NationStates Jolt Archive

Two days ago, the Graffia Loyalist Rebels had been purged by the Risban Imperial Army. Most of the rebels were either killed, imprisoned, or exiled. Now their leader, former emperor Julius Graffia, stood in the centre of the Imperial Palace Courtyard, along with several of his most loyal supporters. Even since Robinson Antares Scorpius, the new emperor, had overthrown Graffia, these people had been harassing his troops, raiding weapon depots, and attacking Imperial Centres. Now, they had all been captured.
Emperor Scorpius, standing on a high balcony overlooking the crowded courtyard, spoke via microphone. "Julius Graffia, Margaux Ecves, Theodore Waller, Henri Pavter, and Lucy Potter, you are all sentenced to execution by hanging for high treason against the Empire of Risban!"
The five were, in fact, standing on a platform with ropes around their necks. The courtyard, as before mentioned, was crowded with Risban citizens, news cameras, and several foreign news cameras; all of them here to see Risban throw out the old and move in the new.
"Any last words?" asked Scorpius from the balcony, directing the question at Graffia.
The fallen emperor, a sqeamish, weak man, cried out. "Spare me! Kill the rest; they did it! They were controlling me, you see; do not kill m-"
"Gladiator in arena consilium capit," intervened Scorpius, shaking his head. "Pathetic."
The Emperor waved a hands. The executioner pulled a lever. There were a few gasps, a couple cracks, and then silence. Julius Graffia and his top Loyalist hung there, dead.

Thorkell and Dimsdale arrive finally in Risban, oblivious to the take over and executions. :mp5:

Emperor Scorpius now sat in his office, rubbing his head as he went over the most recent reports from Admiral Tarda. He had sent a fleet towards the nation of Casana to allow Imperial Risban intervention in their civil war if need be. Colonel Antonin Steele and Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Perkins were both in the nation of My Fanfics, discussing relations with the new queen.
Thorkell and Dimsdale are met by a small squad of Imperial High Guards, who were currently patrolling. Their commander, a man named George Chillium, approached the two. "Is there something we can do for you?" he asked, his men holding their guns cautiously. There were still chances of Graffia Loyalists running about.

Thorkell is a very tall, gangly young man with long brown hair and goatee. He has sunglasses on so his eyes are covered. His attire is the knee length, kimono-ish robes of a Nemhec thane, although the Risban guards would not know this, which he wears over a black sweatshirt, black leather pants and goat suede soft boots (in other words, he's wearing his ethnic clothing). His left nostril is pierced with a ring. Dimsdale is a shortish, balding man with round wire glasses and a small, neatly trimmed beard. A Victorian styled dark suit covers his meek frame and he carries two suitcases.
Dimsdale looks at the guards nervously and a faint sweat begins glistening his brow, "Um...we are here to talk to Emperor Graffia on behalf of the Overlord of Nemh..."

Commander Chillium frowned. "Emperor Graffia was removed from power. He was executed thismorning... I believe that Nemh even blew up several refugee ships that crossed too close to its borders," said the commander. The High Guards raised there weapons. "We will escort you to Emperor Scorpius. I am sure he will want to hear of this."

"I just know the Overlord wanted us to talk to the Emperor," Dimsdale sighs with relief, "Well, maybe me. This one seems retarded."
Thorkell says nothing in response as they are guided by the guards.

One of the guards grunted angrily, but was silenced by a glare from Chillium. The people from Nemh were escorted to the Imperial Palace. After a few minutes of waiting, they were brought into the Emperor's office.
Emperor Scorpius was sitting behind his desk, going over the latest reports on the Anagonian elections. He glanced up, his face unreadable. "Ah, our friends from Nehm.... Tell your overlord that I thank him for destroying those rebel refugees. Have you recovered any more bodies?" The Emperor asked, motioning for the two to sit down.

Tag

Dimsdale removes a paper from his coat, "These are the names so far we have recovered, although I don't know how these backward heathens figured out who was who."
Thorkell had already seated himself as Dimsdale spoke. The small balding man proceeded to sit, "The Overlord would like to work out a way to deliver these bodies and to allow your ships to come and retrieve any others."
Then Dimsdale leaned forward, "They have something called 'hot rock', if you're interested..."

Emperor Scorpius extended his hand and took the papers, reading over the names. He recognized most of them. He looked back up at the men from Nemh. "Yes. We will move in a transport carrier with only a small gunboat as protection."
He set the list down, leaning back in his seat. "What is this 'rock' thing now?" he asked curiously.

Thorkell jolts his head around to look at Dimsdale, his mouth dropping and obviously surprised by the mentioning of "hot rock"
Dimsdale pays his taller companion no mind, "These barbarians call it hot rock, as they have no clue what uranium is. You see, Nemh and its inhabitants were enjoying a meaningful existence for literally eons as a bunch of goatherds and fishermen up near the Arctic Circle until an oil tycoon accidentally flew over the primitive little icy hellhole on his way to visit an offshore drilling site. He became enamoured with it and then obsessed over it when he learned there was uranium within the island. He mined it, but died before removing what he had mined from the island. These superstitious aboriginines have no clue what it can be used for, just that they need to stay away from the warehouses and the mines because it 'boils peoples' insides'."

The Emperor grinned slightly, folding his hands on the desk. "Ah... Uranium. Yes, we mine it here too, coincidentally. How much are you willing to sell and for what price?" inquired Scorpius.

"They literally have tons of this," Dimsdale continues, "And the Overlord has been trying to trade it, but because these retards call it some simplified kiddie name, no one has taken up the offer. I'll sell it to you for 10,000$ a ton-it's an unusual grade, by the way. Better than weapons quality, if the reports are correct. I must have some real money though-I'm tired of trying to cope with iron coins based on goats..."
Thorkell removes his sunglasses to show wide, evil, blue eyes glaring at Dimsdale and he slowly moves his left hand towards the inside of his dark robes.

The Emperor's eyes widened greatly. This deal was incredibly could. "Only ten-thousand? Excellent! We'll take the deal. I'll pay you in US Dollars or European Euros, your choice!"
He looked very pleased with this, not paying much attention to Thorkell. Luckily the High Guards stationed behind his desk, near the windows, were; they raised their guns towards Thorkell, catching the Emperor's attention.
"Hmm? Ah... Sorry, my friend. We're a little paranoid around here," explained Scorpius.

Dimsdale wheels around, looking at the bewildered Thorkell, who has both hands in the air.
"C-cyigarettes," the Nemhec says nervously, "Cahn I gyet my cyigarettes takk?"
Dimsdale snorts contemptously at the thane, "You should've shot him. It be an improvement. Euros would be perfect. Now, I'm not doing this through the Overlord, so they pickups must be done secretly, perhaps during the searcing and pickup of bodies? I am certain Eroc won't mind the transport and the gunboat-he's too obsessed with stargazing really. I need some help too figuring out what to do with the oversized idiot here, because first thing he's gonna do once we get back is go to the Overlord and run his mouth off."

The Emperor waved a hand and the men lowered their guns. Scorpius looked back at Dimsdale. "Yes. I'll have my men on the transports to collect it, and with the money. Now, onto more officialy business..."
He sat up straight. "I would like to know if Nemh would like an Embassy in Risban, and vice-versa. I am also willing to entire an Alliance, or at least a Non-Aggression Pact."

"I'll have to talk to the Overlord about an embassy here, which hopefully I can persuade him to make me the ambassador of," Dimsdale answers, "I'm sure though he will be eager to have a non-aggression pact with Risban..."
Thorkell nervously takes out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and, with shaky hands, puts the cigarette in his mouth and lights it.

"We would be honoured to have you as an ambassador, Mr. Dimsdale," responded Emperor Scorpius. "We look forward to greater relations with Nemh. I will allow Nemh to access our import/export trade stations as well. Please get back to me with your Overlord's response as soon as possible."
The Emperor glanced at the fidgeting Thorkell before looking back at Dimsdale. "Well, before your friend here passes out, I suppose I'll end this meeting. Do you have anything else you need to discuss?"

"Yes, we need to do something with him," Dimsdale indicates Thorkell, "As I said, he will tell Eroc of the uranium deal as soon as we get back. I also fear for my safety with him..."

The Emperor arched his eyebrow, but then nodded with a slight grin. "So be it. I'm sure Overlord Eroc will understand that we still have small groups of Loyalist Rebels around who are angry with Nemh for destroying their refugee ships.... We can pin it on them."
He raised his hands and his guards raised their guns again. "He can be taken care of most easily."

The cigarette falls out of Thorkell's mouth as Dimsdale smiles, "I will give the Overlord the sad news of Thane Thorkell's untimely demise. I look forward to doing business with you."
As Dimsdale walks towards the door, Thorkell begins rapidly talking, "Nei! Nei! Herr Dyimsdyale ist oosing you! It's plahn to-"
Dimsdale at that point leaps acrossed the room and tackles Thorkell in midsentence, knocking him to the floor, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!"
Thorkell calls out, "You tyink Eroc dyeal mit you if I die?!"

The Emperor frowned slightly, hands folded in front of his chin. "Hm... Dimsdale, please remove yourself from Mr. Thorkell. Thorkell, speak, and do remember that your life is on the line."
He men had formed a half-circle around the two Nehmecs.

"Ja," Thorkell uses a chair to help get to his feet, "Fyirst, Eroc won't dyeal mitowt me. Eroc my cussin. He knyows Dyimsdyale is noht gyud. He ist plahnning tyo gyet hyere to do bahd tings. If he get here, he wyill try tyo kyill you, ja?"
Dimsdale glares at Thorkell, "Liar!"
"Why I lie," the younger man snaps back, trying desperately to speak a language he is barely familiar with, "You noht evyen Nemhyec! You Fryom someplahce else..."
Thorkell then closes his eyes and braces himself for the bullets.

The Emperor frowned. "Most interesting... I am afraid that until I speak with Overlord Eroc I will have to detain you both as political prisoners. You will be placed under house arrest in the Empire's finest hotel," said Scorpius as his guards surrounded the two Nehmecs. "The videotapes of this conference will be shown to the Overlord if need be."
The Emperor lifted his phone and called for Overlord Eroc.



(OOC- I have to sign off for tonight. We can continue another time)

OOC-No problem...I gotta scoot myself...

IC-Thorkell seems shocked that he is not executed, while Dimsdale looks stunned over the turn of events. Both allow themselves to be guided off and searched, in which the guards find handguns on both.
Eventually, after being transferred around a bit, the Emperor hears the unemotional voice of the Overlord. He sounds younger than most leaders, ""Dis ist Eroc. Hyow cahn I hyelp you?"

"Greetings, Overlord Eroc," said Emperor Scorpius over the phone. "First off, I'd like to thank you for blasting those refugee rebels out of the water last week. It was of great service to the Empire of Risban.... Now, second, Mr. Dimsdale and Mr. Thorkell of Nehm both arrived in Risban on a visit. They came to discuss the transfer of Risban rebel bodies back to Risban. We also discussed increasing trade relations between Nemh and Risban, as well as allowing Nemh to build an embassy within Risban borders."
Scorpius paused slightly at this. He wasn't overly surprised that this Overlord seemed young; the Emperor himself was merely twenty-seven years old. During this slight pause, he seemed to be debating whether or not to tell the Overlord of the uranium. He finally decided he would, due to the fact that losing Nemh's uranium would not hurt too much since Risban mined its own and bought some from the Federation of Aligned Planets from time to time.
"And then a very interesting series of events took place," said the Emperor. "Mr. Dimsdale told me that you had uranium, or 'hot rocks' as you call it, within your borders. He offered to sell it to me at a very good price, planning on smuggling it out of Nemh when I go to retrieve the bodies. At this point, Mr. Thorkell, who had been looking ghastly, began to look even worse. Dimsdale declared he would tell you and asked me to kill him. I was planning on making the arrangements, for that uranium would be most useful to a developing nation like Risban, when Thorkell began yelling something most interesting...." At this point, Emperor Scorpius moved a speaker to the telephone, and played the entire meeting (sounds only, of course) to the Overlord of Nemh.

There was a few moments of silence as Eroc contemplated his answer, "That ist easily explyainable-Herr Dyimsdyale ist ryight. A Mahn came tyo Nyemh Befyore the birth of myost of the current Thyanes. He Broht mit him pyeople und the technyohnohgies that we hahve now, inclyuding space und cloning pyeople. He mined hyot ryocks, whyich I wahs unawahre wahs yuraniyum, syince gyoatfahmers nyever oose yuraniyum. Shertly ahfter the mahn's dyeath syeveral yahrs ago, Dyimsdyale shooed up. Only he no spyeak like he dyus nawr-he hahve ahksyent, myuch like yoos. He ohnly spook lyike that the furst wyeek. Then he spyeak like he dyus nawr. I doon't evyen thyink hyis nahm is Dyimsdyale. Und he ist ryight-I ahm quite interested in a nohn aggressyion pahct mit you. Byut Thorkyell ist ryight-I will no dyeal mitowt hyim. He ist mein cussin und lyike a brutter. Whyere ist Thorkyell und Dyimsdyale nawr?"


(Sorry if the accents between Thorkell and Eroc do not exactly match)

The Emperor nodded, listening to all of this. "I have placed both Thorkell and Dimsdale under diplomatic arrest. They are being held in Risban's finest hotel and have not been harmed at all; in fact, I'm sure they're finding their current accomodations to be quite nice. As for the Non-Aggression Pact: I shall add you to our list immediately, and get things ready for your Embassy here. What of the uranium? Does the deal Dimsdale presented me still stand?"
While waiting for an answer he lowered his phone, glancing at a guard. "Retrieve our Nehmec guests."
The guard nodded and went to get the two men.

"I wyould veery myuch like tyo trahd mit you," Eroc replies, "Byut money in Nyemh is noht gyud. We byarter. Syo hyere's mein ohffer-you trahd tyechnyolgee und or wyeapons, ja?"

The guards find Thorkell watching television. He seems comfortable so far as the tv itself goes, but he is bemused by the amount of channels. They find Dimsdale trying to escape up the vent in the bathroom.

The Emperor paused briefly. From what he could tell, Nemh was still not completely caught up with the modern world; perhaps this would work.
"Yes, very well. We currently do not have too many weapons, but we are very technologically advanced," said the Emperor. "Thus, barter with you we will."

"Mr. Thorkell," said a guard. "Emperor Scorpius will see you now."
They led Thorkell into the office.
"Mr. Dimsdale," said another guard. "We must ask that you please come down." The guards grabbed him and brought him to Scorpius' office.

"Ah, Overlord Eroc... Thorkell and Dimsdale have both just arrived in my office," said Emperor Scorpius through the telephone. "What do you wish for me to do to them?"

"Th-the OVERLORD," Dimsdale says with his eyes bugging out.
"God dag, cussin," Thorkell says with a smile.
"Hallo, Thor," Eroc replies, his voice actually souinding cheerful, "Send Thorkyell tyo mein plahne. Dyo mit Dyimsdyale as you syee fyit. Um...hyave you pyilot tyo fly hyim hohme? Dyimsdyale flew mein plahne, byut I nyo wahnt Dyimsdyale bahck...Oh ja...und Dyimsdyale. I EVER cahtch you in Nyemh again, I wyill kyill you myself......understahnd?"

The Emperor of Risban grinned slightly. "Oh, I think Mr. Dimsdale understands completely," he said, seeing Dimsdale's face. "And yes, I will have one of my best pilots fly Mr. Thorkell back to Nemh. In fact, this pilot will stay in Nemh along with one of our planes and will help your nation however he can. Perhaps you can make him your personal pilot or something. Consider it a down-payment. Goodday, Overlord Eroc."
The Emperor hung up, then stood up. He extended his hand to Thorkell. "Thankyou for coming to visit, Mr. Thorkell."
The Imperial High Guards maintained a grip on Dimsdale; Scorpius would get to him once Thorkell left.

"Takk," Eroc replied before hanging up.

Thorkell extends his hand and shakes the Emperor's,bidding him farewell. Dimsdale watches nervously as Thorkell leaves the room.

The Emperor sat back down, glancing up at Dimsdale. "So, Mr. Dimsdale... You have been exiled from your home, caught in a deceptive act, and are now under my authority. I have no problem killing traitors and liars, as you no doubt could tell when you entered up Julius Graffia's execution..."
Scorpius leaned back in his seat rather casually, waving a hand. His guards back up slightly. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself, Mr. Dimsdale. Primarily these two things: Where did you really come from and what were your real intentions in both Risban and Nemh?"

"Well," Dimsdale replied, "I suspect that Eroc told you he suspects my real name is not Dimsdale. He is right. I suppose he also said I am not from Nemh, as did Thorkell, if I recall. Both of them were right. I am actually from Risban, quite some time ago. I belonged then to a minor movement that attempted to assassinate a high ranking official, but failed. I fled the country. I worked for the oil tycoon in question and handled his records concerning that icy hellhole. That was when I started using the name Ambrose Dimsdale. I found out that he found uranium on that island and that, despite being exceptionally backwards and uneducated, that Nemh's people were also extremely good assassins. Apparently the Overlord and Thanes used them ages ago when they actually were relevent. Not just a small group of them either, but the WHOLE island-everybody-is trained to kill like that, even Thorkell and Eroc. It looked like a very good set-up for establishing a base of operations for a group to overthrow the leaders of the world-isolated with lots of uranium for nuclear weapons and a population of assassins to do our bidding. I did away with the tycoon, but his heirs took the money before I could embezzle too much of it. I went to nemh, endearing myself to then Overlord Tancred. Tancred however did not like my input into things, so I killed him and several of his fellow thanes, allowing for eroc, Tancred's named successor to take over. I thought I could control him-a quiet bookwork who stared at the stars. But I did not anticipate his popularity and his sadistic, evil wrath. He's more of a homicidal maniac than you. He gave his people lots of freedoms, all the while refusing to bow to me. I had to escape. He sent me with Thorkell to build a military beyond the feeble ships that they have. It led us here to risban. i decided to try to establish a foothold back in my homeland in hopes of restarting what i ran from decades before. The uranium would be how I'd get my money to do it. Funny-you'd be financing me to kill you..."

"My, my... how very interesting," said Scorpius, looking at this man curiously. "Of course, these facts remain: You attempted to deceive me, you admitted to trying to outdo me, and you have no proof of your story. Tell me, Mr. Dimsdale: Why should I spare your life?"

Dimsdale smiles, "Because right now, I know all about those goat-eating heathens and can tell you everything you need to know about them and their frozen rock, including where their uranium mines are and the strength of their defenses..."

Emperor Scorpius' eyes narrowed slightly. "The Empire of Risban currently has no reason to attack or steal from Nemh. Infact, Overlord Eroc is willing to basically give us the uranium for merelt technology. Besides, even if I did want to invade Nemh, Risbanian troops are too spread out and few right now as it is," said the Emperor.

"But Nemh was created by a meteor and it's 'sea' would make a good northern port...who would suspect a bunch of backward, sheep herding savages to have a highly technological navy based within their sea?"

"I am sure that with enough diplomatic pushing, Eroc would allow us to build our own base within his borders. I will ask him for such a thing when the time guns," said Emperor Scorpius, standing now. "But, now is not that time. Mr. Dimsdale, by order of the Emperor of the Empire of Risban, you are to be placed in a Risbanian prison. It is one of our nicer prisons, fortunately for you, and you shall be given your own cell, along with a certain amount of freedoms-- books, a television that can only show you news stations, and good meals. You will be kept there for as long as I see fit or until I find reason to release you."
Two High Guards came up behind Dimsdale, grabbing him by the arms.

Dimsdale struggles, but cannot break free of the guards.

"Goodday, Mr. Dimsdale," said the Emperor. The two guards dragged Dimsdale away quite easily, and transported him to the prison.