NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This thread is intended as a stage for developing and maintaining international relations for Karmanyaka. Any nations are welcome to post suggestions for diplomatic exchange and similar in this thread.

IC:
Richard Loke, the youngest Lord Tengil in the history of Karmanyaka, was a great political reformer. He opened the country to the international community and brought it into the Federated Klatchian Coast. He loosened the tight grip of the Council of Knights, the aristocratic junta-style government that had ruled the nation since its birth many centuries ago.

The assassination of Richard Loke, by a radical separatist organisation known as the Lionhearts, brought much uncertainty and there were widespread concerns that Karmanyaka would fall back into the feudal isolation and oppression of the past. Therefore, the surprise of the people was only rivalled by their joy, when the Council of Knights hesitantly chose to appoint another reformist to the post of Lord Tengil.

The 38th Lord Tengil, Johan Kader was something as unusual in the Karmanyakan political aristocracy as a democrat. Now he sought international support in his quest to democratize the rigid political structures. Another goal for the new ruler was to boost the halting economy of Karmanyaka, bringing in new funds and putting the large groups of unemployed citizens to work. Centuries of isolationism had taken its toll on the economy which now needed a healthy infusion of foreign investments.

The doors are open and the carpet laid out - Karmanyaka welcomes the world.

OOC: The prelude to this post can be read here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407277).

IC:

To: Sir Alec Connover, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad
From: Sir Henry Pommer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka
Subject: Deeper relations


On behalf of the people of Karmanyaka I am pleased to invite a representative of the Free Republic to visit our country. Our hopes are that this visit will bring our two countries closer to eachother, thus enabling trade and cooperation on military, political and economical levels. For instance we are interested in your plans on a Foreign Guard. There is a piece of land in the southern parts of Karmanyaka which has potentially important strategic values, which might be considered as site for a military base.

On a slightly different note: Karmanyaka is - as you may well know - since the appointment of sir Johan Kader to the office of Lord Tengil, working hard to introduce the people (and the rulers) to the concept of democracy. In this venture we see great benefits from a close cooperation with the Free Republic, a well-known defender and friend of democratic values. Another point of discussion between us will be the organisation of permanent diplomatic structures. We will be pleased to donate the property needed for you to establish an embassy in our capital city of Katla.

We have already started preparations for this important meeting and we are awaiting the arrival of the Vaadi emissary.

Respectfully
sir Henry Pommer, Minister of Foreign Affairs

To:Sir Henry Pommer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka
From: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad
Re: Deeper Relations

We would be very pleased to assist the nation of Karmanyaka in any way that we can. The Free Republic always does it's best to forge as close ties as possible with our nearest neighbors. We have many resources availble to help aid fledgling democracies and have a foreign aid program for nations that wish to make the evolution to a free democracy.

I have submitted names to the Republican Council for candidates to be the Free Republic's Ambassador to Karmanyaka. Give me a day or two and we should have a suitable representative that can answer all of your questions and suitablty represent the Republican Council in your nation.

I will be in touch shortly to make final arrangements.

Sir Alec Connover, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad

To:Sir Henry Pommer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka
From: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad
Re: Deeper Relations

I am happy to impart to you that the Republican Council has named Hunt Segraves Vaadian Ambassador to Karmanyaka. If it is acceptable Ambassador Segraves will be heading with his staff to Karmanyaka early next week. He is empowered as an official representative of the Republican Council and can discuss and advise on all of the matters that are currently before both of our nations.

I hope that this signals a long and lasting friendship between our nations.


Sir Alec Connover, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad

Thousands of Karmanyakan bureaucrats, PR people, security guards, diplomats, caterers, hotel people and airport personnel were busy planning the upcoming visit from Ilek-Vaad. Memos were being handed out, maps drawn, schedules revised, cars polished, handshakes practised and red carpets rolled out. This was to be the first and most important visit yet from a foreign delegation to Karmanyaka and things'd better shine bright. There were some worries though. Many Karmanyakans still liked the old isolationist policy which had reigned throughout centuries and the FKC was the symbol of the new order. Thus police and security forces were expecting large demonstrations in connection with the arrival of the Vaadian delegation.

A more distressing concern among politicians was the fact that high military officials recently expressed criticism against the government's new policy towards neighboring countries. This coupled with the massive military presence in the major cities, due to the recent crisis in Klatch, had resulted in doubts about where the loyalty of the armed forces lay. However, the Tengil Guard and the special police were confident that they would be able to maintain a high level of security during the events of the Vaadian visit. Besides, downtown Katla was completely free from regular armed forces, most parts of the city were held by the extremely loyal Tengil Guard and foreigners had little need to worry, since any attack on a foreigner would likely mean serious retaliation.


To: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad
From: Office of The Lord Tengil, Karmanyaka
Subject: Vaadian Delegation Visit

The Lord Tengil Johan Kader is looking forward to recieving the credentials of Ambassador Hunt Segraves in the Tengil Palace in Katla City in a few days time. A complete schedule of the ceremonies, meetings and other events has already been sent to the Vaadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will happily help you choose a suitable location for the embassy, until then the Lord Tengil insists that the delegation enjoy his hospitality at the Palace.

Donaldine Raskovska, assistant to the Lord Tengil

Ambassador Segraves arrived in the City of Southgate in the Republic of Zorbus, just across the border from Karmanyaka. He quickly reviewed his tsff and had the Air Guard pilots prepare the Marathon-B Transport that would take him to Katla in Karmanyaka.

Within hours the jet was underway with Colonel Aldred, the pilot, was contacting Karmanyakian air control, to give them eta and request a course. The supersonic Marathon would only take a couple of hours to reach Katla.

If the Ambassador was apprehensive about the meeting, and Klatchian tensions, he didn't show it.

The Ambassador's Marathon-B Transport touched down on the newly swept tarmac. The honor guard marched up and took place while the carpet was being rolled out. They were all Tengil Guard Elite Dragoons in black uniform, black riding boots and german-style "pickelhaube" helmets. Beyond the straight line of dragoons were a flock of reporters and some government PR-people. At the far end of the red carpet the Minister of Foreign affairs and some other dignitaries were waiting. As the Vaadian delegation started walking down the red carpet a fanfare sounded and the Central Air Force Music Corps began playing a march. Ambassador Segraves was being treated a bit like a head of state and the reporters and photographers acted as if he was a rock star. A bit further down the tarmac a group of a few hundred spectators had gathered and were closely watched by heavily armed policemen. Not many ambassadors got a reception like this. A motorcade of black limousines, some black SUV's belonging to the carabineers and five motorcycles was waiting to take the group to the Palace. The flags of the FKC, Karmanyaka and Ilek-Vaad flew from three flagpoles in front of the terminal.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs approached the Vaadians and held out his hand.

"Pleased to finally meet you, Ambassador!" he half shouted in an attempt to be heard above the combined noise of drums, trumpets and jet engines. "I am sir Henry Pommer. Would you like to say a few words to the press before we leave, or do you prefer to save that for later? In any case I'd like to welcome you and your delegation to Karmanyaka!"

Ambassador Segarves and his staff descended the ramp from the Marathon to greet Sir Henry Pommer and his delegation. Ambassador Segraves shook the Ministers hand.

"Very pleased to meet you Minister Pommer. This is quire some welcome, thank you for your hospitality. I think I should leave any comments for the press after we talk. I'm not much for speaking to the press anyhow. I must say, this is much more than I expected."

"Well, we are proud of our hospitality here in Karmanyaka. And it is not often we have such important guests as yourself here, Mr. Ambassador." the minister said as they were engulfed in a storm of cameraflashes and march music.

There was some handshaking with VIP's, some smiling into camera lenses, waving at the bystanders and all those things that people do at these sort of visits. One of the people behind the minister was a forty year old woman in a beige dress.

"May I present to you Lady Francesca Dolke, she will help you until you have settled in." said Pommer and stepped aside.

"Ambassador Segrave, pleased to meet you." she extended her hand. "If you are ready, then let us get to the Palace." Lady Dolke gestured towards the motorcade. "You will ride with me and sir Henry, Mr. Ambassador."

---

As soon as they had gotten into the limousines the howl of sirens mixed with the other noise, but hardly any of this could be heard inside the cars. The motorcade rolled slowly off the tarmac through a gate. Katla International Airport lay east of the city, on the other side of the Arbour Hills. As they travelled along the road they soon saw the strangely flat tip of Mount Katla, the volcano that cast its shadow across the city. As the limousines climbed the road up the hills, the volcano vanished for a moment behind the condominiums and bungalows of the suburb known as the Arbours. Apple trees lined the clean black streets. Almost all roads in Karmanyaka were a curios dark black. The gravel in the asphalt was a black volcanic rock which was used both for roads, street paving and buildings. In the Arbours most houses were painted or plastered in white or light earth colors, but downtown many houses were a deep, shining black.

The Arbour Hills soon gave way to the river plain on which the city was built. Like many modern cities Katla had started as a small farming village on a fertile river bank and then the city had devoured most of the best farmlands around the river and at the foot of Mount Katla. Today the city was home to more than 30 million people and stretched for miles and miles. The motorcade started descending the hills and the whole volcano became visible. On the other side of the city were the two "Green Valleys" - Cherry Valley and Wild Rose Valley, semiautonomous enclaves in Karmanyaka. Most of Katla consisted of 8-10 floor high-rises, but here and there were tall skyscrapers. Through it all the river Karma meandered, glittering in the sun on it's inevitable course to the deep, cold waters of the Bay of Lunacy. Seen here from above, the city glittered black like rainwet asphalt, a mass of steel, glass and black stone. But another easily discernable feature of Katla was the green copper roofs of the buildings, stretching on into the blurred distance like so much green moss on the asphalt field.

The morning rush hour was over but the traffic was still pretty dense and many cars had to creep up onto the pavement to let the motorcade pass. Sirens whining, they neared the city center and all the while Dolke informed the ambassador of the places, buildings and monuments they passed. "The Academy of Art... The Military Academy ... the City Hall... the State Television network office... The Grand Temple where all Lords Tengil are buried... and finally Battle Day Square with the huge statue in the center and to the north, the dominating facade of the Tengil Palace. The structure was an absolute abundance of towers, spires, pillars. The center of the enormous building (if indeed it was only one building) was a tall tower, part of an old keep, whose foundations were estimated to be more than 800 years old. The cars approached the Palace along the wide Nangiyala Boulevard that originated from it and which went all the way through town and ended in another grand palace - the Council Chambers.

The motorcade stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to the palace gates. Another carpet, this one purple, flowed down the stairs, lined with more dragoons. Ushers in livery opened the doors to let the party out of the vehicles. At the top of the stairs, surrounded by guards, more VIP's and government officials, the Lord Tengil Johan Kader was waiting.

Bump - all nations are welcome to establish embassies in Karmanyaka.

Ambassador Segraves smiled " Well, I don't know how important I really am, but I thank you nonetheless."

He shook Lady Francesca's extended hand "Very pleased to meet you."

He got into the limo with Minister Pommer and Lady Francesca, of all of his assistants, he didn't have any bodyguards, except Colonel Aldred, who had flown the Martahon transport and he seemed entirely unconcerned with the Ambassador's movements and was glad to ride any where he could.

Ambassador Segraves looked out the window as the limo wound it's way to the Tengil Palace.

"Very nice city, I must say. I was lead to believe that most cities were crowded and polluted in most Klatchian states." He said thoughtfully.

He looked up at the palace as the limo arrived and straightened his jacket before getting out. "Is there any specific way I should greet the Lord Tengil? I would hate to faux pas."

"A couple of decades ago, many Karmanyakan cities were heavily polluted and overpopulated." answered Lady Francesca. "Today, housing is still in shortage but we've managed to clean up our environment. 'A free mind requires a clean milieu in order to prosper and develop.' as Lord Tengil Loke said."

When the limousine stopped, the Lady smiled at the fact that Segraves had asked the question she was just going to answer.

"Kader is a very informal ruler, especially for a Karmanyakan Lord Tengil. Nevertheless, you might want to address him as 'your Excellency' or 'your Lordship', maybe even 'your Highness' or something like that. You may also want to bow slightly. Anything else…? Not that I can think of. If you had been here ten years ago – which in itself would have been unlikely – we would have urged you to use the old strict protocol, but let's not get into that now, his Lordship is eager to meet you."

The Lord Tengil Johan Kader stepped down a few steps to meet the ambassador as he ascended the grand stairs. The bodyguards remained on the ledge, eyes scanning the surroundings for threats.

"Good day to you, and welcome to Katla, Mr. Ambassador. I am Johan Kader, Lord Tengil of Karmanyaka."

Kader had a black cloak, lined with purple silk. Beneath this he had a black suit with a high Prussian style collar. On his chest was fastened a few medals and the star of the Order of the Northern Flame, Karmanyaka's foremost knightly order.

The group of people, led by Kader, walked through the great hall with its grand staircase and balconies and through a door into a corridor. From the corridor several doors led to different elevators, which in turn led to another hallway. This hallway opened up into a large room, like a study.

"This is the cockpit of Karmanyaka, so to speak." Kader said jokingly. "From this room I try to run the country. Actually, I'm only at the wheels, but the Council runs the gears and pedals and tells me where to go." he laughed.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Ambassador. Did you have a pleasant trip here, by the way?"

Groups of people filed in and took up places in the large room, some were press people and others were officials and politicians. They were only there for the ceremonials and were going to leave as soon as the real talks would start.

Ambassador Segraves nodded to Lady Francesca as she explained about the cities and pollution "Yes the enviroment is a pressing concern for the Free Republic as well, second only to education." He smiles " The people of Tanah Burung are normally a bit indignant that we manage to have quite a bit of heavey industry and still maintain a cleaner nation than theirs."

He nods quietly as Lady Francesca explains the 'proper' way to greet the Lord Tengil before stepping out to meet him.

Ambassador Segraves bowed his head respectfully to the Lord Tengil " Very pleased to meet you your Lordship.

He follows Lord Tengil to his office and takes a seat when indicated.

"I had a very pleasant journey your Lordship. Your People have made me feel very welcome indeed, it is very humbling."

Ambassador Segraves has an excellent voice for oratory and makes sure that he speaks loud enough for all the gathered dignataries to hear. Fortunately for the Karmayakans he is also a very quiet and respectful man, not at all like Ambassador Nagy, or Ambassador Bramble, who would have taken great offence at being asked to refer to anyone as Lord, or even to bow slightly. It seemed the Republican Council had picked a man best suited to deal with a nation that still clung to it's hereditary houses.

"We Karmanyakans like to pamper our guests almost to the point of embarrassment," chuckled the Lord Tengil and sat down next to the ambassador.

"Before you present your credentials and other papers I have a gift from my people to yours."

An aide walked over to the two men with a black case, which he handed over to Kader.

"As a symbolic sign of friendship between our nations…" he opened the case and produced a small copper horn on which was engraved a dragon and a jaguar holding each end of a short chain. "I give you this horn. Whenever the Free Republic is in need you can 'blow the horn' and the Dominion of Karmanyaka will come to your aid. It is a traditional gift from a king or prince to his ally." Kader replaced the horn and presented the case to Ambassador Segraves. Camera flashes and applause followed as the both men stood and shook hands.

"Being the smallest nation in the FKC, Karmanyaka is in dire need of allies if we are to maintain our interests in this region. Hopefully this is the start of a mutually beneficial relationship."

Kader smiled. "Now I believe we have some papers to sign before it’s finally time for lunch."

--

The Lord Tengil Johan Kader was an unconventional Karmanyakan ruler. The same went for his predecessor Richard Loke. All Lords Tengil before them had been stern old men, sticking to traditions and strict etiquette. The Tengils of old never smiled in public. They also hardly ever spoke directly to the people, but through a herald. The new, relaxed behavior displayed by Kader was splitting the country in two. Some thought it was a disgrace that the old ways were so easily abandoned, but most people thought it was about time Karmanyaka started adapting to the rest of the world. For the first time in several hundred years the Dominion of Karmanyaka was moving with the times, and they had a lot to catch up with.

Ambassador Segraves bowed his head slightly as he accepted the horn "I am honoured to receive this on behalf of the People of the Free Republic. I am certain that this is the beginning of a solid friendship between our people and our nations."

He then nods and smiles to the Lord Tengil "Yes, I suppose we should take care of some business."

Ambassador Segraves seemed very pleased with the way things were going so far.

After a while they had finished shaking hands, signing and exchanging papers and all that tedious diplomatic paperwork. Finally it was time for lunch. Johan Kader was a rather stocky man who enjoyed food and one of his first accomplishments as Lord Tengil had been a thorough review of the palace kitchens. His private kitchen was now considered one of the best in the whole Klatch.

The lunch took place in a ballroom-sized dining room in one of the wings. The windows facing the courtyard were open to let in the fresh breeze from the orchard that lay beyond the cobbled courtyard. This court opened up onto the Battle Day Square via a pillared gallery. Through the open window could be heard the ceremonial change of guards performed every day at lunchtime. The change of guard was an immensely popular event with tourists and by mid day coaches lined the Battle Day Square. The clatter of hooves, mixed with the rolling of drums and blaring of trumpets, sifted into the room. Below, one could see the groups of tourists photographing and filming the dragoons in their shining helmets, riding their gray horses.

The three-course lunch consisted of a vegetable soup, traditionally served with dark Karmanyakan bread on the side, then a main course of a tender fillet of boar with potato purée and blueberry sauce. For dessert there was a cloudberry sorbet with vanilla cream. No wonder politicians and diplomats are often a bit on the chubby side. Attending the dinner, apart from the Lord Tengil and his wife, was on the Karmanyakan side: Lady Francesca; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henry Pommer, the Burgomaster of Katla, Daniel von Orve and the proposed ambassador to Ilek-Vaad, Igor Moulin. From Ilek-Vaad came of course Hunt Segraves and any fellow countrymen he wanted to bring.

"So, Mr. Ambassador, have you had the time to pick out a suitable location for the embassy?" said Pommer between bites. "I took the liberty of making a list of suitable estates. As we said earlier we will be happy to grant you the estate of your choice for free."

"I can really recommend the Veder House." said Lady Francesca and was interrupted by a fanfare from outside. "It's situated down by the river only half a mile from here. It has beautiful parks and the two buildings are quite roomy. It has been empty since sir Veder was killed by separatists a few years ago, so the Council took over the estate to prevent it from deteriorating. I'll be happy to show it to you in the morning."

"And while we are talking land, we are interested in knowing more about the Vaadian Foreign Guard program." said Kader. "We think it might be of interest to us to have foreign military posted in Karmanyaka. We even have a suitable piece of land in southern Karmanyaka."

Ambassador Segraves had only his aid with him, a Mr. Isokolokel, a rather dark skinned Tolteca gentleman who remained silent and let his boss do the talking. Ambassador Segraves responded to the questions.

"I have , as of yet, had no chance to consider site for an embassy. Most Vaadian embassies are only staffed by maybe two dozen people at the most, so I doubt we would require an entire estate, or more than a single building. I will of course go over the list of recommended sites, I am certain that we can find one that fits us just fine. Maybe just part of the Veder Estate could be used by us, and the rest of it leased or something."

He nodded as Lord Kader mentioned the Foreign Guard "We would be very interested in exploring the opening of a Foreign Guard base in Karmanyaka. The benefits of hosting a base are great and would immediately put your nation on the list of preferred trade partners. I think that it is something that we can certainly pursue.

The Free Republic has always made a point of having the best relations reserved for nations that share a common border with us. Case in point would be the Republic of Kelanis, Several years ago Kelanis and the Free Republic integrated rail lines and abolished border controls and tariffs. We think that this is a good thing to do with our most trusted neighbors."

Ambassador Segraves had never had boar before and tested it carefully "Very good, but I'm not sure about the blueberry sauce."

In Great Lassic, the cuisine was determined by the mahority Lasseans, and mixing fruit with meat, was simply not done.

Lady Francesca and minister Pommer agreed with the proposal to make part of Veder House the Vaadian embassy and use the rest for other purposes.

"Excellent idea," said the Lady. "Maybe the remaining space will be suitable for any private companies from Ilek-Vaad interested in expanding to the Karmanyakan market?"

"The city of Katla would very much welcome any Vaadian investors." said Mayor Moulin.

Kader listened approvingly when Ambassador Segraves accounted for the Vaadian cooperation with Kelanis.

"That sounds very interesting, indeed. We will have to see how fast we can progress with the border controls and free movement." he responded and took some notes on a notepad.
"I will see to it that one of my staff comes over and drafts a proposal together with you, Mr. Ambassador." said Pommer. "We will naturally have to discuss the details of a draft for the Foreign Guard program too."

So far everything was going smoothly and there were no signs that this should change. In the light of the crisis in the FKC, the Karmanyakan Council of Knights as well as the Lord Tengil himself found it reassuring that they could have bilateral discussions with a neighbor outside the boundaries of the FKC. Of course it also helped a bit that the Free Republic wasn't formally an FKC state.

Ambassador Segraves nodded "That is a most excellent idea. Vaadian businesses would see it as a great convienance to be able to so close to Vaadian authorities. It would cut down on the time they would need to contact my office for government approval on any relevant contract or matters."

He also nodded to the Lord Tengil "The only stipulation that we have for a free and open border with our close neighbors is that their border controls , on their other borders, are at least as stringent as ours."

"I don't see any real obstacles to better relations between our two nations."

When the empty plates from the dessert were being taken out and the last drops of coffee drained from the cups, the Lord Tengil stood up and shook hands with the ambassador.

"Thank you for coming here to Karmanyaka, and to my palace, Mr. Ambassador. You and your entire staff are very much welcome to stay in the North Wing of the Palace where we keep our best guest suites. And I understood that Lady Francesca was going to show you Veder House tomorrow. My people will happily provide all things necessary for a swift establishment of the Vaadian Embassy."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs approached Segraves.

"We have much to talk about indeed, and I will send a member of my secretariat to your temporary office in the North Wing tomorrow to draw plans for our future cooperation. Border control and such minor subjects are actually no problem. Our coasts are very well guarded and the only land border we have is towards Ilek-Vaad."

Kader and Pommer both excused themselves and left the ambassador in the care of Lady Francesca.

"I will take you to the North Wing where the Head Matron will show you your quarters. I think the rest of your staff is already there, settling in." the Lady motioned Segraves and Isokolokel to follow her through the corridors and halls of the palace.

Ambassador Segraves nods to the Lord Tengil "The pleasure has been all mine. I have been very pleased to be allowed to meet with you and to visit your nation."

He also nodded to the Minister of Foreign Affairs "I will expect your secretary, it doesen't look as though we will have too many hurdles to cross to work something amicable out."

Ambassador Segraves turned to Lady Francesca "Very well then , lead the way."

OOC: I took the liberty of letting some time pass. Current situation: Ambassador Segraves has been given the documents on border cooperation and the foreign guard program, he has also been given a tour of the Veder House. If Segraves or any other Vaadian has any questions, we can RP it? Let's say he calls for a meeting or something, ok? I'm not sure this is the way to do it, but I might as well try! ; )

IC-ish:

Veder House was a large estate by the river. A high wall in rough, white marble surrounded the well-tended parks. Security was good and the buildings were offering a series of rooms from small offices to bedrooms and reception halls. One of the two buildings, the one proposed as office for Vaadian investors and businesses, was slightly larger than the other and lay closer to the gates that opened up onto Dove Boulevard. The proposed embassy building lay nearer to the riverbank and offered a fantastic view of eastern Katla. It even looked like an ambassadors residence. The other estates on the list were mostly more modest. Almost all were ordinary townhouses and office buildings, but some were large villas and one was actually the grand Thornrose Palace, former home of the Piter family, a mighty dynasty that had ruled Karmanyaka for many years. The Thornrose Palace was only challenged in size and grandeur by the Tengil Palace. Maybe a bit over the top unless Ilek-Vaad wanted to move half their foreign ministry to Katla…

The proposal for an agreement on an open border between the two neighbours was quickly put forward. Both countries were to maintain a high security at all borders except their common one. Roads and railroads would be connected and ferries would traffic routes between their coasts. An addition to the Open Border proposal was dealing with the free movement of people, currency and goods between the Free Republic and the Dominion. In addition to that an increased cooperation in law enforcement was a key part of the agreement.

The Foreign Guard Program of the Free Republic was of great interest to Karmanyaka. Sure Karmanyaka had a large defence force, but the commitment of a foreign nation to put military forces on Karmanyakan soil meant employment opportunities and economic growth as well as increased security and a deterring element. In the southern parts of Karmanyaka lay the recently abandoned military base known as Fort Fyalar. It had been an army base and had a fully functional army air force base. It lay strategically by the Karmanyakan border and even had a few docks and a harbour were the Karmanyakan Coast Guard now had its ships. Sleyfalls, the town nearby had suffered hard when the base shut down and had high unemployment rates, which led to wide criticism against the regime. This meant that the Vaadian Foreign Guard programme would be very popular with most Karmanyakans, Ilek-Vaad would have a complete military base with room for army, navy and airforce in one place. Besides, the high quality compulsory military service in Karmanyaka meant that there would be no difficulty in finding young men and women ready to become soldiers, should it be needed.

OOC: Sounds good.

IC:

The Republican Council had looked over all of the news from Karmanyaka and the layout of Fort Fyalar.

The Minister of Defence set down the papers "Fort Fyalar probably isn't big enough for an eighty thousand strong Foreign Guard army, we can probably expand it, up and underground."

The First Republican smiled "I have a better idea, with the problems in Dyelli Beybi, we could split the Foreign Guard and station half in Karmanyaka. I want you to get with the Supreme Republican Commander on this."

There would be some further discussion on this before it was finalized.

The border agreement was debated and discussed and finally passed by the Republican Council. It had faced some opposition from the VLP but had passed with a safe majority.

*****

The Veder house found an entire wing soon occupied as Avery Frost Aeronautics set up offices there. Avery Frost had been trying for some time now to open a parts factory in Tanah Burung , but with the unrest there he now turned to Karmanyaka, the exchange rate was even more favourable and it was close by. Avery Frost's reprsentatives began immediately scouting sites for the giant factory complex intended to bulid engines and parts for the Avery Frost Orion, Artemis and Death's Head.

*****

Another group had moved into an office into the Veder House as well. A group of organizers from the Coventry Institute for Democracy. A group dedicated to helping fledging democracies develop political parties and to teach them peaceful democratic protest and grass roots campaigning, they busily began contacting every fringe democratic organization that was forming in Karmanyaka, with offers of support and training for organizers and campaigners.

Ministry of Foreign and Economic affairs, Swadlincote, Midlonia.

'What on earth do you mean you only just heard about it? They're planning on putting half of their foreign guard in there! Do you realise this extends their strike capability and makes them a serious threat!' Jason Willourgby's spittle was quickly soaking the desk. 'Jesus H christ man! People we introduced to the Klatch are being snapped into being a pawn by the fu^%ing Vaadians! We cannot let that happen.'
'Yes sir, I'll get a team on it now sir.' muttered the boy.

Completely unaware of the Midlonians growing anxiety the Retaliatory Guard Command agreed with the First Republican's assessment and Supreme Republican Comander Ring quickly appointed General Adam Deadmarsh to head the Karmanyakan arm of the Klatch Guard and to inspect and purchase Karmanyakan arms and vehicles to equip them with.


To:Sir Henry Pommer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka
From: Minister of Defence, Ilek-Vaad

RE: The Foreign Guard

Minister Pommer, the Republican Council has reviewed the base at Fort Fyalar and have concluded that it would be the perfect site for a part of the Klatch Guard. We are tentatively planing on a force of forty thousand with a possible six to seven air wings if this acceptable.

Of course in the spirit of the Foreign Guard we will primarily try to use Karmanyakan arms and volunteers to make up this force. Establishing this base will be a positive step to bringing stability in the often unstable region that is the Klatch. We have also decided that Karmanyaka will qualify for preferntial trading status as a host of the Foreign Guard.

I am dispatching General Deadmarsh to oversee establishment of the Foreign Guard in Karmanyaka.

William 'One Hundredman' Issem
Minister of Defence, Ilek-Vaad

Karmanyakan business leaders were thrilled. There were many ideas about what the closer ties with Ilek-Vaad could mean. Vaadian investors came and bought their services and their products and a whole new market was opened up to the Karmanyakans. The Karmanyakan mining industry had high expectations. The mining industry was one of the most technologically advanced in the world. Even were most other countries long since would have abandoned a mine due to low profit, the Karmanyakan mines with Sectura Mining in the forefront were still extracting massive amounts of ore. Now they looked east, to whatever riches lay hidden beneath the soil of the Free Republic.

Another industry quick on the uptake was the tourism industry. No-one knew much about the Vaadians (in fact due to the historic isolation of Karmanyaka, not many Karmanyakans knew anything about tourism at all...) but now they prepared to recieve the hordes of adventurous Vaadian tourists as well as ship equally adventurous Karmanyakans into Ilek-Vaad.

The authorities were happy with the extra tax income and unemployment went down. In short, Karmanyaka liked its neighbors.

Meanwhile small groups of people met in basements, coffe shops and whatever rooms they could find and discussed politics. It sure was a new notion for a people who had never had elections. Heck, most people had to learn what a political party was. The new Minister for Democracy (as if by chance, the first female politician in Karmanyaka...) got on television and spoke about the need for people to get involved in society. Big campaigns filled billboards, newspapers and TV's with encouragement to get political. But as always in dictatorships going for reform, the loosening of the leash let forth extremist groups. Militant religious fanatics, extreme right-wing movements and hardcore communists started recruiting young boys and girls from the poorer parts of the country. Political crimes went up drastically and in some parts of the country it was hard for the authorities to maintain control. The council turned to the Free Republic for support and advice. Minister for Democracy, Belinda Lundmark contacted the Vaadian ambassador, Segraves for information about how the Vaadian government could help with the democratisation.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs also had big plans of deeper connections with its other Klatchian neighbors. Despite the fact that Karmanyaka had been an FKC state for some time now, the only diplomatic contact it had with the other FKC states was through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly or through the Port Olympus Delegation. A letter went out to all Klatchian states inviting them to open embassies and presenting the ambassadors chosen to represent the Dominion of Karmanyaka in the different countries.

--

To: Minister of Defence, Ilek-Vaad
From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka

The Dominion of Karmanyaka welcomes General Deadmarsh and the forces of Ilek-Vaad to our land. After extensive scrutiny the Ministry of Defence as reached the conclusion that the facilities of Fort Fyalar must most certainly be modernized to meet the high standards required by a contemporary fighting force. We will introduce you to contractors with the capacity of conducting such work, should you wish so. We are also quite proud to report that you will miss neither the personnel nor equipment necessary to establish the Foriegn Guard. We also have one request and that is that the Foreign Guard Program maintain close contact with Karmanyakan Defence Forces and that the majority of the base be open to our forces if the need should arise.

We are honoured to have recieved the status of preferential trading partner. We will send Ambassador Igor Moulin to Great Lassic in order to establish an embassy shortly.

Sir Henry Pommer
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka

Why on earth does he call himself 'One Hundredman'? Pommer thought to himself as he passed the transcript back to his secretary. Strange people those Vaadians. It always seems like there’s a lot more going on behind their faces... Which reminds me of why we want them on our side.

.

Ambassador Segraves was quick to respond to the Karmanyakan Minister for Democracy, he quickly directed her to the CID Office now located in the Veder House. Stephen Torrence was the head organizer of the CID and made arrangements to meet with the Minister of Democracy as soon as was convienant for her. The CID literally had billions of drachma in assets to help fledgling democracies and dedicated workers to see that the money was spent effectively.

*****

In Lassic they prepared for the arrival of Ambassador Moulin and General Deadmarsh and his bstaff left for Karmanyaka.

Quite Diplomatic Note

We should like to remind the government of Kaymanyka that any treaty which establishes foreign troops within the Federation, must be reviewed and approved by Parliament, as per the Constitution.

-The Outer Ministry of the United Duchies

OOC: Oh... didn't know that. Where is that in the constitution? I'll have to get back to you on that remark.

OOC: Oh... didn't know that. Where is that in the constitution? I'll have to get back to you on that remark.
Per Your Request

Parliament shall allow the states the rights to enter into a treaty, or alliance; grant letters of marquee and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; issue bonds; pass any bill of attainder upon its citizens, but withholds the right to review such actions, and by a vote of majority and the signature of the President, nullify such actions.


No state shall, without the consent of Parliament, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection laws: No state shall, without the consent of Parliment, lay any duty of tonnage; or enter into confederation with a foreign power

First, to have foreign troops stationed in your country must be by some form of treaty (and confederation with them) so these two sections apply.*

Taken together this says that any State with a foreign troop base has to notify Parliament, and they have the right to review it and then vote on it. However, if Parliament doesn't do anything after you present it, then it automaticly is considered to be in effect (until Parliament revokes its implicit consent.)

Now the second part there is more about alliances in general, but the way the Foreign Guard is set up, it is also considered as much just foreign troops as an alliance with Ilek-Vaad.

*Or is Ilek-Vaad invading you?..in which case:

To WAR! Unleash the Hounds of Hell!,
To War we go for the Vaadians have crossed the border!

To: The Outer Ministry of the United Duchies
From: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Karmanyaka

Though we thank the United Duchies of Alcona and Hubris for their concern, the Council of Knights and the ministries involved in the Foreign Guard Program has done a somewhat different interpretation of the constitution from yours. We are well aware of the decisive powers of the Parliament, however we judge that these powers do not apply to this matter. Aside from the fact that Ilek-Vaad is a state situated within the geographical area that is Klatchia (without formally being an FKC state), the Foreign Guard Program cannot be regarded an alliance, since no such mutual treaty of alliance has been signed. The forces of the Foreign Guard will also be composed exclusively of Karmanyakan citizens, equipped with Karmanyakan technology, which puts doubts regarding the foreign nature of such troop. In summary, this means that the Dominion of Karmanyaka does not, as of now, recognize any constitutional hinderance to the establishment of a Foreign Guard at Fort Fyalar without the consent of Parliament. Should however the High Court of Klatchia wish to rule differently, we shall naturally subject to the decision of Parliament.

- Sir Henry Pommer

Minister Lundmark walked up the stairs to Veder House where she would meet with Stephen Torrence. She had been to some parties at the house when sir Veder still lived here. A CID employee showed her to the office of the Head Organizer.

"Mr Torrence, pleased to meet you. I take it I don't need to explain the situation. What I want to dicuss with you is the escalating protests around the country. We fear that any actions to counter the protests are interpreted as either too soft or too hard, thus only spurring further portests. I realize that this is a quite common problem in authoritarian states who losen the strains on their citizens. We are also quite worried by the extremist groups operating both on the left and right wings. How can we deal with these extremists without looking like we're stomping down on democracy?" The minister sounded troubled and a bit embarassed. Here she was, the representative of a government asking for help on matters of how to rule the state.

"You see, this nation has a nasty history of just crushing all attempts at peaceful protests and demands for popular influence. Now we're suddenly encouraging the same actions... One could say we're becoming a little fragmented." she said, smiling.

"And we were also looking for help with organizing the upcoming elections. We were planning on inviting observers from other democratic states."

Mr. Torrence smiled and nodded "Very Pleased to meet you as well Minister Lundmark."

He paused and looked thoughtful at her questions and replied "The very real problem in this situation is that with the loosening of a restrictive government that neither the citizens or the government are aware of how to act appropriately. The government wants to maintain order, but does not want to extinguish the new rights. The People want to exercise their new freedoms but may be ignorant as to the bounds of those freedoms.

The important thing is communication and education. Government crackdowns on illegal actions and disorder are never a bad thing. In the current situation it is important that order is maintained and that your government explains why a crackdown occurred and why the actions of the offender were illegal in this new climate.

I would also suggest a public ad campaign, television and radio commercials print ads and so forth, that explicity show and tell people what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Images of a peaceful demonstration juxtaposed against a bloody riot is a very strong message that peaceful, inclusive demonstrations are accepatble, but violent protests are forbbiden.

Make sure that fledging political parties know how to register their party, how to get funding, how to start a grass roots campaign and how to properly plan for an effective, organized rally. The People must be told explicity and daily that the new freedoms are here to stay, but that as in everything, there are defined limits under the law."

He pauses and smiles "Fortunately the CID can help you with all of that. With your assistance we can design and fumd a comprehensive ad campaign and identify and nuture true democratic political parties. We can also help identify the dangerous parties that must be watched. Our organizers can help local leaders to help organize their neighbors safely and legally with a commitment of support that will give them the confidance to embrace democracy and teach them the lawful limits of the new system."

OOC:
My apologies for taking so long to answer. I've been moving and I'm still waiting for the cable company to install broadband in my new apartment. So I have to use the computer at my work...

IC:
Lundmark nodded while taking small notes on her palm computer.

"I think your assumptions are correct. Maybe we should even work with an extensive education program for police and government officials. After all, most policemen are used to... less democratic methods and must be instructed with new routines."

"Also, I think that it will all come to people as the see how other democracies work. With increased tourism and business travel to Ilek-Vaad and other Klatchian democracies we will likely see more people stand up for democratic values."

She listened to his proposal for the campaign work.

"The Council naturally welcomes the assistance of the CID in this. We would of course have to insist on funding the campaign and pay for your expenses ourselves, but your expertise is well needed. " she paused for a moment and looked quite relieved when she quickly went through her notes. "I will send down a couple of people from my staff to draw up the details of the campaign together with your people. Hopefully we can come up with something pretty quickly. Again, I'd like to thank you and your countrymen for all the help in this matter, and others."

Lundmark stood and shook hands with Torrence and left the building a lot more hopeful than she came.

Mr. Torrence smiled as he shook Minister Lundmarks hand "Yes, retarining of the police would also help, we have specialists that can help to make the police more aware and better able to cope with democratic opposition. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call my office and we will see what we can do."

Mr. Torrence then set about requesting more CID organizers and advertising specialists. It looked like this would be a big job and he was determined to see it go ahead.

OOC: I can understand that, it's quite alright take your time.

When the Minister for Democracy approached her car in front of the Veder House occupied by the Coventry Institute for Democracy, she could hear some sort of commotion over at the gates. When the car rolled through the gates the cause for the commotion became clear.

A large crowd with picket signs and Karmanyakan flags had assembled in front of the gates. Karmanyakan police tried to keep them at a safe distance from the compound walls. The picket signs said things like "Vaadians go home!" (with a range of spelling mistakes), "We don't like Ilek", "Keep Karmanyaka free", "Out with the foreigners" and "Jaguars burn better than dragons".

These sorts of xenophobic demonstrations were becoming increasingly common. Reports of hate crimes directed agains foreign business owners were coming in from all major cities. The odd thing was that although the protests seemed to be made up mostly of angry young men, they had mass printed signs and buttons on their jackets and shirts. Someone supplied them with these things and organized the protests...

As the car passed through the crowd, stones, soda cans, rotten food and bags filled with paint hit the car. Someone bent over and hit the bulletproof window with a metal rod and screamed "You Lassean whore!!". At this the police advanced and started dragging the protestors away through a mist of teargas.

--

The anchorman looked quizzingly at the man sitting opposite to him in the studio.

"So you think that Karmanyaka should withdraw from all cooperation with the Vaadians?"

The man carried a black uniform with the insignia of the Prodirectorate on his shoulders.

"I think it was a mistake in the first place to establish cooperation with the so-called 'Free Republic'. We shouldn't let ourselves be enslaved by these imperialists who try to push their deranged ideology on us. Just look at the protests around the country! Karmanyakans, honest, hard-working people, take to the streets in their frustration with the government. Some people are even driven to extreme acts of disobedience. We cannot tolerate violence and unrest in our country and if the Council and the Lord Tengil won't react, someone else will!"

"Thank you for coming here, Rear Admiral Patrice Snell with the Prodirectorate.

Now lets take a look at the weather forecast, we're in for some rain this week, right, Lulu?"

"Indeed, Brutus. We can see how this..."

Ambassador Segraves was not alramed by the protesters, though the Rear Admiral on the news was a bit concerning, he decided to do what Vaadian Ambassadors always did in these situations. Ambassador Segraves stepped out of the Veder House with his assistant and approached the gate, he briefly thought of past Ambassadors that had been shot, run over by tanks, chased by mobs, but he dismissed those thoughts and walked up to the gate switching his comm unit to 'bullhorn'.

"Citizens of Karmanyaka, I have heard your protests and I hear and understand your concerns. I think that we could easily clear all of this up if you ladies and gentlemen picketing outside the gate came in and talked these matters over."

He motioned to his assistant and he hit the gate button to open it.

Ambassador Segarves stood by, seemingly unafraid, ignoring thrown objects or insults hurled his way "The only way to resolve these misunderstandings is through dialogue and I will meet with any Karmanyakan at any time to discuss concerns between our two nations. I am pleased to be a guest in your great nation and will be glad to answer any of your questions or concerns so long as they are directed in a polite and civilized manner. So come along then, I believe the forecast is for rain and I wouldn't want anyone to get soaked on my account."

He then stepped aside and waited for the gates to open. It wasn't comforting that the last Vaadian Ambassador that did this was run over by a tank, but it was custom, Vaadian Embassies were made open and accessible even during times of war.

OOC: Plot twist!

The now smeared and dented car of the Minister for Democracy had already gone far out of sight as the embassy gates suddenly swung open. The protestors, and the police alike, were surprised with the unexpected move.

Several bottles with unknown content were hurled at the ambassador, but in their agitated state, the perpetrators managed to miss their target despite the short distance.

"Vaadian imperialists!" shouted a young woman with a black ski mask.

"Foreign dogs, go home to your jungles!" bellowed a young man as he tried to destroy the enamel plaque on the wall beside the gates.

The puzzled policemen pulled back to wait for instructions from their superiors. Several people broke loose from the crowd and dissapeared through the gaps left by the retreating policemen.

A young man with a khaki parka littered with buttons and peace signs climbed onto an overturned car with Vaadian plates and the oval white "CD" sign.

"Fellow countrymen!" he shouted. The screams continued. "Yo, people!! Listen! Let's do what the imperialist suggests! We should come in there and tell him what we think of their f***ing country coming here trying to enslave us!"

There were mixed shouts of "Yeah!", "We'll show 'em!" and "F*** that, let's trash the place!".

A large group brought their signs and joined the ambassador, some thought it best to bring their weapons too. Most people stayed outside the gates still shouting, others tried to rush the embassy, sticks and stones in their raised hands. Those who still tried to destroy things outside the gates were quickly retrieved by policemen and put into waiting buses for transportation to the nearest jail.

Meanwhile, TV teams had started arriving to Veder House and were trying to get a good seat at the ensuing 'negotiations' between the ambassador and the protestors.

--

In downtown Katla the demonstrators had been confronted with counter protestors. A group of approximately two thousand democracy supporters had marched down to Battle Day Square and things were getting a bit difficult for the police who now counted almost five thousand officers trying to keep the two groups from killing eachother. In radio talkshows and letters to newspapers people were calling for the military to end the increasingly unsafe situation. One woman put it like this: "The government ought to stop this mess right now! Even if it takes calling in the army to bring back order. After all we pay taxes for the state to protect us, but all the government seems to care about is what goes on in Port Olympus."

--

The Council was divided. Some of the Knights favoured the hard line and some argued for dialogue with the people. In the city of Astridburg the protests had already turned into riots and large portions of the city were now completely out of government control. The army had moved in to secure the city and bring order. In Katla things were not nearly as bad as in Astridburg, but all military branches were on alert due the crisis outside the Gonad and the army was ready to move in if the Council should order it.

Ambassador Segraves sighed and stepped forward to meet the protesters that rushed in and exclaimed "I don't believe that overturning cars and hurling bottles is exactly polite is it?"

He moved right into the protesters and began talking "Now then, I understand perfectly why you ladies and gentlemen are upset, but violence and destruction don't solve anything they just get you arrested. You can either stand here, flipping cars over and injuring people and eventually the more police will show up and the lucky ones of you will go to jail while the unlucky ones go to the hospital. I don't want to see that happen.

So why don't we all just calm down and talk about this like rational, sensible people. I can tell that all of you have many misconceptions about the Free Republic and why we are here, that is to be expected , unfamiliarity breeds fear.

I am certain that if we talk this over that I can answer your charges of 'imperialism' and that we are here to take your country or somehow take it over.

First I will point out that in the Vaadian Constitution, seizing and claiming territory of other sovereign nations is not only a crime, but is treason and punishable by death. The Free Republic's politicians would be risking their lives to even suggest such a policy. There is no slavery in the Free Republic and there is no plan to forcibly or otherwise replace your government.

The government of Karmanyaka is your business, not mine. Now then who wants to talk about this calmy and rationally?"

Ambassador Segraves convienantly ignores anything that goes on outside the embassy gates, it's simply not his concern. Inside the Embassy the staff retrieve their Velite Guard equipment and assault rifles, just in case.

A group of for men who were particularly eager to cause damage to anything in their path had reached the embassy building and were trying to break the bullet proof windows with paving stones...

The other protestors who had gathered around the ambassador were now even more puzzled. Most of them were sobering up from their rage and were starting to feel ashamed of their behaviour. They all had to stop themselves from looking at their feet, saying "Sorry, Mr. Segraves". The man in the parka who now stood alone with the ambassador in a widening circle tried to channel the frustration of his fellow protestors.

"Er... Well we don't want you Vaadians here, stealing our money and imposing your ideaology on us!"

"Yeah!" shouted another man.

"You come here and talk about 'democracy' and people deciding for themselves, and yet you tell our government what to do and how they should rule! That's our business!" It was clear that he now had gained some of his confidence back and the circle grew smaller again.

"Yeah, an', an' I read in a pamphlet how Vaadian newspapers and TV always lie and blame companies for things they didn't do, like that... er Yuticall or whatever!" shouted a boy.

"It's evident that Ilek-Vaad looks to enslave Karmanyaka and render us defenceless, thus coercing us into becoming the puppets of you regime...!" a woman from the crowd shrieked. She must've heard herself how it had sounded a bit too eloquent so she quickly added: "Er... F***ing imperialists!" The woman didn't look like the typical rebellious activist. She was a bit too clean and tidy and had 'organizer' written all over her face.

"Besides," said the parka man "we're not afraid of you! Karmanyakans fear nothing!"

--

At least three TV teams were covering this little 'event' by now and the Lord Tengil buried his face in his hands as he watched the live feed in his office.

"Oh, gods..." he mumbled. "Donaldine, give me the Vaadian embassy on the phone, will you. I have to apologize. Then call the KCP Commander and tell him to get over here right away, please." He sighed. "What a farce..."

From the Embassy about four well armed Velite Guardsmen stepped out, assault rifles in hand and non-chalantly approcahed the protesters intent on doing damage, the Leftenant in charge smiled nicely and said very politely "Move along them lads, no damaging the property please, the protest is back over there. There's a good lad, move along."

The Velite Guardsman didn't seem at all put out or unnerved and reacted calmly, they had their guns ready, but pointed them at the ground and not at any people , they didn't try and muscle anyone or subdue anyone but just politely and firmly asked them to get back to the protest.

Meanwhile Ambassador Segraves listened intently to the protesters and noticed the media moving in, he motioned to the reporters "Come on in closer, let's make sure everyone has their say publicly." He then rebutted the protesters argument like the seasoned debater he was.

"I hear and understand your concerns and I can assure you that they are misplaced. Far from stealing your money, Vaadian business is eager to invest in Karmanyaka. Because of the favourable exchange rates of the Kronor to the Drachma, Vaadian businesses can hire more Karmanyakans than Vaadians for work in all of the major large industries. The Ministry of Foreign Trade is also concerned ablout the welfare of all peoples working for Vaadian companies, even abroad.

For instance, the Vaadian Ministry of Foreign Tarde has ordered all Vaadian businesses moving plants to Karmanyaka to pay a minimum wage of twenty eight thousand Kronor per year and to make sure that all Karmanyakan employees receive full medical insurance and are allowed to organize unions for collective bargaining. That is on top of what your own government has sought in way of protection for the Karmanyakan worker.

More money is flowing to Karmanyaka.

Now as for ideology, we are a Democratic Republic and we believe that it is a very good system. We also believe that national sovreignty is sacrosanct, we will not meddle in your nations political affairs. The democratic reforms that have occured occurred before there was ever a Vaadian Embassy on Karmanyakan lands, in fact those reforms are what are allowing your protests here today. If your nation moves towards democracy we will work for a close relationship to the Karmanyakan People, if your nation remains an Oligarchy, we will work for a close relationship with the Karmanyakan People. The form of your government doesen't change the fact that you are our closest neighbors and that it is in our best interests to remain on good terms.

As for Vaadian newspapers lying, well the press in the Free Republic is free, media lies are a matter of libel for the civil courts." He pauses and points to the Karmanyakan reporters "We don't muzzle our press , or yours, and yes sometimes reporters, like all human beings make mistakes or even lie."

He then turned towards the woman " Render you defenceless? You do realize that the Free Republic has made a commitment to open closed Karmanyakan military bases and populate them with Karmanyakan soldiers and weapons. If we wanted to weaken you we wouldn't give you weapons, bases and military training. A strong Karmanyaka is essential to a secure Vaadian border. A weak Karmanyaka is not in anyones best interests."

He smiles at the other man shouting about how Karmanyakans fear nothing "I am glad that you fear nothing, that is a trait that we in the Free Republic can certainly respect.

Now is there anything else that you have questions about?"

Ambassador Segraves was smiling and obviously enjoying himself.

*****
Lord Tengil's aid immediately got Ambassador Segrave's assistant "Well, I don't see any reason to apologize just yet. Let these people vent, Vaadian Ambassadors are used to much more hostile receptions than this and it looks like Ambassador Segraves is at least holding his own."

The crowd became somewhat speachless by the well aimed repartees of the ambassador.

"Er... well, that's good then." said the parka man and backed away quickly towards the gates. The other protestors followed. The strange woman disappeared out onto the street and into a waiting car, ignoring the ambassador's answer.

With that and the police seizing the troublemakers, the air went out of the protest and the crowd dispersed, to the ambassador's obvious relief. At the same time the four thugs came running across the lawn, away from the embassy guards. Petty criminals like these guys didn't understand polite requests as clearly as they understood rifles, even if they were only pointed to the ground.

The TV teams were now eager to get an interview with the curious diplomat who had defied the violent crowd on his own.

"Ambassador Segraves! John Berger, STV News. How come you decided to step out here dispite the obvious danger? Chances were after all pretty big that you'd end up being severely injured by the angered mob."

--

The Lord Tengil was a bit relieved by the answer from the embassy and the obviously uninjured ambassador on the TV screen.

"Yes, Ambassador Segraves seems to do fine. Nevertheless, I'd like to apologize on behalf of my countrymen and fellow citizens for trying to cause damage to Vaadian property. It is inacceptible and the culprits will stand trial and suffer the consequences of their acts, that I can assure you. Oh, and I will assign more police to secure the integrity of the embassy. We can block off a portion of Dove Boulevard to ensure the safety of your personnel, though I doubt that it will be necessary. I'ts pretty much your call."

After he had hung up on the assistant the door opened and commander Sergeij Lukas of the Carabineer Police (KCP) steeped into the office.

"My Lord, you wished to see me?" he asked and bowed.

"Ah, yes Commander Lukas, do sit down. I'm concerned about these protests. You said earlier that they are probably well organized. Have you managed to find out who is behind it all?"

"Not for certain, but evidence points to members of the Council and high-ranking military officials." the commander said.

"As we suspected before, then... What can we do? Can we arrest them for conspiring or can we remove them from office?" The ruler looked worried, an expression that became more common for Lord Tengil Kader for every day.

"Not on what we've got for now, no. That would look extremely bad and would probably worsen the situation further."

The silence that followed was broken again by Commander Lukas.
"Another thing I learned just on the way here... There have been troop movements around Katla. The army and the Prodirectorate claims it's just exercises in the wake of the Gonad crisis and with what's going on over in Port Olympus, but it looks like they are preparing to move large forces into Katla. I have no reports yet from other cities, but I'd guess the same thing is happening all over the country."

"I've heard the rumours..." said Kader. "I think I should have a talk with the military commanders and the Supreme Prodirector. Because this is beginning to look like a damn coup!" his fist hit the desk, causing a pen to hit the floor and rolling in under a cupboard. "I want the KCP to stay alert and intervene as soon as there is sufficient evidence for an arrest, and that should be evidence that is clear to the people too. I depend upon you here Sergeij."

--

In a dark corner of a hotel bar in Katla two men sat opposite eachother talking quietly. If it wasn't for the complete ban on smoking in Karmanyaka there would have been a thick cloud of cigar smoke around the two.

"That Vaadian ambassador needs to disappear. He may wreck our plans." one of them said, fingering a paper napkin.

"He's no threat to our cause. We can take care of all those Vaadians later, but for now we will have to leave them alone, everything else will most certainly prove counterproductive to the cause." the other man concluded and coughed violently.

"You may be right. I still think we should proceed quickly according to the plan. The right moment has come." He crumpled the napkin and pressed it into a half-full glass of beer.

"Agreed. The carabineers... *cough* They are onto something and we must move on before they can do anything to stop us."

"Ambassador Segraves! John Berger, STV News. How come you decided to step out here dispite the obvious danger? Chances were after all pretty big that you'd end up being severely injured by the angered mob."



Ambassador Segraves smiled "Well John, Vaadian Embassies are always open, to give visas to the Free Republic, though those aren'r required for Karmanyakan citizens, accept asylum seekers, process business operating applications for foreign businesses and for anyone to stop by and just ask questions. My safety is less important than having the Embassy free and open.

I also have no problem with protesters voicing their opinions and point of view, so long as they aren't violent or destructive. The Lord Tengil has very wisely reformed the law to allow for such protests, and I won't be seen as standing in the way of the Lord Tengil's reforms or laws.

The Lord Tengil has acted very judiciously and thoughtfully in regard to the current reforms. He has obviously put the well being of his People as his highest priority and I think that today's protest is the end result of his concern for his People's well being and for their rights as citizens to voice their opinions.

We can all see that today's protest led to a clearing the air of certain misconceptions. The People demanded answers about my presense here and the People received them. Surely the Lord Tengil should be thanked by his People for giving them such leeway to make such demands. I think you'll also notice that the Police only arrested those who were violent and intent upon causing property damage. Those that came in here and spoke their mind in a civil manner were allowed to come and go inhindered. That says alot about the state of the People's rights and the Lord Tengil's compassion for them."

Ambassador Segraves sensed an invisible hand behind all of this and worded his speech to make it a stump spech for Lord Kader. The best way to diffuse any uprising was to secure popular support, so he decided that while the cameras were here he would 'sell' Lord Tengil and his reforms to the People.

Meanwhile his assistant finished up with Lord Kader "I don't think closing down the street will be quite necessary yet. It is important that your authorities do prosecute the criminal element to the fullest. It is important to allow such protests, but it is doubly important to maintain order and to not give any impression of weakness. If anything changes and we require extra security I will be in touch with your office. Thank you."

*****

General Deadmarsh and his staff had arrived in Sleyfalls and had begun their tour of Fort Fyalar. General Deadmarsh was a tall and gaunt man, with a pronounced limp that forced him to walk with a cane and a patch over his left eye. He looked perpetually irritated. He was one of the hardest men in the REtaliatory Guard, forcibly retired twice due to life threatening injuries he came back and retained his post through sheer stubbornness. Just the type of man to mould raw recruits into fighting men.

Aside from his taff of about twenty five, he also had his favorite dozen Drill Instructors with him, they would begin recruiting at the same time the began rennovations of the Fort.

The reporter listened to the ambassador's speech and tried to find weaknesses or loopholes, as good journalists always do. Unfortunately for Mr. Berger though, Segraves seemed a very coherent and honest man. So he did another journalist trick - jumping to conclusions.

"So, should we take this as a sign of Vaadian support for the Lord Tengil in the upcoming Karmanyakan elections?"

Berger knew that was a serious accusation and was hoping the ambassador would say something that he could twist a bit. The chances were not big though.

--

In Fort Fyalar the Vaadian delegation was accompanied by the former base commander, now General, Fatih Ozcan.

General Ozcan pointed out important features and such things as had to be attended to at once.

"The floodgates of that dry dock must be fixed. We were just going to repair them when we had to leave the base, and the Coast Guard didn't have use for all the dry docks anyway."

"Oh, and the sign above the main gate which said 'Fort Fyalar' was removed when the base was abandoned. To be honest, many people don't like the old name, since it came to remind them of the crisis the closure brought to Sleyfalls. First time I've ever had use for my armored car was when we left the base and drove through town... People threw everything they had that wasn't bolted to the floor at me!" he chuckled, but quickly became serious when he looked at the frowning General Deadmarsh. "Anyway, so the Council says it's ok for you to rename the base if you want to, otherwise we'll just keep the old name, right?"

Sleyfalls was right now one of the calmer cities in the Dominion. The Vaadians and the new order were popular here since this all meant that the base would reopen and that in turn meant jobs and money.

General Ozcan bent down and picked up a handful of dirt.

"The ground here is mainly a thin layer of sandy soil on top of adamant bedrock. This makes the site ideal to blasting out bunkers and facilities below ground level. Before the closure we had plans to expand the base several hundred meters down below sea level, but of course we never came that far down. Geologists told us the ground could hardly be more fitting to make large nuclear proof storehouses. Hell, if you had enough explosives you could build an underground fort big enough to hold the entire Retaliatory Guard without having to go outside the fences of this base." he said and swept with his hand around him.

The rumour of the Foreign Guard recruitments had spread and young men and women from all over Karmanyaka had written letters of interest. Women had traditionally not been soldiers in Karmanyaka and it was only in the last year that girls were able to do military service together with boys. It was still voluntary though. The resistance from old conservative officers had been dense, but the orders came from the Loird Tengil himself. Admittedly, women had never had much power at all in Karmanyaka, feminism was still mostly a word in a dictionary. The reforms however had already began to give result and women were slowly beginning to occupy leader roles around the country.

Ambassador Segraves smiled again, years of dealing with the exceptionally hostile Vaadian media had honed his skills and he certainly wasn't going to bite on any specific issues.

"I do not have a vote in the upcoming elections. Who I prefer is of no relevance, it is up to the People of Karmanyaka. I am merely pointing out the current situation under the current government.

You can take it as a sign that the People of Karmanyaka have Vaadian support."

*****
General Deadmarsh was mostly silent during the tour of the base and spoke only when General Ozcan was finished with the tour.

"That all sounds fine. I want to see if we can meet with every available contractor in Sleyfalls tonight, I would like to have a habitable portion of the bse set up for me and my staff by tomorrow and the runways repaited and fully serviceable in a weeks time. Tell the contractors that if they can muster the manpower for three shifts, I'll pay for it."

He seemed very pleased at the idea of expanding underground, as he needed room for forty thousand men.

"Get some contractors that can do the excavations for underground systems as well, I'll make that a priority , and we'll also need defence contractors, I want to start stocking the base with equipment as soon as possible. When my office is set up, we'll start processing recruits. If there is a hotel in town I want to rent every room and start getting recruits down here for physicals and aptitude testing."

He turned to General Ozcan and almost smiled "I think this location should work just fine."