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| AO Forum :: > Regional Discussion > Spread your wings |
| Posted by: Falcania Jun 5 2007, 04:45 PM |
| King Falcon surveyed the first print edition of The Wanderer. The Falcanian Press still maintained the tradition of the Stop Press News, in a little column on the back page, containing the news too sudden to be included in the main printing. However, as the man who, according to legend, was descended from the woman who laid the world like an egg in the colossal nest of the universe, Falcon was entitled to an advance copy of tomorrow's paper. The news wasn't good. Another slum collapse. The country was stretched to breaking point. This was the third such incident this week. The public were complaining, as the public were wont to do. There was an outcry for something to be done. What to do, what to do... He began to peruse the region map. There was a tiny diamond to the north, which symbolised a dark spot in Falcanian foreign policy. There was, however, a chance... he would have to consider his next move on "Spot 3" carefully. |
| Posted by: Falcania Jun 21 2007, 05:23 PM |
| Johnteh Lynnen, editor-in-chief of The Wanderer, sat in his chair, shuffling through the reports and drafts he'd been sent. The big news was obvious: The King's U-turn on expansion policy. Needless to say, this was quite a sensation among the Falcanian press. The last expansion attempt had been a shocking morass of bad foreign policy, and now the King was attempting to have another stab at Former Diamindokere. Well, fair play to him. The official statement was expected to be presented tonight - the press conference was in ten minutes. ---- The King stepped up to the podium, notable for his simply-cut suit next to the resplendent finery of the Falcanian Military Brass flanking him. He adjusted the single stalk microphone and began to speak. "I stand before not just the assembled chicks and gentlemen in the room this evening, but before the collective minds of the entire region. And I stand before you all, not to request, but to announce. In 72 hours the skyliners will begin to ferry Falcanian citizens to the new territory. You may call it Area 3, or Former Diamindokere, if you wish. In three days time, however, it will be known by its new name: Falcania. You have these three days of notice to protest. That shall be all." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jun 23 2007, 12:51 AM | ||
| Not again. "Goddamnit." With Sarzonia already eyeing the tension building up against Luslyvania, the last thing Sarzonians wanted was the threat of another war. However, an incursion, even from a nation that was at least on paper an ally was far from welcome. As Vice President and External Affairs Officer Grant Haffner was quick to point out to President Mike Sarzo and the rest of the Cabinet, alliances on paper weren't worth a whole lot these days. The Fourth Fleet would have to mobilise, along with the Third Incorporated Army. And unfortunately, the mobilisation would be offensive in nature. "Do you think it'd do any good," Sarzo asked. "It can't hurt. Besides, if Falcon wants to escalate, it'll be his doing, not yours," one advisor said. "I doubt that," Sarzo said. "Hopefully, the rest of the SDI will be on our side in this dispute." "Would that it only remains a dispute rather than an outright declaration of war," Senior Vice President for Defence John Newman countered. "One possible war is all we can really afford." "If we play our cards right," Sarzo responded, "there will still be only one imminent war." "But what if we don't," Haffner asked. "If we don't, well, we're going to clean their clocks. After we collect all the feathers and incinerate them." Damn that's bold.
Sarzo then turned to Haffner. "Get ready to draft our letter of resignation from the Strategic Defence Initiative." "What?" "You heard me Grant. Just in case there's any question about our seriousness, we need to back up our words with actions. Once this is done, resigning from this alliance will be the least of Falcania's worries." "Whatever you say, boss." |
| Posted by: Falcania Jun 23 2007, 03:16 AM | ||
Falcon sighed. He'd been over a barrel from day one. Had he done nothing, the housing crisis would have gotten out of hand. Had he pussy-footed around the issue, he'd have got nowhere. His only option had been a hardline stance on the occupation and even then the Sarzonians had the gall to get pissy. Carefully he began to draft a letter.
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| Posted by: Lamoni Jun 23 2007, 03:40 AM | ||
After reading the Falcanian statement, President Stinson felt a headache coming on. Why did this rupture have to reappear NOW of all times? This one time, just this once, he would give King Falcon the sensible alternative.
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| Posted by: Falcania Jun 23 2007, 01:02 PM | ||
Goddamn it. Just 12 hours had passed and Falcon needed a drink. He began to scribble a reiteration to hand to his secretary.
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| Posted by: Sarzonia Jun 23 2007, 01:35 PM | ||
| Son of a bitch. Sarzo angrily banged his fist against the desk in the Gray House. Oh well, he thought. Then he had another idea. He picked up the phone. "Kathy Bunhall." "Kath, mobilise the First Fleet and set a course for Diamindokere. And have Admiral Ben Newman and the Second Fleet set course for Falcania." "Diamindokere?" "If Falcanian transports are going to get through to Diamindokere, they're going to have to get through the best-led fleet the ISN has to offer. And having the second best fleet right on Falcon's doorstep will surely get our message across." "But Mike!" "I'm sure Admiral Marcus will know what to do." To wit, Flag Admiral Stephen Marcus would know. He was the standard bearer of the ISN after the retirement of Admiral of the Incorporated Sarzonian Navy Marcus Patinkin retired to civilian life. He had been through two of the tensest periods in the Sarzonian nation's life and he came through them. Now, he was about to lead the way for the ISN once more. Aboard his flagship, the ISS Isslemere, he frowned at this latest assignment. He thought he'd be on his way to coordinate the naval blockade of Luslyvania, but this was very different. "Regional politics," Marcus muttered. "What are we going to do, fire on the transports?" Commodore Elise Spencer asked. She was the second in command of the fleet, but her flagship, the ISS Nieland lay several kilometres away from Marcus's ship. "Elise, I think you'd know me better than that," Marcus said with a sigh. He was right. In fact, Spencer and he dated during their academy days. He briefly flashed back wistfully to the day when he was on bended knee with a glittering gold ring balanced delicately between his right thumb and index finger. Alas, that was not to be. He shook himself out of his brief reverie about what might have been and about the Fleetwood Mac-esque reality of having his ex-girlfriend under his command. Now wasn't the time to think about old loves. "Then what," Spencer asked. "We order them to retreat." "And if they refuse?" "Fire a warning shot across their bow. Prepare to board them if necessary. We won't take lives, but we will either turn them back or house them in Sarzonian prisons." Spencer shook her head. She hoped he was right this time. Meanwhile, Sarzo drafted his own response to King Falcon.
Sarzo grimaced after he sent the message. He thought ruefully that if things exploded, he would surely have arrived at one way to "solve" the Falcanian overcrowding problem. He still hoped it wouldn't come down to that. |
| Posted by: Falcania Jun 23 2007, 02:24 PM |
| OOC: *slaps forehead* Sarz, we're Falcanians. In case you hadn't noticed, we don't use water-based ships. We use air-based ships. Ones which fly too high for you to board. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jun 23 2007, 04:13 PM |
| OOC: Hate to break it to you, but that sounds too FT for me. I ignore that sort of technology. |
| Posted by: Commerce Heights Jun 23 2007, 05:25 PM | ||
The Hindenberg was FT? |
| Posted by: Khazaron Jun 23 2007, 11:34 PM |
| A large bout of swear words, that would have made even the most seasoned sailor blush, came from the office of Foreign Affairs at the palace. Sitting behind her desk, looking at the reports of the latest developments between Sarzonia and Falcania, Minister Danielle Uram was turning every shade of crimson, looking as if she wanted to strangle the papers she was holding. After a few moments passed she placed the report back on her desk, clasped her hands and let out a sigh. As if things weren't already stressful with the growing refugee problem from the old Nova Roman territories, and the ongoing war against Starblaydia, they now had to deal with a possible division in the SDL itself. Not exactly something that was looked forward to during a conflict. While military decisions where quite often left to the Ministry of Defense and the Patriarch, Danielle knew that acting fast on this would be the best course of action. She also knew the Patriarch, and Defense Minister Arani well enough to now what action would be considered appropriate. She picked up a phone and dialed the Lamonian foreign minister. "Yes, I would like to speak to Ms. Tanya Ley. This is Minister Uram calling from Khazaron. It's in concern to the Falcanian issue." After waiting a minute or two for the call to be transferred, Danielle began her already mentally prepared spiel. "I'll cut right to the chase, this is about one of the worst possible developments for us to have right now. We need to try and nip this in the bud. I propose we offer a sit down to both parties and try to work things out so we don't see a widening rift in the League. If Viannor and her cronies see us arguing like this, well, it wont exactly do wonders for our morale in the ongoing conflict." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Jun 24 2007, 02:56 AM |
| Foreign Minister Tanya Ley had been half expecting this call. "I'll have someone fax you the offer that we sent to Sarzonia and Falcania." After a nod at a staffer, a copy of the message to both Falcania and Sarzonia was sent to the Khazaronian Foreign Minister. She picked up where she had left off in her reply. "If you'll pull up the file that we just sent you..." a pause, "can see the offer that we made to King Falcon. One might think that this type of solution would be obvious with the huge open spaces in the region right now, but I guess that the mutation might have messed with their minds. We have received no response from either Sarzonia or Falcania about our missive, and it is looking like we will have to fulfill our publicly stated response of remaining neutral while backing Sarzonia. King Falcon doesn't need area three when he can just move to another place in the region; so all that his expansionism can do is provoke Sarzonia. What is the position of the Dominion on this matter?" |
| Posted by: Commerce Heights Jun 27 2007, 02:41 PM |
| Official statement of the Capitalizt Defense Alliance We, the Capitalizt Defense Alliance, recognize that the group from Falcania seeking to settle on the island formerly occupied by Diamindokere is peaceful, and constitutes no military threat to the Incorporated States of Sarzonia, the Unified Capitalizt States, or any other state in the area. We have confirmed through multiple independent sources that no claim has been made by any nation on the island prior to the claim by the Free Kingdom of Falcania, and recognize that the Falcanian claim is valid. We will not tolerate any attempt by the Incorporated States or any other nation to prevent people from exercising their legitimate rights on their own property in a foreign nation. Should the settlers be attacked by the military forces Incorporated States, we will recognize this as an act of aggression against the Falcanian people and a breach of the Strategic Defense League’s charter. In an effort to help prevent such an occurrence, our naval and air forces will escort the settlers and, if necessary, defend them. We will coöperate with the SDL in fighting any nation who would place their xenophobia above their treaty obligations and common sense. General Alejandro Ajamdáneqo Commander-in-Chief, Capitalizt Defense Alliance |
| Posted by: Falcania Jun 28 2007, 03:49 PM |
| The loading docks were abuzz with activity. The logistics were phenomenal. The former population of the area had left quickly, and there were still towns, and small settlements. At a glance, all it needed was a population to use it, water to flow through the pipes in the grand plumbing of a society. However, the settling would be difficult. Establishing a remote government, extending the law - it would take a great amount of resources. And with only 36 hours remaining until the ships took to the sky, and Sarzonia on the illogical warpath, his allies milling around in their bureaucratic fashion, and houses collapsing all the while, it was going to be anything except easy. Ironically the only true ally was an unknown factor in Falcanian politics, the Grand Capitalizts. |
| Posted by: Falcania Jul 15 2007, 10:15 AM |
| "Chicks and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. In 12 hours we will be taking off. After the flight, you will be free to begin your new life, in a blissfully peaceful, fertile location. Currently the preflight checks for every vessel in this flotilla are taking place. It is an understandably large job, and we are being most stringent for your safety. In the meantime, please enjoy the facilities in your cabins and in the central living areas on each deck. That shall be all." |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jul 16 2007, 08:59 AM |
| [OOC: Commerce Heights, bugger off. I don't want to RP with you and I consider this to be a closed one-on-one RP if it comes to a war.] Sarzo sent the order in directly to the commanding officers of the fleets that assembled in front of the transports. Marcus shook his head. "All hands, this is Admiral Marcus," he began. He hated using his full official title on communicades. He realised people would look at his rank insignia and know exactly what his rank was. Besides, he wanted to be quick. "If a single Falcanian vessel breaks through this fleet, your orders are to target their engines and disable them. You are also ordered to escort them back to Falcanian territory. I repeat, target their engines and disable them, then escort them back to Falcanian territory." Meanwhile, Admiral Ben Newman also knew his orders, although his nearly made him sick to his stomach. "I want coordinates for their capital, their industrial centre and their largest city for the second there's a declaration of war," Newman said. "But first thing's first, I want ASAT weaponry to target all their communications and any weapons satellites. I want stand-off weapons ready to destroy any anti-aircraft batteries they have. Once that's done, I want a full barrage of gun and missile fire." Sarzo readied a quick statement but decided the better of it. Besides, he figured Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Grant Haffner would give it anyway. The statement?: "We'll take care of your overcrowding problem all right Falcon. By killing every last one of you." |
| Posted by: Falcania Jul 16 2007, 10:01 AM |
| OOC: Sorry, Sarzonia. It's my RP, and it is the *hell* going to be one on one. Also, you appear to once more forget that my flotilla are airship-based. |
| Posted by: Commerce Heights Jul 17 2007, 09:58 AM |
| “Sir, we’ve reached the transports. A number of Sarzonian vessels are in the water below their path.” General Berchem was relieved by the first half of that sentence—the journey from the naval base in Südtolzerio had seemed far too long—then sighed upon hearing the rest of it. “Anyone else come to the party?” “No, sir.” “Have the fleet prepare to open fire on the Sarzonians if they attack us or the transports. Open communications with them.” He waited, then held down a button on a nearby console. “This is General Stamos Berchem of the Capitalizt Defense Alliance. Your vessels are in violation of Falcanian territorial waters. Withdraw immediately.” He then mumbled, “Worth a try…” |
| Posted by: Khazaron Jul 17 2007, 03:26 PM |
| An aide walked into the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs Danielle Uram. He seemed a bit apprehensive holding a folder in his hand as he watched the minister type away on her computer. After noticing him in the corner of her eye, she sighed and turned towards him, already seeming to sense what he was going to say. "Yes, what is it?" The aide shifted his gaze nervously for a moment, before Minister Uram crossed her arms and began drumming her fingers. Finally, he let loose with the news he was carrying. "Falcania has refused to back down and Sarzonia is on their way to reprimand them. Furthermore, Commerce Heights is on it's way to open fire onto the Sarzonians if they should attack the Falcanians." Minister Uram nodded for a moment, let out a very frustrated grumble and waved her hand. "Send word to Minister Arani that we will need to spare some ships to send there to try and abate this disaster. It seems unlikely we will get there in time to do much, or anything, or be able to spare much to do so, but something has to be done. Also send out an official condemnation of their actions to the Falcanian government." The aide nodded and then left the room. Minister Uram got on her phone. "Get me the Lamonian foreign affairs office." She waited a moment for the connection to be made. "Hello? Miss Ley? This is Minister Uram over in Khazaron. We've got a problem..." |
| Posted by: Lamoni Jul 18 2007, 04:09 AM |
| "Hello, Minister Uram. I just got word on the Sarzonia/Falcania situation. We agree that it's only going to get worse. The Lamonian military has run simulations based on units known to be in the area... even the CDA ships. The simulations predict that the CDA ships will be sunk, and that a good portion of the Falcanian airships will be destroyed. They can't quite be sure if Falcon won't be able to get at least one of his airships to touch down on Diamindokere soil, which would likely make President Sarzo mad enough to send in ground troops to clear them out. Also, it's hard to predict which nation will jump what way if shots are fired." |
| Posted by: Falcania Aug 12 2007, 05:47 AM |
| Preflight checks had been performed, and with a roaring buzz, the massive convoy began to lift itself into the air. Young children pressed their noses to the windows, excited that finally they'd have a new, proper home. Couples kissed, families hugged. As they began to cross the ocean, the mood dampened, upon seeing the massive fleet of battleships below them. "Chicks and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Do not be alarmed by the little Sarzonian dinghies. We mean them no harm, and so they would be cruel to open fire. Even if they did, we're too high for their weapons to have any effect." The fleet were directly below the convoy, now. Sarzonia's next move, and the lives of millions of innocent people, were in his hands. |
| Posted by: Falcania Aug 24 2007, 02:28 PM |
| The very first transports alighted on the outskirts of the deserted city. An entire infrastructure waiting to be fueled by the lifeblood of population. Families stepped out, bright-eyed and ecstatic to have a new home. Policemen and officials began to marshal the colonists into a sense of order. These scenes were repeated at settlements up and down the country. The Falcanians were here. And they were here to stay. |