NationStates Jolt Archive

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Premier Chiisu Suun!"

Chiisu entered the conference hall to a rapturous ovation as the entire membership of the Suunist Party stood to greet him. The 27th Annual Suunist Party Conference was his chosen time and place for the introduction of his new ideology, an ideology which he hoped would gain the support of the assembled delegates.

Who am I kidding? They'll adore it.

He bowed to the assembled throng and lapped up their appreciation until they finally stopped. Clearing his throat, he began.

"My friends, Suunism was created by my father to create prosperity for our nation and our people. Unfortunately, it took my rethinking of his plans to achieve those laudable aims. Now, we have reached the limit of Suunism's ability. We stand as a prosperous nation; our people want for nothing, our military is strong, our neighbours know to respect us. What we need is a set of ideas, a new ideology if you will, one which will lead us beyond the end of Suunism. Therefore, I present to you my vision; NeoSuunism."

Chiisu waited for the applause to subside before continuing. "My vision is simple. We are a great nation, the greatest in our region and the greatest among those who know us. Yet some do not show us the respect we deserve. We are a great people; the Marimaians are intrinsically superior to most, we already know this. Our culture, our economy, our political system; all are superior. To maintain this greatness, we must attain economic self-sufficiency. If we rely on others, we allow them to have a hold over us. This is unacceptable. Our scientific community will work towards creating new fuel sources and synthetic versions of those resources not found within our borders. With economic self-sufficiency comes the ability to be independent of lesser nations, but there are lesser nations who require resources which we possess; these nations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis."

"Our military will be strengthened. All other forms of superiority are worthless without military power to protect them. We already stand with a powerful military; it shall be further strengthened through the acquisition of new technologies and funding. This military strengthening is for two reasons. The first reason is the protection of Marimaia's sovereignty; we cannot permit hostiles to violate the sanctity of Marimaian soil. This leads me to the second reason for military improvement. As you are all aware, our ancestors' nation was larger than our present one; border conflicts and native uprisings reduced their territory to what we possess today. It is imperative that we reclaim those lands stolen from our ancestors all those years ago. Marimaia will be made whole. We shall first try to regain those territories through negotiation and compromise, but if that fails then other methods will become necessary. Do not mistake this as imperialism; once our domain is restored, we will have achieved our territorial objectives."

"Our entire diplomatic portfolio will be reformed. We are currently a member of the Asian Alliance, an organisation which has fallen apart except for a few stalwart members. Quite frankly, we no longer require membership. Every diplomatic relationship we possess with another nation will be reviewed to ensure that it reflects reality. This will mean showing them the respect which they have earned from us; in many cases, this will be little to none. However, there are nations who have earned our respect and they will be shown that respect. We will also search for potential allies, nations who stand above the rest in terms of civilisation."

Chiisu was surprised to see a hand shoot up. "A question? Very well, go ahead."

The delegate cleared his throat when he realised that the entire hall was looking at him. "What about East Islandia?"

Chiisu nodded. "An excellent question. I intend to ask Islandia to continue as an ally, even though we will no longer be a member of the Asian Alliance. Hopefully the Islandians will understand our desire for completion. If not, then we shall have the Islandian personnel at Mingzao Air Base sent home. Willingly or otherwise."

The party membership intently listened to the rest of Chiisu's speech, applauding his various points until finally giving him a second standing ovation at the finish. He bowed graciously and took his seat as the cabinet members took their turns on the podium, each addressing their ministry's NeoSuunist policies.

The Revolution had begun.

(OOC: I've been planning to do this for a while; the old Marimaia wasn't really capable of doing anything as they'd gotten kinda lazy. This is my way of injecting some new life.)

(A week after the Party Conference)

"Hi! I'm Honji..."
"...and I'm Miho!"

"Welcome to People's Daily News!"

After the intro finished, Honji turned to the camera with a smile.

"Our top story today, which everyone has probably already heard by now but it's still worth covering. The Suunist People's Republic of Marimaia officially changed its name today in an official ceremony attended by over ten thousand citizens. Premier Suun, clad in his new Premierial uniform, declared that we are now the NeoSuunist Prosperity Sphere of Marimaia. The citizens in attendance were extremely vocal in their support of this action. This action is part of an ongoing nationwide reform, which has been dubbed 'The NeoSuunist Revolution'. Premier Suun announced that the change had been a long time coming, as we abandoned Communism long ago and it was time for the nation to catch up. Miho, I believe you have some interesting facts for us."

"I certainly do, Honji! A number of polls conducted by the MPIN over this past week show overwhelming support for NeoSuunism among the population:

- Over 96% of those polled agreed with His Excellency that Marimaians are intrinsically superior to our neighbours.

- 100% believed that Premier Suun's new policies will lead to further greatness for our nation.

- 97% are in favour of the Ministry of Foreign Relations reviewing our diplomatic relationships.

Overall, this means that Premier Suun has once again made all the right moves. Sometimes I think we forget how lucky we are to have such a young dynamo as our leader."

Honji grinned. "I completely agree. Anyway, NeoSuunism is the subject of our first ever audience participation segment, 'The Nation Speaks!'. Send us your emails, texts or phone messages and we'll broadcast them later on in the show. Now, in other news..."

West Conservatory
Imperial Palace
Hu-kasa, East Islandia

The West Conservatory stood quietly that day, as the sunlight peeked in through the trees and the birds chirped. The conservatory was actually a open space, a garden sheltered under large, transparent panes of composite glass. Inside, Premier Chai, Vice Premier Park, and Foreign Minister Qiao sat, holding an informal discussion that quickly turned to the issue of the new Marimaian nation.

"Neo-Sunnism," Qiao said slowly. "Sounds...audacious."

"You said it," Park replied. She frowned for a minute. "What is 'neo' again?"

"New," Qiao replied. "So Suunism is replaced. Wonder if they'll be like North Korea?"

"Dra-pol?" Chai asked skeptically. "I doubt it."

Park's face grew dark.

"Anyhow," Qiao said, moving the subject quickly. "What do you feel we should do, Premier?"

"What do you advise?" Chai asked.

"Continue with our relations as normal," Qiao replied quietly. "Act like nothing has happened; for that matter, nothing has happened-that affects us. Other than the fact that Premier Suun wishes to restore their nation, nothing really affects us."

"THey want their place in the Suun," Chai said, laughing.

Park did not understand English well, so she did not join in; instead, she looked at them curiously.

"Nothing really is changing," she said to them. "NOthing that affects us. Among other things, our people would understand if they knew that the Marimaians want their territory back; its natural to want to avenge past wrongs. And anyway, we will still have our training contingents there and we will keep selling them technology-"

"Wait," Qiao said quickly. "What about spiderweave composite?"

Chai and Park looked at each other, concerned.

"What about it?" a third female voice asked from the background. General Soong, Training Command's head officer, stepped into the room, accompanied by Technology Minister Tranh and the Technology Exchange Commissioner, Pak.

"We were about to sell it, General," Tranh said. "Or were considering it. We have sold it to Hudecia already, but other than Hudecia, us, and possibly Marimaia, no other countries will have spiderweave....at least not our high strength, X grade material."

X grade Spiderweave was the new composite form that had just came out, perfected by Biotechnica of Islandia several months ago. X grade was nearly impervious to most weapons, waterproof, with high tensile strength, yet the lightest spidermaterial so far. It was to be used for building material or for armor in military or civilian vehicles.

"Can we sell them X-grade?" Chai asked.

Tranh shook his head. "Biotechnica would throw a fit," he replied. "Besides, we dont have the rights to sell X-grade, since they're not owned or funded by us."

"Should we sell them spiderweave is the question," Park said. All faces in the room turned upon her. "The thing is, Spiderweave has traditionally been our biggest ally; when fighting our enemies, various forms of spiderweave, used in armor, clothing, and accessories has given us the edge to triumph. Is giving away one of our greatest assets to anyone, even our allies, wise?"

"It's not as if they are our enemies," Chai replied. "Besides, they have stood alongside us many times, and even forgiven us for the Black Dawn scandal."

The Black Dawn scandal was when the Black Dawn Technologies Group was discovered to have overcharged (by a LARGE amount) various nations, particularly Marimaia, on their products. Money was promptly refunded, the culprits punished, and the group of companies handed over to government control.

"True," Park conceded. She shifted uncomfortably. "Nonetheless, we havent even given to Agrigento-"

"They didnt ask," Tranh replied. "FUrthermore, we give them spidersteel nearly for free, as part of our technology and materials exchange programs."

"It would take them years to master the manufacture and creation of Spidersilk," Tranh continued. "Besides, we cant give them X Grade, since that's not ours to give away. But, if Premier Chai allows, I will authorize the transfer of Q-type spidermaterial, for building purposes first."

Q-type, despite its low designation, was not really weak; it was simply part of a material group that had been designated for building structures.

"The real concern here is whether they will leak it to other nations," Commissioner Pak said. "Our security has been tight for centuries, and that, combined with substantial rewards for the spidersilk guilds, has kept spidersilk as ours. Can we trust them to not leak it?"

Chai sighed. "FIrst things first," she said, "we need to tell them that we are still their ally, as well we should be. They have only helped us in the past, and I certainly hope I see no disagreement on that."

No one spoke, a clear sign that they all wished to maintain relations.

"Good," Chai said. "Now, I will call Premier Suun for a meeting; then, we will discuss with him what he wants and what he plans to do about it. For now, however, I want to ask the Imperial Council into here also, so that you may all discuss amongst yourselves the merits of selling spidersteel. Clear?"

They nodded.

"Good," she said. "Park, Qiao, with me. We're going to make a call to the Suunists."

"Neo-Suunists," Park corrected with a grin.

"Ugh," Chai said. "YOu cant even speak English and you try?"

They all laughed.

Suun strode into the conference room humming the Marimaian national anthem and grinned at the cabinet.

"Did you hear it last night? The people have added a few new lyrics to the anthem."

Economics Minister Kangtian Wei chuckled. "You mean that stuff during the instrumental? What was it...oh yeah, 'We are Marimaian, and we are the greatest, and because of this we say that..all..others..can..go..to hell!'. Inspired."

Suun took his seat with Tian Yao leaning against the wall nearby. "So, how goes the NeoSuunist Revolution?"

Information Minister Dianyun Liu sat back and yawned. "Couldn't be better. I'm looking into making documentaries about how great we are as a nation; playing up our strengths compared to our neighbours' weaknesses and of course reminding everyone how wonderful our beloved Premier is. A few parades might help, they'll give us some live propaganda."

Defence Minister Wanfa Kong nodded. "Agreed. If we arranged monthly parades in the capital, it would show the populace how powerful our military is, as well as helping to intimidate anyone on our black list. While we're on the military, those simulations we've been running have all turned out quite well; the only thing we'd really have to watch is partisan activity, but we could deal with that as and when. That is, if we end up going to war at all."

Suun turned to Hengren Yuan, Interior Minister. "Anything to report, Hengren?"

"We've made immigration more difficult; after all, we don't want to let just anybody in. I've also managed to locate citizens who would be interested in moving to newly reclaimed territory."

"Cool. Rongyi, how goes diplomacy?"

Foreign Minister Rongyi Bei flipped open his dossier. "I've severed ties with two nations who, quite frankly, weren't worth knowing the name of, let alone having a relationship with. I've also instructed our ambassadors in neighbouring nations to reassure them that as long as they do what they can to help us, then we can stay friends with them. I'll introduce the territorial issues after we've lulled them into a false sense of security."

"Sounds good. Kichi?"

Security Minister Kichisaburo Yoshida ran his fingers through his hair. "Nothing really new to report. We're looking to place more agents in nations who we'll soon have territorial disputes with, just to keep tabs on everything."

"Good work. Kangtian?"

"We're looking around for new mineral deposits in the nation, including territory which we have to get back. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is also working with the Science Directorate to develop new synthetic resources, but I'll let Ninghan tell you about those."

Just as Ninghan Shi began to speak, a secretary knocked and entered. "Forgive the intrusion, Your Excellency, but we have a video conference call coming in from East Islandia. It's their Premier."

Suun nodded. "Thank you. Please, have it patched through to us."

As the cabinet turned to face the conference screen, Rongyi nudged Suun. "She'll have been through five different screening processes to get to here, so she might be a little irritated."

Suun smirked. "Understood."

"Are we there yet?" Park mumbled to Qiao between screening processes.

"No," Qiao hissed. "Quiet!"

"I wonder if they realize that a quarter of the government is being pissed on right now with their screening processes," Chai said darkly.

"SO PATCH ME THROUGH!" Qiao yelled at the Marimaian on the other end.

"Qiao!" Chai exclaimed. "Calm, Minister. I've never seen you like this."

"Sorry Premiere," Qiao replied. "BUt their Suunist revolution seems to have-"

AT that moment, PRemier Suun popped onscreen. Park quickly smacked QIao on the back of the head and dragged him out of hte room.

Chai felt herself redden as she realized that she was wearing a very revealing, low necked, shimmering pale blue dress woven with a special spider thread that reflected light in a few directions. She smiled radiantly, hoped he wasnt staring at her chest, and bowed.

"Sorry about before," she said to him. "My foreign minister was getting impatient. Nonetheless, I've come to call on you to say that you are still, as always, our ally, and we hope that other than your change of ideology, relations will remain the same between our two nations. Also, we would like to tentatively discuss the sale of some technology which you may find useful..."

Chiisu nodded respectfully. "It's always a pleasure to speak to our Islandian friends. I apologise for the screening, but we're making sure that inferior nations don't take up our valuable time; this way, we can cut them off without bothering more important members of our government."

He raised an eyebrow when he noticed her plunging neckline. "It's a pity you missed my wedding to Tian; it was quite a party."

Tian leant into Chai's view with a smirk across his face. "Love the dress."

Chiisu looked down to suppress a smile before continuing. "I'm glad to see that you heard about our new ideology, and trust me when I say that you guys have nothing to fear. Our nations have been friends for a long time, and you're one of the few who we regard as equals. Now, I must admit that you've intrigued me with this talk of technology, so why don't you tell us a bit more?"

Chai nodded, mollified.

"As you have long known," she said to him, "we Islandians have cultivated spidersilk for centuries; that has, perhaps, been our greatest asset, and has proven to be our edge over our opponents many times before, especially when we faced the Western nations in colonial wars many years ago. Now, with teh authorization of our technology exchange commission, I will offer to sell u the secret of our greatest weapon-for a price and some conditions."

Chai paused, twiddling her fingers idly as she thought of what she wished to say. "Among other things, however, we are concerned with security in Marimaia. While we understand that the Marimaian security forces are superb, there have been a number of attempts on our nation's heavily guarded spidersilk industry, and we have had great difficulty in assassinating those who dared to steal our secrets, so widespread was their treachery. However, security and patents by private companies aside, there is nothing to stop us from selling you Grade G and Type O Spider composite, which are two of the generic brands on the spidersilk market, both of which can be used for armoring or building applications. The details have yet to be worked out, but perhaps you can send an official who is knowledgeable in these affairs to meet with our exchange councilor."

Suun turned to hush the whispering of the cabinet before addressing Chai.

"I speak for my government when I say how much we appreciate your offer. We are a little hurt by the need to discuss security; if you are worried that we might pass on your secrets, you should keep in mind that we will not pass technology to those who we feel are inferior. Since that is most of the world, believe me when I say that you have nothing to be concerned about."

"As requested, we shall dispatch an official to Islandia to discuss the offer further and finalise the agreement. Hopefully this marks a continued mutual friendship between our nations, one which will continue for decades to come."

He paused and thought for a moment. "I realise that this may seem rather forward, but have you ever considered paying us a visit? Our National Liberation Day celebrations are in a few months, and I was thinking that perhaps you might like to attend. If you have prior engagements, then we shall speak no more of the matter."

Chai smiled. "Certainly," she said. "I havent visited many foreign countries in quite a while, and I'd love to come. When is the exact date of your celebrations?"

"National Liberation Day is 29th September. It commemorates the overthrow of the corrupt democracy which used to rule Marimaia; we also conducted our first manned space flight on that date two years ago, so the flight is also commemorated. This year will be especially important, as it will be our first NL Day under NeoSuunism. You would be the first foreign leader to ever attend the celebrations; I personally guarantee that you will enjoy yourself."

Suun gave her a boyish grin. "It would also give the Marimaian people an opportunity to thank you for standing with us."

The Hudecian government took its time to respond to the introduction of the new NeoSuunism.

With relations between Hudecian and Sino at all time lows, and relations with Taiwan deteriorating, an uneasy truce with Drapol, and Xiaguo now attempting a reunification of China, the Hudecian government could hardly afford to take on another crisis. President Matsuda had to choose his words carefully during his annual "Meet the Press" interview.

"Mr. President, recently, our ally Marimaia has withdrawn from the AA and seems to have engaged in a Drapolian-like isolationistic policy. Your government has made no official response on the issue, but how do you view it?" The reporter used the reference to Drapol to add an edge to the question.

"The Marimaians have the right to choose their own national policy. We would have liked them to remain in the AA, however, in light of the increasing strains on the alliance we understand their reasoning. I do not believe that Marimaia will become like the Drapol in their aggressive tendencies. Once a nation has been exposed to the world, it is difficult to go back to being isolationist." Matsuda thought out each sentence before he said it. Perhaps some viewers would interpret this as a difficulty speaking English but that was a chance he had to take.

"What actions is Hudecia ready to take against the Sinoese government if they continue their aggressions in Xinjiang?"

"We are prepared to defend both our troops and the lives of those entrusted to us at all costs.........."

The NeoSuunist government was quick to issue a response to the Hudecian President's words, as Rongyi Bei gave an official statement within hours.

"The Marimaian government would like to assure Hudecia that we have no intentions of becoming isolationist; we are merely becoming more selective about the nations with whom we have diplomatic relations. We have been severing ties with nations with whom we have no real affinity, allowing us to spend more time with those who mean something to us."

"Hudecia has nothing to fear from our new doctrine; in fact, they should welcome it. Once our national integrity has been regained, we shall consider putting out feelers to nations of equal national greatness, with the purpose of building an alliance of superior nations. Hudecia should take pride in the fact that they have been classified by the Marimaian government as a nation with incredible potential; this means that although we will be scaling back the amount of diplomatic traffic between our two nations for now, in the future it is highly likely that our relations will become substantially warmer."

"Long Live Suun!"

Nishio Kamisori nervously adjusted his tie as he sat in the reception room of Luozao Palace. As CEO of Kamisori Personnel Concern and the lesser known title of oyabun of the Kamisori Gumi, he wasn't used to being summoned. Especially not by the leader of the only nation who gave his family safety after the..unpleasantness..in Japan. He looked up as Suun's butler Michio walked in.

"His Excellency will see you now."

Nishio nodded and dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief; this whole NeoSuunist Revolution had him expecting deportation or possibly worse. He was escorted to the Premier's study and had to wait another few minutes while Michio confirmed that he could enter; finally, he was ushered into Suun's presence.

"Good morning Nishio. Please, have a seat."

Nishio sat down opposite Suun and quickly became aware of the others in the room. Tian, as always, was perched on the Premier's desk next to Suun. Leaning against the wall, two each side of the room, were the four Kamisori hitmen he'd given to Suun as a wedding present. A soft mewing alerted him to the Premier's two Siamese cats, which were reclining on a sofa and seemed to be staring him out. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

"What can I do for you, Your Excellency?"

"Nishio. Nishio, Nishio, Nishio. As you know, NeoSuunism is sweeping the land, and it means that I must alter our previous agreement. The current state of affairs between the Marimaian government and the Kamisori Gumi cannot continue."

The colour drained from Nishio's face at those words. "You can't expel us, not now! We've settled here, established roots, created one of the most profitable Concerns in Marimaia..."

Suun started laughing, which made Nishio even more concerned. He shot a look to the hitmen, who simply turned their heads. His supposed guarantee against this happening having abandoned him, he stood up and slammed his hands on the desk.

"You can't do this to me! I'll make sure that every nation we've ever operated in gets word that you've been harbouring us, then we'll see who has the last laugh!"

Suun shook his head and smiled at him. "You completely misunderstand. I'm not expelling you. I'm co-opting you."

"Wha..what?!"

"I'm co-opting you into our government. In order for national greatness to be ensured, we must protect against all contingencies. At present, the Kamisori Gumi is lacking in proper guidance, and the Marimaian government can always do with another unofficial agency. You shall retain control of the operation, but you will work with Interior Minister Yuan and Security Minister Yoshida when it comes to larger policy decisions."

"Tell me, why should I allow this? Why should I have to adopt policy and work with your ministers?"

"If you allow yourself to be co-opted, then you can get government funding; we'll pass it off as regular payment for services rendered by your Concern. Not to mention that you and your family will receive actual law enforcement protection, rather than the simple 'we won't deport you' that you have now."

Nishio sat down and rubbed his head. "I guess I have no choice."

A broad grin spread across Suun's face. "Excellent! Welcome to the NeoSuunist Revolution!"

-------------------------------------------------------

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"...and that is something we can all be proud of. In other news, all religious organisations in Marimaia are now required to register themselves with the Ministry of Interior Affairs. Interior Minister Hengren Yuan called it 'a necessary step to prevent foreign groups from influencing our populace'. Any religious organisation found to be operating without registration will be immediately shut down and its leadership arrested on charges of treason. Sounds fair to me, what do you think Miho?"

"Oh, absolutely fair, Honji! They've had a warning, so now there's no excuse. Anyway, today in Yutu Yinchon great hilarity broke out today when an ubercow was found to be..."

"It's worrisome," General Sung told Chai bluntly. The 34 year old commander of the Islandian Pacific Forces Command was dressed in her usual camouflage fatigues, preferring the feel of the slippery spidersilk surfaces to that of the dress uniforms most of her staff preferred to wear. The half-Chinese, half Korean woman had always lacked a sort of finesse, and combined with her mixed heritage, had always been frowned on in command circles.

"It's their country," Chai replied. "We ca-"

"They're even negotiating with Drapol," Sung remarked pointedly. "Can you believe that? Speaking with the devil-"

"We have to," Chai pointed out. "How else will we keep nuclear war from happening all over again? As I said, its their country, and furthermore, what would you have us do? They are one of our allies, and currently, YOUR troops are in there, training them. Are you so tactless that you would argue with them over whether they choose to negotiate with Drapol or not?

"We have bigger concerns," Chai continued. "For example, the threat on the conference. Director Shu's operatives are searching day and night for it, and I suggest that Pacific Forces Command work dilligently as well."

(Ahh, must catch up on this)

Suun beamed at the cabinet ministers as he sat back in his chair, stretching his arms before settling down. Michio passed various hot drinks around before taking his leave, leaving them to relax in one of Luozao Palace's many lounges.

"I asked you all here so that we could discuss our next moves without worrying about it being an official meeting with minutes and all that. We've been friends for a long time, and I want your input."

Wanfa was the first to respond to Chiisu's words. "We need a war."

The rest of the cabinet exchanged looks before Rongyi interjected. "We can't. Well, not yet, anyway. The diplomatic climate isn't right; many nations are mistrustful of NeoSuunism, so launching a war now would be suicide."

Wanfa scowled. "The armed forces are ready, in fact they've been ready for years. Why shouldn't we go on a happy jaunt into some insignificant nation whose resources would be better utilised by us?"

Rongyi looked horrified. "Please tell me you're joking! If we went to war now, we'd have some initial success but then we'd get slapped down harder than you could imagine! Remember Bonstock? How many times did they get humiliated by the Asian Alliance? We'd be risking our alliance with East Islandia, and those nations who we are hoping to court will turn their backs on us. Maybe we can go on a 'jaunt' in the future, but there's no way in hell we could do it now."

Chiisu nodded. "I appreciate your dedication and loyalty to our nation Wanfa, but Rongyi's right. We can't afford to lose what few friends we have right now. However, I do want you to carry out military exercises; examine the terrain of nations who may be a possible target, and perform exercises accordingly. In addition, continue upgrading our military technology. Okay, what about domestic issues?"

Kangtian sat forward. "I want your permission to cut taxes. Our economy is booming, and we've factored in everything which could potentially occur; we can afford to reduce income taxes, which will help increase consumer spending and, of course, boost NeoSuunism's popularity."

"If you think it'll work, go for it. You know our economy better than anyone, since you're the one responsible for its current status. Anybody else?"

National Development Minister Yishu Ma raised his hand. "I think we should go ahead with the plan to renovate Heiphong. Marimaia is going to be growing in power and influence, and we should expand the capital to reflect that."

Chiisu grinned at the suggestion. "Start drawing up architectural plans and schedules. You guys already have the model of Taishita; we all approved it, and we'll put it to the public before we actually start anything. Dianyun, any suggestions about the media?"

The Information Minister yawned. "Not as yet. Those documentaries about Marimaian greatness are getting huge ratings, and the Suunitrons are showing the NeoSuunist messages that you recorded a few days ago. The new audience participation segments on People's Daily News are getting a huge response; the only problem is that everyone who gets on them does nothing but gush about how great you are."

"Well, I can't really help that, can I? I'm extremely loveable, we all know that."

Tian smirked. "Truer words were never spoken."

"Thank you Tian. Moving on, is anything else we should discuss?"

The rest of the cabinet shook their heads before Kichi spoke. "Everything else is moving along nicely. Security hasn't really needed any drastic changes, except that we 're spying on more people now."

Hengren chimed in once Kichi finished. "The Interior Ministry has catalogued every religious organisation in Marimaia, and immigration is now the most difficult it has ever been, but loyal citizens have the most liberal civil rights they've ever had. Call it the perks of being a superior nation. Also, the NL Day celebrations this year are going to be huge."

Chiisu nodded and took a sip of tea. "Okay everyone, thanks for your time. See you in a few days."

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"Our top story tonight: our enlightened government unveiled plans for the renovation of Heiphong at a press conference earlier today. Heiphong will be renamed Taishita, and the skyline will receive drastic alterations. We now go to footage from the conference, where Premier Suun outlined the plans."

::Cut to the footage::

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Taishita!"

Premier Suun tapped a few buttons on a panel, activating the large screen behind him as well as illuminating a large scale model which elevated from the floor. Tian handed him a pointer, and he began taking the audience through the 'tour'.

"Firstly, Luozao Palace. Expanded in all directions, it will continue to serve as the official Premierial residence, with quarters added for visiting dignitaries as well as rooms for other functions of state. This large plaza is NeoSuun Square, capable of holding 250,000 people. Across NeoSuun Square from Luozao Palace is the new Palace of Congress building; next to that is the proposed expanded headquarters for the Marimaian armed forces."

An audience member raised his hand. "Your Excellency, what is the large building there?"

Suun grinned. "That, my friend, is the Citadel of National Awakening. It is to be used for party conferences and important affairs of state. It has a capacity of 250,000; when combined with the Suunitrons positioned in NeoSuun Square, a total of 500,000 will be able to be in attendance for events taking place there."

"Excellency, when will construction begin? When is it planned to be completed?"

"First we wish to know what the public think. If they want us to go ahead, we can have construction start after National Liberation Day. Our current estimates are that the entire project will take five to six years, but I admit that those are optimistic estimates."

A third hand shot up. "Excellency, the area where those buildings have been located is currently occupied by the headquarters of the Ministries, as well as the House of Proletarian Thought and the Palace of Governance. Will these buildings be completely demolished?"

"Yes, but the Ministries will be rehoused in new complexes as seen here; they will be separated from the Citadel of National Awakening by Prosperity Avenue. The Palace of Governance's functions will be assumed by the Palace of Congress. The House of Proletarian Thought served us well under Suunism, but it is now outdated. The Citadel of National Awakening is replacing it."

::Cut back to the newsroom, where Honji continues the report::

"Taishita is certainly an ambitious plan, and would transform our capital into a true symbol of our national superiority. The government will be holding a referendum soon to allow us to express our views on the proposed changes; I for one will be voting 'yes'. How about you Miho?"

"Oh, absolutely Honji! Our government has never let us down, and I know that this will be no exception. I would be proud to attend a speech by Premier Suun in the Citadel of National Awakening. Anyway, in other news Interior Minister Hengren Yuan announced today..."

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"With National Liberation Day only two weeks away, several nations have taken it upon themselves to ban Sakano's latest album, 'Marimaia First!'. These nations have stated that the songs on the album are of 'an inflamatory nature'. Of course, we all know that they just don't want to admit our national greatness. The album has skyrocketed to the top of the Marimaian Album Chart, with the single 'Bow To Your Masters' taking the No.1 position in the Singles Chart. How petty of some nations to be unable to admit their inferiority, don't you agree Miho?"

"Honji, I was thinking that exact same thing. If you have a problem with Marimaia, don't take it out on three young musicians who are simply trying to earn a living."

Miho turned to the next camera and beamed. "Earlier today, Honji and I had the opportunity to sit down with the multi-million yenuan earning band; here's a highlight package of the best parts of the interview..."

"So, how are things going in Dra-pol?"

Rongyi frowned slightly. "To be honest, we're not really sure. The Drapoel are even more inscrutable than we thought. There's a lot of talking and arguing, but according to Juyi none of their major leaders have paid a visit. When you add what our intelligence agencies are getting about possible troop movements, it's a bit iffy."

"So your official opinion is that it's a bit 'iffy'?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. Do you have any instructions, or shall I let things continue? Juyi's being as sympathetic to Dra-pol as he possibly can without requesting citizenship, but the Drapoel aren't not taking a blind bit of notice. Although the rest of the delegates probably are."

Suun finally looked up from his book. "Tell Juyi to try and get some hint that we're not wasting our time. If necessary I'll send Hotan some flowers with a box of chocolates and tell him that we need to talk."

"I'm glad you're finding some humour in this, because at this rate humour is the only thing we'll get."

They both turned as the doors flew open, revealing a grinning Tian with four NeoSuun Guards and a short balding man who looked about sixty-five. The NeoSuun Guards placed the case they were carrying on Suun's desk, saluted and left. Suun gestured towards the man.

"Tian, this is...?"

"Oh, yeah. Chiisu, I would like you to meet Shun Mao, the curator of the Marimaian Historical Artifacts Repository. He insisted on tagging along."

Shun bowed deeply. "Most honoured to be in your presence, Excellency. The item you requested is in the case. Please, be careful with it, it is of great historical value."

Suun nodded as Tian opened the case. "As well as great national value. You can rest assured that I will take great care of it."

As Tian swung the case round for Suun to inspect the contents, Rongyi stepped closer for a peek. "You didn't...you couldn't help yourself, could you? Your father was terrified of the thing."

Suun raised an eyebrow. "True, but I am not my father." He lifted the ornately carved sheath from the case. "I thought it would be heavier."

Everyone took a step back as he pulled the katana from its sheath. He ran his fingertips along the flat of the blade, almost in awe of the craftsmanship. "Nice...Tatsuko Sayo, Dragon of The Night. Originally the property of a Japanese nobleman who was washed up on the shores of what we now know as Marimaia. It was buried with him when he died, but archeologists unearthed it a few years ago. The nobleman was the first Japanese national to ever reach this land, and therefore has been seen as the originator of Japanese influence in our culture. Legend has it that the owner will lead a great nation, if you believe in that sort of thing."

Tian smiled. "It used to be property of the state. Now it is property of Premier Chiisu Suun. Let's hope the tale is true."

Chiisu chuckled as he resheathed the sword and placed it in a specially-crafted display case on the wall.

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"In our top story tonight, Premier Suun has thrown a gauntlet down to our detractors and extended a hand to our friends. In a speech made this afternoon, His Excellency issued an open invitation for foreign powers to send representatives to the upcoming National Liberation Day celebrations. The reason for this is to show how cultured and truly great our blessed nation is. However, to ensure that the significance and sanctity of our most important national holiday is not marred by the attendees, any nation which has been classified as 'inferior' will not be permitted to attend."

(OOC: this is the aftermath of: http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=343288&page=3 ; this won't really have that much of an effect in the greater scheme of things, but it just shows what the Marimaian leadership is capable of when they see an opportunity to further impress the populace)

"I do hope I'm not the only one who's nervous."

Tian put a reassuring arm round Chiisu's shoulder as the cabinet arrived at Facility ZQ9 for their 'treatment'. "It'll be fine. Ninghan said that the boffins have analysed the stuff and it should work exactly as we were told it would."

"I know, I know. I'm just getting cold feet about this. Once it's done, there's no going back."

Wanfa turned to him as they entered the elevator. "Imagine; the superior nation will be led by the most superior members of its population. It makes perfect sense." He shot a look at Ninghan Shi, the head of the Marimaian Science Directorate. "I'm surprised you agreed to have this treatment. You haven't been the most vocal NeoSuunist around."

Ninghan looked up at him. "There's nothing wrong with improving yourself."

The cabinet was led through the maze of laboratories and corridors until they reached a door labelled '319'. They were escorted in, to be greeted by Professor Obanugaia (head of ZQ9) and Professor Sasaki (head of ZQ9's genetics division). After Sasaki detailed the process, she filled a syringe with a dose of the virus and gestured to a medical table. "Who would like to go first?"

---------------------------------------------------------------

(One week later)

Chiisu slowly opened his eyes as the sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. He looked over at Tian with a smile; Tian's face was buried in the pillow. Chiisu shook his head and stretched before remembering what day it was.

It's been a week. I wonder...

He laid back, brought his legs up and tried leaping out of bed, something he'd never been able to do without either falling back on the bed or landing on his face. To his delight, he not only landed perfectly, but he managed to land a lot farther from the bed than he expected.

"Tian! Wake up!"

Tian grunted and lifted his head, blinking away the sleep. "What is it Chiisu? It's too early to get up yet. Come back to bed."

"I think the treatment's worked. I..wow. You look great."

Tian frowned as he sat up, then realised what Chiisu was talking about. Both of their bodies had become much more defined; Tian flexed his arm and smirked. "I didn't even notice this happening." He looked over at Chiisu. "You don't look so bad yourself. Sure you don't want to come back to bed?"

"Positive." Chiisu nearly laughed as Tian's face fell. "Time for that later, right now we need to check on everybody else. It looks like Marimaia's populace now has even more superior leaders than before." Chiisu's eyes widened as he remembered the date. "Just in time for the National Fencing Championship."

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"Good evening. Our top story tonight: Premier Suun defeated Weilang Rui in the finals of the National Fencing Championship earlier today. His Excellency swept all before him during the two-day competition in Yonbin, displaying astounding skill and technique. Sports analysts were greatly impressed with his showing, and are hailing him as the greatest fencer in our history. After collecting his well-earned trophy, His Excellency took time to speak with the other participants and congratulated everyone on their efforts."

Honji turned to Miho. "Magnanimous in all things, as we've come to expect from our beloved Premier. What else do we have to report, Miho?"

Miho beamed into the camera. "In other news, it was announced today by the Ministry of Economic Affairs that new development will be taking place just outside Taishita. An international conglomerate, the Resi Corporation, has acquired thirty acres of land upon which they will be constructing various facilities. People's Daily News has learnt that these facilities will employ mainly Marimaian staff, bringing much new employment to the capital."

Honji took over the report. "The Resi Corporation is well-known internationally for its highly advanced technological products. In this special report by Hiroko Watanabe, we take a more in-depth look at this industrial behemoth."

(Hm. I just thought I'd post something to let you know I'm trying to pay attention. I'm not quite sure what to say, but this is all pretty interesting. I shall have to pay more attention to your nation in future, I think :) )

OOC: At the moment, it's just an update thread, showing the changes that Marimaia is undergoing as NeoSuunism works its way into everyday life. I realise that it's not exactly coherent progression, but I keep getting ideas which I like and I try to work them in as I can.

Anyway, this thread will feature the National Liberation Day celebrations, which will be the culmination of all these little updates.

The assembled press representatives filed in and took their designated seats for the press conference; as usual, the Marimaian authorities had seated the MPIN's people at the front and the few foreign correspondents were as far back as possible. The native press corps applauded loudly as Premier Suun walked out to take his seat at the table, with Tian taking up his familiar position standing behind him. Suun was quickly joined by Kangtian Wei, Dianyun Liu, Hengren Yuan and a new face who bore a striking resemblance to Kangtian.

"Thank you for attending today. This conference has been called to announce the formation of a new governmental ministry, the Ministry of Resettlement, or MoR. As we all know, Marimaia is continuing with its efforts to regain territory lost through various means, and we are quietly confident that we will ultimately regain all that we have lost. Once we regain our territory, we will need to 're-Marimaianise' it, which is the stated brief for the new ministry."

"The MoR will be granted total administrative control over regained territory, giving it the ability to carry out its brief. The Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs will work with the MoR to fully integrate the territories into Marimaia proper. They shall do this by coordinating economic activity and assisting eager Marimaian families in their move to the newly open regions. The MoR will also assist the former inhabitants of the territories to either leave Marimaia or apply for Marimaian citizenship."

Suun smiled at the new face. "I would like you all to meet the new Resettlement Minister, Shugan Wei. Before anyone asks, yes, he is the brother of our Economics Minister. However, Shugan has a great deal of governmental experience from his work for Interior Minister Yuan, and I believe that he is the right man for the job."

Shugan nodded appreciatively. "I welcome your confidence in me, Your Excellency. Rest assured that the Ministry of Resettlement will perform its work as efficiently and tirelessly as it can."

Suun turned to the press. "We shall now take questions."

Dianyun began picking out journalists for questions, carefully avoiding those foreign journalists who had a reputation for asking annoying questions.

Marimaia

Although the nation's industrial centers had been, for the past few weeks, flooded with engineers and technical specialists from East Islandia, many of these workers found themselves leaving under their government's orders. They left some equipment in Marimaia, but their mission (to train Marimaian workers to make low density, wide weave spidersilk and sturdier spider composite) was unfulfilled. Several vats of spider fluid were also taken with the engineers, leaving form Mingzao airbase

This turn of events was necessitated by a manufacturing shortage back home in Islandia; until the crisis could be solved, the engineers could not return to Marimaia.

Unofficially, however, it may be that Premier Chai and Vice Premier Park are indignant at Marimaia's dialogue with Drapol, indicating that perhaps they cannot trust even Suun with the spider composite material.

Answers are unclear; it may simply be the fact that during times of war, civilians are usually recalled home. With a rogue ballistic missile submarine on the loose and East Asia threatening to ignite, construction specialists are needed at home...

"The last Islandian plane left a few hours ago, Your Excellency.....Excellency?"

Wanfa looked slightly nervous as he received no answer from his leader, and looked to the rest of the cabinet for help. Suun was sat back in his chair, eyes closed, breathing slowly and tenting his fingers.

"When they fought in Japann, their people stayed here. When they fought in China, their people stayed here. When they got involved in the Second Korean War, their people stayed here. Yet a threat from a supposed rogue commander, or whatever the hell it's supposed to be, and they go home."

"Not all of them, Excellency. They still have military personnel stationed at Mingzao."

"How long before they leave? I'll tell you what it is; they see us talking to Dra-pol, and they don't like it. Rather than talk things over, they turn away from us. They promised us that spidersilk technology, but now they suddenly can't teach it anymore. This is their way of showing displeasure with us. They don't trust us anymore. They are trying to make us choose between them and Dra-pol."

Rongyi cleared his throat. "Islandia has been a valued ally for many years. Dra-pol is still an unknown factor. In any other situation my advice would be to make up with Islandia, but since they are the ones taking their ball and going home I'm not so sure what to advise."

"Perhaps it's time for a parting of ways." Everyone turned to look at Tian, who was leaning against the wall. "The alliance has served us well, but it may be that we have outgrown the need for them. To truly prove our superiority, we should stand on our own two feet and not accept pressure from anyone."

Suun opened his eyes. "You'll have my decision on this matter within the week. However, I will say this; if they think we will change our policies because of their displeasure, they are sadly mistaken."

The sleek, black "Raven" Tiltrotor, one of the proud machines of the Spyran economic giant Kanzaki Heavy Industries, sped north from the metropolis of Arentaka, where the Low river meets the Ogawa. Over the marshy North Yamani Lowlands the military carrier flew to its destination, the Shan-ge tower outside of the sprawling capital Mioka-ro. Soon the capital was visible...the small, cramped wooden houses, the newer buildings on the Hill itself. The capital was larger than it had been, unimaginably larger, but it still had not reached the lone building that stood on the fields to the east of the sprawl. Standing alone, with military bunkers, factories and warehouses forming a complex around it, the Yanheshi-shange (Tower of the Spearguard) stood watch over the landings fields and the newly constructed railroad. The rising thirteen stories of reinforced concrete belonged to a proud few Spyran made towers that one could find almost anywhere on the Lyong Peninsula, from the Tordian border to the Tagan - Kaioken border. As the Raven flew towards the landing on the roof, the shining guns the sides of the tower became visible. Soon, the raven set down between the four Starfire turrets, and its passengers disembarked, each stopping to salute, fists to their hearts, the flag of the Socialist Federal Dominion.

Each was dressed the black of the Arrowguard, or the green of the Spearguard. Only one stood out, wearing a simple uniform with no identifying marks. After disembarking he was noticed by a nearby aide, who ran forward to greet him.

"T'aejo Mora?" A simple nod followed his question. "An honour sir." After bowing deeply, the Spearguard novice led T'aejo into the complex.

- - - - - - - - - -

Walking on the Hill of Mioka-ro, two of the young members of the High Council found solace in the garden beneath the ancient cheery tree.

"The son of the Dancer tribe warchief has returned from his training in Spyr...and he has brought news. It seems a former Asian Alliance member state is planning to invite representatives to some nationalist holiday." Prince Waotaka Motari, the young royal from the northern mountain city of Shi-Daoken and the representative of his House on the High Council, was following the beautiful, young tribeswoman who had first found Thelasian infiltrators in Lyong. Ber Zhang and Waotaka, two of the three most out spoken Strainists on the Council, held these quiet meetings away from the bustling Parliment chambers where words had a way of travelling past their intented ears.

"What of it? We're hard pressed to send anyone off the Peninsula...and I'm sure they wouldn't be interested in an obscure nation like North Yaman sending anyone."

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. We could always send Aluri Mikio...remember, he went to that disastrous meeting with Bonstock. Decided to leave when they all started ranting about Drapol. Better still, send that damned old priest Otojiro! Bloody traditionalist will only get in our way."

"While we're at it, we could get Shuri-lan and Tsutomu Mora to go too. Four members of the High Council would be respectful to Marimaia and would get the Traditionalists out of the SFD for enough time to start our plans."

"How did you know..."

"Marimaia? You should know by now Prince Waotaka, I know everything...now come, we should discuss this with Eiji."

Laughing, Ber Zhang and Waotaka walked down the hill and left the ancient cheery tree alone once again.

(OOC: NY, it's been a long time; glad to have you here)

"North Yaman, Your Excellency."

Suun frowned and looked at Rongyi. "What?"

"North Yaman. It's a nation, it was in the Asian Alliance; don't know if it still is, but the point is that they've asked to send representatives to NL Day. I was wondering what I should tell them."

"Have we classified them?"

"No, that's the problem. We don't really know that much about them, so at present they're categorised as an 'unspecified nation'. Do we let them attend?"

Suun stood and gazed out of the window. "Hmmmm. Yeah, why not. They may be a diamond in the rough, so let's find out."

(OOC: Good to be back...I've been away from the internet for the better part of the last three months. As for your inquiry...I am planning a review thread of the SFD, which should help)

:A Cable from the Spearguard headquarters at Yanheshi-shange, Mioka-ro, SFDNY

The High Council of the Socialist Federal Dominion of North Yaman sends its thanks for the most generous invitation to this, the most glorious of celebrations. It is trully a good sign that a nation, after many years of tribal war and isolation, would be so except by the asian community.

Attending will be four of the Councils nine members - Shuri-lan Mora, holding the High Seat of the Priesthood of Song - Aluri Mikio, holding the High Seat of the Priesthood of the Word - Otojiro Yakuta, the eldest of the Council and holder of the High Seat of the Priesthood of the Way, and lastly Tsutomu Mora, Shuri-lan's uncle and the holder of the High Seat of the Noble House of Mai. These are the elders of the High Council and are each deeply touched to be allowed to attend. Many thanks.

::People's Daily News bulletin::

"Good evening. With National Liberation Day growing ever closer, there is some doubt about whether Premier Chai Jun of East Islandia will be attending. The Ministry of Foreign Relations has told us that a re-evaluation of diplomatic relations with Islandia may be in order following the departure of Islandian civilian specialists, which is believed by some to have been a protest against Marimaian policy. The invitation to Premier Chai is still open, and if she does attend then she will be welcomed warmly. Miho, I believe you have other news about NL Day."

"That's right Honji! We have been informed that representatives from the Socialist Federal Dominion of North Yaman will be in attendance. In this special report by Kaneki Shoju, we take a look at North Yaman and what sort of relationship we may have with them."

OOC:Would you like a bit more background info on North Yaman as a base for Marimaian policies? I could even run a bit of the special report by Kaneki Shoju, with your blessing and advice on how Kaneki would speak in addressing and finishing the report...for example, would it be history, culture, geography or policy that would be focused on?

OOC:Would you like a bit more background info on North Yaman as a base for Marimaian policies? I could even run a bit of the special report by Kaneki Shoju, with your blessing and advice on how Kaneki would speak in addressing and finishing the report...for example, would it be history, culture, geography or policy that would be focused on?

OOC: That would be great, thanks. Kaneki would concentrate more on the culture and policy of North Yaman because we're trying to show the Marimaian populace that North Yaman is 'worthy' to attend the celebrations. The report would probably finish with some high praise for Premier Suun for having the wisdom to invite NY to NL Day.

Kaneki would also stress heavily anything that the two nations have in common, to show that NY is a fellow 'superior nation'.

Imperial Palace
Hu-kasa, Islandia

"I WILL NOT LET MY SPECIALISTS BACK INTO MARIMAIA!" Nam Hee-sun shouted. At thirty two, Hee-sun was the youngest director of operations that Biotechnica Islandia ever had, and undoubtedly the one with the worst temper.

Then again, Islandians were not known for their good tempers; while Vice Premier Park and Premier Chai were busy coordinating the hunt for the rogue submarine, two Korean Islandian officials int he Foreign Affairs Council issued orders withdrawing engineers.

Likewise, Nam Hee-sun was a strong Korean Nationalist; her father had barely escaped being imprisoned by the Allies as they entered South Korea (he was a collaborator with the Japanese) and above all, she believed in the superiority of the South.

Anyone who dealt with the North, in her opinion, was a traitor.

"Nam-san, please calm down," General Yamashita Kenji pleaded. "You are most essential to our efforts; no one can match the quality of spider composite your company creates. It would be a high honor to give the Marimaians that, and dont they deserve it? They have stood by us for so many years now."

"They have dealt with the north," Hee-sun replied, calming down. "If they can trust the bastards up north, how can we trust them?"

"Because they are our allies!" Yamashita said quickly. "Have you no sense of what it means to be one's friend?"

"Friends dont negotiate with other friends' enemies," Hee-sun said coolly.

"Friends also give friends the benefit of the doubt," Foreign Minister Qiao said. "What do you think this says to them? That Islandia is so hopelessly weak and divided that we cannot even reign in our own corporations? We cannot even bring ourselves to trust our allies?"

"Things change," Hee-sun said. "We must be wary now! Have you no idea of the damage they can inflict with spider composite? We were almost invincible in ancient times because of our secret! We have already sold it to two nations! It is our greatest bargaining chip, and without it, we may as well destroy ourselves! Our entire nation was founded on spider composite!"

That much was true. For years, spiderweaves were among the most valuable, most prized of materials; secrecy was so intense, that if one were caught stealing the secret, they would immediately be executed by the secret intelligence services, wihtout a trial. Likewise, to encourage loyalty, even the most menial spiderweave workers were given high bonuses, so as to discourage chances of defection.

"They're just as secret about it as we are!" Yamashita said. "With their new superiority complex, who will they give it to?"

"Dra-pol!" Hee-sun yelled. "That's who!"

"It is still a bit wrong to pull out your engineers under the guise of a 'spidersilk shortage' back home," QIao said. "Should you not be honest with them?"

"Damn honesty," Hee-sun said. "They were not honest with us when-"

"We are not America," Qiao said quickly, cutting her off. "I hope to God we will never be, aside from democracy and a good economy. Do you know what arrogance the Americans bred in their people? What complacency? If we meddle, how much better than the steak-eaters are we? Hmm?

"Nam Hee-sun, you are a very intelligent woman," Qiao continued. "No one will deny that; no one will. But you should also kno the value of being honest, and the value of friends. They were our friends; with luck, maybe spiderweave, they will continue to be. If you will not continue, we will be forced to find an alternate supplier, probably from the Miu Bloc."

Within Islandia, there were two blocs, corporations really, that controlled spidersilk. Although compeitition was fair most of the time, Biotechnica (of Shu Bloc) usually was the superior company, in terms of heavy use and general use spidersilk. Miu Bloc's Erdana Spider Technologies was better at producing smaller, luxury objects, such as spidersilk clothing, blankets, and such, but they were clearly outmatched when it came to practical, heavy duty use of spidersilk.

"Miu Bloc cannot produce spidersilk over 50 grams!" Hee-sun retorted. "You know that!"

"They can try," Qiao said. "But that is not the point. You have five days to think this over; if you change your mind, then we will act as if nothing happened. If you recede your contract, we will ask Rugola Individual Combatant Systems and Sunami Industrial Technologies to take your place."

*****************
Qiao makes a phone call to the Marimaians later, explaining the situation frankly.

"I'm sorry about all this," he said quickly. "But the fact of the matter was that this was a rogue decision; we are not like hte Americans. We do not believe in meddling in other nations' affairs, although there are some within our ranks who subscribe to that view.

"Service will be restored, if not by Biotechnica, then by two other excellent companies of ours. I trust you may have heard their names before, but if not, then rest assured; they are also principal suppliers for our nation's military, and they will give you only the best in spider-technologies."

Imperial Palace

"You knew of it, didnt you?" Chai asked accusingly.

Ambassador Kwak stared at her stoically. "I have no idea what you are speaking of," she replied evenly to Chai.

"Cut the crap," Chai said, tossing her a tape. "In addition to Chinese and Islandian, I can speak Korean also, and Japanese. My men tapped the line, and I know damned well who gave those orders."

"In that case, then you kno it was not me," Kwak said, tossing hte tape back to Chai. "This is most insulting, this turn of face. But I will continue in my duti-"

"No you wont," Chai said quickly, anger flushing her face. "You expect me to forgive you? you leaked a vital state secret!"

"To Vice Premier Park!" Kwak said just as quickly, her diplomatic facade of politness beginning to crumble. "If anyone should be in the loop, it should be her!"

"I dont care!" Chai said. "Thank God the Marimaians dont know how unglued this country has become because of these f*cking nationalist movements! And i cant afford to have two Nationalists in my departments! Both of you are out, effective three days from today! I want your resignation letters!"

Kwak glared at Chai. "I hate you," she said. "How can you sanction a war in your ancestral homeland and refuse to let us do the same? We have plenty of soldiers who would be willing to fight. And now, now, you even negotiate with our enemies!"

"Marimaia is not our enemy!" Chai yelled. "You were on the ambassadorial staff to Marimaia in your first year, and now you call them enemies? What are you thinking?"

"Things change," Kwak said. "Goodbye, Ah Jun. I thought you were a friend, but apparently, that has changed also."

Chai glared at her, her hands balled into fists, as Kwak walked out the door. Chai grabbed a chair and slammed it into the wall, bringing a shout and the sounds of running feet as her guards rushed to her aid.

"OUT!" she yelled. "All of you!"

"Now, Ah Jun, does that apply to your husband also?" a calm, amused voice asked.

Chai looked up to see Yang's smiling face.

"We're married in name only," she growled, somewhat unsuccessfully as a trace of emotion crept through. "WHy dont you go back to commanding your fighter division? You can also tell them to stop believing in me also, as their leader. I dont h-"

"Yes you do," Yang said, bending down and helping her up. He ushered the guards away gently, and closed the door. "IT's not your fault you were stuck with zealous subordinates. It's not your fault things are going to hell. But sometimes they just do."

"Why are you here anyway?" Chai asked, pulling away from him. "Who'd you have to f*ck to get leave? General Shu? She's quite pretty, that one, though I doubt Minlee would like it if she found out."

Yang sighed. "You should be nicer," he said admonishingly. "But I know that's not you talking, just the anger."

Chai said nothing.

"Oh come on," Yang said. "Your term is up in two months, and my service in one. We can be happy then, and besides, dont you want to make an impression before it's too late? A good one?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chai asked.

"That you can do better than this," Yang said. "But even better, I have a plan."

"What is it?"

"First, we turn off the lights, like this," Yang said, flicking off the switches. "Then, i open the box i carried in, and-

"-We light the candles. Happy birthday, Ah Jun," he said with a flourish.

OOC: Sorry, I am losing the internet for the weekend and will only be able to post Kaneki's special report on moday. I would have today, except my supervisor is working, and we are made to actually work for money...the nerve, eh?

Have a great weekend everyone...

Also, for some general Lyong info, check out Spyr's creation...http://www.freewebs.com/strain/lyong.html

As Matsuda climbed into the plane headed for Xiaguo he was pounded by questions from curious reporters.

"Dr. Matsuda! Will you attempt to attend the Marimaian celebrations?" Was one question heard loud and clear.

"Unfortunately, I will not be available during that time. Between the Xiannese coronation, the death of President Tucker of West Pacific, the on going developments in Korea and in the south Pacific, not to mention my re-election in a few weeks..." Matsuda allowed a thin smile, knowing his re-election chances weren't that good. ".. well.. all these events have conspired against my chances. I hope the Marimaians understand why we cannot attend."

"What about the East Islandian spidersilk technology? When will more discussions on that be held?"

"As soon as East Islandia is prepared to. However, I will not be directly dealing in this affair. Hudecia Industries CEO Armitage will be more able to answer questions on this. He plans to fly to E. Islandia within a week to press the issue."

Skipping up the stairs to the plane, Matsuda hid something more than a busy agenda. The past two months had been trying on his health and his personal doctor was recommending he not seek re-election. But he wouldn't announce this until next week at least.

East Islandian elections
Running against Premier Chai and Kei Wu (nominated for vice premier following the debunking of Park) are politicians Hsu Yu-lien and Ng Chun, with Ms Hsu previously a provincial governor and Ms Ng a member of the Politburo's Foreign Relations Council.

Ms Hsu:

http://www.lovehkfilm.com/people/cm8750/wong_mango_2.jpg

Ms Ng
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/people/ah7334/anya_2.jpg

"Elections. When will they learn?"

Rongyi shrugged at Suun's question. "Probably never. Kichi is running checks on Chai's opposition to see what their stance on us is likely to be, so that we know whether to congratulate them or denounce them if they win."

"Good idea. Anything else?"

"Hudecia's also having elections in the next few weeks. Admittedly the outcome isn't as important to us as the outcome of the Islandian elections, but if they elect someone who's anti-Marimaian then we may have a situation."

Suun shook his head and snorted. "Democracy is the worst thing to ever happen to humanity. Stable regimes such as ours get used to dealing with a nation's government, then one election later we have to deal with a new government. By the time we get used to the new government, that one gets voted out and the whole cycle continues. It's insane."

So far the Hudecian elections have had the focus of Hudecian foreign policy. The three principle candidates have expressed a wide range of ideas. MacNally, the Conservative leader, supports increased diplomacy with all nations in Asia. At the opposite extreme, Wang, the Family Party candidate proposes a semi-isolationist policy. In the middle, Fieldings and the Liberal Democrat Party are suggesting that a withdrawl from the Asian Alliance and a decrease in the amount of diplomacy with other asian nations would be beneficial.

Although Maramaia is not an election issue, it might become one if the debate over foreign affairs continues on this path.

"Thanks Miho. I'm Kaneki Shoju with a special report on North Yaman and our relationship with this young nation."

"North Yaman is a recently formed nation, but is quickly growing under the guidance of its neighbour, Spyr. Both countries are native Lyongian, which joins them linguisticly, culturally and religiously with communist Tagan and the anarchistic state of Helekaru. Lyongian is the language most widely spoken, with a few foreign educated individuals able to speak different Asian languages and English."

"Much of the area of North Yaman still live in a tribalistic lifestyle based around native Lyongian animistic beliefs. Areas controlled by the Socialist Federal Dominion, the cities and the Lowlands, are ruled by the High Council through the Spearguard, the Spyran advised military, or the Houseguard, the private military of the Four noble Houses which were the largest tribes when the SFD was formed. Efforts at modernization are centered in the cities and the oil rich south, but all areas of NY are feeling the affects of structured education and advanced medication."

"The SFD is still battling anti-modernization forces, but the majority of the power of these dissidents were destroyed in the planned attack of Mioka-ro. The Spearguard, only recently trained by Spyran advisors, killed and gassed the tribal forces and rounded up the conspirators in the death of Taran Jidoshin, the beloved Elder Priest who was the first North Yamani to speak with the Spyran President Stephen Strain."

"North Yaman has remained very quiet in international politics, preferring to deal with the other six member states of the Lyong Treaty. It should be noted that the High Council was against the imperialistic actions of Bonstock, but never condoned the Allied attacks against Drapol in the War for Korean Reunification. Recently the country has left the Asian Alliance in protest of the policies of Hudecia and other countries that supported the nuclear counter attacks on Drapol."

"The High Council is a nine member group with four representatives from four of the five orders of the Animistic priesthood, representing primarily the Judicial system, Education system, the Entertainers and governing advisors. The other five representatives are regional, each from a Noble House expect for the representative of the nomadic tribal groups, still roughly 25% of the population."

"Socialism heavily influenced by "Waferonnaichinlingtohnowanferon", or the Strainist ideal of "Free Market Fasco-Socialism", is the driving policy of the government, which is split between the Strainist 'Reformer Party' and conservative 'Traditionalists'. The 'Dissident' Party lost most of its leaders and authority when it planned the attack on Mioka-ro, though some of its members are still at large."

"Though this nation has yet to prove itself, it is still young and is struggling with internal conflict and counter revolutionaries. Marimaians should view this nation as not fully formed, still in the process of revolting against oppressive conservative systems and its own primitive roots. With the wise guidance of other revolutions, this country certainly has the potential to join the international community as an independant member. Praise to Premier Suun, for having the vision to grace a young nation with favour, that they might one day be a great and true ally of our glorious revolution!"

"Back to you Miho."

OOC: If you want to know anything else, just ask...

OOC:

Nice one NY :)

Okay, I've been kinda busy with work and whatnot, but I'm hoping to start the National Liberation Day celebrations in the next couple of days. The standing invitation to nations is still there, in case anyone decides to join last minute. I hope everyone who said they'd send someone has remembered ;)

"So the entire military will be participating?"

"Yes, Excellency. We will be broadcasting the ceremony to every military installation we have; all military personnel have reported to their bases for this."

Suun nodded at Marshal Kunzai, one of the Marimaian Central Command and a staunch NeoSuunist; his loyalty to Chiisu had been revealed when he assisted in the cover-up over Mikada Suun's death. "I can't believe that the military have insisted on this."

Tian was walking a few steps behind them and smiled. "You really opened the floodgates on this one. NeoSuunism's made you even more revered than before."

Suun shook his head. "I still can't believe we're doing this."

He stepped out onto the balcony to be greeted by a thunderous cheer; the main square in front of Luozao Palace was packed with personnel from the Marimaian People's Army (MPA). Kunzai joined him and gestured for silence before bowing deeply to Suun. Kunzai then stepped up to the microphones and began to speak.

"Loyal soldiers of Marimaia, atten-tion! Today, we recognise the greatness of our glorious Premier. Under Suunism, we stood to defend Marimaia from poaching imperialists. As NeoSuunists, we stand to assure the greatness of our nation; the man responsible for this greatness is Premier Suun, and therefore it has been decided to officially declare our personal loyalty to him, in addition to our national loyalty to the state and the populace of Marimaia. You will all repeat after me:"

Across the nation, soldiers stood and placed their hands over their hearts as they recited Kunzai's words.

"I pledge myself to Chiisu Suun, Premier of Marimaia, and to the ideals of NeoSuunism. I pledge to give my life for him, to fight for him, to protect him and to carry out his orders. His wishes are my wishes. I swear to defend Marimaia, I swear to uphold the national greatness of the Marimaian people, and I swear to follow NeoSuunism with all my ability. I pledge on this day, under the flag and under the eyes of our beloved Premier. Long Live Suun!"

The cheers were deafening as Suun stepped forward to show his appreciation...

Premier Chai Jun took in the spectacle, watching from her seat amongst the leaders. She was still Premier for now, and awaiting the election.

For once she was alone, without Park Hyemin to keep her company; Yang was beside her, but he was not nearly as well schooled in politics as Hyemin was.

Chai wondered if some of the military below were assisted in their training by her subordinates; possible, she thought, but then held that notion to herself. Most of these were infantry, werent they? And the only Marimaian infantry the Islandians had advised were special forces, soldiers already so competent that they had required little advice in the first place.

"Pretty," Yang remarked. "Loud, too."

Chai glared at her husband. He smiled back, and shrugged. She knew he was friendly witht he Marimaians; he had served with the Islandian contingent at Mingzao base, helping Marimaian pilot cadets get some taste of simulated aerial combat.

"Yes," she agreed, turning back to look at the spectacle. "It is."

********
East Islandia has returned all civilian specialists to Marimaia, to continue the fabrication of spidersilk.

Premieral candidate Hsu has denounced this turn of events, but her partner, Ms. Ng, seems to be content with the government's change of heart.

"It is good to keep our word, especially to our close allies," Ng said in an interview. "Especially with Marimaia."

Ms. Hsu had nothing to say on her partner's remarks. After all, oftentimes, candidates and their partners do not always agree.

(OOC: Now begins NL Day! The military ceremony took place a couple of days before, but we'll say that Chai flew in a bit early sp she'd been invited to watch. The foreign delegates are guests of Premier Suun, and therefore would be staying in Luozao Palace)

6:00am

"Happy National Liberation Day everyone! I'm Honji.."

"..I'm Miho!"

"Welcome to Breakfast Marimaia!"

::Cheesy talk show music plays over a video package displaying Marimaia's best-known personalities and locations, then we return to the studio which is decked out in bright banners and various decorations::

"Well Honji, this is the first NL Day since the introduction of NeoSuunism, and it's likely to be a day to remember! Several foreign representatives are in Taishita as guests of Premier Suun, and we would like to extend a very warm welcome to them if they're watching."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Suun couldn't help applauding the spectacle on his television.

"Those two are priceless. Always so energetic and full of joy. Anyway, happy NL Day Tian."

Tian slipped an arm around Chiisu and gave him a gentle peck on the cheek. "Happy NL Day to you too. Ready for the big day?"

"A little nervous, but things should go off without a hitch."

A knock at the bedroom door drew their attention, and Michio slowly entered the room. "Breakfast is ready, Excellency. Will you be dining here, or will you be dining with your guests?"

Chiisu yawned loudly and stretched. "With the guests, Michio. How are they this morning?"

"Fine, as far as I know. The staff will awaken them."

Michio left the First Couple to their own devices and headed downstairs, while various young staff members headed to the guest quarters.

bump

"Oh lighten up," Yang said to his wife, slipping an arm around her as they walked to the dining room. "You shouldnt feel so guilty about things; its not like you ordered the betrayal."

"I just hope they dont know what really happened," Chai said, her posture still stiff. "Better to be seen as overbearing or tyrannical than to be seen as weak."

"Do you really believe that?" Yang asked as they entered the dining room and he beckoned her to sit down. He pulled a chair out, waited for her to sit, and took the seat next to her. "I dont think they'll care very much about weakness or the like."

"They will," Chai concluded. "You have years of experience in dealing with them, I know, but you dont realize that things are different, what witht he Neo-Suunism that's going around teh country. It makes Mao's personality cult look like a teen sleepover party."

Yang chuckled. "I can remember the ones I went to," he said. "Not all of them were as tame as you seem to think. Besides, I dont think their government is half bad.."

Chai glared at him, a look that was becoming more and more common nowadays. "Oh stop it," she said. "We shouldnt even be talking about these things right now; the important part is to just eat, enjoy ourselves, and have fun."

"I hope we're not bugged," Yang said, laughing. "But hell, I wonder where my former Air Force comrades are. The last time we flew in an exercise was...six or seven years ago."

"You make yourself sound so old," Chai said, cracking a rare smile.

"Yes, dear, I know," he said, sipping at a glass. No one was there yet; as usual, they were early. "I suppose our drill instructors got us in the habit of waking before everyone, even little animals, did."

Chai laughed, yet another rare incident. "Yes," she said. "Drill....tough times."

"Watch yourself," Yang said. When she looked at him quizzically, he smiled. "You smiled and laughed," he said. "Dont be breaking your reputation as the Ice Queen."

"That's Hye-min!" she exclaimed. "Not me!"

Yang shrugged and grinned, sitting back in his chair. "WOrking with her so long, she probably rubbed off on you," he said. "Poor General Park; he probably faces the same thing that I do."

Chai pretended to pout. "I'm prettier," she insisted.

Yang laughed and raised his glass. "Yes you are, dear," he said to her.

The two clinked their glasses and drank conspiratorially.

http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=353496

After the NL day celebrations, Chai would like to invite Chisu Suun, Wanfa Kong, Rongyi Bei (OOC is that his family name? sry if i got it wrong), and of course, Tian, to the Imperial Lagoon Resort for a two week retreat. Coincidentally, situated in Premier Chai's home region. The Imperial Lagoon Resort is run by an old friend of Chai's and is well-known throughout Islandia for its scenic beauty and numerous attractions.

***
During the NL Day celebrations, various unmarked IL76 cargo planes have arrived at Mingzao Air Base, stacked with some of the latest technology in air combat, including Turn-and-Shoot helmets, new simulators, laser countermeasures, motion tracking technology (for missiles), advanced, long range radars, and even four J40s advanced atmospheric interceptors, capable of high altitude combat.

The training contingent at Mingzao immediately begins to look for Marimaian pilot candidates capable of flying the J40, valued at 1 billion dollars a piece.

If the Marimaian government will allow, a new high-altitude operations unit will be born. Otherwise, however, duty at Mingzao remains routine, although the Islandian aircrew are getting annoyed with the constant aerobatics practice by Marimaian pilots.

(OOC: Chiisu and co. will be happy to visit the Lagoon Resort; and, his first name is Rongyi, family name is Bei. Marimaians always place their given name before their family name, no matter what their descent is.)

IC:

Chiisu rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the dining room, dressed in an expensive dark red silk robe with Tian following slightly behind, alert as always. The pair stopped as Michio stepped between them and the dining room doors.

"Michio, can I get past please?"

"I'm afraid the Islandians beat you down here, Your Excellency."

"They're inhuman. I told you Tian, they're injected with something at birth that allows them to function without sleep."

Tian put an arm round Chiisu's shoulders and began moving him forward. "Either that, or they're just better trained. Michio, bring him some tea."

Michio bowed and headed off while Tian escorted Chiisu into the dining room. Upon seeing Chai, Chiisu instantly brightened up and opened his arms.

"Good morning you two! Jun, how's about a hug between Premiers?"

Chai smiled and embraced him. "Soon to be ex-Premier," she said with a laugh. "I've been around for two terms already; I doubt the people want me around for another one."

She turned to her husband and tugged him up. "This is my husband, Cloud General Yang Meng," she said. "He worked at Mingzao base before, as the senior air combat advisor."

Yang saluted, snapping his hand up to his shoulder in an Islandian salute, and shook the hands of the two men. "Pleased to meet you, Premier Suun and Minister Tian," he said. "I apologize if I got the titles wrong; spending so much time in a cockpit tends to scramble my brain. Call me Meng if you'd like."

Chai glared at him again. Yang smiled helplessly, and raised both his hands.

"Speaking of which," he said, "I almost forgot."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two blue pairs of wings, decorated with a pair of swords horizontally through the middle and a thunderbolt running vertically down. It was Islandian Air Force insignia.

"Air wings," he said, a mischievious twinkle in his eye. "In Islandia, we engrave our family names on them."

The little pieces of metal both read "Suun" in Islandian letters, or rather, a close approximation of them.

Mingzao Air Base

"What results?" the chief advisor asked his subordinate, a Captain.

"Twenty pilot candidates made it through the preliminary round of testing," the Captain replied. "Then they took off for NL Day. Speaking of which, shouldnt we be off too?"

"Sure," the chief advisor replied. "AFTER you get those J40s running."

The Captain groaned. "This is abuse," he muttered.

"Lucky you werent in the old Air Force," the chief advisor retorted. "Fine, since all of you fools aren't such slackers most of the time, I suppose you can go off for the celebrations..."

The staff cheered.

"...But I better not catch any of you sleeping with anyone."

The staff snickered. Rumor had it that their head, the chief advisor, had been sleeping around lately also.

"Dismissed."

The staff roared, and left through the doors, waving their caps over their heads.

"Now let's hope no one takes the J40s out for an unauthorized ride," the chief advisor, a First General, said to himself.

"Thank you so much! Tian, what do you think?"

"Very nice. Oh, by the way Meng, I'm not actually a minister. Just a bodyguard."

Chiisu shook his head. "Just a bodyguard who married his Premier. Anyway, I was thinking we'd have breakfast, have a little tour of the palace, then after a couple of hours of free time we'll go to the parade route. Trust me when I say that we Marimaians know how to throw a celebration."

He stopped talking as Michio led several servants into the room; Michio carried the Premier's tea, while the other servants placed various dishes on the dining table. The Luozao cook had done extensive research into the nations represented at NL Day, and had prepared the delicacies of each country. Suun sipped at his tea and let out a slight groan.

"Oh, that's better. I don't know about you Jun, but I just don't function without a cup of tea. Michio, are the other guests on their way?"

"Yes, Excellency. Is there anything I can get for anyone? Premier Chai, anything?"

"Tea's fine," Chai replied quickly. "Looking forward to today."

"A bodyguard and a spouse... enviable combination,"Yang said with a chuckle. "I'm sure Ah Jun wishes our relationship was that way."

"Especially since I always end up saving you," Chai muttered.

Yang shrugged. "Someone needs to do the flying," he said. "Speaking of which, I cant wait to see the aerobatics. I wish I could still do that stuff, but my commanding officer banned me from the aerobatics roster a few years ago after I played chicken with a rookie."

Yang grinned mischeviously. "The privileges of rank," he said, giddily.

Chai rolled her eyes. "I cant wait to see the palace though," she said. "It's much bigger than our residence back in Islandia."

"I almost feel bad for our Emperors," Yang said. "They were abused, more so than most other nations. Although I am curious to kno if Marimaia allows polygamy."

Chai glared at him.

"I heard rumors," Yang said, holding up his hands in surrender. "When I was serving at Mingzao Base, some friends spoke of such things over a cup of beer every now and then. But what is your nation's stance on that?"

OOC
btw i'll be gone from tomorrow thru monday (american time) that is, for three days. Afterwards, skool starts, so i dunno if i can RP so much anymore.

Stupid skool

(OOC: No worries. I have a gripe of my own; stupid job. Shift work isn't the nicest type going...)

IC:

Chiisu chuckled at Yang's question. "Yes, polygamy is legal. Just like recreational drugs and prostitution. We're building quite a reputation; 'a nationalistic dictatorship which allows its citizens to do anything they want except bother the government', as one foreign analyst put it. Not many citizens are into polygamy really, but it's available if they want it."

Michio entered the room and cleared his throat. "Forgive the intrusion, Excellency, but the other guests are awaiting their meal."

"Show them in, show them in."

Breakfast went rather well, considering the fact that the Drapoel representatives had been seated across the table from the Islandians. After some small talk, Chiisu and Tian took the representatives on a tour of Luozao Palace.

"This is a painting by my father, Mikada Suun. He called it 'Treachery'. I keep it around to remind me of his mistakes; this constant reminder ensures that I do not follow his example."

Chiisu seemed to be enjoying himself as he spoke grandly of the palace's history, pointing to various pieces of furniture and antiquities before giving a brief description of each. In actual fact, he was simply reciting the exact same tour he had given to his younger half-brother's high school class when they had been shown round on a school trip. At various points on the tour, the group encountered small teams of NeoSuun Guardsmen, who saluted and offered high praise to their Premier before continuing with their duties.

"Beautiful," Chai said as she looked at the decorations and furnishings. "Too bad our palace isnt as-"

"Dont let it get to your head dear," Yang interrupted quickly. "We still have duties to carry out, and we cant bankrupt the people."

Chai sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right," she said.

The tour finally ended just outside the master bedroom, at which point Chiisu flashed his trademark grin at the guests.

"Okay, we have a couple of hours to kill before the big parade; feel free to wander around the palace or go sightseeing, either way we'll have you under discreet protective guard. If you'll excuse us, Tian and I have to get ready."

The First Couple respectfully bowed their heads before leaving the representatives to their own devices.

OOC
hmm all the timings weird.

I'm assuming this thread is before the election of Kim Eun-jin and the severance of diplomatic relations?

Mingzao Airbase

"First Detachment reports securing complete," the officer reported to the XO, a Line General.

"And the J40s?" the Line General asked.

"They were originally supposed to be a gift," his subordinate replied. "Now we're not so sure..."

"What did command say?" the General asked.

"They said either to rig the planes wit explosives and booby trap them, or take them back with us," the officer reported.

"Take them back," the Line General said. "I wont have homicide on our hands."

The officer nodded. "Pity, isnt it General?" he asked.

"Certainly," the General replied, sighing as he watched the headquarters being dismantled. "I wonder if the Marimaians will try to retain some of our technology."

"All items were secured," the officer replied. "I doubt they can; everything that they could use has been destroyed."

"Still a pity to leave," the General said. "All our allies turning against us....and now with Kim Eun-jin in office...I wonder what will happen."

The officer sighed. "Well, who knows?" he asked sadly. "I did try to say goodbye to my friends, but most of them seemed too busy to talk. Probably acting on orders from their government."

The General shook his head, watching as the final truck loaded its contents onto the airplane. "It was General Park who did this," he said. "I know it. She can pull nearly any string, and she probably has Kim Eun-jin under her thumb."

The Officer shrugged. "I will miss this place," he said.

The General nodded. "General Yang will be heartbroken," he replied. "As will Madame Chai, who is sadly no longer in office."

The two of them walked through the tarmac, passing through a brisk rain, and headed into the nearest transport. Within minutes, the planes lifted up, and were off to Islandia, under fighter escort.

OOC: Yeah, the timing is a bit weird. I was hoping for a bit more time before all hell erupted, but we might as well bring this to a close.

IC:

The anti-air defences near Mingzao Airbase followed the Islandian aircraft until they flew out of range; meanwhile, a massive rally was being held in Taishita. A large stage had been erected in front of Luozao Palace, and Sakano had been performing their various nationalistic songs before giving the stage over to Chiisu Suun and the Marimaian cabinet.

"Hail Suun! Hail Suun!"

Chiisu gestured for silence, giving a smug grin to the gathered crowds and the home audience, as the event was being broadcast live on all Marimaian media.

"My fellow Marimaians, we have taken the last step towards ensuring our eternal national superiority. The Islandians, once considered our friends, have allowed jealousy and incompetence to come between us. As a result, we have expelled them; we will be dictated to by no-one, especially not a democratic cesspool!"

The cabinet applauded while the crowds cheered wildly, before going silent at another gesture.

"It is now time for action, action which has been a long time in coming. As we all know, Myanmar has been oppressing ethnic groups such as the Mon, the Karen, the Shan and various other groups. Groups who we all know are rightfully Marimaian citizens. Our brothers and sisters across the border are being culled by a vicious military regime, and we shall stand for it no longer!"

Another bout of wild cheering erupted before the sound of many jet engines interrupted it. The crowd and the cameras looked upwards to see a large armada of fighters and bombers flying overhead towards the west.

"As I stand here before you, our brave armed forces are embarking on a campaign to liberate our people from Myanmar's iron hand! We shall destroy Myanmar's military, we shall bring them to their knees so that they beg us to take back our land! Our national destiny will be fulfilled; beware Myanmar, because we are coming to you in the spirit of anger and furious vengeance!"

He handed the stage back to Sakano, whose lead singer Xuhao Shi yelled enthusiastically.

"All hail Premier Suun! It's time for our greatest hit, one that will play throughout history and one which will instil fear in the hearts of Myanmar's leaders! So get on your feet, throw out a salute and join the rest of the nation as we sing..."

"We are Marimaian, and we are the greatest,
and because of this, we say that all others can go to Hell!

All hail the greatest of the lands, ....."

Across the nation, people stood and sang the Marimaian national anthem with pride in their hearts, as they would finally bring a reckoning to their enemy...