NationStates Jolt Archive

TO: Emperor Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, GPE & Derscon
FROM: Premier Hasan Muhammad, HWR
SUBJ: In the name of peace and freedom...

Comrade,

In the name of peace and freedom, I request that negotiations be held regarding south Hallad. If some sort of conferance is not held, there is no way peace will be upheld. I suggest that a conferance in which negotiations will be held for the return of south Hallad so that tomorrow might not be one of gunshots and missile strikes. Those who you see fit to attend will, of course, be invited to this summit. However, if it is to occur, I humbly ask no delegate from the warmonger nation of Allanea be sent. We are willing to host such a peace summit in Hallad, unless you have some place better.

Peace and Solidarity,
Hasan Muhammad
Premier of the Halladi Workers Republic

OOC: Tag.

RTFN PRIORITY
To: Premier Hasan Muhammad, HWR
From: Emperor Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, GPE

I will gladly partake in peace talks. I, unlike my current vegitated predecessor, do not jump to the gun immediately. If possible, we will try to resolve this peacefully.

All members of the High Command will be present. Also, I will host the talks here at the Kremlin. I will telegram you again when I am ready for your arrival, however there is one requirement -- no guards. Non-Dersconi armed forces are not permitted within Rekjyavich-Andropov Military City. You may carry a sword if it is part of your attire, however -- swords are signs of honour.

Please await my next communique until departing for Derscon.

Deo Vindice,

Czar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov XIV
Monarch of the Divine Prussian Empire of Derscon
Sultan of the Eternal Empire
Defender of the Holy Covanent
Emperor of Greater Prussia
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RTFN PRIORITY
To: Arch-Chancellor Nathaniel Conners, RWC
CC: Alexander Kazansky, GPE
CC: Foreign Minister Shiran Naelthasser, Northrop Grumman
CC: Defence Minister Arnim Kierle, Macabees
CC: King John Antonette, Cherry Ridge
From: Emperor Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, GPE
Sub: Hallad

You are to report to the Kremlin ASAP for talks regarding Hallad. If necessary, I will send a flight.

God Bless,

Alexei

Top Secret, Eyes Only
I will happily attend those talks. I would like to note however that perhaps some demonstration is in order to show the absolute military, technological, and economical superiority of Greater Prussia over the Workers Republic of Hallad. Perhaps the Facehuggerians would like to assist? If not, I am sure some form of fancy light show involving the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte can be arranged.
I will be on my way to the Derscon capital as soon as I send this message. I will be accompanied by my secretary.
Sincerely yours,
Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky

As the plane took off from Fedala International, of course under heavy aerial escort after Havenite planes had been reported in the far northern regions of Ruska [note, SafeHaven, not Haven the region], Field Marshall Arnim Kierle took a look at the series of papers arrayed in front of him on the desk, all depicting the current state of the Greater Prussian Empire's military, which could be considered large, but poor in most respects. Nonetheless, its physcological attributes ensured that it was a potent force on paper, which was all that mattered in times of peace, and even then, after he was done with the reorganization it would not only be strong on paper, but potent in action as well. Indeed, if Hallad chose to go to war over Southern Hallad it would not meet the forces it had in the first war; it would meet something it would not be able to defeat. Regardless, that was irrevelent, as for now matters were still incredibly peaceful.

Although Kierle was the Defense Minister for the Greater Prussian Empire his day job continued to be Army Chief of Staff of the Golden Throne, and he had been swarmed with decisions since his superior, Chief of Staff Durgstaden von Laifsraggen, had become Commander in Chief of the IADF, inferior only to the President of the alliance, currently headed by the president of Space Union. He had left all this work to his own inferior, his second in command Field Marshall Anton von Ferer, a very capable general and a very hard worker. Kierle had no doubts that von Ferer would be able to cope with commanding the ground troops during the War of Golden Succession, and so Kierle left Fedala towards Derscon relaxed and without worries - for the most part.

What would happen at these talks at the Kremlin between Hallad and the Greater Prussian Empire troubled him, as the war that had given Southern Hallad to Allanea had never been heard of in the Empire, and indeed, it must have not been an epic war, as those were normally studied by officers and non-officers alike during basic strategy and tactics studies. What was known was that somehow Southern Hallad was not Allanean territory, and that this now created problems internationally between the two countries, and consequently, the Greater Prussian Empire. As a new addition to the High Command, Kierle would have to sit through these talks and voice his own opinion, hopefully preserving peace through the show of force, than going to war; he felt that the GPE was yet not ready to go to war, although if truly needed, the military might of the Golden Throne itself would throw Hallad back over the border. Might power nonwithstanding, peace was always better than war.

Using a somewhat advance technique to send letters through large encryptions he decided to get up to speed with the situation before actually landing in Derscon, and consequently, he sent a short 1024 bit encrypted databurst to Allanea, and more specifically, Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky:

Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky,

Before these talks begin, as I sit here on my government issued passenger jet aircraft, I wish to get some things clear, and only you could possibly do this for me. Since we were not around to witness the original events sorrounding today's international crisis between the Greater Prussian Empire and Hallad we need to be filled in, and thus, we will bombard you with an array of questions.

First, how did Allanea, or the Greater Prussian Empire in general, gain control of Southern Hallad? Was it through war, cajolling, or what? What was the general capacity of Hallad's military compared to that of the Greater Prussian Empire?

Thank you for your time. All of this will make my job within these talks that much easier. Again, thank you.

With that, he closed his eyes, leaned back and prepared to sleep throughout the flight until he landed in Derscon. Maybe, just maybe, he would wake up an hour early to eat a nice hot meal before he actually touched ground. Yes, perhaps that was best for one about to embark on something he had never done before. Ah, the life of a 'Minister of Defense'. But such trivialities were not important in the face of sleep. Indeed.

Vice Chairman Shiran Naelthasser stared out of the business jet’s window at the wide open seas below him and thought about the new job that he had agreed to undertake. He was uncertain why exactly he accepted the position as Foreign Minister of the Greater Prussian Empire in the first place because he preferred to work behind the scenes as he did as vice chairman and not out in the open. This would be an entirely new experience for him. Nevertheless, he swore to himself that he was going to perform the duty to the best of his ability for as long as he was the Foreign Minister.

He turned his head back from the window and looked around at the jet’s cabin around him. It was a very old business jet, probably around twenty to thirty years old, and needed desperately to be retired. The white paint along the exterior was very faded. The seats were heavily worn around the armrests and seat cushions from use and the old engines vibrated the jet enough to be noticed. Unfortunately, the Chairman of the Corporation diverted the funds for the luxuries for himself and the rest of the ruling body in order to pay for the massive battlecarriers, carriers, and battleships for the all new space fleets that had been recently completed. The Corporation would most likely still be paying off the debts incurred by that project for several years to come.

He then briefly looked at his watch. About four hours until arrival, he thought as he reclined his seat back. He closed his eyes, not to sleep though for he was wide awake and jet lag had very little effect on him, but to meditate and clear his mind for the diplomatic talks ahead of him.

"Majesty, the Emperor has asked that you report to the Kremlin for talks with Hallad regarding South Hallad."

"Don't bullshit me, when has Alexei ever asked that I do something? He ordered it." he said laughing.

"Yes, Majesty." he said, unsure of himself.

"Disappear. I'm not in the mood for your stupidity."

"Yes, Your Majesty."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
King John stared out the window as he approached the airport.

This is Burgundian One, requesting permission to land.

Dear Mr. Kierle,

First of all, the Confederate States of Allanea is not in control of Southern Hallad – the Greater Prussian Empire as a whole is. It was conquered by joint Imperial forces in a war started by Hallad and their allies against Allanea and Greater Prussia, in which millions of Allaneans and Halladi were killed. One notes with great displeasure that Halladi Coalition forces were the first to target civilians.

As per the capacity of Hallad and their former allies, it is clear now that it was extremely limited, and unable to withstand the joint Greater Prussian/ESUS response. On the other hand, one feels no military force, except possibly one composed of Ctan and ENEM battleships, can withstand the joint onslaught of two forty-nation alliances.

As such, victory was not only won solely through the power of Greater Prussian arms, but through the power of diplomacy that was used to create the friendship between Greater Prussia and the Extra-Solar Union of Systems.

Thank you for your interest –
And May God Bless the Emperor.
Sincerely Yours,
Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky,
Marechal of the Empire,
Count de Centreville,
Custodian of the Imperial Archives,
Etc.

As each plane entered Dersconi airspace, four F-35 JSFs linked up with them as they travelled through. Any foreign fighter escorts were sent home.

When the planes landed in Rekjyavich-Andropov Military City -- the Macabees, the Northrop-Grumman, the Cherry Ridge, and the Imperial -- the fighters broke off and landed elsewhere. The three members of the High Command (plus Kazansky) were met with no ceremony other than a few Cadillacs waiting to take them to the Kremlin.

As they drove to the Kremlin Complex within RAMC, one could see the sheer massiveness of the entire thing. The walls are thirty-feet thick, the gates are ten feet thick -- and there's two of them. When theyfinally got into the Kremlin Complex, the convoy drove up to the lot in front of the palace.

They were led by two members of the Royal Protecton Service, going through three security checkpoints, guarded by fifteen seven-foot tall extraterrestrial Honor Guards and a total of thirty Praesillei Dei.

Finally passing them, the group came to the massive solid gold doors into the Kremlin Palace itself, guarded by six Honor Guards. When they passed through those, the High Command members entered the Grand Halle, which is a perfect sphere, with rounded doors all over the place, and a massive painting of the Ressurection on the roof. There are platforms extending out from all of the doors, but they themselves go nowhere. At the end of the passageway, two Praesillei Dei soldiers will type in the passcode to create the mobile energy platform that will float around to the appropriate passageways. "To get to the Star Office, you need to go up," one of their escorts said. "The halo over Jesus in the painting will light up and create a hole in the roof for the elevator to go through." And this they did.

They finally got into the Czarist Compound. The group found themselves in an elliptical room with six Honour Guards positioned in an imagenary hexagon around them and two large oak doors in the front of the room. When the party went through these doors, they found themselves in a long hallway lined with columns, Honour Guards standing in between them. The sheer massiveness of the room was awe-inspiring, the bright white of the columns offered contrast from the mirror-finish marble floors.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway to find two red-carpeted stairways on either end leading up. THey walked up the left one, and it twisted around, leading them directly above where they were, only a few metres of solid material separated them. More columns, only they weren't Honour Guards.

They were the Praetorian Guard, the best soliders in the entire Dersconi Empire, and possibly the Greater Prussian Empire as a whole. There were twenty of them total, and only fourteen were present -- one inbetween each of the six columns on either side of the hall, and two on either side of the large oak doors at the top of the small staircase at the end of the hall.

They were led through these doors to a small hallway, where they then entered the seceretary's office. The secretary -- a trained Praetorian, but not counted as part of the twenty -- let them pass through the energy barrier separating the office from the hallway on the other side of the room, and the High Command members (plus Kazansky) walked down the hallway to see an open ramp, which they climbed...

and entered the Star Office.

In front of them were massive floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over Kremlin Square.

"Well, nice of you to come," a voice from behind said. They turned around to find Alexei smiling at them from behind his desk, which curved around in a way that you could be anywhere in the room and there'd always be a desk in the way. Couches were set up in front of the desk -- three of them, arranged facing the desk. There was a bar to their left. Scattered about the room were the eight remaining Praetorian Guardsmen, and behind Alexei were four cloaked and masked figures that Alexei took everywhere. No one really knew anything about them other than the fact that they weren't human, and they had seemingly supernatural powers.

"Please, sit down," Czar Andropov said, motioning to a couch. "Care for a drink?"

Johns eyes flickered in amusement.
"Alexei, you know what I want. Baileys Irish Cream," He said as he sat down.

Shiran sat down nearest to one of the armrests on the couch and wondered what he should have to drink. He was not a frequent drinker of any alcoholic beverages and mainly chose to drink something like sweet tea, but this time he wanted to do something different.

“I’ll have some cognac. It does not matter what kind though.”

Arch-Chancellor Conners had already known that this conference was going to happen, and was in fact in flight on his way to the Kremlin to meet with the Emperor. He wasn't too happy with the aspect of dealing with Hallad, as he had already made it clear that he would not give back South Hallad, and that Hallad might as well move on; but others felt his stance was too harsh and that negotiations should be held anyways.

He drank a scotch as the helicopter made it's way towards the Kremlin, the pilot already radioing the guard stations at the Kremlin and awaiting landing permissions. He looked over to his pregnant wife, and smiled for a moment. She had accompanied him because he did not like to leave her alone when he travelled.

The Connor's couple was led up to the Star Office to find one of the cloaked and mased figures serving drinks from the bar.

"Ah, good afternoon, Connors. Please, sit down, have a drink." Alexei was having a (non-alchoholic) Birch Beer from the central regions of Derscon. "Let's see here.... well, I have everyone here that I need, although I'll wait a few before summoning Hallad's premier." (OOC: Mac, that's your cue to post! :p) He looked at the computer monitor on his desk, typed a bit, and sent an e-mail over the closed network inside the Kremlin, and then turned back to the present High Command members. Alexei stood up and walked around the desk, sitting down beside King Antonette.

"So, how is all of your new jobs treating you?"

Arnim Kierle had come into the conference wearing what military officials of the Empire normally wore, a white military suit, with his Golden Cross with laurel leaves, swords and diamonds within his collar, and an array of other impressive medals along his right breast, with over forty multi-colored ribbons on his left, just above the engraved image of a black double-headed eagle, the emblem of the Empire. His thin brown hair, charactiristic of the Dienstad region, was neatly combed backwards and he wore no cap, out of respect of the rest of those around him. He had come nervous, but that settled down as he sat down and thought things over.

Czar Andropov offered all a drink, quite politely, and Kierle, with all his taught manners, quietly responded,"Yes, a whisky straight, please. Thank you."

He was given the drink my a servant rather quickly and he took a sip from the stunningly beautiful cup the drink was given to him in. Turning over to his partner, Kazansky, before the Halladi Emperor was called in, he murmured,[i]"Let's kick off another round of this, shall we? Thank you for getting back to me so quickly on that message. Personally, I don't trust this country, or this man. I think he will turn this to war if he has the chance to."[i]

John looked at Alexei and said,
"Well, mine isn't not exactly new." he said, sipping his drink. He turned to the Maccabees delegate. He nodded and motioned with his drink,
"Hello Kierle."

King Nathaniel smiled as he took a seat next to his wife, "Well...it's treating me well, though Rachel here may disagree...she says I don't sleep enough anymore." he chuckled and stood up, "You don't mind if I help myself to the bar do you?" he nodded in the direction of the bar, he didn't really wait for an answer and poured a glass of bourbon, he was a straight-forward guy and usually only dealt with formalities if they were really neccessary. He took his seat next to Queen Rachel and put an arm around her, as he sipped on his bourbon.

"Nathaniel," Alexei responded, smiling. "One thing you'll learn in Derscon -- once you're offered the bottle, you're always welcome to help yourself. IN fact, it's quite an insult not to go for a second round." He looked around and motioned to one of the cloaked figures, and after saying something inaudible to it, the cloaked figure seemed to hover over to the computer, type in a few things, and then walked off. What it did was send a prewritten message to the Premier of Hallad.

Alexei then turned to Kazansky.

"Has any of the commanders in the military excersizes in Imperial land south of Hallad informed you of their progress?"
==================================
..::RTFN Priority::..
To: Premier Hasan Muhammad, HWR
From: Emperor Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, GPE
Subj: Arrival

Hasan,

RAMC has made the necessary arrangements for your arrival. You may depart as soon as you recieve this message, if you wish. Just remember a few things:

A) No guards, as I've said before

B) Radio ahead to Dersconi Air Traffic Command. I don't want to accidentally shoot you down

C) Once inside Dersconi airspace, any escorts you may have had must break off. Dersconi craft will escort you

Remember those things and everything will go smoothly. Dersconi security is airtight -- it comes from cultural paranoia. Oh, one more thing:

Don't break any of our major laws. Derscon doesn't honour diplomatic immunity or any other international law. If you for some reason were caught speeding if you were touring a city, it'd be shrugged off. I'm talking major crimes -- murder, grand theft auto, and in Derscon, having anything to do with the prostitution or drug trade, be it seller or customer. It may be different in Hallad, but in Derscon, we don't tolerate that. However, I entrust that this is not needed and that you are a responsible person -- however, it's standard procedure. Best to be warned about what you already know than not warned about something you didn't.

Deo Vindice,

Czar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov XIV
Monarch of the Divine Prussian Empire of Derscon
Sultan of the Eternal Empire
Defender of the Holy Covanent
Emperor of Greater Prussia

Hasan recieved the message sent by the Emporer and left on the next flight out to Derscon. He had no private jet, so he sat with a group of tourists, businessmen, and students on a commercial airliner. Throughout the flight he was questioned about the economic state of Hallad and, of course, if he was going to get south Hallad back. He assured the people south Hallad would be under the control of the Halladi people very soon. Soon enough, after many hours, The plane radioed for permission to land and it was granted.

Hasan, a young man of only thirty years, wore a pin stripe suit and bowler hat. He had a suitcase with him, which had several documents he reviewed on the plane. He made sure not to bring anything illegal into the country. He was escorted to the Czarist Compound, and lead to the meeting room. He opened the door and entered the room, removing his hat.

"Salutations, comrades."

OOC: Yeah, I don't feel like doing the whole "time zone" thing. Hurray for fluid time?(!)

"Comrade." John muttered under his breath sarcasticly. He then said flatly,
"Mr. Hasan."

Arnim Kierle was a bit more cordial, but that's just how his personality was. He rose from his seat and approached Hasan quickly, greeting him with,"Mr. Hasan, welcome to the conference. As you've probably taken notice, I wasn't here during the last talks due to my most recent appointment to my current 'rank', if you want to call it that. Nonetheless, I'm fully aware of the situation and I hope this can be resolved through peace."

With that said, he nodded his head down in yet another sign of cordiallity, and took his seat again. Hopefully, he left a good impression on that man, because that man wasn't leaving with what he wanted. His country would not be returned to him, most likely, if Arnim had successfully read the faces of those around him. The Greater Prussian Empire was not a political society to mettle and cajole, and if Hallad planned to get his land back through the pretentious bragging of his new military, after the debacle of the first war. If he tried to turn his military against the GPE he would find a seriously reorganized and revamped GPE military. Although there were certain politics involved between the Golden Throne and Haven, he would also face staunch opposition from the former - and politically and militaristically, the Golden Throne was not something to ignore; their record only underscored that.

As Hasan greeted the other men formally, and Arnim sat back down, he studied his opposition. He had already ordered six military overseers to the GPE territory south of Hallad, hoping to take a look at border defenses and such and design a way to make sure that the GPE would not be caught off guard if war broke out. Those six overseers would also be the embodiement of the Golden Throne's military presence in Haven until that trade colony was for sure occupied . He would have [i]a lot to say, although he would wait until his peers spoke so that he could get a feeling for the general attitude taken with Hallad's leader.

OOC: Hallad, you make the mistake of everyone else -- there is no door into the Star Office, it's a ramp that's part of the floor of the office that leads down into a small room ajoining the secretary's office on the floor below. One of these days I'll draw it and post the pic, but that won't happen for awhile. :D
===================================
Alexei did not come from behind the desk to greet Hasan -- in fact, he didn't even stand up. It wasn't because he was being rude and flipping him the bird -- no, not at all. He actually was sleeping in his chair with his head on his desk when Hasan walked in.

One of the cloaked figures nudged him in the shoulder, and Alexei slowly opened his eyes to see Hasan, yawned, stretched, and smiled towards him.

"Sorry, last night was a tad hectic, I didn't get much sleep. Please, sit down, have a drink." In reality, the only hecticness last night was with his wife Katherine, but Hasan didn't need to know that.

OOC: No door?! What kind of backwards nation is Derscon?!! :-P

IC:

The Defense Minster a approached him. Hasan smiled. "I, too, hope this can be resolved peacefully. We may boast and such, but we must always look to a better, peaceful future before putting good comrades in harms way."

Seeing the Emperor speak, he looked at him.

"No need to apologize, comrade." He took a seat. "It is completely understandable. Oh, and thank you for the kind offer, but I'm not thirsty."

OOC: No door?! What kind of backwards nation is Derscon?!! :-P

Backwards? Quite the opposite -- we're so good we don't need doors. :D
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The Defense Minster a approached him. Hasan smiled. "I, too, hope this can be resolved peacefully. We may boast and such, but we must always look to a better, peaceful future before putting good comrades in harms way."

Seeing the Emperor speak, he looked at him.

"No need to apologize, comrade." He took a seat. "It is completely understandable. Oh, and thank you for the kind offer, but I'm not thirsty."

Alexei was a tad insulted -- in Derscon, denying an offer to drink was like flipping the bird as a guest to his host -- but Hasan didn't know Dersconi customs very well -- no one did, really -- so he let it slide.

"Ah, okay, that's fine. Well, the bar is over there should you ever feel the need to take something -- there's water and other non-alchoholic drinks there, also." He looked around the room a bit, now that everyone was seated.

"So, Hasan, since you were the one to bring this up to me in the first place, I'll let you start the meeting."