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| AO Forum :: > Regional Discussion > SDL (Strategic Defense League) |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 22 2005, 03:40 PM |
| As Patriarch Khara sat down, conversing with President Stone, King Falcon, and Mr.Stack, yet anohter aide ran up next to him and whispered something in his ear. Thanking the aide, the Patriarch then waved him off and turned to adress the others. "Gentlemen, it appears our offer to join this new alliance was accepted by Sarzonia. It is good to hear such news, in light of other things going on in this region. Now, before we write this charter up and make everything official, are there any last bits anyone wishes to add to the charter?" Patriarch Khara looked around at those at the table, a look of genuine curiosity on his face. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 22 2005, 04:42 PM |
| Looking at Patriarch Khara with curiousity, Stone said, "Is it really wise to finish the charter before Sarzonia and Bettia have a chance to give their opinions on it?" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 22 2005, 04:45 PM |
| Patriarch Khara slapped his forehead and chuckled slightly. "Apologies, how could I be so inconsiderate." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 22 2005, 08:11 PM |
| Meanwhile, Stack was on the phone with Nedalia, explaining the events to Foreign Minister Dewars Strand and President Bren. They were happy with the progress Stack had made, and promised him rewards upon his return to Nedalia. In the meeting room, the founding members of Lamoni, Falconia, Khazaron, and Nedalia were discussing the details and specifics of the SDL. Stack, ofcourse, was also making sure that the land in southern Kafra was being developed for the SDL HQ. Everything was going as planned. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 23 2005, 03:08 PM |
| "Well then, while we awaiting so see what Sarzonia, and Bettia if they choose to join us, want to add to the SDL charter, perhaps we should discuss how we will take care of post-war Latao. Even though conflicts have ceased it has been brought to my attention that some Latins are still causing trouble by trying to escape northwards to the new Latin nation. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, as I am sure they are just looking for a home, but considering all that has happened recently, I have put a stop on all travels to anywhere outside of southwestern Latao. I'd rather not risk any partisans or extremists managing to escape. Perhaps if the new Latin government accepts my offer, we will be able to work something out." Patriarch Khara then turned to President Stone. "What say you Mr.President?" |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 23 2005, 07:06 PM |
| "Our concern is for the stability of the region, and the safety of Lamonian and allied citizens. If the new Latin state remains peaceful, we will let them keep their nation. If they turn out like the last Latin state and declare war on people for no real reason... then we would likely have to squash this new bug like we have the old one. We will not allow partisans and extremists to leave the Lamonian controlled part of Latao, and we shall see what we shall see." Stone said. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 23 2005, 08:41 PM |
| "As you all know, we controlled Latao's eastern part. Given the history between our two nations, it would prove difficult to return the land to them. Resources are abound there, but more importantly, we will have security buff against them if they prove to be maniacs. I hope no one objects." |
| Posted by: Bettia Sep 24 2005, 10:31 AM | ||
| President Brooks paced up and down in his chambers, his mind deep in thought considering the telegram he had received from the governments of Nedalia, Lamoni, Khazaron and Falcania. 'The last thing I'd want to do is to drag Bettia into any conflicts that might flare up,' he pondered 'especially it that means a rivalry with the Strategic Alliance. But on the other hand, we have something of a responsibility to help ensure stability in this region. After all, we now have the military and political clout to counter any threat to us or our neighbours. Obviously we're not yet in the same league as say, Starblaydia, but, ah well...'. In a rare burst of decisiveness, Brooks buzzed his secretary on the intercom and ever-so-politely demanded that a telegram be sent thusly:
Having done that, he returned to his vital duties - it was time to feed his goldfish. |
| Posted by: Hypocria Sep 24 2005, 11:44 AM | ||
Our apologies to the SDL, You will receive a mixed-fruit basket for the inconvenience. Quaestor K'Van Fursifio, Starblaydi Inquisition  |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 24 2005, 01:26 PM |
| Patriarch Khara was deep in thought as he sat at the table with the other foreign dignitaries, discussing their new alliance. His aide Johnathan came walking up to their table again and bowed to those present at the table, then truned to face the Patriarch. "Please forgive Your Highness, but we just recieved two communiques from Bettia and Hypocria. They have been marked solely for the eyes of you and the other founders." Patriarch Khara nodded and accepted the two envelopes, then dismissed Johnathan with a wave of his hand. Cracking open the first letter, and then skimming it with his eyes, Patriarch Khara smiled and placed it on the table. After opening and reading the second letter, his expression seemed to turn to one of disappointment, then to slight amusement as a chuckle came out of his mouth. He then placed the other letter on the table and pushed both of them out to the middle of the table for all to see. "Gentlemen, two bits of good news and one of bad news. Bad news is apparentlt Hypocria was wanting to join our endeavor here, but was stopped by the Starblaydi Inquisition. The good news is that President Brooks has agreed to the SDL, and that it appears the Lord-Protector and his ilk are not without a sense of humor." Khara leaned forward and pointed out the last part of the letter the Starblaydi had sent them. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 24 2005, 06:31 PM |
| Reading the message from the Starblaydi Inquisition, Stone chuckled as he read the last part of it. "I wonder if they are actually going to bother with sending us the fruit basket? I would half expect them to try something like putting a bomb in the basket, as dumb as that would be. Either way, I am heartened to hear that Bettia has decided to join us." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 25 2005, 01:50 AM |
| Patriarch Khara chuckled at President Stone's comment. "Yes, I wouldn't put it past them to try something like that. Perhaps a bit more secretive, but then again, I suppose this would all depend on what message they would want to send. But enough about that, I shall send an official invite to Khazaron for both Bettia and Sarzonia, so that we may finally put this alliance on paper and make everything nice and neat." Patriarch Khara then turned to a random aide and told them to make the call to the respective nations. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 25 2005, 05:16 AM |
| Stack was busy with calls to Nedalia, but he managed to sneak in a little break between calls to give an official Nedalian stance announcement to those present: "Gentlemen, President Bren would like to personally congratulate all involved in bringing in Sarzonia and our dear neighbors Bettia into the SDL, although it saddened him to hear about Hypocria's U-Turn desicion. Nonetheless, the President has asked me to formally invite all the leaders to their new SDL headquarters just south of Kafra for all the formalities and signatures. What should I tell President Bren?" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 25 2005, 08:39 AM |
| Patriarch Khara grew a smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. "That seems to be a good idea Mr.Stack. As I said previously, I have always wanted to visit Nedalia. It sounds like suche a wonderful place." |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 25 2005, 12:52 PM |
| Falcon sat back in his chair, pleased at the news that Sarzonia was going to join the SDL. "Hmmm... Naval..." he quietly muttered under his breath, á la Homer Simpson. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 26 2005, 09:08 AM |
| "If you gentlemen wish it, I could have my personel plane take us all to Nedalia. We could even stop by on the way to pick up any delegates from Bettia and Sarzonia, since I imagine they would like to get in on signing this charter and making sure everything meets with their approval." Patriarch Khara said. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 26 2005, 12:56 PM |
| "I'm game for that, Patriarch. My only concern is that King Falcon's enemies might make an attempt to sabotage the plane or something, but i'm sure that you can take appropriate security measures. I've never been to Sarzonia before either, so I find myself quite looking forward to the trip." Stone said the last part with a slight smile. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 26 2005, 02:20 PM |
| Patriarch Khara nodded at President Stone and smiled. "I assure you, security around the plane is always very tight. I have the best of my men guarding it and myself. Those who try something will be putting THEIR lives in peril, not ours. I'll make the arrangements right away, as well as send the messages to Bettia and Sarzonia that we will be offering to pick them up on our way." Patriarch Khara then made the necessary arrangements with his aide Johnathan, telling him to prep the plane immediately, as well as notify Bettia and Sarzonia. |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 26 2005, 03:09 PM |
| Falcon smiled. "Tightest security measures? I was nearly killed 7 times in your country, and saved your life once. Let me head up the security check on the plane. Or better still, use my plane." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Sep 26 2005, 03:26 PM |
| Roger Levine, a man who was at one time a fairly anonymous member of the Sarzonian diplomatic corps, was just stepping out of the garden after planting some flowers at his mother's garden. Even though his mother would not be there to see them as the "Black Queen" of Mauiwowee, Roger felt compelled to plant the flowers. He wanted his childhood home to be a welcoming place in the unlikely event she came home to Sarzonia. He went to the kitchen to get a glass of Imperium Cola, still the top import in a country known for its love of carbonated beverages. Before he settled down into the plush leather kitchen chair, the phone rang. "Hello?" "Roger?" "Yes, this is Roger." "Hello, you've been assigned by Senior Vice President Lorber to serve as the Sarzonian delegate to the Strategic Defense League. Your transport will arrive in two days, along with your credentials. Hope you enjoy your trip." The phone hung up and Levine stared at the receiver blankly. "Well, I guess Brad will have to take care of the house now," he said out loud. So much for seeing his mother Harriet Levine Narcosis returning to Woodstock while he was still there. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 26 2005, 05:39 PM |
| Patriarch Khara smiled. "Ah yes, but we had only recently recovered from a civil war. So it goes without saying that there would still be some areas with leaks in them. However, I can assure you now that everything has been secured in Khazaron, especially in light of the weird happenings out east and our expansion thereof." He then raised his hand as if to pause the conversation. "However, if you wish to take your plane, you may do so. I however, still wish to take mine. I appreciate your generosity though." |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 26 2005, 06:50 PM |
| Falcon shrugged. "I'll take it. What's life without risk, eh?" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 26 2005, 09:56 PM |
| Patriarch Khara chuckled at Falcon's comment, then turned to the others, standing up and stretching a bit after having sat down for so long. "Well then gentlemen, what say we get to the plane then? We've got a long flight ahead of us, so it's probably best to get started." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 27 2005, 12:41 AM |
| "Let's, indeed. President Bren will be meeting us himself at the Kafra International Airport." |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 27 2005, 10:53 AM |
| Falcon stepped into a limo. "Care to join me?" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 27 2005, 11:15 AM |
| Stack looked at Falcon, and then at the limo, and then looked around. And then he thought about how it was nice to live out the rest of his life. "I think I'll grab a limo with Stone....." |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 27 2005, 12:12 PM |
| "You appear to be forgetting that I have never been assassinated." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 27 2005, 01:26 PM |
| Stone was watching the whole scene from his limo, and trying not to laugh loud enough that the others would hear him. Opening the door, he beckoned Mr. Stack over to his Limo, still wearing the slight smile of amusement. "Come on Mr. Stack, it's time to go!" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 27 2005, 10:43 PM |
| As the others where getting into their limos, Patriarch Khara stepped into his, stopping briefly to turn to President Stone, King Falcon and Mr.Stack, letting them know that his would lead the way to the airfield where his plane was being prepped and ready. After shutting the door to the limo and plopping down on a nicely cushioned seat inside, Patriarch Khara leaned forward and grabbed himself a drink from the mini-bar. He let out a sigh and a smile as he sat their, his limo already heading off to lead the others to the airport. The ride itself didn't take very long, no more than about 15-20 minutes across the city. Upon reaching the airport, the limos where waved through multiple checkpoints to get to the restricted area where the Patriarch's personel plane was kept. As the limos pulled up, the pilots and flight crew could be seen boarding the vessel, as well as the ground crew making some final checks before the craft was to taxi out to the runway. Patriarch Khara stepped out of his limo and turned to watch the others slowly come to stop. Turning to look at the plane again, and then back to the limos, Patriarch Khara shouted over the roar of the engines as the began to start up. "Isn't she beautiful? I had her completely redone to be a perfect fit for flying VIPs such as ourselves across the region." (OOC: On the outside it is bascially and freshly waxed and painted Boeing 747, while on the inside it has been gutted and completely redone to look more like opulant. Think of something along the lines of Emirate Air, or those personal charter services that celebrities use.) |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 28 2005, 12:46 AM |
| "Shweet. But does it have turrets? Nah. Still, lead on, Mr. Khara" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 28 2005, 10:53 PM |
| Patriarch Khara lead King Falcon, President Stone and Mr.Stack up the stairway and into the lavishly decorated interior of the plane. A very beautiful smiling flight attendant stood at the top of the stairs to the plane and welcomed the dignitaries on board. Inside the plane had two distinct areas. The part at the front was more traditional for a plane, possessing two sets of chairs on either side of a table, with four chairs to a set. There where about ten or so of these arrangements. Behind those where the more relaxed quarters of the plane, possesing couches and recliners and a built in television set. There was also a fully functional bar and a full-blown caterer on board as well. At the very back where some sleeping areas that included the Patriarch's personal quarters. This was for those really long flights when sleep was needed. Patriarch Khara walked towards the first set of chairs on his left and toke a seat next to the window, smiling. "I always enjoyed the view from places up high. Now then, it may be best to take a seat gentlemen. I suspect we should be taking off very soon." As the others toke their seats, Patriarch Khara turned to ask one of the flight attendants if they could bring them something to drink. The beautiful blonde, the one who had welcomed them onto the plane, smiled and nodded. "What would you gentlemen like?" she asked politely. After taking down their orders and handing them their drinks, she double checked the door to make sure it was shut properly, then got seated with the rest of the crew as the plane taxied out to the runway and toke off. Within a half-hour they where well on their way to the first stop of the trip, Sarzonia. Patriarch Khara was already attempting to t get in touch with the Sarzonian government to make sure they where all cleared for picking up their delegate. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 29 2005, 01:35 AM |
| Meanwhile, while the rest of the gentlemen were acting like they were supposed to act, Stack grabbed himself a drink and headed directly to the fine young lady waiting on them for a little chat. |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 29 2005, 11:44 AM |
| Falcon slumped back in his armchair, and poured himself a fruit juice. "Needs a gun turret." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 29 2005, 11:55 AM |
| Patriarch Khara smiled at King Falcon's comment. "Perhaps I should have them add that at a later date then." He then got up out of his chair, once they had recieved the all clear from the pilot and walked back to the bar area, ordering a mix of various juices and rum. Taking the drink and sitting down in the stool, he turned to President Stone while taking a sip from his beverage. "So, President Stone, have you ever been to Sarzonia before?" The Patriarch appeared to be wanting to make some small-talk to kill time on the first leg of their flight. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 29 2005, 12:08 PM |
| Meanwhile, in the toilet, Stack was busy earning mileage on his "Mile High Club" card.... |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 29 2005, 02:54 PM |
| "No, Patriarch, I haven't been to Sarzonia before. I'm quite looking forward to it. Someday, we're all going to have to play tourist in each other countries. I'm sure that we would find quite a lot to see and do with such an arrangement." Stone walked over to the bar, and made a mixed cocktail. |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 29 2005, 03:54 PM |
| Falcon rapped on the toilet door. "Hurry up, you randy bastard. I need a slash." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 29 2005, 04:01 PM |
| Patriarch Khara couldn't help but chuckle at Falcon's comment as he sat at the bar conversing with President Stone. |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 29 2005, 04:31 PM |
| In desperation, Falcon grabbed an ice bucket and sprinted into a cupboard. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Sep 30 2005, 09:27 AM |
| Levine stepped out of his automobile at the waiting area whilst he was waiting for his ride. His rolling suitcase stood next to him as he held the handle and waited for the flight to land. He nervously looked at his mobile phone, waiting for External Affairs to call him to notify him that the flight was on its way. Finally, he heard a heavily-accented voice. "Meester Leveeene," the voice said. He whirled around and noticed someone from a country he couldn't place right off the bat. "Yes?" "Your traansporrrt ees heeere," the man, dressed in a clean but oversized and extremely gaudy uniform. He raised an eyebrow and pulled the suitcase alongside him as he noticed some faces he'd seen from media kits issued to him of the various SDL leaders. The guard lifted his left hand and motioned toward the steps leading to the plane and Levine slowly trudged up the steps. "Damn these steps are steep," he muttered to himself as he finally reached the top. He looked down at his extra paunch with a rueful smile. That beer gut doesn't help matters. I've been watching too much gridball lately. After taking a few seconds to collect his breath, he lowered the handle and grabbed his suitcase, lifting it up and carrying it into the plane with him, noticing King Falcon, Patriarch Khara, and President Stone. They were the leaders of their respective countries, while Sarzonia sends a low level wonk, Levine thought. He dismissed the thought. Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Mark Lorber was busy with matters related to the Woodstock Pact. Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis was busy either trying to put out fires or cause them on the international scene, while President Mike Sarzo himself was busy dealing with a deteriorating global scene. Grant Haffner, Mark Lorber's deputy, was busy with something or the other, so he was going to have to rub elbows with national leaders himself. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 30 2005, 10:10 AM |
| Patriarch Khara looked up from his drink and conversation with President Stone to notice a new individual awaiting at the entrance of the plane. Smiling, he stood of from the stool at the bar and walked forward to greet the man. "You must be Mr.Levine, I take it? Welcome aboard." he said in a very congenial tone. "Please feel free to make yourself at home and take advantage of our bar and catering service." he said motioning with his right hand towards he and President Stone had been sitting. "We've got some time while the pilot gets us situated to take off, so feel free to relax." He then turned his attention back towards the back of the plane and to where King Falcon was. "Is Mr.Stack still...taking care of business?" A slight grin formed across Khara's face as he said this. |
| Posted by: Bettia Sep 30 2005, 10:16 AM |
| President Brooks, accompanied by a few of his aides, sat and quietly watched the countryside go by as he was driven to an airbase in Banastra to meet up with the jet from Khazaron. Aubrey, a bespectacled and slightly fat man, nervously broke the silence, "Sir? Are you, um, absolutely sure that this SDL business is the right way to go?" Brooks looked at him quizzically. "Why on earth wouldn't it be?" "It's just that, well, um, I've heard that some people fear that we might be getting too, well, dependant on other nations. They're just a lunatic fringe though." Brooks stared at him briefly, then let out a staccato burst of laughter. "Dependant? DEPENDANT? By Allah, what are those people going on about? I haven't heard such nonsense in ages! We've never enjoyed such peace and prosperity, and entering into this appliance will only strengthen that." "Hey, don't get me wrong sir, I don't agree with that neither. Its just that with us entering AO, taking up the UN delegateship, and now joining AORDO and the SDL, there are those who think we're in danger of letting other nations dictate our course." "Well you can tell those people that the only people who govern Bettia are Bettians, and no-one else. Everything we do is solely for the benefit of the Bettian people and our neighbours. Now... how long before we arrive at BAF Chinterford?" "Not long now sir. Of course, the plane is still a few hours away.. they're stopping off at Sarzonia first." |
| Posted by: Falcania Sep 30 2005, 11:08 AM |
| Falcon stepped out with the ice bucket, went into the airlock, and emptied it. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Sep 30 2005, 12:56 PM |
| OOC: There's an airlock on the plane???? IC: Stone decided to chat with the Sarzonian. "Hello Mr. Levine. I'm sure that you know who I am, but i'll introduce myself anyway. My name is Matthew Stone, and I am the President of Lamoni. How is President Sarzo doing, by the way?" Stone then heard some noises that suggested that Mr. Stack was nearly finished, and tried not to make a grin that would confuse the Sarzonian. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Sep 30 2005, 02:14 PM |
| As President Stone was getting acquainted with the Sarzonia delegate, the door to the plane was shut and a few minutes later they began taxing out to the runway. The seatbelt lights came on and Patriarch Khara toke a seat at one of the chairs up at the front of the plane. Turning back to President Stone and Mr.Levine, Patriarch Khara smiled and waved for them to join him. "Come over here gentlemen, let's all get better acquainted with one another and not give the pilot a heart attack while doing it. I'm sure the last thing he needs is a foreign dignitary getting injured on his plane." Khara chuckled and then toke another sip from his drink that he was still nursing. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Sep 30 2005, 05:33 PM |
| Stack stepped out of the toilet, thanked the mistress for her "services" and noticed a new partner on board the plane. He quickly straightened his tie and approached the gentlemen, who was in fact the Sarzonian delegate. "I hope I didnt make too much a fuss back there. I am Mr. Stack, the Nedalian representative. Rest assured that President Bren himself will be greeting us at the airport upon our arrival to Kafra. The SDL Headquarters just south of Kafra, I hope, will be to your liking." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 1 2005, 04:21 PM |
| The Patriarch's personel plane shot down the runway, and in very short order was once again traversing the skies. This leg of the trip was to be relatively shorter than the first one. By the pilot's estimate it would take them no more than a couple of hours to reach Bettian airspace, then they'd land to pick up President Brooks and his delegation, and then finally make the trip to their final destination in Kafra, Nedalia. Patriarch Khara passed the time on the flight by talking to both President Stone and Mr.Levine. He mostly seemed interesting in learning as much as he could about Sarzonia and its history and culture. "I must confess" Khara stated. "I'm somewhat of a history fanatic." He then let out a chuckle and smiled broadly. The flight went extremely smoothly, with only a slight delay when they had to make a detour in order to avoid a storm front that was moving south from Bedistan. Finally the signal came for the passengers to once again take their seats as they where about to land in Banastra. Several minutes after that, the co-pilot came back from the cockpit and opened the door for Patriarch Khara and the others to step out. Looking around as he stepped from the plane, Patriarch Khara spotted what appeared to be President Brooks off in the distance and smiled, waving as he walked down the stairs and across the runway. "Greetings Mr.President, your ride is here." Khara extended his right hand to the President. "I am Patriarch James Khara, it is an honor to finally meet you in person." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 2 2005, 04:40 AM |
| Having fallen asleep on the journey to Bettia, Stack woke up as President Brooks made his way into the airplane. Ah Bettia!, he thought to himself, a Nedalian's home away from home! He quickly approached Brooks extending his hand, "It is an honor to finally meet the man that leads what Nedalia considers the closest thing to us!" |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 2 2005, 05:52 PM |
| Waiting inside of the plane, President Stone extended his hand to President Brooks, and said "Welcome. I'm President Stone, and it is an honor to meet you, sir. In these turbulent times for AO, our nations need to be able to work together on common goals; like keeping the SAAS from dictating policy to AO nations." |
| Posted by: Bettia Oct 4 2005, 01:30 AM |
| Brooks, looking rather smart in his navy blue suit, white shirt and 'old school' style tie in the national colours of green and gold, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with his esteemed SDL brothers (including a rather flushed-looking Mr Stack - what HAS he been up to?). Rather remarkably, he actually remembered the names of all of his counterparts without having to ask them again, although he manage to commit the names of the lower-ranking officials to oblivion. Stepping on board Khara's plane, he took one look at the opulant surroundings and quipped "Now this is posh... no wonder it took you guys so long to get here!" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 4 2005, 01:48 AM |
| Patriarch Khara smiled and let out a chuckle. "Indeed, we've been enjoying ourselves to much to be on time." He then motioned towards the seats at the front of the plane, inviting President Brooks, Mr.Stack, President Stone, Mr. Levine, and King Falcon to join him at a set of eight seats, four on each side of a nice table, that was just to his left. Taking a seat next to the window, Khara stretched his arms a bit and buckled his belt. "It's probably best to get buckled up as soon as possible gentlemen. From what the pilot told me, we appear to be running a bit late because of that storm we had to avoid. No need to worry though, I am told they have a very good meal prepared for us once we get airborne again." The attendants to the plane where already closing the door as soon as President Brooks and his delegation where on board the plane. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 4 2005, 01:04 PM |
| Once all of the dignitaries where seated and buckled in, the plane toke off for it's final destination of this part of the trip, Kafra. After climbing to a comfortable height, the captain turned off the seatbelt sign and the gentlemen where free to move about as they pleased. Patriarch Khara remained seated, deciding to have some dinner as it had been quite awhile since their feast/drunken revelry at his palace back in Archon City. As the attendant walked up and asked what he would prefer, the Patriarch smiled and said "I would like some ravioli with alfredo sauce and a side of lasagna. Top that all off with a nice glass of rum and orange juice please." The attendant nodded as she jotted down the order, then turned to the others present. "What about you gentlemen?" she asked with a smile. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 4 2005, 08:59 PM |
Stone thought about what he felt like eating at the moment, and finally said "I would like some of what the Patriarch is having, with Lamonian Vodka, if you have some on board. If not, then Khazaronian Rum will do fine." Stone winked at the flight attendant, and noted her ready smile.  |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 4 2005, 09:33 PM |
| Patriarch Khara looked at President Stone as he asked the question about the rail gun weapons for Khazaron. Finishing his bite of lasagna, he put his fork down and toke a sip from his drink then replied. "Sounds like a very fair idea to me Mr.President. While Nova Roma has been rather silent since Khazaron came onto the world stage, I would still like to be able to defend my people with the best available equipment." Khara smiled at bit. "Hence why my men are taking back the Latin military equipment to be reverse egineered in Archon City. We Khazaronians have alot of catching up to do, not just militarily, but in other areas as well. Which reminds me, I would like to thank you for Lamoni's help so far in trading equipment to our Armed Forces. Is there anything I can do to repay the favor?" As they where talking the attendant brought Stone his meal and a glass of Lamoni Vodka. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 4 2005, 10:02 PM |
| Stone couldn't think of anything right away, so he replied "I really can't think of anything that we need just now... but i'll be sure to ask if we need something in the future, Patriarch." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 4 2005, 10:07 PM |
| The Patriarch nodded at President Stone, finishing up his dinner and downing the rest of his drink, then excusing himself from the rest of the delegates. "Pardon me gentlemen, I'm a bit tired and would like to get some rest before we arrive in Kafra." Khara then walked towards the back where his bedroom on the plane was, stopping briefly to grab a beautiful, buxom, raven-haired beauty of a flight-attendant to go with him into his room. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 5 2005, 06:36 PM |
| Stone finished his dinner before it went cold, then found the flight attendant that was flirting with him earlier, and punched his own mile high card. When he awoke from the sleep that he'd fallen into afterwards, he heard an annoucement that the plane was due to land in Kafra in a few minutes. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 5 2005, 07:10 PM |
| Finally, Stack thought to himself, back in Nedalia! Home Sweet Home! He looked out of the window, looking over the green rolling hills that were found outside the Kafra metropolitan area. So much work had been done on Kafra in recent years that it looked like absolute heaven, a wonderful fusion of the modern world with Nedalian history. He couldnt wait for the reaction of his new partners. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 5 2005, 07:19 PM |
| Patriarch Khara finally stepped out of his bedroom, smiling ear to ear and saying something under his breath about it "Being good to be the Patriarch." He had heard the announcement about the landing and decided he should probably take his seat, not wanting to cause any undo injury to him and the flight attendant. Taking his seat he had had earlier, he looked out the window and whistled. "Quite a beautiful landscape Mr.Stack." he said as he straightened out his suit he was wearing. "I look forward to seeing as much of it as I can." Several minutes later, once they where all seated and the clearence had been given, the plane landed in Nedalia, coming to a gentle halt and taxing to the gate area. After recieving the all clear from the pilot and flight attendants, Patriarch Khara unbuckled his belt and headed towards the door, which the raven-haired beauty he had been with earlier had already opened. Smiling at her, he toke her hand and kissed it and then made sure the pilots knew to send his belongings to the hotel he would be staying at. Finally, Khara turned and descended the stairs, shading his eyes from the sun and looking for President Bren and his party. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 6 2005, 08:52 AM |
| President Bren stepped out of the Maybach 62 custom made limosine to greet his new partners. He already knew of the situation brewing behind the scenes between Falcania and Sarzonia, and his number one priority was to make sure that any tension died down as quickly as it had risen. As for the SDL HQ to the south of Kafra, it was about 45 minutes from the Kafra International Airport, past the southernmost suburb of Jabsheet, nestled in between to green, rolling hills. Unbeknownst to his guests, they would not be staying in a hotel. Instead, they would be staying at their very own mansions built on the SDL HQ grounds. Every participating nation had its own 20 room mansion for its leader, and for all other members of the delegation, they would get their own 4 room bungalow in the compound on the site. There was 200 bungalows in all, so one could imagine the size of the HQ. Also on the grounds were the 10 story, state of the art building that was known as the "The Heart" of the complex. Anything to do with security of the complex was situated in this futuristic building. Next to it was the grand and magestic meetings hall (most comparable to the Opera House in Sydney). Also on the grounds were exclusive 5 story buildings for each and everyone of the SDL nations to do as they wish with. It was their own personal property, so if they wished to set up their own security, wished to set up their intelligence agencies, wished to do whatever they want, they could. Recreational facilities were also very common on the grounds. Ofcourse, every mansion came with a grand pool, complete with waterfall, but for the delegates, there was a massive area with 4 pools to enjoy themselves at. A world class golf course was set up, as was a state of the art lounge/bar/restaurant. For those who enjoyed serenity, a 33,000 sq. meter park was designed with lakes, streams, and trees from all over the AO. President Bren hoped that this would make an impression on his guests. After greeting everyone of them and putting them in their limosines, he signalled Stack over, and began speaking, "Well done, Mr. Stack. You have done us all proud. I want to personally congratulate and assure you that the reward will be worth it. I also expect you to be at all of our events. I have put aside the Nedalian mansion at the SDL HQ for you. I will be staying at my residence in Kafra, although I doubt I will see much of it these coming days. Again well done." Stack smiled, accepted the President's gesture, and got into the limo with Dewars Strand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and President Bren...heading towards the SDL Headquarters. |
| Posted by: Starblaydia Oct 6 2005, 09:37 AM |
| "Bit big for golf course, ain't it?" "That's gotta be worth the entire Lamonian GDP, easily," Fursifio said, looking at the newly-downloaded satellite images, "never mind all the water features." The Starblaydi Inquisition, fresh from intercepting encrypted communications from Hypocria bound straight for the SDL meeting, were examining the newly-built complex outside Kafra. "I love how democracies spend their hard-earned taxes on useless crapola like this." The analyst was looking on the web for construction prices of things like this. The cost was, basically, astronomical. "Get the usual high-grade anaylsis on it." Inquisitor K'van Fursifio sighed. "Better feed it into the targeting data too." "It'd be rude not to." Fursifio managed to crack a smile at that. He grabbed a folder off the desk and flicked through it. "Plans coming along nicely, I see." He said. "Contractors moving in soon?" "There are a few security issues, but otherwise it'll get going any day now. We will be on schedule." "Great." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 6 2005, 12:56 PM |
| OOC: Impressed, are we? ;-) |
| Posted by: Starblaydia Oct 6 2005, 01:03 PM | ||
OOC: Only at the waste of money and general uselessness of the place. |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 6 2005, 03:49 PM |
| Falcon stepped off the plane. "Nice, but couldn't go wrong with a few anti-air turrets. I shall have some installed immediately." He said, turning to a footman, who wrote down the measurements. "Still, I could get used to a place like this." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 6 2005, 04:12 PM |
| OOC: Gotta love the minimalists. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 6 2005, 04:31 PM |
| After shaking hands with President Bren, Patriarch Khara looked about the beautiful scenery and toke a deep breath, letting out an ear-to-ear smile as he did. "I must say, I'm already impressed by the landscape of your country Mr.President." he said in reference to President Bren. After taking a few more moments to take things in, and glad-hand any other awaiting Nedalians, the Patriarch then stepped into his limo and stretched out, relaxing on the way there and ocassionaly looking out at the rolling, green hills. OOC: At what point did I say I was a democracy Star?  OOC Edit: You haven't built this place outside Kafra. Plus, how do the democrat nations feel being in an alliance with non-democracies? Betrayal of principles, anyone? - Star |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 7 2005, 05:12 PM |
| The delegates arrived at the SDL Headquarters right on schedule, dismissing the rumor that Nedalians never did anything on time. President Bren escorted each of the members to their mansions, while Stack and Dewars Strand led the other delegation members to their bungalows. The event was planned for the evening, but for now, there was a few hours in which everyone could get their rest and freshen up. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 7 2005, 06:20 PM |
| Patriarch Khara let out a low whistle as President Bren showed him to his mansion. He stopped briefly to take in the sights and walk around a bit on the grounds, then turned to thank the President. Heading inside, Khara went straight for the largest bathroom he could find and drew himself a nice hot bath, after which he headed to his bedroom, turned on the TV and passed out on the bed. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 7 2005, 07:00 PM |
| Taking the time to look around the complex, Stone was slightly impressed. The lucky Lamonian delegate to the SDL was going to like it here, he thought. When he toured the exclusive five floored Lamonian building, he decided that the intelligence services would get the top floor, the military the next two floors, communications would be on the second floor, and the rest of the staff would be on the first and second floors. Then they went to the Lamonian mansion. Stone liked what he saw, but as he was tired from the flight, he fell asleep the instant that his face touched the pillow. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 8 2005, 07:39 PM |
| Patriarch Khara woke up earlier than he had expected. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he groggily looked around his bedroom and smiled. 'These Nedalians sure do know how to make a man welcome.' he thought to himself as he walked over to his suitcase and grabbed a change of clothes. Placing the clothes on the bed, he then hoped into the shower to clean up before changing and calling the limo to take him to the Khazaronian building of the SDL Headquarters. While on his way there he couldn't help but be awestruck by the sight of the massive SDL complex as he drove through it. 'Now if we can just back up this complex with some meaningful action, we can let those sophmoric autocrats know we mean business.' The limo came to a halt right outside the building. Stepping out, the first thing Patriarch Khara noticed was how deserted it looked. He grinned, "We'll have to change this." he said to himself as and stepped inside and began to look around. He decided the first floor would be given to the diplomatic corps and their aides. 'We'll need some pretty faces with nice charisma to give a good first impression to visitors.' he thought to himself as he went up to the second floor. On the second floor he would place the security detail for the building, and would make sure to give it some of the nicest goodies and survelliance equipment tax money could buy. Perhaps even some vault areas to put sensitive materials. The third floor would be home to the Khazaronian Armed Forces presence of the SDL. The fourth floor would house the Khazaronian Special Service for all of Khazaron's intelligence needs, complete with research labs and all other amenities that may be necessary for doing their jobs. Finally, the fifth and final floor would be given to the Khazaronian represenative to the SDL and his staff. From there, would the heart of Dominion's presence in the SDL beat. After almost an hour and a half of touring the facility by himself, the Patriarch walked back outside, stopping to look at his watch. "Ah, excellent, still plenty of time before the meeting starts. Hmm..." a slightly mischievious look came over his face and he turned to his driver who had stepped out of the limo to have a smoke. "Driver, take me to the bar and restauraunt that's been set up on complex. I'm a bit famished and am anxious to sample some Nedalian quisine." The driver nodded and opened the door for the Patriarch. Stepping inside the limo, Khara reached for the phone next to his seat and dialed the operator, requesting to be connected to Archon City in Khazaron. As the car drove off towards the bar/restauraunt, Patriarch Khara was making sure that his aide Johnathan began preparing the Khazaronian delegation to the SDL HQ immediately. He wanted nothing but the best personell and equipment for their presence here. While the whole ordeal would take awhile, it would be well worth it. After getting through reciting a rather long list of wants, Khara paused for a moment to think of who he should name as the Khazaronian represenative. Then it dawned on him and he smiled. "And notify Stephen Rish, First Archon Alexander's old friend, that if he'd like the privelege of being my eyes and ears in the SDL, he may have it." Pausing for a second to listen ot the response, the Patriarch chuckled and responded. "Because I see great potential and charisma in him, that's why. Now get to it." With that he hung up the phone and relaxed the rest of the way. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 8 2005, 08:23 PM |
| President Bren, Foreign Minister Dewars Strand, and leading delegate Donny Stack were all enjoying some of the finest Nedalian rum over at the "Republic", the resident bar/lounge/restaurant. They weren't discussing politics, however; the debate was an intense conversation about the newly finished Year Three of the Nedalian Premier League. Other than the 3 Nedalians, the Republic was empty save for the barman and the waiters who were waiting on them. It was late afternoon, and the meeting was not till a few hours later. The President had planned a party in the Nedalian mansion here in the SDL Headquarters, and it was at the party that all the signatures were going to be signed. As the alchohol continued to flow, Stack noticed a limo pull up infront of the Republic; it was none other than the Khazaronian Patriach stepping out of the car. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 8 2005, 09:25 PM |
| Half-expecting to find himself drinking and eating alone at the Republic, Khara was suprised President Bren, Minister Strand and Mr.Stack all there having a good time. This pleased him to no end, as he would rather have some good company while he dined. Walking up to the gentlemen, he smiled and bowed slightly. "Good afternoon everyone. It seems you had the same idea I did." he then proceeded to take a seat at the table, flagging down a waitress and ordering some rum, he then turned to the others. "So tell me, I've been dying to sample some Nedalian quisine, what's the best dish to have?" |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 9 2005, 12:20 PM |
| Falcon slid down the banister, resplendent in an evening suit and the now-infamous gunstick. "Hmm. I'm ravenous. Give me something to eat. Surprise me." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 9 2005, 06:08 PM |
| Stone came into the restaurant/bar right behind King Falcon. "He spoke for both of us with that comment, I should think." Stone said. He sat down with the others, and waited for his 'order' to come to the table. Looking at President Bren, Stone asked about who was looking good in the Nedalian Premier League. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 9 2005, 06:33 PM |
| Dewars Strand quickly called off the chef, declaring he needed a "huge put of Kasava Leaf with Rice." Looking around at the puzzled faces of his guests, he tried to put things into perspective. "Kasava Leaf is the name we give to one of the most famous and traditional dishes here in Nedalia. We take the leaves from the Kasava plant, chop it up and the boil it. We add some meat and chicken to the equation, and soak it...I mean SOAK it, with Palm Oil. Palm oil is taken from the palms trees, ofcourse, of which we have plenty of. The final ingredient is some Nedalia hot peppers, and voila, you have Kasava Leaf. Ofcourse, we eat it with Rice, so hence, Kasava Leaf with Rice!" In the meantime, President Bren was conversing with Mr. Stone about the Nedalian Premier League. Answering Stone's question, he said,"It was a hell of a finish to the season, Rappor FC took it for the 2nd consecutive year. My favorites, Shoreland United, ended up being a disappointment, as I predicted them to be. They havent been the same since they sold Nene to those Vilitans. Aanjar did good as well, suprising many and finishing second. But I just heard the news that Tim James, the Nedalian Premier League Player of the Year, just completed a $8.4 million transfer to Krytenia from Dorpar. But I guess it can't harm our national team to have its players play overseas." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 9 2005, 06:39 PM |
| Patriarch Khara smiled at Minister Strand. "Sounds delicious. Perchance I could sample some of your Nedalian Rum as well? Unless of course you have a local drink that you would reccomend. I'm looking to broaden my tastes some." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 10 2005, 05:59 PM |
| "No, that shouldn't hurt your players at all. Look at the sucess that the other nations of AO have had with that tack. Why, there was once even a Lamonian playing the in the Starblaydi leagues, can you believe that? Maybe we could see a tape of the Nedalian Premier League championships later." Stone said with a smile. Smelling the delightful smells coming out of the kitchen, Stone really started to get hungry. |
| Posted by: Bettia Oct 11 2005, 01:37 AM |
| "That tape would make good viewing, the Premier League really does live up to its name sometimes" mused Brooks. "Its a shame there aren't any Bettians there, that would REALLY spice things up a bit!" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 11 2005, 03:44 AM |
| "I would love to see some Bettians make a name for themselves here in Nedalia. In fact, I insist that when you get back to Bettia, you find me some players who want to make the move west. I'm sure I'll find some clubs to bid on them. How are our boys doing in the Apex League, by the way?" commented President Bren. Meanwhile, the food had started arriving, and the Patriarch, Strand and Stack were the first to start digging in. Strand and Stack looked eagerly towards the Khazaronian, awaiting a response...(Nedalians take pride in their food.) |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 11 2005, 10:24 AM |
| Patriarch Khara would have given the two gracious hosts a response, if he did not seem pre-occupied with stuffing his craw. After several minutes of eating away he noticed that nobody appeared to be talking anymore. Slowly looking up from his plate, the Patriarch saw several people staring at him, to which he smiled sheepishly and chuckled. "Sorry, I guess I got a littel carried away." As the meal continued on, Patriarch Khara listened with some interest to the talk of sports between President Stone, President Brooks and the Nedalians. Khazaronians weren't usually the types to partake in such things, but that had mostly been attributed to the civil war. With conflicts having finally ceased, and things beginning to turn to normal, many of the Dominion's citizens were looking for other ways to entertain themselves that didn't involve killing each other. Many had taken special interest in the various sports played by their allies and neighbor nations. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 11 2005, 07:41 PM |
| Getting to be pretty hungry by now, Stone motioned the chef over and ordered himself some Kasava Leaf with Rice. The chef nodded, and walked to the kitchen in order to prepare the order. The conversation about football teams continued on, and Stone finally told the assembled group about Lamoni's bid to host the AO Champs League III finals. "We've entered Wolf Stadium in Nephi for the bidding. Our Stadium has more seating than the Hypocrian bid, but it should be a close race all the same if enough nations get involved in the eventual voting. It is ironic perhaps that an SAAS nation is the only other nation to submit a bid, but that is how things go sometimes." The chef finally came back with Stone's order, and placed it in front of him. Stone took a bite, and proclaimed it to be very good when he finished swallowing it. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 12 2005, 04:15 PM |
| "Hehehe, indeed. But Im sure the AO FA won't bring politics into it, they'll consider each bid fairly." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 12 2005, 06:59 PM |
| "I wouldn't have it any other way." Stone said, and then returned to eating his food. When he finished, he felt much better, and started asking about who looked good in the 3rd AO champs league, predicting that every nation represented would have a different answer. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 12 2005, 09:48 PM |
| The food was magnificent, drinks were flowing freely, and the conversation was entertaining...President Bren felt proud. He was having a great time himself, discussing football amongst the others. He felt the SDL was going to be a great union. Roger Levine, the Sarzonian delegate, came through the door at that moment, and asked for a word with Donny Stack. Stack excuses himself, and exited The Republic with Levine. Strand and Bren shot each other looks, but apparently, the rest of the dignitaries did not notice; they were too involved in their drinking, eating, conversating. President Bren could not help just a little bit nervous; Levine had not mingled with his new SDL partners much and Bren knew there must have been a reason. A few minutes passed by before Stack came back into the Republic, but it wasnt the same way he had left. This time, he was alone. Bren immediately knew something was wrong... Stack approached Bren, and started whispering in his ear. With every word, Bren started to cringe a little more. Finally, Bren spoke up: "Gentlemen, I need your attention urgently. Something of a crisis has come up. Roger Levine, the Sarzonian representative, had received word from Grant Haffner, Sarzonia's Deputy Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer, not to sign the SDL charter. The only way Sarzonia's signature will appear on the charter is if Falcania step down from their operations in Diaminakere." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 12 2005, 10:02 PM |
| Patriarch Khara had just finished eating his meal and was enjoying a nice drink when Mr.Stack returned. As President Bren grew more distressed over the news Mr.Stack related to him, Patriarch Khara grew more concerned and worried. When the new finally came out from President Bren, Khara sank in his chair and sighed. "Gentlemen, I'm sure there's a way we could work out a proposal that would be mutually beneficial to both parties. After all, isn't that what the SDL is about, working together and helping each other? I mean, what are we, the SAAS? Will we only stand united and work hard for each other when it serves a military purpose, or will this alliance become something more? I think it can be, and to that end I propose working out an agreement between the Sarzonia and Falcania. Unless of course there are objections?" He looked around the table, particularly keen to see if King Falcon had anything to say in response to his proposal. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 13 2005, 06:51 PM |
| OOC: You might have to TG both nations if you want them to talk. |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 14 2005, 10:29 AM |
| Falcon lay back in his chair. "I am trying to cram over two billion people into an area half the size of your nation. I need the space. If that means taking over the territories of a former nation, so be it. But unless you are willing to give me some of your own land, you shouldn't protest about mine." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 14 2005, 12:40 PM |
| Stone spoke up. "I wonder, if Sarzonia can work out some kind of deal with Crystilakere allowing his navy to patrol the area; would that put Sarzonia's mind at ease?" He then waited for someone else to respond. |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 14 2005, 12:51 PM |
| "It's very simple. Diamindokere has ceased to exist, and therefore nobody should contest it." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 14 2005, 03:48 PM |
| "The problem is, Falcon, that Sarzonia do not like such aggressive military actions so near to their shores, which is quite understanable. No one is disputing your right to colonize; hell, we as Nedalians would be the last to dispute that, but Sarzonia also has a legitamite point. That is why we are asking for talks, so this can all be worked out in a proper fashion." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Oct 14 2005, 10:29 PM |
| Levine looked at King Falcon and scowled. Did someone turn this guy into Hitler or what, Levine thought, looking at Falcon as if he was sizing the man up. "My government's position is quite clear. We will not brook an aggressive military stance on your part so close to our shores, alliance membership or no," Levine said. "We would not object to a peaceful takeover of Diamindokere, particularly if it came with the blessings of Crystilakere. However, out government will not stand for hostile military actions from anyone, regardless of their political alignment. "Our position is clear: Continue your aggressive military takeover of Diamindokere and you risk Sarzonian opposition. That is not a position my government is willing to negotiate upon." |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 15 2005, 04:37 AM |
| "Fine. Fine. It's not as though I even need to be aggressive. All my troops shall be recalled immediately. But if you see this as an opportunity to kill innocent Falcanian citizens, well." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 15 2005, 06:12 AM |
| President Bren sensed tension in the air and was eager to disperse it. Atleast Falcon had agreed to withdraw his troops and begin talks about a friendly take over, which would ease Sarzonia's mind. This was not the way, however, the SDL was supposed to take form. President could only think of one thing: "Right, enough politics. I've got 64 shots of Nedalian rum mixed with a tiny hint of pineapple coming up, and between the 8 of us that leaves 8 shots for each. Lets do this." |
| Posted by: Bettia Oct 15 2005, 07:30 AM |
| President Brooks chuckled. "Thats very kind of you Mr Bren but I don't do alcohol - I'll just have the pinapple juice. Don't feel bad, it just leaves more rum for the rest of you!" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 15 2005, 09:41 AM |
| While waiting for the shots to arrive, President Bren turned to Brooks and said, "You know, I'm very glad you decided to join the SDL. With Krytenia to the north and Hypocria to the east, we have SAAS all over...but I feel much better with you on our side. Did you know the southeastern city of Dalutha, which is very close to Akani Sands, is now nearly 10% Bettian? Wonderful people!" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 15 2005, 09:49 AM |
| Patriarch Khara turned to King Falcon. "I'm sure nobody is seeing this as an opportunity for killing any innocents Your Majesty. We are all sensible men, wishing nothing but a peaceful solution." He then turned and nodded at President Bren. "Indeed that sounds good. Rum with pineapple I haven't tried yet. I always am looking for new mixtures of the drink." After hearing President Brook's comment, Khara smiled and rubbed his hands together, grinning. "Dibs on Brook's half of the rum then!" |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 15 2005, 04:28 PM |
| "Excuse me Patriarch, but Brooks was going to be served an equal share of the alcohol, not half of it!!" This was said with a grin as Stone saw that the promised alcohol was coming to the table. Seeing everyone except for the Bettians drunk should be entertaining. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 15 2005, 04:43 PM |
| "Arm wrestle you for it!" Patriarch Khara said, with a sly smile on his face, to President Stone. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 15 2005, 08:56 PM |
| Stone grinned. He could tell that this was going to be fun. "You're on, Patriarch!" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 15 2005, 10:05 PM |
| Letting out a chuckle, Khara turned to grab some of the drinks that the waiter was in the process of setting down on the table. With one in his right hand, and another in his left, he proceeded to pour both of the down his throat, placing the glasses on the table and smiling at Stone, placing his right arm forward on the table for the challenge. "Just needed some of me's spinach before we started." he grined as he stared Stone down. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 16 2005, 05:02 AM |
| "You've got to trust the Khazaronians and Lamonians to do something like this!" laughed Stack as he explained to President Bren and Dewars Strand about the "other" drunken night these fellows shared. President Bren looked over to President Brooks and said,"You need not worry, Brooks, the largest sect in this country are actually muslims, shi'ites to be exact. A large number of Sunnis call Nedalia home as well. I understand you completely. Its the month of Ramadan, is it not?" |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 16 2005, 04:32 PM |
| Stone barred his arm, and set it on the table while grabbing the hand of the Khazaronian Patriarch. At once, the arm wrestling began and Stone was actually holding up his end against the Khazaronian. As the wrestling went on, Stone was aware of the others drinking, and making bets as to who would win the competition. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 17 2005, 10:41 AM |
| Khara continued to grapple his right arm with the left of the President of Lamoni. Straining himself a bit, and seeming to slip as his arm came dangerously close to the table, he grabbed a nearby drink and downed it, turning to smile at the President as his arm suddenly seemed to regain its strength, and the two where once again locked in a test of strength, right in the middle of the field. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 17 2005, 11:34 AM |
(OOC: Alcohol replacing Popeye's spinach, Khazaraon?  )The Patriarch was doing fairly well in the arm wrestling match, but Stone was no weakling either. It seemed to Stone that they might actually be here for quite a while, neither side losing much 'ground.' |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 17 2005, 11:56 AM |
| (OOC: That's the idea. ) |
| Posted by: Bettia Oct 18 2005, 10:25 AM |
| Trying hard not to be distracted by the vital business of who gets the Bettian share of rum, President Brooks replied to Bren, "Well, I understand your concerns, but I think the worst thing we can do is..." He was interrupted by a loud drunken cheer emanating from the Lamonian delegation. "Heh, looks like it's one-nil to President Stone! Anyway, as I was saying, the worst thing we can do is to start viewing the SAAS as our rivals, or worse still, our enemies. That could destabilise the region, completely defeating the object of the SDL. Besides, we're on very good terms with Hypocria and I'd like to think we have good diplomatic ties with the Starblaydis. In fact, as AORDO Delegate, good ties with Starblaydia is something of a prerequisite as we have to work together to protect AO from any nasty folk who fancy having a pop at our region." He looked amused at the ensuing man-to-man contest taking place at the opposite end of the table. He decided a not-too-subtle change in subject to more light-hearted matters was in order. "I hear Dalutha's nice this time of year. Mind you, Akani Sands is nice too. I hear the Nedalian community there have opened up some pretty good restaurants - I wonder if their cuisine would match up to what you've served up today. I know its Ramadan, but I haven't been fasting today because of the long journey - I'm sure you know travellers are exempted from fasting as long as they fast the missed day afterwards."c |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 18 2005, 06:52 PM |
| Just when it had looked like the Patriarch was going to win the arm wrestling match, Stone got his own second wind. He forced the Patriarch's arm to the table, winning the match, and causing a cheer to come from the Lamonian delegation. "Seems like i've won the booze;" Stone said, "want to go at it again?" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 18 2005, 06:54 PM |
| "Ofcourse...Let me tell you something about our education system here in Nedalia. All students are taught Christianity and Islam, Christian and Islamic traditions, customs, rules, etc. We also make sure Judaism gets a portion, too. Your Maghreb borders the part of Nedalia with the area of Nedalia that is mostly comprised of Muslims, so we have more in common than you think! Concerning the SAAS, no one wants all our war to break out, I'm sure. With the fall of the FLMS, the SAAS wouldve had a monopoly on controlling regional affairs if the SDL hadnt popped up. Mind you, Hypocria are our dear friends as well, and we have never had a problem with the Krytenians. Starblaydia and ourselves have considerable contact...they even helped set up a defense system here in Nedalia. But ofcourse, we find we are most similar to Bettia in many ways. I will say, I'll most likely win this election coming up, but I believe in the next 6 years, my rival candidate will most likely be a Muslim. This country, is, afterall, just about 65% Muslim." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 18 2005, 07:19 PM |
| Patriarch Khara grinned and let out a hearty laugh as he downed two more drinks in quick succession. "Pft! I'm just getting started!" he said as he placed his right arm back on the table. "Let's say that we play now to split the booze in half?" The conversation between President Brooks and President Bren caught his attention and he turned briefly to adress them. "I agree with you in regards to the SAAS. Khazaron has had no problem with any of the member nations. In fact, we have an embassy with Ratlea, one of their newest memebrs. Also, with Nova Roma right next to us, the last thing the people of Khazaron will want is a war that could be taken directly to their doorsteps." Khara then turned to President Bren specifically. "We try something similar with Khazaronian schools. Although we try to seperate ourselves from officially sanctioning any one faith, we generally use the same guidelines of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to instill a respect for one's fellow man and for law and order. An interesting fact that you may not have known, but almost one quarter of Khazaron's population are Muslims." With that he turned back his attention to President Stone and their second round of arm-wrestling. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 19 2005, 06:56 PM |
| "Certainly, Patriarch." As the match went on, Stone talked loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "The Free Republic does not desire war with anyone unless they attack either us or our allies. This said, we know that Lamoni is seen as Starblaydia's main rival, and that the SAAS nations see the SDL as their rivals. Given such a situation, we feel that some kind of conflict will eventually come about. It might take a while, but it WILL come. We just don't know when or where." Just as he finished speaking, Stone took advantage of the Khazaronian Patriarch's attention on his words to win that round of the arm wrestling match. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 24 2005, 03:26 PM |
| With the dinner coming to a wrap-up, Bren decided it was time to head over to the Nedalian Mansion to begin the festivities. He asked everyone to step into their limos, head over to their mansions and freshen up, as they were do at the Nedalian mansion in an hour. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 24 2005, 05:37 PM |
| After 'freshening up' and taking a short nap, Stone got back into his limo and made it to the Nedalian mansion ten minutes early. He wasn't sure why exactly the Nedalians were bringing everyone to their mansion, but he thought that it was going to be some kind of reception. Or maybe an impromptu briefing on something or other. Either way, he would find out soon. Knowing what the inside of the Lamonian mansion looked like, Stone was not surprised to see the signs of wealth and political/military power in the Nedalian mansion. |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 26 2005, 06:23 AM |
| Falcon stepped out of the shower and examined the hard nubs of bone on his shoulder blades. "Hmm, strange. They definitely weren't there last night." He shrugged, and stepped into a dark blue velvet suit with a matching top hat and maroon cravat. Falcon picked up his gunstick and proceeded downstairs, where he took a refreshing lime cordial and began his walk to the Nedalian compound. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Oct 26 2005, 08:34 AM |
| While he was walking toward the room, Levine heard his phone beep. He looked at the phone and rolled his eyes at the text message. ROGER. RETURN HOME NOW. -- GRANT He opened the flip phone and checked his voice mail. He approached the Nedalian delegate and, with every effort to convey the apologetic feeling he had upon receiving the blunt message from Deputy Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Grant Haffner. "I'm afraid I'm being recalled to Woodstock," Levine said. "My government refuses to be part of any alliance with Falcania as long as they continue to poach on Diamindokere. I can't stay here, sorry." With that, Levine grabbed his still unpacked suitcase and trudged toward the transport that would take him back to Sarzonia. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 26 2005, 09:07 AM |
| The Nedalian FA, Dewars Strand, quickly approached Levine, and said, "Mr. Levine, I wish for you to ask your superior a simple request; ask if I may come with you to Sarzonia. I understand that your country's stance is firm on the subject, and I will not try to change your mind to stay here in Nedalia. I wish, however, to speak with whomever it is I may get a chance to talk to in Sarzonia. I am Nedalia's 2nd in command, the President's right hand as they say. Can you please convey that message before you depart?" |
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 27 2005, 12:20 PM |
| Patriarch Khara headed went back to his mansion to take a nice relaxing nap, then changed into a much more comfortable khaki pants, white buttoned shirt, and brown leather shoes. He decided to throw on his tan leather jacket to match with the khaki pants, for a nice finishing touch. As he was proceeding downstairs to the limo awaiting him outside, the pilot of his plane came rushing up. Normally Johnathan would be here with him as his aide, but due to several matters back home in Khazaron, and the suddeness with which they departed for Nedalia, the pilot was filling in as the aide to the Patriarch. Glancing at the man as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Khara paused for a moment to straigthen out his cuffs. "Yes? What is it you need to tell me?" The man bowed to the Patriarch and then cleared his throat. "It appears that Sarzonia is withdrawing their delegation from the proceedings on the account of the Falcanian situation." The Patriarch sighed and shoke his head. "This is what I feared would happen. Still, this matter would be better discussed with the other members. Let's get to the Nedalian mansion first." Patriarch Khara said in reply to the aide/pilot. Nodding fervently the aide/pilot opened the door for the Patriarch and joined him inside his limo as they sped off to the big gala at the Nedalian mansion. |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 28 2005, 06:17 AM |
| Falcon strolled into the lodge, completely aware of the chaos he was causing, and also aware that he wasn't the most popular person in the world at the moment. He sat down on a sofa and waited for the others to arrive. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 29 2005, 03:31 AM |
| President Bren had already dispatched Dewars Strand, and hopefully, Strand would be on his way to Sarzonia by now. He had not heard from him since he exited with Levine, and as of yet, there was no word whether he had boarded the plane to Sarzonia or not. In the meantime, President Bren headed downstairs only to find Falcon sitting on the couch. With a smile on his face, Bren approached Falcon with his hand extended, "How are you, my good friend? Hope all is well." |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 29 2005, 07:34 AM |
| "I'm afraid not, Mr. Bren," Said Falcon, standing and shaking the hand. He sat down again. "My efforts for my people are breaking up this alliance. I remember the good old days when I was a prince. So little responsibility required. I said 'jump through the hoop,' they asked 'how high?' and all was merry. I don't know quite how my father did it. Still, not to worry. What was it that you needed?" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 29 2005, 11:04 AM |
| "Just greeting you, my friend. What of your efforts to take over Diamindakere, you still insist on doing so? Couldn't you find a piece of land that is not so controversial? I also heard you are endorsing Nyssa's application to the SDL...you will find yourself at odds with us, I'm afraid. That is a stance we will take very seriously. We are, as you may know, still officially at war with them. A new threat has propped up in the Western Territories that my intelligence tells me is directly connected to new Nyssa." |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 30 2005, 11:17 AM |
| "Diamindokere? It's a hunk of crap. But it's somewhere my people can live. And, trust me, it's vital. Population density in Falcania was insane. But now - All better! Besides, it's not a takeover. It's reclaiming unoccupied land. I may have acted a little rashly in getting those last few miners out of there, but what is done is done. Now my people are happy, Crystilakere appears happy. Everyone is happy against Sarzonia, who appears to be spitting the dummy because he isn't getting his own way. But still, such is life." He sighed. "And the reason I accepted the application? These days, Falcania needs all the allies she can get. No offence, but I honestly cannot see the reason you are still at war with Nyssia. If there turns out to be something wrong, then I shall withdraw the application. It doesn't look like they're going to get in, anyway. Now, where might one find a refreshing pot of tea?" |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 30 2005, 01:35 PM |
| "Nyssa is making it a point to prove to the AO that they will not be following the same path as its tyrannical leaders of the past, but in our eyes, they have already used up their second chance priviledge. I dont know if you remember, but after the SAAS bombing of Latao, peace talks were held successfully in Kafra, so we cannot be at fault for trying. This was after they nearly spun our skirmish between Holy Saints and ourselves out of control, perhaps entrenching the entire south of AO into a fullscale war. Our invasion did not stem out of nothing; they possessed nuclear weapons, and after the fall of Omsec, they went to rogue militants who no doubt aimed to use them on those they viewed as Latin enemies, and Van Papen refused to do anything about it. The belief was that Van Papen was hiding the weapons, something we could not allow. It was obvious that Van Papen was no better than his predeccesor, we took action and rid the region of the insanity it was becoming beseiged in. And now, there appears to be a resistance group popping up in the Western Territories that intelligence is suggesting is getting its funding from new Nyssa. Our situation with the Latin people runs deep, my friend, and that is why your acceptance of the application has hurt us deeply. You have all the allies you need in the SDL, which is why I am urging to relocate to another piece of land, other than Diamindakere." |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 30 2005, 02:59 PM |
| Falcon raised an eyebrow. "Like where, perhaps? Diamindokere is the only free place remotely close to my nation. I need any territory I can. Diamindokere is fine. Oh, and I sincerely recommend you give Nyssa one more chance. If things go awry, I assure you I will assist in their annihilation. But for now, things are good. Now, tea?" |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Oct 30 2005, 05:20 PM | ||
| Sarzo looked at the latest statement from Falcon and began to pace. He was thinking of all sorts of ramifications, from declarations of war to peace negotiations that were sure to go nowhere. Finally, he looked at a logo for the Atlantian Oceania Regional Defence Organisation and got an idea. "That's it!" He picked up the phone and called Vice President for Defence John Newman and said, "get me the AORDO now." "Mike, what do you have in mind?" "I'm going to petition AORDO to intervene in this dispute. We consider this a threat to our national sovereignty and we would like to ensure that peace remains in our corner of Atlantian Oceania. Perhaps a bit of convincing by AORDO might do the trick." "Good idea Mike," Newman said. "That way, we're not isolating ourselves." "Exactly my point."
|
| Posted by: Khazaron Oct 30 2005, 08:06 PM |
| The Patriarch finally arrived at the Nedalian mansion. He quickly joined President Bren and King Falcon. "Good evening gentlemen. Mr.President, I was wanting to ask you this before I forgot, but do you happen to know if it would be possible for me to take some of that delightful Nedalian quisine back with me? Also, you wouldn't happen to have any other dishes to sample would you? As I said before, I'm trying to broaden my tastes, and so far Nedalian food has been very agreeable." The Patriarch smiled, only to hear his stomach rumble some, he chuckled at this then turned as he heard his aide approach and hand him a peace of paper. Patriarch Khara shoke his head as he folded the paper up and handed it back to the aide. "It appears that Sarzonia is attempting to get AORDO involved in the situation with Crystilakere. I don't know if I like where this may be headed." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 30 2005, 08:18 PM |
| "Waiter, get the Patriach some Beef Domoda!" shouted President Bren. Turning back to the Patriarch, he said, "Im sure you will love this dish. Again, we use palm oil, mix it with peanut soup as we call, some of our famous Nedalian pepper, and some beef. Served with rice, ofcourse." The President then turned back to Falcon,"I do not oppose your movement to relocate some of your population, my dear friend. What I did oppose was the way you did it...rash actions that are now leading to dire consequences. If you were to ask me personally, I would love to see a Sarzonian delegate sit down and talk with a Falcanian delegate. As for the issue of Nyssa, it appears to be that my reservations have been warrented." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Oct 30 2005, 09:15 PM |
| Walking into the mansion, Stone saw who was already there, and said, "King Falcon, just who I wanted to meet. I know that you don't like the blockade that Khazaron and my nation have set up around Diamindokere, but we might actually be doing you a favor. I'm sure that you are aware that Sarzonia is one of the largest and best naval powers on the planet. Even with all of your military/industrial abilities, I think that you'll find him to be a MUCH worse military foe than the Terri's. Yes, we know of them. Anyway, with Sarzo calling in AORDO, things might well be coming to a head. What I want to know is, what are you going to do about it?" |
| Posted by: Falcania Oct 31 2005, 07:16 AM |
| Falcon turned. "I am not duly worried. There is no military presence in former Diamindokere. The people have settled in nicely, and already the former territories are a thriving autonomous colony. Sarzonia has already been invited militarily into the colony to observe. Surely the AORDO wouldn't shoot innocent civilians? Indeed, I must thank you for your blockade. Although I questioned its wiseness in the beginning, really all it shows is solidarity against Sarzonia. As good as they are, I doubt even Sarzonia's military could withstand the combined forces of our region. I would also like to point out that the reason 'this situation will not resolve itself peacefully with things as they are,' as the Sarzonian petition so delightfully put it, is mainly because they keep threatening war. They keep making threats, and I'm not responding militarily. And so it shall happen for this threat of Sarzonia calling in AORDO as if they were his dogs." |
| Posted by: Latao Oct 31 2005, 07:47 AM |
| Well, we clearly see that the majority not only of SDL-states but the entire Atlantian Oceania sees and accepts the fact that the first AO-War can not be compared with the second AO-war, though both were – and I fully accept that – caused by the regime of Latao, but not the people of Latin descent. Progressive nations like Lamoni, Khahazaron or Falcania have already understood that the re-strengthening of Latao-Nyssa is nothing the world must fear. Latao-Nyssa has always been a medium power in the region and is yet again a factor of stability that can not be missed to ensure growth and wealthy in the entire region. Today, the AO-World bank (OCC: NS-Economy) rates Latao-Nyssa on place four of the strongest economies – a power that brings benefit and profit to all nations in the region. Integrating Nyssa into the international community is the best guarantee to ensure that Latao-Nyssa will never again go its own way due to its economic and industrial strength. And remember, there is still the bounteous offer of the after-war government of Nyssa to add an amendment to their constitution which forbids the use of armed forces outside their state borders or the acceptance of military observer’s stations operated by foreign countries. Nedalia makes the situation easy for itself – we should not forget that Nedalia is the only victory power that has annexed Latin territory while the other friends have withdrawn and handed over their occupation zone to the legal heir state of Nyssa. As sadly it sounds, Lamoni and Khazaron have shown to be true friends of the innocent Latin people while the the liberator Nedalia turned into an occupier. And now they wonder resistance against their occupation authorities ? The official representatives of Nyssa have multiple times clearly stated that there is no link between Nyssa and so-called resistance groups in the old southern areas – this accusation of Nedalia is anchorless not to say moronic. Mark Chiara, Strategic Chancellery of Nyssa |
| Posted by: Nedalia Oct 31 2005, 11:28 AM |
| "I already stated that Nedalia supports the blockade, if only to keep blood from spilling. We have not taken sides on the matter, and do wish to continue to make that clear," President Bren declared. "It seems everyone is starting to turn up, still need President Brooks before we can begin official procedures to ratify the SDL." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 4 2005, 04:18 AM |
| President Bren asked the waiter to pour him a scotch on the rocks. He looked around the silent room, trying to make out the faces of everyone and what was going through their mind. Finally, he said, "You know, I have decided to let go of my state-of-war status with Nyssa, but will maintain our no contact status. They can do as they wish, Nedalia will no longer oppose anything. But if we so much as feel an inkling of threat, well...." his voice drifted off. |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 4 2005, 04:38 AM |
| King Falcon began to applaud. "This is a happy day. Whiskey on me." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Nov 4 2005, 11:16 AM |
| The Patriarch was sitting in his chair, enjoying the delicious Beef Domoda, and generally having a good time. The feelings of tension and worry over the developing situation had died down some since sitting down to have a friendly discussion with his allies at the Nedalian mansion. As he was finishing off his meal, his aide came walking back up and leaning forward, whispered something in his ear and handed him a slip of paper. Thanking the man, the Patriarch finished his meal, whiped his face, and began reading the paper he'd been handed. A few minutes later the Patriarch sighed, shaking his head and turned to his aide. "Tell Admiral Calen to maintain the blockade no matter what. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is to be allowed through unless they are under a Diamindokere flag. If AORDO interferes, inform them that they are not welcome unless they plan on helping resolve this situation without bloodshed to either nation." The aide nodded and went off to deliver the message to the blockade group. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 4 2005, 07:02 PM |
| Stone noticed the aide running to the side of Patriarch Khara, and wondered what could be going on now. When the aide left, Stone caught Khara's eye, and gave him an expression that stated 'anything that I need to know?' It would not do for Lamoni to be blindsided in international matters. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 4 2005, 09:45 PM |
| Bren couldnt help but eavesdrop on the Patriach as he was talking to his aide. After the aide left, Bren leaned closer to the Patriarch, and in almost a whisper said, "You're taking on the AORDO? Thats guts, my dear friend, real guts." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Nov 6 2005, 01:19 PM |
| Turning to President Bren, the Patriarch shoke his head and smiled. "No necessarily taking them on, just showing them that we will not tolerate them throwing their weight around so old Tiby can stroke his ever-growing ego. I've no problem with them going to Diamindokere if they plan on helping the involved parties see reason. Otherwise, they may as well just stay home." Patriarch Khara then turned to President Stone and relayed to him the message his aide had given him. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 6 2005, 07:29 PM |
| Getting the message, all Stone would say to President Bren on the matter was, "I have to agree with the Khazaronians on this." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 6 2005, 07:44 PM |
| "I have never known both of you to be irrational, and I do believe you have the security of the AO in mind. I cannot comment on whether I agree or disagree, although I have publicly voiced my approval of the blockade. It is important for the SDL to show solidarity at this time, even if it goes against what we may believe. That's not saying, however, that I'm secretly against the blockade. With the AORDO getting involved, and Sarzonia has publicly stated its intention to use force if this goes on, I dont know how long the situation will last." |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 7 2005, 11:46 AM |
| "It will only last as long as he perpetuates it," said Falcon sitting down with a glass of iced tea. "You will note, I have not mobilised my military." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 7 2005, 08:08 PM |
| Stone felt a need to speak up. "If Sarzonia is to attack, I do not hold out any hope for the Khazaronian ships, which are doing the northern half of the blockade. Our ships would move to help the Khazaronians out, but I don't think that any of those ships will survive. Sarzonia is THE biggest naval power in AO, and certainly one of the biggest naval powers in the world. Distance will be the biggest defense of the Lamonian homeland, but I have no death wish. It seems to me that even if Khazaron and Lamoni were to both declare war on Sarzonia for shooting at our ships, he'd wipe us both out. We are playing a dangerous game, but I really do think that Sarzonia is over-reacting. Unfortunately, they have the power to back up their over-reaction." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Nov 7 2005, 09:09 PM |
| Patriarch Khara turned to President Stone. "We'll worry about what Sarzonia will do to us, if, or whenever, that happens. As of right now, I still consider him an ally and a friend. We are merely trying to make our friend sit down and see reason. As powerful as he is, without reason, President Sarzo's country will fall apart into anarchy. However, let it be known that my men WILL NOT back down shoudl things go sour. Our point will be heard, one way or another." |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 8 2005, 11:33 AM |
| Falcon looked into his glass. "I am considering opening a trade route to Sarzonia, to show that there are no hard feelings. However, I don't know if he'll accept it." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 8 2005, 08:21 PM |
| "Normally, Sarzo is fairly rational, but he has some MAJOR blind spots in his thinking. Any military action near him will seriously set him off, as your taking of Diamindokere has shown, King Falcon. I really do not know if he will accept a trade route or not." Stone looked to see if anyone else had an opinion to venture on the subject. |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 9 2005, 11:48 AM |
| "It is often said that a blind spot in thinking, like in the eye, occurs around the nerve. And I believe I have touched that nerve." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 9 2005, 07:53 PM |
| "And what do you think that his nerve is like, King Falcon?" |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 10 2005, 02:27 AM |
| "Perhaps it would happen that Sarzonia can't stand to see anyone prospering. Who knows? I assume Sarzo does." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 10 2005, 07:08 PM |
| "Just a question, but if that were true, then why hasn't he taken Starblaydia on yet? He could easily sink the Starblaydi navy." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 10 2005, 07:32 PM |
| "Well, I can speak on behalf of the Sarzonians on thing: while they might be rash on some of their desicions, they are hardly, if ever, without reason and rationale. Such strong language directed at the Sarzonians from the Khazaronians especially is not good, especially in this day and age when the SDL could benefit from the membership of Sarzonia." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 11 2005, 07:53 PM |
| "The Khazaronians consider the Sarzonians to be allies who need their hand held, to an extent. Never mind that Sarzonia might be the one nation in AO that could take the rest of the region on and win, with or without Ryloss." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 15 2005, 11:55 AM |
| As the discussion on the detioriating situation in Diamandikare continued, an aide walked in, and signalled to the President that all was ready. "Gentlemen, I believe the official SDL charter is ready for our signatures. If you may..." |
| Posted by: Falcania Nov 15 2005, 02:06 PM |
| Falcon razzed a pen out of a hidden pocket, signing the signature with skill and finesse. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 15 2005, 07:18 PM |
| Stone had an aide bring him an old fashioned quill pen and a jar of ink. Using this, Stone signed the SDL charter. "Let us hope that this well help bring peace and stability to AO." |
| Posted by: Khazaron Nov 15 2005, 11:44 PM |
| Patriarch Khara walked up slowly to the where the SDL Charter was sitting, looked over it for a few minutes, smiled broadly, and motioned for his aide to bring him something. The aide hurried over, carrying a small velvet box, opening it and revealing that inside there was beautiful dark blue ink pen, with solid gold trim. Khara delicately toke the pen from its case, walked up to the charter, and signed his name. Turning around to the other assembled leaders, Khara placed the pen back in its case and said "Yes, with this charter let it be known that we are dedicated to bringing peace and opposing tyranny in all of its forms." |
| Posted by: Nedalia Nov 21 2005, 07:36 PM |
| "Gentlemen, you are now all officially Nedalia's family. My people are working on a private airport, complete with a runway and private hangers for each nation here at the SDL Headquarters. I only ask that you inform us before flying in over Nedalian airspace as a security issues. Otherwise, I hope you realize that this now you're 2nd home, gentlemen. May the SDL live forever." |
| Posted by: Bettia Nov 22 2005, 06:09 AM |
| President Brooks, who had been rather silent lately due to the euphoria of the Aroras actually playing well, grabbed a well-worn biro from his jacket pocket and busily scribbled his own signature in his own inimitable scrawl... until one of his aides pointed out that it wasn't very diplomatic to write on other people's tables. Sheepishly, he wiped the still-wet ink off with a tissue, then proceeded to sign the charter. |
| Posted by: Hockey Canada Nov 22 2005, 08:15 AM |
| OOC: I had an offer to join the SDL at first but never took the time to actually RP in it. Now that I have been offered another chance i'm taking it. IC: Prime Minister Di Lorenzi had been sitting quietly for most of the procedures, not mentioning anything. In traditional Hockey Canadian fashion, she was not the person to take action immediately or drastically. Motioning for one of the assistants to bring a pen, she looked at the piece of Hockey Canadian history in her hands. The pen every Hockey Canadian player used to sign contracts, every declaration was signed with, the history of Hockey canada was (as you could say) written with it. She just shrugged and wrote her name in fancy calligraphy. "O Di Lorenzi" |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 22 2005, 07:13 PM |
| Stone decided that it was time to schmooze a bit with the Hockey Canadian leader. Walking over to where Prime Minister Di Lorenzi was still standing after signing the SDL charter, he politely introduced himself and chatted about the latest Karakan-Irkutsk match in the Champions League. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Nov 22 2005, 09:47 PM |
| Patriarch Khara smiled as he observed all of the national leaders schmoozing and talking in the aftermath of the signing of the charter. Things were going quite well. He grabbed the attention of his aide and whispered something in his ear, the aide then ran and got a bottle of Khazaronian rum, which Khara proceeded to pour a glass of and drink from. |
| Posted by: Hockey Canada Nov 23 2005, 08:24 AM |
| After talking with a few of the other representatives, Prime Minister Di Lorenzi noticed Stone approaching. After some breif introductions, the latest matches in the AOCL was brought up to some chuckling from Di Lorenzi. "Don't worry about anything if you play the Canucks teams in the Champions League. An easy three points should help you get through to the next round." After offering a drink in the traditional Hockey Canadian fashion, she smiled and sat down to continue the conversation with the Lamoni Leader. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Nov 23 2005, 07:57 PM |
| Stone smiled at the Prime Minister's comment, and accepted the offered drink. "Karakan should easily make it to the knockouts, and Nephi is still in third in their group. Truthfully, Nephi is doing better than I thought that they would, while i'd be dissapointed in Karakan if they DIDN'T make it to the knockouts. Either way, I would like to point out that your own teams have been doing fairly well. Give them enough time, and even Starblaydia and Vilita will take notice. As for the drink, is it some kind of Hockey Canadian national drink? You've managed to engage my curiosity, Madam Prime Minister." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 13 2005, 12:01 PM |
| Several months after the legislation was originally presented to the House of Delegates, it still hadn't passed. The original proposal to have Sarzonia join the Strategic Defence League failed to leave the Foreign Affairs Committee when then-Chairman Connie Jacobi (Liberal Imperialist-Somerset) refused to cast the tie-breaking vote. As a result, when Parliament went on recess, the original Charter ratification vote died. Now, with a new session of Parliament yielding a slight plurality in favour of the newly-renamed Progressive Party, Jacobi, now the Speaker of the House of Delegates, watched as her colleagues on the committee actually approved a vote to allow the legislation to hit the floor of the House. The Senate passed the legislation twice, but in Sarzonian politics, the House of Delegates had the power once yielded by the U.S. Senate. "Do we have a motion on the floor regarding the proposed ratification," Jacobi asked. She looked around for a couple of heartbeats, waiting for someone to propose the legislation. I swear I hear crickets, she thought as the allotted wait time of ten seconds was drawing to a close. Finally, as the rule-imposed deadline was tenths of a second from expiring, Liberal Delegate Sally Benton (New Granzi) spoke. "Madame Speaker, I move that the House of Delegates approve this charter as written." Jacobi looked at her watch. Another three tenths of a second and it would have been too late. "Second," Al Chambers, a Progressive Delegate from Cumberland said. "It's been moved and seconded. Call for consent. Any objections?" "Objection," Bart Connors (Conservative-Endymion) called out. "The motion needs to be debated on the full floor. Figures, Jacobi thought. "Hearing an objection, I call for debate on the motion on the floor." After four hours of protracted debate, Jacobi finally was able to say words that her predecessor waited in vain to utter. "I call for a vote on the motion on the floor to have the Incorporated States of Sarzonia petition to join the Strategic Defence League. All those in favour, please indicate so by pressing the corresponding voting button. All those opposed, please indicate so by pressing that button. The tally will be registered on my computer panel in real time and I will notify you of the results." Now the real fun begins. She sat down and watched as the numbers beneath "Aye" and "Nay" began to change at seemingly breakneck speed. Jacobi eyed the result closely, but knew that two final roadblocks remained that could potentially keep Sarzonia from joining its democratic brethren in an alliance that could check the SAAS: A call for recount that would force manual votetaking that could last weeks or a Presidential veto. Even though Sarzo was believed to support the alliance, the prospect that Sarzo could leave the decision to Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis also remained, and she was on record as opposing the SDL. "George Washington once warned the United States about entangling alliances," she argued. "We're already in three alliances." With Sarzo due to leave town within a matter of hours, it remained to be seen if he would sign the legislation or not. |
| Posted by: Khazaron Dec 13 2005, 01:39 PM |
| It was cool afternoon in Archon City. Indeed, the afternoons had been getting progressively cooler for several months now, and winter was considered to be just around the corner. The sun cast spears of light into the library at the palace as the Patriarch sat reclined into his nice black-leather chair, reading from a rather dusty looking tome. He flipped a page and adjusted his glasses on his head with his index finger. A slight creak was heard from the other side of the rather cavernous palace library and the Patriarch perked his head up and closed his book. Rising from his chair and placing the book on the foot rest, he peeked just around the corner of the bookcase his chair was beside to see his aide Johnathan closing the large oaken doors to the library. Patriarch Khara let out a sigh. 'Just when I thought I'd be able to get a few hours alone to catch up on my reading.' he thought to himself as he walked over to meet with Johnathan. His aide seemed rather chiper this morning, much more so than he had been in quite a long while in fact. This caused the Patriarch to raise an eyebrow at his aide's strange mood. "Yes Johnathan? Is there a reason you disturbed me during my leisure time?" Johnathan couldn't help but continue to beam a smile. "Great news Highness. It appears as though Sarzonia may in fact be joining the SDL after all. After some initial troubles in their House of Delegates, they have brought the issue to a vote once more. From what our sources say, it stands a better chance of passing this time than last." He paused a moment to catch a breath before continuing. "Although there are some concerns that there could either be calls for a recount, which would slow things down greatly, or that Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis would veto the idea. This last one only being a problem if Sarzo decided to leave the issue to her." Patriarch Khara nodded, taking in the information, before crossing his arms and giving his full attention back to his aide. "Inform our delegate at the SDL HQ in Nedalia that if they petition to join, Khazaron will endorse them whole-heartedly." Johnathan nodded and turned to leave, only to be stopped by the Patriarch grabbing his arm. "Oh and Johnathan..." "Yes Highness?" "No more interruptions for the day." Johnathan smiled and nodded. "Of course Highness." He then exited the library, quietly shutting the door behind him. |
| Posted by: Nedalia Dec 14 2005, 06:36 PM |
| The word must be out by now, thought the aide as he ran down the hall in Nedalia's office halls at the SDL HQ. Just a few minutes ago, the Khazaronian delegation dispatched a memo to the Nedalian intelligence office about what was happening in the Sarzonian House of Delegates. The memo was confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Dewars Strand, who visited Sarzonia himself a few months ago on a relationship strengthening mission, and now it was to be released to the Nedalian SDL Intelligence team to act upon. The Sarzonian delegate, led by Mr. Levine, walked out before the signature procedures due to rising tensions between themselves and Falcania, and it did not look likely that Sarzo would welcome the SDL charter again. However, this quick turn of events left many stumped, but all excited. The aide arrived into the office out of breath. He went directly to Nedalian SDL HQ Chief, Mr. Assad Ghandour. "Sir, the Sarzonian House of Delegates is voting on the SDL matter as we speak," said the aide, catching his breathe. "So Ive heard," responded Ghandour. "They know full well where we stand on the matter. Make sure they know that they have President Bren's and Nedalia's full support on the matter." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 15 2005, 12:50 AM |
| [OOC: From the looks of it, Falcania's ignored his colonisation attempt on Diamindokere. If he'd never RP'd that to begin with, I never would have left the SDL. In the "new reality," the measure just died in the House rather than have Levine walk out and leave SDL at the altar, as it were. That's how I'm explaining how Sarzonia never joined an alliance when they now don't have the same kind of reason to not be in it.] |
| Posted by: Falcania Dec 15 2005, 11:59 AM | ||
Yep. I'm hoping that if I ignore it, it'll go away. So are you rejoining SDL or what? |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 15 2005, 01:33 PM | ||||
OOC: If you don't try any imperialism up my bum crack, yeah. Otherwise, no. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Dec 15 2005, 06:52 PM |
| OOC: I can't speak for Sarz, but i'm sure that he let you have Diamindokere if you cut a deal with Crys, Falcania. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 18 2005, 09:32 PM |
| Jacobi watched as both numbers throttled toward the final count, but the vote count didn't include several members who weren't in attendance. The final vote count came in at 246-246. She announced the vote, which if it were final would kill Sarzonia's chances of joining the SDL. However, Connors spoke up. "Objection," he thundered." I move for a manual vote with all members in attendance." "Bart," Connie snapped, but she soon saw murmurs of agreement from people on each side of the aisle. She closed her eyes and grimaced, finally taking a deep breath. "Very well, all members please handwrite their votes and bring them to the House Page. She picked up a sheet of paper and wrote her vote onto it, then turned and handed it to him. She knew the manual count would take a long time, but she was determined to make everyone in the chambre wait it out with her. "I direct all members to remain in this room until such time as the manual count is complete." She heard the eventual groans from the members, knowing that could take several hours. "If anyone wants to use the powder room, now's the time." She almost felt the hours drag on as the manual vote was taking place, then she received a note that Sarzo left Woodstock en route to Hamptonshire. That meant Lewis was in charge and she could veto the decision even if the House voted in favour. She wondered if she was even going to get the opportunity to talk to Lewis and impress upon her Sarzo's wishes, but she found something even more ominous. Sarzo left no instructions with Lewis as it related to the vote. She was going to make the call herself if the House approved the measure. After eight hours of the manual count, the page finally returned with a sheet of paper. Jacobi looked at the contents and drew in her breath. She slowly walked up to the microphone and tapped it twice. "Your attention in the chambre, I have the outcome of the manual vote in my hands." [OOC: If Falcania wants Diamindokere and he makes a deal with Crystilakere, he's going to have to reassure Sarzonia that his intentions are not hostile. He may also have to provide other considerations.] |
| Posted by: Nedalia Dec 19 2005, 03:26 AM |
| "Sir, the Sarzonian vote on the SDL has just come in," said the aide as he rushed in, completely out of breathe. Nedalia's SDL Intelligence Office was following as closely as they could, with their sources in Sarzonia using every bit of knowledge and connection they had to get the results back to Kafra. "Well?" asked Foreign Minister Dewars Strand. "246-246, sir." "F**k. That means no Sarzonia in the SDL then..." "Not neccessarily, sir. It was reported that their was an objection and call for a manual recount. Apparently, many of the members weren't in attendance." "So what exactly is going on?" "Well, sir, they're going through the manual recount process, and our sources are saying the results should be out in any minute now." "Listen, as soon as the results come out, no matter whether favorable or unfavorable, I want an official statement, private and discreet, dispatched to Sarzonia. Understood?" "Yussir." |
| Posted by: Falcania Dec 19 2005, 06:21 AM | ||
OOC: Nope, that little diamond-shaped island is more trouble than it's worth. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 19 2005, 09:35 AM |
| [OOC: Time to end the suspense.] Jacobi looked around and was aware of a presence in the chamber. She looked back and saw Lewis standing there with a steely gaze in her eyes. Jacobi scanned Lewis's eyes for some indication of what Lewis was thinking, but Lewis stared purposefully ahead, giving nothing away. Jacobi took a few extra seconds to compose her thoughts as she was aware of every eye in the chamber being on her. She was also aware that the television cameras pointed intently at her and the political junkies, not to mention those paid to be the talking heads of Sarzonia, were waiting for her to respond. God I wish Josh were still here, she thought. She was going to propose a Constitutional amendment to do away with term limits if it was the last thing she did. She knew it probably would be, but that this point, she didn't give a damn. She just wanted this moment to be over with. Finally, she screwed enough of her courage to the sticking point to announce the vote. "By a vote of 276-274, the House of Delegates votes in favour of ratification." The room erupted into a mixture of wild applause and hisses and cat calls, but Jacobi banged her gavel forcefully. "Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis is here to announce her decision." The hearts of those in the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party who pushed for the alliance were in their throats because their normally strong coalition with the Moderates was almost nil. As a Moderate, Lewis was dead set against the SDL, and she was given no explicit instructions before Sarzo left for Hamptonshire. Lewis walked up to the podium and began her speech. "Sometimes in our adult lives, we have to make decisions that we know will be unpopular," she began. "Sometimes, we have to look at the bigger picture and make decisions that may not be what we want for now, but we know will mean a better tomorrow. It is in that spirit that I hereby ascribe my signature ratifying Sarzonia's petition for entry into the Strategic Defence League. "My opposition to encumbering alliances is well-known," Lewis said. "This move is not one that I would make if I were President. However, out of respect for Mike's wishes, I'm going to defer to his better judgement." The next sound to resonate through the chamber was the sound of 550 men and women finally exhaling. |
| Posted by: Falcania Dec 19 2005, 02:01 PM |
| OOC: What does ratifying mean? Does this mean you're in? |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Dec 19 2005, 03:10 PM | ||
OOC: Yes. |
| Posted by: Lamoni Dec 19 2005, 07:36 PM | ||
| Keeping abreast of all the happenings in the Sarzonian government as regarded the SDL votes, President Stone and the Lamonian cabinent watched the feed from SDL intelligence intently as the manual recount took place. When Jacobi announced the 276-274 vote in favor of ratification, things started to wax euphoric; until Stone quieted everyone down when Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis appeared on the screen to make the decision as to whether to sign on to the petition or not. You could have heard a pin drop in the Lamonian cabinent room as the Sarzonian Lieutenant President made her speech. They all knew that the Madam Lieutenant President was against the SDL; and the applause only started when her speach had concluded. By then, the applause was deafening. Some helpful soul brought in a case of Lamonian Vodka, and a party-like atmosphere erupted. Luckily, the Lamonian statement was sent out BEFORE everyone got drunk. 
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