may not have been smart, but he knew when the people needed a leader, and they needed a leader who would show strength, despite residing in a body that was fast decaying. If he received any adverse effects from being in that zone, so be it. He was (sort of) briefed that the area was generally safe and had been contained.

He inspected the soil, much to the chagrin of his advisers. They should’ve known by now that he would object to such treatment. Under the glare of cameras and video feed, he shook his head. “Twenty years ago I fought for this city. I saw good friends die here, their blood staining this soil. Their blood is thicker than any uranium-stained soil.”

The smell of baking fish and kikale was still apparent when he left the zone, and entered a cafe to have some lunch. Even though his appearances to the public were less apparent these days than in days past, folks still knew what he liked - a type of pancaek made with Pax Fruites and clove spices doused with a barley-based syrup. He asked to sit down with two individuals - an older man blinded from the flash of the nuclear device, and a younger individual who happened to be reading the paper at the same table. He discussed with them food, good wines coming out of Isklevyu, what spices to put on catfish, and the start of the underwater hockey season between Vekaiyun and Listonian teams. He thanked them for their time, paid their bill, and left.

33

Meanwhile in Genosha, somewhere…

Beck stood there, in the recently cut sections of the jungle. The ground was soft beneath his combat boots, rain plunking against the broad shoulders, and water droplets flowing over his face. His dirty blonde hair handing out from under the soaking red beret. The sky was dark, with the occasional lightning flashing between the skies.

To his left came a subordinate. The employee spoke a few words to Beck before wrapping up and handing over the master remote. Beck grabbed the remote, a square looking object with buttons and switches, but the one thing that stood out the most was the big red button on it. Beck’s hand hovered over the big red thing for a minute as he looked over to the nearby missile launchers. Inside each tube sat a cruise missile, capable of reaching speeds of 500 mph and traveling distances far enough to hit other nations.

With a quick hit of the button, the cruise missiles fired up one by one, launching itself into the air from the tubes. Ever so upwards they climbed until they disappeared from sight, smoke trails leading to the north. In total, around 13 cruise missiles were sent flying.

Beck looked at his watch and noted the time.

5:46 AM

He thought to himself, “Gives about a hour at the most until they reach their targets.” Over to his shoulder he could see the distant light of the sun rising over the trees. He made a signal in the form of a wide circle in the air with the right hand. A few of the trucks used to carry the chainsaws and the employees who set up the launchers started moving. Beck hopped into one of the trucks and the jungle swallowed the trucks.

34

Leina Kivelevov pressed a hand against the lattice stained glass windows of the Nugalan residency, once home to the kings and queens of Dveria, now occupied by a Vekaiyun presence. While the very thought of that could send the Dverians into revolt, they had been surprisingly calm through the whole ordeal, though there was that one warning she issued about Vekaiyun businesses putting Unonian in big letters on their storefronts - that was just asking for trouble, and she knew it. Perhaps it was Daszo, the human from her royal bloodline, leading the nation that seemed to calm things down. But she feared it was Seri Lekostrovi and his hidden intolerance towards any sort of revolt or ill opinions of Vekaiyu. Granted, he was definitely no Vanse Iskaristre, the vil commodore who was apparently killed in a bomb plot. But there was something else about him, something odd that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

The window was cold to the touch. It was snowing in Nugala. Again. The snow was actually good - plots and angry individuals moved slower when it was cold out, especially if it was snowing out. But she was finding herself more and more confined to the castle, especially as Daszo practically begged her to be safe and stay within the confines. That was fine at first, but she needed to see the people she was destined to rule. At least, that’s what she was told, secretly, by Ikrisia Levinile, who in the most confident of confidences let her know that one day she would have to join the long list of Vekaiyuns slain too soon by the forces of evil and hate. It was both humbling and frightening to think along those lines. She was clearly not ready to lead despite being classically trained by both the Ard Ri of Warre, the Vekaiyun Royal Family (what was left of it), and Levinile herself. But she was only 16. Clearly too young to lead. Hence why she was in Dveria, partially because she begged to be assigned there and escape the royal family, but also because she wanted to see the worst of the worst.

She stood by when the executions of rebels were going on, but she didn’t participate. She wanted to know them more. Stare into their eyes as they were killed off or, worse, assigned to “programs” which involved covert experimentation on various drugs and other things she didn’t quite want to know too much about. They were very careful to keep that under wraps. But they would never do that to an innocent individual - it was only someone they were absolutely sure had committed crimes against Vekaiyuns, which now included their own people, as Dverians slowly began to accumulate citizenship in their own lands. Vekaiyuns were like that - they believed citizenship was less of a birthright and more of a contract. So, of course, some signed up for the chance, while others held out. Those who fought it did not accept the free offer bestowed to them and were instead “burned off”, whatever that may mean.

These days, the executions were much, much less than before. Just the occasional disgruntled opinion or dissenting voice would disrupt the slow march toward Vekaiyification. After all, they were no longer under a state of war. And how bad could it be? The Dverians could practice their religion, voice their opinions and thoughts, and contribute to their growing economy. They just had to get used to a Vekaiyun Star in their flag and submit to the union with their governmental decisions, which were handled by Daszo, Lekostrovi, and (kind of) herself, but not really because she was young and was just supposed to learn.

She wore a simple black dress and simple shoes, but her long hair was corralled with blue bows. The orange and yellow furred vulpine continued to watch as the snow fell in the cold capital. She had a few projects in store for 2016, but they were secondary. Programs like establishing a diocese in Nugala for the Vayan Catholic faith, drives to combat hunger, travel a relic of St. Aiya across Dveria, and simplify trade between Dveria and the rest of the union. Oddly enough, the third task would probably be the hardest given the history between the two nations, but she was an individual who believed in the relics and felt they would plant the seeds of peace across the land.

“Hey.”

She looked up, noticing Daszo stood next to her. “Hey.”

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah.”

He grimaced. “No you’re not. I know that look. What’s up?”

“I don’t know, to be honest,” she turned back to the window. “I should be used to living in a land that doesn’t know any of our culture or heritage.”

Daszo smiled. “Give them time. They’ll come around. Just… don’t forget how the royal family treated us. We need to do the opposite.”

“Of course.”

“Would you like to go back to Vekaiyu for Christmas?”

She turned to him. “What for?”

“I don’t know. You just seem down. Down and depressed. So I figured I’d ask if you wanted to spend the holidays with your own kind.”

She smiled. “But you’re my own kind. You’re a part of my family, after all.”

The human beamed a smile back. “Of course. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you out.”

“Always.”

35

Dalorg – Capitol Building
Jill Ronin kept a smile plastered on her face as she waited for Jack Levin to give her the go-ahead to continue. She knew there were not many talented camerapersons in Elphana, but she could not believe that Levin was the best available. The man – erm, eleman, or whatever – moved like molasses. She had not minded it for the most part. But as she sat across from Elphanan Prime Minister Loxodonta Cyclotis, well, it mattered. For his part, Cyclotis was as patient as a priest. But that only made Ronin feel worse.

Levin finally signaled for Ronin to continue, and she focused again on the substance of her report. “Prime Minister, the Vekaiyun government has demanded that Elphana fully cooperate with its investigation. Will your administration cooperate? What actions are you taking to bring to justice those responsible for the Villines attack, and to prevent terrorists from organizing in your territory in the future?”

Cyclotis nodded to indicate he understood the question, but then waited a few moments before answering. Ronin was unsurprised. The Elphanan Prime Minister had proven himself to be a careful, strategic speaker, which was a big part of why he had risen through Parliament to become leader of the majority party. When Cyclotis finally spoke, he did so in the same deep, steady tone that he always used. “Elphana absolutely condemns the reprehensible, unjustifiable, and cowardly attack upon Villines. The Elphanan government is absolutely committed to holding responsible the perpetrators of this assault. Yet we cannot effectively focus upon the war on terror while Vekaiyun Union troops continue to occupy our lands without reason. All VU forces must withdraw from Elphana if there is to be cooperation between the VU and Elphana.”

Ronin nodded while formulating her next question. “Will Elphana be conducting its own investigation into the Villines attack?”

“Elphana has ordered an elite police detective unit to investigate the attack upon Villines, but our resources are incredibly stretched due to the need to prepare defenses against further Vekaiyun aggression,” Cyclotis said after another pause, “it is for this reason that, a few minutes ago, my administration formally appealed to the Coalition of Nations for assistance, and for membership. We have asked the Coalition to deploy peacekeepers to prevent further Vekaiyun aggression, humanitarian aid workers to redress the humanitarian crisis caused by Vekaiyun aggression, and most relevantly to your question, independent investigators to launch an independent inquiry into the attack upon Villines. We are willing to grant these investigators our full cooperation including limited law enforcement powers. Elphana stands against terrorism – but it must also stand against unwarranted aggression.”

The Free Pacifican journalist started slightly, realizing that she had been granted this interview not just for general publicity purposes, but specifically to highlight Elphana’s petition to the Coalition of Nations. It was a somewhat sleazy move for Cyclotis to have not warned Ronin in advance, but most PR was sleazy. Ronin didn’t let it faze her. “And if the Coalition refuses?”

Cyclotis leaned forward, using his considerable bulk to impose upon the camera (and Ronin). “Elphana will not be conquered. We will not become another puppet state of the VU. We are a free people, and we will die before we relinquish that freedom.”

36

2740 Ilyastrovi St. (“The Stage”) Ye’leli

Ikrisia gazed out at the attendees as they sat evenly about a round wooden table, constructed of jaku wood, with a hollowed-out center. In that center sat a metal cauldron, on fire, with the Vekaiyun yellow-and-black star rising above the flames. Each chair was also constructed from jaku wood, but the high backs of the chairs had their tops disrupted by skillfully-carved crosses, crosses which stretched to the circular walls of the hall from the flames in the center of the room.

All representatives of The Vekaiyun Union in The East Pacific were present, but unlike other gathering halls of The Vekaiyun Union, this one was not known to the public. Instead, it was used as a place to discuss matters of extreme importance.

“I am glad you all could make it to our little gathering, scheduled just before the Christmas Holiday. I know under normal circumstances I would simply inform all of you over the phone, but the game has changed, and we therefore must make adjustments in order to further optimize our plan moving forward.” She raised a hand and pointed at the center of the cauldron as video screens projected from a hologram switched on in front of all attendants. “First, the business in Elphana. I have spoken to many of you regarding the situation there. As we all know, Vekaiyu currently controls about two-thirds of the Biyombo state, and has not moved for quite some time, nor has it carried out any actions after the initial advancement.”

“Are we going to give it back?” Daszo Kivlevov, the human Premier of South Dveria, asked.

“It’s a precarious position,” Ikrisia replied. “Initially I was ready to return the territory, but that was before the terrorist attack. This nation poses an immediate threat to the security of the region and not just The Vekaiyun Union. Indeed, the same could be said for any nation that does not have the capability to monitor such activity. This leaves us with two options. Either we monitor our borders, or we close the gaps, so to speak.”

“Close the gaps?” Aksynia Iluviyeri, Premier of Isklevyu, repeated.

Ikrisia pointed to the map. “If we secure Biyombo, we must move on and look at other areas of concern. Savenchorbund is securely in The Vekaiyun Union sphere of influence - securing their membership into this union is paramount if we are to shorten our border with the Pax, as a buffer state is hardly worthwhile when dealing with a nation of such power.” She smiled. “We have noticed your state has done well with Alleghenian refugees, Aksynia. To further limit the buffer states between us and the Pax, it may also become prudent to negotiate.”

Evesuni shook his head. “No. We’ll lose our identity if we take on these places. They weren’t there for us. Why should we be there for them?”

Aksynia grimaced. “World’s different now. Everyone’s a cowboy these days.”

“Cowboy? What does that mean?”

“It means things move faster,” Ikrisia answered. “And they’re acting more irrational. I don’t know the intentions of the Pax. I don’t know the intentions of anyone except for our intentions. And we’ve shown with the efforts in South Dveria and Allegheny that we’re willing to work with anyone who is rational and fair. Anything other than rational and fair will have to be neutralized.”

“What about the Elphene people?” Leina Kivlevov, a young vulpine female acting “just below” Daszo in South Dveria, asked. “They don’t like us.”

Ikrisia nodded. “Apparently many nations are interested in that small nation. I am willing to keep the northern portion of the nation free and work with them to develop a plan of screening individuals there. If we retain Biyombo, we will open relations, open trade, etc. They are already suing for peace, so we will present that offer to them. And, in reality, doing this will merit two possible outcomes: a buffer against the more palpable Sevropian state, or the Vekaiyification of Elphana in general. Though I do not believe the latter would be a viable outcome anytime soon. But the fact remains - 2016 will be an interesting year on Urth, and we should use this summit to sketch what we will draw.”

“One question,” Daszo asked. “Where’s Lso Yiskevi at?”

Ikrisia raised her eyebrows as she shuffled some papers. “Oh, his fate is also on the agenda for this meeting as well. Don’t worry - we will reach a solution.”

37

“I beg for the life of Lso Yiskevi.”

Stapen Evesuni, Premier of Listonia, looked down and beheld a young vulpine female. It was during one of the breaks for the meeting of The Vekaiyun Union, and Evesuni, in a forever attempt to keep the various factions of Listonia together, scoffed. “It’s not really whatever I say,” he replied, his language unpolished. “If he should be killed for risking all those lives, who am I to suggest anything else? I just represent Listonia.” He smiled. “Now, come on, now. You don’t really need to worry about any of this stuff.”

“Your vote holds more weight than mine,” she replied. “You’re older. You run a nation.”

He shrugged with a smile. “I don’t know what else to tell you. Why do you care if he lives or dies - you live in Dveria.”

“Because I think he is meant for more.”

Evesuni laughed. “He is as inept as inept can be. We’d be better off having no one serve as a General Secretary. We don’t need philosophers in charge of anything.”

“Yes, you do,” she retorted, “because when you go, who else will run Listonia? Who else knows the Listonians or thinks about them the way you do? Sure, he and you have had differences, but in the end, the two of you have the same goal - a prosperous and sovereign Listonia. If he’s not around, and you’re gone, then who?”

He paused, then pointed. “That’s none of your business.”

“As a member of this union, it kind of is.”

“Then kind of don’t bring it up, yeah?”

“But it’s what we’re talking about. He’s new like me, and younger than you. Do we just kill off people who make a mistake?”

“Depends on the mistake.” He looked over at her. “Don’t look at me like that - he could’ve blown the whole thing up and put us at war with many nations. Someone who doesn’t think fast enough like that isn’t worth keeping around. He’s gotta be done in if he does that stuff.”

“Isn’t there anything else that could be done? I just don’t think we should kill people who are on our side and stuff.”

“When he proves that he’s ‘on our side’, I’ll let you know.”

38

There was snow and ice dripping from the windows of the Winter Palace of the main Tano island. The territories governor had offered it to President Hunter and his staff as ‘guests of honor’ during their three weeks on the island. The President had made full Tanoian statehood a goal of his final year of office. Y’sel looked out of the window of her room, observing the window and the partially frozen Tano straits beyond it, when a knock came on the door.

“Yes?” She was somewhat startled.

“The President wishes to speak with you.”

“Oh…uh…Of course!” She wasn’t expecting a visit, particularly at this hour. She instinctively moved toward the suitcase on the table when the President had entered; “You won’t be needing that.” He, instead, had brought a closed black container himself. Hunter was wearing a undone tie over his typical suit; it was rare to see him in anything different. Y’sel herself was in formal military dress, as always was the case in her position, particularly of her vulpine ancestors military tradition. She was the President’s appointed “military point(wo)man”, and, among other things, was the one tasked with carrying the “nuclear football” around with her. It was a task she tried often to avoid thinking about, knowing that she would probably be in the room was the decision was made to potentially end the world, but that wouldn’t be happening today.

“Just figured I’d drop by for a chat, brought you a gift as well.” He set the black container on the table, opening it to reveal a finely made, albeit ancient, chess piece. She silently observed, partially out of awe, partially out of confusion, as he set the board up and sat himself down. “The great Tanoian emperors of old invented this game, you know. They would play massive games of the Empress or Emperor against a visiting head of state with human pieces. Truly a magnificent game. But not unlike modern world politics, it is rarely understood. Your move.” He nodded after moving a pawn into place, awaiting Y’sel to make her move.

She responded in term by moving a pawn into position, before responding. “Mind answering something for me, sir?”. “Of course.” he responded, moving a second pawn upwards. “Why do we support Vekaiyu? As much as I respect my homeland… from a objective point of view I see nothing but aggression…imperialism…in recent years.” She wasn’t sure if she was going ‘out of bounds’ with the highest person of the land, but there was only one way to find out. “Well,” he responded, with his typical wit. “You need to see the whole board.” He motioned across the chess board, as if mimicking a world map. It took Y’sel a minute to get what he was referring to.

“Packlivania?”

“Yes.” He responded as moving a knight into position. “The Pax, as always, are a force not to be underestimated. Could we take Dovakhan in a war? Quite possibly, but it wouldn’t be easy. Now throw in the entire Pax sphere against us and it wouldn’t be a winnable conflict.”

“But wouldn’t a war with the Pax probably go nuclear anyways?”

“Oh, certainly, Lieutenant, but you still aren’t seeing the entire board.”

She looked down at the chess pieces, before it finally snapped. “Deterrence.”

“Indeed. They may see a war with any one of us alone as a winnable conflict, but, us and the Vekaiyun union against them would possess a two front conflict. Potentially adding the Pacific states, they’re at war on three fronts. If it where to actually happen you would probably look at nukes flying and everyone is dead anyhow, but it’s the deterrence that matters.”

The two exchanged looks, before Hunter made his move. “Check.”

39

Ikrisia finalized the voting. “Then the matter is closed. By a vote of 4-3, Lso Yiskevi will be retained as the General Secretary of The Vekaiyun Union. His position will be further stripped of responsibilities and shall never again be construed with the mighty duty of Vekaiyun armed forces positioning and maneuvering.” She sighed. “It will be done. Lso Yiskevi will be disciplined over the matter, but will not lose his position with The Vekaiyun Union provided he does not instigate any further disruptions.” She turned to her left. “Do you concurr, Yiskevi?”

He nodded. “Yes. But I will voice my opinion when I feel it necessary to do s-”

“Your job is to represent this body as a whole,” Ikrisia interrupted. “Try to remember that. If you would like a job that is more open to interpretation, we can gladly assign you one.”

“I just don’t want to see my talents go to waste.”

“And they are not being wasted.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps you believe you are being treated unfairly?”

He looked at Ikrisia. “No, of course not.”

She smiled. “Very well, then. The matter of Lso Yiskevi to this table is therefore closed.” She paused. “As we are all Vayan Catholics here, midnight mass is about to begin. I suggest we break for the night and convene in the morning. I don’t mean to press with expedience, but as I informed earlier, I may need to travel to South Hills for a meeting of utmost importance.”

“You’ll keep us updated?” Daszo Kivlevov asked.

She turned to him. “Of course. You’ll know everything we have agreed upon.”

40

Kitsuniva, Vulshain

Confederate Premier Cecilia sighed again as she went over everything with her secretary, a lupin woman with glasses named Zeav Irva.

“Alright Irva, send a message right away to Vekaiyu that Vulshain will stand beside them and that we will send humanitarian aid and supplies, and if need be, troops, in this difficult time,” the Premier said. “And send a copy to my brother as well.”

Irva nodded and began preparing to send the message to Vekaiyu’s leaders.

Meanwhile, King Samuil Rainard was busy preparing his own message to Ikrisia when he got the copy.

“Alright, better call up Ikrisia,” he thought as he began to try and get in touch with the Vekaiyun premier via video phone.