NationStates Jolt Archive

Official Invitation to all nations who view the continued influence of the Empire of Doomingsland as a menace to peaceful civilization and the force of good in the World:

As the recent condemnation of the Empire of Doomingsland by the President of the just and honorable nation of Hotdogs2 has brought to light, there are many nations in the world who are no longer content to stand peacefully by and allow the hypocrisy and evil deeds of the allegedly Catholic nation of Doomingsland to continue unhindered. The embargoes passed by several nations following President Roberts’ address condemning Maximus and his evil Empire confirms the fact that there are courageous states yet left among us. In war and in peace, it is the duty of such nations of like mind, including our own, to unite across the ties of alliances and regional loyalty in order to defend against a great menace and keep the light of righteousness burning in an increasingly dark time.

With this in mind, His Infinite Majesty Emperor Kazatmiru I, Sovereign Lord of the Generic Empire and its Dominions, has announced the Conference of Nations Who Seek to Limit Doomani Influence in the World, to be held in the Generian Imperial capital of Sofia. This Conference of Sofia will seek both to reinforce and make official the economic protests already enacted by several nations including Hotdogs2, Wagdog, Allanea, and Generia, as well as to discuss further measures to be enacted against the Doomish Empire. His Majesty hopes that a formal agreement of mutual defense in the event of Doomani aggression may also be concluded, so as to add the weight of arms to our rhetoric.

The Conference is open to all nations who share our sentiments and seek the same ends, however special places will be reserved for representatives from the nations of Allanea, Hotdogs2, and Wagdog as well as all of those who have already enacted embargoes as a response to President Roberts’ condemnation.

((OOC: I'll ask that only nations who are interested in attending or are actively involved in this conference post. Please no condemnations of it here, for the sake of clutter and my patience.))

Official USSW Acceptance
We accept this invitation with the utmost gratitude, and shall honor His Infinite Majesty forthwith. I personally shall be attending this conference, along with the staff already indicated prior. We're open to all measures proposed for discussion, and are eager to get to business. Do note that I have personal needs of my own which can be best discussed later, and best managed by my own personal schedule as well as when I check into any lodgings for the duration of the conference; but I assure you that work will come first and they shall not be a disruption.

In Gratitude and Respect,
Celine Longtail
Deputy Party Secretary, Wagdoggie Noble Revolutionary Party
Secretary of Commerce, USSW Revolutionary Command Council

Tailville DR International Airport, Wagdog; Some Minutes Later...
While waiting for the flight to Sofia, Commerce Secretary Longtail checked her own itinerary and looked the staff over. Her confederates from the Alexandrian Ptolemais' conference of years back: Kathy Burns, Melanie Straw, and Joseph Deckes were all present; as were newcomers Darren Highland, Abdul al-Aziri, and Stephanie Ranzicz from the State Department. They were there to permit a businesswoman from making any diplomatic errors, not that there were too many worries about those. Really, it was just a coordination-insurance matter between the two Departments.

As the flight was called, Celine reminded her entourage. "Remember, we'll be meeting several new nations and even possibly a few we've had some words with in the past. But that aside, we're all united in opposing the crimes of Doomingsland peacefully, so let's stay agreeable people." All of her followers had matured immensely in the seeming ages since the failed conference in Ptolemais, especially Straw and Deckes; but nonetheless a certain maternalism on Celine's part ensured that she made the reminder. They boarded the flight, which took off for Sofia under FA-15D escort for as far as the fighters could range on their own before they turned back.

HAF Glascenster

Strange this, going to CAD....i never thought i'd be doing that as Trade and Industry Minister! Thought Amalia Polansky as she sat in a VIP lounge at the Hotdian Air Force terminal, awaiting the arrival of the modified A380 with extended range tanks. However, the airforce already had tankers ready for refueling the aircraft, and the range should not be a problem...it remained to be seen what would come of the talks, Hotdogs2 being a member of the SL, albeit one who had been recommended for expulsion by Clandonia.

The A380 was an extended version, and as it appeared into her view she was awed that such an aircraft was being laid on just for her. Then again, there was no doubt that what she was embarking on was a great first for her and quite probably for the nation. As she gazed in wonder and in thought, a deep voice seemed to boom near her, making her nearly jump.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! The aircraft is about to get set up to the walkway, if you all pick up your hand luggage please and prepare to board the aircraft it would save us some time."
Amalia looked over at the direction of the voice, a tall, broad shouldered and powerful man, he was one of several security personnel who had been briefed on the conference and the needs for tight security. As such everyone attending the conference had been closely screened, on entry to the terminal their bags had been searched, the President himself had given these strict orders, it was a major chance he didn't want anything to mess up.

It was not long after therefore, that the A380-L10 designated HD-26-VP-2954 was taking off, heading in the vague direction of Golgoth, a flight which would soon be heavily escorted by SuVH-6A 'Thunder' fighters, although designated intercept aircraft their large size lent to them great range and weapons capacity internally, and it was with four such aircraft that the aircraft left Hotdian territory and flew as far as their aircraft could endure, relying upon the fact that there would be air to air refueling aircraft available both on their way back again.

Proconsul Kosyachenko held his glass of Château Latour up to the light, briefly examining its color before taking a sip and setting it on an endtable next to his chair. Outside, the deep blue skies of the upper atmosphere made the daylight staggeringly bright and the clouds below reflected the incoming monsoons that soaked southeastern Vetalia during the late spring.

An aide approached the proconsul, bringing a portfolio filled with documents related to the upcoming conference. "Mr. Kosyachenkov, here are the-"

"Lictor Vysotsky, do you know what this wine is?"
"Appears to be red to me. Bordeaux, perhaps?"
"Correct. In fact, it is a Château Latour, Grand Vin, 1990 vintage. In my opinion, one of the finest red wines in the world."
"Sir, if I may, I have these forms..."
"Do you know why I am telling you this?"
"No, sir, I can't say that I do."
"It is a traditional diplomatic gift to serve our best wines to friends, and a sign of hostility towards our enemies to serve our worst. Subtle signs like these are crucial to diplomacy; in fact, our history has seen assassination attempts thwarted because the majordomo could read the atmosphere of the room by the host's choice of wine."
"That's very interesting sir..."
"Mull it over, Lictor. Subtlety is the art by which one does not lose their head, and it is the art by which war can be avoided and respect retained."
With a curious stare, the Lictor returned to his seat.

The captain spoke over the intercom announcing the plane would be approaching its landing in Sophia. Buckling his seatbelt and taking the portfolio from the Lictor, Kosyachenko drank his wine and reviewed the information concerning their meeting.

Official Communique
The Pure Democracy of Jarridia
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/Jarridia/TexasFlag-1.jpg

To: The Esteemed Leadership of the Generic Empire

Regards: Invitation to Anti-Doomani Conference

As you are well aware, the nation of Jarridia has been a long time foe of the nation of Doomingsland, whether that be politically, militarily or even economically. It is with my highest pleasure that I wish to join my fellow nations in Sofia to discuss the ways of further condemning and limiting Doomani power around the world. Together we can stand strong and repel their sphere of influence.

Although Jarridia is currently engaged in War against Doomingsland in our fight to free ViZion from the treacherous and dangerous hands of Maximus, I find it to be an incredible need that I join this conference and any others that may fall inside this same category. Thank you, and we hope to meet with you soon.

Michelle Thoreson
President of the Pure Democracy of Jarridia

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/Jarridia/MichelleThoreson.jpg

The decision was made that the President of the United States would not attend the conference – that would be too high-level an emissary, and as such would transmit a wrong message to the world at large.

Further, the decision was made that the Secretary of State would also be unfitting to such a mission – she was not, the Allaneans decided, possessed of a sufficiently tough character to participate in a meeting in which it would be decided – so the Allaneans hoped- that the free world would have to get tougher on Doomingsland.

And so the man they ended up sending was the veritable walking image of toughness.

Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky, former President of the United States, former Emperor of Greater Prussia*, Field Marshal of the Republic, Count of Centreville, Sword of the Queen, decorated with the Liberty Cross, Third Class, was the logical choice for the mission.

And so his private black-painted A-10A Avenger had landed, without much ado, on a small airport somewhere near Sofia, from which he was spirited to the meeting.**


OOC:

*There was some week where both Derscon and Reichskamphen were absent and Derscon appointed me a temporary leader of the alliance. So yes, Alex qualifies, if only technically, as a former Emperor of the GPE.

**Please just assume he’s at the meeting, I’m likely late to post this as I’ve been offline, but it seems unreasonable that one of the people who’re directly responsible for the whole anti-Doomani shenanigan thing wouldn’t be at the meeting.

To: the Leadership of the Generic Empire

From: Ozgood the Third Grand Duke of Tarlag

Subject: Invitation to Anti-Doomingsland Conference

The Grand Duchy of Tarlag would be interested in attending the Conference you are holding in Sofia. My Government would be interested in discussing ways to limit the growing danger Doomingsland influence is posing in the world.
I do wish to inform you that Tarlag is a co-bl argent with Jarridia in the current military action to free ViZion from the Doomani despotic rule.
I will dispatch apon your approval Lady Paladin Leeanara Moonshadow as my personal representative. Lady Moonshadow will speak with the full authority of my office.

Thank You
Grand Duke Ozgood the Third

OOC: In the interests of keeping this going, once permission is given to land I'll fast-forward to arrival, OK?
Outside Generian Airspace surrounding Sofia; Generic Empire
Celine was growing impatient. She knew from her PDA that things were already gathering steam in the existing Doomani fight, and this conference was too important to get overtaken by events if at all avoidable. Fortunately I have some military experience; one of the virtues of two years' compulsory training, even if further service after that is voluntary in peacetime. Ideally this will remain a diplomatic and economic measures' discussion, but if not I'll stay and do what I can. No sense in wasting a good trip, after all...

Indeed, not if it improved relations with several major powers on the world scene; one of whom had been among Wagdog's nastier critics way back when. The reasons were understandable, and wouldn't be allowed to become an obstacle to negotiations here; but they were all the more incentive in fact to do the level best to make this effort work. The Doomani threat was simply too grave to waste time rehashing old struggles and arguments; new thinking was needed, stat. And that... Celine and her entourage would supply in Sofia. As soon as they landed, anyway.

The pilots smoothly and professionally went through the approach routine; expecting an uneventful landing, but nervous all the same since this was not too far away from Doomani territory and yet aerial refuelling for the FA-15D Cardinal escorts hadn't been doable on such short notice as the conference deployment had come. "Sofia Tower, this is Wagging Skies N55873 carrying our delegation to the Conference. Requesting permission to land, over?" Hopefully the wait wouldn't be too long, so all aboard could get straight to work as soon as possible at all.

OOC: I wish I could condemn Doomingsland but thats where my countries small arms come from, namely the DR rifles. I am interested in some covert action.

Sofia at sunrise was quite a sight from the balconies of the Imperial palace overlooking the gardens below. From that point, one could watch the windows of the skyscrapers downtown ignite in a display unlike any other. Kazatmiru leaned heavily against the railing, taking a long drag on a cigarette before flicking it away. It was the last moment of peace he’d likely have for the duration of the conference.

As it stood, everything had been arranged for. Every petty detail that the Sovereign of a great nation is not expected to account for, from hotel arrangements to the clearing of the great rooms in the Imperial palace in which the conference would be held, had been taken care of on the orders of Kazatmiru himself. The details were of course not an unwelcome distraction. With his Grand Vizier, Lord Varus Tiberius Alexei, away campaigning in The Warmaster, the burden of the Doomish crisis and the new international anti-Doomingsland campaign fell squarely on his shoulders. It was to be expected and Kazatmiru was not one to shy away from duty to his Empire and its citizens, but a cigarette break was always welcome.

Turning from the beautiful view and the warm sun falling on his face, the Emperor walked back inside and briskly down the corridor towards the grand staircase leading down into the vast main reception hall. Outside, he could see through one of the large windows the Imperial White Guardsmen, his personal bodyguards, preparing to receive the first of the emissaries. Security had not been neglected. While the White Guards would, as always, protect the palace, units of the Imperial Regular Army and the elite Imperial Praetorian Guard would secure the airport and provide military escorts for the conference’s attendees.

Kazatmiru walked over to a short, slender man clad neatly in a three piece suit: the master of his servants here in the Sofia palace and an efficient and irreplaceable component of the workings of Empire. The man checked his watch as the Emperor approached, and bowed deeply as his master reached him.

“The emissaries will be arriving shortly, your grace. The first of their planes have been cleared for landing.”

“Their cars are waiting to meet them?”

“Yes, your grace. Everything is arranged for.”

“And my wife?”

“The Empress will be down shortly.”

Kazatmiru, hearing footsteps on the grand staircase turned to see his wife, the young and beautiful Empress Alexandra. Behind her followed the implacable Ambassador Abd-Al-Latif al Onur al Najib bin Musa of the Khalifa Al Muslimeen. Kazatmiru took his wife’s hand as she came up to him, and nodded at Musa, who served not only as the KLM’s representative here in Generia but was also one of his most trusted advisors.

“You’re certain this is that path you want to take?” said Musa.

“I made my decision the moment I severed ties with the CAD. We have to seek nations of like mind if we expect to unseat Doomingsland.”

Musa nodded silently. Kazatmiru checked his watch.

----------

Official Imperial Communique:

To: Michelle Thoreson

The Emperor is pleased that your nation has chosen to join this conference and through so doing embrace ties with nations of similar anti-Doomani sentiment, especially in light of your current conflict with the Doomish nation. We look forward to receiving you in the Imperial capital.

--------

Official Imperial Communique:

To: Ozgood the Third Grand Duke of Tarlag

The Empire looks forward to receiving you and is glad to hear that your nation shares the burden of defending the world from Doomish aggression.

-----------

Sofia International Airport Air-Traffic Control

“To all aircraft carrying diplomatic personnel into Sofia for the Conference, permission to land will be granted immediately upon request. You will be met on the tarmac by representatives of the Imperial Government and escorted by car convoy to the Imperial palace.”

((OOC: Everyone can fast forward to their arrival at the palace if they'd prefer.))

OOC:For the record, Generic Empire is still physically located in CAD RP-wise...

OOC:For the record, Generic Empire is still physically located in CAD RP-wise...

((OOC: Aye. I'm still located on the CAD continent. I'll provide a map upon request.))

OOC:For the record, Generic Empire is still physically located in CAD RP-wise...

((OOC: Aye. I'm still located on the CAD continent. I'll provide a map upon request.))
OOC: Whoops!:headbang: Editing now. Thanks much guys.

OOC: Since I was hearing the distinct sound of crickets, I figured this should silence things and keep this up there; especially since mine was the first delegation to depart for this anyway...
IC
Imperial Palace; Sofia, Generic Empire
Stepping out of the limousine they'd been chauffeured to the Palace in, the seven-person Wagdian delegation was impressed. Not least Commerce Secretary Longtail. My room is suitable for my particular needs, and in any case I don't anticipate needing them too soon anyway... That topic best kept aside, all things considered, Secretary Longtail looked to tending her delegation while waiting for an Imperial greeting or other such word as to whether to proceed in immediately or not.

Of her three original followers, Melanie Straw had finally grown most; into being a more mature bureaucrat than the stuck-up daddy's girl she'd began as years ago. Of course, she could still be a bit arch. Her question of, "So... Are we to meet His Grace yet, indeed?" proved that. Still, it was certainly far better than she would've asked way back.

As for Kathy Burns and Joseph Deckes, both essentially followed in Longtail's footsteps; taking care of the details while the Secretary herself handled the 'big picture'. Deckes was notably more confident in said work than he'd been, but still a bit dumbstruck at just what degree of responsibility he'd taken on; as if he'd expected some sort of 'cushier' job from his Revolutionary Party privileges upon leaving the private sector at age 23 almost immediately after graduation. Five years on, he still only partially seemed to have learned otherwise; although like the thoroughly nondescript Burns he did well enough all the same. Which means 'excellently', given my own exacting standards... Longtail thought that ruefully, for it was indeed the truth of the matter in more ways than one.

Celine's new entourage members, however, would take some time to break-in. The Strategic Planning Attache, Darren Highland, 36 years old and built like a reed with crew-cut sandy hair, was there to handle negotiations surrounding the mutual-defense pact Generia hoped to achieve here. Such was definitely in Wagdog's interest, seeing as attack or provocation from Doomingsland's allies was always a possiblity that the USSW's foreign and military policies had to contend with. An accomplished swimmer, it remained to be seen how well he would navigate the waters of such high-politics as he would here at his first diplomatic mission of such magnitude.

As for Abdul Al-Aziri, he was the Economic Attache, with the bailiwick of listening to the various' parties' own senses of their embargoes' effectiveness thus far and adding in Wagdog's own opinions on how to make the unified effort more effective. A somewhat short if still handsome man of mixed Arab-Indonesian stock, the Old-World style of his full beard and wire-rimmed glasses marked him as not a mind to be trifled with; even if perhaps one more inclined to read and listen than to actively propose until all angles had been explored comprehensively.

And on Stephanie Ranzicz's part, as the 'Attache Miscellany and Supernumary", her mission was to try and keep the paperwork from burying anyone, most especially herself and the Commerce Secretary. This would be no easy task, even though with rumor that the Allanean representative would be none other than Field Marshal Kazansky himself it was expected an 'all-business' attitude would prevail. Hence, the somewhat mousy and feathery-haired 29 year old divorcee would put her organizational skills, already proven in service to the Undersecretary of State for Policy Lady Uralia Tíliel nós Kharlir, to their most-important use ever. Much, possibly even their nation's safety itself amid the massive conflict brewing over Doomingsland, rode on this conference's success. Hence, all involved waited for the proverbial curtain to rise; for their roles in this latest political drama to begin, and play themselves out as would.

The C-27J rolled to a stop at Sofia's main airport. The two engined cargo plane in the markings of the Tarlagian Air force moved to its assigned area on the airfields tarmac. As soon as the aircraft came to a stop the cargo doors opened and a light blue SUV drove down the ramp.
" I don't see the reason for sending us my Lady. Send Minister Sweetwater or one of his flunkies. We should be leading the fight not attending some conference on maybe slapping Doomingsland on the wrist." With that statement the 25 year old woman of Japanese decent closed the lap top and looked out the window.
The elder woman sitting next to her gave a soft chuckle. " Easy child, the Duke wanted us to attend the conference to try and drum up support for the war. The Logic of this is simple, GATPS and our allies are trying to free ViZion, AMF and their minions are attacking the Doomni home land. Anyone we can bring on board in any capacity will be helpful. Doomingland is stretched and if we can bring more on with us they will soon break."
" You still have not answered my question Lady Paladin. We are Knights of Ironhold not diplomats."
Lady Moonshadow placed her hand on the seat in front of her and turned to her young aid. "The word of a Paladin carries more weight then of a professional diplomat. Besides you must learn that there is more to being a Knight then fighting I have spent the last 35 years doing diplomatic work for Tarlag. That Kimiko, has been more beneficial to the Government then any combat I could have entered."
"But, you fought in Xeraph and went with the Duke and Emperor Alaric to hunt down Azulan."
"I am over eighty Kimiko I much perfure sitting at a conference table."
"I thought Paladins weren't suppose to lie." said the large man driving the SUV.
"The way you were handing out ass beatings in Xeraph you could of fooled me."
"Alan Mc Lar when I want you opinion I will ask for it. I am trying to teach Miss Sakamoto the finer points on being a Knight."
The huge bald man turned the SUV into the driveway of where the conference was to be held. "We are here Lady Moonshadow."
" Well Childern lets see what we can do."

Your Majesty, Kazatmiru I:

The Barbaric Empire of Xeraph would be honored to attend this conference. As you may or may not know, Xeraph is embroiled in the conflict with Doomingsland and her allies in the liberation of our long-standing friend and ally, ViZion.

Regent Prince John Strickland will attend. He will be accompanied by his personal secretary Lady Jill Boncoeur and two ShadowGuard.

respectfully,

Regent Prince Vlad Tintaas

((OOC: Crappy post. Not much to say until the other delegations get around to posting. Map of the CAD continent: http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/3599/newcadmapcolorcoded2uk6pp3.png ))

The delegates who had arrived at the Imperial palace were recieved by a middle-aged officer of the Imperial White Guards, and escorted up the steps into the main hall of the palace. There, the Emperor himself awaited them along with his wife and Ambassador Musa. He extended a hand to each of the delegates before addressing them in his own native tongue, translators standing nearby to clarify for those who didn't speak Generian.

"On behalf of the Empire and its citizens, I welcome you to my capital and to my palace. I hope foremost that our discussions here will allow us to achieve what we have set out to achieve as regards the Doomish situation. Secondly, I hope that you will find your time here comfortable, and, despite the circumstances of our meeting, pleasant. The other delegations have already landed and are currently on their way. They should arrive shortly. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy the Empire's hospitality."

Kazatmiru bowed slightly at the waist, before stepping aside and allowing his servants to usher the delegations into a large side room where they were served drinks in anticipation of the arrival of the other delegates and the official opening of the conference itself.

--------

Prince Vlad Tintaas,

The Empire is pleased that you have chosen to attend, and I welcome you heartily on behalf of my people. We have watched with pleasure as your armies engage the Doomani menace in the fields of ViZion and are honored that Prince Strickland will grace us with his presence.

Emperor Kazatmiru I

The Jarridian Airways Jet aliced through the crisp afternoon air on its pre-determined path from Shelbin to Sofia. The current global conditions, of course, played a major role in who would be delegated to go to the Generic Empire and the general flight pattern. In this instance, the jet would fly deep to the North before making a tought turn to the south into Sofia. Staying as far away from Doomingsland and MassPwnage as possible. Because of Generic Empire's location, President Thoreson would not be making an appareance at the conference, instead she was sending her Secretary of Foreign Affairs and long-time friend, Chad Toegel. He was clad in his usual black business suit, with a Jarridian Flag pin on his collar. The pilots requested permission for landing, and once it was granted, they made their final descent into the airport runway. On the tarmac they were greeted by members of the Jarridian Embassy to Generia, and were escorted by Jarridia Marines and a bulletproof sedan to the Imperial Palace.

Imperial Palace; Sofia, Generia

Upon arrival, Chad Toegel stepped out of the car, a notebook marked with Jarridian Seal eas clasped in his left hand. He was followed by two of his advisors and three armed Jarridian Service Agents. He established a polite grin on his face, reaching his right hand out to Emperor Kazatmiru.

"Your majesty, it is indeed an honor to have the privelege of setting foot on Generian soil. Something that, as a Jarridian, I'd never thought I would be able to do. You have our humblest gratitude back in Jarridian, and President Thoreson sends you her warmest of tidings and goodwill. We hope that with this new found peace between our nations we can forge a friendship for eternity." With that being said, Mr. Toegel bowed his head in honor of the Generian Emperor.

Somewhat late due to pressing issues back in Vetalia, the Vetalian delegation arrived at the palace, its motorcade consisting of two armored Anza F625 limousines that moved quietly up to the palace steps. The flags fluttered in the light breeze as the vehicles came to a stop. First exited the Special Security Bureau guards assigned to protect the delegates, and then out stepped one of the Lictors and a Procurator from the Ministry of State, and lastly the Proconsul himself stepped out carrying his black leather portfolio and an elaborate lacquered wooden container. He paused to straighten his suit jacket and tie before climbing the steps to the Emperor.

Kosyachenko bowed before the Emperor as he took his hand in greeting, and began to speak to him in fluent, if Vetalian-accented, Generian. "On behalf of the Second Republic of Vetalia, I thank your Grace for accommodating us for this conference. We hope that this meeting will be successful and we will be able to develop a common strategy for dealing with the Doomish situation."

Pausing, he set down his portfolio and presented the box to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I present you with this bottle of aged sherry from Merova province in Vetalia." The sherry had been casked in 1962 making it 45 years old and a true rarity. In fact, the 1962 vintage had been one of the best years for the province in recent history, and that was reflected both in its character and price. Kosyachenko had intentionally chosen it from his own cellar, having it drawn and bottled from a cask purchased by his father in 1963.

Once the gift had been presented, the other members of the delegation greeted the Emperor while Kosyachenko translated their greetings from Vetalian to Generian. "Again, Emperor, we would like to thank you for your gracious hospitality, and I sincerely hope we will be able to move forward on this situation before it deteriorates further." With that, he motioned to the clerks to begin unloading personal effects from the vehicles, gave orders to his assistants in Vetalian, and ordered the chauffers to take the cars around to the area designed for the delegates' vehicles.

Senator Alyssa Petrova walked into the Imperial Palace for the meeting, smiling politely to the Generian officer as he walked her to the main hall. When the Emperor's hand reached her, she took it firmly and made direct eye contact with him.

She could make out but a few words of the Generian, but it didn't matter to her too significantly as the translator gave her the gist of it. It sounded to her a lot like Russian, but maybe it was just her imagination.

After being escorted into the side room with the drinks, Petrova sat next to the Allanean leader, Marshal Kazansky. This was her first time at a major diplomatic conference; she was something of a compromise. The Nationalist Party wanted one of their representatives in the Senate to represent the interests of the Havenic Republic; the centrists and leftists wanted someone who wasn't going to advocate a nuclear holocaust against the Doomani. In the end, the Nationalists got a moderate representative. She had little patience with the ultra-rightists in her party who advocated numerous discriminatory measures against Catholics, ranging from making them wear prominent crucifixes to deporting them to Doomingsland.

The senator pulled out her reading glasses, put them on, and smiled. It was hard to imagine that nine years ago, she had been photographed performing obscene acts on film. Petrova figured the Allanean was one of the few who would not mind being seated near her. She was about thirty-five, tall, maybe 1.7 meters, fairly thin, and had straight brown hair and blue eyes. Dressed in typical office attire, she thought the glasses made her look like a librarian.

She waited for the meeting to begin, and drank but little. No sense in repeating the events of nine years ago, and I'll need to keep my wits for the discussion.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/438/aequatiocoasv6.png
The National Socialist Republic of Aequatio

To: Emperor Kazatmiru I of the Generic Empire
From: Secretary of State Sacha Novoselic of Aequatio

The Aequatian Republic has no official stance as to the "Doomani problem" and is thus in the dark as to its position, however, we do wish to send an envoy to this conference as part of a fact-finding mission in order to better understand the issue at hand.

We hope we are welcome to attend.

Signed,

Sacha Novoselic,
Secretary of State

((OOC: Crappy post. Not much to say until the other delegations get around to posting. Map of the CAD continent: http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/3599/newcadmapcolorcoded2uk6pp3.png ))

The delegates who had arrived at the Imperial palace were recieved by a middle-aged officer of the Imperial White Guards, and escorted up the steps into the main hall of the palace. There, the Emperor himself awaited them along with his wife and Ambassador Musa. He extended a hand to each of the delegates before addressing them in his own native tongue, translators standing nearby to clarify for those who didn't speak Generian.

"On behalf of the Empire and its citizens, I welcome you to my capital and to my palace. I hope foremost that our discussions here will allow us to achieve what we have set out to achieve as regards the Doomish situation. Secondly, I hope that you will find your time here comfortable, and, despite the circumstances of our meeting, pleasant. The other delegations have already landed and are currently on their way. They should arrive shortly. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy the Empire's hospitality."

Kazatmiru bowed slightly at the waist, before stepping aside and allowing his servants to usher the delegations into a large side room where they were served drinks in anticipation of the arrival of the other delegates and the official opening of the conference itself.

--------

*SNIP*
Taking Emperor Kazatmiru I's hand softly, Commerce Secretary Celine Longtail caught the translation from Generian to English effortlessly and had no trouble replying for both His Majesty's benefit and the translators'. "We are already enjoying your Empire's superb kindness and hospitality, and are much obliged for this effort on your part. We too hope that this conference shall achieve much, and will do our level best to make that happen. So far our stay has been comfortable, and your people most accommodating; a splendid portent in my book, Your Grace." Curtsying after his bow, deeper of course as a measure of deference on her part, she allowed him to meet her other delegates as she consulted the regional map recently uploaded to her PDA. Although relieved to see that technically the Doomani weren't too close, all the same what maritime borders Generia had with them combined with the scarce distance between its southwestern borders with the Borman Empire and Doomingsland's western boundary with same was worrying enough.

The remainder of her delegation simply replied "Thank you, Your Grace..." or "Most Honored," figuring that Celine had said all that needed saying. She was a dominant figure that way, even though Al-Aziri went a tad farther with, "And I myself shall most certainly contribute to what efforts we can muster against the Doomani, Your Majesty. Together, we can and shall achieve much I believe." Still, not enough to undercut her, and certainly not impolite, so she let it pass. There was work to be done, after all. Hence, best to set about doing.

Upon entering the side room, Celine decided not to make too much of a butterfly of herself, simply sitting down while awaiting the approach of either the Allanean or Vetalian delegations. Although interested in the others of course, and certainly inclined to socialize with them if approached, Marshal Kazansky was top-priority on her 'To Talk To' list. I need to get a sense of him, more than I already can. He's committed, that much is certain. But much else needs weighing and measuring first before we can open up unduly much. Truth be told, Secretary Longtail had been chosen not least since she had the best views on Allanea in the Wagdian government, commerce having steadily grown between the two for some years and positively ballooned once the Hotdian embargo initiative began; despite the frequently-heated words both governments had exchanged on several prior occasions, Kazansky himself having uttered most of them on the Allanean end to boot. Granted, it is possible for allies to dislike each other; surely that must be the case between some among Gholgoth and Generia even now, privately. But nonetheless, I have to know what and whom we're dealing with here. Hence, she simply read her portfolio and waited; anticipating any delegate's approach for a talk at this point...

"Greetings, Celine." – spoke Kazansky – "Tell me, do you have a worked-out plan as to what we do about these… Doomani? It is my personal belief, you see, that a military action of some form will eventually be necessary. And I believe, furthermore, that we need to prepare for it. I will note mince words: Are you with me on this?"

The black Corsair jet touched down, a perfect three-point landing, and the door popped open to allow two burly ShadowGuard access to the tarmac. They were followed by Jill Boncoeur and Prince John.

The Prince and the ShadowGuard were clad in the standard attire of military men and women of the Empire. Black leather tunic and trousers, overlaid by a dark grey steel mesh vest. Their long, dark hair was hanging loosely around their shoulders, earrings and tattoos visible on their bare, muscular arms. The traditional Xeraphian katanas were at their sides, as were the Glock 9mm sidearms. The Prince had ordered that no rifles were to be brought into the Palace. Jill was dressed in a long, flowing, semi-transparent gown of the finest silk and gossamer, a dazzling combination of verdant and burgundy which set off her mane of deep auburn tresses. Diamonds sparkled at wrist and throat.

As he stood at the top of the steps, John looked around to see the arrival of the other attendees, very few of which he knew. Alaric had always dealt with these little soirees.....but Alaric was dead. He sighed at the thought yet again, as he had a hundred times in the past six months.

Prince John Strickland was the only person in the history of Xeraph who had been elevated to the position of Head-Of-State who was not of the ancestral line of Tanith, the illustrious ancestor of Alaric and the other rulers of the Empire. It was a singular honor to have been bestowed by the Emperor.

At the present time, however, he was a Prince without a Principality. His nation, The Isles of Xeraph, had been over-run and pretty much destroyed by the invading hordes of Azulun, the rebel vampire general of the Pagan Borderlands. Of the fourteen nations of the Empire, eight had suffered between 30% and 90% destruction of their infrastructure. Of the remaining six nations, all except the Kingdom of Xeraph had survived intact. The Kingdom was presently partitioned with the remaining vampiric hordes rampaging behind a huge concrete, stone, and steel wall quickly constructed by the Empire's AI Engineers. Fully a third of the Kingdom lay in the hands of the enemy. Strickland was hoping to rectify that situation sooner rather than later. But...there was the prophecy......

Bringing himself back to the present, he saw that a limo had arrived, and the door was being held open by a liveried servant of the Generian Emperor. 'Well, here goes nothing,' he thought.

He descended the stairs and entered the limo along with Jill and the ShadowGuard. The car began it's short trip to the Emperor's Palace, and Strickland mentally went over the other nations' who were coming to this conference. Not for the first time, he wondered how Alaric had done it.....

Lady Sakamoto walked over to Paladin Moonshadow who was sipping wine and talking to one of the minor dignitaries of the Generic Empire.
Lady Moonshadow may I have a word?"
Of course Kimiko what is it?"
"I just got a call from our pilot the Xeraph delegation has arrived and it is being lead by Prince John."
"Very good, I meet him during the war and he seems like a good man. If there is nothing else you can run a long now and mingle. I want to know what the locals are feeling about their neighbors to the west."
"One more thing, I just got the latest satellite down load from the Order and it is showing the Doomina doing some really barbaric things to some POWs." With that she showed the pictures that were on here lap top.
The old Paladin frowned for a moment " I could never understand how people could do this. Kimiko I want you to present those photos to our host directly. I also want you to transmit them to my Blackberry. I think they should be shown around. If the delegates here see what Doomingsland is doing then maybe we can get them to act."
"Of course My Lady" Kimiko walked over to a Generic Empire representative and requested that the computer files containing the recon photos be shown to the Emperor immediately.
Leenara watched her aid leave she then straightened her Paladins uniform and walked over to the Wardog and Aequatio representatives.

Imperial Palace, Sofia

Amalia Polansky gasped in awe at the great palace in Sofia as her limousine pulled up past the gates leading up to the extensive building. Already she could see a couple of limousines pulled up, and delegates attending the conference were visible, or at the very least their attendants. She was quite glad she was well dressed, the palace seemed like the ideal location for such talks and how formal it all seemed! The need for the talks was immense, there was little doubt that Hotdogs2 must apply as much pressure to Doomingsland as possible, and to strengthen nations fighting against Doomingsland was a matter of state importance. That said, there would be little room for close alliance because of the fact that SL and GDI member Clandonia was supporting doomani forces, something which perhaps, she thought, the Hotdian government should look into.

As the limousine pulled up to a halt by the entrance to the great building, she pulled her thoughts about her, before the door snapped open as one of her companions, a Secret Intelligence Services man she believed, assisted her exit from the car, and followed her inside. Another, third man also appeared out of the first car in their small convoy, a short stocky man with broad shoulders he was in fact quite imposing and a sturdy looking figure, but he had a look about him of a foreigner, although she wasn't sure where he could be from. Ignoring her companions she walked through the doors and onwards towards the other delegates and conference members, passing through a great hall before she was ushered by a servant into the side room. As she walked in she was struck by the variety of delegates in the room, Allanean and Wagdian representatives talking, and scanned the room for a friendly face. Unfortunately she was no expert on these national ministers and as such she decided to see to getting herself a drink, hoping someone might greet her, if not she felt sure the SIS agent with her would point her in the right direction, it was their job to know things...

Official Imperial Communique:

Secretary of State Sacha Novoselic, The National Socialist Republic of Aequatio,

The Empire extends its warmest greetings, and assures you and your government that we understand the importance of educating the governments of the world on this Doomani Problem. We would certainly welcome an Aequatian envoy at the conference being hosted in Sofia. Hopefully you will find this useful in coming to a conclusion with regards to Doomingsland

OOC: Telegram for Generia.

Kazatmiru, having greeted the delegations, rubbed elbows with a few of the diplomats who spoke his language, and thanked sincerely the Vetalian Proconsul for his generous gift, walked over to a tall man in a neatly pressed grey suit. Standing at over 6 and a half feet, Lord Evgeny Fedyovic, the Emperor’s diplomatic and good natured Advisor with Dominion Over Foreign Affairs, was easy to pick out in the somewhat crowded room. Pulling him aside, Kazatmiru instructed him to usher the delegations into the next room where the Conference would officially be opened.

Fedyovic, who with the Emperor’s blessing functioned essentially as the Empire’s foreign minister, stepped to the front of the room and addressed the assembled delegates in his native language.

“Gentlemen and ladies, as it seems the last of the delegations scheduled to arrive are already present with one exception, it will be my pleasure to direct you to the adjoining room where his Majesty will open the conference, and where hopefully we’ll be able to find an answer to this Doomish question.”

A pair of White Guardsmen opened the double doors that blended well with the finished wooden paneling of the reception room, displaying the large room containing three very long tables placed in the shape of a ‘u.’ The delegations were ushered inside, and shown to the places they would occupy.

Kazatmiru, meanwhile, had been pulled aside by Filat Cac, director of the Generian Imperial Intelligence Agency. Discreetly he mentioned the photos that had been given him earlier by a representative from Tarlag.

“Verify their authenticity,” Kazatmiru told him quietly before walking towards the door where he and the Generian delegation would enter the room after the others had been seated.

As the Emperor walked in and towards his place at the head of the room, he was flanked by Fedyovic, a representative from Cac’s intelligence department, and a pair of Imperial military officers. Remaining on his feet, Kazatmiru addressed the seated representatives.

“Again, on behalf of the Empire and her citizens, I welcome you to Generia and thank you for seeing the importance of attending this Conference. To the representatives from the nations of Hotdogs2, Wagdog, and Allanea, I extend my special thanks for bringing the Doomani issue to light through your support of the Hotdian President’s recent condemnation, and also for joining Generia in conceiving the idea for this Conference.”

Here he nodded to the representatives in question before continuing.

“Putting all formalities aside, it is my hope that this conference will be productive and will achieve what it seeks to achieve in as timely a manner as possible. Bearing that in mind, I will bring up the first item on the agenda: the institution of a mutual defense pact among our nations to counter any future Doomish aggression. It is the Generian belief that the pact will apply only to aggression from Doomingsland or from any nation that can be reasonably proved to be acting directly on behalf of the Doomani Emperor, and will also imply that all signatories will bring all possible military force to bear to counter such aggression in the event. This is my conception of the document. Should any delegation have something to add or an issue to raise with it, the floor is open.”

The Emperor sat down.

Lady Moonshadow stood up in a smooth motion despite her age. "Thank you for hosting this conference Emperor, If I may have the floor for a moment.
Ladies and Gentlemen there is a storm upon us and if action is not taken it will engulf us all. If Doomingsland and her allies win the current conflicts they are involved in the will be in powered to look for fresh conquests and who do you think they will go after. Most likely the nations currently meeting in this room. They will go after anyone who they feel threatened by. As we sit here AMF is being fought to a stand still on Doomingsland's own shores. How powerful will they become if they can defeat Damion Deadfire who has one of the strongest militarises on the planet.
Jarridia and GAPTS are currently fighting to free ViZion from their grip, If we fail who will they go after next? I am not saying going to war right now with them is your only hope but you have to ask yourselves what happens to you if Doomingland wins."

Senator Petrova nodded. "May I speak?" she asked. "The Doomani problem does require a massive military buildup," she said. "The threat they will pose after a victory over Automagfreek will depend on how much damage they have taken themselves, but if it looks like Automagfreek is losing, especially if Doomingsland is not seriously weakened, we should consider intervention, if not to free the slaves, at least so our children and grandchildren will not be forced to convert to the Doomani religion and lose all of the freedoms we are gathered here to protect."

She would not refer to their religion as simply "Catholicism," for the widespread view in Kahanistan, even among many who were viciously anti-Catholic, was that the Doomani religion was an offshoot, much like Christianity was from Judaism.

"If Doomingsland does win, I fear strongly for the survival of my nation and many of the other nations represented here. The Doomani will probably shoot me, or feed me to the lions. But what will they do to those who they feel have been their friends and then betrayed them?" She looked in the Emperor's direction as she spoke. "What terrible things do they have in store for the Generians?"

The limo pulled up to the entryway of the Emperor's Palace. The driver hurried around to the curb-side and opened the door for the Xeraphians. As they piled out, they created quite the sight.

Prince John tapped Jill on the shoulder and whispered, "Stay close for a while. I may need your translating abilities. And besides, I need to be able to get to you in case any of the other delegates make an improper move on you." A warm, fatherly smile accompanied the statement. Jill was very aware of the eyes on her.....especially the men's.....and wondered if perhaps she should have worn something a little less revealing.

The Prince motioned to the ShadowGuard and they moved forward up the steps of the Palace. Strickland was used to palaces of all kinds. He had destroyed many in his service to the Emperor, and recently witnessed what remained of his own, sacked and burned by the vampiric hordes.

Jill, however, was another matter. She was essentially a country girl, raised
on one of the corporate farms in the nation of Elyria-Lorain, the Empire's primary supplier of food. She had been discovered at an early age to have a near-perfect ability to learn a language by listening to just a few words of a conversation. When she came of age, she was shipped off to Alaric's Tower in the old capitol of Xeraphia. He had continued her education in the finest universities of the Empire, and presented her to Strickland upon his ascension to the Island Throne.

As she gazed with eyes-wide, he whispered to her again. "Jill, stop acting the country bumpkin and close your mouth. Your'e here as an aide to one of the Regents of the Xeraphian Empire, not a tourist from Mandalore Prime." She promptly regained her composure, blushing slightly. Still, she was awed at the grandeur of the Generian Emperor's Palace.

As they passed through the immense doorway, they saw and acknowledged the presence of the Tarlagian delegation, Lady Moonshadow and Lady Sakamoto. 'At least one true friend here', thought Strickland.

They were now just feet from the Emperor Kazatmiru, a tall gentleman at his side. They were having polite conversation with two women, one of which he recognized as the delegate from HD2. Prince John brightened at the sight of the women, stood a little straighter, and put on his best schmoozy smile. Jill poked him in the ribs and said in a low tone, "Behave yourself, my Prince. We're here for business, not pleasure."

He glanced at her as if to say 'Mind your own business and you won't have time to mind mine.'

He turned back to the little group, positively beaming, and gave a short bow to the Emperor and the ladies...................

Kazatmiru nodded his approval and returned to his feet once again.

“The concerns of both Lady Moonshadow of Tarlag and Senator Petrova of Kahanistan are legitimate, and duly noted. With regard to Senator Petrova’s comments, I have no illusions regarding Maximus’s designs on Generia and on the other states who have been so outspoken in their protests against his Empire. I expect no pardon from his direction for Generia, but I would rather die than seek one. I stand firmly in the belief that our actions here, in condemning Doomingsland, and my own in abandoning its puppet alliance are of the most righteous sort, and I will not be afraid to stand behind them and to stand up to Doomingsland. I honestly cannot say whether the other nations represented here are willing to let Maximus go through with all of the terrible things he wishes to do to them, but I can say that Generia has no such intention.”

He looked right back in the Kahanistani senator’s direction, a previously undisplayed fierceness in his eyes and manner illustrating that beneath all of the grandeur and ceremony of the Imperial palace, its master was still at his heart the sovereign of a warlike Empire.

"Greetings, Celine." – spoke Kazansky – "Tell me, do you have a worked-out plan as to what we do about these… Doomani? It is my personal belief, you see, that a military action of some form will eventually be necessary. And I believe, furthermore, that we need to prepare for it. I will note mince words: Are you with me on this?"
OOC: Hopefully we can fluid-time this in; darn late nights pwning my morning posting time...
IC
Palace Sidebar; Sofia, Generic Empire
Pleased that she'd attracted Kazansky, Celine responded promptly. "Absolutely. They have sympathizers everywhere, even within ostensibly free nations and alliances; and those tend to have a disturbingly blinkered view regarding their allies. Some, such as Kampfers or Aurum Domus who happen to be an allies of ours, are morally on our side but concerned about their own forces' armament if the supply of Doomani weapons were ever cut; but they're the exceptions in our experience. We can work with them on the issue, this conference being as much a brainstorming session for that as anything; but all-told Marshal we've seen a distressingly uniform and unqualified backing of the Doomani from those so-inclined, and such lockstep support nigh-always embolden tyrants to yet more grandiose schemes of aggression."

Awaiting Kazansky's reply, she posed politely but archly; emphasizing her almost predatory figure and striking, close-cut salt-and-pepper hair. There were reasons for these that Celine Longtail would disclose if pressed, since Allanea at least was reasonably open-minded about them she thought and in any case the lunar cycle wasn't too close to a problem period yet. But all the same, discretion seemed the better part of valor.

Conference Room, Some Time Later...
In the conference room, her attaches were listening intently to Kazatmiru's introduction as well as the words of the other delegations. Not really inclined to speak out yet, the lady of the hour for Wagdog being somehow held up, they simply took their notes and kept up with the pronouncements.

"Wow..." Despite the seeming valley-girlishness of the expression, Melanie Straw actually had a point about it unlike she would've years back when whispering such. "A theme seems to be developing here, doesn't it?" The delegations from Tarlag and Kahanistan were driving home the common point it seemed, and quite well too. Not to mention His Majesty himself, of course.

"Indeed." Darren Highland shared the two other delegates' sentiments in full in his hushed reply. For now, the main war was a standstill and the ViZion Campaign worse. Although not irretrievably so, the fact that the Doomani enjoyed the backing of seemingly the majority of the Sovereign League and numerous other powers was driving that home. Worse, some of Wagdog's own allies had refused to sign on to the embargo, usually out of fear for such basic things as Doomani retaliation or leaving their Doomingsland Defense Industries-equipped infantry without a ready weapons' supply. Understandable, but equally a tragedy. "The mutual-defense arrangements must come first. I just hope Comrade Longtail doesn't remain kept too much longer."

"Agreed." Although the economic attache, Abdul al-Aziri understood the importance of the Conference's security provisions. "We need to get the basics underway first, then I can iron out my part more precisely." He maintaining discretion, as was only proper when others had the floor, he then motioned his associates to silence as what needed to be said had been. Now, it was just time to wait for Celine and make what statements needed making then.

Chad Toegel, who had been nodding along with every statement his fellow delegates had said, felt that it was his turn to display the Jarridian views of Doomingsland and the current issues at stake.

He stood up from his seat, slowly taking in a quick panoramic of the other delegations, and softly he spoke, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I implore you all to take in every word said, and heed the words of Kahanistan and myself. I've been instructed by President Thoreson to inform you of the Jarridian stance that has not only been created by Doomingsland hatred of Jarridian and the WWA, but has indeed been forced upon us. Many decades, if not centuries ago, Jarridia aligned themselves with the nations of Crimsdale and Artica respectively. Both were beginning members of the WWA, and bother remained in friendly terms with Jarridia to their dying ends. Crimsdale left the WWA with Artica in hopes of creating a new, and strong alliance with a new found nation known as Doomingsland. Jarridia, being an ally of both, strongly supported the idea and aided in whatever way possible to help create what is today known as C A D. One other Jarridian ally left the WWA along with Crimsdale and Artica, a continuing ally of the WWA and strong friend of the Jarridian nation, the Borman Empire. It quickly become evident after the initial creation of C A D that Doomingsland did not seek to follow in the footsteps of his partners in Crimsdale to align with the Jarridians and the Westwood Alliance...they sought the opposite, to destroy the very organization that helped them in the beginning. Ever since those fateful days, Doomingsland has forced the C A D and the Westwood Alliance into a turmoil of conflicts, rivalries, and standoffs. Indeed, Doomingsland has established themselves as having one of their main rivals as Jarridia. We have watched for too long the destruction of our world at the hands of these warmongering belligerents. I cannot begin to fathom the lives that have been destroyed and the horrific activities they have taken out upon innocent civilians, all I know is that countless lived have been lost at their hands. The Jarridian Government would like to stress that, although we are continuing our conflict in the Mediterranean, we are not seeing this conversation today as being a hymn to war for any of our fellow nations. It is necessary in these times to prepare for action, ready ourselves, and then take wind. I make the promise to you hear and now that Jarridia and the Westwood Alliance will stand behind any and all nations here, should the Doomanis choose to harm you, we will respond to your call and protect what world we have left. Make no mistake, we are here together to establish the world as a safe place for our families, our nations, and all species that roam it." Secretary Toegel took a final look around the room before retaking his seat.

"I realize," – said Kazansky – "that the Doomani are an industrious people, and that they have made many nations' militaries dependent on the DR-83 and other Doomani weapons. However I do not see this an obstacle. I am sure nations – Allanea, for one – would be quite willing to establish a fund to help nations which with to turn against Doomingsland to rearm themselves with equivalent weapons of Kriegzimmer, Allanean Arms, Sapinian Arms manufacture. In fact, the Allanean Department of Commerce is uniquely suited for such a task."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Doomani have proven themselves likely to attack Generia – the very nation that we are currently in – in the near future. They are warmongers and murderers. They are cannibals, slavers, genociding scum. They have murdered about two billion Kahanistani alone, and have slaughtered the entire populations of Provinces Aegypt, Morocco, and entire North Africa. They have, again and again, waged genocidal war against those who stand against them."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Generia is in danger! It's leaders have made a moral stand, a wise stand, a valiant stand against the Doomani evil, and yet I fear, that, lest we act quickly, they may have to pay a price too steep for their decision."

"But we – the representatives of the civilized world – can still do something about it."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest that we set up, immediately, a series of military bases in Generian territory. I hope the Generians will allow this."

He unwraps a huge map of Eastern Generia.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/allanea/newcadmapcolorcoded2uk6pp3.jpg

"Pardon me the horrible grafics. As you see, there are blue spaces on the map, marked with numbers. I have taken the liberty of naming the military bases, and I hope nobody minds."

"Number one I suggest to designate Camp Levitt, after the President of Kahanistan, in memory of their glorious struggle for freedom against the Doomani infidel. The second will be Camp Thoreson, named after President Thoreson of Jarridia. There will follow, in order of numbers, Camp Kazamiru, Camp Conde – after the Allanean war heroine that had single-handedly killed 10 million Doomani, Camp Roberts, after the Hotdian President, and Camp DTM, which means Death To Maximus. I hope nobody is offended by these suggestions."

"I recommend these be staffed by a multinational task force, to which Allanea will donate as many troops as Generia will allow – I'm thinking on the order of lots, here, and hopefully, so will the other nations."

"These forces will stand at the ready, should the time come to, eh, defend Generia. Yes, that's it. Defend Generia from Doomani oppression."

"Quick correction," said Senator Petrova. "The President of Kahanistan is the Honorable Khalid bin Abdullah al-Omari," she said. "Rachel Levitt is the Minister of Foreign Affairs." And a bloody idiot, if you ask me, but that's neither here nor there.

"I think I can convince the Senate to authorize up to a million troops to these bases - this is Doomingsland we're talking about, but with Northford mobilizing its military, we can't cripple the homefront in case they make aggressive moves toward us."

"This is quite a good idea, provided the Generians consent. Does anybody else have contributions?"

OOC: I apologise for the OOC I just wanted to clear up that Wagdog's Delegation also represents the official position of the Vetakan Government.

"This is quite a good idea, provided the Generians consent. Does anybody else have contributions?"
Entering the room, Secretary Longtail whispered to Darren Highland for a few seconds before, simply nodding his head, he rose and took the floor. "Depending on the situation on our own front or fronts in any renewed hostilities, we could possibly commit as many as three Army Groups. Composed in our usage of normally one numbered Field Army and one numbered Air Force each, this would represent about the same commitment as the Kahanistanis' at full strength; just over 1.2 million service personnel from all branches, with vehicles and equipment and aircraft numbering in the thousands.

Provided the Generians consent to both, we could also commit a numbered Fleet; although no more since we expect much naval fighting elsewhere. But overall, your deployment scheme sounds fair and flexible enough for us to sign onto; and we certainly wouldn't mind seats at the 'main event' as it were." That said, Darren took his seat just to the left of Secretary Celine Longtail and resumed watching intently; especially Kazansky's reaction, since that would indicate much of what would be expected from this deployment when it came.

Paladin Moonshadow thought for a moment then began typing on her laptop.
Studying the readout on her computer she spoke. "The plan it self has Merritt however you realize as soon as these bases are opened you can expect Doomingsland to attack them. To counter this with our Hosts permission we may also wish to put troops further inland for a more defense in depth. Due to the fact the proposed bases are mostly on islands or on the coast we may want to consider a stronger naval presence.
The Grand Duchy of Tarlag will put its troops where its mouth is we will contribute twenty five regimental combat teams, 1,440 fighters, and a naval task force made up of at least five carrier battle groups.

As the Xeraphians entered the conference room, many heads turned to see who it was that would be representing the Empire in the wake of the Emperor's death. Prince Regent John Strickland strode slowly but purposefully to his seat, nodding greetings to the Jarridian, Tarlagian, and Allanean delegates. He took one last look around the table, smiled in the direction of Emperor Kazatmiru and Lord Fedyovic, and sat down. Jill sat on his left, busily opening her briefcase and emptying it's contents onto the shiny wood table.

The Prince spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive my tardiness. Urgent Imperial matters kept us occupied." He glanced at Chad Toegel of Jarridia. "And speaking of occupied, I trust we're addressing the issue of the occupation of ViZion territory by Doomingsland."

He paused, then went on. "As you may be aware, when the leaders of both ViZion and Jarridia asked for Xeraph's support in this matter, we immediately mobilized what forces were still intact from the recent.......troubles......in the Empire. It seems the Allied Coalition has pretty much fought the oppressors to a standstill, without attaining much of the Coalition's stated goals. I and my co-Regents, Lord Sethanis of Black Shadows and Prince Vlad of The Grey Phoenix urged our allies in the GAPTS alliance to join the fight for ViZion's liberation. Several replied in the affirmative, and we now have at our use approximately thirteen million infantry and marine troops available to us along with tens of thousands armored units, naval units, and air units. This is in addition to the forces already in the field from Xeraph, about", he glanced at a sheet of paper handed to him by Jill, "about three million, six-hundred thousand ground troops along with seventeen CBGs and 33 AirWings." He again paused, sitting up straight in his chair.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Regents of Xeraph as well as the military leaders and citizens of the Xeraphian Empire have but one question: why are the nations of Doomingsland and MassPwnage still in existence?"

He sat back, hands folded on the table, looking at some of the most powerful leaders in the world, waiting for an answer......................

Amalia Polansky felt she must say something, but she was way out of her depth here, after all, she was only Trade & Industry minister, but what she did not realise was that next to her, the short stocky man had already stood up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as a close friend of our President my i firstly thank Allanea for their kind thoughts in naming one of these bases after our President. As you will all know it was President Roberts who perhaps was the original cause for the embargoes we have seen spring up, and how we have risen against their evil! Perhaps then we should all stand by these allanean plans and push for greater security for the Generic Empire and its people, and as such Hotdogs2 would also like to pledge military forces to form part of a multi-national force which will pose as a severe restriction upon Doomani military actions in all theatres, not just within the region of Generic Empire. To this point we offer at least to double the numbers already pledged by Wagdog and Hataria, as well as provide construction facilities to house these massive numbers of personnel and constant naval patrols within international and Generic waters, primarily by submarine to increase stealth of such missions.

However as im sure Miss Polansky would agree, we must not forget to focus upon trade between our nations, and ensure that although we are pledging forces here it does not in any way mean that our views upon other issues are changed, such as AMF for example. What I mean by this is that Hotdogs2 would be posting troops as a threat to Doomingsland to ensure their actions are not endangering for us and to defend Generic Empire, instead of supporting action directly against Doomingsland. As such you may look upon this as a defensive action by Hotdogs2.

Furthermore i would like to ask if nations would be willing to, as Allanea has proposed in a way, to have all equipment used in this theatre to be as similar as possible, such as by the use of same calibers in tanks, or even perhaps the same equipment. We advise this action is taken at least primarily for ground forces because of logistical needs, although at the very least forces who still need upgrading their forces we would suggest take this move, because if they are going to replace equipment Hotdogs2 would be more than willing to aid them in ensuring that it is logistically similar."

With that, he sat down. He had said quite a bit, and put forward quite a lot of food for thought!

"I believe this is something minor that can be easily straightened out later, however I ask that the Generic Empire allow us to begin preparaitons immediately."

OOC: It’s been a very long time, so I thought something horribly clichéd would be appropriate.

IC:

Phantasmo, Freudotopia. 2000 Hours


“Welcome back to the land of the living, Your Majesty.”

The words floated towards Saul Hudson across a vast distance, bursting the last bubbles of a thousand dreams, and as the world swam into view above him, the Emperor could barely believe it. He was reasonably sure he had been dead. And now a bespectacled face leaned over him, eyes creased in concentration. And now his own words gradually returned to Hudson, as if, simply from non-use, he had lost the capacity for speech itself and was only remembering something from long ago.

“Where am I?”

“I think, Milord, that a better question is when. Do you remember the bombing?”

“Bombing? All I remember is light and heat.”

“You’ve been in a coma for almost five months. Shrapnel from the explosion caused you massive injuries. Some of the scars still aren’t healed. I never thought you would survive. I must say, your constitution is nothing short of remarkable. In fact, I can report that MRIs taken over the past three weeks show no permanent damage. Your brain function seems completely normal.”

“But you never answered my first question…”

“Ah yes, of course. We are in the newly renovated East wing of the Vichy Surgical Center, Neurology Ward. The newest addition to the Palace Health Complex.”

“Vichy? Who named--”

The doctor cut him off. Not the most politic of moves.

“Oh goodness gracious me! You don’t know…oh dear…” He broke off and watched Hudson absentmindedly fingering one of his gold rings. Gathering himself, he pressed on.

“Your Highness, the bombing that put you in a coma destroyed your limousine. Your son was killed instantly. Only the fact that you were leaning out of the sunroof saved you, as you were thrown from the vehicle rather than being trapped inside. Prime Minister Vichy, in the absence of the Emperor and his designated heir, took office as Consul in Interim as per the executive chain of command. He--”

“Enough,” whispered Hudson, barely loud enough for the doctor to hear. His oldest son. Anthony. Dead. The crushing weight of grief hit him immediately. The room dissolved into white again. Tears rolled down Hudson’s cheeks as he stared at the ceiling, sobbing in disbelief.
A sharp click suddenly snapped him back to the present, and just as he looked up, his white sheets spattered with crimson blood. The good doctor slumped to the floor, blood pouring from the side of his head. In disbelief, Hudson whipped his head around and sure enough, standing in the doorway was Maxwell Vichy, former Prime Minister, with a smoking pistol and a very ugly expression indeed.

“So.” Checking the silencer and keeping the pistol trained on Hudson’s face, the imposing politician crossed the room until he stood at the foot of the bed and grimaced at the body on the floor.

“So,” he repeated, “Saul Hudson awakens at last, and I almost don’t get the word in time. Someone will most certainly die for this. After all the effort I’ve gone through, I won’t let one eager-beaver doctor ruin everything. And you: apparently you’re quite unkillable. How irritating. Not at all like your son. I heard your wife collapsed when she saw his charred remains. Why couldn’t you have just remained inside the car and been incinerated along with your brat?”

Hudson’s rage exploded out of him in a primal roar as his coiled muscles tensed and he flew out of bed at his nemesis…or so he thought. His wrists and ankles snagged on something, and his torso arced awkwardly into the air. Belatedly, the Emperor felt the soft restraints of a basic seizure harness against his skin. Soft they may have been, but they were tested to up to 1500 pounds of resistance. They might as well have been steel manacles.

Seeing the doomed efforts of the wounded Emperor seemed to delight the usurper to no end. His face cracked into a crooked grin and he chuckled maniacally, as usurpers are wont to do.

“Ahhhh, what an excellent decision on my part. I must congratulate myself for a moment here. For the first two weeks you thrashed about occasionally. The doctors said you were slipping on the border of consciousness and coma, triggering small seizures due to brain activity near critically injured areas. So, thinking that you might awaken soon and not wanting you to just slip out of bed one night and escape my control, I my personal physician put you in these charming restraints. For your safety, of course. I wouldn’t want the rightful ruler of Freudotopia to be injured further.

Vichy cackled again, and Hudson resumed nervously flexing his fingers, toying with his antique ring again.

Savoring his victory, Vichy began again: “I won’t insult your intelligence by posturing. Of course you’ve already figured out that the bombing was my doing, part of a rather ingeniously orchestrated coup de etat. What with the ongoing unrest, it was all too easy to pin the bombing on those misguided Ismerians. What’s more, I ordered a good napalm carpeting of a few of their ‘terrorist camps’--really just dairy farms, children’s summer camps, that sort of thing--, just to prove that while I didn’t have your military experience, I am tough on the evil insurgents and all that. You see, Saul, for all your cunning, you always did look beyond the borders of the Empire when you should have been focusing inward. If you had, you might have stopped me, saved your son. Oh yes, I know how that enrages you. I know how hearing me even speak of him makes you burn for my neck between your fingers so you could just throttle me to your heart’s content. How sad. All your foreign entanglements, all your military campaigns, all your grand triumphs, they all mean nothing. They couldn’t save your son or your throne.”

A manic gleam shone in Vichy’s eyes. Hudson thought he heard footsteps in the hallway, but they were gone in an instant. His tormentor’s face contorted into a grim mask.

“I’ve got about twenty, maybe twenty-five years left, and I won’t waste them on your frivolous pursuits of war and conquest. I’m going to suck this Empire dry, and to Hell with whoever comes after. This land is mine to command, mine to control. You already lost the throne, Saul. I’m just here to make it final.” He cocked the pistol, his grin returning. “And no one can stop me.”

Of course, tyrannical murderers should never say things like that. It begs intervention, usually of a violent nature. In this case, that intervention came in the form of a slightly unshaven man in a dark suit smashing through the large plateglass window. Or rather, a small sonic charge shattered the glass instantaneously where a half kilo of semtex wouldn’t, and Samuel Radley, top five candidate for the deadliest person on the planet, came flying through the air, headfirst, pumping the trigger of a specially tooled, fully automatic dart rifle. No fewer than sixteen titanium hypodermic tips buried themselves in the unarmored face, neck, and chest of Maxwell Vichy. Paralysis was immediate, unconsciousness imminent. Then Radley’s shoulder came into contact with Maxwell’s and sent the would-be dictator flying eight feet into the opposite wall. He hit with a bone-crunching thud and slid to the floor.

Seven more figures poured through the window in the space of roughly five seconds. The largest approached Hudson’s bed and, without saying a word, drew a combat knife and sliced through the restraints like a laser-cutter through ten-year old cheese. Hudson leaped out of bed, undaunted by his lack of pants, and spat on the barely breathing Vichy before turning to his rescuers.

“Sam! and team A of the Epsilon Corps. What an utterly subpar performance. It’s been almost thirteen minutes since I woke up.”

Radley raised his eyebrows and replied, “My Emperor, it has been five months. The palace security system has been completely retooled and its security personnel turned over. We are essentially operating in hostile territory. While Vichy has not managed to completely replace the high offices of the government yet, this hospital is not safe. We must leave, now.”

Hudson nodded once but did not move. Radley persisted.

“Milord?”

“That man killed my son. Bring him. I am going to redefine hurt for his benefit.”

“Of course, Your Highness, but we have to hurry. You have a counter-coup to plan. Vichy had many supporters, and most of them will have ambitions of their own once they find out what happened.”

“Very well. I have re-assumed the Throne of the Imperium. Vichy’s treason will be punished, his supporters purged, and damage to the government and people of Freudotopia minimized. There is work to be done.”

And with that, all nine men clambered over the windowsill and into the deepening night.

Sixty-five hours later

Saul Hudson the Illuminator sat reinstated in his throne room viewing progress reports from the many intelligence and military units that were in the process of rooting out and eliminating the Vichy supporters. A solitary aide approached him and bowed deeply.

“Speak.”

“Your Majesty, I have word from Kazatmiru. He apologizes for the poor timing and offers condolences for your son, but he says this cannot wait. He requests your presence at a meeting of heads of state in Sofia.”

“And what is the topic to be discussed?”

“Doomingsland.”



Telegram to Generian State Department

Regretfully, now is not an advantageous time for Emperor Saul Hudson the Illuminator to leave his nation. However, he will likely send Executor Victor Masikov to Sofia at his earliest convenience to act in his stead. General Sinister will accompany Masikov as military liaison and advisor. The Emperor wishes it to be known that Doomani aggression is considered at dire threat by the Imperium, and will not be taken lightly under any circumstances. The full might of the Illuminated Imperium of Freudotopia and the Will of the Emperor are behind our glorious Generian allies and all the other friends among the international community who share our distaste at the wrongs of Doomingsland.

Peace and Enlightenment,

Aberforth Dixon, Deputy Minister of State

"I believe this is something minor that can be easily straightened out later, however I ask that the Generic Empire allow us to begin preparaitons immediately."
Standing up, Celine decided now was a good time to assert herself where she could best: the trade war. "With utmost respect, Field Marshal, we disagree with the first part. Granted, deployment should begin at once; and I'm certain Mr. Highlands here will play a part in determining what formations specifically are sent when that begins. However, we must consider one of the central problems of mobilization: the home front.

Specifically, how to best alleviate the understandable burdens of rationing and other measures as consumer production gives way to wartime industry. Now I don't know too fully the extent of your various preparations..." Secretary longtail cast a sweeping glance at each of the delegates. "Nor can I so detail our own at the moment. However, I can say that we should open our trade with each other as completely as the vagaries of pending general war allow. Especially in terms of surplus foodstuffs or light consumer goods. For example, in our country cheap pocket radios are mandatory at least per household upon government credit stamp, as a means not only of public address even if principally so; but also of accessing popular entertainment easily even, should gas for a weekend's drive to the theater suddenly become scarce due to rationing (for example), or of accessing advertisements for such as Allanean Arms' various lines of import goods.

Hence, and that is but one example, I was thinking that we enact the basic economic principle of comparative advantage as part of our grand strategy here. Although I believe we should be more careful about Roberts' standardization suggestion, since our armament choices may reflect genuine tactical differences which may even confer some advantages in practice, one thing that I do believe we all agree on is that our peoples must be as rewarded as possible for the sacrifices renewed war would impose upon them. And if some of us can provide to the rest even small consumer comforts, such as a humble means of staying in touch like I mentioned, surely this could only benefit the war effort as a whole? Certainly at least the embargo effort, by strengthening it across the board and enabling more thorough mobilization to defend same." Secretary Longtail then sat again, awaiting the delegates' word of their opinions about this.

Petrova nodded. "I agree with the idea of free trade in principle," she said. "Especially when we're working for a common goal, like the mutual assured survival of our nations. Now, as for the standardization..." The senator took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, it's been about eight years since I was in the military. The Doomani have only one kind of rifle ammunition, I believe it's the 6.7mm Imperial. They have only one kind of main battle tank in current service that I'm aware of, the Imperator MBT that made short work of our Merkava IV tanks in the Negev. They have one kind of air superiority fighter, and one kind of strategic bomber, and one kind of super dreadnaught. Their logistics are, as I'm establishing, very simple. Now, on the other hand, Kahanistan is fielding three or four types of tank in its armed forces, we have about a thousand Nakils, loads of Merkavas, although we're phasing them out of frontline service and handing them to the reserves, we have our own indigenous model that the Defense Ministry is pushing, and we have some Diablo tanks from back when the Transylvanians were helping us get our military back on its feet."

"Add to that the fact that we have a mix of Praetonian, Isselmerian, and domestic ships, and Kriegzimmer aircraft... and keep in mind, this is just us. Even if we were to standardize, whose forces would we standardize to? Whose forces is everyone else willing to standardize to? There are so many hurdles to clear, I think we should try to schedule a military meeting as soon as possible between our generals and Defense Ministry leaders."

"Standardization with other nations equipment may be a problem for us also. all of are small arms are H&K. Our main assault rifles the G-36. As for tanks we field mostly Merkava IVs but the new V model with the 135 mm gun is now being released to the troops. Our main line fighters are the Saab Gripen, Viggen, and the SU-32/37/47. Our navy has ships from all over the place and our naval air arm looks like the U.N. It would take us years to change over and billions of Grots."
Lady Moonshadow sat back in her chair for a moment a lookedabout the room. " Of course if every nation were to provide troops to be equiped by the new alliance that would solve our problems. Each nation provides a set number of troops which the alliance arms with the best weapons we can provide. These will be the shock troops that we use against Doomingland. Our normal militarises will stay in tact and our logistic problems are solved.
If we keep all the same nationality in the same units then training should not be an issue."

"Standardization with other nations equipment may be a problem for us also. all of are small arms are H&K. Our main assault rifles the G-36. As for tanks we field mostly Merkava IVs but the new V model with the 135 mm gun is now being released to the troops. Our main line fighters are the Saab Gripen, Viggen, and the Mig-47. Our navy has ships from all over the place and our naval air arm looks like the U.N. It would take us years to change over and billions of Grots."
Lady Moonshadow sat back in her chair for a moment a lookedabout the room. " Of course if every nation were to provide troops to be equiped by the new alliance that would solve our problems. Each nation provides a set number of troops which the alliance arms with the best weapons we can provide. These will be the shock troops that we use against Doomingland. Our normal militarises will stay in tact and our logistic problems are solved.
If we keep all the same nationality in the same units then training should not be an issue."
Commerce Secretary Longtail's assigned State Department attache, the redoubtable Darren Highland, pounded the table and congratulated Lady Moonshadow. "Yes! Your Ladyship, that solves many if not most of our problems. Indeed, if that can be done, my nation could increase its commitment to this campaign vastly. In operationally-meaningful terms, off the top of my head, sufficient personnel to form some eight Armies and Air Forces each under eight Army Group HQs; plus three full Fleet Groups of one Fleet, one reinforced Marine Division and one reinforced Marine Air Wing each. All-told, easily approaching five million personnel. Perhaps as many as ten Army Groups and five Fleet Groups, pushing towards six million; depending on how high mobilization on our end can go without unduly harming the civilian economy by the time hostilities presumably start. To that end, we don't anticipate calling any more than 3% of our population to active service; probably 2.5% just to err on the side of logistical caution."

Pausing to take some needed breaths, Darren then went on. "The only question is, again, whose standards are to be employed by all our forces in the Generian/Doomani theater? Once that's known, my government can contact the reservists and call them up for transport to Generia for orientation training without difficulty. Fortunately, we have National Service in Wagdog for the reservist branches; be they Red Guard, Red Guard Air Force, or Red Banner Coast Guard. Our line forces are in turn drawn from these reserves after the two-year draft term's completion on a voluntary basis in peacetime, and ready-reserve callup basis in war; hence we have a large pool of trained or easily-retrained citizens already acquainted with military discipline to draw from. A 'semi-professional' force, if you will; compulsory training yes, but no forcing of anyone to serve longer than necessary or in a branch they don't identify with."

Was Attache Highland tooting the national horn? Perhaps a bit, but all-told Wagdog tried to be more lenient than was the reputed norm among Socialist states in its military policies. In fact, except for the predominantly Czechalrussian/Soviet equipment base used, its forces tended to resemble the typical 'Western' military machine more than anything; notably in the emphasis of qualitative power over mass, and tactical power over material.

Once more, that mysterious short stocky man stood up again...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please, could we not get stuck on such issues at this current time? I was merely making a suggestion on behalf of greater co-operation. The reason or me suggesting standardisation is greatly due to the fact that some of your nations have, to put it bluntly, quite rubbish military equipment. Im afraid to say up gunning a Merkava with a 135mm main gun is not going to play well when you compare it to such tanks as the Nakil A1, let alone the latest Nakil 1A1 and other upgrades. The same goes for the G-36, 5.56mm are outdated and poor performers, take note that Doomingsland does indeed use 6.7mm ammunition, because armour systems now in use are so much better than what 5.56mm was originally intended for. And as for the aircraft, im afraid they would hardly stand up against the old F-22, let alone the Doomani Aquilla. No, it is high time you took a serious look at your militaries.

We are sorry to say it, but even the Questarians, who take little heed of their army, have out phased the Merkava V in favor or new versions. It is however my belief that Allanea would be able to supply, possibly at a small cost, Nakil 1A1s, as would we as we currently have a large surplus. As for naval forces, Hotdogs2 will, with help, be willing to take control of the seas should it be necessary, and also to aid in air control duties. However, as it stands this is NOT an important enough matter to discuss. What we want to see is clear and definite responses as to whether or not forces will be deployed to the area, and let us therefore not get bogged down on logistics. Let it be assured, Hotdogs2 alone could ensure that all forces currently being tasked to be deployed could be supplied, so it will not become an issue. That is something for our generals to discuss, and that itself can be sorted after we have been through other pressing matters."

With that he once more sat down, and coughed, looking at Amalia Polansky. Oh dear, i think he wants me to say something..., was about all she managed to think before she found herself automatically standing up.

"Err, yes thank you for that information dear sir. Taking a look at a rather more pressing issue, what trade agreement can we count upon our nations signing up for? I personally would like to see an abolishment of tarrifs for most trade, unless it is high value goods, such as high-tech Nano-materials for example, being exported, in which case national needs may be important, as i understand some nations believe in protectionism."

Emperor Kazatmiru, having listened thoughtfully to the words of the delegates, nodded to the aged military officer to his right. The man, wearing the dark green uniform of the Generian Imperial Army decorated with innumerable medals and insignia, stood to his impressive height. His grey hair, sharp features, and piercing eyes gave him the look of a man who was both wizened by experience and still possessed of the coals from the fire of his youth. He was Marshal Sverik Iljievo, commander of the Imperial Army and Generia’s most celebrated soldier. Regarding the Allaneans, he nodded at their leading delegate.

“In response to Mr. Kazansky and as His Infinite Majesty has said, I think there is little doubt in any of our minds that Generia is the most likely target of the Doomish Imperium. While I certainly agree with the prospect of deploying allied forces here in the Empire, and in the Freudian protectorate to the west of Generia and north of Doomingsland, on behalf of His Majesty and my Empire, I would like to make it clear that the Generian military has been found to be quite capable of handling any Doomani invasion. For the past several months following Generia’s departure from the CAD, I have overseen the mobilization of the Imperial armed forces. The Imperial General Staff has been working tirelessly, studying Doomani tactics and preparing Generian countermeasures. As it stands, the Empire boasts what is likely the largest land army in the world, several times larger at full mobilization than anything the Doomani Imperium could possibly muster to throw at us. So, no Mr. Kazansky, I wouldn’t say that our primary concern is mortal danger to Generia from Doomani invasion.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“Still, this is not to say that Mr. Kazansky’s plan is not a first-rate one. I personally am strongly in favor of pursuing the deployments of allied troops along the lines he has described, though I would suggest that rather than placing such a bulk of our forces on the two large islands in the western sea north of Doomingsland, which can easily be isolated by naval activity, we establish forward command positions on the peninsula, near camps 2 and 3 as designated in the Allanean map. An assault of that peninsula via any Doomani attack, or counterattack would certainly be a difficult matter with the full brunt of allied land forces supporting these forward bases. The short distance to the Doomani coast from this mainland outpost would also mean any offensive measures taken by allied forces could originate from a position of extreme strength. In any regard, provided His Majesty consents, such a plan would certainly have my approval.”

Kazatmiru stood.

“I hope you will take into account the points stressed by Marshal Iljievo. In light of what he has said and in light of the statements by the Allanean government, I will authorize immediately the deployment of allied troops to Generia and the creation of the system of bases as specified.”

Receiving a nod from the Emperor, Iljievo continued.

“With regard to the suggestion of unifying the equipment utilized by our respective forces, I must say that I find this to be quite impractical. Considering the short time frame between now and a possible Doomani attack, we would simply not have the time needed to arm and train our forces in the use of a standard group of weapons. Plus, as one delegation has already said, the weapons used by a national armed force may indeed have a clear effect on their strategies. The Generian Imperial Army, at least, has been trained for years in the use of the GIR-47 assault rifle chambered for the 6.7mm round. To replace it on a whim at such short notice would verge on impossible, and would certainly be unwise.”

"We would be capable of moving a significant number of naval forces in to the region to defend the supply and reinforcement lines on the aforementioned islands, Marshal. The main concentration of our defense spending has been on our navy in recent years, primarily due to its force projection power, and at the very least we could create a stalemate in the area while other allied troops push against them overland." The Proconsul paused to take a drink of water before continuing.

"In fact, forcing the Doomani in to a quagmire or at best a Pyrrhic victory could prove to be highly beneficial even if it is at high cost. At present, we have 5 of our SEACOM naval command groups active out of a total of 20. That is 1,000+ ships including 100 supercarriers that could be brought in to service immediately. In addition, we maintain larger numbers of task forces, carrier strike groups, and even our 'stealth' carrier forces for sudden strikes against enemy targets that could be mobilized within a year. This would be a massive naval concentration, more than enough to destroy or halt any Doomani attempt at cutting our forces off." He read over the reports sent to him by the Ministry of Defense prior to arrival and continued describing the overall condition of the military.

"Our army is in excellent condition as well. It is well equipped and trained, and our forces would be more than capable of serving in any capacity needed on the battlefield. At present, we have most of it shifted in to our reserves due to our peacetime standing, but it could be mobilized quickly thanks to the surpluses we have built up at bases around the country. After this, however, he paused and continued in Generian in order to communicate with the Marshal alone.

"However, our air force is lacking due to our focus on carrier-based air craft and a strategic focus on space and missile weaponry as opposed to aircraft. We have devoted funds to expanding it, but it is still inadequate in comparison to the other branches. Technologically, it is sound, but it is small and our pilots are generally inexperienced in combat. Overall, our air force is primarily designed for strategic bombing once the skies have been secured, so any contribution from that force would require our allies to establish supremacy in the skies over the target area."

"Very well." - says Kazansky - "I will tell my troops to begin deployment immediately, corrected of course for the Generian notes. I suggest we adjourn for the day - but not before I suggest, for the principle of unifications, that Allanea will donate 230,000 Nakil 1A1 tanks, to replace outdated Merkava models in some of the allied armies, and for whoever wants them."

He hits a button on his pager.

"Let the deployments begin!" (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=12800696)

OOC: Separate thread for the deployments so we can keep up the diplomaticness while the troops are already rushing in. Generia, care to make a map with your version of the bases?

((OOC: As Allanea requested, the bases as I envision them:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1772/newalliedbasesrs6.png (http://imageshack.us)

6 major sites, with the blued-out peninsula as the site of Allied central command in the theater. The islands will be fortified and will house allied contingents, but in the event of their isolation by way of enemy navies, operations will not be crippled and allied forces can organize a retalliation by way of the other mainland bases. The mainland bases will prove more reliable due to land-based supply lines running from central Generia, and maritime supply protected by the long channel dividing east and west Freudia. The mouth of this channel will be guarded not only be Imperial military forces in Freudia, but also by the large allied base on the eastern peninsula, across from the central command.

Marshal Iljievo nodded as the Vetalian explained his nation's plight.

"I am certain that Allied air forces will be able to offer your forces in the theater the cover they need to conduct operations. I can certainly speak for the Imperial Air Force when I tell you that Imperial airbases in the Freudian Dominion and the rest of the Empire will be more than able to assist your forces due to their proximity to the theater of war. The Imperial Air Force is necessarily large, and exists primarily to resist enemy incursions into Imperial territory. With the war occuring so close to the Imperial homeland, the full brunt of the Empire's air wing will be brought to bear against our common foe."

He sat down as his counterpart, Fleet Admiral Georg Stekov, commander of the Generian Imperial Navy, rose to his feet.

"I must take the opportunity to throw my support behind the Vetalians' proposed naval deployments. I am not ashamed to say that the Imperial Navy is far from the worlds' largest, especially in this day of massive fleets that consume an Empire's entire stock of resources. In recent years however, under my direction, Generia's navy has been refit, its sailors retrained, and hundreds of new vessels committed to augment its capacity to wage war, either here in our home waters or abroad as a blue-water force capable of transporting, defending, and supporting the Imperial army in distant campaigns. While I do not doubt that Generian fleets can and will stand toe to toe with the enemy and prove victorious, I must state that Allied naval deployments would be appreciated in the strongest sense if only to augment the sheer number of vessels available to us."

He sat down as the Emperor rose.

"With respect to our Allanean friends' suggestion, we will soon adjourn for private discussions and a bit of rest before our talks recommence tomorrow. I am pleased by the direction that our discussions have taken, and the amount that we have achieved in the space of merely a few hours. I am certain that by the end of this Conference, we will have enacted measures to truly thwart the Doomani expansion and curtail Doomish influence. As we close here today, I have only to request that each delegation add a signature to the offical document of mutual defense against aggression by the nation of Doomingsland, formalizing the stance we have taken and the matters we have discussed."

The Emperor's aids produced the document, a single page outlining a treaty of mutual defense should doomingsland attack any signatory, and formalizing the economic embargoes already enacted by most of the nations represented at the conference. Kazatmiru himself lent the first signature, before the document was passed around the table.

Of course, the Allaneans happily agreed to the document.

OOC: Did you see the deployment thread?

Having been swiftly greeted and waved through most of palace security, Executor Victor Masikov and General Sinister strode into the conference at last. Seeing the debate was already underway, Masikov beckoned a diplomatic attache for a transcript of what had already passed, then took a seat at the table. He listened for several minutes to Kazatmiru, then finally rose to speak. With a respectable nod to the Emperor, he addressed the delagates.

"Honorable Heads of State and delegates from all nations, allow me to apologize for my tardiness. Emperor Hudson has given me leave to commit any resources and miltary personnel necessary to protect our intrests and those of Bornerifreudia at large. Now, in order to address several of the military options on the table, allow me to present General Sinister."

The black-armored general stepped forward from his position at the Executor's shoulder.

"Our aims, should it come to open war, amount to keeping Doomani invaders out of the Freudotopian Channel, pushing the invaders to the east as much as possible in order to drive them towards the powerful Generian armed forces, particularly on the ground. Our military, once the main forces of the Doomani are so diverted, will prove particularly excellent in destroying the flanks and supply lines of the enemy.

In answer to the Vetalian queries about air superiority, our interceptor corps is excellent and should be able to hold its own not only in air superiority operations, but also in our attack capability to neutralize invading ground forces. Our naval forces will hold mainly in the Freudotopian channel as a strategic reserve to bolster any allied force which requests aid.

As the allied presence in southern Freudotopia is already so strong and growing rapidly, a majority of our forces will be dedicated to protecting western Freudotopia, the areas formerly under the military governance of the Warmaster. The coastline there is rocky and any attempt at land invasion would go poorly for the Doomani. Furthermore, given the low population concentration and large stretches of flatland, the Emperor has assured me that he is prepared to authorize strategic bombing on any ground forces attempting to cross from western Freudotopia towards the channel."

With that, the General took a seat at Masikov's right hand as the Executor signed the treaty and committed Freudotopia to the fledgling alliance.

Kazatmiru nodded and offered a satisfied smile to the Freudian representatives. He knew General Sinister by reputation and was pleased that his old friend, ally, and occasional mentor Saul Hudson had dispatched such an important military mind. Masikov was a new face to him, but if he had the trust of the Emperor, then he certainly had the trust of Kazatmiru.

OOC: Here's a quick map of what my coastal defenses are shaping up to look like.

http://usera.imagecave.com/mobrule132001/Warmap.JPG

I'll post in the mobilization thread soon just to make it official.

When the treaty reached Senator Petrova, she took a deep breath before signing. The other Nationalists might see her as a traitor for her willingness to work with a former CAD state. Just hope the rest of the Senate ratifies this thing...

"We must all hang together," she said. "Or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." She smiled lightly.

"Now, hopefully we can get our Diablos scrapped soon, and the Merks... we only use them in their 'tank-bulance' capacity or in the reserve, so it's a toss for us between the Nakil and our own Spartacus main battle tank. I'm personally in favor of standardizing our forces to the M7T1 Spartacus tank, but the Nakil produces so much faster, and there are already millions of them..."

This was not the time for nationalistic chest beating, even though the M7 had its advantages. However, economic realities reared their ugly heads once again.

"Anyway, we've found that the Doomani like to use artillery against civilian populations, so holing your troops up in their cities... bad move. You'll just lose troops among the civvies. They will attack your supplies, and they absolutely love to poison the water supplies. I recommend that every Freudotopian and Generian civilian buy a portable water filter or purifier. Should filter out most of the nasties in the water if you lose your water treatment facilities."

"The Doomani use a chemical weapon they call the Plague of God, or Pestis Dei. We haven't been able to gather a lot of information on it, but it's corrosive to filters, from what we've managed to see of bodies of those who were killed by it. Don't rely on your filters to protect you. We were unable to devise a reliable countermeasure before the war ended. Also, I'd recommend an air defense system that won't collapse under anti-radiation missiles. I'm not much of a tactician, but we are devising a mid-range missile that relies on infrared guidance, and can't be suppressed by ARM's... I'll let you know the full details of it as soon as I get leave to share it, it's still fairly classified. Should prove effective against the Aquilas."

"Finally, I want to emphasize that under no circumstances should a Generian or Freudotopian soldier surrender to Doomani forces. You may already have heard of what happened to one of our operatives in Clandonia at the hands of the Doomani. You would be better off fighting to the death against them, they'll kill you anyway, and in a worse manner than just shooting you."

"Marshal Kazansky," said Petrova, facing the Allanean general, "am I correct in saying that even the Allanean air force could not detect the Doomani Sariels used against them with radar? We were totally helpless against them."

"It's Field Marshal, your honor. We've had limited success in detecting the Sariels. We suggest heavy use of X-band RADAR might help. That, or Belgrade-defense style AA spam."

"As for your Spartacus tanks, no offense but they are rather subpar. The main armament is completely unable to hurt Doomani tanks, for example. Nakils are... better. The Spartacus, however, is composed of over sixty tons of fail and lose."

OOC: Will post my initial callups for training, early-mid mobilization stuff in the thread tomorrow. Too sleepy for that sort of detail now...
"We have no problem agreeing to the defense pact right away, and I shall consult with my government regarding what forces we can send from the several options available." Commerce Secretary Celine Longtaile signed, with the full authority of General Secretary Lind behind her. Naturally the National People's Congress would have to ratify this, but that wasn't expected to be a problem with the nigh-unanimous anti-Doomani sentiment in all five legalized parties. "And we graciously thank Senator Petrova for sharing her experience against the Doomani with us. If it were up to me, and should I be able to talk to the Defense Department it just might be, I'd like her to perhaps star in or write briefing materials for all our troops in this theater. She's 'seen the Beast', as they say; and that advice will save lives the more it gets disseminated."

That all said and done, however, one question deserved asking. Once the private conversation began, Secretary Longtail approached the two delegates she most needed to see: Kazansky (again), and the mysterious Hotdian. "If I may ask, good sirs, might each of you have similar surpluses of the other Kriegzimmer war materiel as you do of Nakil's; as well as whatever common naval and air standards you prefer, if any? Our nation's deployment options to this theater vary greatly depending on what we can be supplied with from allied surplus stocks, we being able to in all cases supply our own logistical transportation at least; plus our own small arms if they're not inadequate to facing the Doomani, older Bloc calibers as they are. And if they are inadequate, well then I can just inquire with His Majesty about that GIR-47 rifle he mentioned; among other Doomani-chambered Generian arms I'm sure." The Commerce Secretary gave an almost feral chuckle at that, the prospect of Wagdian soldiers scavenging enemy ammo being most appealing to her on a very... primal level.

"Bottom line, however; the more weapons we must bring from Wagdog, the fewer units and assets we can send accordingly, since we will have to mobilize fewer initially and hold back more of them once equipped. Our industry is only beginning to mobilize, no thanks to those Fighting Stars and their ridiculous attack on our Vetakan allies just earlier; and for some time it will be hard-pressed just to keep up with our reserve forces, much less supplying other theaters." Not wanting to intrude too far out of her depth though, Celine decided to get one more thing in.

"Anyway, as said this is indeed a matter for our logisticians. Might this conference serve as... cover, for an immediate conference among them perhaps? We can begin calling up the deploying personnel at least and putting them through basic refresher training tomorrow, but going too much farther requires clear standards to organize around of course. Thus I suggest we at least move as quickly on that front as we can, if we're to move on it at all; whatever the other forces do or don't in that regard." And that was probably where best to leave the subject, she thought.

74 tons, and a 105mm ETC capable of firing kinetic penetrators... Petrova narrowed her eyes. She wasn't used to this kind of dismissal, but it wasn't the topic of the conversation.

"OK. Field Marshal. I am generally addressed simply as 'Senator.'" The Senator's cell beeped. This had better be damned important, she thought crossly.

As it turned out, it wasn't a call at all, but a coded text message. She was authorized to disclose the details on the new air defense missile KMI had finished developing.

"Well, I've received authorization to discuss... further details of our weaponry, and see if any of it merits the Allanean seal of approval," she said. "Whenever the topic switches back to the discussion of our actual defenses." She turned to make eye contact with the Wagdoggie delegate.

"You are most welcome, and so is anyone who wants my advice on the Doomani, from a soldier's perspective or a politician's. While I have never had the pleasure of fighting the Doomani while I was in uniform, I sympathize with those who have, as a soldier and as a leader."

Prince John sat impassive as the leaders around the table babbled on about this tank and that missile, on and on about who was going to transport what to which designated landing zone.

He was about as interested in a land war with Doomingsland as he was interested in having rectal surgery. AMF was already hammering at Doom's front door in their homeland. ALF was bringing it all together in the MedSea/Gibralter theatre to squeeze what remained of the MedSea Doomani fleet.

What the hell did they need to start a ground war for? Two or three well-placed ballistic, or at most tactical, nuclear warheads would effectively reduce the Doomani threat against GE by at least 50%. The combined naval and air forces of the Coalition would take care of the remaining 50%.

Since no one at the table seemed interested in answering Strickland's question, he stood up, bowed to Emperor Kazatmiru, and motioned Jill and the guards to leave with him.

He shot a smile towards Lady MoonShadow and company, then strode towards the door of the conference room....................

OOC:

People, a lot of the people who promised their aid in this thread still have'nt posted in the mobilization thread.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=530828

Chad Toegel sat in his place, after having a brief synopsis of the conversations sent to President Thoreson, he was informed of he wants in the matter, and how Jarridia would make its move. He stood up slowly to garner attention and began to speak, "Jarridia, of course, will be sending what troops we can to bases that we have agreed to. As you all know, we are currently fully engaged in the Mediterranean, but I have been assured that a good number of forces can be allocated for this situation. President Thoreson would like to reiterate our intentions in the matter, and let it be known that we can and will agree to principles set in front of us by this commitee of peers. However, we hope to avoid entering into anything binding that would disrupt the Jarridian Governmental decision process so that all decisions are in good faith of the general Jarridian populace at home and abroad. Our mobilization will be announced shortly, and we will be ready to act in any way necessary." Ambassador Toegel gave a quick nod to the Allanean delegation, and then took his chair again.

Willinkian Embassy, Sofia, Genetic Empire

As per usual the transfer of information between Willinkian overseas officials and those inhabiting their motherland was slow. Said problem was sadly also prevalent in the Genetic Empire, and in the shuffles of paperwork news of an anti-Doomani conference had been disheveled aside and lost in transition. However, not all was lost, as by chance the displaced information still somehow managed to reach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Salisbury, however dilatory.

Theodora Despoina was a tall somewhat attractive women whom had served the role as consulate to the Genetic Empire for nearly a quarter of a century, dating from APOC times. Her age had however not undermined her opinionatedly personality, and such was still very visible even during basic discussion. Her long, crimson dress was worn from the day's duties, and her slender frame's attractiveness was diminished by the worn look that inhabited her face. As she was preparing to close up her office for the day, she received a last minute message that stated the need to attend a conference of sorts, hosted in the city which she had grown to know, representing her nation no less.

Not one to sabotage a first impression, she bolted toward the ladies room to tidy up as fast as humanly possible. After (attempting) to fix her hair and apply makeup as to lessen the dark circles staining her eyes like a used cupholder, she made her way hastily to her luxurious Vistla-made coupe before peeling out from the embassy. She was excessively late, but Theodora hurried anytime she drove, be it to a meeting or to the local coffee shop on a day-off, yet another of her usual mannerisms.