NationStates Jolt Archive

SIC:
"Guardsman, have the necessary preparations for the Plan been achieved?" A man asked one of the UFAN Headquarters Guards. The Guards were made up of smart, loyal, and strong Granatian Warriors who earned this through being among the best. One seldom wondered why their were no other Foreign Guards at the Headquarters, but it didn't matter. The King needed only a majority to make his plan work. What the plan was to accomplish, was known only to a select few Guardsmen, a select few of the Reichstag, and the Royal Family.

"Yes my leige, we have made sure that everything will go according to the plan. We've even crafted multiple contigency plans in chance the first one fails, however unlikely it seems." The Guardsman said. The King's face contorted slowly into a smile. A smile that showed a villianous glee in it's eyes. The King's unusual actions as of late had no effect on them, as they were witness to it's inception directly and as such were quite used to it. "Although it's not my place to ask, what would happen if the Reichstag found out about this plan, my liege?"

"The Reichstag is all but within my power, as are most of the Military leaders and the Hellsing CEO. With their powers and mine this plan is sure to fufil it's duties. Otherwise, I may have to clean house of a few unimportant figures." The King said with little apparent emotion. The Guardsman didn't even gulp at this, he trusted his king with his life and understood what must be done, for the good of the Kingdom.

"I must take my leave, to call them here. Then and only they shall my plan work. Without them it is nothing." The King said as he began to walk back to his Imperial Guard Escort. They would take him back to the Imperial Palace and from there he would sent out a letter to the leaders of the respective nations in UFAN. He hoped to have a large turnout of the leaders themselves. He wented as many of them as possible there, once the sprinklers went off.


http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7392/sealxk6.gif
To:All UFAN Member Nations Leaders
From:King Andrei Kleinheart, Granate

Due to UFAN's recent escalation with the nation Mer des Ennuis has led us to believe that a meeting of all of UFAN's leaders is needed. This is why I call upon you now to come to Lucianus and the UFAN Headquarters yourselves, so we may talk about how UFAN is going to handle this war and what will happen afterwards. Other topics are sure to come up, but I beleive that only good can come out of this. Our ambassadors, while nominally upholding our beliefs have ways of covering up what must be said. So, I implore you that you come to Lucianus at once. So that the viel of deceit and lies can be thrown off. A new age for UFAN is fast approaching and I surely want to see it come to fruition.

I look forward to seeing many of you soon.

Sincerely
King Andre Kleinheart.

Ministry of State

The Praetor of Vetalia, Viktor Kosygin, will represent our nation and his superior, the Emperor Valerian Kosyachenko, at this meeting. As the effective prime minister of our government, he is the emissary of our nation at meetings with other national leaders and has extensive experience in UFAN matters due to his work as a liaison between the government and this alliance. We hope that this meeting will prove to be an effective resolution to the conflicts facing the alliance and that we will learn more about the future of the UFAN.

Regards,
Proconsul Eveginy Alabayev, Ministry of State

Presidential Mansion
Hudson
0800 Hours

President Justin Gannon was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of the happy days of his youth. He and his father, a British Royal Marine, kicked a soccer ball around the front yard. His mother was in the kitchen, baking a pie. His dog, Max, chased the ball back and forth. The sun was shining brightly and the day was warm. Suddenly, a ringing noise awoke Gannon. Coming back to the present, he shut off his alarm clock and crawled out of his king-sized four poster bed. Surveying his large, ornately decorated bedroom, he walked over to the shower. After a half hour of getting ready for the day, he walked over to the ornate 18th Century wardrobe and opened it, searching for a suit. Finding one he liked, a casual black Armani, he got dressed and walked out to the dining room, where his advisers sat. As they ate breakfast, they ran over the day's headlines in the paper. The Stanleyville Refinery had be rebuilt, oil production was back up, and the approval rating was higher than it had been in Justin's three years as President. After a short breakfast, he walked out to the mailbox to see what had come. "I don't know why I even keep a post box anymore," he said to himself. Indeed, there was little reason to have one anymore; most important messages came via e-mail. Nonetheless, he walked down the stone pathway towards the mailbox. Opening it, he saw nothing of importance. Fanmail, ads, a letter from his party headquarters. Then, his eye caught something important. A letter, embossed with the Granatian seal. Walking back into the mansion, he sat down in his desk in the Oval Office. Whatever had necessitated the use of snail-mail was likely important.

Reading the letter, he summoned his advisers to his office. "Ladies and Gentlemen, have a look at this. Now, there's no question we're sending the ambassador, but frankly this strikes me as odd. The Federation has always handled it's business via emails, at least since we've been in. The letter says that this concerns the aftermath of the war. What do you guys think?," Gannon asked. He was feeling a bit apprehensive about the situation postwar himself. If Vetaka was overrun, UFAN might die. Without UFAN, Prestonia would be without an alliance, a position Gannon hoped at all costs to avoid. As history had proven, unaligned nations were easy targets for imperialists. Steve Preston, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, spoke up first. "I can't honestly say that this doesn't look a bit suspicious. I mean, in case nobody else has noticed Granate has done absolutely nothing UFAN-related in the past five years. Now they call a summit to discuss a war in which they have no stake and an outcome that's pure speculation. It's as if the Granatians have some way of predicting the outcome. Call me paranoid, but this doesn't add up. I suggest we sit this one out. We can always get a satellite linkup to the meeting. I'd suggest that option." Susan McAllister, the Secretary of State, disagreed. "We cannot default on our obligations here. If the rest of UFAN sends a delegate, and we don't, we end up looking like paranoid assholes. I'd rather not have us look like fools to our allies. besides, Granate's friendly. What's the worst they can do, kill our delegate as he gets off the airplane? We should send somebody like everyone else will." Gannon pondered the options he had been given. "Alright, we'll send somebody. The UFAN ambassador will go, and we'll set up a satellite linkup to keep an eye on things. That will be all. Dismissed."

To: HRH King Andre I
From: President Justin M. Gannon

We would be delighted to send a delegate to the summit. Our UFAN ambassador, Mr. Andrew Johnston, will be attending the meeting. In order to allow our citizens to witness international politics in action, we request to set up cameras within the debate room to broadcast the meeting to Prestonia. We look forward to a productive meeting.

Sincerely,
Justin M. Gannon
President, Republic of Prestonia
Vice-Chairman, Prestonian Democratic Party
Order of the Republic, First Class

"Tutela Ex Socius"

Very SIC:

Bank of Victoria Headquarters, Harcombe City, Vetaka:

The Bank of Victoria Headquarters within the small city of Harcombe was a vast complex the Bank was one of the largest within the Vetakan Dominion it was also slowly getting a small toe hold of the markets within various Allied Nations such as Wagdog and Aurum Domus. It had been started under the guidance of the Vetakan League of Business and had originally dragged and lost billions of money that was until a secret buyer took over the company a secret buyer whom seemed to turn the business around over night. To many this was just business however to those whom looked deeper a far more sinister story began to develop.

Whilst it had always been denied by the Vetakan Government their was evidence to suggest that the Vetakan Government or Elements of the Government had secretly purchased the Bank of Victoria. Officially the bank was owned by a very private business in reality the Conspiracy Buffs had hit the nail on the head the Bank of Victoria had been purchased by an Element of the Vetakan Government an Element of the Government that the mainstream politicians had no knowledge or control of. The Bank of Victoria had been purchased by a Black Ops and offically none existent Unit of Vetakan Security of Intelligence Service known as Section 28 as a means of fighting a Secret War that had raged within Vetaka since the dawn of the nations existence.

Deep within the bowls of the massive Victoria Bank Complex within Harcombe City around a circular table with the words "Tutela Ex Socius" etched across it. 12 People all wearing hoods to protect their identify had been in discussion for hours as what to do regarding the upcoming UFAN Summit within Granate. UFAN was a hot topic within Section 28 and this summit only stoked those fires:

"Simple we see to it that Pearce sends nobody. We ignore them" spoke a hooded women

"No No No we have no solid evidence to take that action we just have our own paranoids. Just because Granate has failed UFAN in just about every single campaign the Alliance has been apart of does not mean they are traitors and it certainly does not mean they are intending to kill the delegation."

A third hooded man with a white triangle attached to this hood lifted his hand and the chatter subsided:

"Enough we are burning day-light we will allow the Government to send whom they wish however we will ensure a team of our Assets will be in Granate at the time of the Conference to monitor the situation."

The Group without question rose from hairs and left from 12 separate doors around the circular room.

Official Free Dominion of Vetaka Diplomatic Message:
To: <Open Communication>
From: President Daniel Pearce, Office of the President (Vetaka)

Subject: UFAN Conference

Greetings,

I as Acting Leader of the Vetakan Government am currently forbidden to leave the nation until the Senate has voted and confirmed me as President of the Dominion in place of the now deceased Scarlet Rogers furthermore due to affairs of state all high ranking members of the Vetakan Government are unable to attend such a conference.

However the Vetakan Ambassador to Granate Julian Holmes will serve as my official representative to this conference. He is experienced and has the authority to make all decisions that I myself could make. He should be treated with the same respect as myself if I was able to attend.

Yours

Daniel Pearce

President of the Free Dominion of Vetaka
Supreme Commanding Admiral in Chief of the Vetakan Defence Forces.

General Claes was a man who cared little for anything that even resembled an event that would involve networking and socializing. His predecessor, the popular but often flat and quite stern Mrs. Parkins, had also hated such events, but had got through them with at least some sense of style and dignity. So far, every offer to the international scene of a party or meeting had been dismissed by Claes, but he was not to reject the chance to meet the UFAN, an alliance he still did not fully trust but accepted was the best one to protect Honako - and it also contain their principal allies.

And so he welcomed the letter to his cluttered office with it's over-sized furniture and droopy grey paintings. He chose to live, like all Honakon High Commissioners effectively had to, in Jabero, the political centre, old town and creative hub of Honako. However, the leaders had two homes as official residencies - there was the cramped inner city building known as La Maison Terrifiante de Rue (loosely translated as the elegant 'Creepy Street House') which was a tiny terraced home on a row of many strictly guarded and in the dead centre of town. Then there was the beautiful and gigantic Le Palais Politique (the political palace), with it's all consuming gardens and ornate furniture's. Mrs Parkins lived in the spacious latter, him the former. It reflected his 'I like to be in the centre of it all' personality.

And that was exactly why he would attend this meeting. He desired to be their first hand as requested, and no ones concerns and pleas would stop him. However, the Deputy was prepared on standby by his office...


To King Andrei Kleinheart, Granate,

As of now, it is planned that our esteemed leader and High Commissioner General Claes will be present at this meeting at the UFAN HQ. A security escort will be with him as well as a few foreign affairs aides. If the High Commissioner is unable to make it, we will at least send our Deputy.

High Commissioners Office

OOC: I'm a tad unsure what exactly will happen here, as I should be considering you've not revealed a plan, which is why I might just send my more expendable deputy as Claes is a new leader who I wish to RP with more.

Kampfers Stadt, Kampfers
In the office of the Fuhrer

Fuhrer Richtoff looked over the invitation once, and then again. He folded it back up and carefully placed it back inside the envelope. God be damned if he didn't hate situations like this. Ever since UFAN had been formed, it had seemed that the nation of Granate had been a member. However, to his knowledge, Granate had never helped any nation in UFAN, nor helped in joint military action against human rights offenders. He hated, absolutely hated, when other UFAN nations called to him for his aid. Many times he questioned what they ever had done for him. And frankly, with the exception of the nations of Wagdog and Vetaka, no one had done anything for Kampfers. But if one wants to lead, they must help, and thus Kampfers had answered many cries for aid. Granate was one of these nations that the Fuhrer would hate to help. But they did not even want help! They wanted to
talk about how UFAN is going to handle this war and what will happen afterwards.
Bullshit. As far as the Fuhrer knew, Granate had no interest in the war. They had not sent troops to Vetaka, or even offered them. However, Granate did house the UFAN Headquarters, and it would be ill of Kampfers not to send a representative. The Fuhrer would not go. For one, he was too prejudiced. For another, he was too occupied at the homefront. In his abscence, he decided to send Foreign Minister Amy Lopez. At least she could make a good impression. He tapped out a message to the Granatians(?).

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w107/imdmill/kampferianseal.jpg

TO: UFAN Member Nations
FROM: The Neo-Prussian Parliamentary Dicatorship of Kampfers

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this meeting personally. Matters of concern on the homefront simply warrant more attention at this time. In my abscence, Amy Lopez will be attending. She has been the Foreign Minister of Kampfers for the past 3 years, and will hopefully make her presence and Kampfers voice felt at the meeting. Good luck to you all as we begin this "new slate".

Sincerely,
Fuhrer Richtoff

OOC: Sorry for the post suckage. I'm braindead today, had 2 HARD tests in school.

Ryan McLaren, foreign minister for the USSMM, had been watching the activities of the UFAN for some time, now. the Second Maximus of Magnus Maximus had applied long ago to be a member of it, however, they heard no response due to the large amount of civil unrest in the nation soon after they had filed their response. As such, he attempted to sneak his way in through one of the back doors to check on exactly what was happening. If there was going to be a war, the USSMM wanted to be one of the first to be ready. Although he secretly enjoyed espionage, he grumbled slightly before he discovered his affinity to it; being a spy isn't exactly common practice for Foreign Ministers, though he dare not criticize their great new Leader in Marx Maximus III.

He retired to his van, and listened in to the various bugs in the surrounding area.

Office of the High General, High Generals Palace
High General Samuel Oron sat drinking his morning coffee and reading the daily briefings on his computer. He skimmed the first several, they were the usual troop reports from Vetaka and daily updates from the colonies, then he came across the message from the Granatian king. Well thats odd, the High General thought, Granate hasn't ever done much for UFAN except host the HQ and now their suddenly calling impromptu meetings? I need to send someone who knows how to keep his eyes and ears open and take the right measures when needed

Samuel picked up the phone and dialed the number of Jason Goldsea, his best friend ever since grade school and one of the High Generals most trusted officials. The phone picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Jason its me. I got a favor to ask you. Granate is calling a UFAN meeting at HQ due to the rising tensions with Mer des Ennuis. I need someone like you to go that knows how to handle these things. You up for it?"

"Yeah, I'd be delighted too."

Official Diplomatic Communication From The Armed Republic of Aurum Domus

Ambassador General Jason Goldsea will attend this conference.

OOC: No confirmation post okay?

Lieutenant-General Simona d'Alessandro, Special Diplomatic Representative and newly appointed Hamilayan UFAN liasion, cursed the day she'd first volunteered for that Diplomatic Service assignment, as it had landed her with this little trip to Granate. After a short period of work whilst recuperating from a minor arm wound, that should have been the end of it, but she'd just had to demonstrate a knack for diplomacy and be 'permanently assigned until further notice'. Ugh. To top it all off, she was travelling to visit an 'Imperial Kingdom', whilst her soldiers and fellow officers were waging their own war against imperialism. Well, there was no need to be so diplomatic this time. Granate wasn't a particularly active UFAN member, and it was comforting the higher-ups shared her distaste for dealing with Imperials again. Maybe she should have been as rude and abrasive as possible before to get kicked out of the diplomacy business and go back to command of the 59th Mech, d'Alessandro thought with a wry smile.

Well, she at least command of some soldiers on this mission. Some very good ones, as it turned out. Six 1st Presidential Guards Division troops, the finest unit in Hamilay, assigned to guard high-ranking personnel, accompanied her. Normally, they'd wear white dress uniforms, but now, as per Hamilay's current distrust of Imperial nations, they were in their standard full-body black armour, making for a hell of an intimidating sight.

It was nice to see the higher-ups thought that she counted as 'high-ranking personnel' for this mission. One of the perks of the job. Well, the better to get this over and done with sooner, and then perhaps, if the need for commanders was great enough, she'd get a division to command in Valencia. The Lieutenant-General settled back in her seat in the Mi-26's cabin, and in a few minutes was asleep.

Very Very Very SIC:

Parkhall Top Car Park, Harcombe City, Vetaka:

The Black Ford Mondeo was getting on in years its once pristine metallic black was now fading their was bumps and scratches across the vehicle it had obviously been used a lot in its lifetime. It slowly drove up the very steep hill in first gear a hill the local children comically referred to as "Killers Hill" as it was so steep most people simply avoided it and either walked else where or participated in their sexual activities else where. Those that did climb Killers hill would be met with a beautiful site of the skyline of Harcombe City at this time of night the City was beautifully lit and many a young couple had made out and consummated their relationships in front of this breath taking sight. However tonight the mondeo was alone it approached the edge of the cliff face and came to a halt. 20 Minutes past before a second vehicle appeared this time an old grey Land Rover Defender chugged up the hill and eventually came to a halt next to the mondeo.

The silence of the night once again fell and the drivers door of both Vehicles opened 2 men exited both in casual clothes both wearing Combat 18 Football Factory Coats that disguised the wearers face and eyes. They approached each other each keeping their hands resting on 9mm Sidearms hidden within their coats a few more seconds past before 1 man spoke his voice distorted by a off the shelf voice distorter:

"Sorry I'm late i thought I was being followed the Tribe, Internal Affairs and Wagdogian Sympathizers are making it plenty hot out for us."

The Second Man from the Mondeo spoke his voice to Distorted as ever:

"I understand ill make this short and sweet fuck what the 12 have said the jobs changed the Summit is going down. Your to hijack our initial team whom are now the fall guys dose them on the usual drugs and have them blow that room to sky high. Everybody is to die including our own. You get your equipment the usual way and whatever happens they are all to die understood?"

Without speaking the first man got back into his vehicle and sat down the second man did the same as if by clockwork a third vehicle chugged up the road a rather old beaten up Fiat Punto Appeared coming to halt it parked opposite the two vehicles and flashed its headlights the Mondeo and the Defender flashed their Hazard Lights for a few seconds. Then silence yet again fell without question the doors of the Punto opened and two supposed ladies of the night exited one of them entered the Mondeo the other the Defender a few seconds past before the Vehicles began to rock backwards and forwards. Any watching Spy Satellites that had for some reason taken a fancy to Parkhall Hill within this Sleepy Vetakan City would now be witnessing two gentleman enjoying sexual pleasure in one of Harcombe Cities most popular Make Out and Dogging Spots the worst anybody could do was call 999 and alert the Vetakan Police Department whom would dispatch a unit that would take around 20-30 minutes to arrive considering no person was in immediate danger.

SIC
Red Army Air Force Two, Skies Above Wagdog...
Though Christine Friedrich was the Secretary-General of UFAN as much as she was Deputy General Secretary of Wagdog, nonetheless she too had her misgivings about this conference. Why wasn't unduly coherent; but it was compelling, a matter of instinct even. And not the sort of 'instinct' that nags one about forgetting their car keys or such; rather, the kind of instinct only ex-soldiers and such have, that tells whether one is about to walk blindly into the line of fire or not. Christine was such, back during her Revolution days in 1974 alongside Charles when Wagdog had been freed from its many disparate oppressors at the time; and right now said fighters'-instinct was screaming at her that something was terribly, horribly wrong here.

For starters, she thought as it gathered weight in her mind, Why didn't King Andrei call this when Scarlet was nearly killed and the crisis first broke? She too knew that Granate had shown hardly any interest in UFAN endeavors recently; their condemnation of the Maldorians' aggression against Aurum Domus (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13011567) being the only one immediately to mind actually, and with the Clandonian perspective being given the limelight with UFAN's concerns as an afterthought apparently. So why was Lucianus, supposedly the capital of UFAN if it had such, only showing interest in the Ennuisian threats against a founding-member now of all times; at nearly the eleventh-hour? Damn me, but I'm actually starting to think all this 'continuity of government' paranoia Charles is such a stickler for might just be convenient after all.

Christine knew her absence would be problematic, but there were ways around that. In her case, in fact, she had as good an excuse as any: she truly could not go to Lucianus while her homeland was under threat. Simply put, there was too much that could go wrong in a land (even an ostensibly friendly one) far from Wagdog's own defensive perimeter or the one shared with Vetaka, a security problem only made worse by the notorious Haven Defense Initiative that Granate fell under. And more to the point, in a land where Mer des Ennuis had almost-surely extended its tentacles as well, just waiting to snap up any unlucky Wagdian personnel within reach the instant the balloon went up in this Vetakan nightmare.

No. Christine's deputy on-scene in Kelly Vickerson, a petite and bookish woman she'd met and befriended some years back when the HQ had been built and the local staff hired, would have to suffice for her. An issuable OBSAT-enabled video camera in both Christine and Kelly's cell phones would allow Christine to keep up with events in real time. No sense in shirking her alliance responsibilities entirely now, of course. Hence, getting her OBSAT-enabled secure laptop and logging into the diplomatic-correspondence programs, Christine typed up the following reply detailing Wagdog's part in what was to come...

IC
Official USSW Diplomatic Pronouncement
To: HRH King Andrei Kleinhart, Granate
From: Christine Friedrich; UFAN Secretary-General, USSW Deputy General Secretary

Though I would be most pleased to attend this conference dealing with the Ennuisian Crisis, alas I simply cannot. Wagdog's continuity-of-government regulations are strict on this matter, and I am required to remain aboard my own national-command plane for the duration of the problem and any war that may result from it. In the worst-case, I may have to take over the running of a nation in the midst of a general strategic war; hence the vital nature of my remaining mobile and at undisclosed coordinates.

Hence my good friend and personal aide at the UFAN HQ offices, Kelly Vickerson, will act as my eyes-and-ears at this meeting; with full authority vested in her, by my powers as Secretary General of the Federation, to act on my behalf. I will employ the appropriate means of remaining in contact with her, and in real-time or closely-enough to same, so the degree of inconvenience to us all may be minimized. If necessary, I may even be patched in by videophone or other such teleconferencing means; hence I shall be as eminently available as my responsibilities to my own government allow.

My best wishes for luck, Your Majesty, toward the success of this conference. As one Federation, may we determine how to force the Ennuisians into the shadows from whence they came with their treachery; so let the Allied Nations speak!

So Say we All,
Christine Friedrich
Deputy Commander-in-Chief, USSW War Office
Deputy Party Secretary, Wagdian Revolutionary Party
Deputy General Secretary, USSW Revolutionary Command Council
Secretary General, United Federation of Allied Nations

IC
Office of the Secretary General, United Federation of Allied Nations Headquarters; Lucianus, Imperial Kingdom of Granate...
Twenty-eight year-old aide Kelly Vickerson gathered up the position papers forwarded her by secure fax from Secretary General Christine's 'undisclosed location' peremptorily, rushed to compose her petite and willowy auburn-haired frame and get set to cover for the woman who was her idol truth-be-told. She had done well by herself, making it as Christine Friedrich's assistant whenever she happened to be in Granate on UFAN-related business; which in recent years had been often, only interrupted by the various military crises forcing her away usually. Kelly had made it as virtually the de facto number-three in the Revolutionary Party hierarchy, even if not so de jure which rank belonged to that stuck up domme Elaine Williams heading the Intrerior Department; no mean feat even in as liberalized-socialist a society as Wagdog was by now, and she was determined not to disappoint her comrades on the one hand or mentor on the other.

Nearly stumbling out the door from the weight of all the papers, Kelly managed to keep her bearings and teasingly waved to one of the Granatian guards she'd had her eye on for a while now. Man... this is the life. High diplomacy, power-woman status, and a nation full of real men to enjoy it with; if only I could just line one up! This somewhat juvenile thought on her otherwise-competent mind, Kelly rushed to the elevator heading downstairs. The meeting wouldn't be long now, and she wanted as much time as possible to poise herself properly. Nay... even just to absorb the majesty of the decorated High Council chambers, the very nerve-center of what Vetaka and her own nation had built together; like the awestruck-newcomer she arguably remained even after all these years.

As she rode down the elevator, she got to thinking the sorts of thoughts most usually would at this time. Why all this paperwork for what was surely to result in an ultimatum to an avowed enemy nation? Has that guard ever noticed me or not? What will Granate do if the worst happened and Vetaka or Wagdog had to contemplate government-in-exile options? Alright, well maybe not the last since Kelly naturally shoved it aside into the mental box marked 'unthinkable', but all the same her thoughts had strayed close. And as they strayed further still, Fate continued to gather its merciless momentum; propelling matters to a head that would stun everyone involved cold.

Labhekistan Ministry of Foreign Affiars
Augustgrad

The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, turning the wispy clouds from grey to bright orange. The last rays of sunlight shone off the polished oak desk of Sergey Mikhailovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs. He powered down his computer for the night, and arranged the papers on the desk by significance, his daily ritual. Standing up, he took a final glance around his spacious office. Sergey smiled. All was quiet in the world. It seemed that peace was finally taking hold. He glanced at his watch. Five thirty, he thought to himself, I can make it home in time to take the kids to the game. Taking his briefcase in hand, Sergey Mikhailovich made his wait out the door.

His General Secratary, Natalia Oblyev, was on her wait out as well. He nodded in acknowledgement, looking back into his office a final time before shutting the door. Another slow day, he thought.

Walking down the windowed hallway, Sergey was nearly to the elevators when he heard the characteristic beep of the fax machine. He froze in midstep, debating whether or not to check it. Could be important, he thought to himself, turning back into the office. Natalia had already reached the fax machine that was reserved for international affairs.

She looked through it briefly, and then handed it to Segei.

To:All UFAN Member Nations Leaders
From:King Andrei Kleinheart, Granate

Due to UFAN's recent escalation with the nation Mer des Ennuis has led us to believe that a meeting of all of UFAN's leaders is needed. This is why I call upon you now to come to Lucianus and the UFAN Headquarters yourselves, so we may talk about how UFAN is going to handle this war and what will happen afterwards. Other topics are sure to come up, but I beleive that only good can come out of this. Our ambassadors, while nominally upholding our beliefs have ways of covering up what must be said. So, I implore you that you come to Lucianus at once. So that the viel of deceit and lies can be thrown off. A new age for UFAN is fast approaching and I surely want to see it come to fruition.

I look forward to seeing many of you soon.

Sincerely
King Andre Kleinheart.

"Goddamn," murmured Sergei, "looks like I won't be getting home early after all. Natalia, get the Premier on the line. He needs to know about this. I wonder what the hell they're playing at."

A moment later, the Premier was on the secure phone.

"Sergei," began the Premier, "how are you my friend?"

"Not bad, Alexi," replied Sergei, "however, it appears the Granatians are requesting and ambassador for a meeting in their nation. I'll send the communique to your office." Sergei tapped a series of buttons in rapid sucession on the fax machine, transmitting the communique to the capitol building a moment later.

There was a short pause. "I suppose we'll have to send an ambassador then," mused the Premier, "it would do to be courteous. I'll send Gregori, the UFAN representative, if you could draft a reply for me."

"Will do, Alexi," said Sergei, "goodbye." He hung up the phone.