NationStates Jolt Archive

This is the first official gathering for the creation and operation of the Regional Defence Council, provided for by Article 9 of the Damocles Treaty.

Objectives we have for this meeting would seem to be:

1) Establishment of Representatives from each signatory nation to constitute the Regional Defence Council, clarification/confirmation of vote numbers based on proportion of resources invested in the system.

2) Determination of the Chair of the RDC by Single Transferrable Vote, as specified in Part Three, A, Section 2 of the Damocles Treaty.

3) Confirmation of establishment of the Devils Desert Aerospace Defence Command (DDADC).

4) Determination of Commander in Chief of the DDADC by vote as specified in Part Three, B, Section 2 of the Damocles Treaty.

5) Decision on the Anaxa Crisis described below by the Dominion of Los Bananos el Fuegos Ministry of Foreign Intervention.

"...At 21:00 hours local time the DomLBeF orbital battle platform "Victoria Station", an 'Eyrie' class facility, was struck by ground-based anti-space weaponry from within the nation of Anaxa. Current loss of life is believed to be above 50 and we are currently unsure of whether the station will maintain its orbit. Two 'Panopticon' class observation satellies and a 'Ghost' class EW satellite were also destroyed by this ground fire..."

The Conglomerate is in tentative agreement that the Anaxa Crisis has escalated to constitute a threat to regional stability, placing it firmly under the lawful jurisdiction of the Damocles Treaty and the RDC, and requiring a peaceful, multilateral solution on our collective behalf.

As for the Regional Defence Council, I, Vice Chairwoman Sonya Chang, will represent the Conglomerate and the Board of Directors in our initial sessions. Supreme Strategic Core Commander Pratt of the Integrated Theatre Defense Organisation will represent Conglomerate armed forces and the existing Santa Barbaran organs and systems of the Damocles Treaty, and if necessary and acceptable, the DDAC.

The Dominion of Nikea has dispatched Security Minister Isterin Terenel for preliminary RDC discussions. Should the need arise, Air Marshal Midorinae Arenitel will represent the Nikean Self-Preservation Force.

EDIT: (To save posting space)

The Dominion nominates the following nations for chair of the RDC, no preference is indicated in the order:

Los Bananos del Fuego, Tarrican, Santa Barbara, Gehenna Tartarus, Whispering Voices

Nikea also nominates a delegate from Los Bananos del Fuego or Whispering Voices for CICDDADC.

Lord Commander Aurelius Blackdon is being sent to represent the Dominion of Whispering Voices.

Minister for Foreign Intervention Ricardo Sanchez represents the Dominion of Los Bananos El Fuego at this meeting of the RDC.

Issue One: Representatives and Voting Structure

As co-ordinating nation for the Damocles construction project, we are happy to announce that even those two signatory nations with insufficient manufacturing or technological potential to fully provide their Damocles system assets individually have contributed fiscally to the production of those assets by other nations (ourselves) on a 1:1 ratio. Each current signatory nation thus recieves one (1) vote.

Issue Two: Determination of the Chair of this Council

According to the principles of Single Transferable Vote, re-election on a bi-annual basis. We choose to nominate five nations for the position:

Whispering Voices, Tarrican, Austrin-Ontis, Gehenna Tartaus, Nikea

Issues Three and Four

The central facility for the DDADC has been completed on schedule, however the system is currently running with 'caretaker' command staff at the National Damocles System Operation Centre [NDSOC] level.

As the nation driving the research and development, construction and operational testing of the Damocles project, would like to nominate the DomLBeF officer who oversaw the project, Admiral Juan Elivera, as our choice for CiC-DDADC, and as our second nomination, an officer from Whispering Voices.

Issue Four

We the people of Los Bananos El Fuego have come under attack from Anaxa within the Devils Desert region, a clear activation of the Damocles Treaty. Under the provisions of article four of the Damocles Treaty on Regional Defence we request immediate assistance in the successful conclusion of the Anaxa Crisis. We believe that the current government poses a direct threat to regional security and our military planners cannot currently see the potential for a peaceful solution. We have contact in the so-called 'rebel' faction of Anaxa and believe that the individual in command there is a superior if not preferable choice to the current unstable regime. Direct military intervention is being considered though we welcome alternative suggestions. We cannot ignore a direct attack on ourselves.

OOC

If everyone posts their 5 nominations for Chair nation and their two nominations for CICDDADC, then when that is done I will create a poll in a secure board on the regional forum in which we vote it out.

"I, General Michael Jackson (no relation), second in command of the Tarrican Navy, have been sent out to liase with the DDAC and represent the national interests of the Free Land of Tarrican."

He doesn't look much like a sailor, dressed as he is in Army uniform and smoking a cigar.

"With respect to the first issue at hand, we accept the recomendation of Minister Sanchez that all signitory nations recieve one vote in matters of council, however we propose that the vote of the chair should be considered as the deciding vote in the case of a hung verdict."

"As for the position of Chair, I have been instructed to bring forward the following nominations: Austrin-Ontis, Gehenna Tartarus, Nikea, Los Bananos el Fuego and" his lip curls around the cigar as he says this last name "Yerwhat."

"The Longinus Interception Command has been completed and is waiting only the go-ahead from the DDADC to pursue telemetry linkage and informational sharing tests. The Project is as ready as it can be without live-fire tests and we have elected not to pursue these yet."

"For the matter of the CiC-DDADC, we have considered the position as being best filled by someone who has a record of neutrality and no history of foreign adventurism... thus I am instructed to suggest Empress Gehenna or... against my protest... 'Mr.' Christian Tarric, currently a resident of the Excurcior tax haven."

"On the matter of the fifth point, we are indeed worried about the developing situation in Anaxa. Reports indicate that the current administration began the attacks on 'rebels' rather than the other way around. This has been broadened to include 'sympathisers', which seems to translate as anyone who does not directly support the successor regime. Acts of oppression and violence have been made repeatedly to members of the human and, particularly, elven populations of Anaxa: presenting the current government as definately Kax-supremecist in nature. Intervention is preferable, although we truely do not wish for a military action to become neccessary."

EDIT for Stuff and Shineys:
He smells of: Cigar Smoke and gun oil. He looks like a slightly overweight, but stokily-bild caucasian male. Probably starting to bald a bit on top. With a handlebar 'tash.

"I shall be making the will of Thulack Himself clear on these issues" says a small man looking uncomfortable in his ceremonial robes. "My name is Jaluchuch, and I am a member of the High Council of Priests. As to the issues at hand, firstly we agree completely with the opinion of the General Jackson concerning issue one"

"The second issue, the chair, Thulack's will is that Los Bananos El Fuego and then Whispering Voices gets the position."

"With regards to the Cic-DDAC, the considered opinion of my counterpart from Tarrican seems extremely valid and we too would like to support this policy and suggest Empress Gehenna."

"Finally, the current Anaxan situation. As all parties will know, a descision has already been made by Thulackack to go ahead with some form of peacekeeping action. Obviously the more nations involved in this exercise, then the more valid it will be. As it is only too obvious that the situation within the Anaxan territories worsens by the hour, we feel it is essential that action is taken as soon as is even remotely possible. For too long has the nation of Anaxa dictated intra-regional policy, not through its achievements or wisdom, but simply by being an incredibly advanced nation with no discernable restraint. Thulack be praised that the loss of innocent life has been minimal in these past two attacks but this will not last! The government is becoming more desperate and is obviously losing control of its chain of command. I don't need to explain the dangers involved, everyone is well aware of Anaxan military capability. Thus we ask for swift and decisive action on this front. Thank you."

Our nominations for the RDC Chair are those hailing from:

Gehenna Tartarus, Whispering Voices, Nikea, Austrin-Ontis, DomLBeF.

For the CiC of the DDAC:

Supreme Strategic Core Commander Pratt, or a qualified officer from Whispering Voices.

Lord Commander Aurelius Blackdon, firstly, announces that due to recent efficiency optimisations, he is pleased to confirm that Whispering Voices has set aside money for potentially three seperate DRDS sets. However, due to the problems of running manufacturing facilities alongside other space projects, only one DRDS contribution is currently constructed. A modernisation of the force, set to be revealed soon, will determine whether or not money is set aside to allocate extra sets of resources to DAMOCLES.

With a bit of a poker face, nominates Santa Barbara, Ichidou, Fyrn, Thulackack, or Stuff and Shinies for position of President of the Defence Council.

However, he does say that Whispering Voices supports primarily Juan Elivara of Los Bananos El Fuego for the position of CiC-DDADC. Failing that, Empress Gehenna Tartarus is the second choice.

An elegant woman, in her middle to late forties speaks, her voice slightly accented. "I am Commander Dona Pilar, and I will be speaking on behalf of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna and The Empire of Tartarus.

We would like to nominate the following countries for the role of RDC Chair, in no order of preference:

Tarrican, Whispering Voices, Austrin-Ontis, Santa Barbara and Los Bananos El Fuego.

For the position of CiC of the DDADC, we nominate, again in no order of preference.

Tarrican and Santa Barbara."

A man in the dress uniform of the Stuff and Shinies elite guard (soft, black leather with red stripes on the lapels) steps out of a shadow in the corner of the room and nods to the assembled representatives. He is about 6'5" tall, pale skin, black hair and looks in his early-mid twenties. He has a long, thin scar running down the left-hand side of his face and is lounging against the wall of the conference room, inspecting his nails. He stands there for a few seconds and then raises his head to look over the rest of the room, dark eyes flicking rapidly from face to face. He stands a little straighter and smiles politely before walking over to the table and dropping noiselessly into a chair. He puts his black, leather gloves into his lap and leans back slightly, waiting until he has everyone's attention before proceeding.

"Greetings honourable delegates of our esteemed region. I am the representative of The People's Republic of Stuff and Shinies, here at My Empress' command to view and contribute to these proceedings. She feels that with the recent developments in Anaxa much should be considered before action is taken which could cause the loss of more innocent lives."

He pauses briefly and scans the room again, lingering slightly on the face of the representative from Gehenna Tartarus, before continuing.

"My Lady wishes to reiterate her offer of a neutral venue for a now emergency conference to discuss the situation in Anaxa. All is prepared and we merely require delegates to represent the various factions involved. If this has no constructive solution then She agrees that more direct action will be required to ensure the stability of the region. However, diplomacy sometimes triumphs over weaponry and at the very least should be used first. As for the decisions regarding the Chair and the CiC My Lady has not yet heard enough regarding the candidates from each nation to form a decision, although several nations are foremost in Her mind."

Having said his piece the man helps himself to a glass of water and lounges, very professionally, in his chair.

OOC: Does anyone have any delegates who are non-human, or who regularly/recently have been in contact with any non-humans? Also, what do people's delegates smell of? (You can tell a lot with a good sniff) Ta muchly :-)

A young man in a very sharp pinstripe suit and greased black hair coughs politely into his hand before speaking. As he talks, he continually shuffles the sheaf of papers in front of him.

"I have the honour to be the representative of the Dominion of Fyrn's Esteemed Councillor Leyenda, and am instructed to present to this council his feelings on the issues at hand.

We fully support General Jackson's suggestion of equal votes for all signatories, with the deciding vote lying at the Chair's disposal.

As for the official that should fill that Chair, we humbly recommend Austrin-Ontis, Stuff and Shinies, Tarrican or Gehenna Tartarus. Again, we are happy with any of the afore-mentioned nations filling the position of CiC - DDADC, although naturally we feel it would be inadvisable to have both positions held by the same nation.

Although Fyrn herself has no direct assosciation with the current Anaxa crisis, we feel that the tensions caused by this affect the region as a whole. We have therefore made preparations for an envoy to be sent to Stuff and Shinies in preparation for the emergency conference. Our stance on this affair has already been noted. Our resignation from the Security Alliance was certainly not because we sympathised with Anaxa, but because we disagreed with the manner in which the situation was being dealt with. We therefore hope that the coming conference will be rather more successful."

EDIT FOR STUFF AND SHINIES:
He smells slightly of hair gel and aftershave. There may also be overtones of cigar smoke and office furnishings.

Aside:
Lord Commander Aurelius smells of ... um ... Old Spice and being human.
And boredom.

And he can spot an undead-related creature a mile off.

Aside for Whispering Voices:

My dude is, in a shock to you all I'm sure, a vampire. A bloody powerful one if you can tell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have waited for several hours now, and there seems to be no more nations planning to attend. Perhaps we may move on, the security of the region is at stake."

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Lord Aurelius' eyes seem to burn a little brighter - almost hungrily - as he glares openly at the vampire.

It's not meant to be that way around, but it is.

Sonya Chang smells lightly of decent perfume, sports deoderant and soft clean hair; which is now tied back in a tail as she tries not to look bored. If anyone got that close, she drank a cup of black coffee about ten minutes before the meeting. She's definitely human, not even genetweaked, attractive and not yet 30.

She sends a text message to Bob Pratt. Encountering boredom. Short on caffeine supplies.

Nikean representative Isterin Terenel is 38 years old. His blue eyes accentuate his piercing gaze, and his brown hair, which is still youthful, is cut short and gel holds it up just a little. He smells of expensive cologne, and wears a classy suit, with a crimson red dress shirt and tie showing behind his black suit jacket. He is definately human.

He dispatches a message back to Queldas: Ennuteril. Nägroresi revetë intraffiteno salut.

The Stuff and Shinies delegate sips his water carefully for a while, watching Lord Aurelius over the rim of the glass. After a few minutes have passsed in silence he sits a little straighter and glances around the room again, "Ladies and gentleman. Whilst this is thrilling I feel that I should break the hallowed silence to make an announcement. My Lady wishes it to be known that the Anaxan crisis talks being hosted by Her nation have attracted a delegation from both sides of the Anaxan conflict, as well as Fyrn, Tarrican, Yerwhat and Nikea. She wishes to invite, once again, any other nations that wish to to send a delegation to the talks to do so immediately. Negotiations can then get underway as soon as the President and the 'rebel' representative have arrived. Also, I would like to respectfully ask when we will be starting as I have other pressing matters to attend to and this room is getting a trifle stuffy." He pours a second glass of water, winking at Lord Aurelius as he does so, and goes back to lounging in his chair, awaiting a response.

OOC: Where'd everybody go? You all dead or what? :(

A man in Yerwahtten military uniform stands up. "My name is Colonel Kynes, and I am here to represent Yerwaht.

For the purposes of Chair: Tarrican, Fyrn, Austrin-Ontis, Los Bananos El Fuego or Ichidou. For CiC, we feel that the nominee from DomLeBeF is the best choice.

As for the Anaxa situation, we would welcome stability in that country, welcome no longer having to maintain a constant vigilance eastwards. We have no desire for any of Anaxa, with the collapse of Serenkaarzak and the possibily of some territorial control falling to us occupying land by force is not welcome or necessary. Eastern Yerwaht has felt the effects of Anaxa, and would greatly like a stable country there."

OOC: Smell, well, clean clothes, shampoo and an underlay of hydraulic fluid and gun grease.

A while later Chang gets her response.

What a coincidence. Same here. Have adequate tobacco however.
Push for a vote on leadership soon.

Chang nodded, looking up and around. She yawned, stuck her arms out and stretched, a fascinating movement to anyone with testicles.

"So. Are we ready for the voting process, or what?"

-stupid multis that i cant delete for some reason-

-stupid multis that i cant delete for some reason-

The Fyrnian delegate gives Chang's movement no more than a glance, but a slight smile twitches at the corner of his mouth as he looks back down at his papers.

"By all means, let us proceed. All are present whose presence is required or desired - why wait further? As I see it, so far these are the nominees for the various posts:

For the Chair: Tarrican, Fyrn, Austrin-Ontis, DomLeBef, Stuff and Shinies, Gehenna Tartarus, Santa Barbara, Ichidou, Thulackack, Whispering Voices, Nikea, Yerwaht.

For CiC: DomLeBef, Austrin-Ontis, Stuff and Shinies, Tarrican, Gehenna Tartarus, Santa Barbara, Whispering Voices, Excurcior.

By my reckoning, so far Austrin-Ontis and Los Bananos El Fuego together have the most nominations for the Chair, with five each, and Gehenna Tartarus for the position of CiC, with four.

Since Stuff and Shinies alone of all the nations represented here has expressed no preferences, perhaps they would like to oversee the voting?"

The Tarricani General continues to chew on his cigar... he's smoking it as well, but definately chewing it thoughtfully too.

"That would be an acceptable circumstance."

OOC Thanks to Santa Barbara I have now found the word that describes my people... YAY! (Tarricanian just didn't work)

Sonya Chang raises an eyebrow at the Tarricani General, perhaps more for his cigar-chewing than anything he said. Moving along, she adds, "That would seem acceptable, but I would like to hear from the Fuegian representatives first. This is, after all, their brainchild."

OOC: Hehe... Fuegian. Feel free to harpoon Miss Chang, metaphorically, for getting it wrong.

Edit: "Tarricani" is indeed correct! But for some reason "Fuegian" doesn't seem right still.

The Stuff and Shinies delegate slowly scans Sonya and smiles a very wolfish smile over the rim of his glass, green eyes twinkling. At the Fyrninan suggestion he grins and expands his hands in an exaggerated gesture of compliance, "Whilst we are already fairly busy over-seeing the peace-talks, we would be honoured to be responsible for monitoring the voting process for these elections. If there are no objections, of course." He returns to the obviously important business of lounging in his chair, winking at Sonya as he does so. His handsome face breaks into a brief expression of 'god I'm bored how bout you?' as he catches her eye and then settles back into it's apparantly permanent expression of mild amusement.

Lord Aurelius pauses for a moment, cocking his head, his red eyes shining as he looks at one of his aides.

"I am afraid that is unacceptable to Whispering Voices. The Empire of Stuff and Shinies has done us grievous insult by thrusting an abomination into our sight, despite our wide-known hatred for such. The Reqiuem of Whispering Voices hereby announces that if the Stuff and Shinies representative is not withdrawn immediately from this conference, we shall put forward a motion for the dismissal of said country from the DAMOCLES treaty. DAMOCLES was built upon a dream of co-operation and peace, nurtured by Los Bananos El Fuego, who's very religion - shared with ourselves - the Empress has chosen to spit upon by sending a vampire to this gathering."

He waits, not nervous but watchful. His aide adopts a similar stance.


*** *** ***

<Transmission>
<To: Empress of Stuff and Shinies>
<Blind Carbon Copy: Los Bananos El Fuego, Austrin-Ontis, Santa Barbara>
<Subject: DAMOCLES Conference>

Empress

You have done our country a grave disservice by sending along such a creature to perform negotiations that are supposed to better the lot of the rightful populace of the Devil's Desert. Were it not for the initial concordat given verbal agreement at the start of the DAMOCLES ratification program, the High Council would even now be granting the Catholic Diocesal Administration permission to mobilise. We have destroyed other countries for less, and this sly barb to our honour and our dedication - and to our God - will not go unanswered. All you have to decide is the form in which the reply comes.

High Councillor Lucy Myers

Chang notices the bold efforts of the Stuff and Shinies delegate. She chuckles inwardly, but rewards him with an inscrutable, almost cold, almost warm expression for a moment before Lord Aurelius Blackdon continues.

"...by sending a vampire to the meeting."

Huh, a vampire. Who knew? Between mans religions and his desires... she sighs inaudibly. She notes to herself, once again, an example of why power must be centralized, or be dissolved by anger and lust.

Later, darling. Let's see how this works out first.

She folds her hands together, merely giving an appraising look to the Whispering Voices commander, eyes narrowed in thought. She is excellent at hiding emotion...

even from yourself...

...and makes no reply, looking instead at each of the other Damocles representatives expectantly.

Tom Brown, thinking of his day of woe in classes, rounds the corner and bumps into a kid running around playing tag. Ah the good 'ol days he thought, when I was young and carefree. College sucks.

'I am more than inclined to agree with the stance taken by Whispering Voices' delegate. The Thulackackian's, whilst not particularly concerned with the issue itself, understand that, in these tense times it is necessary to be particularly subtle. And to try to not mortally, ahem, offend each other.
However, Lord Aurelius, I do not think that the insult was a deliberate one. There are always problems with paperwork etc, and the gentleman's state may have...slipped someone's mind.'

Lord Aurelius raises an eyebrow. "Whilst I respect the Thulackian delegate's attempt to smooth over troubled waters, I would have to question the intellect of a vampire who 'forgets' that it is such."

'Oh, naturally, I would agree, but we all do what we are told to, and we have to have faith that it is the right decision. Of course, not to trivialise your very real and understandable anger, Thulack's MIght is waiting for the end of this conference before it moves against Anaxa, thus we are on rather a tight schedule here....'

Straightening up a bit, Sonya smiles, nodding at the two gentlemen as they converse, and after a moment of silence speaks.

"With respect to all concerned, I have to admit we cannot, at this point, trust the Stuff and Shinies ambassador to oversee the voting process. It does not follow, after all, that because one has no stated opinion, one can be trustworthy of just any task. And in that matter, we would prefer to continue, as planned, with the Fuegian oversight [OOC: as soon as DomLBeF makes the poll on the DD board...] in the interest of continuity and efficiency."

She takes a deep breath, and readdresses the text messenger device. A new message reads,
[code:1:e1c656bb08]Change vote to Fuegian CinC. Toby has other business to take care of.[/code:1:e1c656bb08]

Arching an eyebrow in wonder at what Tobys "other business" could be, she then added, "And... gentlemen. It seems that in our initial selections for the position of Commander in Chief, we had not accounted for every eventuality. As such, our nomination is changed from SSCC Pratt to the DomLeBeF commander. Our previous votes for the RDC chairman remain the same. I hope this has not been an inconvinience."

Very, very minutely, her tongue darts out from her lips and runs quickly from the left to right. Then, as if suddenly remebering something, she reaches for a glass of water which had been sitting on the table.

Lady Pilar watched the proceedings with interest, surprised how easily the topic had moved from debating regional defence to whether a particular delegate was welcome to partake. She took a sip of her water, clearing her throat.

Waiting for a lull in the conversation, Dona coughed, drawing attention to her desire to speak. She let her eyes pass over all those gathered, then took a breath.

"On behalf of the Empire of Tartarus, I would like to thank all of you who put our glorious nation forward for the role of CiC, it was an expected event, and one which has highlighted our acceptance in the region." She paused, as she wetted her dry mouth with another quick sip.

"However, the Empire is currently undergoing internal changes, as the Empress attempts to introduce Tartarus to the International community. Therefore, I am honour bound to remove our nation from the running at this time, and leave the position clear for a nation without such an agenda."

She paused again, letting her announcement filter through the room. "Until Tartarus is ready to undertake such an important role, Her Imperial Majesty has requested that we be removed as a nomination."

The Fyrnian delegate raises his eyebrows at Gehenna Tartarus' announcement.

"In which case," he says diffidently, "perhaps we should reopen the voting. This will affect the opinions of many nations. And, given that these proceedings seem to have to start over, perhaps Stuff and Shinies would like to take this opportunity to change delegates? For the sake of peace and harmony, you understand." he finishes, bowing slightly towards the vampire.

The Stuff and Shinies delegate watches the debate over his state of being with interest but no visible concern. Once everyone has had their say, and the Fyrnian ambassador has finished his speech, he slowly straightens in his chair. Standing quickly he bows to the assembled delegates in turn, holding it a little longer to Lord Aurelius, before pulling on his gloves and leaning forward onto the table slightly, "Honoured delegates, if I may be permitted to address you all for a brief moment?" He pauses to ensure that he has everyone's attention before continuing, "I must apologise most sincerely for any offence my attendance at these proceedings may have caused. I have brought dishonour on myself and My Lady for it was by my insistence that I was allowed to attend these talks at all. I realise now my folly in this course of action. I have lived so long amongst people who do not consider my state of being an abomination, and treat me as just another citizen as opposed to some creature who must be feared and destroyed, that I am afraid I had assumed that all people were of like mind. My Lady had tried to explain to me that this was not the case, but in the end my perserverance, along with my detailed knowledge of negotiation and status of neutrality as a non-Devils Desert citizen (originally), led Her to relent and allow me to attend this meeting. I see now what She meant and that my attendance was indeed a mistake. I sincerely hope that you will view this as a failing on my part as opposed to any reflection upon the character of My Lady. She has nothing but respect for our fellow nations and would never have knowingly insulted them. For these reasons I respectfully withdraw from these proceedings. My replacement will arrive shortly." He bows deeply to Lord Aurelius and the Thulackackian delegate before silently walking out of the room.

Brief aside for Santa Barbara: There is a small, white card next to your water-glass with a communications frequency number on it in gold ink. On the reverse is written in flowing, copper-plate script "To be continued?..."

Lord Aurelius doesn't smile as his eyes follow the vampire from the room, but he does take the opportunity to pour himself a glass of mineral water from a carafe whilst the wait commences for the next delegate from Stuff & Shinies.

Sonya notices the card suddenly. What was that, magic?

Since her promotion to Vice Chairman, and current position in the Glom, she has learned to expect anything. To her, few things are impossible. Attraction to the likes of the Stuff and Shinies ambassador, or any man for that matter, was one of those few things.

Could be useful. One never knows.

She pockets the card, intending to bring it to Bob's attention when he's not too busy.

Business as usual, she readdresses the council. "With regards to the wishes of the Empress Gehenna, we hereby renounce our previous nomination as per her wishes."

She refrains from demanding that the meeting go more quickly, as much as she wants it to.

The Yerwahtten delegate's hatred can be seen on his face has he watches the departure of the vampire. Concerned he sends of a quick message via one of his aides to be coded and passed on to Yerwahtten command.

<STUFF AND SHINIES DELEGATE VAMPIRIC STOP SUGGEST IMMEDIATE STATUS CHECK OF PEACE TALK DELEGATION AND HEIGHTENED ALERTNESS STOP>

Returning, the aide hands him a message. "We wish to change one of our votes for chair. Whispering Voices is now one of our nominees, in place of Fyrn if needs be and our first choice."

<Open transmission on all diplomatic channels>

Empress detained <STOP> Vampiric influences causing trouble <STOP> Trying to resolve <STOP> Will keep informed <END>

<Open communication on all diplomatic and emergency channels>

Empress missing <STOP> Security protocols activated <STOP> Will keep informed <END>

Isterin Terenel looked down at the message he had just received from Queldas.

<<Stuff and Shinies>>eth imperatisrë lanorvesteo. Vampirid inflytanessë lostoniteo. Iterulai angeteo eth jantemorsam kortë. Itenisa lancredeila, lan?

Stuff and Shinies Empress disappeared. Vampiric influence suspected. You will be informed of further developments. This is unbelievable, no?

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself. First people are complaining about some representative, and now one of the country's leaders is missing.

He stood up, his tall and somewhat large frame demanding attention, and his Nikean accent clearly audible in his voice. "Please, my friends, look at the dark hole in which these talks have fallen into. We have gone from such trivial matters as vampires and acceptable representatives from different nations to the disappearance of the leader of one of the nations. This latest development only sets back our talks even further.

"Even though I am simply a Minister of Defence, and not a political mastermind, even I am aware that it is obvious that the nation of Stuff and Shinies has its own problems to deal with, and the subject of regional defence is larger than just one nation. Perhaps we can exclude Stuff and Shinies for now, as we really need to be organized in our regional defence systems in such turbulent times. When the situation in Stuff and Shinies is under control, we would gladly welcome them back into the talks and help bring them up to date on the progress we have made."

He looked each delegate in the eyes after his speech, surveying their reaction. He then sat down, and sent a message back to the capital.

Ranasterilo eloserteueth <<Stuff and Shinies>>. Astinum kortë morsetë. Sammaterilo, itenisa mecket lancredeila.

Proposed the exclusion of Stuff and Shinies. Awaiting further instructions. Agreed, this is quite unbelievable.

A barely concealed smile crosses the priest's face. He had'nt realised that Isterin was so worthy of his attention. At least there were others that felt the pressing urgency of the situation.

'Honoured delegates, I am happy to agree with the position of my esteemed colleague. These talks have gone on too long already, and the issues concerning the Empress are for our countries' to deal with independantly. Regional security is the issue, Anaxa the cause.'

"Indeed." Aurelius listened briefly, looking vacant, before snapping back to the present. "I propose we temporarily exclude Stuff and Shinies, and take the vote now."

OOC:
Vote thread up in regional forum, War section.

The Fyrnian delegate seems to completely ignore the conversation going on around him. All his attention is on the pad of paper in front of him, upon which he is doodling. Among other things there are some lines of poetry (very bad - 'The glorious sun is dimmed by cloud, Stained red by the evening light. The night air grows to chilly gale And eagles take their flight.') and a rough sketch of Sonya. As the agreement to exclude Stuff and Shinies seems to be reached, he summons an aide and hands the doodle over.

"Send this to my sister. I promised her a souvenir." he says softly, with a friendly grin and a five dollar note. The aide nods, pockets the cash and slips out of the room.

"I guess we have to exclude them for now... I'll check back on the status with OMI, but I'd guess that Stuff and Shineys might be suffering from more of an infestation of leeches than we can guess. Otherwise, their empress wouldn't haev problems. I suggest the Stuff and Shineys situation be rated second issue to be raised after the Anaxan crisis..."

"My vote is now logged, bowing to popular pressure."

"Our votes remain unchanged."

The votes returned.

"The winner of position of Chairman is the nation of Whispering Voices, and that of Commander-in-Chief of DAMOCLES belongs to Los Bananos El Fuego," the delegates' headsets announced to each.

Aurelius nodded, as if he had been expecting nothing less. He gave a congratulatory smile to the El Fuegian candidate.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your votes: I'm afraid I would love to make an inaugural speech, but I would hope to start my tenure as I wish to keep it: focused. We have two issues to discuss: the position of Stuff and Shinies, and the appearance of an Iuthian fleet off the coast of the Devil's Desert. I would suggest in that order."

He pauses, takes a drink of water. "Does anyone have anything to say regarding the nation of Stuff and Shinies?"

Sonya smiles politely at the news, and then answers carefully.

"The position of Stuff and Shinies would seem to be one of internal disorder, Mister Aurelius, much like that of Anaxa. The presence of an Iuthian fleet, however, approaching-"

She pauses, seemingly interrupted by her PDA. Looking down briefly, acknowledging a message, she looks up again. "Excuse me, I have been informed that said fleet is in fact, nearest the nation of Whispering Voices. We've had no relations with Iuthia, and I'm wondering what the cause of this forward move is, in this case."

That said, she folds her hands on the table and looks quizzically at the new Chairman of the Regional Defense Council.

Terenel stood next.

"I must agree with Ms. Chang here," he said. "While the Stuff and Shinies problem seems grave, it is contained within their own borders, and we should put the region ahead of the individual nation until it threatens regional security.

"With all due respect, I feel that the Iuthian fleet is of more importance at the moment, and we should look to protect our regional borders first."

"We would be grateful if you could share some intelligence reports with us. Yerwaht's proximity to Whispering Voices and our countries large naval presence will mean we may contact shortly."

The older man sat back, his face concerned.

The DomLBeF delegate speaks to an aide behind him, who proffers him a thin laptop computer. He studies information on it for a few moments, then looks up.

"According to Admiral Ramon Santiago, who was acting as temporary CIC-DDADC and now has been confirmed in that position by the deliberation of this council, the Damocles System has just been placed at Defence Condition Three, as this interloping fleet is moving parallel to DD waters in what is apparently an attempt to position a staging ground within reach of Whispering Voices. Live feed is availiable from satellite and unmanned vehicle cameras. The reason for their presence, however, is currently unknown. Perhaps the Chairman could shed some light on this situation on behalf of his nation?"

OOC: I don't suppose you guys would want the Iuthian Press Release we issued a couple days after being raided by Whispering Voices.

May I also point out that we are not actually in Regional Waters, but International waters (unless this is impossible, in which case I blame my rather poor ignorance of your region and it's territories). We also made a point of saying that we're on a parallel course that eventually leads away from Whispering Voices... so we're not techniqually heading towards whispering voices... however, I guess I had to head towards him at some point... either way, feel free to TM me if you have any OOC questions becuase I'm not really very experienced with this kind of thing as you can probably tell...

Thread with some of the background and more links... you should be able to tell which ones you will have seen IC and which ones you haven't... (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=83886&highlight=)

The priest once again, rises to his feet quickly, sending the aide who had been whispering to him scuttling away.
'Of course I must congratulate the representatives who have been confirmed, very strongly I might add, in their positions. However I might add Lord Aurelius that you had neglected the issue of Anaxa which is most emphatically not a purely internal issue but can easily develop into a major problem for the region if left unchecked. I am not asking that it necessarily be discussed this instant but I would like to see some recognition of the threat that the rogue nation presents to the region as a whole.'

Pausing for breath and visibly calming himself, the priest starts to address the conference once again.

'I too would like to know what the Chair's nation have done this time to potentially bring the region to war once again. Of course regardless of the reasons, if the nation concerned has such porr intelligence to make an incursion into the region then we stand by our military commitments as always.'

[OOC: Please note this is just my opinion of what is going on here.

I wouldn't worry at this point. I've read through all of the relevent threads, and assuming that the only IC post I would have seen would be the press release (unless WV would have shared some of that info with us, which is doubtful for a nation as secretive as his), and possibly some intel info (Nikea's strength is its intelligence agencies (think like the KGB)), but that info would not reveal who did it or anything, just that something happened. Your fleets are just being watched, and unless you try anything, nothing will really happen. Any attack will be seen immediately, and will have consequences, but unless you RP doing something, just ignore our discussions here :p ]

Remaining standing, the priest leans forwrd on the table and stares at the other delegates.
'The rogue nation's fleet is far from sufficent to present more than a brief distraction to whoever it may come into contact with. We are not concerned with this Iuthia; we care only about the decision on Anaxa. We grow tired of these endless talks where no decision can be reached, before yet another presents itself!'.
Shaking with rage and practically screaming at the assembled delegates the tirade continues. '
We only came here to make a damned pretence of caring about other's opinions. Your pacifistic whining sickens me. If none will join us we will do it ourselves'.

The priest turns quickly, knocking into his chair and stumbling somewhat in his rush to reach the door.

(Edited for spelling)

Lord Aurelius watches the Thulackian's back, timing his words until the man reaches the door.

"Anaxa is indeed a threat to the stability of the DAMOCLES project members. It's current president does need to be dealt with."

"Well, last I heard none of the talking had been don yet on Anaxa... but frell it! You got a plan, Aurelius, or are you just whistling Dixie?"

General bites on his cigar as he glares first at the retreating priest and then at the Whispering Voices rep.

The priests aide, looking round nervously, slowly and deliberately looks around the conference before carefully picking up the fallen chair. Taking a deep breath he sits down.

'I would like to apologise on behalf of my government for our delegate's actions. He is..devoted but perhaps a little blind. I am Tuchlakth, a corporate advisor to the Priest's Council and I shall take his place. On a side note, I would consider it a personal favour if someone was able to offer Jaluchuch a security-conscious holiday in their fine country, he does mean something to me.'

Pulling a small pad towards him Tuchlakth continues.

'The words of my colleague do in fact represent a certain point of view held within Thulackack. Much of the populace has been told to be concerned with the issue of Anaxa. We need a positive resolution, but I think it is abundantly clear that any unilateral military action on our part will involve a considerable expense in resources of all types. We would be more than willing to hear more of Lord Aurelius' plan. As I understand the situation, assassination is not without great difficulty.'

<Open communication on all diplomatic and emergency channels>

Situation Code: Black <STOP> Foreign delegates involved <STOP> Empress located <STOP> Containment protocols initiated <STOP> Will keep informed <END>

The Yerwahtten delegate recieves a note and then leans forwards.

"Intelligence reports, border and coastal observations indicate the government of Anaxa has undergone some kind of collapse. My government wishes for us to move people in to keep things under control. Yerwaht is preparing to move some troops to secure northern Anaxa, but will hold back if this council requests."

The Fyrnian delegate leans back in his chair, eyeing the Yerwahten speaker as he addresses the council:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think the time has come to decide whether we want another full-blown war on our hands or not. Anaxa seems to be suffering from internal problems - do we wish to take advantage of these and stamp down hard whilst they are otherwise occupied, do we wish to allow it to crumble under its own impetus, or do we wish to aid it in its internal fight and so place our troops within its borders without giving it an excuse for retaliation?

If I may humbly suggest, should Yerwaht's troops move in now the situation will be irredeemable. Anaxa could never be convinced that it was not an act of extreme aggression and provocation. If, however, we wish to bypass entirely the current peace talks in Stuff and Shinies, and march straight in with all guns blazing, far be it from me to object. I wish merely to observe that there are...more subtle means."

Sonya Chang says, somewhat stiffly, "I agree with the General. We need a plan, and this Anaxan situation is a potentially severe liability to the security of our region. It is the duty of the leaders of this council, and the forces it represents, to come to a decision on such important matters and take action."

Smirking, the besuited secretary turns to Ms. Chang and smirks,
'Not to cause offence Madam, but I couldn't help but notice that you failed to espouse your actual opinion of what the best course of action is.'

She regards the Thuluckackian envoy with a look apparently devoid of all emotion. Then she says, slowly, "My personal opinion on this matter is not the issue. I should think the Conglomerate wishes to have no part in this Anaxan crisis, but of course we will go along with whatever this council's leadership decides... when it does so."

"Well I can tell you my opinion for free Mr. Secretary... and that is that the whole thrice-damned country should be levelled and their misbegotten race scattered to the four winds."
The General speaks calmly and honestly, but gets more agravated as he continues...
"However, as Ms. Chang said, personal opinions are not the issue. Especially as I have been expressly banned from suggesting, agreeing to or giving the impression that my nation would support the above act."

...

"Damnit."

*Entering the room with an attempt at silence, the delegate from Rolen and his assistant quickly make their way to their assigned area, bowing as a silent gesture of both greeting and apologies for their late arrival.*

On behalf of the Rogue Nation of Rolen, we agree their must be some international support to stabilize the region. We are offering our services, both humanitarian aid and with our vote. However, my nation is not in an immediate position to lend financial support, as we are a growing nation.

< memo sent on diplomatic channels to all nations >

TO: All nations of the DAMOCLES alliance
FROM: The Empress, Stuff and Shinies

Fellow delegates, I shall keep this brief until I have a chance to speak to you all in person.

All internal disputes have been permanently resolved, my apologies for any insults or inconviniences caused.

Furthermore I wish to announce the merger of Stuff and Shinies and Fyrn into one cohesive nation, under my rule, following the engagement of myself and Hadrian Leyanda. I will announce the date shortly.

That is all for now. Thank you for your attention.

With regards

The Empress