NationStates Jolt Archive

[This shall be Yugoslavia's news and information thread, and may also be used to initiate some of Aidarov's internationalist ideas, that may hopefully get their own threads if there's sufficient interest. Questions welcome]


Escaped from the Lavragerian Republic in a retreat received there after the heroic fashion of Dunkirk rather than as a shameful event, Larionko Lav Aidarov had been successful in establishing a second landmark Slavic state, this time in the Western Balkans. Encouraged by the resiliance of his people in Lavrageria, Aidarov -now calling himself Lav, or Lion- made good use of them in the Balkans, wielding his considerable reputation like a shepherd's crook with which to direct the local Glakatahn towards a grand aim.

Most of the Western Balkans were now united under a President Aidarov -who had appointed a Prime Minister Gukov, though there was talk of elections banded about in respect of that post, and Ivan was widely regarded as a caretaker or interim head of government- and quite happily so. One couldn't walk a mile in any major town or city without hearing somebody singing Hey, Slavs!, and the drive to unity was going pretty well, by all accounts. It was quite exciting after generations of bickering between the conflicting personalities of the numerous nationalist governments that were joyfully cast aside with the Lion's arrival.

Yugoslavia was being carefully but not slowly organised by the Lavragerians. Aidarov was working towards his confirmation as President for Life, but that would not come right away. In the meanwhile the Balkan economy was democratised to some degree, and some local officials were elected to replace hardline nationalists and others who had vanished since the Glakatahn started organising referenda.

Some concerns, especially foreign ones, had been nationalised, and the property of mobsters and corrupt officials from the old states was siezed on a wide scale as Glakatahn swooped on known offenders who often escaped prosecution for technical reasons or mysterious lack of evidence before hand, or following tip-offs from newly encouraged and inspired citizens. The small-holdings and livestock of little farmers were not touched, and woe betide anybody who took the law into his own hands in a jealous attempt to attack a neighbour's such property. Small farmers and businesses that employed only a handful of persons or just family members were tyically visited by newly appointed officials and then left to continue their business, but some were warned about practices such as the wages paid or quality of services rendered, and a few were informally but firmly told to look to the democratisation and equalisation of their working arrangements.

Factories, mines, other major industrial and big public service concerns saw forceful and generally popular intervention from Belgrade and Novi Sad, though tactful managers and capitalists -who recognised the fact that this was now Lav's pride and no degree of indignation would stop it- could expect to stay alive, free, and even to keep much of their previously compiled personnal wealth, it was just that the gravy train didn't go past this stop. Anyone refusing to get off was liable to regret it.

Though government officers went into most media offices and some were shut down while others became nationalised, in large parts of the Western Balkans it would not be unfair to say that there was slightly greater scope for free speech and political opinion in the press, though this was only compared to the conditions under quite petty nationalist administrations before hand, who generally had much to fear from reform and unity. People, by and large, were happy to be allowed to say what they wanted because it also fitted with what the new order wanted, and indeed what it promised.

Race wasn't presenting a great problem at the moment, especially for anyone from any part of the Slavic family, but there was perhaps a hint of a shadow around the word religion. Aidarov's beliefs, or lack of them, were shared by a significant part of the populace, but by no means close to all of it. However, no serious initiatives had been taken against any religion -though a few unpopular clerics were finally opened up to fairly rough justice- and since a lot of Aidarov's lower government didn't share his interest in the subject there was no real sign of government officers causing trouble in the various regions of Yugoslavia.

From the various minor instruments of dischord there no doubt played the odd sour note, but these were typically unnoticed or ignored against the dominant up-beat theme.

Aidarov was still pushing his message in Albania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, but referenda there had either failed or been inconclusive, or had been disrupted by relatively strong governments or scuppered by separate nationalism or racism. He had significant support in each nation, and some loyal Glakatahn in settled and nomadic or semi-nomadic populations, but not enough to force the hand of national governments as he had in what became Yugoslavia. As Yugoslavia grew, developed, and became increasingly carried away with Lav, he persisted.

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Geography

Location: Balkan peninsula bordering Albania, Greece, Ottoman Empire, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Adriatic and Black seas

Area: 366,537sq.km including water

Natural Resources: Antimony, arable land, asbestos, asphalt, bauxite, calcium, chromite, clay, coal, cobalt, copper, gas, gold, gypsum, hydropower potential, iron ore, iron ore (low grade), lead, lignite coal, limestone, magnesium, manganese, marble, mercury, mica, nickel, oil, pyrite, salt, sand, silver, timber, tungsten, uranium, zinc

People

Population: 30,857,236

Government

States: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo and Vojvodina), Slovenia

(For military factsheet)

President Aidarov Appeals to Non-Aligned States

Yugoslavia's formation was under the premiership of a Lavragerian. Aidarov was a committed enemy of a Tsar who now held sway over more than two hundred million people and something like twenty million square kilometres of Eurasian landscape. He had misappropriated unknown millions of dollars given in good faith by both the visible Hindustani pillar of the so-called Progressive Bloc and by the most powerful member of the NATO alliance.

The Federal Republic was nominally socialist and had siezed many privately held assets, and continued to confront the recently more capitalist governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Albania with obvious attempts to subvert their populations and lands into the expanding union, which further alienated Yugoslavia from the remains of the Holy League and surely from NATO and NATO-aligned states. Lav built this Yugoslavia on his personal reputation and an aggressive ability to manipulate people, partly on racial grounds, and he was engaged in crash militarisation of the Balkans. He wasn't a great friend to the Progressives.

Vojvodina had done well out of his leadership, reforms, and largely criminal investment, but Vojvodina's people represented only a very few percent of the Socialist Federal Republic's total populace, now estimated at 23.4 million persons, and the act of spreading the wealth was, to say the least, wearing it thin.

Yugoslavia, and Larionko Aidarov, needed more allies, and was going to have to draw some of them from outside the major power blocs.

Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

President Larionko "Lav" Aidarov spoke to the world from a podium atop a stage set inside Petrovaradin Fortress in the little baroque city that might have tried under old government control to resist the Glakatahn insurrection had not the Lavragerians possessed jet aircraft. On the banks of the Danube in the largest fort complex of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, an atheist barbarian convert to socialism and pan-Balkanism declared Yugoslav neutrality in the power-struggles between NATO, Holy League, and Progressive Bloc, and promised protection and brotherliness to other Balkan people wishing to join the union of the southern Slavs and be free of the power-plays and meddling of the great powers.

Lav spoke of the first world, the colonial powers who tried to dictate the pace of the global economy from London, Port Royal, and Washington; called the leftist reaction to this the second world, supposing it to have started either with the Russian revolution or certainly later with the rise of Hindustan; added that a third world had risen by reaching into the distant past to resurrect the Holy League; and said that a fourth world went forgotten... all those who were here before the rise of these power-blocs but never identified despite their great numbers because of a lack of cohesion.

"Our voices are drowned-out by the thundering of great powers obsessed with themselves and one another, the cries of ten million Lavragerians blown away on the hot air of imperialist arguments and political rhetoric.

"The world implies that we must join one driving army or be swept away by another, but I am here in the Balkans to prove otherwise, and I ask you to do the same for yourselves, my bretheren around the world. Do not allow yourselves, Lusakans, to be nothing more than blockers protecting an Indian charge; people of West Africa, resist the urge to sell out your progress to the imperialists who first broke you or the capitalists who so long kept you down; people of the Americas, yearning to be free, you need not fear the great powerful north, as we do not fear the looming hulks of popes and kings!"

Aidarov was inviting the non-aligned leaders of the world to assemble in Petrovaradin, which he was already picturing as his Presidential township and the capital of the so-called 4th world, to discuss a neutrality treaty and co-operation pact.

(OOC: If anyone is interested in some sort of non-alignment/neutrality/"4th" world pact, feel free to make it known in this thread, though any resulting meeting would get its own thread if there's sufficient interest.)

"President Larionko "Lav" Aidarov spoke to the world from a podium atop a stage set inside Petrovaradin Fortress in the little baroque city that might have tried under old government control to resist the Glakatahn insurrection had not the Lavragerians possessed jet aircraft. On the banks of the Danube in the largest fort complex of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, an atheist barbarian convert to socialism and pan-Balkanism declared Yugoslav neutrality in the power-struggles between NATO, Holy League, and Progressive Bloc, and promised protection and brotherliness to other Balkan people wishing to join the union of the southern Slavs and be free of the power-plays and meddling of the great powers." Yugo Slavia

OOC- Some of the most delightful prose I have ever read, kudos man, youve only gotten better. Oh, and the HL isnt quite out yet. It may have to downshift on the larger scale of things, but the quiet undercurrents of French intrigue are likely to become white water rapids. Its great to be back. And the HL has it out for that bastard Aidarov. Make sure his soup isnt to spicy, eh? Deadly spicy!

OOC: My! Thank you. And I'm glad that the league's not dead: Lav needs real menace in order to add fuel to his fires of panslavism. Just don't go too fast, he needs a chance to get the Bulgarians on side before it's too late ;)

With Adirov's firey speech, many Parliamentarians advocate changing the nature of Hindustan's small diplomatic mission to Adirov's new Balkan state from establishing contact with the Lav to repossessing his Su-27s as reparation for making off with so much Hindustani money...

(Eh, a glorified tag I suppose.)

Kargat agents were everywhere trying to disuade unity in the new nation, though Tsar Wingert really had no intyerest in expanding his already vast empire beyond its present borders....at least for the time being.

Everything that would work against Yugoslavian unity was used, from Tsar Wingert showing himself as the true leader of teh Slavs, himself descending from the notable Slavic kings of Ukraine and Russia, to playing on teh rich depth of hatred between the various faiths.

Covert funding of Orthodox Christian nieghbourhood militias, nationalist parties, Catholic militias and even Islamic Jihadists were all going on, all seemingly having nothing to do with eachother. Men of no faith really found it hard to understand the people of the western faiths. The only person that they would distrust and fight against more than eachother, were secular aethiests. If anything half a century of Communism should have taught the people of this area that. They could never stop fighting, even if they were few. And every terrorist operating in that area was one more headache for the "toothless lion."

Also, the fear of massive Quinntonian involvement kept his head down for the time being.

As long as the hundreds of Kargat operatives worked hard to continue to keep Lav busy, Wingert was not worried about this motley conglomeration of states. If they were to cast a longing eye upon his vassal-states, then they would truly see the wrath of the One True Tsar of all the Russias.

Tsar Wingert the Great.

Just a note, as described on the old thread, this is the first Yugoslavia in AMW. Previously the history of fractured states imagining pan-Slavism and being frustrated by self-interested politicians carried on. The little states were probably mostly under nationalist governments full of criminals, more like a lot of little modern Russias (the Russian Fed, not AMW Russia!).

After the Great War, some power-plays *were* attempted. Serbia, thinking itself the new bigshot in the western Balkans with the Austro-Hungarian collapse, invaded the new Banat Republic and easily subdued it, and there was a chance for wider unity. But the fall of the Empire let the Glakatahn back in, and nobody outside could be bothered to deal with that problem. I dare say some of the more significant states were happy to see the tribesmen go back there and keep out of their way.

More recently the Glakatahn Kibas became essentially the region's mafia bosses.

For now, attempts to form religious militias probably won't get terribly far, because they haven't any particular reason to feel oppressed, unless in some cases by the old governments that have been torn-down. The most popular cause at the moment is pan-Slavism, which has always been frustrated in the past. The Bosnian notion of independence from wider religious organisation has also caught on to a greater degree, especially in recent times, and Aidarov is keen to foster it.
It is no secret that he, like most Glakatahn, is an atheist, but he has made no major movements against religion in the Balkans and the pan-Slavism into which he is tapping shall be directed into independence and strength amongst Slavs: Lav, who came to get rid of the old bosses and unite us with our brothers, asks only that we not bow to the authority of foreign religious leaders when we have our own amongst us... the Tsar might get some way past that as a Slav, but then some of the old bosses were Slavs, and they oppressed, and the Tsar is an invader and a fighter against fellow Slavs.

Anyway, to the point, there's no widespread history of what is often called communism, and besides, Lav is deliberately disassociating himself from the Prog Bloc.

In the end, for now at least, Kargat agents pursuing those ends will make less progress in the Balkans for now than will Aidarov's democrats in the Russias coming out of the defunct Caucasus schools, not to mention those who've nothing to do with Lav. Not that they can't try, and that Lav won't try to worm them out in future!

The Bulgarian acceptance of Pan-Slavism was slightly less enthusiastic than the embrace of Lav given by the people of the poor and often brutalised Western Balkan states, and even the more prosperous Croat and Slovene republics, who thought that it was all a very noble cause, not to mention the best way to resist absorbtion into a much larger state where their influence would be seriously reduced.

Continuing elections and small referenda were in some cases seeing people vote for their own sub-Slavic kinship, but Aidarov, being a little more forceful than your average democrat, had taken to ...moving public officials around the Socialist Federal Republic. Okay, so Bosniaks in Bosnia elected a Bosnian accountant to the ministry of trade? Very well, he can have an office in Ljubljana.

The massive government was heavily publicised. Photographic charts full of elected officials were plastered across newspapers with reference to name, office, and something about the number of votes given to each face. Information like this was shared everywhere, with the occasional special feature in local media given to a politician of ethnic or religious sort intended to calm nerves when Aidarov's eyes noted a red mark next to the regular reports he scanned on, "federal moral", though at this early stage there were few worrying marks to address.

The Socialist Federal Republic appeared to have reached its zenith in terms of territory consumed, having now 366,537 square kilometres of territory inclusive of maritime claims. This placed Larionko at the head of some 30,857,236 people according to the first Yugoslav census.

Bulgarian arms were now in demand and production began to increase as Lav sought to secure the Republic, which pleased the least enthusiastic members of his Pan-Slavic state (some Albanian malcontents aside, they would be considered later, the President thought), but would put a strain on the rate of development for the so-far enthused western believers.

Aidarov was starting a drive to attract foreign interest in his nation's metal processing, wood products, refining and fuel production, chemicals, and, increasingly, vehicles and military equipment. Small quantities of gold and silver were also offered up for export, as Lav needed cash fast. Still, if you wanted your metals or oil refined, Aidarov insisted that Yugoslavia was the place to get it done, and pick up chemicals while you were at it, especially with cheap labour evaporating due to growth and revolution around the world: the intermediate wages and costs here were better than spending years and billions establishing your own industries and doing it at home, surely!

OOC: I don't mean to sound at all rude myself, but what the devil are you talking about, man?

I don't contend for a moment that the USSR was not part of AMW, don't worry!

It's just that the Balkans are not, were not, will not be part of the USSR!

And I don't have any realistic ideas for stopping the Kargat getting agents into the Balkans, heck, I imagine that they had one or two there before Lav arrived. I just wanted to convey that, for now, there's no really good reason for Yugoslav unity to be seriously threatened from within, on a popular level. There'll be plenty of enemies from the old governments and some rich capitalists from the northwest who're none too happy, but most of those with the means to leave probably will have skipped off to the west (as much of it as is not under monarchist domination!), though they may be useful to the Kargat's efforts to sponsor dissent further down the line, I expect.

I'm not sure precisely where our wires got crossed, but my last OOC-ish post should be read as a reference to the Balkans, particularly the west, and not to, I don't know, a wider Eastern Europe.

O, fudge! I think I may have gotten my wires completely screwed. Upon the re-reading of your earlier post, I realise that I was operating under a misconception. My bad.

Ah well, then, I will edit my earlier post and just piont out that my only critique would be that the "not having any reason" for not being happy with the new government is very much assuming that you are dealing with rational human beings, which is not really the case in that part of the world. But I digress.

I really apolagize. Sorry.
Tsar Wingert the Great.

OOC: Hehe, no hard feelings, it happens.

However, I will add a, "woww, careful!" on to the last comment, there! I don't know that the people of the Balkans are inherently any less rational than the people of, well, anywhere else! Of course it has been horribly messed up in reality, in the last couple of decades especially, but hasn't always been all that remarkable.

The following will just be some talk on what I'm trying to make of Yugoslavia and why. It's not really directed at anyone or anything specific, but if you want to catch Aidarov's balancing act, I suppose...

I don't want to play all of the same... well, history that has built up recently. After all, Tito never rose to power in AMW, with Glakatahn figures proving better able to counter his influence than were the nationalist militias in reality. I don't know, exactly... I suppose I'm picking up less on things like Srebrenica and more on the spirit of things like the Sokol movement and Austro-Hungarian conscripts surrendering and switching to the Serbian forces for the cause of pan-Slavism during the Great War, or singing Hey, Slavs to Serb and Russian troops when they were supposed to be shooting at them.

In AMW, I'm supposing, these idealistic notions haven't been sullied by the break-up of a fairly artificial and dictatorial state, and in fact have come to the surface again after spending the time fractured by squabbling politicians, especially as Austria begins to look ambitious once again, and empire building comes back in chic.

However, this doesn't mean that there won't be other causes for dissent, but how many AMW nations are really the sort that please all of their citizens!? There is some danger of Pan-Slavism endearing the Russias to some in Yugoslavia, but their conflict with Aidarov (who threw-down the corrupt and devisive Balkan politicans) and association with French imperialists will be useful tools against the idea, and Aidarov hasn't put Socialist at the start of the new nation's title to endear it to the Progs... I'm also hoping to present the new state as appealing to the masses, at least outside Slovenia and maybe Croatia, as personally empowering after a long time as Europe's sick men, so to speak. That's part of what limits Aidarov's expansion, though... he wanted all the non-Russian Slavs of Europe in a grand empire, but the Poles and many others who suffered behind the curtain are turned off to left politics and economics by (all be it unfair) association. That's why I almost included the Hungarians (despite their not really fitting the Pan-Slavic vision), as I was thinking of how most of the rebels 'back in the day' wanted to cast off the party and Moscow's domination, and allow things like religious freedom, but didn't want to give up socialism.

Er, so, if people don't mind too much, what I'm trying to do is capture early C20th Pan-Slavism after the Balkans spent a century divided and outside the Soviet Bloc, and the very basic socialism that many in the wider region were keen to keep even when they lost faith in the so-called communist authorities. I think that both are needed for this to be pulled off, really, no? Aidarov has to get pan-Slavism but without including the Russians! Blending it with socialism is the best idea he has. He'll probably end-up playing-up religion in order to distance himself from the Igovians, too.

This seems to be going off track, but in truth this is just a thread about Yugoslavia, and not a specific RP, so it's fine to chatter on, here. I'm working on fact book elements and on a few minor under the table deals with other nations, in the meanwhile.

Heil!

The Socialist Federal Republic brought a grand change in the Balkans, and this was increasingly visible in every depth and direction. People found themselves travelling from Bosnia to Macedonia just to see their comrades, Slavs in arms, even if they'd never really thought before that they wanted to. Lav's government was laying on the foundations of an impressive and integrated public transport system with coaches, taxis, trams, trains, and planes, and while he was using local coal and timber supplies to power small, vaguely modernised steam engines, the Premier was seeking technological help from abroad to produce efficient electric motors for many public vehicles in hopes of off-setting the environmental damage done by his rapid industrialisation.

Re-arming was progressing well with large stockpiles of old equipment, from the Serbian and Bulgarian militaries in the main, going to support the vast irregular and reserve organisations that Aidarov was devising, such as the Trained Reserve and Territorial Defence Force. Relatively high-tech industrial systems from minority parts of the new union were being copied and applied to other areas as widely as possible with existing resources, and the plane-loads of machinetool-bits brought from Lavrageria (established there with help from neighbours and aid givers, not to mention Aidarov's substantial criminal fortune) were emplaced in new factories raised in areas of traditionally high unemployment.

The SFRY was also in the middle of several slightly dodgey deals, such as the secretive attempt to acquire, through intermediaries in the UAR Lusaka, access to the HAL Dhruv, which Belgrade intends to replicate if the Lusakans -backed by Yugoslav gold, and funds actually originating in Hindustani aid to Lavrgeria- can acquire plans and machine bits. Whether the Yugoslavs will be capable of copying the powerplant and various available avionics may actually be in some doubt, but Lav has thus far proven a resourceful fellow.

If Aidarov does succeed in essentially ripping-off the Dhruv, especially using intermediaries fairly well regarded in Hindustan and with funds partly derived from misappropriated Hindustani aid, he is unlikely to endear the SFRY to that nation.

Truthfully, this is part of the Yugoslav premier's plan. His on-going attempt to create for himself a leading role in a new nominally neutral power bloc through the proposed non-alignment treaty means distancing Yugoslavia -even as a self-proclaimed socialist state- from the so-called Progressive Bloc, at least in the eyes of NATO and the Holy League. Aidarov may fear that either of these two forces see his young federation through the eyes of potential conquerors or simply of competitors, and that -outnumbered far more than ten to one by the likes of the Igovians- Yugoslavia would be but a pawn in global conflicts if part of the Prog Bloc, and a piece that NATO and the HL would be keen to knock quickly off the board. This means that Aidarov must make the right-leaning powers believe that his administration does not place the Balkan peninsula under left-bloc influence, and he sees obvious manipulation of the Hindustani government's good nature as relatively safe and visible way of doing this. Less dangerous than stealing from the increaingly aggressive Igovians and more profitable than trying to manipulate the relatively introspective Lyongians.

At the same time, Belgrade makes a big fuss about its attempts to acquire and develop new environmentally friendly technologies to put the new federation in a good light so far as the progressive bloc's populations are concerned, and even hopes to get high-technology assistance from the left by aiming at newly emerging clean technologies where they might expect to be denied cutting-edge technology in other fields due to political and moral concerns.

(Does that even make sense? I was interrupted and lost my chain of thought... didn't get in everything I was originally intending, I'm sure.)

Yeah, it makes fine sense. Bloody scavengers, all! Why can't you just settle with the IAR-330?

*Pines over being ripped-off*

IC:

When it comes to Dhruv-copying, Parliament doesn't have the slightest idea what is going on, due in large part to its apparently outdated belief in Lusakan integrity. "That's ok," HAL workers might say to Lusakans attempting to bribe their way to the Dhruv, "we'll set you up a production line and you can build helicopters yourselves. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Needless to say, Mumbai won't be happy when it realizes that a ton of places have Dhruvs that Hindustan never sold them, and it will indeed be an awkward situation.

Not, of course, as awkward a situation as Vasiliy Podgordin faces when interviewed by the BBC. The few seconds of film showing the old An-14 pilot standing around with the Yugoslav pilots at his new airbase is seen by countless Hindustanis, including his old squadron mates.

"Hey, its Vasiliy! That schemeing bastard!" says a Flight Leftenant on the other side of the earth.

The Lav might be especially interested in Podgordin, since a little bit of research will reveal that, during his days in the HADF Operational Evaluation Squadron, he was one of the first people to fly the Dhruv.

Hindustan, say many Hindustanis, is quite willing to establish friendly relationships with everybody (well, barring France, which everyone hates), so long as those places with whom Mumbai is willing to make friends don't go and put the proverbial bag of flaming excrement on Parliament's front step. Is Adirov off to a new start in the Balkans? Good! Mabye he'll sort the place out. Is Africa finally getting its act together? Good! They've got our support. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, the saying goes, but it looks to some of the more astute Hindustanis that the Lav, and to a certain extent well-loved Derek too, have out the salt and the fine cutlery.

Of course, Yugoslavia has a history of ripping-off designs, say some Hindustanis. "Just look at the Super Galeb," says one. "What is that? Some kind of castrated Hawk? And the Orao...a crude Jaguar knock-off. We ought to be proud if the Yugoslavs make a copy of our fine helicopter!" Not addressing, of course, the issue of profits lost by HAL when the SOKO begins turning out their own Dhruvs and butting into what was formerly an entirely Hindustani niche.

OOC: Aidarov biting the hand that feeds him...Hmm, doesn't that sound familiar? ;) You're lucky Putin is dead, Aidarov!

Getting its hands on some of what is needed to produce the Dhruv is an on-going work that excites the Yugoslav state and gives it some confidence in light of Lav's intention to make Yugoslav arms exporting worth a billion or more dollars per year. Of course, actually replicating the power plant and more advanced systems remains a potentially difficult affair, but as domestic need, monetary wealth, local pre-existing industry, reserve stocks of weaponry, and looted Lavragerian machine bits all combine to get the industry off the ground, it looks possible that Belgrade may actually be able to afford the help it needs to go further.

Across the economy there is much activity in Yugoslav markets, which Larionko has not tried hard to restrict or control. High technology from Slovenia and Croatia is suddenly required by ambitious co-operatives in the rest of the federation, who are positively busting with confidence in this new, proud climate. ?Worker self-management programmes are almost worthy of Neo-Anarchos or the Igovian Soviet Commonwealth, but for the most part the state's vendetta against market forces is small enough that it could be lost under the Strainists'.

Wages and buying power are on the up, and this works for now while productivity is climbing at a fantastic rate. But that growth of productivity is due to a radical modernisation of industry that can only happen once, and to voluntarily high levels of commitment to work that comes from a revolution. Nobody knows for how long the latter condition can persist, though the former certainly creates the impression that Yugoslavia is where the growth is at, and might sustain itself through this first unified generation. Certainly if it were to level-out before then, the newly high wages of the co-operatives would devalue the currency that Lav is introducing across his federation, but, one suspects, Lav would be quite ready to take radical action in the event of such a change in the distant future.

The military, of course, represents a linchpin in Lav's Yugoslav vision. Already it appears that the President is moving to restrict worker self management in vital defence industry, but it is quite possible that this may extend to cover potential exports that the independent and socialistic population in many regions would possibly oppose if left to manage their own affairs. Now, Kastus Vorobei was making known more specific information on the future of federal defence.

Factories were already receiving new information, plans, and tool bits as Novi Sad's administrative structures decided upon quite unexpected options in the standardisation of defence equipment: the SFRY was going to use 9x19mm and 5.56x45mm munitions instead of 7.62x25mm and 7.62x39mm, and 7.92x57mm -better known to some as 8mm Mauser- instead of 7.62x54mm. These things were but individual examples of the reforms under way, and the experienced Vorobei drew-up plans for professional and conscript forces to defend the Federation.

There would be:
*182,000 Army personnel including 70,000 volunteers and 112,000 conscripts
*575,000 Trained Reserve Forces
*1,200,000 Territorial Defence Forces
*18,000 Militia Troops (heavy security police)
*50,000 Federal Militia (police)
*42,000 Air Force personnel including 37,000 volunteers and 5,000 conscripts
*13,000 Naval Forces personnel including 8,000 volunteers and 5,000 conscripts

The solid start made by national security forces meant that Aidarov could no longer delay federal elections, and began to speak openly about the planning for such.

"As your devoted leader I shall require your help in selecting a Prime Minister" he said, "of course it is only right that such a leader have the power to select his deputy, but as our intermediary it is no less proper that he be an official with popular support and that all parts of our federation play a part in his -or her- selection. Candidates will present themselves and be assigned work in the community and in Belgrade and Novi Sad. At a date in the near future, millions of Yugoslavian people will vote in Slovenia, Croatia, Vojvodina, Kosovo, Mid-Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Bulgaria to send able candidates back to Petrovaradin, and there I shall appoint an able Prime Minister from amongst them."

Meanwhile, it appeared as if Albania's deforming acne was contagious. Remote areas of the Yugoslav countryside were hosting tests and demonstrations of prefabricated one-man bunkers infamous for their pervasion under the Stalinist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. They had reputedly been installed in small numbers and with little standardisation in the Lavragerian Republic, but lack of building materials and spare industrial capacity along with the exposed and waterlogged nature of the terrain had prevented their effective use against the Holy League's assault. In the Bosnian countryside, Vorobei himself witnessed a volunteer emerging alive and well from one of the little half-sunken daleks after a solid minute of concentrated shelling by a T-55 tank.

The ugly little mounds could perhaps by called a symptom of Aidarov's deep affliction with the horrors of a losing war.

OOC:
it might be worth mentioning the Joint african/indian twin engine gazelle upgrade as anothe rpossible avenue of Yugoslavian interest, after all they were IIRC fairly big gazelle users.

A few of the upgraded gazelles might even be on the second hand market (strathdonia moved all of ours to paramilitary Warden and police usage when we got the Dhruv) but as with the dhruv it would be the engines that might pose problems.

You could try getting stuff from strathdonian aerospace companies but msot of them are a bit reluctant to do much independently after getting slapped down by HAL over the Dhruv gunship derivative...

Tag

Germany is interested in investing in Yugo Slavia's border defenses if necessary. germany is need of new weapons, and Yugoslavia can benefit from Germany's technology and investment opportunities.

OOC: Indeed, they went so far, I think, as to export licence-built Gazelles as the Partisan. I am assuming that a lot of Yugoslavia's production in heavy and advanced military industry hasn't happened, since Serbia alone lacked some of the resources and wealth to achieve anywhere near as much, and didn't have all the same political ties anyway. In reality they engaged in licence production of a lot of major items, co-operated with the Swedes to develop advanced designation systems that Yugoslavia couldn't have managed alone, and so on and so forth. In AMW, the state is of course a bit more modern, the economy could be described as... energetic, and Lav has brought in a lot of equipment from Lavrageria (which got it via aid and relatively recent co-operation with Putin's Russia) along with significant funding for initial development, but it still lacks highly capable partners in development of high-tech items and of course in trade. Lot of schemes under way, though! Now to convince Strathdonia that non-alignment is the best way to show its neighbours that it's not in cahoots with the imperialists :D

Following-up Belgrade's earlier attempts to convince Germany of the benefits of purchasing part of its ammunition supply from Yugoslav sources, the Socialist Federal Republic now looks to initiate significant co-operation with German firms, hopeful that it will lead to spin-off trade.

Seeing that much of the European continent is under the sway of the domineering Holy League, Aidarov hopes to encourage Berlin to see the Balkans as a strong enough partner that Germany can resist pressure to toe the League's line.

Yugoslavia is presently investigating the possibiltiy of domestic production of a modern MANPAD (shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile) based upon the Igla 9K38 (SA-18 Grouse) supplied in large numbers to the Lavragerian Republic and taken in small quantity to Yugoslavia, where they are now being examined by local and Lavragerian engineers. The hope is to produce an equivalent to the Igla-1 9K310 (SA-16 Gimlet), an improved version of Igla/Grouse, and to do it very cheaply in Yugoslav facilities. Developing a reliable modern two-colour (IR/UV) seeker head represents a major challenge, and the hope is that German firms may be convinced to assist the Yugoslavians and develop an effective MANPAD system that could also serve German needs more cheaply than Quinntonian Stingers and Russian Iglas, and with less diplomatic and political strings than attached to the Igla or the French Mistral.

It is thought that there would also be significant export potential given that Yugoslavia presents itself as a neutral state and that costs would likely be lower than for competing designs. German firms investing technical know-how and some advanced production equipment in the Yugoslav project would receive a share of export profits to be negotiated with Belgrade and the involved workers' groups.

Meanwhile, Aidarov continues to advertise his hoped-for conference on neutrality and non-alignment, sending invites to many African governments from Lusaka and the Commonwealth to Strathdonia and West Africa, as well as to Berlin and to the Ottoman Turks.

While it was not clear exactly how, somehow, the Ottoman government got word of the idea and sent a man in a rickety aircraft (which ran out of fuel on the trip) to Yugoslavia to say that they would be willing to "open" relation and to attend a conference.

Perhaps a conference can be held in Berlin? Germany is interested in a formal military alliance.

Yugoslavia was glad to have the Ottoman representative... not least because the former master was now presented as almost incapable of getting a diplomat across the shared border, let alone an army.

In truth there was some low-key hostility lying about, especially since Aidarov had continued for some time to present the Empire as another possible threat to the little Balkan states. He now indicated apparent Ottoman weakness as merely being relative to Yugoslav might and wealth.

Petrovaradin (http://p.vtourist.com/2248039-Travel_Picture-Petrovaradin.jpg), in Novi Sad, was now a bustling fortress of high-government officialdom in the Socialist Federal Republic that little more than three centuries earlier was briefly in Ottoman hands. Here and there the ramparts and rooftops wore crests of pipes pointed skyward, the barrels of twenty and thirty millimetre anti-aircraft cannons, and at the gates stood soldiers with 5.56mm APS-95 assault rifles and 8mm Mauser Zastava-M76 sniper's rifles. The new flag of the SFRY flew in several places around.

Larionko Aidarov, who had been in the fortress town when the Ottoman delegate arrived in Novi Sad, slipped out on hearing about the sorry state of his guest's transport, and made a point of flying out aboard his overhauled IL-14 Crate and coming back in full view with the aircraft of old design but good condition and flashy presentation flying over Novi Sad with an escort of an Su-30 Flanker recently repainted in Yugoslav rather than Lavragerian colours.

The German government was again invited to represent itself at Petrovaradin, as Aidarov was keen to discuss possible economic and defence co-operation with the wealthier German state, but was not presently prepared to leave Yugoslavia: he had just arranged for multinational talks in Novi Sad and would not be walking out on them to visit Berlin.

A seperate conference, the Conference of the Republics will take place in Berlin. The conference is discuss political motivations of international countries, and what Germany has to offer. A representative to the conference is most appreciated. Germany's Chancellor will visit Petrovaradin in a formal state visit to discuss possible technolgy trade and investment in the independent republic. It is hopeful that a formal alliance can be finalized.

Colonel Amule Saleem Amin represented the United African Republic's part in the prospective conference, and might surprise many by his... not being a black man. The Zanzibar Arab head of AIB (the African Intelligence Bureau) travelled in less than exquisit comfort aboard a twin-engine Preston transport aircraft of Igovian Soviet origin.

(Tired, just making the Lusakan mark.)

The Strathdonian govenrment has had much discussion about what exactly "non alingment" really ment and wether or not Strathdonia actually fitted any such definition and what possible outcome attending any such conference would have on relationships with just about everyone outside of the HL (because the Strathdonian govenrment have given up caring about what the HL thinks and they make a better boggie man for the public than Lusaka ever did).

As a result of these discussions a small diplomatic team is dispatched to attedn the conference, the single BA-320 of the Republican Squadron beign specially buffed up to super shineyness for the occasion.

It's good to know that a number of nations are questioning the authoritive Holy League and their monarchies.

OOC: Since Nigeria is a Russian protectorate, and Strathdonia has peacekeepers in the HL...Aren't they technically working with the League?

The Quinntonian government would very much like a seat at this conference, should they be accepted.
WWJD
Amen.

As long as they haven't been active within the league and having official membership..right? I recently just got back in on this, so I appreciate it when you guys explain a little further.:fluffle:

:mp5: Homophobia

As long as they haven't been active within the league and having official membership..right? I recently just got back in on this, so I appreciate it when you guys explain a little further.:fluffle:

:mp5: Homophobia

What is with the emoticons?
WE Must not tolerate intolerance!

Tsar Wingert the Great.

OOC: Since Nigeria is a Russian protectorate, and Strathdonia has peacekeepers in the HL...Aren't they technically working with the League?

I think the Strathdonian govenrment are probabaly ignoring that fact right now, although officially the troops are helping "the people of Nigeria" and not standing around gaurding pipelines and oil infrastructure at all. Of course the Strathdonian govenrment is more than a little bemused about whats happening in russia and why anyone would want to be ruled by a bunch of feinian scum (when the orange order plays a big part in a nations society they tend to have a less than crystal clear view of the newly resurgent monarchies).

Currently the govenrment also has the small matter of a war in zimbabwe to keep it occupied but if things progress then expect the peace keepers to be withdrawn forth with.

As long as they haven't been active within the league and having official membership..right? I recently just got back in on this, so I appreciate it when you guys explain a little further.:fluffle:

:mp5: Homophobia
To explain a bit about strathdonia, take rabid west of scotland/northern ireland sectarian prodestants and give them a african country to run and you pretty much have strathdonia, during marching season it has not ben unknown for catholics to disappear or be assaulted for being "fench spies", officially the govenrment is trying to curb this sort of violent feeling but there is only so much they can do. And the nigerian deployment was started when russia was still under the Putin Administration.

(OOC: What is it that's keeping Nigeria's hundred and thirty million under Russian control, since the nation can't even keep its own house in order? I don't hear enough about Nigeria to make me believe that Moscow has any real answers to internal strife there, or enough force committed to keep from losing control entirely. Maybe I've just missed it. I have some confusion over how it really worked to begin with, I just remember a lot of names that weren't even Nigerian and not much about the civilian constitution and democratic systems that the place has had for years, or the nation's major trade partners (US [especially since Q. makes a point of playing RL-based economy in USQ], UK, Brazil, China?) and what they think of it all. Just curious.)

Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, Serbia, The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

President Larionko Lav Aidarov, certainly until Prime Ministerial elections, enjoyed almost total control over the administration of a new state thirty million souls strong with a presently growing economy worth more than one fifth of a trillion dollars and a regular military almost quarter of a million strong. Though this made him captain of a youthful state smaller and less wealthy than most of its continental enemies, he was feeling pretty good about himself, and still often wore the traditional Glakatahn robes in which he'd sat at Washington. His people had all the fervour of a proud race united for the first time after centuries of occupation and forced division by empires Russian, Austrian, and Turk.

His backdrop today was a baroque city in a fortress rated in its day as one of the two mightiest in Europe and with a history the better part of a millennia long. His attire was the traditional Glakatahn, furnished with a few references to the states in his new union. His guard was uniformed in a way unfamiliar to all others attending, being comprised of several agents from the as yet unknown organisation named Sova-15 -the office of the owls, wise and alert beyond compare- and armed with Serbian Crvena Zastava 999 automatic pistols and ARSENAL Shipka submachine guns from Bulgaria.

Everywhere in the city, amongst ancient fortifications and fine public buildings, happy citizens with a guiding hand in their own free and ample work, were deliberate signs of Yugoslav strength. Representatives of every armed branch were to be seen left and right, carrying between them examples of the really vast assortment of domestic weaponry that the federation produced. Here a police officer with a Model 84(2) machine-pistol (the local 9mm-short version of the Czech Skorpion), there a heavy police unit with MP40-like Model 65 submachine guns, passing by an army patrol with 5.56mm M80 assault rifles and a vehicle plainly carrying Bumbar anti-tank guided missiles. Over-head a pair of J-22 Orao -resulting from joint Bosnian/Romanian work before the creation of the SFRY- could be seen carrying brand new TV-guided Grom-variant missiles in a landmark development for Balkan defence production.

Aidarov wanted it known that Yugoslavia was already no Lavrageria, preparing to face down a combined-arms assault with a pony and a Mosin-Nagant. It built its own modern assault rifles and was trying to win contracts to supply foreign militaries with the munitions for these, not to mention the weapons themselves. It built guided weapons worthy of a modern high-intensity battlefield.

But, once the conference got underway, Lav would make it known that he sought help to go further. Bulgaria especially had massive capacity -he was looking to sell-off literally hundreds of T-55 (for just a few thousand dollars a piece) and some T-72 tanks and dozens of MiG-21 and 23 aircraft- and Croatia and Slovenia had high technology in place, while Vojvodina had both high technology and the capacity to begin replicating it, but on a large scale these things were not combined. Yugoslavia was not confident of its ability to produce modern high-performance interceptor jets with efficient supersonic powerplants and reliable long-range sensors.

Importantly, Belgrade and Novi Sad (both mentioned as the former is official Federal capital while the latter remains the seat of the President and the administrative capital of the union) did not know which way to look. The Holy League was off-limits, and, Lav would say, NATO looked since the fall of his friend (as he now called the former PM) John Bull to be virtually in bed with the European tyrants. Association with the Progressive Bloc would make Yugoslavia a greater target for these forces, and represented something undesirable to this President, who did not wish to isolate himself from the rest of the world.

That, he would explain, is what drove him to call this conference at Petrovaradin.

Co-operation outside the major power blocs. Freedom to operate in whatever systems a state desired without binding itself to the global power struggle. Protection through organisation and combined pressure to make sure that no independent nation could be bullied by the weight of a power bloc leaning against it.

"Look, we nations here! If the Republic of Gabon had joined in treaty with us, its invasion would have put the attackers in a very difficult situation should they ever wish to possess uranium or copper again in future!"

OOC: I've been working on it, Lav. I'll admit when I first chose Nigeria as the spot for the Mafiya coup, I knew little about the country, but I've been heavily researching it so I can come up with a full thread outlining the workings of the nation during Winter break. The main reason the nation retains Russian control is that A) the charismatic leader who took over (Mubarrak) is and has been on the Russian payroll, B) the Russian presence has been almost unfelt on the ground. While Putin eventually planned to fully incorporate Nigeria into the Russian economy, that was WAAAY in the future. Nigeria is largely left to Mubarrak's devices, and the Russians play the outside role by providing gigantic infusions of cash and helping establish the nation (infrastructure, government, etc.). But this is all done either through foreign contractors or local Nigerians, so there is a minimal amount of Russian boots on the ground and an even smaller amount of troops. There's a lot more stuff to go into, which is why I'm writing an RP, but trust me, it makes logical sense)

(OOC: Okay, I appreciate that it may take RL time. I do have some doubts about how much Russian cash can do, however. Nigeria has almost as many people as Russia (and Russia has a lot to do itself given how youthful is its own economic recovery and how vast its areas of gross under-development) and it's sort of akin to the USA deciding to solve Indonesia's problems at the American tax payer's expense! If it's pivotal on a puppet leaderships I'll be interested to see how long it is before the worm turns, so to speak...)

(OOC: Just a note- I was going to start a new thread for the conference, but I've decided that this one isn't laid-out well for a sort of factbook thread, and I may as well just keep using it for the meet and start a new Yugoslavia fact thread, later. I don't really know why I'm telling you this now, possibly it is just to remind myself to sort out a new thread.)

Tsar Wingert has little interest in Africa, though it does warm his heart that people on a continent that he has never visited pay him homage.

Tsar Wngert's Ukrainian government petitions for a seat at the conference.
The Tsarist vassal state of Moldava petition for a seat at the conference.
The Tsarist vassal state of Tsarist Lavrageria petition for their Regent Sir Reginald to get a seat at the conference.
Prime Minister Armand of Russia petition for a seat at the conference.

It was understood that these would probably not be taken seriosuly, but each diplomat protested that they had a right to be heard and proclaimed that they would like to work towards peace in the new order of Europe.


OOC-Just so it is clear, Putin had engineered a near-total economic recovery ofr Russia. Added to that, through his many Rps, he had effectively stamped out organised crime and rebuilt and field tested his military, the Tsar is in pretty good shape. One must remember also, that this is not some bloody civil war or government coup, the Tsar is being elected in the most painstakingly democratic ways possible. And, given Tsar Wingert's rabid pro-business style of leadership, the economy will only improve. However, Nigeria isn't exactly high priority right now, and I have a few ideas for what I want to do with it, working with AC, of course.
It really isn't any more unrealistic than having an entirely new nation spring up out of disparate ethnic groups that were killling eachother at record levels just acouple of years ago and then taking the world by storm as a munitions exporter, including high tech weaponry. When you think about it.


Tsar Wingert the Great.

OOC: Not that it would have anything to do with Yugoslavia's situation in AMW anyway [confused look]

OOC: We in AMW have an incredible ability to go on tangents...And it's President Armand, you Canadian pig! ;) President! You may get the nation, but I'll be damned if my namesake gets stuck with a parliamentary title! :D

Always on the lookout for cheap military hardware, the Commonwealth of Mozambique takes a keen interest in ex-Bulgarian T-55s. With a tank force amounting to all of twelve vehicles, it wouldn't be hard to convince Parliament of the merit of having twenty or so more T-55s around. After all, the Free State has around 120 tanks, and the threat of RENAMO invasion is usually enough to push the usually pacifist and non-militarist Mozambiquian Parliament into pricey weapons deals, never mind inexpensive ones.

As for establishing regular diplomatic relations with the Lav, the Mozambiquians are much more cautious. At this stage, Maputo can't afford to upset anyone, least of all its principal supporters in Strathdonia and the UK. Mozambique likes to style itself as the ideal of a non-aligned country, so becoming aligned with the non-aligned doesn't appeal so strongly. The situation could very well change with a new Prime Minster, however.

OOC: We in AMW have an incredible ability to go on tangents...And it's President Armand, you Canadian pig! ;) President! You may get the nation, but I'll be damned if my namesake gets stuck with a parliamentary title! :D

President? It sounds so vulgar, not the quiet dignity that comes with Prime Minister. I mean, all the cool people have Prime in their names, right? Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, etc.

Tsar Wingert the Great.

President? It sounds so vulgar, not the quiet dignity that comes with Prime Minister. I mean, all the cool people have Prime in their names, right? Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, etc.

Tsar Wingert the Great.

Maybe Just give him a royal renaming to Armandius Prime, of course he then has to be able to transform into a truck...

Needless to say, Lav takes great delight in a public rebuff of Tsarist petitions to inclusion in his intercontinental assembly, and presents it all to the Balkan people particularly as evidence of his merit as a defender and a guide stardom.

The Commonwealth of Mozambique meanwhile, as other potential customers presenting themselves, will find veteran T-55 tanks available at $40,000 a piece, or hardly one percent of the cost of a modern main battle tank from the richer nations. New-build tanks are also said to be potentially available at an intermediate cost and with the possibility of substantial modification.

Aidarov has also gone so far as to offer the services of staff schooled by the old Bulgarian, Serb, and Bosnian establishments, and of those newly graduating from Yugoslav facilities, in training the prospective crews of these tanks, in Yugoslavia and/or more widely in Mozambique. In fact, this invitation is more widely extended as Belgrade offers to make a habit of dispatching advisors to nations like Mozambique and elsewhere besides, as they graduate from Yugoslavian academies often with the benefit of practical instruction by veterans of the Lavragerian defence.

Petrovaradin

Novi Sad attempts finally to bring an assembly to order, assigning the Yugoslav delegation one portion of a large circular table in the well appointed depths of the fortress, and inviting other interested parties to make themselves known.

Governments such as those subordinate to the Tsar and that of his French ally, those of the Indian and Strainist radicals and Latin American anarchists, and the North American imperialists (be they economically or militarily so) and their Chinese and Japanese comrades in infamy are those that receive no extension of Aidarov's interest in their participation.

Of course, in many cases this is not out of malice (though in some it undoutably is!), but owing to the nature of the assembly and of what Lav hopes to achieve.

The Commonwealth of Mozambique, the Lusakans, African Commonwealthers, West Africans, Strathdonians, the minor governments of the world, those trying to break from the puppetry or undue influence of the uninvited major powers, all are approached. The Germans too are engaged as welcome, though there is a slightly different tone here... it is possible that Aidarov sees powerful Germany as a potential threat yet unrealised, and Belgrade is clearly not fawning and prepared to be pushed about by Berlin. The Ottoman Empire is also cordially invited, though its reception by the people of the pan-Slavic federation may prove a touchy matter.


(So, this has been a bit vague in the build-up, I hope that perhaps those nations will turn-up. If you don't actually think that your nation qualifies in spite of invite, or that it wouldn't go through with any treaty membership, well why not attend anyway? Who says that every idea has to pan out, or that every assembly must end in progress? These are politicians we're playing, here!)

Maybe Just give him a royal renaming to Armandius Prime, of course he then has to be able to transform into a truck...

(I have to admit, that raised a smile!)

(If you're of one of the invited nations or some other not part of a major alliance, feel free to assume your delegation already on hand and just join in, and/or RP the arrival and such if you like.)

Inside the fortress Lav stood at his place beside a ringed arrangement of tables, in the centre of which rotated a large globe raised above head height and tilted so that all attending could see every point on it during its turning. India, Lyong, much of Indonesia, a large band across the northern reaches of South America, controversially most of Korea, all were painted red; the bulk of North America, the Caribbean, a great chunk of Africa, Britain, most of the Middle East, the Andaman and Nicobars, and again with controversy both Japan and China appeared dark blue; France and all the Russias along with some of North Africa were a golden yellow. The remaining nations of the world were an ignorable grey or, in the case of all invited states, pure white, much in keeping with the decoration of Petrovaradin this day.

Aidarov had a white scarf or something of the sort tied around the base of his elaborate Glakatahn hat, and another hanging loose from his shoulders.

"First, honoured friends, I am gratified to host you as the first dignified guests of the Yugoslav Federation, and to receive for this noble state your official recognition. I shall not dwel on Slavic self-indulgence, however, for there are important matters before us all.

"The world is falling back into new ranks. A generation past it was clearly marked with the USSR facing down the USQ and the Roycelandian Empire, while Hindustan and the non-aligned minor nations of the world tried to keep their heads below the cross-fire and to endure. The collapse of Moscow's power and the substantial upheaval in the Roycelandian Empire... " Lav glanced towards Colonel Amin, "...came with the concurrent rise of a new left power in India, and all of this is settling even now into a new way.

"But the Hindustanis this time have little choice but to be associated with one of the new sides in what is at least a triangle of power, that which has replaced the USSR's part in opposition to a survivng Roycelandian Empire and United States. A new force that has put itself against the unprotected neutral states is evident in the Holy League. We as individual states are ill protected against such threats and the associated power plays.

"I look at Africa and I see plain examples of the situations faced by us all. Strathdonia borders Lusaka, and though neither state is rogue, criminal, militant, there is great danger on their frontier. Their ideologies are different, not in themselves remarkable or dangerous, but different. Strathdonia knows that Lusaka has on another border the Roycelandian Empire, part of a major power bloc. Though they may not fear Lusaka, the Strathdonians know that in Lusaka's position they would have to take steps against the threat of a return by the Roycelandians. This may mean association with another power bloc, obviously the Progressives, in order to deter Roycelandian meddling. But this puts Lusaka under an umbrella and drives Strathdonia to seek one of its own for fear of what the Lusakans may be driven to do as part of a whole over which they have little influence. Suddenly two different but agreeable neighbours are put on opposite sides of a global power struggle, merely because one felt threatened by a previously unrelated faction in that struggle. They are both pawns, their own independence reduced and the chance of war increased and made not just war but inter-continental war!

"It is but one example, there are many more. Nations are forced to adopt an ideology in order to receive the protection and favour of a specific power bloc. Democracy is taken away as special interest groups pick sides and drag the people with them, and we are not such dictatorial men!

"But Roycelandian ambitions as part of NATO against the expansion of the leftists could be reduced in relation to Lusaka by that nation's firm declaration of a tangible treaty-bound non-alignment in the power struggles of the world. Both nations could free themselves in this way, and enjoy the support of one another as easily as the rivalry.

"More than this, non-alignment means freedom for political and economic differences, a forum where in we can strive to make our different systems work together and set an example to the great powers.

"If Germany joined NATO, as it well might, it would isolate the country between Holy League powers. If it joined the League, its democratic institutions would be forfeit. Non-alignment makes it no threat to either bloc and allows trade potentially with both."

White curtains had opened during Lav's address, and it was possible to see out into surrounding courtyards. To one side a market was trading fish from the Black Sea and the Adriatic and other goods from Bulgaria to Slovenia. On another there was a more surprising sight. Parked on a brilliant white circle and surrounded by ropes what appeared to be a small canard-arrangement fighter aircraft. It was too distant for the text to be distinguished from the indoor table, but a plaque read Novi Avion. It was also impossible to observe the absence of avionics and powerplant in the mock-up, but not at all hard to see the shape of a 4th generation multi-role fighter either from inside or even from space.

"Yugoslavia is well on her way to realisation of strength, prosperity, and independent liberty as a unified and non-aligned state." Aidarov continued, seeming almost to shape his body so as to indicate the aircraft dressed in the new colours of his Federation. "We invite others to join us, through trade, technical co-operation, diplomatic pressure, independence from the forceful ideological blocs, and perhaps a measure of apolitical mutual defence, and to share in this new era."

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The Conference
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The Ottomans had sent a man who was the type they needed for the conference; a stern, tough, dealer who put his cards in his hand and played them with skill and experience that only came from extensive practice. He was Abdullah Al-Abbas, Atabeg of Izmir, the third city of the empire. He was intelligent and collected, much as a poker player would be, but he cold and unwelcoming to his enemies.

As he arrived, it was in grand fashion, as was everything else that he did. The Atabeg was a stickler for flattery, and rank, and knew the ins and outs of most courts, high halls, and ruling areas in the world. He was the type who went into incessant research before attempting any feat or anything of that measure, one who worked to be correct at all times.

But there was little he could do in that department regarding the new "Aidarov-ian" Yugoslavia, or, as it was beginning to be known in the Empire, the Balkan Alliance. The Atabeg liked the title. He liked grand titles and, subsequently, the title "Yugoslavia" ground in his ears. It had been him who had pushed for the adoption of this name, and he had been successful, as he hoped to be here.

His enterance had been grand, his royal robes in a adamantine violet and an azure blue, the gourgeous silks shimmering and shifting as he walking, sending millions of points of lights in ever direction, as did his fanciful, gaudy, ornate, and overdone jewelry, gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious materials of the world. He had been successful there as well, for his attempt had been to over-awe, and that he had done to the maximum.

But, at the actual conference, that was not his goal, so, as a result, he was still wearing the clothers, but not doing his utmost to display them. He listened attentively to all that the Lavregerian (or Yugoslavian, depending on one's mindset) had to say, then took a deep breath, and began to speak, with the familiarity of a proclaimed orator.

"That is all very well, indeed, but to what aim are you going? Look around you and see Africans and Germans, nations of the world who are interested in what you say, to whom this strikes a chord in their heart. But why call us? The Ottoman Empire? To what end is there in that? You color the globe, show various 'Blocs' or so you call them. Why does tha matter to the Ottomans? And, if it has no impact upon us - which I believe - why did you call us here?"

Versailles

Preparations were abuzz for the Bourbon Visit to Roycelandia as His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste received the final briefing before departing with Court and all for Port Royal from Monsieur le Marquis de Maurepas, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of France.

M. de Maurepas, perhaps the most brilliant statesmen since Metternich, had put France together again following the troubles, together to stay. Only one factor troubled him now, a factor that was counterintuitivly the most difficult matter he had ever faced, foreign or domestic:

Larionko Aidarov.

In the gold gilt Rococo apartment of Versailles in le Grand Chateau where King Louis-Auguste held his councils Maurepas now sat in front of His Majesty’s massive mahogany desk. Louis-Auguste’s jaw muscles were visibly twitching under the powder and rouge as he was addressed by the canny politician. Although Maurepas could not see the movement, as the King’s chair was turned that His Majesty might enjoy the spectacular view of the gardens.

“Sire, it is my conclusion that if we do not affect the removal of Aidarov from the international stage, he will certainly affect that removal upon us.” Maurepas took a pinch of snuff as he spoke, his own personal mixture.

Louis was a cigarette man, and so he did light one up as he stared out upon the perfectly symmetrical vegetation.

“Ahh, monsieur,” declared Louis-Auguste “did we not remove that flies wings in Lavrageria? Did I not personally serve my glorious father by crushing the last of the Lavragerian armed forces?”

“Oui, Majeste!” Maurepas quickly responded, and let silence hang for but a moment in the radiant chamber.

“Oui, Majeste,” continued Maurepas after a palpable pause “but that fly remains firmly entrenched in the ointment regardless. Sire, truly you crushed those filthy barbarians under your sparkling radiance. Yet it seems to me overt military force was clearly insufficient to remove that Aidarov. Conversely, it only lifted him higher on the world stage: instead of running that dirty little rats nest which is Lavrageria, he has been verily catapulted to eminence in a new Yugo Slavia! In my humble estimation, Sire, he now is poised to become a greater threat to us than even the Progressive Bloc could have dreamed.”

This made Louis-Auguste turn his chair about, and face the Prime Minister as he took a very heavy drag on the cigarette and slowly released it.

“Explain” said le Roi.

“My liege, it is alarmingly simple. With every conference he gives,” here Maurepas pointed to the manila envelope that contained the ODSL’s intelligence report “the NATO powers, and critically more important the non-aligned powers, take greater and greater notice. After all, is he not the man that survived the greatest military effort since the Second World War? Succinctly, Yugo Slavia is not the problem, indeed this national consolidation will give us great leverage against the forming Germanic powers. Aidarov, Sire, is the problem. If Your Majesty does not silence him once and for all, there is a very real danger he could upset all that the Holy League has built in Europe. Not to even mention our plans for uniting Belgium with the mother Kingdom! He may even damage our bountiful and growing relationship with the Roiks, which Your Majesty has labored so long, and Your Father before you, to build. If Your Majesty does not stop him at once, he may soon become a darling of all the democratic powers…this, Your Majesty can not, must not, allow.” Maurepas thus displayed his brilliance, and Louis-Auguste took heed.

“Very well, mon ami,” returned the Sun King “what shall I do about it?”

“Remove him, now. I have already taken the liberty, if I may use the expression, and gotten in touch with Monsieur le Baron du Blakely, the Scarlet Pimpernel. If Your Majesty wills it, an Ordu du Saint-Louis team can be inserted at once, within hours, led by Your most excellent agent. There is no need for him in Germany anyway. He has expressed to Your Majesty and I the following plan. He calls it a graduated approach.” Maurepas then handed the King an envelope, which contained the Scarlet Pimpernels theory on killing Aidarov, grandly titled The Royal Plan for the Graduated Removal of Larionko Aidarov.

A graduated plan because it had several layers of intensity. An ODSL team of its ten best operatives, led by Blakely himself, would set up shop in Belgrade. The Ordu du Saint-Louis was the highest order of knighthood in the Kingdom of France. From its elite ranks, the most daring and zealous nobles were chose for foreign covert operations. They had been much freed since the introduction of the Marechaussee as the Kingdom’s Secret State Police following the troubles. The first step was to send in an agent, Sophie Fatale, the personal student and lover of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Posing as a maid, Sophie would infiltrate Aidarov’s habitation, and poison him with a new compound manufactured by the Academie Royale in New Provence: Tamerinalic-X91. Tamerinalic-X91 was a unique compound, undetectable by all but the most stringent research in a scientific laboratory. Once introduced into the host victim it took several days to take effect, thus removing the danger of food testers. After the several days, 3-5 to be precise, the host victim experienced the symptoms of the Ebola Virus. Death followed in hours. Once introduced, there were no cures or anti-bodies.

If that somehow failed, the second step was more blunt: shooting Aidarov. If that failed, a blunter step was called on: blowing Aidarov up.

Following His Most Christian Majesties signature on the plan, the Royal Party left for the Roycelandian Vacation.

Belgrade

The ten agents, led by the inscrutable Percy Blakely, arrived in Belgrade in stages. In one week, they had all reached their destination for the operation. There were five men, five women, all led by the Scarlet Pimpernel. Splitting up in pairs, they took up abode in the city at various locations, some in a house, some in an apartment, some even posing as a homeless insane couple. Using forged but valid Bulgarian papers, they set about preparing their dastardly scheme.

Sophie Fatale lit a cigarette on her bed in a dingy apartment, having just been ravished by her lover Blakely, who always went about incognito with the most amazing disguises ever invented in the history of espionage. Indeed, none even knew of his identity save the Versailles inner circle.

Sophie then put on her modest but clean Slavic fashions, and made her way to the Palace where Aidarov took up residence. With many fine referrals, she sought employment as a simple maid in Aidarov’s House. ODSL intelligence had ascertained that although a man of the people, Aidarov was wont for fine accommodation.

Operation Fly in the Ointment was underway.

OOC-Now this is going to get good.

IC-The New Quinntonian Prime MInister, Vanessa Moerike, sends an official request that Quinntonia be allowed to speak at the conference, and pionts out that it was NATO involvement in the Lavragerian situation that stopped the war and allowed Aidorov to have anything but a government in exile. IN fact, wasn't the great "Lav" in Washington during the most heady days of the war?

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: Hang on there, I am trying to compile a list of officials and persons I am going to use to RP, German names aren't my thing..You'll see me using WIlhelm the most since that's the only easy name, for now.

German Chancellor Wilhelm Heidan and several of his advisory council arrives protected by a flank of 'units'. The group seemed to be very serious. Several of them were clinging onto umbrellas as the bodyguards and several of the men wore overcoats. They walked mechanically up the marble steps to the fortress.

"Frohliche Weihnachten." said the Chancellor as he greeted his way toward the meeting hall.

After listening to Abdullah Al-Abbas, Chancellor raised his arm, and was to speak at his pace.

"Mr. Al-Abbas, sir, you are here representing your faithful country, who had the same amount of faith in sending you. The globe is but a mere representation of the social blocs of this world. As you see, we wish to prevent such blocs from gaining any more power. Either we create more of these alliances, or we keep all such alliances equal. Do you know how Wolrd War I started? Maybe World War II? There are too many sides taking each other on while dragging everyone with them to war. We are here to prevent that. It is very sad to see that Europe had abandoned the ideology of our father whom had fought hard to overthrow powerful dictatorships and monarchies to establish democracy. God is not on their side, not even ours, perhaps God is but an excuse for them to assume the role of a monarch.

I am here because Germany's economy suffered, and currently, our people and territory is at stake. The many countries represented here today have powerful armies, and growing armies that can overrun the world if we don't start preventing it from happening. Germany is willing to stand alone, but we are but a pawn of this game."

With a short pause, he sat down and sipped a cup of water while staring around the room.

OOC: Trying to assassinate someone who is a democratic leader and a good friend of Putin? Oh, it's on, Elkazor. It's on. *Starts humming A Team Theme song...* DK, Moorington actually has a nifty list of German names on the Invision forum.

Leon Alberto finds himself sitting at the Lav's table after a harrowing experience with the international airline system, next to the Strathdonian delegation. Alberto can't help feeling that he never should have come, since better relations with this new non-aligned movement could very well mean the tainting of the Commonwealth's very important relationship with the United Kingdom. After all, the Commonwealth's main reason for even contacting Yugoslavia was to get its hands on cheap tanks.

The prospect of becoming anything worth mention in world affairs is a frightening one, so Alberto tries to keep a relatively low profile even at the conference. He listens to the various delegations without anything much to say himself, Mozambique's position on the whole issue being one of cautious observation. As Alberto will no doubt admit, the non-aligned movement does appear to carry considerable promise with regards to international unity and non-belligerance, but then again why should Maputo accomodate regimes that might not act in a civilized fashion? Why should they do anything to help the 'uncivillized and downright murderous' Holy League?

He of course doesn't ask these questions, at least not yet, but Alberto is still deeply suspicious of Adirov's new movement.

OCC: It might be worth saying that Hindustan, of all places, has been trying to bring Strathdonia and Lusaka together for quite some time, Parliament's gifting of monitors to both of them being the prime example...

IC:
The mood of the Strathdonian delagation to the whole affair is probabaly best described as mixed: In terms of finciancial and industrial relations they tend to be very positive with much talk of technology transfer and joint production and the opening up of additional airline slots between nations (nothing what so ever to do with Air Strathdonia paying for the BA-320's fuel), But in terms of any actual binding treaty thigns are significantly cooler, first thigns are not exactly helped by Aidorov's some what less than rosey reputation within Strathdonia, a nation not exactly known for its "great man" leanings, rumors of dodgey dealings with the lusakans and of ripping of the Hindis (a crime viewed by many as being a bit like ripping off your rich maiden aunt, ableit a maiden aunt with her own big gang of big muscley men) don't exactly help.
Additionally many within Strathdonia fail to see what benefits such an agreement would bring, Strathdonia has done fairly well by being friends with just about everyone up till now, its not every nation that has been able to act as a clearing house for both American and Chinese second hand aircraft, begin joint R&D efforts with the hindis and Igovians, help the democratic russians brign peace to nation and hold joint exercises with the Elians.

This is not the say that the Strathdonias are entirely closed to the idea they just need to see that any such agreement would not affect any prexisting relationships.

Germany has also announced a plan to extend an agreement to allow American troops to station in Germany.

(Sorry, there's a brief diversion from the conference over the next post or two, but I've not forgotten it. There's another post coming up after this one, which is really just a filler, sorry again!)

Sofia, Bulgaria

The latest parade was the first really grand one since this was a People's Republic, but still nothing compared to what was planned for the future, for some near afternoon come the realisation of working industrial plans. It didn't have all the worrying indications of the old order, and the important watchers and participants would likely not have noticed in any event. It was fifteen years since the nation restarted multi-party elections, and that was time enough for the gloss to peel away and for a new disenfranchised generation to grow up... and for much of it to leave the shrinking country.

This parade seemed almost apolitical, and all the banners were of a Pan-Slavic rather than nationalist or faux-communist style, the music accompanying simply Hey, Slavs! No doubt this did little for the Turkish minority, but that was a prime reason for the Ottomans' invitation to Petrovaradin: the intention being to present the idea, however true or untrue, that the home of Turk and southern Slav are side by side and both are welcome in each.

In any event, the old state of the last fifteen years had fewer Turks than it had unemployed citizens, and the new one was making busy hands. A lot of young hands were engaged in the Federal military industry that Lav and the Bulgarian provincial government agreed could well be based here. The T-55 tanks trundling along, all repainted and looking almost like worthy war machines once again, were in fact on their way to reserve depots across Yugoslavia and designated for the Army Trained Reserve. Seven hundred and fifty of the old machines were to end their days in this fashion, and Bulgaria was suppling almost all of them, as could be seen in Sofia as they clattered along towards rail depots for transport to the east coast and as far off as Slovenia and Vojvodina.

At the head of them was one tank that would not be transported away with the T-55s but taken back later to a technical institute. It was at its core an M-84, Serbia's T-72, but it was hard to see that under its reactive armour and its reshaped turret sporting thermal imager and the signatures of an active defensive suite, a 12.7mm machinegun rotating and elevating even while the commander was buttoned up inside his laminate-heavy turret armour. The first public sighting of the M-2006 (all be it a pre-production prototype that was lucky to complete the parade without breaking down, and that Yugoslavia was in no position to replicate now that the T-80L components strapped to it were all used-up) was Bulgaria's first visible contribution to -or from- the new Federation.

Over the parade flew eighteen MiG-29s of the old Bulgarian air force, significant because the Bulgarians would be engaged in maintaining the A-model Fulcrums owned by the other constituent states of the Federation -which Sofia already had the impressive ability to do- and quite possibly to investigate the quartet of modern types brought from Lavrageria with a view to local upgrade of the rest.

The tanks, the planes, the lines of troops, all were presented with bright colours and covered in Pan-Slavic revelry, personnel smiling and encouraged to interact with the crowds and cameras rather than presenting ridgid militarism: they were symbols of rising employment and unity, not of confrontation and domination.

At one point the parade stopped and a block of marching infantry were met by a relatively popular local politician who, "spontaneously" invited them to nominate an officer to come and join him in designating a public building as a meeting place for the new defence workers' union, which they did with a show of hands and some good cheer, dragging a well-liked officer down from a truck full of men so that he could cut the ribbon with help of a man's bayonet.

North Albanian Alps

"Employment up, police wages up, army recruitment up, bah!" With each item spoken the back of a hand struck the page from which they were read, the documents tossed angrily aside with the last expression of dissatisfaction. "And this democracy, and now the whole world's in Serbia. We have to stop this!"

"I know, I know what you mean, but we'll never touch him in Petrovaradin." "That wouldn't win us any friends, anyway." "Mh, we've got to act where we have a cause... while we have one left!"

Metohija, Kosovo, Serbia

Radonjicko Jezero -Lake Radonjic- had been crowded from view by the gathering of trees. Two local guides, one of them half south-Glakatahn, joked in hushed Albanian about the ineptitude of their charge and his apparently laughable expectation of encountering and killing a bear. Behind them, Ivan Gukov rocked from side to side and forth and back with each step of his stout horse, the unusually soft northern Glakatahn interim Prime Minister ill at ease and terrified of being exposed in public though his lack of courage and skill were known privately by all. Bagging a bear was the sort of thing that came easily to Glakatahn warriors and huntsmen, and so, with the help of two local guides, a northern warrior, a horse, a machine pistol, several knives, a shotgun, and a fifty calibre rifle, Gukov was in pursuit of a trophy before the elections that threatened his status in the long term.

The party hadn't moved much further when the Lavragerian Glakatahn warrior, carrying the party's M-93 Crna Strela 12.7mm rifle, dropped back, unnoticed though he did it because something had caught his attention (and telling his inferior comrades would have changed the situation for the worse).

There in the crosshairs, the quarry, at last. Not a bear, not Gukov's sights. Not unless they'd taken to wearing KLA badges. Atamir of Hia'Itakchi moved his thumb away from the pistol grip and eased back the trigger with a shot practiced almost daily since infancy and encouraged in those days by the knowledge that missing meant starving. A terrific crack sounded the flight from his gun of a 12.7mm bullet charged with a 107mm long cartridge... and dirt kicked up as it sunk into the earth an inch shy of his prone target. Even the veteran slayer of half a dozen Ukrainians in the Pripet was stopped for a moment's confusion as he saw this. He couldn't remember missing a stationary target, had to think hard for the last time he missed a deer at sprint or a tank commander diving into his turret.

But the Albanian hadn't hesitated, and squeezed two rounds from his assault rifle. The first 7.62mm bullet missed its target, the second too, but it did hit with harsh fortune the shoulderblade of Gukov's horse at such an angle as to finish up in his pudgy barrel-shaped trunk, barely having left energy enough to penetrate his northern hide and all his furs and leather. The Prime Minister's bullet wound was moderate, but his horse suffered too, and he was stunned enough and unskilled enough in the saddle that the beast's frightened reaction sent him hard to the ground.

The attacker was up and running while Gukov's guides, well, they ran, too, being paid to look for imaginary bears and not to be shot back at. The baffled Atamir spent half a second holding-up a second 12.7mm round for scrutiny before casting the machinegun-quality cartridge over his shoulder in disgust and springing forward. He was given a burst of fire by the KLA man and vanished from view. Seconds later, the fleeing Albanian felt the strange experience of being caught about the legs by a Glakatahn bola, an anti-cavalry and hunting tool to the plainsmen of northwestern Lavrageria, and he was flat on his face in the leaves and dirt of the forest floor. He tried to kick himself free and looked down as he rolled over, hardly seeing the weighted ropes around his legs before a frightening loss of light consumed him and what appeared to be another tangle of rope and lead was pulled up from his body by the looming figure of Atamir in skins and furs. Hard to say whether he ever appreciated that his last sight was of his own guts being drawn out by the hooked knife of a Glakatahn warrior.

Novi Sad

"Gukov shot?" This was disgusting in the truest sense. Aidarov heard the details. "Armour, I must be armoured... Tesla and Vorobei, too... make them! And ...no, we can't make a point of it, but dismiss my non-Lavragerian guards. Assign them something respectable but I don't want them looking-after our Federation's stitches until new skin grows. We must share the qualities of the north with these southerners who so waste their Slavic potential."

Lav was deeply [negatively] impressed by the inaction of Gukov's local comrades. The Lavragerian who gutted the KLA fighter was sent to Belgrade for a medal, to be presented by Vorobei. News began to break, but the KLA was not blamed for Gukov's killing, even though Atamir brought a body dressed in damning evidence. As one of the best and most loyal, chosen to travel south with Aidarov, the hero could be trusted to keep his mouth shut, especially given his public recognition and adulation.

Foreign agents had shot the Yugoslav Interim Prime Minister, and the Holy League was at once cast in suspicion in most remaining independent media outlets, though state news was as yet, "sticking to the facts".

Belgrade

Larionko Aidarov was hardly similar to Gukov. His hunts usually went to plan. When he did not hunt, his north Glakatahn did it for him. He'd embraced the modern way of life to a degree, but apart from his frequent traditional dress, his part in caviar smuggling from Russia had resulted in him tasting, well, caviar, and he thought it terrible... this had discouraged him from tasting further non-Lavragerian foods, much as he rarely wore non-Lavragerian dress. All of his food was prepared by the Lavragerians he brought with him. Though she may get work at the President's little-used Belgrade residence (he spent most of his time in Novi Sad), Fatale, no Lavragerian, would not be likely to touch anything that Aidarov ate, though she might have a chance to get at other officials and helpers if she was prepared to risk a fate similar to that of the hollowed-out KLA assassin.

Though quite unrelated to the Kosovo Liberation Army's inducement to an increase in Lav's security arrangements, the Federal Militia's presence on the streets of the second capital was fairly extensive and professional. As related to the worries of nationalist and other special interest terrorist groups and organised criminals, the force was receiving more vigourous training, and worse than that was starting to receive substantial bonus packages that made a job done well almost as rewarding as corruption, especially considering the state support established for nationally-employed workers such as these, for the Federal Militia was Yugoslavia's fifty-thousand strong police force.

And so, though they were not yet known French agents, the couple attempting to live rough were picked up quite soon in a regular sweep by the Militia, in the form of a pair of officers bearing Crvena Zastava Model 83 .357 Magnum double-action revolvers. This was the Socialist Federal Republic, and lying in the gutter was not considered conducive to national good, nor were unemployment and unsightly things thought to be moral boosting. The two would be put to work fitting their experience and ties, or into education if need be. That was, after a serious investigation of their credentials and background... already the homeless 'Bulgarians' in Serbia had dedicated to them a single dog-eared sheet of paper in one file amongst countless thousands in the local offices of Sova-15.

OOC-

::Rubs hands together::

Ahh interesting. I expect Ill love this, has all the makings of something quite fun.

Ill drop some more info out tommorrow when I get a bit.

A black scarf swirled in the air, buffeted by the cold winds of Belgrade. The scarf was wrapped around the thick neck of a powerfully built black man who stood outside of a notorious Yugoslavian drinking, oddly enough, from a tall glass of warm milk. A white milk moustache became was imprinted on his thick black facial hair as he sipped gently from the glass. The man’s only concession to the cold seemed to be the scarf and his thick Mohawk, for everything else he wore seemed to be crafted for much warmer climates. He wore a black leather vest whose lack of sleeves revealed his bulging muscles, thin black pants that seemed to be there simply for decency’s sake, for the amount of cold they kept out was so negligible it would have made little difference if he had stood there in his boxers, and thick black boots that were much better at keeping out snow than they were at warming his feet. The sun’s light managed to catch the thick golden chains on the man’s chest, and the light they reflected shone directly into his eyes, forcing him to look up.

What he saw made the grizzled veteran smile for just a moment, before he hid his small flash of joy behind a grumpy mask.

“Mr. T!!!” squealed the thin, wiry man with a mess of brown hair on his head and a wild look in his eyes who was known as Murdock.

Murdock leaped as if to embrace the giant Mr. T, but he was quickly brushed off and knocked aside by the gruff giant.

“Whatchoo think you doin’, you crazy foo!?!”
“But…we haven’t seen each other in months…I thought…”

Tears welled up in Murdock’s eyes, and as hard as he tried to maintain his scowl, Mr. T couldn’t help but smile at the small powerhouse of a fellow lying before him.

“Ah, goddamit, I pity you foo’! Stop yo’ jibba jabba and get ova’ here!” said Mr. T as he embraced Murdock.
“Awww…how cute.” said an all too familiar voice as the flash of a camera went off.
“Wha…? I PITY YOU FOO! SUCKA FOO! I’M GONNA TEACH YOU DA MEANIN’ OF PAIN!”

Mr. T angrily hurled the small man to the pavement, and glared at the hysterical brown headed, handsome man before him.

“Face.”
“Hahahahahahahhaa…phew…now that was a Kodak moment. How ya doin’, Mr. T?”

Mr. T tried to come up with a biting response that would both answer Face’s question and mock the abject failure of the A-Team’s disguise/manipulation expert’s planned French television show (apparently the woman he had slept with had run off with all of his start up money and left him stark naked in the streets of Paris), but was cut off due to a sudden fit of hacking coughing that could only signify one thing: Hannibal, with his trademark cigars, was here. Mr. T grinned at the sight of the bald faced, cigar chomping strategist, and Hannibal slapped all three men heartily on their backs.

“Good to see my favorite band of raggedy ass motherf*ckers is still alive and kickin’! Oh, and Dubya’s not goin’ to make it.”
“Awww…why?” inquired Murdock.
“Can’t track the sonuvabitch down. He vanished right after we disbanded, and no one has any clue where he is.”
“Well…” said Mr. T as they walked into a dark corner of the bar and ordered a round of drinks (milk for our hero, of course), “…we’ll just have to do without him for now. Alright, I got a lotta reasons for callin’ y’all back. First of all, all of you weren’t doin’ so hot on yo’ own. I heard you crazy foo Murdock locked yo’self up in a room for months, you Face got robbed by some foo I really pity, and you Hannibal got yo ass kicked and mugged at a Patton impersonator convention.”
“Yeah…apparently they thought my idea to challenge the Eisenhower convention to an all out Battle Royale wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Basically, we broke. There’s a conference I’ve been keeping my eye on…A bunch a third world countries comin’ together, could be a good place for job huntin’. That’s anotha thing---once I’m through with this Olympics thing, I want to go and liberate some place. I’m sick a fools who go out tryin' a' take over da world---well, actually, part of da world---I want to send ‘em cryin’ to momma.”

Just as Mr. T slammed the table with his fist to emphasize his point, a loud ruckus could be heard outside, along with various police sirens.

“Sh*t! SH*T! Da police! I ain’t goin’ back to prison dammit! I don’t start no trouble! I mind my own business! But no, dey have to mess wit me!”
“Mr. T, going up to a traffic cop who's writing out a ticket for your van, and eating the citation right in front of his face, absolutely falls under starting trouble.” replied the Face.
“Shut up and move fool!”

The A-Team left their money, as well as a generous tip, on the table, and ran outside to escape a possible raid. They then realized that it was merely the police collecting a pair of ragged beggars, which gave Mr. T a sense of both relief and disappointment (he’d been looking to test his newly acquired wrestling techniques out in real combat).

“Wait…” whispered the Face, “…is that…a French accent I detect? There are no French beggars in Belgrade! And with that assassination attempt on Gukov…”

The Face sprinted forward, waving a fake ID and shouting excitedly at the female police officer.

“Ma’am! Ma’am! What’s going on here?”
“Who you are?” she replied in heavily broken and accented English.
“Well, pretty lady, they call me…Jean. Jean-Yves. I’m a Frenchman who lives in the US. Now why are you taking these two, gorgeous?”

The rather dumpy and ugly woman blushed in the face of these compliments, and began adopting poses that would make an ordinary woman look more attractive but only added to her grotesque features.

She replied, lacing her voice with seduction, “Vell, hand zom, in Socialist republic we do not let people be lazy, yes? They work hard...and ve also play hard too.”

She winked at him, and he could barely conceal the disgust at the blatant come on from the repulsive woman, but he maintained his cool and replied, “Well, baby, we play hard where I come from too…And these fellows know it better than most. They’re actors---I’m a talent scout, you see, and I think these two have real potential. They have an annoying tendency to get really drunk and wander the streets, sometimes for days at a time, and I’m really glad you found them. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take them back home with me so they can sober up…”

He gently began stroking her arm, and looked at her expectantly.

Belgrade

The two ‘down of their luck’ Bulgarian immigrants to Belgrade, in reality Agent 11 and Agent 32 of the ODSL, willing went into custody.

They explained their journey to Belgrade was inspired by the recent events of unity and prosperity shepherded by the Slav-father Aidarov. Why, if only they could get their due as citizens of the Socialist Republic, then they’d be content. Consequently they applied for every sort of welfare plan available: from work programs to low income state housing. Surely the benevolence accorded to them by the new regime allowed for as much? Of course they spoke the language fluently, down to the finest mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. With flawless papers, save major inspection, they anticipated no problems slinking into the Yugoslavian system.

The arrival of the strange newcomer however rattled them, for there was something even the Pimpernel was clueless to: the bloody A Team. The duo would keep their cool, claiming they did not know the man. Bread, work, that’s all they want. As far as they know, the man accosting them is a pervert. The female agent will hint as much if the police by some strange chance seem to be nodding in agreement with the stranger. Critically, they downplay any French connection at all: it should be obvious to anyone, they insinuate, all they are is a out of work couple looking for a living...if anyone is not who they seem, its that strange man with the strange behavior.

When the two homeless agents went into custody, the remainder of the team had their papers switched, and the old ones burned. Four agents were now Croatian vacationers. Two of these operatives packed their bags, and departed for the Albanian border. Word had it an attempt had just been made on the life of one of Aidarov’s inner circle. There were groups there obviously to be befriended. The other two departed for Novi Sad, to prepare a contact list for Sophie Fatale. Two stayed in Belgrade and were given papers from some remote town in Northern Bulgaria. The Scarlet Pimpernel, too brilliant for locations, simply relaxed behind the scenes and administered his orchestration.

Sophie Fatale had just completed a spy’s most difficult task: seducing someone from outside the conspiracy to befriend and assist a conspirator. This dupe was Igor Kvenlin, a mid level functionary in the Presidents domestic staff at the Belgrade Palace. Kvenlin had been a partisan in the Lavragerian War, and had fought outside the gates of Hi’Itakchi…how ironic it was the very employee of the man who had captured his own General Kalmakoff that ran his heart with a velvet claw! First she seduced him, then she seduced him again. After a week of subtle psychological menstruations, and a few injections of psychotropic compounds in his sleep, the second most brilliant spy in the ODSL had her man. Kvenlin was her slave, sexual and mental. With a knife handy in case he refused, one night she whispered to him how she hated it here in Belgrade and she wanted, no needed, to move to Novi Sad.

Nibbling his ear, she whispered to him how Aidarov himself might enjoy one of her strudels. A light jest, but one that had more meaning than the love stricken cook dared comprehend. It was so boring in Belgrade…if he got a high level post in Novi Sad, she would become his wife and love forever.

The next day Igor applied for a transfer, it was granted. So the young couple moved to Novi Sad. After she learned the news, Sophie allowed Igor to place an engagement ring upon her finger. What a pleasure, she thought, to kill him when the time came. Wouldn’t her master, the Scarlet Pimpernel, like that? To replace their positions in the Belgrade Palace, two agents of the six remaining in town filled their places, numbers 4 and 12, two ravishing twins posing as farm girls who made a superb harvest wheat soup. They were of course personally recommended by Igor. It always helped when redundancy was built into the system.

Fly in the ointment continued unabated, at least for the time being.

Off the coast of Yugoslavia

It was a moonless night as a Nantes Class nuclear attack sub Severe quietly surfaced off the rocky shoals north of Montenegro. In less than five minutes the Royal Navy submersible was deep under the sea again, and sailing south out of the Adriatic.

It left behind a small rubber row boat, which slowly made its way to shore. It was paddled by five doughty looking individuals. Their large frames and builds would have many locals mistake them for Croats, they were in fact Geletian Igovians, fresh from the tortures of Devils Island New Provence.

After the Battle of the Coral Sea, when the Igovian menace attempted in vain to conquer New Caledonia, several Geletian prisoners-of-war were taken. Five, to be exact. They were abducted and taken with the greatest secrecy to Devils Island. For a whole year their minds were broken down and rebuilt again, several times over. When the Kings Executioners Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum had finished with them, and saved enough of their minds for one more task, they were brainwashed killing machines; who had only one goal inserted into their minds:

Larionko Aidarov must die.

They were tasked with operating phase two if the poisoning attempt failed. They were martial arts masters, and handy with every type of known weapon to a minute degree of exactness. They were all armed to the teeth, but with easily hidden weapons.

Armed with Polish passports which identified them as investment bankers from Warsaw, three (including the woman) left for Novi Sad. The two man team would make its way down to Belgrade.

Secret radio communication codes had revealed that agents 24 and 53 were already on site in Novi Sad. But Killers A, B, and C (as they were identified by the ODSL) were not aware that Sophie Fatale, already charged with phase one, was nearing on site status as well.

Such was French theory of French espionage.

For a time as the body walked, fingertips clinging with cold droplets of salty Adriatic evidence, the fear had remained in one wounded head- could this be another game?

...Now the liquid beads hung red and an oddly dreadful sense of relief heralded the point of no return. "Bravura!" He hissed, holding the door to the gents' half closed as he poked his head out. "Bravura! Get in here! Someone's got at Justforkix. I'm going to the public phone, check on him!" Hearing a similarly hushed, curse-heavy reply from the adjoining ladies' room he crept away before his second associate could clatter her way out of the stalls and into the corridor. She ducked into the gents' soon enough for him to hear renewed cursing on her finding the bloody state of the first.

--------------------

A fierce man with bloodied hands was perhaps not the rarest of sights in the lobby of a Federal Militia station, but his unescorted arrival and the content of his voluntary confession made an incident of note.

"I am Cacofonix of Pathanamthitta, I have been sent to assassinate the President of the Socialist Federal Republic. I am not alone..."

Militia Troops (the heavy section associated with the Federal Militia, a sort of fighting wing within the already armed police force) crouched with their Glock-SIG lovechild HS2000 pistols and Model 84(2) Skorpion machine-pistols beside the same BOV-VP 4x4 APC on which comrades steadied M76 dedicated marksman rifles, while others readied MP-40-like Model 65 submachine-guns to follow the practiced entry into rooms of unknown danger of a final, armoured man with an itchy finger on LP 12 PAS shotgun. Lav would later delight in footage of his forces charging into action in his personal defence, and revel in their expert use of a full domestically-produced arsenal.

A tourmented Indian woman and her unconscious comrade had the attention of ten Militia Troops when two vehicle crew were counted.

"Bruvana! Aidarov is dead, 24 and 53 accomplished the task. It's time to extract!" The diplomatic understanding was that the Beddgelens were to be treated as Igovians unless they made it quite impossible. Cacofonix's information suggested that A was at best incapacitated if he had not died by now, but the woman remained a largely unknown quantity. And she would be shot if she appeared ready to communicate her associate's 're-defection' to other agents or command elements. Though officially unaligned, the SFRY saw as much to gain from helping to create one or more double agent against the French, who really were making neutrality difficult.

Meanwhile, with security subtly increasing around Aidarov and his homes and offices, open dossiers brought to Sova-15 attention were re-examined more closely and plans put forward for increased document checks in Belgrade and Novi Sad under the pretence of possible tax exemption schemes for which individuals may potentially be eligible (so as to reduce the feeling of unwanted state imposition). Federal Militia sweeps were carried out in search of agents known to B, while new, foreign, recently transfered, or otherwise suspect government-associated staff were put back into Sova-15's lists for investigation.

The gig was up, damn the luck. Once again, the Igovians had proven themselves utterly useless and incapable. If Aidarov had truly been killed, the signal would have been given by the Palace Operative. If the Phase Two Letter Killers attacked early, the Phase One agent Sophie Fatale would have known about it, having set up shop in Novi Sad. Yet A-E only knew a tiny set of details, all those related only to 24 and 53 directly. They would know of a plot, but by their own arms and instruction, this plot would come by violent rather than subtle force.

With that conclusion in mind, the Scarlet Pimpernel would not be responsible to His Majesty for another Tord fiasco. He did not know what was going on with Letter Killers, and he was receiving transmission from them. Agents 24 and 53 were sent to rendezvous with them. If the situation was nominal, they would proceed as usual after explaining the communication discrepancy. If not, they would use the bombs intended for Aidarov to incinerate a whole city block, give or take several meters. The bombs were strapped to themselves, and their Serb jeep style vehicle. Their sacrifice to the Crown would be noted, and they would be accorded their place as Martyrs. In either case, the wily Pimpernel would set up a sensation far away from the second element of his attack and quick escape plan.

The agents in custody, as financial aid recipients, would use their first opportunity to slip away. After all, at the present time they couldn’t possibly be suspect to much, no doubt a few hour absence wouldn’t be noticed, although the full escape from view would be. Of course, they carried suicide pills.

Sophie Fatale meanwhile, concurrently with agents 4 and 12, would dose secretly all foodstuffs in the twain Palaces with Tamerinalic-X91. It was a simply matter really, the powder came in a mild aerosol form: it was distributed equally on juices, waters and such, flours and sugars, breads, vegetables, spices, desserts, etc. It was hoped somehow, someway, the poison could make it even to Aidarov. In any case, they had to execute the plain and leave. The Scarlet Pimpernel was the best, had in been in Tord it would have been better. The ODSL could not afford to loose again, the disfavor in the Kings eyes subsequently received would not be tolerable. The powder was dosed to reach toxic limit 3 days after the introduction into the host. Agents Sophie Fatale, 4 and 12 would then remain for twenty four hours after administering the dose, and then leaving.

Twenty four hours because that is when the Agents would make contact with the Letter Killers. It was the Pimpernels hope that the chaos ensuing that meeting would make good all their escapes.

Except his, of course, before giving the final orders he was already at an airport in Athens, traveling as an American businessman. If his lover Sophie Fatale survived, they’d meet again in Paris to get married. That is, once she killed her Serbian fiancée.

(OOC: Sorry about the delay here.
Just to clarify, the Yugoslav heavy police (the Militia Troops) are telling the Beddgelen woman and the injured/killed (we don't know for sure) man with her that Aidarov is dead in a rushed attempt to take her/them alive. The Yugoslavs recognise that they don't know everything, having got some information from the third member of that team who turned himself in, but I've assumed that the other Beddgelens haven't double-crossed the French as yet and could still realise that they're being lied to.

Sorry for trying to expose too much OOC, but it's easy to get confused with so many individuals with so many loyalties and so many designations (names, assumed names, numbers, letters!). From the turncoat Beddgelen we've surrounded the other two memebers of the three person team, and 24 and 53 are, I think, exposed and being hunted. Fatale is not yet exposed, because the double agent doesn't know about her, right?

I'm afraid that I've become a bit confused about the police/agents/A-team bit. Who was speaking in a French accent? That'd get them caught in a split second even if the A-Team and double agent weren't involved! There's a female police officer? I mean, there could be, I'm just a bit lost as to who she is.)

OOC- Yes, no one knows about Fatale except 4 and 12, who are in the Belgrade Palace, and the SP. 24 and 53 would be hunted, but they would have managed to tip off the team that the jig is up, ergo the rushed poisoning attempt took place. The key was 24 and 53 failed to make proper contact, with all the bells and whistles that means: in a operation with no room for error, the attempt would be made with imperfect knowledge rather than risk the capture of any agents again. Oh and of course no one would have spoken with a French accent, these are the best trained killers in the world, having spent years at "Covert U". If AC wishes to RP that line, well the methodology is up to him.

The numbers, letters and names do get a bit confusing...but so is secretly trying to kill that demmed Aidarov.

Belgrade

Oh, come ON, this really is too much! Dragan Jovanovic, officer in the Federal Militia, regarded this Amerikanac and his unusual story as mildly suspicious, but this flirting with his partner was a red flag big enough to fly over Portmeirion.

"Drunks, you say?" and then, turning to the 'Bulgarians', who'd been telling a contradictory story, "Is this true?" he turned back, "I don't smell a lot of booze on them. They say they're Bulgarian."

The others, Mr.T specifically, standing in the background after exiting the drinking establishment, had, by now, caught Jovanovic's eye. "Are they with you, too?" He said, nodding towards the only black man within God knows how many miles.

This was all getting to be a little too strange for him, and he was feeling out-numbered in spite of the co-operative attitude of the 'Bulgarians'. Dragan took out his mobile phone -the government couldn't just yet afford radios for every single officer in every single service across the whole Federation, but those willing to pay for the handset could get a mobile phone with a contract subsidised by the state while they waited for a new radio- and began to dial the number of the local militia station, intending to request a patrol vehicle to come and pick everyone up so this could be sorted out. He gave his partner a bit of a dig with his free hand as he lifted the phone to his ear, and shot her a harsh glance in an effort to get her mind back on the job. Looking embarrassed, she pulled herself bolt upright quite suddenly, and instinctively put one hand over he houlstered revolver, which possibly wasn't the most tactful response.

OOC: To clarify: only the Face is outside (Mr. T is too recognizable to walk the streets without disguise, anyhow, after the French incident), and he detected a hint of what he thought was a French accent. The man is the team's disguise master, so he can trace the very subtle traces of langauge, but it was just a random suspicion. I'll get in an IC post later, but assume that the Face gave up ("I must have been mistaken") after the "Bulgarians" started making excuses and the Yugoslavians became agitated.

OOC: "The A-Team left their money, as well as a generous tip, on the table, and ran outside to escape a possible raid. They then realized that it was merely the police collecting a pair of ragged beggars, which gave Mr. T a sense of..." Means, "Face left their money and ran outside..."?

And "...The scarf was wrapped around the thick neck of a powerfully built black man who stood outside" followed by a description of his mohawk, vest, skin, and so on means that he stood inside, in disguise?

You can see how I'd get the impression I did!

These over-the-top highly improbable character-driven spy games really don't seem to work very well.

Grr.

Why isn't this thing deleting? Blasted forums.

OOC: "The A-Team left their money, as well as a generous tip, on the table, and ran outside to escape a possible raid. They then realized that it was merely the police collecting a pair of ragged beggars, which gave Mr. T a sense of..." Means, "Face left their money and ran outside..."?

And "...The scarf was wrapped around the thick neck of a powerfully built black man who stood outside" followed by a description of his mohawk, vest, skin, and so on means that he stood inside, in disguise?

You can see how I'd get the impression I did!

These over-the-top highly improbable character-driven spy games really don't seem to work very well.

>_< To be blunt...Crap. I apologize my friend, complete mistake on my part. School's been a massive drain on my memory, and this is what I get for dropping in to do quickie posts while racking my brain with Chem...Dumb mistake, and I apologize. (Though T's face is disguised, and the clothing and hairdo could describe anyone) And yes, these things can work well, its just that everyone taking part has to let loose a bit. Come on now, we have extremely serious RPs with consummate professionals...Why not something a bit more humorous, for once? I'm not asking you to bend the rules of reality, of course. Do what you will with the A-Team, you can ignore them if you wish.

Eh, I'll continue IC tomorrow. I have a speech tournament I need to prep for now.

OOC: Well, I don't know how many big black guys with mohawks are walking around Belgrade in leather vests, but, anyway, I apologise if that came across as sarcastic and rude, I didn't really mean it.

I have to think about what to do, next. I don't really feel like killing Aidarov, but there should be something to show for all of this. Probably I haven't done enough with Gukov's death, that in itself should be a pretty major international incident. Maybe I can take it somewhere.

I hope that whatever a speech tournament is went/goes well for you!

OOC- just wanted to drop a quick update. I dont expect the X91 to kill Aidarov, I just wanted to make an attempt that would be palpable and spooky. As I have many other things building up, Ill make my exit from the RP (directly) on the morrow.

I trying to organize a French Cultural Restoration...wish me luck!

OOC: Er, good luck, I think :)
If I am distracted, it is because Yugoslavia is meddling heavily in the development of East Asia and Sub Saharan Africa ;)