NationStates Jolt Archive

Stevidian-Macabee Guffingfordi Territories International Border
The small checkpoint which separated millions of people from each other, after the Macabee occupation of the majority of mainland Guffingford and the Stevidian conquest of the southern portions of the coastal areas and the islands near Otium Aqua Sea, was nothing glamorous or large. It was composed of no more than a number of ugly looking concrete blockhouses, separated by a number of arches which in turn formed passageways for incoming and outgoing vehicles – of course, not many vehicles traveled through the border given that visas were made necessary by both states to allow for ‘free travel’. Despite this, this small checkpoint – of which there must have been dozens along the entire border in similar state – was seemingly the most heavily defended position on the frontier. Six Nakíl 1A2 main battle tanks, with all of the respect, fear and confidence which they imposed, were lined up, their large 120mm guns pointing towards Stevidian territory; a reminder of the power of the Ejermacht that had brought some of the strongest nations in the region to their knees. Dozens of armored soldiers, garbed in their green uniforms, and totting assault rifles and light machine guns, patrolled the length of the checkpoint, ready to open fire on anything deemed a threat. Light armored vehicles were tossed around the area, in no general order, and it seemed that this small checkpoint was more of a military base than an opening for civilians to move between the two new states which their old country had been subdivided into.

By no means necessary was the Stevidian side less defended. Their equally as imposing Challenger tanks (although, admittedly, the Challenger’s name did not bring images of rampage, destruction and brutal efficiency, unlike the Nakíl) were lined up in similar fashion, as if creating a stand-off or a dual. Stevidian military police and other soldiers also coldly looked across the border, at their foes, not blinking even once, in case they missed one belligerent movement on the part of their enemies. Both sides had largely grown to hate each other, as the propaganda spewed by both military machines failed to cease in order to fuel itself if war ever began. Indeed, it was quite a delicate situation! Most of these men were on the brink of an outburst, and the tension and pressure placed on the shoulders of each man who held these checkpoints obviously did not help. In fact, the Second Empire had over two million men deployed along the frontier, ready to jump at the throats of the Stevidian soldiers opposing them. There was no doubt that the situation across the border was very similar. If war did begin, as most of these soldiers thought would, it would be short, violent and in terms of the cost in human lives, disastrously expensive. For these reasons most politicians and high officers of the armed forces believed it against the interests of their nations to wage war against each other, and in some ways the recent war in Theohuanacu was started to take off pressure from the Stevidian-Macabee issue.

It should be admitted that the common soldier was not very knowledgeable about international politics, and even if the issue was known the understanding of the problem was negligible. This tends to be true for most armies, no matter the education standards – it’s unfortunate that the majority of enlisted soldiers tend to come from the bottom of society’s barrel. Even officers are blinded by propaganda and a nation’s ability to enforce their point of view by alarming a soldier’s greatest fears and by appealing to a man’s most favorite sense. Of course, this is not necessarily bad; how else would a state promote nationalism inside of its armed forces without propagating an image of a common enemy? Macabee soldiers were no exceptions! Indeed, perhaps the general conscription that had taken place during the War of Golden Succession had made this more obvious within the ranks of the Fuermak. Colonel Díesj Manikore was one of these type of officers. He had been conscripted into the Ejermacht and put into the armor corps after basic training. Since during training he had shown himself as an adept leader and had an interest in becoming an officer he was propelled through an officers training course thereafter and commissioned as a lieutenant before being given a Cougar heavy tank and being sent south to battle the oncoming hordes of Havenic soldiers. His outstanding tactical ability and his fearlessness soon offered him opportunities to gain rank and by the war’s end in 2018 he had become a colonel. Despite this ability to lead and wage war, the man was not very bright otherwise.

He sat in his office on his black leather chair, in front of a notebook computer, with his boot-covered-feet on his beautiful finished oak working desk. In front of him, also seated, was another officer with the insignia of a captain and another captain stood to this man’s left. The former was Captain Serg Resinmor, captain of the tank company of twelve Nakíl tanks stationed here at the checkpoint, and the latter was Captain Zakari Fanjul, commander of the accompanying tank company. These were the ‘big three’, as the yeomen called them, and it was not unusual to see them together, more often than not fooling around. Peacetime wasn’t their thing, and they preferred to play than to file paperwork. Today, they decided to talk about ‘politics’. In this case, politics refers to how the empire will one day become the sole power in the region – the standard nationalist dribble that soldiers talk about during their spare time. The colonel, of course, was the man talking the most – making references to Aurillac and stating how the Empire would bring that to bear over all of Stevid’s major cities. Aurillac, of course, the city which was utterly destroyed early during the War of Golden Succession by the Havenic air force – over twenty-one million civilians dead, plus over a million military personnel from a number of different allied nations. The higher ranking officer made flamboyant movements with his arms and strange figures with hands, as he spoke, typical of a Macabee citizen. The captains nodded in agreement the entire time.

‘…they won’t even know what hit them, man. Do you really think the Stevidian army can withstand an initial blow from the Fuermak? We already proved our superiority in Safehaven, and honestly the little experience their XXX Corps received I don’t think qualifies them to train well enough to counter our superiority in this sector. Honestly, once they start to deploy the auxiliary divisions they promised we’ll have almost three million men, and that is enough to capture the rest of mainland Guffingford.’ The colonel continued to spit out his ‘facts’.

Captain Resinmore nodded, chuckled and said, ‘Do you remember when we had that exchange with the Stevidian officers across the line?’ The line referred to the border between the two empires.

The colonel nodded and replied, ‘Yes, of course.’

‘Well, I was talking to the commander of their armored company and he was telling me how much the Stevidian Challenger had been improved and what not. Ridiculous, really! My Nakíl can knock out their petty ‘Challenger’ without the challenge.’ The captain smiled and seemed proud of himself for such a horrible play on the name.

Captain Fanjul interjected with his own dose of wisdom, ‘I don’t even understand why we’re waiting so long for the final blow. With the forces we have now it would be more than enough. Besides, we’re fighting with home turf advantage.’

Díesj Manikore shrugged his shoulders and responded, ‘Who knows? Fedor is waiting for something. Honestly, I think he’s grown soft and is responding too much in favor of the liberal media. Stevidian support for the Havenic offensive against the Empire is reason enough for us to smash them. Perhaps the navy is scared that they can’t win decisively on the sea, but I think otherwise. Rumors say that their was a grand naval offensive planned between Mekugi and ourselves, with over two thousand warships! We’ve all seen the plans for the eventual amphibious assault on the Stevidian home islands, of course. Sometimes I wish the war would have lasted longer, although in the end I guess I understand our government’s fear of all-out nuclear war.’

The captain standing twisted his lips and said, ‘I don’t know, but if you look at history there has never been two polar opposites which have lived together politically for ever. One has always lost or has become the less important; one always loses its position as a major power relevant to the conflict. So, we will have to eradicate Stevid soon and in some way.’

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the colonel ordered the person to come in. A sturdy private walked into the room, looked straight forward, came to a halt four paces away from the colonel’s desk, stood at attention and saluted. The colonel returned the salute and asked for what the private wanted. The private spouted, ‘Sir, communications has received orders from Fedala.’

The colonel nodded, stretched out his arm and responded, ‘Give them to me.’

The private handed the colonel the papers without moving anything else but his arm and then awaited further orders. The captain sitting down looked at him and then said, ‘You can leave private. Forget the usual ceremonial bullshit; just leave, we’re talking. Next time you interrupt us I will personally smoke you in this heat.’

The private left in a hurry and the colonel laughed, ‘Zakari, you shouldn’t be too hard on the boys.’

Captain Fanjul chuckled, ‘A little fun now and then is fine, I think.’

The colonel cracked open the seal which held his orders closed and looked over the paper, reading it out loud, ‘134th border security group is to redeploy to the rear for rest and refit for one week. Then it will be dissolved. Zakari, you and your men will then redeploy to the 78th mechanized infantry division and Serg will reform with the 219th armored division. I’m apparently heading to Theohuanacu to take command of the 2113th battalion in the 456th mechanized infantry division – fun. You two will receive more specific orders at a later date, while I will physically report for orders in North Point. Well, I’m going to the shitter.’

Fanjul grinned and said, ‘Look at the bright side. In one year you’ll be a general!’

Colonel Manikore rolled his eyes, ‘Not in this type of war. This is going to be a game of hide and go seek; we’ll have to find those rat bastards in every crack and crevice in that stupid fucking island.’

The other captain asked, ‘I wonder why they’re sending you there? They need you for a land offensive against Stevid.’

Manikore shrugged, ‘Maybe it won’t happen as soon as we thought.’ He was, of course, referring to the ‘second regional war’.

Little did they know that it would probably never happen. Most of the world was in for a big surprise…

Unreported Location in Stevidian Guffingford
Fedor I was dressed in full imperial garb, including his white officer’s uniform, decorated with all the medals he had earned before and during the War of Golden Succession. On the top of his head rested the golden imperial crown in all its glory, with a thick Christian cross on the front, and jewels decorating it throughout its circumference. His left hip was adorned by a long sheath, covering his sword, and his right hip was symbolically empty. Normally, the right hip would hold his pistol, but both sides had agreed to not come with arms in the name of peace. He looked like a true military man, as he was still young (twenty or twenty-one years of age, only), strong, tall and confident. By contrast, many of the advisors walking beside and behind him were older, most beyond their forties; there were not many which had the fortune of ruling at such an early age, after all. Regardless, Fedor was no idiot – each man behind him had been chosen for their imposing character and figure, and not for their ability in politics; today, the politics would be left completely up to the emperor. Today, in fact, would be quite a historic day, although nobody outside the circle planned to participate would know of these happenings for quite some time. The Second Empire and the Holy Empire were about to begin the ‘cold war’ which befell Greater Dienstad, and perhaps work to re-orient their potential against common foreign adversaries.

This decision was not at-all out of the blue, given that both the Golden Throne and Stevid had found themselves surprised to find out that both had a distinct anti-Doomani policy with regards to the situation revolving around NATO and APOC, especially with the empire’s ally, Holy Marsh. As of yet, the Second Empire had decided to remain neutral despite its allegiance to NATO, but things were bound to change. Regardless, it should be noted that the empire’s manpower has of late been tied up, with almost half a million men in Theohuanacu, another million men being prepared for possible combat with Indras, and over two million men on the border with Stevid; these, of course, only Fuermak manpower – the Laerihans and the Kriermada were a different topic altogether, and the latter was perhaps the service most stretched out. Ironically, Doomingsland had been an ally of the empire for the entirety of the War of Golden Succession, although it had taken no active role during the war. Nevertheless, it’s tyrannical policies against regional neighbors – which were, in fact, even greater allies of the empire – and its allegiance to APOC had served to severe ties between itself and the Golden Throne soon after. In regards to Stevid, the Holy Empire’s more humane foreign policy did not coincide with that of Doomingsland, and it’s easy to say that the Stevidian media played a role in persuading the population of the Doomani government’s despotic treatment of its own citizenry and the people it occupied. Doomani massacres in Kahanistan were well publicized, and now it was difficult to find a powerful nation that wanted to support such policies.

This turn of events had facilitated the bonding of the Second Empire and the Holy Empire to such a degree that Fedor himself had agreed to meet the leadership of his adversary in private, although in secrecy too. This did not only include Stevid, but the Hitmen (Independent Hitmen) leadership as well – the most active of the large military leaders in the region after the war. This was the first time, in history, that the leadership of all three nations would meet together, and the fact that it was situated in Stevidian Guffingford was perhaps perfect. Although it was Stevidian territory, it was near Macabee occupied Guffingford and it allowed the Holy Empire and Independent Hitmen to operate on home turf. To show interests in the talks, the leadership of the Empire had agreed to lift control of the borders and new border-crossing laws were announced to facilitate movement from one side to the other for civilians. None of the nations feared mass migrations, given that both had taken steps to improve the welfare of their citizens; that said, it’s interesting to consider that while the Havenic population occupied was not given citizenship, the Guffingfordi population was! This explained the redeployment of several ‘border security groups’, which were small improvised armed battalions to man control check points along the length of the frontier. Stevid had not announced something similar as of yet, but it was expected – the Holy Empire was not known for its lack of education. Even if most were unaware of the happenings in Stevidian Guffingford, most could see that things were changing.

With this in mind, Fedor I continued to walk with his advisors down the long hallway which led to a conference room, in some decorated Guffingfordi medieval castle which had been turned by Stevid into a wonderfully cozy ‘summer house’ for the nation’s high leadership. The group was led by a Guffingfordi servant and this man soon stopped at a large open doorway, and Fedor could see the leadership of his enemies. It felt strange, even for him, to find himself within the hospice of what were once his most hated foes. Although, at this level of power, everyone had respect for everyone else, especially two empires such as these, and so perhaps politics seemed more like a game to those who were never on the battlefield themselves – the fruit of their political decisions; Fedor, of course, had seen battle, but even he had not been in the foxhole with his infantrymen. In any case, as Fedor entered the men inside rose from their sofas and their cushioned seats to greet the Macabee group. Fedor did the usual – shake hands and repeat, ‘Greetings’ and ‘It’s a pleasure to see you,’ or ‘What a pleasurable surprise.’ There was no lack of cordiality on anybody’s part, and no obvious sign of disrespect. Everyone in the room had power, and everyone had earned it in a respectful and legitimate manner – Fedor, himself, had earned it through a long, bloody war of succession, after all.

When all the usual business of introductions was completed Fedor took the initiative, ‘I hate to be hasty, but let’s begin.’ While he said this a servant brought him a glass of wine and the group sat down once again. Fedor continued, ‘I wish to express my gratitude that both the leadership of Stevid and Independent Hitmen has shown up, and it’s a deep sign of care and respect. I am now reassured that all three of our great nations want something else than a fruitless squabble over arbitrary territories in Greater Dienstad. I believe that we all can agree that after all Greater Dienstad is not worth the trouble, and I’m finding that since the end of ‘the war’ our region is falling into chaos. More and more nations have lost political stability – Guffingford, Safehaven, Athiesism, et cetera. It’s truly a troublesome experience and I believe that our region needs a cultural and political resurgence to become the leader it once was. Frankly, our ridiculous infighting has caused this dark age.’

He let that soak, and then continued, ‘Just as important, enemies outside the region are gaining power. All of our nations have policies that are aligned against the interests of APOC, in general. The Empire might be the only nation present in this room in NATO, but I’m inclined to believe that aspirations for membership exist within the ranks of Stevid and Independent Hitmen.’ The emperor paused for a second and decided to quickly change topic, ‘On that note, the empire will be leaving NATO after this current conflict ends; we will give our moral support, but then leave. We want nothing to do with the likes of certain member states within NATO.’

He looked at the advisors next to him and then back to the others he was speaking to, ‘Regardless, I believe it is time to reorient our potential outwards. What are we fighting for? When has the Empire had aspirations for Otium Aqua, other than to finish the war of 2016? With the recent occupation of Theohuanacu we each have our own petroleum deposits, and I for one am more interested in reestablishing my empire’s presence as a world power and not just as a regional power. I want the name of my people, The Macabees, to be known in the households of billions of citizens across the world, and I want them to respect this name. I am sure that Stevid and Independent Hitmen want the exact same – what nation does not? Petty violence at home will not take us a step closer to this goal. Furthermore, as aforementioned, we have more in common than one might believe – our common foe of APOC and continuing frustration with Indras, here inside the region.’

He took a sip of the wine and swirled it as he continued to think and speak. The others were listening to him patiently, but they wanted to speak as well. He looked at them in their eyes and said, ‘I understand that anything more than a peace accord will be difficult, to save face with our own populations which we ourselves have manipulated against each other. What I propose is an avenue for perhaps a future alliance. An accord which will demilitarize Guffingford, exchange territories for others – we will finish our occupation of Theohuanacu and we will recognize your occupation of the islands south of Guffingford, except for Athiesism – and declare our intentions to revitalize Greater Dienstad politically and culturally. Through joint efforts to bring back the region to its former glory we will cement the building blocks which will allow for a greater alliance. And, think, what nation will be able to interpose itself against a triumvirate with power similar to our own? Gentlemen, I am here to invite you to think about the future and find methods of repairing the present.’

He couldn’t have put his position clearer and he thought that the olive branch had been extended clearly. It was a position that his nation would have not had taken publicly, to save face, but one he was eager to establish in private, where ego played no role. Besides, he honestly believed in his rhetoric and he wanted to be known as the man who built Greater Dienstad, not the man who destroyed it – a savior and not a conqueror. As he insinuated in his introductory speech, Fedor knew that this would take blood, sweat and tears. Two enemies could not make up in a matter of hours and sell this to their population, especially when these two nations had such genuine intentions. Fedor finished his small speech, ‘Before the floor passes from my control, I wish to thank Stevidian officials for allowing this clandestine conference to take part on their soil. I hope that a similar conference can be reiterated on Macabee soil, and perhaps a third conference in Hitmen territory, although hopefully these can be made publicly, and we will no longer have to hide our cordiality from our people.’

His deep blue eyes stared intently at the Stevidian leader’s own pupils, as if passing the floor to this man. He swirled his glass of wine a bit more and then took another sip and added, ‘I must say, this is great wine.’ The advisors next to him nodded their head in agreement, and one military man added, ‘On par with our own, indeed.’

When regarding the magnitude of an alliance between the Golden Throne, the Holy Empire and Independent Hitmen, Fedor was not far from the truth, and the leadership of the other two nations most likely understood it in a similar fashion. Even if the quarrels between the three nations had detracted from their international image, most nations – no matter how arrogant – would immediately comprehend the power of such an alliance. Truth be told, Fedor had greater plans in mind. The Golden Throne was to leave NATO after their war with APOC – the emperor did it find it honorable to leave the alliance at this point, and the neutrality of the empire was still disputed – and begin its own alliance, with a much more selective entry policy. Fedor, in all honesty, hoped that one day both Stevid and Independent Hitmen would join this alliance. Such a powerful presence of Greater Dienstad would ultimately persuade many foreign states to join the ranks of the region – the master plan behind the cultural resurgence. And, if anything was more correct it was Fedor’s hope of returning the Empire to its former glory as one of the international leaders in terms of economic, military and cultural power. But, to do this, the Empire would need powerful friends.

The military assets deployed by the Macabees were quite different to that of the Holy Empire's because for the Golden Throne it was not a deception. Although the border between the two half’s of Guffingford occupied by both the Golden Throne and the Holy Empire was probably one of the most fortified borderlines in the world, the Army on the Stevidian side was at a distinct disadvantage. The equipment used was good, rugged and reliable if not slightly outdated but at least it was proven on the battle field. The Challenger 2a was heavily modified during the war to combat the incredible armoured units their enemies could deploy but in a direct confrontation it was utterly useless against the Nakil 1A2 monster that had a worldwide reputation of being the best tank in the world. If a conflict broke out now the Army would only be able to hold the line in extended combat for at least seventy-two hours before the whole line would collapse, professional strategists were even more defeatist than the Empire's own tacticians saying that after the seventy-two hours of successful defending, the enemy would reach the Otium Aqua coast in little under a week. It was terrifying that the majority of the land forces used in the Second War of Golden Succession were deployed in Guffingford would not be able to stop the tide of Macabee tanks crossing the border and winning the war in a week. The Challenger 2a was of course being replaced, the brand new Predator MBT was designed towards the end of the war specifically to counter the Nakil's charge, the armour was thick but light and the tank had a tremendous off road speed, the technology installed inside made it exceptionally capable as well but like most tanks of today it is unable, on paper anyway, to defeat a Nakil one on one. The Stevidian high command ordered several thousand of these tanks to be used in small groups or echelons to hunker down and slowly retreat from the Nakils in order to buy time for counter attacks, assaults or evacuations and testing proved it to be a tank that the Golden throne would learn to hate if war ever broke out. However its complexity in manufacture was its true downfall and only a handful (only a hundred or so) had trickled through the red tape and testing sessions to the border posts along the Stevidian/Macabee Guffingford Border- most Golden Throne soldiers had never seen a Predator MBT. Challenger 2a tank numbers were impressive, a real show of force but nothing incredible, your bog standard Macabee soldier would be terrified at the huge amounts of tanks The Holy Empire had positioned across the country but a half intelligent officer or private would realise it was nothing more than a bluff. The Macabees could attack and win, but the cost would be great and the rewards too little and thus waging another war would be not only a waste of valuable time but also of valuable resources.

It came as a shock to everyone, probably on both sides of the border, when several Macabee infantry and armoured divisions either merged or left the 'frontlines', at once the High Command stepped up their alert readiness but intelligence reports from across the border were accurate and the Golden Throne were not increasing their logistical support to their forces along the border, an attack was ruled out much to the surprise of many generals and majors on the Stevidian side. The Macabee invasion of Theohuanacu had turned bloody and the need for a large military presence there was well known and it was logical to presume that the Golden Throne were more interested in securing their interests overseas than scowling across the border towards their religious Stevidian adversaries. Nobody quite knew what was happening, no leaks from High Command and strangely enough no leaks from the government. Democracy was flawed in so many ways and contrary to popular belief, all democracies leak information to the media like sieves but yet nothing had been heard from Number 65 regarding the Stevid-Macabees Cold War. It was actually scary, leaks were seriously followed up and plugged up when things regarding foreign policy got serious, for example a war declaration or plans for attack and perhaps Stevid would take advantage of the Macabees while they reorganised. This had been the least organised position the Macabees had been in for months (even though despite the redeployment of units they had still left enough to counter most Stevidian attacks in strategic areas), the possibility for an attack was not ruled out but the logic behind such an ambitious plan was nowhere to be seen.

The Stevidians were a trigger happy folk and this had sometimes led to unnecessary aggression on the Holy Empire's part but it was this sort of attitude that had gotten the Holy Empire to be so big and powerful, and it was this sort of attitude that military needed to control. The border point controls were areas of extremely high tension; look at an enemy soldier the wrong way through the scope on your rifle and world war three kicks off. The Stevidian soldiers deserved knighthoods for being so well disciplined considering the circumstances but perhaps the tension would relax somewhat, maybe so significantly that the military presence along the border would eventually disappear altogether thanks to talks ongoing behind the scenes, away from the public and away from the military.

Stevidian Guffingford

President James Anderson and Prime Minister David Conroy, a more perfect paring of politicians would be difficult to find. Never had the two been so close politically as they were after the war with the Macabees. Together they had forged several pacts, met together in a triple alliance with Damirez, expanded their friendships with cultural exchanges, military satellite missions and the sharing of intelligence and military tactical knowledge. This was true friendship the two countries that would probably out last both the politicians- a goal they would die happy knowing that it had been accomplished. But it seemed that the Golden throne and the Holy Empire were not all that different, a common distrust of Doomingsland meant at least the foreign policies of both countries agreed on something and it would soon come to light that it was this common goal the two countries had could be the gateway to a new beginning. Stevid distrusted alliances and hadn't been part of one since it resigned from the Organisation of Maritime Powers (OMP) due to the lack of enthusiasm from the leading members and the hypocrisy that flooded through political aspect of the alliance. Besides, Stevid was an Empire- a sort of mini alliance in its own right and it included Adaptus Astrates which proves to be a major player in Imperial affairs and is an exceptionally power country in its own right. Any alliance that Holy Empire isn't a part of is viewed in unfriendly light and as a direct threat to the security and survival of the Holy Empire made worse if member nations of an alliance are enemies of Stevid. This puts NATO in unfavourable light when the Holy Empire is involved primarily because half of the alliance pledged support for the Macabees during the war with several members actually participating in the conflict. However it is almost common knowledge that NATO sometimes finds it very difficult to react to an up and coming conflict, it is a juggernaught of a military alliance but it takes eons to get going. Red tape floating around left right and centre means that some nations are unable or unwilling to commit to battle and openly debate any conflict the alliance becomes involved in. APOC is different, led from the front and little discussion leads to a very scary and destructive alliance and the fact that NATO and APOC were battling it out meant that the world could see a new power bloc on the streets- Stevid favoured the odds for APOC. The Holy Empire hated both alliances and would rather see NATO win but would expect APOC to again the most advantage with their very forward approach to conflicts, this in turn meant that APOC was no friend of the Holy Empire. A true direct threat to the Empire and several member states of APOC were not in Stevid's good books to begin with. The same went for the Golden Throne, while not officially declaring support for the conflict they had remained neutral but it was clear that APOC (and probably NATO) were beginning to be less important to the Golden Throne. NATO would tear itself apart in the conflict whether it won or lost and APOC was too dangerous to have around and it was probably for these reasons that the two political figures of Stevid and Independent Hitmen would be actually meeting Fedor I of the Macabees for the first time. The possibility of a cessation of hostilities for good and prospect of a future alliance was too good to refuse.

The two political figureheads sat uneasily in the large living room of the grand Guffingfordii castle, not quite in keeping with the former owners choice of decoration and more 'up the street' of Stevidian Royalty and the aristocracy (what was left of it anyway). Both Anderson and Conroy knew that not many people had seen Fedor I face-to-face since he had risen to power. He was an honourable man, one of the people but was so revered that wherever he would go thousands would follow and so security would always be expensive however his visit today was different. This hadn't been done before particularly not between these three countries with such a 'frosty' relationship between them. It was obvious that neither the Golden Throne nor the remnants of the destroyed Haven Pact were ready for a war on the scale they had just seen, the death toll was sickening to behold and the after affects of the Stevidian nuclear strike had made the whole Empire sick. What was supposed to have been an overkill military strike had turned out to be almost indiscriminate. The collateral damage caused was disgusting the Empire was quick to back down to the demands of Fedala and their threats of mutually assured destruction. Baring that in mind, along with all the other horrific war stories soldiers from both sides came home to tell, it was truly amazing the head of state of The Macabees actually trying to put the past in the past and concentrate on the future. But as Conroy and Anderson nervously conversed there was a knock at the door and the butler of the castle, Henry Ukby, appeared in a very old fashioned and typical butler uniform.

"Sirs, may I introduce his Lordship Fedor the First." He said bowing and then making way for the glamorously dressed leader of the Golden Throne. Immediately Conroy's attention was fixed on Fedor but to be more precise his crown with its Cross- the symbol of Christianity. This lasted not more than a second before his nerves over took him once more as his former enemy approached briskly in full military uniform. When Fedor extended his hand towards the two politicians Conroy could've sworn he saw the faintest of twitches in the corner of Fedor's lips. A brief smile? He wasn't sure and this was not the time or really the place to think about such things but Fedor seemed polite enough and without further a due Conroy stepped up to the plate. As a former military man himself he did the honour of respectful saluting the young national leader before shaking his hand.

"Fedor, on behalf of the United States and the Holy Empire I welcome you East Guffingford. We are honoured by your willingness to open talks with us. Such a decision has taken my government completely by surprise but in your best interests we have kept this meeting secret."

A few more formalities were exchanged but it was a half awkward situation for all three of them so no one could blame Fedor for getting straight to business. He was remarkably brief but was extremely informative none the less and what he was proposing was most outstanding. He was quite correct about the stability of the region, Guffingford and Theohuanacu were just two countries that had been seized by the two super powers in the region and the collapse of several other countries left their lands at the mercy of other imperialist nation outside of the region. Stevid believed in unity, it was one of the founding principles that held the Holy Empire together so strongly and successfully and a unified region had been on the agenda of the Stevidian government for quite sometime, but that was while the Golden Throne and Stevid were shouting at each other across the Guffingford border crossing points- the only way the region could be unified in the eyes of the Stevidian government was to annexe large parts of the region that had destabilised thus expanding the Holy Empire while stabilising the region. But now the picture was different, with the Holy Empire and the United States joining forces with the Golden Throne under one banner, it meant that hostile take over of land and wasting resources fighting each other could be put to better use helping each other and sorting the region out that had been tore apart by years of war. Conroy wasn't surprised that the NATO-APOC conflict had been mentioned but he was surprised at the mention of The Macabees actually thinking of leaving NATO, one of the greatest alliances the world had seen and a key member was thinking of leaving. Fedor was correct in his assumption (at least with Stevid anyway) that there were aspirations to join. NATO was powerful and Stevid had seen it as an alliance to be in rather than against but had never openly requested membership because of Imperial policy. Stevid had to control a vast Empire that stretched around the globe quite comfortably but included only minor islands. The big players in the Empire were of course Adaptus Astrates and Kurona, but also more recently the Ryou Black Islands. Adaptus Astrates had played their part in the Empire's outrage at the Macabees attack on Theohuanacu and had replied by seizing parts of the southern disputed territories whereas Kurona had taken a respectful neutral role in almost all Imperial dealings. Ryou was so bogged down in its own confusing foreign policy that it was in the interests of the Holy Empire to leave them to it and the government was facing growing support for legislation that would remove the Ryou Black Islands from the Holy Empire altogether but no action had yet been taken. Despite all the internal problems, the Holy Empire was big enough, powerful and rich enough to combat the Golden Throne successfully in a colonial war or land grab if one ever began. The peace accord proposed was good enough for Conroy and probably James as well seeing as both countries had populations that particular loathed the Golden Throne, the nuclear attack on the Royal Navy Fifth Fleet in Portsmouth Harbour caused so much death and outrage that there were riots on the streets and outside Parliament as the people demanded blood. Subtle but notable cultural exchanges and economic trading would have to become a normality between the two Empires if the populations had any chance of getting on, but until that time an alliance was out of a question- besides which the Empire and the United States didn't trust the Golden Throne enough to accept an alliance in the first place.

As Fedor finished his speech he let silence fall as David and James looked at each other with half shocked faces.

"This is excellent wine by the way" Fedor said breaking the silence.

"Thank you, only the best from one of the finest vineyards of Cadia- the best the Empire can offer to you and any guest in our company. Henry, a Scotch please." Conroy replied with half a smile, no sooner had he finished the butler returned with a small glass of highland single malt Scotch. He downed it in one and winced slightly, cleared his throat, chose his words carefully before replying to Fedor.

"In short, the Empire accepts your offer for a peace accord that will end this cold war sooner rather than later. Indras is an unfortunate plight in this region and we shall see to it that they are removed as quickly as possible." Conroy gestured to his ally Anderson with an arm. "I'm sure my colleague from the United States will follow suit and accept your offer... but I won't hold it against you if you decide against it James- we lost a lot of lives in the war." He said turning to his Hitmen counterpart.

"The Holy Empire has wished to join NATO in the past but truth be told it is no longer on our agenda and hasn't been for quite sometime. NATO is dogged by red tape and is hypocritical in places while APOC is too dangerous and hostile to a beacon of light for the Empire to join. The Empire has a strict policy on alliances, every alliance that Stevid is not a part of is considered a grave threat to the Holy Empire unless of course we have allies in an alliance or actually part of one... unless of course the alliance is openly hostile and dangerous. NATO is not in our good books simply because we fought many nations from NATO in the Golden War of Succession. However the Empire does concur that APOC is a bigger threat to worldwide stability than NATO is. The New Alliance Treaty Organisation charter points out quite clearly that it is primarily a defensive alliance while APOCs charter isn't quite so well defined and includes several very aggressive nations. I personally hope that this hand of friendship on your part will lead to something bigger in the future."

Conroy nodded softly as if he seemed to have just heard himself and agreed with his own statement before turning to President Anderson.

"What's your stance on this?"

Stevidian Guffingford

President James Anderson had awoken earlier than usual this morning. His suite of rooms in the castle were different to the familiar ones in the New White House of at one of the Presidential retreats and despite years of political campaigning and the constant moving around that the Presidency entailed he never got used to sleeping anywhere other than his permanent rooms. Perhaps it was the sense that these places didn’t really belong to him, or that the security men were even more watchful for people trying to kill him.

The meeting hadn’t played on his thoughts that much. Both he and his advisors had been surprised when the meeting was suggested, but the baffling turn of events had been put out of his mind. James possessed the ability to move things out of his thought pattern, sometimes intentionally and sometimes because he was just bored with them. This was the former; he knew that answers would come at the meeting and had prepared some responses that didn’t commit him to anything, depending upon what Fedor offered. Most of his advisors thought that some imperial deal would be offered, defining spheres of influence to prevent clashes. That was of no real consequence to the USIH. They had a few bases around the world, but as a country they were not very interested in imperialism or rapid expansion. Commercial expansion had lead to some territory outside the defined USIH borders becoming de facto IH territory, but there had been little active accumulation of land. Stevid would take the lead in such negotiations and the USIH would not seek any sphere other than around herself.

James had arrived early for the meeting and had been sitting with David. They had discussed a wide spectrum of issues, having jointly prepared for the meeting the day beforehand. James was surprised at David’s attitude towards the man who had probably ordered a nuclear strike on his country, but it was not a time to bear grudges. Fedor’s arrival was announced and James noted the choice of attire; military dress to remind them of the recent war, not the suits that David and James wore as naturally as Fedor fitted his uniform. Hands were shaken and greetings exchanged before the real business began. James exchanged a few words with Secretary of State Adler before introducing him to the Macabeean delegation and motioning him to a seat behind his own.

With the normal welcoming procedure over with James sat down in his assigned chair and listened to the two men talk. His was not to be the most active role and he respected the fact that the USIH was very much the junior partner in these talks. With the talks shifting towards discussions of the alliance blocks James considered his position. There had been a time, a long time ago, when he had considered applying for membership of NATO but it had never happened. He didn’t remember the exact reason, but suspected that it was something to do with it containing AMF and the President didn’t have a particularly favourable opinion of that nation. Respect yes, but ambitions to become an ally no.
Stevid’s position on the matter was well known and so James had partially expected David’s reply. Conroy seemed to be trying to entice Fedor into committing to something bigger than he was here for. The Macabeean leader had chosen his words carefully and hadn’t give away details over how he proposed to restore his nation as a world power rather than just a regional power. What was clear, however, was that he wanted the infighting in the region to stop. That fighting hadn’t been particularly advantageous to the USIH, her military had been savaged and confidence in the power projection capabilities and the quality of armaments and leadership was at an all time low. Truth be told, the USIH had no interest in the SH2 government and had originally become involved in the war to try and thwart Guffingfordi intentions, the age old enemy when they had been part of the RWC. Being dragged into a protracted war with the Macabees had never been the intention, but then unfavourable wars rarely were. The population had been galvanised against the Macabeean war machine, but mostly through Macabeean actions rather than Hitmano propaganda; the nuclear attack on Stevidian Portsmouth harbour had sent shock waves through the Hitman citizen body and pushed for more direct action against the Macabeean homeland.

It was when Fedor mentioned an avenue for a future alliance that James looked up suddenly. That hadn’t been expected. Treaties to decrease tensions and allow a sustainable land grab, not a long term proposal for a huge power bloc in the region. He had time to mull over the proposal as David spoke, but the premier seemed to want his opinion on the matter. James made his unconscious, customary, adjustment of his tie and began speaking.

“ Well obviously a peaceful region is a prosperous one and a prosperous region leads to prosperous nations. You will forgive my surprise at your revelation, whilst it is a welcome one it will be viewed with a great deal of suspicion by many citizens and government figures in all of our countries. There would also be questions over why we just fought a huge war only to make a white peace and then become bedfellows with our former enemies.”

“However the proposal you make has merits. If this is kept within a small group of high level negotiators there is a possibility that gradually tensions can be decreased and that we can work together. The public will soon move on to another enemy, but not all will forget their grudges. Indras has little direct effect on us, Stevid is our principle trading partner in the region and our petroleum is sourced from them and elsewhere so we will leave that issue to be decided by you.”

The President let out a short sigh as he looked aside and out of one of the windows as he considered his phrasing. After a moment he continued.

“ In principle there is nothing we can do except accept this offer. Defusing tensions is in all of our interests and will benefit regional stability, hopefully arresting the trend towards anarchy that has affected many of our former regional partners. The few that remain are scattered, isolated and mostly politically insulated from the outside world. No doubt if Gholgoth took us for their fancy we would all be swallowed up. In time a regional agreement should be formed, if only to prevent us destroying each other.”

Pausing again the President looked into his own wine glass and swilled the contents. The white wasn’t as crisp as he liked his wine, of course he had still complimented it as the best wine he had tasted, but it wasn’t bad either. The decision he needed to make soon would be one of the biggest of his career; he could tell Fedor to go and fuck himself, diplomatically of course, or he could take the olive branch and possibly get himself re-elected in a few months time and then continue down the path of world recognition.

All his thoughts took up a split second and he raised his eyes to look at Fedor and nodded.

“Very well. I agree to examine the feasibility of such an alliance in the future. It will be a long road, but probably a fruitful one.”

[OOC: Sorry for the short post.]

Fedor was relieved to hear the willingness of his Stevidian and Hitmen counterparts to cooperate to forge friendlier ties between each other. Admittedly, it was difficult given the fact that all three had been at war with each other just a small number of months before, and that two of the three relevant nations had experienced nuclear warfare first hand – although, the Second Empire more than the Holy Empire, given that it had also experienced the nuclear bomb against its ships at Feathermore Trench. Nonetheless, all three leaders were clear headed and knew the advantages of friendly relationships between each other. They were the three most powerful post-war nations in the region, and barring the entrance of an unexpected fourth, they were to remain so for a long time. None of the three wanted to remain quibbling in regional matters, with a much larger international scene before them – regional dominance was great, but only to the point where it would not interfere with the nation’s international image. But, the War of Golden Succession had interfered with said image, given that all three nations were forced to focus everything on winning the war. The Second Empire’s war in Theohuanacu, and the likelihood of conflict with Indras, was threatening to do the same – growing casualties in Theohuanacu meant more funding towards defeating the guerillas in the northern areas of the blight – as Macabee soldiers had come to call the nation - and the likely factions to rise in the south. Besides, the monetary expenditure for another regional war was far too horrid to even consider!

The emperor looked at both of his colleagues and said, ‘I am glad that we can all agree on something. I admit, it is difficult to come to terms with a man who was once your worst enemy.’ But, there were other important things to attend to and Fedor had gotten past the necessity for fluff and kind words. He looked away for a brief second and then trained his deep, penetrating stare back on the Stevidian head of state, ‘Before we can begin to talk about more pleasant topics, we must come to an agreement on the partial demilitarization of the Guffingfordi border. Of course, it’s unrealistic to assume a complete demilitarization of the nation, given that both of us have areas to pacify and invasion of what are now integral sections of our empires will always remain a threat. Nevertheless, the militarization of the border between our two empires is a drastic drain on resources, which would be better applied elsewhere, and I would like to begin talking about a potential demilitarized zone.’

He let that sink in and continued, ‘In other words, we would be speaking about a surface area spreading across the length of the border, back to around sixty kilometers depth – a huge surface area. This area would be deprived of the millions of soldiers now deployed along it. Furthermore, the border should be open to emigration, immigration and tourism, for the sake of both of our economies. Guffingford is a beautiful region which had a flourishing tourism industry prior to the war, and I am fond of the fact that tourism will return once our policy is open to it. For example, tourism in Fedala has already increased to pre-war levels, which is a miracle. But, I digress. What is most relevant is the demilitarization zone, and I believe it’s imperative that we agree on some sort of a treaty, here and now, to solve the issue.’

There were other issues, as well. These included international shipping rights in the region, international aerial volume rights and the opening of international flights between The Second Empire and the Holy Empire, as well as Imperial Hitmen. Dienstad Airways was hoping to expand into this vacuum as soon as possible, as it was one of the few airliners to dispose of intercontinental long-haul aircraft. In fact, Dienstadi Airways was one of the few airliners in the region which could access other regions, which made it one of the most powerful airliners in Greater Dienstad. Furthermore, it was hoping to expand its market immensely in nations such as Castilla y Belmonte and Skibereen, which lacked indigenous long-haul airliners. In terms of benefits, the economic benefits of opening with Stevid and Independent Hitment far outweighed the military benefits, and at this point the Empire’s economy was far more important than the Empire’s strategic position in the region. Militancy was an obsolete ideal, and international economic imperialism was far more fruitful – already, the secret Knights of Pir-Sar were operating in Central Prestonia, taking advantage of the civil war in that nation, and were hoping to soon operate in Kahanistan, as well. The Empire was going to make a name out of itself through the Reichmark, as opposed as through the sword.

Conroy was astounded by what he heard; only weeks ago he would never have thought of a DMZ across the Guffingford border let alone any sort of peace settlement and yet here they all were actually discussing the possibility of it all. A DMZ would benefit Stevid far greater than the Golden Throne even though they did need the additional reserves to fight in Theohuanacu. Stevid was so thinly stretched that a war against them in Guffingford would be brief; the mainland itself was under threat as only the small and under equipped Territorial Army remained. Although the Stevidian mainland had vast support from Independent Hitmen army and air force, entwined with the Royal Air Force, it still probably wouldn’t be enough to stave off a really well organised invasion. The Golden Throne probably knew this too but the loss of life would be on a biblical proportion and Fedor had other plans for the region and they did not involve conflict. The DMZ in Guffingford was an excellent idea and Conroy loved the sound of it as soon as Fedor spoke it. Sixty kilometres was a lot though and Conroy found himself thinking that it was too much but he couldn’t find a good enough reason to say why. Sixty clicks were fine, there were no real anomalies to worry about aside from a few towns and villages in the middle of it but they would welcome the absence of military forces.

“A DMZ is an excellent idea good Sir. Stevid is over stretched and some of these soldiers have been on a tour of duty for nearly a year. They want to go home, they don’t really want to fight anymore. Morale in the army is usually high, Stevidian troops are some of the most motivated in the world but recently morale has dropped to a dangerous level. We will leave several troop and tank battalions on the ‘frontline’, but rest assured the army and air force will be pulling back an awful lot of equipment in desperate need of servicing. I’m James certainly approves of the immigration policy you are proposing, as I do. Guffingford is rich with history, we’re sitting in a castle ripe with her historic past and it would foolish to deny our good populations from both enjoying it. A few minor cultural exchanges like this and the end of our propaganda parades will eventually have an effect on our people and bend them towards tolerating each other again.
“Tensions between our people were high months before the war so there still an element of international intolerance that will be very difficult to kick out. Once this peace treaty and DMZ agreement is completed we can look further into the future. Combining military resources to better the strength of this great region, peace keeping duties in Theohuanacu could start in a few years time when our two Empires are more comfortable with each other.”

Stopped and then considered what Fedor had said about shipping lanes. It disturbed him a bit because the most Stevidian blood spilt during the war was in the seas of the region. The Stevidian Southern Straits were the battle grounds for countless enemy submarine contacts and it is rumoured the enemy lost in excess of thirty submarines in that sector of sea alone, it was also where the Golden Throne attacked the 5th Fleet in Portsmouth Naval Harbour with nuclear devices; the Sea of Rubet was where the Dweller Class ASAT satellites destroyed Macabee navigational and military satellites looking at the sea battle Otium Aqua, the Southern Safehaven Sea which contained the Merkar Republic of Athiesism and was the staging ground for the largest amphibious assault in the entire war. Finally the Otium Aqua Sea, the most renowned body of water in the region and treasured by Stevid for its economic and strategic value. Guffingford sent a huge fleet against Stevid’s side of the Otium Aqua and destroyed several huge oil rigs and a single defence flotilla of eighteen ships of the Royal Navy before the famous 5th Fleet destroyed the Guffingfordii fleet. Several months afterward the Kriermada attacked and almost succeeded in wining over the Otium Aqua but was beaten back by a combined fleet of Stevidian and Hitmen ships. After the battles the Golden Throne continued to reap havoc with submarines in Otium Aqua by sinking small shipping and convoys, there were even plans for a joint Mekugi-Macabee naval force to assault Otium Aqua and overwhelm the Havenic fleets there. The Holy Empire had lost so many ships and so many lives there and the greatest achievement of the war was holding onto the whole of the Otium Aqua and the East coast of Guffingford. Otium Aqua was seen to be worth the lives of the sailors lost but it would be terrible on the families if their former enemy was allowed to waltz through the seas without checks. Currently both sides sailed in Otium Aqua but every Golden Throne ship was asked for details and then shadowed throughout their trip through the sea due to the Royal Navy’s dominance in those waters. The Holy Empire had worked and fought hard to retain the Otium Aqua and she wasn’t about to lose it now.

“Shipping rights are all well and good but many Stevidian lives have been lost at sea Fedor.” Conroy started firmly. “Free and uninterrupted travel in every sea in the region sounds excellent and freedom of travel in the sea is a principle that Stevid still upholds, a principle that the OMP found laughable and probably even boring which is why we still patrol the seas to make them safer for the world. However there is one exception but it is only for the Holy Empire’s benefit and the benefit of the general public. The stretch of water that is the Otium Aqua will remained Stevidian territorial waters. A lot of blood on the Royal Navy and the RAF was spilt in taking and defending that sea and to allow former enemy free rights of travel, even commercial travel, could spark dangerous protests in Stevid. We will still allow your ships, military or otherwise, through the Otium Aqua but the usual precautions and procedures will continue. However we will drastically relax the strictness of these checks and communications so as not to alarm the public too much. In the next couple of years I’m sure most your commercial vessel will be allowed to enter without any problem but of course being our territorial waters military vessels will still permission.”

He stopped and sipped a glass of water after beckoning the waiter over. [i]“It’s just for the public you see, they wouldn’t like an instant change. They are fickle and uncompromising at times, sometimes I agree with them. Otium Aqua is Stevidian for the most part and after the massive loss of life I can understand if the public wants to keep it that way. As for the airliners, I’m sure it will be a step in the right direction when we see a Macabee aircraft landing on runway one of Stevid International Airport in the capital city. Stevidian Airways is capable of ultra-long distance travel to other regions, most notably Xanadou, but there is more money to be made within this region. The Macabees is a giant lake of rich culture as is the rest of your Empire, the West of Guffingford is just as beautiful as the rolling hills of the Cadia region back in Stevid. There is much money to be made in tourism in this region and we’d be fools to let our economies stagnate like this while tourist opportunities pass us by. As I’m sure James will agree, I support the decision to allow tourism and overall travel between our two Empires and the United States.