NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: For backgtound on the situation between Christiania and Navascuez, see my "Sons of Navascuez (Open, Serious RP) post)

"Yo Mike, ready to cash in the paycheck?"
"Already?" He said, looking at the date. "Oh hell yeah, les go!"

On one of those humid, sunny days in Navascuez, Mike and John walked down Waylon Street to the Prospect Bank a few blocks down. It was near sunset and the palm fronds provided some shade for the pedestrians walking down, but not much. Walking quickly, the two young workers reached the bank in a matter of minutes and exchanged their bank notes for some gold ingots. As they walked out, a humvee with Christianian markings stopped them on the sidewalk.

"Whoa whoa, where the hell did you guys get those?"
"By trading in banknotes, how else?" quipped John
"Yeah right, like you could actually afford that" shot back the soldier, noting their white tees, black denims and workboots, the signs of an average workingman. "I'm guessin' you stole those, y'all're under arrest!"
As the soldier went to handcuff the two, one of them shouted "Oh, [bleep] you asshole!" as he lunged towards the armed guard to resist arrest.

Other pedestrians rallied around the brawlers, trying to break up the fight. However, the soldier interpreted this as a further act of aggresion and called for backup.

As four more soldiers joined the fight, the fight only grew larger and worse. One brawler had the nerve to throw sand in the soldiers' eyes. That was it.

When the gunfire stopped, fourteen civilians were killed outside the Prospect Bank.

(OOC: Bump)

[ooc: Hmm. Is this going to go somewhere? Seems like a good start.]

(OOC: Thanks, I'm trying to set up the background for why Western Navascuez wants to secede from La Christiania. I've outlined some reasons here: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=96846&highlight=, but I want to get a few more people before I start anything big)

(OOC: Bump)

:::Langham City, Langham:::

Gen. Dante, the leader of Langham, sits in his office watching news reports of the massacre with Gen. McZeal, the Overseer of War.

Dante: Look at this. Civilians getting slaughtered. What do you say, McZeal?

McZeal: I say we should send troops there now. If the people of Western Navascuez wants us.

Gen. Dante presses a button on his desk and talks into a speaker.

Dante: Military Department, send a message to Western Navascuez and tell them we're ready to send troops to their aid if they need them.

The message is sent to Western Navascuez and it says:

[code:1:0c677825ac]From: Langham Military Department
To: The Government of Western Navascuez
Subject: Military Aid

This is the Langham Department of the Military. By the order of our Supreme General, our troops are ready to be sent. All we need is a green light at the Military High Command in Langham City and a sizeable force will be sent to aid you.

:::Military Department Out:::[/code:1:0c677825ac]

Raymond Carter sat at his desk, reclining in his chair. The news of the massacre worried him on two levels; how could they respond to this event without risking any more lives, and how had Christiania allowed this to happen in the first place? As he reflected on the subject, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Er, uh, Mr. Carter?" asked his secretary wearily
"Yuh, what's the news?" he asked, speaking in a long, Southern drawl.
"We've received a telegram from the Langham Military Department. It reads:The message is sent to Western Navascuez and it says:

[code:1:06e71486a0]From: Langham Military Department
To: The Government of Western Navascuez
Subject: Military Aid

This is the Langham Department of the Military. By the order of our Supreme General, our troops are ready to be sent. All we need is a green light at the Military High Command in Langham City and a sizeable force will be sent to aid you.

:::Military Department Out:::[/code:1:06e71486a0]"
"Thank God for them, I think we'll need some peaceful reinforcements for the time being. Mary, uh, write this down and send it out." He stood up, getting ready to orate his message, when Mary muttered "Why don't you do it yourself you lazy bastard..."
"What was that, missy?"
"Nothing, sir, nothing at all"

[code:1:06e71486a0]From: Sons of Navascuez
To: Langham Military Department
Subject: Re: Military Aid

Thanks very much for your concern, its good to see some help on the way. We graciously accept your offer and request you send a relatively small amount of troops to prevent anymore unfortunate incidents until we can build up a well-organized militia.

The Sons of Navascuez[/code:1:06e71486a0]

Gen. McZeal runs to Gen. Dante's office clenching a piece of paper.

McZeal: S***, S***, S***! Gotta hurry!

McZeal runs into Dante's office and hands Dante the paper. Dante reads the paper and looks at McZeal.

Dante: They need a small ammount of troops from us until they can get a well-organized militia up and running.

McZeal: Who should we mobilize?

Dante: We should mobilize the 5th Army Division. They're small but elite. They should be able to fit the job. Send them the message. We'll mobilize a small force of 250 men, the 5th Army Division.

McZeal: Right away.

McZeal runs out of the office and runs as fast.

McZeal: He really needs to get that buzzer fixed.

McZeal reaches the com room and sends the message.

[code:1:d4e3befa89]From: Langham Department of the Military
To: Sons of Navascuez
Subject: 5th Army Corps. Sent

The Supreme General has ordered the mobilization of the 5th Army Division. There is 250 men in the 5th Army Division, but they are very elite and can be moved anywhere. They are being sent as we speak.

:::Military Department Out:::
[/code:1:d4e3befa89]

Carter, receiving the telegram, rushes to the phone and clumsily dials up a number in his Rolodex.

"O'Hara! O'Hara! Get some of our men down to the harbor and make sure they're not seen. We need this done covertly so those bastards don't go firing at us"
"What are you talking about? It's eleven o'clock at night, no one's up now."
"So wake them up, and tell them to get armed and make sure those guys get a safe passage into town!"
"What guys"
"The 5th Army Division!"
"Um, we don't have an army, in case you were wondering WHY WE CAN'T DEFEND OURSELVES!"
"I know we don't have an army, you idiot. That's why we're getting other nations to help us."
"Oh, well in that case, thanks for consulting me on this."
"Well it's not like I had the time to – will you shut up and go get those men down to the harbor?!"

About an hour later, a group of 40 armed men silently sneak onto the dock, looking for hiding spots until they're called back into town

Two small Langham transport ships arrive at the harbor and the men rush off the ships. The men ran from the boats with the rifles flung across their backs, their helmets down and covering their whole heads. The leader of the 5th Army Division walks to the leader of the 40 men and raises his visor. The leader's name is Major Kenny Horton.

Horton: My name is Major Kenny Horton. Call for this brotherhood?

*tag for reading purposes*

One of the forty men steps forward, extending his hand towards Major Horton.

"How do you do, my name's James O'Hara. I'm the deputy sherriff in Navideña and one of the 'Sons of Navascuez' you've been receiving correspondences from. We've arranged for lodging for you and your men for the duration of your stay here, if you'd like"

Horton takes the man's hand.

Horton: Sure, we'll need it.

"It's about an hour-long walk, but you won't even notice since its a warm night and we'll be going downhill soon. I guess you might be wondering what the big deal is here. The thing is that we can understand why Christiania wants to keep us united, I mean who wants to lose a sizable chunk of their country. However, the thing is that we entered into an explicit agreement stating that we could govern the people as we see fit, so long as it's done in a democratic fashion. Now we've upheld our end of the bargain, the problem is with the Christianians. They've been enforcing policies that we simply can't accept on moral grounds, but they're not having it. In order for us to preserve our morals and Christiania's well being, we thought it was the proper time to secede."

O'Hara pauses and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a cigar. "Want a Cuban?"

Horton takes the cigar.

Horton: I see. I understand perfectly. The Supreme General and the Supreme Council has agreed that it's time for you to secede. If Christiania has a problem with that, they can meet us.

An ocean away, in the presidential mansion of Belem, President Thomas Harlan receives word of the Prospect Massacre.

"President Harlan, so sorry to wake you, but there's been a situation in Navascuez"
"Western Navascuez?"
"Yuh."
"What kind of situation?"
"Five soldiers fired upon fourteen citizens and injured two others, sir"
"What? How the hell did that happen?"
"We don't know, we're getting the details now"
"Well as long as it's contained, I'll address it in the morning"
"That's the thing, the Navascans are calling in military assistance to protect themselves"
"…That chickens*** little colony…is calling in aid. From where?"
"We believe it's from Langham"
"Dammit!" He goes to his desk and types up a brief telegram to Langham

[code:1:556083f0dd]From: Thomas Harlan, President
To: Langham Military Department

We request that you cease providing aid to these rebellious colonists so as to preserve peace in the region. Thank you for your understanding.[/code:1:556083f0dd]

"I'm going to bed, don't wake me up again. Clear?"
"Crystal…you ****"

Gen. McZeals runs to Gen. Dante's office carrying a piece of paper.

McZeal: Sir, a message from the president of La Christiania.

McZeal hands Dante the paper and Dante reads it. He crumbles the paper and laughs.

McZeal: What's so funny, sir?

Dante: They think that if we pull back our troops that peace will be preserved? Peace was far from being preserved in the first place. Get some rest, McZeal, I'll type this one up.

McZeal: Wait...you're going to type something to them? I've been through...fine.

[code:1:1e5eaed359]From: Supreme General Dante, Leader of Langham
To: Thomas Harlan

I'm afraid that won't happen. Peace in the region was far from being preserved in the first place. Peace in the region was doomed to fail with your threatening the Navascans' liberites.[/code:1:1e5eaed359]

"What a terrible event," sighed Prime Minister Edward Choi as the bloody footage of the shootings played out again on the evening news. "This will not go over well at the next Azn Alliance meeting."

General Shin, the man in charge of foreign military affairs shook his head. "You have a course of action you want to suggest, prime minister?"

"We'll condemn the shootings officially and issue a formal protest to the La Christiana government," spoke the prime minister. "But we will offer no military support to the Navascan rebels. It would not only anger La Christiana if we offered support, but we would also lose standing in the AA as well as helping to de-stabilize the region. We can't have that."

General Shin nodded. "We should put Min Kyong on this diplomatically, but what about the military?"

"If the Navascans decide to fully secede, then we have no option but to commit forces to aid La Christiana. Our hands are bound by the AA agreements and the last thing we need is the alliance destabilized by a band of rebels."

Shin raised an eyebrow. "You do know that Intelligence reports that these rebels are backed by Langham forces?"

The prime minister gravely nodded. "I don't wish to come into conflict with Langham...a prolonged war with them would prove extremely harmful to us....but I cannot let La Christiana fall apart. If they fall, the alliance could be in danger."

Early the next morning, O'Hara steps up to the center of the town square addressing his audience on yesterday's tragic event. Looking very weary from the night before, he waits a while before saying anything.

"A block down from here, fourteen innocent Navascans were cut down in a hail of bullets. While we were not blameless in this incident either, how could anyone with a shred of decency shoot at unarmed civilians? This deplorable act must not go unpunished, which is why we have placed a warrant out for the arrest of the five soldiers involved.
On that note, I ask you all to not do anything to worsen this situation. If you see a Christianian, nod respectfully and continue on with your business. If one calls you a derrogatory name, ignore it and walk on. We have to show these mothe – er, these enermies of justice – that we can still exhibit moral justness even in the face of a tragedy such as this.
One final thing I'd like to add, you will see an increased military presence here starting today, the nation of Langham has generously offered aid in this time of crisis, so treat them with the utmost respect, they're our friends. Good day and God bless."

Horton and the 5th Army holds a meeting at a secret location on the matter at hand. Horton briefs the men.

Horton: Mornin', men. What most of you probably know is we're here to help the people secede. These people are relying on us to help them. Right now, we're all they need, all 250 us. If Christiania attacks, there may be more of our troops coming in, but we don't want Christiania to attack, civilians can die if they do attack. Just yesterday, 14 unarmed civilians were slaughtered. They may have been the cause, but that's still no reason to shoot a civilian. We're just here as a peaceful force, we can't do anything to worsen this situatuation.
When I say that, we can't do the things we're used to do. No shooting the nearest Christianian soldier that isn't doing anything, no spraypainting the walls of the homes our our enemies, and for Christ's sake don't light their lawns on fire! We're here as a peaceful force, not a hell-raising force.

It was midnight at the prime minister's residence in Seoul. Sleeping soundly in the large oversized bed next to his beautiful wife, the prime minister was rudely awakened by the ringing of a phone. Grumbling to himself, he reached over, grabbing the handset of the old-model Bakelite phone sitting on the ornate Korean style nightstand. Lifting the phone to his ear, he yawned into it, muttering, "This better be damned good."

"Sir!" came an excited voice over the phone. "It's confirmed! Langham forces have been committed to aid the Navascans!"

The prime minister sat up with a jolt, accidentally slamming his head into the backboard of the bed. "Ow! Dammit!" he shouted as he ruefully rubbed his head. Then more urgently, he spoke, "When was this?"

"About twenty minutes ago sir. Intelligence just relayed the information to us."

The prime minister rubbed the bump on his head. "Tell General Shin I want to deploy three hundred marines to Western Navascuez as soon as possible. However, they are not to engage any forces and they are to be confined to the consulate grounds. The last thing we need is a full scale war between us and Langham."

Gen. Dante was doing target practice with his .45 Calibre pistol. All of the sudden, Gen. McZeal suprises Dante with a report.

McZeal: SIR!!!

Dante gets angry and slams the pistol in his holster, the gun fires and shoots his foot.

Dante: ARG!!! This better be good or I'll shoot you in the foot.

McZeal: Sorry, sir. There are rumors that South Dalania is sending troops to Western Navascuez. It's unconfirmed, but it's a possibility.

Dante: Okay, whatever. Keep an eye on the situation. AND GET ME TO A DAMN DOCTOR!!!

Thomas Harlan paced nevously around his office, contemplating the severity of the situation.
"Dammit, why did this have to happen on an election year?"

As he thought, his press secretary peeked in slowly, with a hint of nervousness in his mannerisms. "Sir, it's time to address the public."

As he ambled up to the podium, he furrowed is brow, making some last minute adjustments to his speech. "Greetings, fellow citizens. As you already know, there's been a tragic incident over in the Navascuez colonies, and the situation has reached a near crisis level. Navascuez is being aided by Langham, and we're being aided by South Dalania. As difficult as it is, we have to keep cool during now, and with time it'll pass. On that note, I'd like to issue a public apology to the Navascans for their loss and hope that we can settle this quikly and peacefully."
"Sir, a question please?" asked a journalist.
"Not now, sorry. Good day." He walked off the stage.

"Good work there, sir" his secretary said.
Replying wearily "Oh, thanks."
"How do you plan on settling the situation"
"Well here's the Harlan way to do it. Ignore it and hope they screw up so that the attention gets taken away from us, I've got better things to worry about. And can you get me some champagne please?"
"I'm not sure that's the smart thing to do. Maybe you should try a little diplomatic reasoning here"
"Nah, I think ignoring it works fine"
"But – "
"Shut up."
"But – "
"Shut. Up. Langham's made it clear that their acting as a peacekeeping force, so we don't have to worry about this right now"
"Whatever you say"
"Damn right. AND WHERE'S MY CHAMPAGNE?!"
"Right away sir"

He ran out the room to the kitchen. As he searched through the cabinets, he had to wonder "Who the hell elected this guy anyway?"

Thomas Harlan
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:GZ__an_blnwC:www.erols.com/tinajero/Osvaldo.jpg

"All right ambassador, we're clear," spoke the dark-suited bodyguard as he stepped away from the limo. Climbing out of the limo was a dark-suited figure with slicked back black hair and clad in an expensive suit. Leading South Dalanian diplomat, Min Kyong, was in La Christiana on an important summit with the president. He had recently been recalled from a conference in Terra Matsu; the South Dalanian government being in need of his polical savvyness in order to defuse a quickly escalating situation.

He was nervous though. As a leading diplomat for a country supporting La Christiana, this made him a prime target for any Navascan rebel with a scoped rifle or a car bomb. The NPA had arranged for his security....but he'd seen what determined assassins could do.

He was still worried.

"Diplomat Kyong? How do you do, I'm Thomas Harlan. I'd like to take this opportunity right now to thank you for your time and support, it's greatly appreciated. Please, come on in"

He leads him and the bodyguard inside to a lavish dining room and motions for him to take a seat. "Before we talk about this most unfortunate situation, I think it's best to relax first."

It's a nice, warm and sunny afternoon in Navascuez, belying the gravity of the situation at hand. O'Hara, as deputy sheriff, had a lot of work to do, considering that life on the frontier wasn't exactly easy. That, and the fact that he was a member of the secret "Sons of Navascuez" organization. Most people knew him as an honest, upstanding man with a slight temper problem, one who was sympathetic to the secession cause. No one, however, suspect him of being a "rebel." He really disliked that term, rebel had such a negative connotation. Upon hearing rumors from South Dalania about Navascan assassins, he sent out a quickly typed telegram.

[code:1:9bbafdfa02]From: The Sons of Navascuez
To: The South Dalanian Government
Subject: Good Intentions

We're sending this telegram to quell any fears about assassination attempts on your political leaders. We have no intention of harming any civilians, we want this to be overwith as much as anyone else. We also realize that the last way to gain int'l credibility is by assassination, so have no fears.[/code:1:9bbafdfa02]

"Most definitely agreed, President Harlan," grinned the young diplomat.

The initial conversation, which began with small chit chat over things such as sports, the weather, the state of world affairs, eventually turned to the present.

Setting his snifter of Napoleon brandy on the table next to him, Min Kyong leaned forward. "Our prime minister has offered three hundred marines to help keep the secessionists quiet in Western Navascuez. However, since we know that Langham is supporting them, we are trying to find a solution to this problem. Our goal in Western Navascuez is to eliminate secession, but to steer clear of direct battle with Langham's forces. Do you have an idea on how to do this?"

Gen. Dante speaks to Major Horton over the radio from his office to Western Navascuez.

Dante: Have you made it clear to the men that we're there to act as a peace force?

Horton: Yes, sir. I've made it clear to them that we're not going to be hell raisers.

Dante: Good. By the way, there's rumors of South Dalanian troops coming in. It's unconfirmed but it's a possibility.

Horton: Yes, sir. We'll be careful.

Dante: Good.

Horton and Dante end their conversation and Dante's foot flares up in pain.

Dante: AHHH!!! DAMMIT!!! McZeal, hand me the pain relievers.

(OOC: Do you think we need more nations or do we have enough already?)

Leaning back, obviously in deep thought, he remains silent for quite some time. Finally speaking, he has only this to say "Well the way I see it is that these Navascans are whining about a smaller, more efficient government and self-determination" (saying this with a look of disgust). "Us four nations could try a few diplomatic resolutions to see if we can come to terms with this problem."

(OOC: I think this is fine.)

Min Kyong leaned back and smiled. He envisoned himself back in South Dalania...being recognized by the Emperor for his service to the country. He would go down in history as the man who successfully abated war with a large nation and who kept a nation from dissolving into civil war. Maybe he would even replace that inefficent Edward Choi as prime minister. Even though Min Kyong was only a couple of years younger than Choi, he saw the prime minister as old and out of touch with reality.

His thoughts snapped back to the present. "A diplomatic solution would be an excellent way to head this conflict off and avoid bloodshed. If we can call a summit together somehow, I will inform my superiors."

[code:1:155962696b]From: Christiania
To: Western Navascuez
Subject: URGENT

We request that a summit be called between South Dalania, Langham and ourselves to avert anymore disasters.[/code:1:155962696b]

O'Hara was wary about this, if things wen't wrongm this could mean the end of the Sons of Navascuez as he knew it. Against his best judgments though, he caved in, calling an emergency meeting at the Ten of Hearts Tavern in Nochebuena. He also called Major Horton to attend this meeting as well. After sending him a doctor, of course.

Maj. Horton stood outside the Ten of Hearts Tavern in Nochebuena with 2 men after recieving O'Hara's message.

Horton: Okay, men. We have to wait here. No raiding the tavern for beer. You know how the old man back home reacted when you raided his tavern and drank all of his beer.

Growing accustomed to the lush pine forests surrounding his private retreat, Emperor Horatio Blort III was enjoying a relaxing walk with his fifteen heavily armed bodyguards. Whilst charismatic and relatively popular, Horatio knew that not all of his citizens liked his corporate dictatorship, and with a less than competant police force, he feared somewhat for his safety. He had however a plan, to make himself more popular and respected, so as to lessen the chance of being shot by an angry worker. He needed a diversion, something to make the people forget they were merely cogs in a brutal machine, he needed a succesful war.
However, to fight a war he needed to re-arm, and to a large extent he had succeded. He now commanded an airforce, that while insignificant in size to that of the superpowers, was nonetheless of a high quality and capable of supporting ground forces in a small localised conflict. The national army was 75,000 strong, with 2,000 equipped with the most modern Western arms . Despite this, his army was green, and needed experience if they were to succesfully wage a war.
So it was with some interest that Horatio greeted the news that:
Capt. Garreth-My lord, we have recieved word that there is trouble in Navascuez-at least two countries are heading in
Emperor: A war?
Capt. Garreth-I am not certain my Lord, it would appear that troops are being deployed in a peace keeping role
Emperor: Hmm...perhaps this could prove useful. Send for the ambassador immediately!

Message to Western Navascuez: His majestic Emperator Emperor Blort III
sends his greetings, and offers 500 of his best men to assist you in your peace-keeping efforts, if you consent, we will dispatch an envoy and open negotiations- Imperial Office for International Affairs

Min Kyong looked around the small tavern. It wasn't much, but he figured to a bunch of colonials, that this would be the focal point of the town and thus the place for the meeting.

Aside from his bodyguard, the young South Dalanian diplomat had been accompanied by La Christianan president, Harlan, and several members of his guard. Facing them were representatives of the "Sons of Navascuez" an underground reactionary group, and a man in uniform, whom Min Kyong assumed to be a soldier in the Langham armed forces.

Min Kyong took a seat, ordered a glass of the local ale and waited for the talks to begin.

Right before leaving for Nochebuena, O'Hara receives Emperor Blort's message. Delighted, he quickly sends out a response before starting up his police car.

[code:1:cf846fe1ef]From: The Sons of Navascuez
To: Emperor Blort

We, the Sons of Navascuez, thak you for your consideration. A troop of 300 should be necessary for now unless things get out of hand over here.[/code:1:cf846fe1ef]

O'Hara sauntered out to his police car, one of those old '63 Cadillacs. It was a sleek car, painted all black with the words "NAVIDENAN POLICE" painted in white on either side, and on top was a red and blue siren.
"No need to put that on, that'd be stupid to draw attention" he thought to himself.
He drove quickly to the Ten of Hearts a couple miles away, arriving there in about half an hour.

Nodding at Major Horton and his two men, he made chitchat and motioned for them to come inside.

Horton and the two soldiers with him went inside with O'Hara. They sit at a table that had what appeared to be a young diplomat. Horton ordered a whiskey. Whispering among Horton and his two men could be heard and then loud laughing.

Nodding respectfully towards Diplomat Kyong and President Harlan, he motioned for them all to climb a dimly lit stairwell, apparently leading up to some sort of attic. Upstairs was a dusty pool table and one of those ceiling lamps you'd see hanging above a poker table. There were eight seats around the table, enough for everyone to have a seat. "Before we begin I'd like to ask everyone to introduce themselves. I'm James O'Hara, deputy sheriff of Navideña and I'm from Western Navascuez"

Min Kyong stood and bowed to the assembled group of representatives before him. "I'm Choi Min Kyong, a diplomat from South Dalania."

Horton and his two soldiers take a seat at the table.

Horton: I'm Major Kenny Horton. I'm the leader of the Langham 5th Army Division.

Standing, Harlan looked around and nodded at the group. "President Thomas Harlan of La Christiania. Thank you all for coming here on such short notice." It's nearing evening, and a light rain is falling. "The topic of discussion here today is the matter of Navascuez' secession from Christiania. We cannot allow such an event, since we see no legitimate reason for these men to secede. Does anyone have anything to add to that before I continue?"

Message to Western Navascuez: His Imperial majesty Emperor Blort III has dispatched 300 troops to your country. They will be arriving with a diplomatic envoy on board c-130 transport planes. We also have light vehicles should they be needed. Our troops include snipers and heavy weapons specialists, and in case of an escalation of the situation, we have 1,000 troops on standby-we also have a limited number of attack helicopters to provide C.A.S but shipping arangement would need to be made-Message ends.

Min Kyong stood. "South Dalania does not wish to see a nation divided against itself. We feel that a Navascan secession will hurt both La Christiana as well as posing new problems for the new Navascan nation. However, we as a nation are opposed to the policies of the La Christiana government in Western Navascuez and would enjoy seeing a more open and liberal viewpoint."

[code:1:3253cafff3]From: Sons of Navascuez
To: Emperor Blort

Thank you for the military support, we will send men down to the harbor to escort your soldiers into the country.[/code:1:3253cafff3]

Looking calmly in Kyong's direction, he reclines in his chair, thinking of the right words to say "Thank you for your clearheadedness. We did not wish to secede from Christiania either, but then again we've been neglected over here for 35 years. The only reason they're taking an interest in us is because of the gold deposits we've discovered and claimed for the purpose of backing our banks. Christiania's been interfering in Navascan affairs for far too long, when she explicitly agreed not to might I add, and we as a people feel that our relationship is far beyond repair."

Horton looks around the table at everyone.

Horton: La Christiania has breached an agreement on their side. The government of Christiania had promised Western Navascuez liberties, but Christiania is clearly infringing on those liberties.

"But times are changing, we're living in a different world than that of fifty years ago, certain interventions are necessary that weren't needed only half a century ago. Frankly, I don't see how this escalated into such a crisis situation anyway."

Horton: The government of Western Navascuez could've intervened on those certain things.

"My point exactly, I mean how do you expect us to learn and grow if you don't let us make our own mistakes. We can't be babied forever, sooner or later you'll have to let us go, and the people on this side of the ocean would rather it be sooner. Which brings me to my next point, why are you taking an interest in us only after you've found out that we've got gold here?"

"That's just a damn lie and you know it. We were there when, um, when that gold mine collapsed a couple decades ago. And we were there to make sure that people didn't withdraw too much gold and silver from the banks. And we were there to retrieve that crashed ship carrying gold on it. Not to mention the fact that we helped you get back that gold during that train heist. So you can't logically say that we've been here only when – " He thought how stupid he sounded. "The point is you can't secede now"

Horton: What you just said just sounded like a confession.

"I'd like to retract that statement. You know, as in have it stricken from the records. Now"

Horton makes a low-tone laugh.

Horton: You can't retract that statement now. A room full of people just heard you.

(OOC: Just hit Free-Market Paradise!)

O'Hara smirked, looking Harlan straight in the eyes with a look of disgust. "I'm going to the car to get to get my revolver, I'm on active duty in a half-hour." He ran down the stairs, in a rush to either get his gun or get away from Harlan. Harlan looked nervously around, knowing that he royally screwed up this opportunity. At that moment, the sound of gunfire erupted outside in the street. Six shots of return fire quickly followed.

The bartender ran upstairs to where the delegates were. "Someone's just shot at O'Hara!"

Horton and his men runsh up and out with their M-153 Ghost Assault Rifles. They rush downstairs and fire out of the windows.

Horton: S***!

All those bullets left gaping holes in O'Hara's police car. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Who the hell is gonna pay for this! And how the hell'm I gonna tell the sheriff about this?" O'Hara, in perfect shape and an angry mood as usual, kicks his car, causing the right side passenger door to fall off. "S***!" He runs back upstairs through the gathering crowd. "The summit meeting is over until further notice. Harlan, Kyong, I've made arrangements for you to stay in a little hotel some blocks down. Major Horton and you two (motioning towards the soldiers), we'll have to walk back into town"

Horton and the two soldiers stop firing and look at the damaged car. One of the soldiers, Tommy, was particularly amazed.

Tommy: Holy...

Horton: Yeah. Come on, soldiers. We have to walk back to town. O'Hara, I'll tell the sheriff.

O'Hara pulls out his revolver, a Colt Single Action Army Revolver. "This baby was from my days out in the gold mines. Those where the good old days when Navascans and Christianians got along." He went blank-eyed for a second, remembering the times he was talking about. He snapped back to his senses very quickly though. "Anyway, I'm sure you guys are armed and I've got this, so we don't have to worry about any unexpected surprises tonight."

Horton: Yes, we are heavily armed. We have these big rifles, some .45's, and ka-bars, plus we're elite, so there's nothing to worry about at all. We can slaughter a group of them. We're good to go.

Horton holds up his rifle and grins.

For the first time that night, O'Hara actually smiled. "I don't have proof but I think it was a group of Christianian soldiers. Fortunately for Harlan, I'm a man who's committed to due process, so unless I can get proof that they tried to kill me I can't prosecute." As he said that, a tow truck drove by, with O'Hara's police car carried on the back. "There's shell casings in there, and that means evidence. We're almost back in town now, only about twenty minutes left"

Horton: Y'know, Harlan's probably going to order an attack here after what happened. When politicians like him get pissed, there's usually hell to pay. As for who attacked you, it could either be loyalists to the Christianian government or their soldiers, or just some low-life criminal.

"I'll be requesting Harlan to retract his soldiers from Navascan property and get the hell out of this nation as soon as he can, but I know he won't. In fact, I can predict his moves. First, he'll issue a public apology, and after I ask him to remove the troops, he'll refuse, I'll ask again and he'll threaten military action. As much as I hate it, we may go to war by December"

Horton: I know. Right when he issues that public apology, the Langham Supreme Council will meet to see if he really means it. It's what they always do. Luckily Langham's a country that doesn't forgive or forget meaning that they won't believe him and when Harlan sends in the Christianian military, the Langhan military would counter them with everything, including the kitchen sink. Lucky for Western Navascuez.

"Yes sir, the situation is quickly spiraling out of control," said Min Kyong as he spoke into the black cellular phone he carried in his suit jacket. "It's advisable that you deploy those marines as soon as possible....things are definitely going to get hot around here."

-Somewhere over Western Navascuez airspace-

Several C-130 turboprop aircraft flew towards bases occupied by La Christianan forces. They'd been flying all night, having stopped only to take on a mid-air refueling. As they came in low over the coastal range, the pilot of the lead aircraft flipped on his transponder.

"La Christianan air control, this is SD-155 flight coming inbound. Request permission to land and deploy support forces."

Behind the pilot sat some seventy odd South Dalanian Marines. Each man wore a set of camoflage rip-stop BDU's, a set of combat webbing, a flak jacket, a waist mag holder which held twenty magazines, a holster with a SG-P226 pistol, a Cold Steel sheath knife and a pack loaded with K-rations and other survival equipment. As a primary weapon, each man carried an SG-550 assault rifle, fully loaded and ready to go.

"All right troop! Listen up!" shouted the commander. "You are to assist the La Christianan troops in any way possible. If they want you to arrest millitants, you will do it. If they want you to support them, you will do it. The only thing you are exempted from is any fire situation involving Langham forces. You are NOT to engage any Langham troops. There will also be no brutality towards civillians. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" came the unanimous reply.

(OOC: I think I'll be moving this to a new thread soon, since this is going way beyond what the title suggests, unless anyone else has suggestions)

Arco, Western Navascuez. 11:36 PM
"This just in folks. James O'Hara, charismatic deputy sheriff of Navideña, has escaped unharmed from an assassination attempt outside the Ten of Hearts. No one has been apprehended as of yet, but – " Billy angrily clicked off the radio.
"What the hell is this! Hey sis, you hear this?"
"Yeah, it's awful!"
Billy reached into his bedroom closet and pulled out an M1-Thompson, placing it under his pillow right before he went ot bed. "I get the feeling I'll be called into active duty soon enough" he muttered as he drifted off to sleep."

Cape Liberty, Western Navascuez. 12:02 AM
Elder Stewart, lighthouse keeper at Cape Liberty, wearily climbed the steps. When he reached the top, he changed the orientation of the light long enough to give the alert signal, three blinks on and off, but briefly enough so as not to endanger any incoming ships.
"This was coming soon enough"

Amarillo, Western Navascuez. 12:03 AM
John Summers was the sheriff of the town of Amarillo, an old mining town inland. Upon hearing the news and seeing the lighthouse, he quickly put on his raincoat and ran out into the street until he reached a modest house, build in the Southwestern style.
"Yo, Preach! Preach!" Summers shouted.
Thomas Holliday, a young man, in his mid-twenties, ran out. "What?"
Summers barged in and shut the door behind him.
"Get ready, we're in for something big."

Navideña, Western Navascuez. 12:12 AM
O'Hara, Major Horton, Tommy and the other soldier arrived into town and quickly settled in, right before the rain came down heavily.
"Let's call it a night boys, and see what comes up in the morning"

(OOC: You might as well.)

Gen. Dante sits in his office with his bandaged foot. Gen. McZeal runs into the office and has trouble calming down.

McZeal: Sir, you better sit for this!

Dante: I am sitting, moron.

(OOC: The RP's been moved here, in case anyone's wondering: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2229622#2229622)