NationStates Jolt Archive

PART ONE

OOC: This will come in several parts (didn't want the initial post to be extremely long), so those of you wondering where you could enter in, just wait for it. This is semi-closed for the fact that I wanted to keep it with people I know for now. If you feel like you should be here, then post or ask me please. If Jarridia has spoken to you in the past, then I welcome your posts and discussion. Please feel free to TG me. This is my official comeback to NS. Thanks!

IC:

Many decades had passed since the Jarridian nation disappeared into the shadows of the Westwood Alliance. Things hadn’t been the same since the loss of their dearest leader, and although the first lady turned president tried to rally the nation back to coherence, her attempts had failed at gaining international trust and admiration. Though there were moments when Jarridia reared its head into international debacles, but a majority of these rare occasions were lackluster performances. The same had befallen the WWA (Westwood Alliance) as a whole. With internal strife and a crumbling democratic process, only the mere desire of togetherness has kept the WWA from falling to pieces. Marissa Stassin, the Jarridian Representative elected as President was never challenged by an opposing Representative and thus has had the longest term imaginable in an Alliance government set to hold elections regularly. It is in these hard times experienced by Jarridia and the WWA, which the decision for changes needs to be made.

Though the domestic policy of Jarridia remained strong and the economic development continued at an exponential rate, the weakness of the Jarridian Government on Foreign Affairs has been astonishing. How could a world power simply vanish into thin air? The answer was simple, weak-minded leaders and poor management. It was in this belief that the Jarridians for Re-establishment and Reformation (JRER) began to take shape. The group began as a small scale lobby in Shelbin, Jarridia attempting gain support for pushing Jarridian politics back onto the political scene and back into the WWA. Support in the early years was overwhelming, as word spread and protests of the government began to take place in every city across the nation, from Kiakor to Westwood. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm subsided as it seemed nothing was changing in the government. Leaders of the group, Ms. Michelle Thoreson and Mr. Roger Ettlebee, noticed the shift in interest and were determined to take the movement to the next level, especially with a national election on the horizon.

It had already been established that Kasilyn Branam, the current President of Jarridia, would not be running for re-election. The only well-tenured candidate the Jarridian Pride National Committee could muster was a governor out of the southeastern region named Paul Adams. He was a soft spoken man from a small town about 100 miles outside of Kiakor. His beliefs differed none from the already present government, and because he was weak on both foreign and domestic issues, the leaders of the JRER determined this would be the perfect time to strike, the only problem was who would be the candidate, Ms. Thoreson, or Mr. Ettlebee?

Michelle Thoreson was a honored graduate from the University of Corvica. She has a dual master in Political Science and Public Administration and served for several years in both the Jarridian House and Senate. Her only fault was that she was young (31) and her colleagues were much older. She was never deterred by this and made every effort to continue with her political aspirations. She was strong on domestic policy and believed that having a powerful homeland would leader to being powerful abroad. She argued that a strong military was necessary in preserving the sanctity of the nation, but not at the expense of the masses and of the healthcare and education systems. She believed that a happy medium could be found between the too. All in all, her political mind mimicked that of the deceased President Jarrod Branam, but certainly not too its entirety. Roger Ettlebee, on the other hand, was not quite a cut and dry. He was not from Jarridia, his family moved here when he was 11 from the central lands of Lord-General Drache. His wife Maria was an immigrant from ViZion who sought shelter in Jarridia after the ViZionarian Rebellion. After college he became fascinated by the political process in the WWA and began pursuing a route of involvement in both the WWA and Jarridia. His ideals are similar to those of Michelle but he is not near as outspoken and was not near as respected because he was a foreigner. Once the JRER announced its intentions to run Ms. Thoreson in the race, an envious and jealous Ettlebee quit his position at JRER and established a new group, Non-native Jarridians for a Brighter Tomorrow (NNBT). Although he garnered some support from neighboring nations and portions of the non-native population, he was largely viewed as not truly supporting the ideals of the Jarridian populace. Nonetheless, he pressed forward for the presidency.

Mid-way through the campaign process It had become perfectly evident that change was in the future. Thoreson had a commanding lead on the others. Her elegant, female charm was the perfect combination for her tough domestic and foreign policies. Second was Ettlebee, who had been blasted by both of the foe campaigns for not being a ‘true Jarridian,’ but he hung in there and certainly controlled a large portion of the immigrant vote. Then in dead last was Adams, who knew he had no shot at beating either, now he merely focused on shedding light to the issues at hand.

Part 2

During the time that Jarridia struggled to get a direction for the nation, the Westwood Alliance had degraded into a desolate skyscraper marring the skyline of Westwood, Jarridia. The congressional chambers had long since been vacated; the only people that remained were those essential to operations of the alliance government as a whole. Rumors had spread for some time that the alliance may be doomed to be dispersed by Jarridia. Since the headquarters was located in Jarridia, the fact that the alliance became a financial burden on the entire nation was enough for Jarridia to make the consideration of ending the overarching alliance. Though the thought had crossed the government’s mind, it was out of the question as far as President Branam was concerned. The constant stress that Yugoslavitania put on the alliance was unbearable, not because of the things that were done by its government, but the fights that would break out between WWA allied nations. It was realized, however, that a rejuvenation of the WWA was key to the rebuilding of Jarridia as a superpower. The difficulty of coaxing the presiding members back to Westwood was one thing, but attempting to come up with a plan to get things moving again was another. Marissa Stassin, the current WWA President and Jarridian Representative to the WWA, spent countless hours in her office devising strategies, but eventually she realized that it was just no use. She was just too tired for this job.

With all of these things taken into account of the past few decades, we arrive at present day. Jarridia’s election process is nearly at an end, Marissa Stassin has called a last minute session of the WWA Congress, and ViZion continues its struggle to regain freedom from invading forces.

WWA Headquarters; Westwood, Jarridia

Finally all the national representatives had been ushered to their places and Marissa took to the podium, not known to everyone else, but it would be the very last time she would do so. She always had a kind smile, though she had aged dramatically since her first step into the WWA Headquarters at the age of 28. She had been hand-picked by President Jarrod Branam (now deceased) to be the Jarridian Representative. Back in those days she was highly energetic, but more recently she had slowed down quite a bit. Perhaps the job itself was enough for her aging. She glanced out over the incredible room where she spent most of her career. All the representatives, from Lord-General Drache to Borman Empire and Brindisi, sitting in their respective places. She gave out one last smile, her eyes tearing up slightly.

”Good Afternoon my fellow colleagues. I have called you all here, not for an attempt to discuss strategy at revival, merely for a broad discussion of our future. I have been the Jarridian Representative for a long time, and I have had the honor of being the Alliance President many times in my tenure. We have been through a lot together, and have overcome many obstacles that have stood in our way. It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation and retirement, effective at the conclusion of this speech. This has been a trying decision for me, but I feel it is what is best for the alliance and myself. The time has come, my friends, for a new beginning, a whole new way to see. There is a grand task before you all, the chance to rebuild our alliance to what it has been in the past, the chance to start again and establish the Westwood Alliance as a power and force to be reckoned with. It has been my pleasure to serve you all, and to work with you. I shall never forget the knowledge I have gained in my time here. Before I take my final steps down from the podium, I would like to introduce you all to my replacement as the chief Jarridian Representative. Alex would you please stand up?” A youthful man, in his early 30’s stood up to acknowledge Marissa. He had dark wavy hair, and piercing blue eyes. He was tall, but well built. He had a tattoo on his right arm, a mark of his service to the Jarridian Military. He took a brief panoramic view of the auditorium, making eye contact with each representative has he passed, then nodded to Marissa for a continuance. ”I introduce you to Alexander Montalee. He served for 12 years in the Jarridian Marines, and over the past few years he has become an influential part of my staff. I have selected him as my replacement and President Kasilyn Branam of Jarridia has signed off on his acceptance. He will not be my replacement as President of the WWA. In the next few weeks we will hold an election that will determine that. Once again, my resignation and retirement will be effective upon my walking off the podium. Thank you, and God Bless.”

With her eyes swelling, she turned slowly and walked down from the podium, she turned again and gave a brief salute to her comrades and then was escorted out of the building and back to her hometown of Regence.

bump

Vlad sat at his desk, thoughts ranging from how best to hold the Empire together to happier days when Alaric were still alive. Even now, six months after his death at the hands of the renegade general Azulun, he couldn't believe that the Emperor was gone.

His reverie was disturbed by his commpin beeping. He tapped it, and said, "Yes, Jane."

Jane MacDonald, Alaric's personal secretary, was now the secretary to the three Regents of Xeraph, Vlad, Sethanis, and Prince John Strickland. It was Alaric's express wish that these three rule until another came to take his place. "M'lord, Prince Seth for you on the phone." Vlad picked up the receiver. "How goes it, Seth?"

Seth's voice cheered him up a bit. "Vlad, some good news. Our old friends in Jarridia are coming out of their isolation. There's some kind of shake-up in the process. New elections are imminent."

This was indeed good news. Jarridia and Xeraph had been allies for hundreds of years, joining together in many memorable wars. Vlad again thought back to the old days....Jarridia, ViZion, Verboten Luftewaffe, Dr Twist, Burnsian Desert, Matich, and all the others. "Indeed, my friend, good news indeed. Does John know?"

John Strickland, former supreme commander of Xeraphian Forces, now Prince John of the Isles of Xeraph, was the only non-Tanithian to ever hold forth as the ruler of an Imperial nation. "Yes, I called him right before you. He actually sounded like he had tears in his eyes."

Vlad thought of Strickland, the tough-as-nails general who had made his way up through the ranks of the Xeraphian land forces. "John? Tears? Shit, he must be getting old."

"We're all getting old, Vlad. Another 200 years or so and we'll all be gone. Some young wipper-snappers running the place."

Vlad chuckled, then asked, "So, what's next? Do we congratulate them, renew our ties....what?"

Seth knew what he was asking: What would Alaric have done? "Well, if your'e thinking what I'm thinking, we should throw a party for the Jarridians."

"That's a good idea, Seth, except for a couple of things. First and foremost, we need to be concentrating on what to do about the Kingdom of Xeraph and the parts of our other nations that are in ruins. That bastard did more damage than even he realized."

"Vlad, it's gonna take years and years to fix all that's broken. The Empire is intact. That's what's important."

"True, but don't forget that ViZ is occupied by the Doomanis. We're going to have to deal with that sooner than later."

"Okay, first things first", said Sethanis. Let's draft a 'welcome back' note to whoever is in charge in Jarridia and see where it goes from there. Let them make the next move. Whatever is more comfortable for them. After all, they have a lot on their plate. Then maybe we can have talks with them about what to do about ViZion."

"Well, GAPTS should be involved. That's for sure. Doom has some big friends. This could wind up being a huge snowball by the time it ends."

"You remember that Alaric had a lot of admiration for that old American president Teddy Roosevelt? He liked to quote him: 'Walk softly, and carry a big stick'. I think that's what we should do here. Perhaps our reputation for overwhelming force and complete subjugation will carry us for a while."

Vlad added, "For a while, perhaps. But you know how it goes. The two biggest kids on the block need to know just who is the toughest. That's when the shit hits the fan."

Seth laughed. "And this has the potential to be one of the shittiest ever."

They both laughed. "Okay," said Vlad, "I'll contact the Jarridian president and see what's what over there. I'll keep you posted."


ooc: consider the contact note already done and sent. Not much time this weekend......

Vlad again thought back to the old days....Jarridia, ViZion, Verboten Luftewaffe, Dr Twist, Burnsian Desert, Matich, and all the others...

OOC: *whines a little* Don't do that to me! Those were the days, back in '03 and '04... The Pink Taco Wars, the Acigoo, Egypstan, T/W, the Coalition Forces Alliance, the mass mobilizations (lol)... even NWO back when it was such a power, for however short a time that was... so forth.

And man.. now Chiefy, Jarrod, Alac, what was his name of Matich... they've all passed. Sad days. :( I miss it when it was all of our leaders working together like blood brothers... Miss the old days of NS. And man, still pissed at CN for deleting ViZion over there, I was always hoovering around the top 100 nations til it randomly disappeared one day. :( Oh well, CN wasn't nearly as fun as the glory days of yore on NS...

TAG...Good to see you back, Jarridia!

Part 3

With Marissa Stassin stepping down over at the WWA, it was evident that Jarridia would be moving towards a much more contemporary ideal. The only thing left on the agenda now was the Presidential Election coming up. It seemed nearly that an election wasn’t necessary. In the minds of Jarridians Michelle Thoreson had taken the country by storm. She made no promises throughout the election; she spoke from the heart and knew the things that needed to be accomplished by her presidency. Out of all the leaders that have been in this world, it was strange to see a woman that commanded so much respect and speak with such a powerful voice. In her mind, Jarridia could only go in one direction, and that was up. With the elections sneaking up fast, she put the campaign on idle, to watch the people, experience the atmosphere, and prepare for what would be a turbulent first few years.

The other candidates had mostly disappeared. Roger Ettlebee made a few appearances to those left in his fan base, but even he knew he had no chance of winning, especially since the majority of Jarridians would not elect a foreign-born individual into such a prestigious office.

The day had finally arrived. Michelle prepared for what was to be a long day. The first thing on her agenda was to vote. Upon her arrival the cameras flashed around her. As mentioned before, she was quite young to even be considered for the presidential position. Her shoulder length straight brunette hair blew gently in the breeze as she walked to the front door. She has bright green eyes, gently tan skin and is very fit. The second she entered the room, the people erupted with cheers. It was all she could do to hold her composure as she checked in for her ballot. She went into her assigned booth, and with a deep breath she began the ‘oh so wonderful’ election process. She knew who to vote for as president, that was a given. In Jarridia, Vice Presidents are chosen after the President has been elected instead of before. Her only problem was the other positions that needed to be filled, several Supreme Court positions had been vacated and senate elections were up too. Nonetheless she completed the ballot and checked out of the booth. Placing the ballot in the box, she turned for a picture and gave a polite grin to the people behind the desk. Walking out of the door she was bombarded with questions.

”Ms. Thoreson, how was the election process?” asked one of the reporters.

”The same as it is every year. I just voted for who I thought would run the country best.” she replied as she got back in her limo.

Later that evening, she sat with her friends, family, and members of her campaign (as was customary in Jarridia) to watch the results. Michelle never felt that sure of her imminent win, though anyone else would have told you no one else had a chance. Within a few hours the fate of Jarridia had been determined. Renowned anchor Paul Bickmore made the official announcement.

”Good Evening Jarridia,” he stated in is usual deep voice.”Tonight we have a new president. It is without any doubt tonight that Michelle Thoreson is the next President of Jarridia. The election was a landslide, with Ms. Thoreson taking an enormous 86% of the total vote. Roger Ettlebee is counted at 12% and the other 2% going to fringe groups. Congratulations to Ms. Thoreson, we wish her the best in her upcoming term. Farewell Jarridia!”

Michelle was shocked by the results. Everyone around was screaming with excitement. All she could do was sit in awe of the results. She had accomplished her dream of being given the chance to lead Jarridia. Finally she would be able to prove herself in the highest office of the land. In her head she thanked God, her family, and her political idols, Chiefy, the fallen leader of ViZion, Alaric, the fallen Emperor of Xeraph, and the beloved Jarrod Branam, fallen President of Jarridia. She could only hope to live up to their legacies, and shape the world as they had done.


OOC: I'll be making a speech soon, and a return letter to Xeraph from President Michelle Thoreson.

Tag

Good to see ya!

OOC: *whines a little* Don't do that to me! Those were the days, back in '03 and '04... The Pink Taco Wars, the Acigoo, Egypstan, T/W, the Coalition Forces Alliance, the mass mobilizations (lol)... even NWO back when it was such a power, for however short a time that was... so forth.

And man.. now Chiefy, Jarrod, Alac, what was his name of Matich... they've all passed. Sad days. :( I miss it when it was all of our leaders working together like blood brothers... Miss the old days of NS. And man, still pissed at CN for deleting ViZion over there, I was always hoovering around the top 100 nations til it randomly disappeared one day. :( Oh well, CN wasn't nearly as fun as the glory days of yore on NS...

Yep Yep, Them was the days... And Boo to u too ViZ...*sniffles... can't believe ya forgot me & my minor(however small it was)(1 smartass comment from u Xer, And i'll personnally make sure u get an acigoo swirlee) contribution to NWO

Part 4

The decision had been made, the election was final. The citizens of Jarridia had spoken and in one dominating voice they said it was time for a change. The following day, from her downtown Shelbin apartment, Michelle was ushered from her home be Jarridian Presidential Guards, to an awaiting vehicle and escorted to the Presidential Palace. As the car drove up the drive, the gates opened widely, Michelle couldn’t help but feel nervous. She had never been to the palace any other times. In the past, they had allowed tours, but once Jarridia entered its isolation, anything regarding the government buildings were completely locked down. She felt nothing but pride as she saw the Jarridian flag waving proudly over the front entrance. Awaiting her arrival, were key members of the house and senate, (now former) President Kasilyn Branam, and members of the previous administration. Normally, the President-elect would arrive with his or her spouse, however, Michelle was unmarried, and had no one else currently able to enter with her. The car came to a stop at the steps, and Michelle stepped slowly out of the car. Promptly she was led up the steps, followed by her new guards. In a way it finally struck her, she was the President of Jarridia, and all eyes would be on her for years to come. Finally standing before Kasilyn Branam, she gave a slight bow.

Kasilyn smiled, “Child, you are the President now. I am the one that should be bowing to you. Please come with me.” Kasilyn took Michelle by the hand and led her into the grand palace. ”This will be your new home. The staff here will get you settled. I’m sure that you have a lot of work to do in the next few days, so I won’t keep you.”

Michelle wasn’t quite sure what to say, the shock of everything going on around her was overwhelming. She had spent her entire political career dreaming of this, and now that it had actually happened, she was, in the least, awestruck.

After all was said and done, the time came in late afternoon for the Presidential Ceremony. As in most nations around the world it was performed before every presidential change. Michelle spent the majority of the time before the ceremony in a mode of preparation. In conditions as fragile as Jarridia was at this moment, she needed something that would set the tone for her whole presidency, something that would once and for all show Jarridia the seriousness off her political attitude. Outside, the stage was set, and the Jarridian flag flown high. Television studios from across the nation had set up on the main lawn ready to broadcast to the nation. For security purposes, the lawn was not open to the general public, instead, screens were set up outside the main gates for viewing if they so chose. At this instance, Michelle would be required to announce her choice for Vice President, but her cabinet could be chosen over the next 2 weeks. Once 3:00 p.m. arrived, she was escorted to the stage.

”Hello and welcome to the Presidential Ceremony. It is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you tonight, the new President of the Pure Democracy of Jarridia, Michelle Thoreson,” announced Jenice Gutierrez, the Palace’s resident Media Coordinator.

Michelle began her ascent up the steps and to the stage, next to her a band played the Jarridian Anthem, and the flashes of cameras danced around her. She approached the podium, and the band ceased its musical interlude.

”Good Afternoon. I, Michelle Thoreson, am extremely proud to call myself the President of Jarridia. I believe that together we can make the difference domestically, regionally, and internationally. It is my philosophy that by altering the way we see the world, and the way we interact with our allies, neighbors, that we can accomplish more of the goals necessary to insure the safety and prosperity we desire as a people and a nation. My intentions are to outline the goals and place us on the right path into the future.

As my first order of business as President, I would like to introduce you to the Vice President that will be aiding me as we go about national business. Marshall Stanton, would you please join me here on the stage?”

An older gentleman, around the age of 52 walked up the stage. He was followed by his wife Elba.

”I hope to illustrate to the world that we will not be deterred from our purpose and that under no circumstance will we be forced into any degradation. As the primary diplomat of our nation, I will make my voice heard, and insure that any nation that wishes to do us, or our allies harm, will meet the tremendous might of the Jarridian nation. Despite my anticipation to get involved in the ever changing foreign affairs, I also understand the concerns many of our fine citizens have about the conditions in our fine nation. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to boost the livelihood of all Jarridians. We are nothing to the world if we are not something to ourselves. With that said, I bid you farewell for now. Let us build Jarridia into a nation for Justice, Prosperity and a beacon of Freedom. Thank you.”

With a smile, she stood next to her newly appointed Vice President, and then made her way back to the palace to begin the exhilarating, yet stressful job of managing a nation with an enormous agenda.

Tag... good to see you come back.

To: The Esteemed Government of Xeraph (Classified)
From: The Presidency of the Pure Democracy of Jarridia

Re: Ally Contact

Greetings! I appreciate your kind words, and sincerely hope that we can continue to be strong allies into the future as you have been with my predecessors. Jarridia is coming out of a tremendous slump, and it is my opinion that it is necessary to pull out of this isolationist nightmare and reestablish ourselves as a world power. Currently, things are shaking up in the WWA. The retirement of Marissa Stassin, Jarridia's Representative and the current President of the WWA, has come as a surprise, but understandable. I plan to work closely with the WWA over the next few years to build a stronger bond and boost global confidence. It is my opinion that once the government gets situated here in Jarridia, we must liberate our allies in ViZion. We hope that we can count on your support though our transition and into our plans for ViZion. Thank you, and please keep in touch.

Michelle Thoreson
President of the Pure Democracy

TAG
Welcome Back Jar. Been awhile since I partook of any RP's w/ Jarrida...

OOC: Sorry about the Threadjack

A few days into her presidency, and her desk was already piled with intelligence reports from the Mediterranean and across the Jarridian Espionage Network. She knew that something had to be done immediately, the only question was what. She didn't have a cabinet yet, at the time the only thing she had going for her was the fact that the legislature was backing her every move so far. She called her new Vice President into the office so that they could get some of the most important cabinent roles filled.

"Do you have anyone in mind to begin with for certain positions," questioned Marshall.

"At this point, I think I need to get Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense filled as soon as possible. They may come in handy immediately." Michelle smirked. "The intelligence reports have demonstrated some actions that we need to take care of in the Mediterranean, and we need to strike while the iron is hot. Personally, I think that Emily Vaclavik would be the best choice for my Secretary of State. She had shown some interest when I was in communication with her. For Defense, Christopher Mesnard would be ideal. Not only does he have military experience, but he also has political. A perfect combination for the position."

"Those are certainly two people that I've had the honor of working with before. Let's get them in here!" Marshall laughed, before regaining his seriousness, "My only concern is that you want to rush into war so early in our tenure. I only hope you aren't being too hasty."

"The only reason I'm wanting to get this done is because its perfect to set our tone for the world. If we let it go, then it would just be another missed opportunity for Jarridia." Michelle squinted her eyes a little as she hoped to make a point, she reached down to her desk and called her office secretary into the office, "Could you please call over to the offices of Christopher Mesnard and Emily Vaclavik. I need them in my office at once."

The young girl nodded and returned through the entry way.

Marshall gazed out the window for a few moments, "Let's get this thing rolling then. I'll see if I can get in contact with Alex at the WWA, and perhaps some of our other allies." He stood up and shook the presidents hand. "Good day Michelle."

"Goodbye Marshall," she replied.

She turned her chair towards the balcony behind her. She had a very antsy feeling. Perhaps it was the excitement, or maybe the nervousness of being the leader of a massive nation. Either way, she was ready to do her job.