NationStates Jolt Archive

***this part is all ooc***

This RP is intended to conclude the Sketchian War (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=62619), which ended abruptly and somewhat unsatisfactorily (oocly) for all parties involved. All points have been dicussed and thoroughly negotiated with the current participants of this RP. Should there be an issue, please refrain from posting within this thread and instead TG both parties. If it is not readily obvious, all events are to be considered having been taken place in the distant (distant meaning several generations) past.

***end ooc***

Admiral Kalinin, now interim head of state, stood in the grand hall, one of the few great structures in Sketch left unscathed by the withering coalition attacks during the war. Across from him stood the enemy. The Kaeneians were positioned on the other side of the central table, along with a handful of their allies. Humanoid in physical appearance, it was less unnerving for the rest of the Sketchian party to deal with than it would have been had the damned machines or other aliens been present in similar numbers. It was more of a polite gesture than anything else; Sketchian people had never dealt well with xenoforms, insisting that humanity was the pinnacle of natural development and all else was an abomination.

Behind him, Kalinin could hear the other state dignitaries and otherwise important people whispering amongst themselves. No doubt dicussing the matter at hand, or evening questioning his authority as interim leader. During the final hours of fighting, as the enemy pressed inexorable inward towards the heart of Sketch, Das Sketch had gone inexplicable missing. There were theories ranging from abandonement to assassination to wrong place wrong time. Realizing that the governemnt was now leaderless, Kalinin used his priveldge as ranking military leader to enact martial law and completely take over Sketch. Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of Director of Intelligence and the Cheif of Central Management. As one of his first acts, Kalinin had initiated contact and sued for an armistice. Now, here today, the war ends.

As if with some undetectable signal, the hushed whispers fell silent. Kalinin strode foward and lifted the document off the table. It was a large piece of work, scribbed in the old language and on an ancient material called paper. In a gesture that was more ceremonial than anything else, Kalinin begins to read the document outloud.


Liase^en Cirasi Beloria

Part I
Boundries of Sketch

The boundries of Sketch shall be determined as follows:
Sketch shall no longer have sole claim to all lands of Europa.
All lands seized by Sketch over the course of this conflict shall be returned to their former holders.
The holdings of Sketch on Europa shall at no point in the course of time exceed more than half of the moon.
A secured access border shall be established with Kaenein assests based on Europa.

Part II
Political clauses

The governing body of Sketch shall allow the establishment of Kaeneian and coalition ebassies within the territory of Sketch. The governing body of Sketch shall also maintain a political liason with Kaenei and each of the coalition members. The conditions of this clause may be dismissed on an individual basis by Kaenei and/or the coalition members.

Part III
Reparations

The governing body of Sketch accepts the responsibility for and acknowledges having caused loss and damages to Kaenei in the Ardan war. Furthermore, Sketch shall undertake and render compensation for damages done to Kaenei during the Ardan war. As compensation, Sketch shall render unto Kaenei 1% of the national GDP until damages have been paid in full.

Part IV
Econonmic clauses

Sketchian industries shall be put under the purview of a Kaeneian run economic committee for a period not to exceed that of Kaeneian occupation. This committee shall oversee the the introduction and application of new technolgies into Sketch and ensure that such technologies are not used for the enhancement of the Sketchian military technology.

All Sketchian economic sanctions against Kaenei and coalition members shall be lifted to allow free trade.

Part V
Military clauses

Sketchian armed forces shall be demobilised and reduced as perscribed hereinafter.
By a date which most not be later than five cylces after the signing of this treaty, the Sketchian armed forces must not comprise of more than 0.01% of the current Sketchian population.
After that date, the total number of effectives in the Sketchian armed forces must not exceed 0.001% of the total Sketchian population, including officers and establishments of depots. The military shall be devoted exclusively to the maintenance of order within the territory and control of the frontiers.
After that date, half of the Sketchian prime bases must be decommissioned and be made available for Kaeneian inspecion.
Sketchian space assests shall be reduced and restricted to no more than that required to maintain order within the territory and control of the frontiers.
Universal compulsory military service shall be abolished in Sketch. The Sketchian armed forces may only be constituted and recruited by means of voluntary enlistment.
The Sketchian military budget may not exceed 2.5% of the overall national GDP

Part VI
Guarantees

As a guarantee for the execution of the present Treaty by Sketch, the remaining Sketchian prime bases and immediate terriotires adjacent to Sketch will be occupied by Kaeniean forcesfor a period no less than ninety-nine years from the coming into force of the present Treaty.

If the conditions of the present Treaty are faithfully carried out by Sketch, the occupation referred to in the previous paragraph will be successively restricted as follows:
At the expiration of twenty-five years, the following will be evacuated: half of the Kaeneian occupied prime bases.
At the expiration of fifty years, the following will be evacuated: the remainder of the Kaeneian occupied prime bases.
At the expiration of ninety-nine years, the following will be evacuated: the Kaeniean occupied territories immediately adjacent to SKetch. These territories shall remain neutral and no nation be allowed to postition military assests with them.

Part VII
Miscellaneous Provisions

The Most Serene Union of Kaenei may at anytime request a re-negotiation of the conditions set forth within this treaty.

It hurt, the feeling of loss welled up inside Kalinin, as it no doubt was crushing the rest of the Sketchian officials. The pain of reading the document was not lessened by foreknowledge of the terms contained within. Even with wounded pride, formalities must be adhered to and Kalinin continued the signing ceremony. He places the document back on the table and raises the seal of Sketch before him:


I, Gregori Kalinin, Consoul of Sketch, with the power and authority of the state do hereby accept this Treaty of Honoured Blood on the behalf of the state of Sketch. To this treaty I affix the seal of the state and so it shall be honored in full without guile or subterfuge by all of Sketch.


Kalinin, finished, sets the seal back on the table and waits for the Kaenieans to acknowledge the signing.

Out across the scared battlescape of Europa, an erie silence blanketed the killing fields. The eleventh hour had struck and both sides fidgeted as the higherups decided what to do. Local commands on both sides feverishly drew up plan after plan - for contigencies' sake. And everyone hoped for an end.

Back in the dark shadows of government, or what was left of it, the cogs of change were set into motion. Change was inevitable, and those who adapted the quickest would be best positioned to take over. The flames of war had just been smothered, and already the embers of revolution glowed hot.

The assembled delegation of Kaeneians did not breake the hushed silence. Amongst them, there were the murmurs of conversation. Little was adressed, for almost all was said and done.

Kristilanna, Protectoresse of Kaeneian interests on Europa, stood at the fore. Flanked by Killthanus, whose eyes betrayed the rings of weariness that a top speed journey from Terra entailed.

Passing his eyes one final time over the document at hand, he nodded to the younger women. She picked up the curious implement designed to imprint on the paper, and flexed it. Her fingers wrapped around it cautiously, almost unsure of how to go about using it correctly.

Several seconds passed, and she carefully stroked the ink, forming letters whose translation escaped the Sketchens.

"It is done." Was Kristilanna's only statement.

The signals flew out from central command, processed and delivered as soon as the attending military liason hand delivered the news. His message was simple - The treaty has been signed. Central command already knew the details of the treaty, and realized the implications. Ever the efficient body, and knowing that there was no realistic alternative, nearly all the discharge paperwork was done. There was going to be no idle period for ex-military personnel - Sketchian infrstructure had some massive recovery work planned ahead.

Out on the field, various commands received their new orders - Stand down forces and cease all hostilities. All forces are directed to proceed with all due haste to the nearest designated alpha station for futher processing. All POWs are to be released and delivered to nearest coilition position. Alert status has been downgraded to BLUE. Conspicuously absent from the communication was the mention of the terms "enemy" or "surrender". Although surrender and defeat was certainly implied and most definitely a fact, well established psychological studies showed that the crushing blow of defeat is softened when individuals are allowed to realize the concept fully, on their own. Good soldiers tend to follow orders without much thought. This practice cut down significantly on prevelant maniac depression that many times occur in the wake of such events. Likewise for dealing with the opposition, there was no longer a need to vilify them. It would be prudent to ease the transition from "enemy" to "associate", as such relationships were soon to be more or less permanent.

Good soliders they were, capable of taking and carrying out orders received. Despite the distasteful aspect of those orders. It wasn't really that they didn't want to stop fighting, more that they wished it had ended better. When the enemy was so clearly just over the next ridge, it was obvious that it was not they who had retreated. The soldiers knew without having to be told, it would be a sad day indeed if they were not at least that intelligent. Veterans gave a sort of wry grin - they knew how things worked, this was not the first time Sketchian forces had withdrawn from the field. Those quacks think they know everything, they told the younger troops. Sitting in their clean offices, counting their fancy degrees. Lying to a soldier is the worst thing you can do, but they'll never figure that out. You can expect to have a new job assigned by sunrise, I hope I get something better this time.

Later on, far down the road of time, historians will come to call this period the Dawning of the New Age. A period in which Sketch experiences an amazing rebirth, like a pheonix rising from the ashes. But for now, in the present time, day to day existence was but another chore.

For the first time in generations, nay, centuries, the denizens of Sketch found themselves with freedom - an unknown concept, ungraspable by even the most beligerent of subjects. For countless generations, a sense of unquestioned loyalty and absolute faith in the state had been instilled into the Sketchian peoples. Thus, it came as a great shock when the government literally dissolved overnight. So set were the people in their ways of life, that even without the usual bureaucratic oversight. There was no morning reveille, no greeting of the day, no progress report. In fact, the public speaker system was silent. Then came time for the midday motivation, again, not a sound was to issue from the usual source of so much propaganda. By the time evening review came around, there was a thorough expectation for some sort of announcement - and none was forthcoming. Only the equally deep ingrained natural fear of questioning the state kept the people at bay, for they knew that someone was taking care of the problem. For the time being, they would content themselves with waiting patiently for an explanation which was undoubtable forthcoming.....

Home coming was uneventful. Soldiers returning home saw virtually nil in the way of fanfare or welcome. Literally overnight, the population of resident blocks simply increased. It was a logistical nightmare decommissioning all those troops. One that was being handled as quickly and efficiently as possible my the ministry of peace. Each soldier still had to be paid, had to receive a new job, required a place to live, and a plethora of other nagging details. Details weren't the only problem, cash flow.....it took money to move bodies and it'll take more to keep them in place. As it was, the primary incentive for obediance had just gotten dismantled. It was an ages old governement policy, using the military as the counter insurgency tool. Cloak and dagger games aside, an all pervasive policing force was a far more effective deterrent than anything else. Here, a unique situation has arisen - the greatest (potential) threat ever to governmental power was in place, and there was not even a strong force to counter balance it. As far as the psychoanalysts were concerned, the dissolution of the armed forces have just created a potentially well organized group of miltants within the main population. Money was the answer, the key to keeping order from denegrating into chaos. Well fed, happy militants were more likely to continue being well fed and happy, and not do anything. Disgruntled ex soldiers on the other hand, could prove to be dangerous.

With these factors in mind, a new branch of the armed services was created - the Strategic Self Defense Force (SSDF). Intended to eventually phase out the more traditional service branches, the SSDF would be centered around an entirely new mission objective - maintaining peace and order throughout Sketch. By the edicts of the signed treaty, Sketch was essentially allowed no offensive capabilities. Reduced thusly to self defense, a whole new battle doctrine was needed. No longer was the military to be organized into large, overwhelming units; but rather, small independent rapid deployment cells. Modeled after standard counter insurgency/terrorist organizations, the SSDF would replace the military as the new "all-pervasive" police force. As the years past, the SSDF will find its role expandingto encompass more and more military functions.

Its been nearly a century now, thought Kalinin, as he gazed back at himself though the reflective surgace of his warm brandy. His life artificially extended and sustained far beyond its natural capacity, his eyes were a pool of deep weariness. Ninetyseven years I have spent setting this child straight. Powers above pray that she's learned to play nice by now.

With a soft *clink* Andrey set his brandy sifter down. Licking the tip of his pen, he dips it into the indigo clored ink; the scent of a slowly burning tallow candy filling his nostrils with nostalgia. Words flowed freely from his hand as the feather scratched its way across the thick, coarse paper.


To her Lady, Sirithil nos Fëanor,

It has been a long time since our two nations have communicated with each other. Us, on the other hand have never spoken, either face to face or otherwise. But I know much about you, as likewise you of me. We are much alike, you and I, responsible for guiding our children through the tumultuos times. But unlike me, you have the benefit of ages, whereas this mortal shell of a man is now tired and worn. The experience of my years have brought an understanding that I would have never gained, had my life been shorter. Sketch was a petualant child who, like all children, struck out at everything within reach, violently and without prejudice.

I have always regretted giving that fateful order, a shortcoming on my part, a lack of will stemming from my comfortable station. I sent more twenty thousand men to their deaths that day, only destroy more innocent lives and wreck more havoc than any one person should be capable of doing. For years I told myself that it was an order conferred unto me, undeniable and unescapable. Alas, such justifications quickly breakdown with the passgae of time. A heavy weight has ridden upon my soul all this time, and I make this paltry attempt to lessen its burden. Words cannot hope to ever confer the degree of sorrow I have, nor will they ever be enough to lessen anyone else's. But nonetheless, perhaps one day you will understand a mortal's need to try as death knocks upon his door.

Sketch should no longer be punished for crimes committed long ago, just as a child must be allowed to breath the fresh air after so much grounding. I can no longer guide Sketch along the proper path - that is a task for another. Lady Jagara is her name, a fair and honest person she is. Judge her not as you would the last Das Sketch, for they are not all the same. I have done all I can for my children. And soon I will sleep amongst the stars.

With warmest regards,
Andrey Gregor Kalinin,


Folding the letter neatly into thirds, the first consul of Sketch neatly slide it into an envelope. Patiently he held a small dish above the candle. Judging the viscous liquid to be ready, he poured the wax unto the back of the envelope and applied his personal seal. Done. Sirithil, Nathicana, the Kaeneians, Treznor.....Angelus, everyone accounted for. Although that machine would probably dismiss me with so much electronic rasberry. Grunting with effort, he stood from his padded chair. An old back was an old back, no matter what the luxurious appointments.

Moving to his bed, almost hobbling, he stops at its edge. Turn off life-extension routine.

A sultry female voice calls out, Sir, terminating the life-extension routine will result in a 96.5% chance of your lifecycle ending prematurely. You may not wake up in the morning sir.

I'm already way past my prime. The world will not end if I don't wake up in the morning. Turn it off.

Understood sir.

That night, Andrey sleep better than he had ever slept in his entire life.

Lady Jagara,

Most heartfelt greetings to you. I hope your first few months in office have been productive and peaceful ones. I was referred to you by your predecessor, Andrey Gregor Kalinin, with a promise that you would be taking the nation of Sketch along a more peaceful and productive path than did he. With that in mind, I send this communiqué in hopes that we can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement with the effect of increasing Menelmacari presence on the Frozen Moon.

We have a minor presence already in Kaeneian territory, however, it does not meet the needs of our growing population and our national interests. We wish to purchase a small area outright, no more than, say, a square one or two hundred kilometers to a side, certainly a minor matter. The goal, of course, is to create a viably self-sufficient colony on Europa, focusing on tourism, scientific research, and assorted industrial opportunities for which we believe Europa is uniquely suited.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Lady Jagara mused in the quiet comforts of her personal chambers. A warm greeting from the self declared leader and protector of elvenkind. Warm, but accompanied by purely business minded proposal. Interesting however, the mentioning of the long since dearly departed Kalinin. A good man, flawed, but inherently good. He had brought Sketch back far from the depths to which it had fallen. The intelligence files said little in the way of character of Lady Sirithil nos Fëanor, but the many annotations collected over the years implied that the previous Das Sketch thought little of her. Then again, they thought little of everyone. Anyone who would bear such an extravagant title would have more than a little overblown sense of self worth and importance. Of course, she is the ruler of a respectable powerful empire; one that had assisted in the downfall of Sketch..... Nontheless, Kalinin had seen it fit to maintain a cordial link with the Menelmacri, perhaps some good can come from this. We shall see.

A personal communiqué with a head of state demands a response in kind.

Lady Sirithil nos Fëanor,

The lands of Sketch have faired well under the gentle guidance of the Lord Protectorate, Kalinin. My coming into power was nought but a step along the path to bring the empire back to the glory it once was. The position of Das Sketch is a sacred one, entrusted to those who will take Sketch to greater heights. It was unfortunate that one of use should have failed so miserably. I seek a vision of Sketch unfettered by constraints; free to be the jewl envisioned by its people. There is still much work that needs to be done.

You speak a mutually beneficial arrangement regarding Europa. It is apparent to me that past Sketchian-Menelmacari relations have been strained at best. I think it would be prudent to clear the air, so to speak, before any atempt at territorial negotiations are made. Perhaps you may wish to send a personal envoy, seeing as how you surely are a very busy person, to discuss this matter on a more direct level. I am sure we have much to discuss.

With Regards,
Lady Jagara
Das Sketch, Ruler of the Imperium