NationStates Jolt Archive

He waited behind Sergey Mendelviv as they rounded the third to last corner of the race. The fans, always eager to see the frontrunner come out victorious, held their breath, as their intensive cheers transformed almost instantaneously into a collectively whispered encouragement. They knew that it would come down to these two men, Mendelviv and Dek Tíar; the five thousand meters always did, after all. This national meet had been—since the very first event, the thirty-two hundred meter relay—a epic battle between the Big Two, the Zoom Track Team of Crimea (ZTTC) and Yalta Athletic Association (YAA), and now, the penultimate race of the afternoon would decide the winner for neither squad had entered into the 4X400 meter relay.

Dek Tíar looked at the back of his rival, and let out a breath that almost sounded like a cackle to Sergey, for Dek knew that yet another Crimean had played right into his hands. The Tartar was tired, but the Macabeean immigrant had fresh legs, since he had tucked himself in behind his larger foe, in order to let the windy day take its attritional toll upon Sergey. As they made their way to the finish line, ready for the final lap of the twelve-lap challenge, Dek struck.

He stepped into lane two, and charged around the corner, with Sergey just a step behind him. The two athletes turned the corner, and made their way into the last backstretch, just as the gap between Dek and Sergey opened up its mouth, and soon devoured any hope that Sergey had of victory.

The crowd grew quiet, for, coming into the final curve, Dek’s lead had grown to an unstoppable fifteen meters. They knew that all that was left was the coronation, the crowning of the new king of Crimean track and field’s premier event, a nineteen year old from the Golden Empire.

This would inevitably be a sore spot to the Crimean track and field community, a program that perennially fielded the best runners, able to compete with more populous countries in events from the four hundred meters and up. Today however, these spectators disregarded his nationality—if only for a moment, and embraced their new champion with the zeal that only a Crimean could.

Later on that day…

The camera’s snapped pictures of the new champion as he sat behind the podium, with his hair still wet from the shower that he took after being bathed in champagne by his diehard fans, the Macabeean community of Crimea, a small but vibrant community of expatriates, who excelled in many of the avenues towards the upper tiers of Crimean society.

He began to speak, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the track and field community, I come to you today with thanks. I came here as a young boy, just five years old. I came here while missing my mother back in Fedala, my aunts and uncles whose faces I have never seen in anything but pictures, and I miss the safety net of a true national identity.

“Throughout the years, despite not being a native, many of you have welcomed me into your world as you would your own son, accepting me for what I am, a great Crimean runner from Fedala, Macabees. Thus I have decided that I will begin the process of earning citizenship to this fine country, and make it my permanent home. I plan on retaining my citizenship to Macabees, for I am both Macabeean and Crimean. But do not hear wrong, when I compete at an international level, as I plan to leave the national circuit and join CRTF [Crimean Republic Track and Field, the national team], I plan to wear the Blue and White, not the white and black of Golden Throne International.”

The news conference was aired on a variety of television stations, and undoubtedly reached Fedala itself.

bump... waiting for Macabees

Fedala International

Crimean Star Track Runner Risks Loosing Macabee Citizenship


- Jer Ternás

CRIMEAN REPUBLIC - In a press release to his Crimean fans and to the Crimean Republic's press, Macabee track runner Dek Tíar has announced his intentions of applying for dual citizenship. Dek Tíar has been running in Crimea for his entire life, and has lived in the Republic since the age of five, and supposedly considers himself both Macabee and Crimean. However, Tíar is als an outspoken critic of the Imperial government situated in Fedala and the government has blamed him of treason, for supposedly funding Weigar's and Sarcanza's bids for independence during the recent War of Golden Succession. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jenk Fersas, has declared this attempt to further himself away from the Empire as the 'last straw', and has called Dek Tíar's attempt to find sympathy with the Macabee population by declaring himself as much as a Macabee as he is Crimean a 'pathetic attempt to save face'. The minister has also said that if the runner attempts to continue to apply for dual citizenship 'he will lose citizenship to the Empire'. This would be the first time the government has called out one of its citizens in a foreign country, although not many expected otherwise.

Dek Tíar's criticism of the government perhaps began as early as the late era of the Jonach I administration, especially after the disolution of parliament. He characterised the Imperial government as corrupt and oppressive, and issued a call for reknown Macabee sports players to retire to different nations. Much to his distress, not many followed his war cry, although the War of Golden Succession [May 2016 - April 2018 (remember, different calendar)] put a halt to the Empire's international appearances in the sports world and even indigenous league. The Ligue Imperiotech, or the National Football (soccer) League, has yet to restart, although a new season is planned for 2018/2019. Regardless, his political agitation continued throughout the war, although it was perhaps thwarted by the Havenic entry early in the war, and later on with the massacre of Aurillac - twenty-one million dead. The country's nationalism ensues to this day, as His Imperial Majesty Fedor I puts Imperial troops in countries like Theohuanacu, and continues the occupation of Northern Safehaven and most of Guffingford, which have recently been integrated into the Empire (territory in Western Zarbia has not been organized into a new province). Dek Tíar has been a critic of these policies, as well, especially the forced migration of Havenic locals southwards, back to what is now the reduced borders of their nation. He has also criticisized supposed genocides in Theohuanacu.

In a private bull to his ministers, which was leaked by the government, His Imperial Majesty Fedor I said, 'Although the Empire will not complain about his words, the Empire has no reason to tolerate such unfaithful and treasonous comments. Dek Tíar's criticisms go beyond political disagreement and into the realm of sparking rebellion. His support of Weigar and Sarcanza, two years ago, go leagues in proving this.' Dek Tíar has not yet commented on these words.

The loss of his citizenship means much. There is no agreement to ease entry into either country by part of the Second Empire of the Golden Throne and the Crimean Republic. As a consequence, all those who wish to visit must request a visa. A person such as Dek Tíar have a high chance of having said visa denied. Consequently, his chances of returning to the Empire would be slim. Dek Tíar's family lives in the Second Empire. On the other hand, some argue that the fact that he has not returned proves his lack of interest in seeing his family, and the 'fact' that he is using the current distance between he and his family as an appeal to emotion. Foreign Affairs Minister Jenk Fersas suggests to 'ignore such malarkey.'

There have been hundreds of well publisized instances of Macabee atheletes gaining dual citizenship with other countries. Dozens of football players hold dual citizenship with Yafor 2, playing in the Yaforite league, and there are thousands of Macabee expatriates in Yafor 2 which also hold dual citizenship. Due to Yafor's position in the Fedala Accord, these two countries have an ease of travel between each other. Macabee athletes live throughout the region of Greater Díenstad, and regions such as Haven and Nova. So, it is unwise to assume that the Empire does not allow dual citizenship ... because, it does. This seems to be a case entirely built on political differences, which the current imperial government seems unwilling to compromise with. The minister of foreign affairs has mentioned that upon receival of local citizenship, Dek Tíar will automatically lose his citizenship to the Second Throne. To attempt to enforce their point, Fedala has attempted to pressure the Crimean government in denying Dek Tíar citinzeship due to his propensity to destabilize politics. Furthermore, the Empire has pointed towards the loss of lucrative trade deals which the Crimean Republic could opt into, to guarantee the strength of their economy. There is much at stake for everyone in this ordeal, and it's obvious that the solution will not come easy.

It's expected that Dek Tíar will make a statement in the coming days, as well as the government of the Crimean Republic. Until then, we await perplexed, looking at this newfound political quagmire.

After reading the Macabeean paper, Dek threw it into the face of his friend and agent, Jakob Bender. The startled little man looked up and was suddenly in fear of his six foot, one hundred and fifty pound client, with his thin but rippled arms, and his powerful piston-like legs.

“How can they say such things about me, I was just a rookie at the time of the War! Sure, I did invite some athletes to come to Crimea, but of course I would, it was a flight or fight moment for them, and why allow that talent to go to waste on a battlefield? I will not apologize, and I will certainly not give up my Macabeean citizenship, not now not ever, and you can put that in a press release. I will be a dual citizen until they give me a trial by my peers, both my Macabeean peers and my Crimean ones. This is unjust and I will not stand by while it goes on.” At that, Dek began to scroll through the numbers on his cell phone, before finding the one he was looking for, Kasenya Vinadapova, a journalist that he met at a track meet. The two had been on a few dates, despite her being twenty-six as compared to Dek’s nineteen, and she owed Dek a favor.

“Hey Dek.” Kasenya said when she answered the phone.

“Hey, sweetie, you know you still owe me a favor right?”

”Yeah, I remember, what is this about?”

“I need you to do an exclusive, on my life story, and on the injustices of the Golden Throne, towards my father and I. It is time to bring those skeletons out of the closet, don’t you think.”

“This could get dirty, so you have to do exactly as I say.” The young woman replied, “Do you understand?”

”Yes, yes I do.”

Somewhere in the Crimean Republic
A time to kill...

Hans Fértinan was a bright, young agent and veteran of the War of Golden Succession. He had served in the Réketes, or the Ejermacht's special forces, for four years and then had been offered a job in the Empire's central intelligence agency. The much higher payroll and the opportunities presented had persuaded him to accept the job, and he now found himself as one of the Empire's most successful hired assassins. There were not many political enemies after the War, although Hans had operated in countries such as Theohuanacu, Stevid, Independent Hitmen and Guffingford. His success had persuaded the officers in the agency to mark him as the man to go to the Crimean Republic. Nobody needed noise from the Dek Tíar problem, especially not Fedor, who was busy appeasing his newfound Fedala Accord allies. The solution was obvious - his assassination. It would most likely be blamed on a crazed fanatic if it was made obvious that he had been shot, but there were other ways to kill a man to make it seem less obvious. But, the improvisation would be up to the assassin, and not up to the government. In any case, Hans was now in the Crimean Republic, screening his target. Before the kill he would have to receive orders straight from Fedala, but he was preparing for the eventuality regardless - this would have to be more intricate than just a gunshot to the head. He would find something; in any case, a target like this one would be easy. These type of people did not expect their government to take some dramatic efforts to shut them up, so most of the time they wouldn't see it coming.

The assassin had gotten a flat somewhere in the middle of the city, where he planned his plan of operations. Fértinan was stroking the barrel of his sniper rifle, while thinking to himself and looking at black and white photographs he had taken of Dek Tíar. He knew where the athlete went to eat each morning, what the man's favorite color was, who he saw and dated, and even what movies he liked. Hans Fértinan was a professional, and nothing escaped him. Nothing. That's what had gotten him so infamous within the ranks of the agency, in the first place. To anybody else his job would probably strike them as strange, assuming the person was not freaked out by the fact that he killed for a living. But, sitting a room for multiple hours a day, looking at videos and photographs was not considered 'normal'. It was even tedious for him. When he got bored he took apart one of his rifles and cleaned it. He couldn't leave the flat for fear of loosing an important call from his bosses. This type of job was difficult while one was doing it, but life between missions was easier - the pay was high, and he could do anything he he wasn't working as a hitman. He thought about doing more high priority jobs as a type of mercenary, but his term of service with the Empire's intelligence agency was not yet up.

He sighed and continued to look at the photographs, thinking of a good way to kill this man. It was a bit cynical, thinking of multiple ways to kill, but he didn't really care any longer. It was too late for him to care about death; especially someone else's death.

[OOC: Bit of a bump, since I don't really know what to post ... the storyline is not really open for me.]