NationStates Jolt Archive

He frowned, "My gun, I dropped it and it went off... I was..." he was embarrassed, "Nevermind what I was doing, just forget it... I'm okay now though."

Smith rubbed his forehead, "I just need to shower, and get some tea, I'll feel better then, maybe a few of those Schacht Pharmaceuticals system cleansing pills to keep me from getting alcohol poisoning, I'll be as good as new..."


He then yawned a bit, "I'm going to go shower then, so how about you just go back and lie down, I'm sorry I disturbed you, I was just... Depressed I guess, it's my fault you know, what happened with him, it really is my fault, I can't kid myself... Anyway, I'm going to shower."


He turned around walking towards his private bathroom in the back of the room, he slid out of his shirt on his way there, for his age he was indeed in great shape, even though he'd been drinking heavily for the last few months, he'd kept in great shape, he hadn't neglected his duties as an officer and thus had remained in the field with his men for all their training exercises.

He tossed his shirt aside and then walked into the bathroom, shutting the door most of the way shut but not quite totally shut, thus steam could escape and not build up and possibly harm the expensive wallpaper.

She sighed. “I really don’t think it’s your fault. It’s the fault of whoever killed him; you should not blame yourself for things you could not have prevented. Anyway, I do hope you feel better, and I’m going back to bed. Good night,” she said, and turned and went back to her own room, shutting the door behind her and crawling under the covers again.

Smith spent three hours showering, he spent about two and a half of them sitting down on the little bench inside the shower, letting the hot water rush over him continuously. Eventually he felt better about his situation, well his immediate situation of feeling dirty, he stepped out and looked in the mirror, he looked better, almost healthy, not so bum-like. The pills he'd taken before showering really helped.

He walked over to the couch in the office and plopped down, falling fast asleep, having been too tired to even get dressed in his night attire.



In the morning, he was still sound asleep when the Duchess was awake, she wondered where he was, a guard in the hallway said, "He wasn't in his room at all last night, who knows where he fell asleep, he's been in a bad way for a while, since his boy died, you know what I mean, he's just not been quite right lately."

She nodded and sighed. “I see, he told me, I understand, it must be a difficult time for him. Did he ever come out of his office last night? He was in his office when I saw him last.”

The guard shook his head, "No, I didn't see him come out at all, but the door should be unlocked... However, I must get back to my patrols, if he were to come here and see me not in my assigned area, well it'd be bad..."


With that, the guard left.

She watched the guard go before turning and going down to Smith’s office. She hesitated for several moments, wondering if it would be a wise move to disturb him, but she went ahead and knocked anyway. The Duchess was a bit worried and concerned for him, as much as she hated to admit it.

There was no reply other than a mumbled moan that sounded like that of somebody horribly hung over.

The Duchess sighed and knocked again. “I’m sorry to bother you, but are you quite sure you are all right?”

He didn't reply, he'd fallen back asleep.

The Duchess gave a sigh and headed back down the hallway, not wishing to disturb the man any further. She understood he was going through a rough time; she hoped he would be able to overcome his sadness.

However, she was hungry, and stopped the first servant she came across. “Excuse me, where’s the kitchen? I’m starving; I would like to get something to eat, if it is not too much.”

The servant shook his head, "No, you must be kidding yes? You cook for yourself, you're a guest in the bosses house, let the chef cook for you, just go sit down and wait, we'll get you whatever you'd like."


As they were talking about what was on the menu, Smith came staggering out of his office, he'd showered a short while ago but then fallen back asleep and he smelled a whole better than he did earlier.

He was dressed a whole lot better as well, he almost looked his formerly healthy and normal self again.

He walked over to the duchess, and looked at the servant, greeted him, then turned back to her, "Sorry about the noise last night, hope I didn't disturb you any..."

She shook her head. “No, no, it’s quite fine,” she told him, and then smiled. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. You look better, too. Shall we get something to eat? I haven’t had anything yet.”

Reginald nodded his head, "Yes of course, the chef should be making steak and eggs for breakfast today, unless you want something else that is... Would the usual for today be okay?"

“Oh, yes, yes of course,” the Duchess said. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother to you or the chef, and I certainly wouldn’t mind having eggs and steak.”

Reginald nodded and then politely told the servant, "The usual then, please, tell the chef two orders. Thank you."

The servant nodded, replied, "Yes sir." He then walked off.


Reginald yawned a bit, covering his mouth as he did so and minimizing the noise he made.

He then asked her, "Well Duchess, would you care to go to the dining room, we can talk while we wait for the food, yes?"

She nodded. “Certainly. And you can call me Nari, I don’t mind.”

Reginald smiled, "Okay, but you only if you call me Reginald... So Nari, might I ask you a question? It's a bit personal, but not inappropriate, at least I don't think it is."

She nodded. "Yes, you may."

Reginald seemed a bit hesitant, "Well.. I... I.. I was wondering, how is it you're not married, I mean have you seen yourself? Your beauty is such that I'm surprised there aren't packs of men beating each other up for a chance just to stand in line to court you..."

She was mildly shocked by his question. However, she can’t say it came completely out of the blue; she had suspected something like this. He did say it was a personal question. But she blushed at his compliment.

She sighed, though. “I’d have to say it was my own fault,” Nari began. “All the boys did want to court me, and my parents insisted that I just go along with it, as much as I didn’t want too. I was pretty, as you say, but I never was a very cheerful or someone that was easy to get along with. Most of the men who did court me got discouraged by my nature.”

Reginald smiled a bit, "Do you perhaps... If I'm up for the challenge that is, that I might have a chance to court you?"

Nari smiled some, too. “Well, of course, if you really want a challenge, I don’t think I’d mind. I haven’t had anyone court me in a few years.”

Reginald smiled, "I really do like a challenge, so tell me, how long did the others last? What was the longest they courted you?"

She thought for a moment, and grinned slightly. “Well, I have to say, there was a really persistent one, I think he last for what, two weeks, perhaps?”

Reginald grinned back, "For some reason, I think I'll meet with much success than those previous gentlemen..."

Grak looked around the empty room and snorted angrily.

"Stand to, we're leaving," he growled. The two Ghargonians stood to attention, and they and the Gerash followed him as he left the room, headed for the agreed landing point.

“Somehow, I have a feeling you will,” she told him. “They were all extremely young and foolish and empty-headed. Part of the reason I never liked them that much.”

Reginald smiled, "Well, they say war has a way of giving somebody perspective on life, making boys into men, maturing them... I've been in countless wars since 1983, I've grown rather tired of war actually, I think have a rather decent perspective on life. I've pretty much been there and done that, you know? Anyway, would you like to play a game of cards perhaps? Five card draw, Mississippian Egyptian style?"

“Oh yes, I enjoy playing cards with my brother quite often. I don’t believe I’ve played Mississippian Egyptian style, being as I live far from Mississippian Egypt. Care to explain?”

He chuckled a bit, "That's just a joke, they say Mississippian Egyptians couldn't not cheat at cards if their lives depended on it. Of course that's just because they always win and nobody wants to admit maybe they're just better than Mississippians at cards. So, shall we play then? What are the stakes? Ten, twenty, just a friendly game?"

She laughed. “Oh, just a friendly game if you don’t mind. I’m not very good, you know, even though I enjoy it immensely.”

Reginald smiled, "How about, if I win, I get a kiss? If you win, you can have anything you want, just name it. Fair enough?"

She laughed again. “All right, sounds good, fair is fair. But don’t go too hard on me, I told you, I’m just rotten at cards.”

Reginald grinned, "Oh, I won't go too hard."


He dealt out the first hand, she had two pair, he had a three of a kind, he smiled, "How many cards you want? I'll take two..."


He tossed two down and drew two, he now how four of a kind, jacks, he then asked her, "Well I think you'd better get ready for a kiss, unless you have a very good hand..."

Nari frowned the slightest bit. She tossed down three and drew two, and frowned more. “I tell you, I’m so unlucky,” she told him, and revealed a pair on tens, an ace, a nine, and a four.

Reginald smiled and showed his hand, "Four of a kind, jacks..."

He grinned, "I think somebody owes me a kiss..."

She shrugged. “Oh well,” she told him, and smiled slightly as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

Reginald kissed her back for a few seconds, and then leaned back, "See, losing can be fun, eh? Next hand then?"

She grinned to ear to ear. "Yes, losing is fun. With you, at least."

He smiled, "Another hand then, or are you already tired of poker? We could try other games, I'm open to any suggestions you might have..."

“Another hand if you will,” the Duchess told him.

He dealt the next hand, he had one pair, she had a full house. He frowned, "I fold... So, you win, what do you want?"

She laughed. “Finally, a little luck,” Nari said. “Hmm, I really don’t know what I’d like…”

He shrugged a bit, and then smiled, "Anything, just name it... Perhaps there is some real estate somewhere you want, a world leader you don't like." He chuckled a bit at the last part.

“Oh, this is a difficult decision,” she mused. “I like the Empress of Eldanor well enough, and my brother and I have enough land to manage between two people already. Perhaps I’ll just pass, I have everything I could ever want or need.”

He nodded, "You seemed to like that horse earlier, I have another horse getting ready to give birth soon... Perhaps you'd like a horse, yes?"

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, indeed, I would love a horse,” Nari told answered, smiling.

He smiled, "Then you shall have one. I couldn't deny anything to one as lovely and nice as you."

The Duchess blushed. “Oh, really? You make me sound so much better then I truly am.”

He shook his head, and said, "No, not at all, have you not looked in a mirror recently? I mean... Wow..." Reginald then smiled, "You need to see yourself, you're truly a noble."

She blushed a little more, but smiled nonetheless. “Oh, well, thank you for your compliments, I’m glad you really think I’m pretty.”

Reginald smiled and then said, "I don't just think you're pretty, I know you're pretty..."

She smiled again. “Well, I know you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever met.”

He had a wide smile, "Not to be arrogant, I try to be modest, but a poll of Mississippians ranked me as the handsomest officer in the entire armed forces, we don't have any polls for the entire nation, but everybody always tells me I'd certainly win... If there was a poll for the most beautiful woman, you'd have won every year, without a doubt."

"I bet you did win. Frankly, I’ve met many men when I was younger and being courted by them all, and most were quite handsome, but you are the best-looking man I’ve ever met. I doubt there are none more handsome. And thank you for your kind words, I’d very well like to win, because I know it would please you.”

Reginald smiled and then asked, "I know I lost the last hand, but perhaps it'd be okay if I kissed you again, if you grant me the permission..."

She smiled. "It's fine with me."

Reginald smiled, leaned in and kissed her again, gently embracing her with his arms as he continued to kiss her, he leaned back a little, breaking the kiss, he then said, "Nari, you haven't seen my room yet, have you? Would you like, it's quite large and well-decorated, well at least I think it's well-decorated, do you want to see it?"

She nodded. “Yes, I’d very much like to see it.”

Reginald smiled and led her up to his room, holding her hand as he did so. When they got to his room he gently pushed the door open, "Well, here is where I sleep..." He chuckled, "That is when I've not passed out on the couch... Anyway, nice, isn't it?"


His room was at least one hundred feet wide by two hundred feet long, there were statues and paintings of various battles, commanders, and then a row of paintings, each of a different Smith, going back to the early 1600s.

She looked around. "It is beautiful indeed. And quite large. But the artwork is very lovely."

Reginald nodded and then sat down on the edge of his bed, looking over at her, "Yes indeed, I think the artwork is great, if you see anything you like, I have copies of all of them, well they're copies but by the original artist himself, not just manufactured copies..."

She sat down next to him and said, "Yes, I'd love that, it's good to have an appreciation for art, don't you think?"

Reginald nodded and smiled, "Yes, art is great..." He then looked right into her eyes, "But I've found something far better to gaze upon than any painting or statue."

She smiled. "Oh, you flatter me so."

Reginald smiled at her, before he kissed her, and then asked, "Nari, have you ever... Well, you know what I mean... Been with anybody in well, an intimate way?"

She shook her head. "No, never."

Reginald nodded, "Okay... Well, I was wondering, if you'd want to... If you don't want to, that's fine."

The Duchess hesitated momentarily, but nodded. "If you want too, I've no problem with it."

OOC: Is it to late to join?
IC:Official Reply from Red Tide
"Being a fellow Nationalistic-Capitilist nation. We would like to send Grand General For Army Resebelle Locavion(OOC:If the name doesnt sound Russian, forgive me, I am not to good at Russian names). She will be escorted by two Current Gaurd Members... who will be unarmed(it does not matter as Current Gaurd members are strong enough to beat people to death within 30 seconds). If you find this unacceptable, please let us know, we will remove the gaurd. Good day."

END MESSAGE!

OOC:Grand General For Army Resebelle Locavion is one of the 6 Grand General For Armys. They are the best tacticians and strategists in Red Tide and there are only 6 of them. There are also 6 Grand General For Air Forces, and 6 Grand Admirals For Navy's. Resebelle is also the only Female Grand General For Army.

Ooc- Redtide2, sorry for the late reply, you can get in on this if you really want, but not many folks are left at the conference hotel to speak with... You can just RP having somebody stopping by Curtis Fabus's estate to talk with him, or better yet, talk with Dieter Thaller and ask him about the NMWO.

Between DA and Eldanor, to be continued as we have time.



Reginald smiled and then kissed her, "Yeah, let's then, shall we?"

She smiled. "All right."

He shut the light off and pulled a blanket over them... A while later, as they were lying in bed talking, he asked her, "So Nari, you waited twenty-eight years eh? Well, glad you stopped waiting?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded happily. "Yes," she told him. "But the wait was worth it."

He smiled and kissed her, "I quite enjoyed it..."

She kissed him back. "I know, I did as well."

Suddenly a servant knocked on the door, "Sir, your wife called, she wants you to call her back." Reginald sighed, "Ah, tell her... I don't want to talk to her..."

"You’re married?" Nari asked, stammering the least bit. "You never told me!"

Reginald looked at her, and frowned, "Have you ever thought it possible to be married to somebody for well over twenty years, and not really know them at all? A few months ago, my wife told me she was a homosexual in denial... We're getting divorced..."

She sighed, relieved. "I see... It must be hard."

He nodded, "Yeah, it is, I thought I knew her, I mean, wow, I never saw that coming, in all the what-ifs I ever thought of, that was the last one."

She nodded. "It's a scary thought, really. How long was she, well, homosexual for?"

He sighed, "She claims since her teenage years, but she was just in denial... As if her marriage to me was just a denial, I'm just glad Robert isn't here to see this, he wouldn't be able to take it."

She nodded. "I don't blame you for wanting to get divorced, really, any sane person would want to."

He nodded his head, "Yeah, I have a few other kids though, six to be exact, some are adults, some aren't. I'll get custody though; no judge in Mississippi would give her anything except a noose. But I don't want that to happen to her, she's still a nice woman, that's why I'm giving her some money and she's going to move, it's best for all concerned."

She nodded. "You're a good guy, Reginald. I feel bad for your children, though, they shouldn't have to go through that.

He smiled, "Thanks, it's great you say such wonderful things about me, I've never considered myself that great, a lot of people in other countries don't like me. Well I guess a lot of people in other countries don't like lots of Mississippians."

"Well, I'm sure they make you sound much worse then you really are. Don't blame yourself."

He frowned, "In a 1988 battle against rogue Indian tribes, I killed a few prisoners, they'd been responsible for killing unarmed whites, men, women, children, the old, and the sick... They attacked a hospital and a school, I didn't think any of them deserved to be spared for their crimes against civilians were horrible..."

She nodded. "It was justified, I'm sure.

He shuddered and gasped as he had a mental flashback to the scene of the hospital his unit had been tasked to retake after the Indians stormed it. Bodies everywhere, patients’ throats slight. A few in comas were burned... He seemed in a daze.

"Reginald? Are you all right?" she saked, shaking his shoulder slightly.

He nodded, seeming to come back from his flashback, he was breathing a bit heavily, "Yes, I was just... I could see it, clearly as the day I was there... It was awful, something I hope you never see, just awful..."

"What, with the Indians?" she asked, shivering slightly. "Was it really that horrible? You seem quite shaken up, do you want me to get you anything?"

He shook his head, "Yeah, the Indians, but I'll be okay, you just relax. I'm going to grab a glass of water and wash some of the sweat off of my face; I'm sweating up pretty awful here. You just lay back and relax, I'll be okay."

He then sat up, starting to put a pair of shorts on so he could go downstairs to get something to drink from the kitchen, he didn't like drinking water from the private bar in his room, it just seemed odd to him.

She nodded and lay back, still shivering, and pulled the covers tighter around her.

Reginald walked off downstairs, and came back up a few minutes later he came back up with some water for him and her, he handed her a glass, "Here, I thought you might want some."

She accepted it and drank it in a few gulps. "Thank you," Nari said.

Reginald smiled, "You're welcome, so, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, do you know any nice places to eat?"

He did indeed, "Yes, of course, Jackson City, the tower restaurant that is right on the grounds of the Imperial Command Building... It's a lovely view, you can nearly see the boundary of the old city, the new city is not on the exact site of the old city. In 1984 Jackson was destroyed by nuclear missiles, in our civil war, in 1985 the rebuilding of Jackson, as Jackson City, began. Jackson City is home to nearly 100 million people. The Tower restaurant is often used by the Czar after he is done meeting with the Cabinet at the Imperial Command Building, he might even be there tomorrow for lunch."

"That sounds excellent. I'd love to go with you. I trust the food is good, yes?" she said, laughing slightly, for she knew the food would be very good.

Reginald nodded, "Of course, yes indeed, the Czar himself eats there."

She smiled. "I figured as much. I've learned Mississippi has many good things to offer."

Reginald yawned a bit as he set his nearly empty glass down, "Yes, Mississippi is a great place, I love it here... But what is your homeland like? Could we go perhaps go there?"

She smiled. "Of course... Eldanor is an amazing place, really. There aren't as many cities; a lot of of is forests and rolling green plains. Wherever you go it's so beautiful, especially the beaches. The water is crystal clear and the beaches stretch on for miles. The people are very friendly, too."

He smiled, "Sounds great, we'll have to arrange to go... I'll be right back, I have to use the bathroom." He got up and walked to the bathroom, she looked over at a nearby bookcase, she saw some books,
"1984: Eleven Months of Hell" by Captain Reginald Smith,
"1988: The Great Indian War" by Major Reginald Smith,
"1990: The Last Arab-Israeli War" by Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Smith,

"1990: Arab-Israeli Conflicts and the Volunteer Guard Involvement" by Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Smith,
"1985: The Birth of the Modern Mississippian Armed Forces" by Captain Reginald Smith.

It was like a timeline following the various years and what ranks he held at the time. There was one book that stood out from the rest, massively large, at least six thousand or seven thousand pages,
"The Art of Counter-Insurgency" by Brigadier General Reginald Smith.

She smiled as she looked at them all, happy that such a brave amny like Reginald was courting her.

There was one last book, it was written as prediction, shortly before the 1984 Civil War, "The Coming War For Mississippi" by 1st lieutenant Reginald Smith, published in 1982. He had a keen eye for detecting when situations were ripe for wars.

He also had the book he wrote for his doctorate in economics, "The Economics of the Fabus Regime From 1984-2004 in Regards to Fiscal and Monetary Policies."

She mused to herself, "I wonder how he finds time to write all these things. He's truly a man of many talents."

Reginald then came out of the bathroom, and saw her looking at all the books, "Ah, so you see the books, interested in reading any of them?" He smiled, "I know the author, he'd give you a signed copy for free..."

She grinned. "I'd love to read them all, but there are quite a few, I don't know where I'd find the time. But I'd make time, rest assured.

Reginald smiled, "So you like military history? I had no idea, that is great though, simply great. If you'd like, I could get you enrolled as a cadet at one of the RG academies or something of the sort, you could be a military analyst, would you like that?"

She nodded. "I've always been interested in that kind of thing, but Eldanor is not a very military-like state, if oyu know what I mean."

He understood, "Yes, I think I know what you mean, like Mississippi for instance, our Federal Army is nearly forty million, not even counting the other branches of the service or the Commonwealth Intelligence.. Our total Intelligence services, Commonwealth and Federal, have nearly two and a half million employees."

She smiled. "That's a good number. I trust your people are very proud of that, yes?"

He nodded, "Yes, very proud. Just out of curiosity, you do have armed forces, yes? What is your nation's equivalent of our Republican Guard, you see I'm an RG man, so I like to know if other nations have similar units."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure, the Empress won't really talk about the armed forces to anyone who isn't in them, I think she's just embarrassed because she doesn't know the least bit about how a military works. One of the reasons the military isn't that big."

Reginald nodded, "Yes, here it's great because all of the leadership are experienced in the armed forces, the sons of the wealthy serve their land and people, they have a sense of obligation. In many lands the rich use their clout to avoid service, not here, here they use their wealth to assure they get into combat."

She shrugged. "The leaders of Eldanor really never believed in having large militaries, they're just there to make people secure, really."

Reginald nodded, "Yes, so... What do you want to do occupation wise? I mean do you have any career ambitions or do you see yourself more staying at home?"

"I've always been involved in politics, that's really it, but I don't like just staying home. I want to get out and do things, you know."

He nodded, "Yeah, but I myself am semi-retired, I still conduct campaigns, write books, and give lectures, but for the last few months, I've basically just stayed home to support my kids in these trying times."

She smiled. "Well, I'd gladly give my job in order to be with you more."

He smiled back, "That's great. You know, we could both be in local politics here if you'd like. I am the Duke of Hinds County..."

"Yes, I remember you telling me before."

He nodded, "So, just out of curiosity, how did you come to be a Duchess? I myself was granted this title by Curtis Fabus in 1985 for services rendered to the government, the regime, and the utmost show of loyalty and prowess of arms..." He smiled, "Well that is what the certificate says anyway."

She smiled herself. "Well, I was just born into a noble family. The line goes back so far I'm not even sure how my ancestors got their titles."

Reginald nodded and smiled a bit, "Well I checked back into my family, and we are related not only to the Fabus line, cousins, but we are related to Leopold of Belgium, cousins again. The Fabuses are also linked to Leopold of Belgium, well at least the line Curtis is of, is linked such."

"I tried to trace my roots once, but they were so mangled I just had to give up."

Suddenly a young boy of about ten years old came walking into the room, he shouted, "Hey dad! Mom was acting crazy so I took one of her cars and came over here..." He then looked to Nari, "Who are you?"

Reginald smiled as he pulled the covers up to make sure both he and Nari were fully covered, "Ah, Winston, how are you my boy? Are you okay? Your mother didn't upset you, did she?" He shook his head, then Reginald said, "Nari, this is one my sons, Winston... Winston, this is Nari."

Winston nodded, "Nice to meet you Nari... What are you two doing here?"

Reginald nervously smiled, "We're just talking, do you want to stay here for the night, your room is ready for you, son, as it always is... Are any of your brothers or sisters coming along do you know?"

He shook his head, "I don't know... But thanks, yes, I want to stay here."

Reginald nodded, "Okay, you run off to your room and I'll be along in a few minutes to tuck you in and tell you a few stories."

He smiled, "Tell me about 1984 will you?" Reginald sighed, "War again? Okay... But remember, it's not fun stuff, no matter how well you think I tell it, there is a reason I called the book elven months of hell."

Winston nodded, waved and said, "Bye Nari, nice meeting you." And then ran off to his room.

Reginald smiled, "Ah, he's a great kid."

She smiled. "He does seem so."

Reginald sighed a bit, "I just am afraid he's so full of a desire to join the military, I'd rather he go into intelligence."

She nodded. "You're afraid he'll get hurt like Robert, yes?"

He nodded, "Yes..."

Suddenly there was sounds of somebody coming up the stairs, sounding like a large man from the sounds of the steps, somebody shouted, "Father, I'm home for a few days, the campus is being decontaminated after a VX training accident. Dad, you here?"

Reginald shouted back, "Yes, Thomas in here, but try to keep it down would you, okay?"

Thomas came walking up to the door, he was about nineteen; he looked at Nari and Reginald, "Hey, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just a guest, Nari Fiela.

Thomas nodded, "Thomas Smith, cadet at the SRG Mechanized Infantry Academy."

"Ah, good to meet you then."

Thomas then raised a brow, "Nice to meet you too... But what exactly are you doing here if I might ask...'

Reginald frowned, "Thomas... You're a big boy, don't ask questions you know the answer to, okay?"

Thomas chuckled a bit, "Okay, dad, you're right. I'm sorry."

He then said, "Campus will be closed for at least a week probably, VX shells exploded in the wrong area, nobody was seriously hurt though, we all had our NBC gear, chemical code black, for training, on at the time. Anyway, I have work to do, land navigation and electronics equipment manuals to memorize. Nice to meet you Ms. Fiela."

"Nice to meet you, too. Uh, good luck with those manuals."

Thomas nodded, "Oh, dad, by the way, we're all going to being patrolling around New Bir Gandus in a few weeks, get some live experience in counter-insurgency warfare..." It was common knowledge in most of the world, while Mississippi reported light losses in the area around New Bir Gandus, they were losing about ten thousand soldiers a year, at least, not the five hundred they were reporting...

Reginald immediately shook his head, "No, no you're not going there... I must insist you not go there."

Thomas sighed, "Dad, do you really think they'd let cadets go there? I only have eight years of training, they wouldn't send somebody who isn't ready into a dangerous situation." Eight years would be more than enough training to go around for ten soldiers from most other nations, but this was Mississippi where training started early on and went into the early twenties.

Thomas sighed, "Dad, I'll be the only one who misses out..."

His father chuckled sarcastically, "Yeah, misses out on getting to come home in a bag, is that something you want a part of. Damnit, Thomas, I don't want you getting killed in some shithole of an area, New Bir Gandus is a slum we might as well just leave it and keep a quarantine zone around it, instead of trying to actively patrol around it."

Thomas sighed, "We only lose less than five hundred a year there, the media wouldn't lie."

Reginald looked to Thomas, "Our media has a tendency to not fully report losses." He then looked to Nari, "Has your media reported anything about New Bir Gandus, tell Thomas the truth please..."

She shook her head. "I heard it somewhere, I don't remember where, but I'm sure it was more then five hundred, Thomas."

He sighed, "What if I was in an armored unit?"

Reginald raised a brow, "Go in a modified T-98, and fight as an infantryman from inside a tank using the rifle ports? That'd be fine, but you'd have to promise me you won't set foot outside of the tank from the time you leave base until you return to base."

Thomas nodded and raised his right hand, "Fine, I promise."

Reginald nodded, "Fine, you are dismissed, go get your studying done." Thomas smiled, "Okay, yeah, one more thing, Ronnie was talking about coming over also."

Reginald frowned, "His name is Ronald, not Ronnie, Ronnie sounds like a hippy name, okay?"

Thomas chuckled and walked off.

Reginald smiled, and said to Nari, "Ronald is another boy of mine, fourteen."

She smiled. "I'm sure he's just as nice as your other two. They're good boys, Thomas seems very dedicated."

Reginald nodded, "Yes, Yes..." Suddenly Ronald came in, "Hey dad, are you okay? How is the leg doing?"

Reginald frowned, "I'm fine, the leg is fine..." He then chuckled, "No thanks to you, you're supposed to aim for deers remember, not me..." Ronald frowned and was red with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to go off when it fell, it was guaranteed, you know that."

Ronald sat down in a chair next to the bed and started talking to his dad, and then suddenly he looked at Nari, "Hey... You're... Who are you?"

She smiled once more, telling him the same thing she’d told the other boys. "Nari Fiela, nice to meet you."

Ronald smiled, "Ronald Smith, nice to meet you..."

He seemed a bit puzzled, "What exactly are you doing here, ma'am?"

"Just talking with your father here," she said.

He seemed a bit suspicious, "Are you sure that's all? You could be talking downstairs, couldn't you?"

"Oh, I asked your father to show me his books."

Ronald raised a brow, "So what are you doing lying around in bed, the books are over there..."

Reginald sighed, "Ronald it's after one in the morning, you're a growing boy, there could be a war tomorrow, you're in the Fabus Youth RG, how would you respond to a mobilization call if you're unable to wake up?"

Ronald gasped, "You're right!" He then ran off to his room to go right to sleep.

Reginald kissed Nari on the forehead and smiled as he said, "I really should lock that door..."

She nodded. "Maybe you should."

He got up to lock the door, as he was closing, it was pushed open, his sixteen year old daughter Dorthy came walking in, "Oh daddy, it was great, I was with Don Juan Salazar, he's back on leave from Western Sahara, isn't that great. He's such a handsome officer and a gentleman..." Reginald frowned, "Yes... What about him though?"

She sighed, "Dad, you hardly know him... You should..." He interrupted, "Exactly, he needs to come here and speak with me if he wants to be seeing you... Is that too much to ask?" She shook her head, "No, I guess not, I'll talk to him, okay?" Reginald smiled, "That's all I ask, oh this is the Duchess Nari Fiela of Eldanor, this is Dorthy Smith."

"Hello."

She smiled, "Hello... So you and my dad are something of an item, eh?"

"You could say that."

Reginald smiled and kissed her, "Yes, I second that motion."

Dorthy giggled, "You two have fun, I'm going to sleep, I'm getting up early to have breakfast with Don..." With that she left. Reginald got back up, shut and locked the door.

"They're sweet kids, all of them."

Reginald smiled, "Thank you... So tell me, do you want children of your own?"

"Yes, I think I do."

He smiled again, "I happen to know a certain Field Marshal in the Republican Guard who might be willing to help you with that...."

She smiled. "I'd like if he did."

Reginald kissed her, "Well there will be plenty of time for that... It's getting late, what's say we turn in for now?"

"Yes, let's do that, we all need our sleep."

After they both woke up in the morning, Reginald suddenly got an idea, "Hmmm... What say we go see your homeland for a while? Well you'll probably want to tell your brother first, eh? He's still back in the city, right? I think that the conference basically fell apart though, don't tell anybody, but most of our conferences are just excuses for people to show off guns and brag about military campaigns."

Nari nodded. “I won’t tell, believe me. Yes, my brother said he was going to find a place to stay, I have his number, I can call him. I’m sure you’d like Eldanor very much.”

He nodded his head, "Yes, I think I will too... So, do you want to call him now or wait a bit? Will he be up this early?"

She shook her head no. "I'm not sure, I doubt it."

He yawned a bit, "Well then, if you want, I'll cook you up a nice breakfast and maybe by the time we're done eating, he'll be up, eh?"

bump- let us get this agoing again, shall we?

She smiled and nodded. “That would be lovely.”

Reginald then stood up and started to get dressed, he turned to Nari, "Shall we go downstairs then? You've not had a breakfast until you've had one in Mississippi."

Nari nodded and finished getting herself dressed. She smiled and told him, “Yes, I’m sure breakfast in Mississippi is quite good.”

Reginald proceeded downstairs where he started to cook right away. While he was cooking, the phone rang. He asked her, "Could you get that please..."

Nari smiled and told him, “Yes, I’ll go get that for you.” She got up and picked it up, asking politely, “Hello, who is this?”

It was Roger Fabus, "Hello, Reginald? How are you? It's me, Roger..."

“Hold on one moment,” Nari said, then called to Reginald, “It’s for you, his name is Roger.”

Reginald immediately picked up the phone, saying, "Hello Czar, greetings, are you well? To what do I owe this call? You honor me with your time..."

Roger sighed, saying, "Reginald cut the foramlities, we're friends, you call me Roger, okay? I heard you had picked up some nice lady from Eldanor, was that her that answered? Put her back on would you."


Reginald handed the phone to her, saying, "He wants to talk with you."

Nari seemed a bit shocked. “Me? Why does he want to speak with me?” She seemed confused, but took the phone anyway.

Roger smiled and started to talk, "Hello... This is the duchess from Eldanor yes? What is your name? From what I've heard, one of my nobles and Field Marshals has taken quite a liking to you."

She smiled and said, “Yes, I am, Duchess Nari Fiela.”

Roger smiled, "Ah, and what is your interest in Field Marshal Smith? Are you seriously considering marrying the man? Well by that I mean, do you see yourself moving to Mississippi and such, I mean, well hell, I was never good with interrogating people about personal issues.... Just tell me, you like him, yes?"

The Duchess smiled. “I like him very much, and if he made an offer to marry me I would gladly accept.”

Roger smiled, "Ah, well from what I've heard about you, you'd be a welcome addition to the Mississippian nation and nobility."

Nari smiled. “Thank you very much, I appreciate your compliment.”

Roger nodded his head a bit, "Don't mention it... Say, I heard about some recent unpleasant events in Eldanor, about terrorists, MSAAS, shoot-outs, and your empress and princess, is everybody okay? Do you know them personally, being in the nobility and all..."

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve been away from home these past few days,” she said. “I know the Empress and her cousin, we’re friends, not very close friends, though.”

Roger smiled, "Ah, well eh, at least they know your name and know of you, that counts for something, it increases your chances of getting an appointment to a sought after job, eh?"

“Yes, I suppose so,” she said.

Roger yawned a bit, frowning, he immediately apologized, "Please forgive me, I've not been feeling well lately, I've been quite tired... Indeed I must be going, the Czarina would be upset since I'm not sleeping, the doctor said I should be getting lots of rest, and this hour falls in the schedule he drew up for me to be sleeping... It won't be but a few more weeks... Perhaps you and Reginald would like to stop by sometime then, eh?"

She smiled. “Yes, maybe, it would be a quite an honor.”

Roger yawned again, "Okay, well... Oh sorry, I'm very tired. Well the Czarina would be happy to meet with you someday, I'm sure of it. I must be going now though, forgive me for cutting our conversation short. If you want, call back anytime, same goes for Reginald, tell him I said goodbye and I wish you both well."


Roger then hung up and Reginald looked over to her when he noticed she'd set the phone down, he said, "Done talking with the Czar? Did he say anything of particular interest?"

She frowned a little bit. “Yes, he did mention something that was an interesting, not to mention surprising, piece of news to me.”

Reginald seemed intrigued, "Hmmm? What was that might I ask?" he sensed in her frown and her tone that she might be a bit upset, so he asked about that as well, "Are you okay? Did something the Czar said upset you?"

She shook her head. “No, I just didn’t know that there were some incidents going on in Eldanor these past few days.”

Reginald seemed interested to hear more, "Ah, I see, perhaps I should call some friends of mine in intelligence and I could get you all the information available on the incidents... Shall I do that?"

She nodded. “Yes, I’d really like to know what’s going on back at home. I have to say I’m a bit worried.”

Reginald smiled as he dialed the number of a friend in the DIS, and asked him to email him the necessary information. He ended up getting about forty pages worth of reports and a few dozen satellite images of what had been going on at the palace and the nearby palace grounds.

He brought them all up and then told the duchess, "They're all on the computer here, if you'd like to take a look."

She came over and looked at them, and started frowning as she read on. Most of it didn’t look to good.

Nari barely read four pages before saying, “I’d like to call my brother now, so we can leave as soon as it’s possible.”

Reginald immediately retrieved her a phone and handed it to her, saying, "There you are, I'll start to pack while you are talking with him." That said, he went off to pack.

She dialed her brother’s cellphone number, and he picked up almost immediately. “Hello, Nari, is that you?”

“Yes, it is. Have you heard about the recent events back homer?” she asked.

“Can’t say I have.”

“Well, I want to leave for home right away. I’ll meet you at the airport in about an hour or two at the most, all right?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll get my things and by on my way as soon as possibly.”

They both hung up.

Reginald had his bags packed and in a waiting car, and he had taken the initiative and gotten her bags taken to the car as well.

He walked back inside and called out, "Nari, are you done with the phone? Shall we be going then?"

“Yes, I am. Shall we go?” she said, walking over to him.

He nodded his head and led her out to the waiting car, getting the door for her and then shutting it after she'd gotten in.

He walked calmly but quickly around to the driver's side and then stepped in, shut the door, locked the doors, buckled up, and then he was off.


The airport was about fity miles away and in the heart of Jackson City, a city nearly one-hundred million in population. It was however, not peak traffic hours, and since he used the emergency lanes, and shoulders of the road, and drove at whatever speed was safe at the time (varying it with traffic and road conditions) rather than the posted limits, they arrived at the airport in about twenty minutes.


He stepped out of the car, took a quick look around, and then walked around and helped her get out.

Two guards then stepped out of the car that had accompanied them, having followed behind (as difficult as it was to keep up with him), and they helped Reginald and Nari with their bags as the two walked to the private jet Reginald had ordered fueled and ready for immediate departure.


Reginald then realized something he turned to Nari, "Your brother isn't here yet, is he? And does he know exactly where to meet us here? Shall I send word to the soldiers at the primary airport gate to tell him where to find us? He'll have to pass through the primary gate if he wants to get into the airport complex."

“Yes, please do that, knowing him he’ll get on the wrong plane and end up in the middle of nowhere. He can be, I don’t know, somewhat, absent-minded from time to time,” Nari told him.


Meanwhile, her brother Elwin had just arrived and stepped out of the taxi. He paid the driver and got his suitcase out of the trunk. He wandered around for a few minutes, keeping an eye out for his sister.

Some soldiers immediately stopped him since Reginald had radioed them to be on the watch for Eldanorians. They escorted him over to where Reginald and Nari were waiting.

Reginald extended his hand to shake, "Ah Duke, we meet again, how are you?"

Elwin shook his head and replied, “Very well, thank you. I hope you took good care of my sister, yes?” He looked at Nari and smiled, and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

He nodded his head, "Yes, of course, shall we go then, the plane is waiting..."

Elwin nodded, “Yes of course, wouldn’t want to keep you waiting, after all.” He followed Nari and Reginald onto the plane.

Reginald paced back and forth, on the plane, nervous, he never liked take-offs, or landings for that matter, and they were seventy-fourth in line for take-off, it'd be a long wait.


He walked into the cockpit and said, "Okay, forget waiting, just go, we don't have time to wait..."


The pilot nodded his head and cut in front of every other plane in front of them, much to the dismay of other pilots.


In a few minutes, they were in the air.

Nari was nervous too, but for a different reason. She was gripping the arm rest tightly and had her eyes closed. She really hated flying, it didn’t matter when or where, she despised planes.

Reginald gently put an arm around her and with his other hand softly took hold of hers, saying, "Don't worry Nari, it'll be okay, this plane is safe, the pilots are experts... There is nothing to worry about."

Nari muttered something inaudible, and her brother, who had been sitting in the seat behind her, looked up from what he had been reading. “There’s no use in talking to her. Or trying to comfort her.”

He shrugged, a bit confused, asking, "Why is that? Perhaps she'd like a glass of wine or something to calm her down?"

“It’s pretty useless. She’s been afraid of flying since she was a child, and she’s never gotten over it. Sometimes it’s best to just leave her be,” the Duke muttered.

He chuckled a bit, "Ah, well we'll be there soon, so it won't be too bad, eh?"

The Duke simply shrugged. “Hopefully,” he added, and returned to what he was reading.

Reginald turned back to Nari and asked her, "Do you want anything to drink, something to help you relax perhaps... We'll be on the ground soon and..."


His words were cut off when the plane rocked so hard to the side that he fell out of his seat and went across into the other row of seats.


It started to rock back and forth violently, the pilot got on the intercom and said in an obviously worried voice, "I'm going to be asking you all to take your seats and buckle up, we're entering a bit of a storm right now, I'll try to fly above it..."


Reginald pulled himself up and back into his seat, buckling up, holding Nari's hand as he said, "Don't worry, the pilot knows what he's doing..."

The Sovereign Empire of Jihn will send a representative. He will be accompanied by military personel if anything should go wrong, the Empire of Jihn will be forced to take a drastic measure....


The Sovereign Emperor

The Sovereign Empire of Jihn will send a representative. He will be accompanied by military personel if anything should go wrong, the Empire of Jihn will be forced to take a drastic measure....


The Sovereign Emperor



Hmm, sorry. This has since become a closed RP between Eldanor and DA. Nobody else had a problem figuring that out. So please, if you are not either Eldanor or Decisive Action, don't post here.

Nari dug her nails into the seat and squeezed his hand very tight. She was trying to calm her pounding heart. Her brother was trying to brace himself, but after he’d buckled up, reached forward and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Come on Nari, we’ve been through this dozens of times…”

Suddenly the plane visibly dropped, it had just fallen into a pocket of turbulence and fallen about sixty or so feet down, before the pilot pulled out if it and all the overhead comparments smashed open in the turbulence.


A few minutes later, he pulled over the storm and things were back as calm as they had been before the storm.

Nari had gone very pale, she’d never experienced anything she could compare to this and it was scaring her out of her wits. Even her brother, who was the calmer one, was a bit shaken up. “Get me some water…please…” she murmured, choking slightly.

Reginald immediately got her a bottle of water, handing it to her and asking, "Are you okay?"

She basically drank all of it in one long gulp. She finished, replaced the cap, and said shakily, “I guess I’ll be all right, I don’t know.”

Suddenly the pilot spoke over the intercom, "Get ready, landing in ten minutes, ten minutes..."


The "Seat-belt" light suddenly turned on as they were readying to land.

Nari checked to make sure was tight and in place. She heaved a sigh and leaned back in her seat.

The plane was a bit ahead of schedule, they were actually only two minutes from landing, and they finally did so, touching down in a flawless maneuver.



Reginald stood up as the plane was just about stopped and said, "See, nothing to it, that was fine, eh?" The plane then jerked just a bit and he had to catch himself to stop from falling forward.

She muttered sarcastically, “Oh yes, just great, it was all perfectly fine.” The Duchess and the Duke both stood up and grabbed their things, Nari exiting the plane as quickly as she possibly could.

Reginald was right behind her, asking, "Are you okay? That ride was a bit scary for a time there... It's not normally that bad you know."

She shrugged. “I’m fine, now at least, it’s just…I despise it, really. It makes my stomach flip over again and again.”

Reginald nodded his head, "Hmmm, perhaps on the trip back, since we won't be rushed for time, we might take a boat? I have a lovely yacht..."

“I’m not sure, the waters around here can be hard to navigate, at least for those who aren’t familiar with them,” Nari said.

He chuckled, "Ah, well perhaps we'll take a helicopter out to my yacht, have it waiting in the ocean?" He frowned, realizing that was still flying, "Hmmm, do helicopters bother you as much as planes?"

“Yes, unfortunately.”

He smiled a bit as he kissed her on the cheek. Then Reginald offered some suggestions as he said, "Well don't worry, we'll figure out something by the time we're ready to leave so that you don't have to endure another flight. Perhaps a boat or a submarine?"