Allanea
19-04-2007, 17:42
April 19th, 20??, Liberty City, early morning
This is the ANN Traficopter, I am in the air above Liberty Lane, it appears Liberty Lane and several attached streets have been closed to all civilian traffic due to the Independence Day celebrations, I repeat, closed to all traffic...
“Go! Go! Go!” - the Taggart Terminal was filled with Allanean soldiers in parade dress uniform, bayonets already fixed to their assault rifles. There were the famous units – the Reagan Marines, with their stern faces and green trench-coats reaching down to their boots, the Furry Airborne, wih their camoflage-pattern jumpsuits and raccoon shoulder patches, the Sirithilist Volunteer Infantry with their red and gold.
The last preparations to the Independence Day Celebrations are now in full gear. In Liberty Bay, the girdings are off five monuments – the Founder Statues are now covered only by gigantic cloth coverings. They will be revealed...
In Liberty Bay, five enormous figures stood, as if appearing out of the very surface of the water. In reality, each was standing on a small artificial island of it's own, big enough for a small group of visitors, but that wasn't visible from the shore. Nor were the faces of the figures, covered so far by cloth.
Liberty-Lane's sidewalks were packed with people, waiting already for the parade that was to start later in the day. Not only that, but people filled the roofs and balconies of the houses from which the parade ground could be seen – and homeowners charged for the privilege, of course.
From cameras fixed to the roof of Congress' Great Hall, from helicopters, from sattelites, Allanea's television stations watched the parade grounds. It was here that the new 'post-Miriel' Allanea would first make its first appearance.
And all waited.
In Allanean embassies all over the world – in Issasrach, in Praetonia, in Questaria, in every nation with an Allanean embassy in it, the ambassadors are holding open parties. Apparently, enormous amounts of alcohol have been stockpiled by the Department of State under Secretary Allison Cameron, “so that all those who wish to come to the embassies and drink the health of Allanea, her freedom, and Her Majesty the Queen may do so”.
In Port-Allanea in Haven, in Gush-Katif, in New Thermopilae, in Heston City, in Deriksburg, in Progressi City, the houses were bedecked with flags – even more flags then usually. The Allanean flag, with it's red and white stripes and white stars on blue, waved from the habitation domes in Neo-Dallas, from settler homes in Allanean Arterus and San Nereiana, from seasteads in the Greater Prussian Bay.
In all schools the day was off, and children were out in the streets. Those who did not send their children to school in the first place allowed them a day off. At the Stossel estate in the Hash, an Independence Ball was held, and girls in long, flowering white skirts spun around and around in waltzes with boys in black three-piece suits, and all was well. At Nime Lisle, an outdoor rave party was held that started two days earliers and lasted for two weeks straight.
At the churches on Temple Avenue, special holiday services were held – and priests held prayers of thanks to Jehova, Sirithil, Zeus, Ranisath, Helm, Tempus, Satan and Slaanesh - every good and evil deity known to sapientkind. Even Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman received their fair share of prayer and offerings. On the radio, patriotic music was played.
Belt-feds, plasguns, mortar-shells
Mocked and howled and jeered,
But your ranks were firm, your aim was true..
At the parade grounds, the last preparations were made – on the steps of Congress, seats were prepared for the President, the members of the Cabinet, the leadership of the House and Senate, the heads of Allanea's major corporations and non-profits – the NRAA, Allanean Arms, the major churches, lobbies, and charities, and so on, and so forth. A large and ornate throne was also installed, to symbolize the honor of the Allanean Queen – thought nobody really believed she'd be present for the ceremony.
The Parade Announcer cleared his throat. His coughing was heard over the vast loudspeaker system installed through Liberty Lane, and by billions of people watching all over the country and outside it.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Commanding the Parade, on the open-topped car out in front, is Marshal Ragnar Danneskjold.
The car – an open-topped Blastolene Special – moved slowly and gracefully down Liberty Lane, and away from the building of Congress. Standing in it was a tall general, all bedecked in medals and decorations.
From the other direction, another similar car appeared. Standing in it, in a Field Marshal's uniform, wearing a white scarf with a silvery flower on it, was...
Accepting the command of the Parade from Marshal Danneskjold...
Danneskjold saluted. “Greetings, Mister Field Marshal, Sir!”
“Greetings, Marshal Danneskjold!”
...is Field Marshal Alexander Kazansky!
The crowd erupted in nearly two minutes of incessant cheering – and Kazansky saluted them, too. His car turned around again, and disappeared into Madison Avenue. The announcer's voice explained.
The Field Marshal now has to return to position, commanding the parade proper. He will appear again, at the end of the parade. The Parade will begin by demonstration of the troops of Allanea's major private organizations, dedicated, just like our glorious armed forces, to the defense of liberty and the Republic. The first unit to make an appearance...
The CBSF troops – in bluish urban camouflage, rifles slung on their shoulders, and the famous bunny head stitched in gold on their round, pink shoulder patches, marched by. Following them went the troops of several other 'contracting agencies', and private militias.
The Constitutional Militia of Liberty-City, who have helped take down the fascist usurper Edmund de Siecle, the Free Miliita of Western Axackal, the valiant Sisters of Liberty of the First Convent...
More and more troops marched on – but everybody knew that these were just the appetizer to the real thing.
And then, something happened.
Marching last in this group are the cadets of the Robert Edward Lee Military Academy – the most prestigious educational institution in this nation, bar none. It is from their rank that the commanding staff of the Allanean Army and Navy, the elite of the country's business community and political bodies are drawn.
And here they went – a hundred boys and a hundred girls dressed in a grey uniform that looked as through it's wearers had just left the parade grounds of the Army of Virginia. Only a black shoulder patch with a white charging unicorn was added by the founders of the Academy, and a white silvery flag with the same unicorn on it soared over the cadets' ranks.
“God bless the Lee Cadets!” - screamed a woman in the crowd, throwing a flower. It fell on the parade ground before the cadets and was crushed under foot. “God bless!” - screamed a man, and tossed another flower. “Long live the Cadets!” - someone else added, and launched a handful of rice into the air. And so they went on, with a carpet of rice and flowers under foot.
And now we see the Allanean Armed Forces themselves – starting the most famous, the most decorated, the Ronald Reagan First Marine Division. The Reagan Marines were among the first to land on the shore of Antanjyl, fought against the Edolian invaders and the Reichite fascists, and have decorated themselves with multiple victories and undying glory on the battlefield, time and time again. Here they come.
The street was filled with the crunching sound of military boots, and suddenly, an unbelievable spectacle was opened to the crowd – the Marines had filled ten of the sixteen lanes of the street, marching a hundred abreast. Those who could do a quick estimate would notice that there were a hundred ranks of Marines – ten thousand men, the entire combat complement of the Division. From the immense divisional combat banner, the Gipper himself smiled on the Allaneans.
And now, the Furry Airbone. They fought the Kravenites, they secured the surrender of New Albor, they are the cream of the crop – the glory, pride, and honor of the Allanean Ground Forces.
The angry raccoon face on the combat banner would have looked cute and cuddly in any other setting – but when it was associated with Allanea's most deadly infantry unit, people responsible for thousands and dozens of thousands of enemy deaths, there was nothing funny about the animal face on the division banner. At all.
The Furries have the high honor of carrying the seized banners of units defeated by Allanea's armed forces in the past.
And there they were, Zentian, Yurkan, Halladi battle flags, flags from Atopia, Iragia, Edolia, Antanjyl, Kraven, British Londinium, New Dornalia... every soldier in the division had a flag.
And another division... and another... Team Dagger operatives marched by in their black uniforms and black facemask, the famous crossed-dagger pins glinting on their shirts. After them marched the troops from Team Sperhead. And then...
All parade spectators are advised to look in the sky. The aircraft you see are the aircraft of the Golden Griffins Special Air Squadron. As you see, those are Sturmfalke fighters...
The aicraft dove towards the crowd, their engines screaming. For a second, it seemed they were going to crash into the spectators en masse. For a second, millions of viewers at home and thousands of spectators in the streets held their breaths – and then the aircraft leveled out, perhaps only a tenth of furlong above the heads of the crowd. Behind them were trails of red, white, and blue smoke.
And there was applause.
Passing in the air above us are the mighty Ouroboros-B superbombers, the S-1000 nuclear bombers, the Ankriat heavy nuclear bombers...
The crowd watched, some enraptured with the immense aircraft above them, others with the seemingly endless columns of troops marching by them.
Other elements of the Air Force are currently performing various airshow displays in several cities in Allanea – in Yurka-City, on Roanoke Island, in New York City...
“Ready... heave her up! Ready on the left!”
Twenty miles from the city limits, the troops rushed back and forth. Cannon and rocket launchers were prepared, shells stocked up, immernse firepower was readied – and it all was aimed at the very city center.
An entire artillery division was unwrapping it's cannon and mortards near Liberty-City, and at sea near the shore, several battleships stood, their cannon trained and loaded already. But the time for that had not yet come.
At Deriksburg, where the time zone was different, a similar division was already firing its weapons – altitude-rigged rounds exploding above the city in showers of every color of the rainbow. At sea, a superdreadnaught contributed salvoes from its massive cannon and gorgeous pure-white showers of fire. Aircraft flew overhead, dropping multi-colored mega-candela signal flares that made the streets bright-lit like during the day.
Passsing by on Liberty-Lane are the Boy Scouts of Allanea, the Girl Scouts of Allanea... cadets of the National Academy of Armored Warfare... the National Academy of Naval Warfare...
Now onto Liberty-Lane came the tanks – the famous Nakil 1A2's, with their 20mm anti-air cannon polished and the flash suppressorts coated in brasse, the engines roaring, the hulls and glacis plates decorated, and a white flag with a golden-stitch woman's face smiling to the tankers.
What you see before you is the First Armored Battalion of the First Ayn Rand Armored Division...
And there was more cheering. And, naturally, there were more tanks.
Allanean embassy at Derscon
The Allanean embassy at Derscon was enomrous – twenty stories, enough to handle the trade, the tourists, the tiny little misunderstandings that arise in any allied relationship. Right now, the dining hall at the embassy – the Kerensky Dining Hall – was packed tight with guests, both Allanean and Dersconi – anybody who responded to the ambassador's invitation.
The tables looked like they were about to crack – with Dersconi vodka, red caviar from Allanean Alaska and black from the Northern Prussian sea, and blue caviar from the mutant Blue Salmon that were bred in special farms in Neo-Dallas, and pancakes that seemed to have come right out of The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food.
The Ambassador and his wife stood up, holding up crystal glasses, each holding exactly a hundred gram of ice-cold Dersconi vodka. He smiled at everybody and said:
“Ladies and genlmen! Let me propose a toast to the United States of Allanea and her continued alliance with Derscon!”
Similar scenes took place in Menelmacar – where the ambassador knew nothing of local cooking and so hired a group of locals to handle it all – in Gyrobot, in Kanami, in Knootoss (herring and weed), in Psychotic Psychos (sake and sasimi), in Questers (crumpets, tea, and brandy), in Scandavian States and Questaria alike – wherever there was an Allanean embassy.
Gifts were sent to every leader of a nation that was allied or even mildly friendly with Allanea – not anything you can bribe people with, but merely baskets of various sweets and delicious foods produced in different parts of the Land of the Free, and a packet of Stossel Tea – the pride of the Republic.
And now observe, passing by the University of Concord building now, the famous ZMI-made Imperator tank. Weighing at about 3,500 tons, these are the last relics of the pre-Reform military structure, only surviving because of their various battlefield applications and extreme utility... passing by are the famous Stormhammer howitzers...
The parade was now almost over. It has lasted for hours and hours, and some people have left and others have come instead. Armor, artillery, troops, rocket launchers have rolled by the spectators in state – and finally came the last man – Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky, the Field Marshal of the Republic.
His hand flying to a crisp salute, and spoke.
As an officer of Her Majesty's Army, I salute, first and foremost, the Allanean people here assembled, the representatives of Allanea's inudstry and business, the President of the United States and her staff, the members of Congress.
First of all, I would like to announce that the statues of Allanea's Five Great will be opened... about... now...
Muffled explosions came in from Liberty Bay, as small charges of C-6 tore away the cables holding the statues' cloth covering in place. And there they were – plated in polished brass were a statues of Field Marshal Kazansky himself (of which he made no mention), Grand Admiral Blake Cameron, CEO Kirill Nivensky, Victoria Sheshet, and, finally, her hands outstretched to the city in blessing, President and Queen of Allanea, Miriel nos Feanor.
For several seconds Kazansky was unable to speak for the applause and the cheering.
Second, I would like to announce that the Department of Defense, working closely with civilian donors in our business community, had worked out a few things for you to do during the wait for the evening's fireworks display – which will include, among other things, several low-yield atomic munitions detonations in orbit, strong enough for you to see beautiful effects, not low or powerful enough to damage the city significantly –
The crowd held its breath momentarily. Everybody knew the fireworks display was going to be special. But nuclear fireworks! That boggled the mind.
Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. We have prepared a large amount of alcohol, food, and various entertainment pharmaceuticals, also replete with disk jockeys provided by our gracious civilian donors - – he nodded at the corporate representatives at the step of Congress – as well as other interesting stuff for you all to see and do in the next few hours. Due to the activities of military units holding minor parades in other cities of the Republic, they, too, will receive their own Independence Day celebrations. In fact, the entire nation will be in the grips of one immense party, with the only exception of on-duty military personnel and Strategic Command Staff.
You know, when I think of it, that's what Allanea is all about.
When, so many years ago, me and my comrades have gotten together and founded this nation, we decided to have the day of official announcement of independence to be on April 19th – the day the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, at Waco, at Warsaw – again and again, these are stories of people fighting for their freedom – sometimes losing and sometimes prevailing. Strangely enough, they sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to no other idea but for a man's inherent right to pursue his own happiness – to be left alone by the State so he could save up money, and then eat, drink, and be merry as he chose.
There's nothing wrong with declaring you have the right to be happy, and then fighting like hell for it. In fact, it is those who believe you have no right to live for your own happiness – because their ideology demands it, because you're too rich or too poor or your nose is the wrong shape, because they think being happy is an unworthy goal - that are morally suspect, and it is to protect against such as them that Allanea was founded. And just as some nations have people who go and die for the glory of the 'master race', of the 'beloved Leader', of the dictatorship of the proletariat – we have people that are willing to fight and die for our right to be alive, free, and happy.
Before you take to your parties, I would like you to please take just a few seconds to contemplate those who sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, so we could all enjoy life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.
This is all.
May God save the Lady Miriel nos Feanor, our noble and most beloved Queen.
And may God continue to bless Allanea.
Now let's all go party.
And party they did.
This is the ANN Traficopter, I am in the air above Liberty Lane, it appears Liberty Lane and several attached streets have been closed to all civilian traffic due to the Independence Day celebrations, I repeat, closed to all traffic...
“Go! Go! Go!” - the Taggart Terminal was filled with Allanean soldiers in parade dress uniform, bayonets already fixed to their assault rifles. There were the famous units – the Reagan Marines, with their stern faces and green trench-coats reaching down to their boots, the Furry Airborne, wih their camoflage-pattern jumpsuits and raccoon shoulder patches, the Sirithilist Volunteer Infantry with their red and gold.
The last preparations to the Independence Day Celebrations are now in full gear. In Liberty Bay, the girdings are off five monuments – the Founder Statues are now covered only by gigantic cloth coverings. They will be revealed...
In Liberty Bay, five enormous figures stood, as if appearing out of the very surface of the water. In reality, each was standing on a small artificial island of it's own, big enough for a small group of visitors, but that wasn't visible from the shore. Nor were the faces of the figures, covered so far by cloth.
Liberty-Lane's sidewalks were packed with people, waiting already for the parade that was to start later in the day. Not only that, but people filled the roofs and balconies of the houses from which the parade ground could be seen – and homeowners charged for the privilege, of course.
From cameras fixed to the roof of Congress' Great Hall, from helicopters, from sattelites, Allanea's television stations watched the parade grounds. It was here that the new 'post-Miriel' Allanea would first make its first appearance.
And all waited.
In Allanean embassies all over the world – in Issasrach, in Praetonia, in Questaria, in every nation with an Allanean embassy in it, the ambassadors are holding open parties. Apparently, enormous amounts of alcohol have been stockpiled by the Department of State under Secretary Allison Cameron, “so that all those who wish to come to the embassies and drink the health of Allanea, her freedom, and Her Majesty the Queen may do so”.
In Port-Allanea in Haven, in Gush-Katif, in New Thermopilae, in Heston City, in Deriksburg, in Progressi City, the houses were bedecked with flags – even more flags then usually. The Allanean flag, with it's red and white stripes and white stars on blue, waved from the habitation domes in Neo-Dallas, from settler homes in Allanean Arterus and San Nereiana, from seasteads in the Greater Prussian Bay.
In all schools the day was off, and children were out in the streets. Those who did not send their children to school in the first place allowed them a day off. At the Stossel estate in the Hash, an Independence Ball was held, and girls in long, flowering white skirts spun around and around in waltzes with boys in black three-piece suits, and all was well. At Nime Lisle, an outdoor rave party was held that started two days earliers and lasted for two weeks straight.
At the churches on Temple Avenue, special holiday services were held – and priests held prayers of thanks to Jehova, Sirithil, Zeus, Ranisath, Helm, Tempus, Satan and Slaanesh - every good and evil deity known to sapientkind. Even Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman received their fair share of prayer and offerings. On the radio, patriotic music was played.
Belt-feds, plasguns, mortar-shells
Mocked and howled and jeered,
But your ranks were firm, your aim was true..
At the parade grounds, the last preparations were made – on the steps of Congress, seats were prepared for the President, the members of the Cabinet, the leadership of the House and Senate, the heads of Allanea's major corporations and non-profits – the NRAA, Allanean Arms, the major churches, lobbies, and charities, and so on, and so forth. A large and ornate throne was also installed, to symbolize the honor of the Allanean Queen – thought nobody really believed she'd be present for the ceremony.
The Parade Announcer cleared his throat. His coughing was heard over the vast loudspeaker system installed through Liberty Lane, and by billions of people watching all over the country and outside it.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Commanding the Parade, on the open-topped car out in front, is Marshal Ragnar Danneskjold.
The car – an open-topped Blastolene Special – moved slowly and gracefully down Liberty Lane, and away from the building of Congress. Standing in it was a tall general, all bedecked in medals and decorations.
From the other direction, another similar car appeared. Standing in it, in a Field Marshal's uniform, wearing a white scarf with a silvery flower on it, was...
Accepting the command of the Parade from Marshal Danneskjold...
Danneskjold saluted. “Greetings, Mister Field Marshal, Sir!”
“Greetings, Marshal Danneskjold!”
...is Field Marshal Alexander Kazansky!
The crowd erupted in nearly two minutes of incessant cheering – and Kazansky saluted them, too. His car turned around again, and disappeared into Madison Avenue. The announcer's voice explained.
The Field Marshal now has to return to position, commanding the parade proper. He will appear again, at the end of the parade. The Parade will begin by demonstration of the troops of Allanea's major private organizations, dedicated, just like our glorious armed forces, to the defense of liberty and the Republic. The first unit to make an appearance...
The CBSF troops – in bluish urban camouflage, rifles slung on their shoulders, and the famous bunny head stitched in gold on their round, pink shoulder patches, marched by. Following them went the troops of several other 'contracting agencies', and private militias.
The Constitutional Militia of Liberty-City, who have helped take down the fascist usurper Edmund de Siecle, the Free Miliita of Western Axackal, the valiant Sisters of Liberty of the First Convent...
More and more troops marched on – but everybody knew that these were just the appetizer to the real thing.
And then, something happened.
Marching last in this group are the cadets of the Robert Edward Lee Military Academy – the most prestigious educational institution in this nation, bar none. It is from their rank that the commanding staff of the Allanean Army and Navy, the elite of the country's business community and political bodies are drawn.
And here they went – a hundred boys and a hundred girls dressed in a grey uniform that looked as through it's wearers had just left the parade grounds of the Army of Virginia. Only a black shoulder patch with a white charging unicorn was added by the founders of the Academy, and a white silvery flag with the same unicorn on it soared over the cadets' ranks.
“God bless the Lee Cadets!” - screamed a woman in the crowd, throwing a flower. It fell on the parade ground before the cadets and was crushed under foot. “God bless!” - screamed a man, and tossed another flower. “Long live the Cadets!” - someone else added, and launched a handful of rice into the air. And so they went on, with a carpet of rice and flowers under foot.
And now we see the Allanean Armed Forces themselves – starting the most famous, the most decorated, the Ronald Reagan First Marine Division. The Reagan Marines were among the first to land on the shore of Antanjyl, fought against the Edolian invaders and the Reichite fascists, and have decorated themselves with multiple victories and undying glory on the battlefield, time and time again. Here they come.
The street was filled with the crunching sound of military boots, and suddenly, an unbelievable spectacle was opened to the crowd – the Marines had filled ten of the sixteen lanes of the street, marching a hundred abreast. Those who could do a quick estimate would notice that there were a hundred ranks of Marines – ten thousand men, the entire combat complement of the Division. From the immense divisional combat banner, the Gipper himself smiled on the Allaneans.
And now, the Furry Airbone. They fought the Kravenites, they secured the surrender of New Albor, they are the cream of the crop – the glory, pride, and honor of the Allanean Ground Forces.
The angry raccoon face on the combat banner would have looked cute and cuddly in any other setting – but when it was associated with Allanea's most deadly infantry unit, people responsible for thousands and dozens of thousands of enemy deaths, there was nothing funny about the animal face on the division banner. At all.
The Furries have the high honor of carrying the seized banners of units defeated by Allanea's armed forces in the past.
And there they were, Zentian, Yurkan, Halladi battle flags, flags from Atopia, Iragia, Edolia, Antanjyl, Kraven, British Londinium, New Dornalia... every soldier in the division had a flag.
And another division... and another... Team Dagger operatives marched by in their black uniforms and black facemask, the famous crossed-dagger pins glinting on their shirts. After them marched the troops from Team Sperhead. And then...
All parade spectators are advised to look in the sky. The aircraft you see are the aircraft of the Golden Griffins Special Air Squadron. As you see, those are Sturmfalke fighters...
The aicraft dove towards the crowd, their engines screaming. For a second, it seemed they were going to crash into the spectators en masse. For a second, millions of viewers at home and thousands of spectators in the streets held their breaths – and then the aircraft leveled out, perhaps only a tenth of furlong above the heads of the crowd. Behind them were trails of red, white, and blue smoke.
And there was applause.
Passing in the air above us are the mighty Ouroboros-B superbombers, the S-1000 nuclear bombers, the Ankriat heavy nuclear bombers...
The crowd watched, some enraptured with the immense aircraft above them, others with the seemingly endless columns of troops marching by them.
Other elements of the Air Force are currently performing various airshow displays in several cities in Allanea – in Yurka-City, on Roanoke Island, in New York City...
“Ready... heave her up! Ready on the left!”
Twenty miles from the city limits, the troops rushed back and forth. Cannon and rocket launchers were prepared, shells stocked up, immernse firepower was readied – and it all was aimed at the very city center.
An entire artillery division was unwrapping it's cannon and mortards near Liberty-City, and at sea near the shore, several battleships stood, their cannon trained and loaded already. But the time for that had not yet come.
At Deriksburg, where the time zone was different, a similar division was already firing its weapons – altitude-rigged rounds exploding above the city in showers of every color of the rainbow. At sea, a superdreadnaught contributed salvoes from its massive cannon and gorgeous pure-white showers of fire. Aircraft flew overhead, dropping multi-colored mega-candela signal flares that made the streets bright-lit like during the day.
Passsing by on Liberty-Lane are the Boy Scouts of Allanea, the Girl Scouts of Allanea... cadets of the National Academy of Armored Warfare... the National Academy of Naval Warfare...
Now onto Liberty-Lane came the tanks – the famous Nakil 1A2's, with their 20mm anti-air cannon polished and the flash suppressorts coated in brasse, the engines roaring, the hulls and glacis plates decorated, and a white flag with a golden-stitch woman's face smiling to the tankers.
What you see before you is the First Armored Battalion of the First Ayn Rand Armored Division...
And there was more cheering. And, naturally, there were more tanks.
Allanean embassy at Derscon
The Allanean embassy at Derscon was enomrous – twenty stories, enough to handle the trade, the tourists, the tiny little misunderstandings that arise in any allied relationship. Right now, the dining hall at the embassy – the Kerensky Dining Hall – was packed tight with guests, both Allanean and Dersconi – anybody who responded to the ambassador's invitation.
The tables looked like they were about to crack – with Dersconi vodka, red caviar from Allanean Alaska and black from the Northern Prussian sea, and blue caviar from the mutant Blue Salmon that were bred in special farms in Neo-Dallas, and pancakes that seemed to have come right out of The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food.
The Ambassador and his wife stood up, holding up crystal glasses, each holding exactly a hundred gram of ice-cold Dersconi vodka. He smiled at everybody and said:
“Ladies and genlmen! Let me propose a toast to the United States of Allanea and her continued alliance with Derscon!”
Similar scenes took place in Menelmacar – where the ambassador knew nothing of local cooking and so hired a group of locals to handle it all – in Gyrobot, in Kanami, in Knootoss (herring and weed), in Psychotic Psychos (sake and sasimi), in Questers (crumpets, tea, and brandy), in Scandavian States and Questaria alike – wherever there was an Allanean embassy.
Gifts were sent to every leader of a nation that was allied or even mildly friendly with Allanea – not anything you can bribe people with, but merely baskets of various sweets and delicious foods produced in different parts of the Land of the Free, and a packet of Stossel Tea – the pride of the Republic.
And now observe, passing by the University of Concord building now, the famous ZMI-made Imperator tank. Weighing at about 3,500 tons, these are the last relics of the pre-Reform military structure, only surviving because of their various battlefield applications and extreme utility... passing by are the famous Stormhammer howitzers...
The parade was now almost over. It has lasted for hours and hours, and some people have left and others have come instead. Armor, artillery, troops, rocket launchers have rolled by the spectators in state – and finally came the last man – Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky, the Field Marshal of the Republic.
His hand flying to a crisp salute, and spoke.
As an officer of Her Majesty's Army, I salute, first and foremost, the Allanean people here assembled, the representatives of Allanea's inudstry and business, the President of the United States and her staff, the members of Congress.
First of all, I would like to announce that the statues of Allanea's Five Great will be opened... about... now...
Muffled explosions came in from Liberty Bay, as small charges of C-6 tore away the cables holding the statues' cloth covering in place. And there they were – plated in polished brass were a statues of Field Marshal Kazansky himself (of which he made no mention), Grand Admiral Blake Cameron, CEO Kirill Nivensky, Victoria Sheshet, and, finally, her hands outstretched to the city in blessing, President and Queen of Allanea, Miriel nos Feanor.
For several seconds Kazansky was unable to speak for the applause and the cheering.
Second, I would like to announce that the Department of Defense, working closely with civilian donors in our business community, had worked out a few things for you to do during the wait for the evening's fireworks display – which will include, among other things, several low-yield atomic munitions detonations in orbit, strong enough for you to see beautiful effects, not low or powerful enough to damage the city significantly –
The crowd held its breath momentarily. Everybody knew the fireworks display was going to be special. But nuclear fireworks! That boggled the mind.
Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. We have prepared a large amount of alcohol, food, and various entertainment pharmaceuticals, also replete with disk jockeys provided by our gracious civilian donors - – he nodded at the corporate representatives at the step of Congress – as well as other interesting stuff for you all to see and do in the next few hours. Due to the activities of military units holding minor parades in other cities of the Republic, they, too, will receive their own Independence Day celebrations. In fact, the entire nation will be in the grips of one immense party, with the only exception of on-duty military personnel and Strategic Command Staff.
You know, when I think of it, that's what Allanea is all about.
When, so many years ago, me and my comrades have gotten together and founded this nation, we decided to have the day of official announcement of independence to be on April 19th – the day the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, at Waco, at Warsaw – again and again, these are stories of people fighting for their freedom – sometimes losing and sometimes prevailing. Strangely enough, they sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to no other idea but for a man's inherent right to pursue his own happiness – to be left alone by the State so he could save up money, and then eat, drink, and be merry as he chose.
There's nothing wrong with declaring you have the right to be happy, and then fighting like hell for it. In fact, it is those who believe you have no right to live for your own happiness – because their ideology demands it, because you're too rich or too poor or your nose is the wrong shape, because they think being happy is an unworthy goal - that are morally suspect, and it is to protect against such as them that Allanea was founded. And just as some nations have people who go and die for the glory of the 'master race', of the 'beloved Leader', of the dictatorship of the proletariat – we have people that are willing to fight and die for our right to be alive, free, and happy.
Before you take to your parties, I would like you to please take just a few seconds to contemplate those who sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, so we could all enjoy life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.
This is all.
May God save the Lady Miriel nos Feanor, our noble and most beloved Queen.
And may God continue to bless Allanea.
Now let's all go party.
And party they did.