A Battle Unseen

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

December, 1st 4767 12:41 am Local Time Bureau of Intelligence Aikums, Dolgavia

Ludwig was finishing his shift. He had just word from an agent in Lourenne who messaged him via: shortwave that something dreadful had happened. He was waiting to receive confirmation when an intern burst through the cold damp room. "Sir, Sir" the intern said clearly out of breath. "Shut up you dumbhead" Ludwig responded as he waited for the response using his short wave... The intern kept persisting "But sir, sir". Ludwig shot back "Shut Up or you will be fired".... Then Ludwig saw what was in the pale faced intern's outstretched hand, a TV remote... Ludwig got up, his spine crackled as he had been sitting for hours. Still he had not heard from the embassy. He thought to himself "I can see what this is about, it will only take a few seconds". He left his office and walked next door to the break room. As he entered the damp, dark and slightly musty room he saw it... News he was shocked to hear... The embassy was right, Something indeed happened in Lourenne. The headline was in Red Bold Letters, "Queen of Lourenne Injured in Terrible Car Crash, Feared Dead". Ludwig rushed through the open door down the hall a few paces and entered his office with his many radios just in time to hear the call from the embassy in Lourenne. "Catfish 5, repeat Catfish 5 are you in". Ludwig answered out of breath, "We don't need to speak in code. Did you hear the news"? the voice on the other end burst through the static saying "How could we miss it. We are only located 6 blocks from where the crash occurred, We heard it with our own ears". "Ludwig answered, "What do you all think the situation is like? Is the Queen, Bless Her Soul Alright"? The Voice crackled through the persistent static again "We think she is dead personally. All the police presence, all of the ambulances. The usually bustling city is silent otherwise, too silent". Ludwig answered his face becoming clammy and cold like the room he was in "Alright, update my office if you hear more"...

It didn't take long for the news to come officially. Ludwig was in charge of all mail, traffic and information coming from Lourenne. He was on of the first to read the letter. The letter had been sent via, the internet and a physical copy was coming through traditional means, very soon. Ludwig knew what he had to do. He raced home in his car, little traffic was on the streets but with the snow and negative temperatures the journey home was a challenge. He arrived at his apartment, and burst into his room. His wife laid on his bed her brown hair covering up her face. He leaned down, gave her a quick peck on the cheek and went straight to his closet. He was the official informant under the ambassador to Lourenne. He grabbed his best suit put it on and rushed out into the cold Dolgavian morning. His shoes nearly slipped on the ice as he went down his cobblestone steps onto the street. He raced back to his car and checked his mirror, straightened his tie and he was off. By now he was usually in bed, falling asleep, but not tonight. He raced down the street hoping for no police cars because he was clearly going over the speed limit. He passed the Bureau of Intelligence a large white building with pillars and little insulation, that was his work. He slowed down as he approached the Prime Minister's residence. He pulled into the side gate.

A guard was standing in the guard station and asked for his ID. Ludwig gave it to him and the guard asked him for his official business. Ludwig said "I come with orders from the ambassador to Lourenne". The guard who was in no mood to argue let him in. He raced down to the VIP parking area and battled through the snow and wind into the building. When he got inside it was warm and he met 3 more guards. They again asked "What is your reasoning for being here"? Ludwig replied slightly annoyed, I need to see the Prime Minister. I have orders from the ambassador of Lourenne". His Canrillaise accent slightly broke through as he said those words angrily. "We can tell him ourselves" the guards said". They looked at him with a smirk. "Well, if this is the case", he handed them the letter. The two guards read the letter as their faces became pail and clammy, just like Ludwig's. Then they said "Follow us, the Prime Minister is till asleep but you can wake him up". Ludwig followed two of the guards upstairs. He went past portraits of paintings, of past Prime Ministers' Vilijo Lipmaa's hung first, followed by Marika Pihlak and so on. The two guards then met two more armed guards outside the Prime Minister's bedroom. The 4 guards whispered for a few moments before the white door creaked open. The noise was so loud the Prime Minister woke up. From inside the room came a sleepy voice "What is it"??? One of the guards said, "The ambassador to Lourenne wants to see you immediately it is imperative". The door went closed again as light spilled out from under the crack in the door. The Prime Minister seconds later emerged in a bath robe. He looked at Ludwig and said "You aren't the Lourennean Ambassador"???

"I am not" Ludwig replied. These guards misunderstood. I am the informant for Lourenne, I am second in command in comm..." He didn't finish his sentence before the Prime Minister said "Oh.... Yes Hello Mr. Svalberg". The two men shook hands. The Prime Minister had remembered, Ludwig was shocked. Without saying anything he gave the Prime Minister the letter. The Prime Minister read it slowly and his face went from smiling to disbelief. "Oh my God"...... he said still stunned. "What a terrible tragedy".... "Then he said "Hold on Svalberg, Meet me downstairs, You and I are going to inform the Queen". He rushed back inside and Ludwig walked slowly down the wooden stairs, The Queen of Lourenne, dead in a car crash, an explosion too... He couldn't take it all in. He had met the Queen on several occasions, usually standing next to the Dolgavian Ambassador to Lourenne. This was not going to be major headlines in Dolgavia, Ludwig thought, but what about Lourenne, what about the rest of Terra... This event could be one of the most important events in his lifetime.

His thoughts were interrupted by the Prime Minister who was jogging down the steps from his room. He rushed to the kitchen and beckoned Ludwig to follow. Ludwig got up from his recliner and followed. The Prime Minister opened up an old wooden cabinet and extracted a two glasses and a jug of alcohol. "Here you go" he said giving him a shot glass with a amber colored drink inside. The two men downed the Cognac and it warmed up Ludwig just enough to take in the situation. "Alright" said the Prime Minister as he grabbed his overcoat. "Off we go"...

The walk was not long. As they crossed the courtyard between the Prime Minister's residence and the Royal Palace the gardens were covered in a new layer of snow. The two men walked the short distance in the dark without any escort. They knew the grounds were the safest in all of Dolgavia. The two men trudged until they got to the back entrance of the Royal Palace. The two men walked up the dimly let corridor to the royal meeting room. This was down the hall from where the Queen and King's bedrooms were at. They met 5 royal guards who recognized the Prime Minister immediately. They said "Sir, why are you here". The Prime Minister calmly replied. "I need to see the Queen". The royal guards answered questioningly "alright then"......

The Prime Minister sat in the waiting area as the two guards went through the white doors to fetch the Queen. However it was not the Queen who they saw next, Out of the door came a Young Women about 5 ft 10 inches. She was wearing a simple red dress hastily put on and her blond hair was still wavy as it always was but messy because clearly she had just come out of bed. She also wore a shawl and slippers. She asked in a very soft voice rubbing her eyes "What is happening?" With this the Prime Minister who was staring out at the snow, shot up and said, "My lady, I was not expecting to see you here, however it is a good thing you are here, you need to hear this". Princess Konstanja looked back at him, her brown eyes scanning him, trying to figure out what was going on. Second later another figure entered the room. This women was older, in a simple white dress and a shall as her daughter, but her hair was in curlers. The Prime Minister instantly got up, so did Ludwig. "Your majesty, the two men bowed". The Queen answered, "I pray you have a good reason for waking me up at 1:43 in the morning Mr. Schützenberger, but she smiled and then said "but knowing you I know full well you like your sleep as much as anyone, you wouldn't wake me up unless it is important".

The Prime Minister answered "indeed her highness, it is important". I don't know how to say, this... I am still trying to wrap my head around it, but here it goes". The Prime Minister nearly broke down saying this Ludwig stayed silent. He felt sick to his stomach. How two pairs of eyes probed them for answers and the Prime Minister strained as he said "The Queen of Lourenne died last tonight in a terrible car crash. Her eldest son also passed away in the ensuing explosion". Ludwig looked, the kind joyful face of the Crown Princess looked back at him emotionless... Her normal laughing brown eyes filled with sadness. The Prime Minister handed the letter to the Queen. Konstanja, scooted close to her mother and both women read the official letter from Lourenne. The Queen, began to mutter, "Poor Dear, poor poor Isabelle". The Crown Princess stayed silent, trying to keep in the tears. Despite living across the world the Lourennian Royals were good friends. The Prime Minister's face portrayed sadness confusion, and sleepiness. The two ladies thanked Ludwig and the PM for coming and alerting them and they both went to bed, where they probably wouldn't be able to stay awake for the rest of the morning.

Ludwig arrived home at 6 o' clock in the morning. Morning rush hour was hitting the streets and the snow kept falling. He explained to his wife all that had happened and then crawled into bed on his down pillow. He fell asleep after a long, long, terrible night....

[Yolo04]

April 18th, 4768
23:00
Council of the Generals of the Armed Forces (CGAS) Headquarters, Turtle Bay, Keymon



As the hoodie wearing man roamed the beige tinted halls, he swore under his breath. “Damned place is a maze, should’ve sent her down here. She’s got frogs for brains”. As he roamed the halls he could hear a familiar voice echo to his right. “Hey, C.C, over here”, said the man in the doorway, in his general’s uniform. “Thanks General”, said the man in the hoodie, as he ran through the door. In front of him, sat three of the most powerful men in the Keymonite military. General Paulu, General Saveriu, and Admiral Annica, sat at a large table in the center of the room, playing Poker. They each looked up at the man, and then the Admiral asked-“is this the man Cíprianu?”. The man nodded at the three men at the table. “Good, now stand guard at the door”. Cíprianu nodded, and closed the door, leaving the hooded man standing by himself, under the scrutinizing eyes of the men at the table. The hooded man stood in place, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of respect for these great men. “You can sit down
man, there’s a seat right there…you can also let down your hood now, there’s no one else here except us four. Even that bitch secretary went home, a surprise, but a welcome surprise nonetheless”. The three men began to laugh, and the hooded figure began to calm himself. As he took off his hood, the three men watched with glee. “Glad to have you here Prince Carlu now…let’s talk business”.

As the men talked, the discussions turned from meaningless pleasantries to discussion on war, violence, and revolution. As the men talked into the night, the topic they truly wanted to discuss unveiled itself. Slowly, at first, then it became the sole topic of discussion for the next few hours. The men…they were there to topple the Queen and install him, Prince Carlu, to the throne. As the discussions continued on and on, Prince Carlu’s cool demeanor slowly began to wear itself away, and in its place appeared an angry and bitter man, who believed he had been cheated out on the opportunity of a lifetime. As the men continued their discussions, Carlu became more vocal, more passionate, and more demanding. He began to demand that all three of the men there swear allegiance to him, swear to destroy Queen Eva’s regime, swear to defend him with their lives. Perhaps it was because he was so passionate, or perhaps the men feared for their own safety. But all three of those men stood and swore allegiance to the Prince. What none of them knew was that they had signed their own death warrants and the death warrants of a million other men, women, and children. What these men had just done would rip the island apart, and would rip families apart. What none of them knew was, the coup would fail, the Queen and King would fight a bloody civil war, and that, in the end, they would be shot for treason. But none of that mattered now, not when everlasting glory and power was presented to them.

The men said their goodbyes, and began to leave. All but the Prince. He stood, alone now, in that room thinking to himself-“Will these men truly come through for me”. He drove the thought from his mind and began to put his hoodie back on. As Cíprianu opened the door, he grabbed the Prince’s arm. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this my King?”. The Prince looked at him and, beneath the dark shadow the hood cast upon his face, smiled. “I’m certain Cíprianu. You concern yourself with a good night's sleep. It begins six months from my sisters inauguration, do you understand?”. “Yes your majesty”, answered the now stoic man.

As Prince Carlu left the building, he thought to himself, “How can this go wrong and when will it go wrong?” He would soon have his answer.

[Rogue]

September 4th, 4768
03:00 AM
The Keymonese shores, Leighstown, Keymon

The waves can be heard crashing on the shores, crickets making their familiar sound on the grassland overlooking the dark ocean. A engine can quietly be heard, a boat appears on the shores. A man steps out, fully dressed in black clothing and not using any lights besides his big night vision goggle on his forehead. He walks up to a bush while the darkness still clouds his movement. He stands still and says, "Carlu", a group of soldiers steps out of the bush approaching him. One, clearly in charge, walks up to the man and says, "who is Carlu", it remains silent for a second. The men seem tense but relaxed at the same time, as if they were expecting the man to arrive. "He is the Keymonite King", the man says, "My name is Július, ive been sent to assist the king". The soldier looks at him for a second before saying, "Welcome agent. We have been expecting you". Together the group moved further inland in a stealthy manner, knowing they could be under constant observation. They arrive in the city of Leighstown, walking up to the mayoral house there and entering it. Július takes of his night vision goggles and walks up to the large meeting room in the back. The soldier opens the door and lets him in. There he is, Prince Carlu or how most in here call him now, King Carlu.

"Is this him?", Carlu asks his men. "Yes sire", they respond. "Welcome agent. First of all i am very thankfull for your country's assistance and wou....", he is cut short as Július starts talking, "Pardon me King, i am not a diplomat, i am here to do my job". The king seems suprised but grins, knowing it is a good sign if a agent is so keen on moving to the job at hand. "Very well, please tell us what support we can expect", says Carlu as he looks at his generals. "Back at the office i have received some clear instructions from my supervisor. I will be here to map out the possibilities. Assist you in sensitive matters whenever needed. My boss also made it clear that additional teams shall be send in over the coming months to spread themselves accross your country. We have already received preliminary reports that it is a possibility to be present in certain circles where you or your men wont be able to come", Július says. The king asks, "And you and these 'teams' will be under my directive i assume?", Július grins, "No. We only take orders from the office. But dont worry King Carlu, we will make sure your eyes remain open. And handle any unpleasant situation at hand". The king grins back, "good agent, i shall send a letter to the office in Deltaria of your safe arrival", "No need, it has already been done", says Julius. "I will commence my work", Július walks up to the king, the soldiers are clearly anxious but the king calms them. Július hands him a necklace, "If you need a situation dealt with, take a close look to the necklace and it will guide you to the right person. I will relay my information to your general staff. Stay safe king".

Július walks out of the room and dissapears in the night. The work has just begun.

[robmark0000]

4:00 30, January 4769, Corporation Palace of 3M Megacorp, Hugamest or Republican Center, Republican Canton of Hugalon, Directorial Republic of Endralon

The recently reelected Grand Director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Party Chairman of the Direct Democrats, Magvas Mánuel visited the Chief Executive Officer of the 3M Megacorp in Hugamest. The cause was secret, the other members of the Council of Grand Directors didn't know it.
The office of the CEO is in the Eleventh Floor. When Magvas arrived to it, Boros Gréta welcomed here with great - but dummy - gladness. Magvas and her also knew it. When the grand directorial guardians from the Republican Guard left the office to let the two great people to speak, Boros said first.
"What I done, Fellow Citizen Grand Director?" She asked.
"Fellow Citizen Chief Executive Officer, I am here not as member of government, but as Party Chairman. We need to get out from the party, Mrs. Boros." Magvas was ruthless, and he spoke not another, just the ruthless truth.
"Why?" Boros became sad and surprised.
"Because we won't have the risk to something will wrong in Lodamun. The 3M is larger than it ever was. You have your own military, own employment, own health system, in the next time have you own taxes or money? But this isn't the problem. The problem is that until you are the member of the Party, the mistakes of the 3M will automatically linked to the Direct Democrat Party. As I said, we cannot let this. Now we are again the largest progressive party, but they ruling. I hope you understand."
"This insane. Kata agreed with this insanity?"
"When we had the point of Lodamese Civil War and your agreement with Phoneix, she stopped defending you. Please, understand Gréti, you out of line when you created an own army for your company."
"But that army was necessary, Manu! We will defend our private properties, and as the Party Leadership wanted it, we will striking the feudalist soldiers in the first opportunity when we can."
"Monarchist scums. Nevermind. But what matters is, your mistakes cannot be linked for the Party. We cannot survive a rumor about that 3M building a paramilitary for us. This is lie, you know just as me. But they don't."
"Don't play the wise leader, Manu, we both know that you are hating companies. You're a socialist, what not problem for me, but see what the best for the Party, not what the best for your childish World Revolution! If I am the member of the Party that it will always have benefit from 3M."
"This is NOT personal thing. We have more benefit if you leave. If you don't the a Party Congress will force you to this. I think you don't want a public witch hunt when you loose your dignity, am I right?"
"Are you threatening me, Grand Director?"
"If you don't leave, your little girl who now 26 will replace you willingly. You don't know your children, but this was your choice, I don't care."
"I know her. She is a traitor of our family and always was. But he don't have the right and YOU don't have the right to appoint her to the chief of this company."
"The Republican Senate appointed the Boros Family, all member of it. And in the Republican Senate, the Conservs always willingly vote for some little market regulating for their God and their Home. Even if who proposed this, that I am."
"If I left the Party can I stay as CEO?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I will deal with it after your leaving."
"Don't believe that you're a better people than I, Gyuszi or Kata, because you saved the Party and took it to it 3rd largest party again. We had reasonable, clever solutions, you have populist rhetoric, that is all. You will loose your popularity soon, and your power. You aren't a big man, but we ARE."
"We will see, Fellow Citizen Former CEO."
"That isn't sounds very bad, Fellow Citizen Asshole. Or maybe I can call you 'World Revolutionary' or 'Leonid 2.0'? I think these are have the same meaning."
"This is out of line, Gréti. Admit defeat. With dignity until you loose that like your job."
"I would willingly call the Tactical Division to bring a bullet to your brain."
"The Republican Guard are better than your mercenaries, aren't they? And see, they watch out my back. Period."
"I hope we will never see each other again. Or I will kill you with my own hands after your servants. Oh, a socialist people have servants? What about 'no want boss over head, servants under him' principle?"
"Fuck off. This enough. Commander Tartós! I have to go."
Two Republican Guard Agent came into the office and after Magvas' final words they escorted Magvas to his car in front of the 3M's skyscraper.
"You have a few months in office. Until this months, you will leave no matter how." This was his final words.

[Doc]

0335 July 7, 4769, Heaquarters, Special Operations Center, Downtown Kaliburg, Ananto, Kalistan

Victor Martin continued plugging away at his console, when a strange blip sounded from his computer speaker.

""Hey, John," said Victor, after closely scrutinizing the long lists of numbers. "Come over here and check this out."

Martin's immediate supervisor, John Talmadge called from his desk, "What is it?"

"Well, that thing I was talking about, with the money..."

"God damn it, Martin. Not that again."

Victor stared at the numbers for a long time. He scrolled through the numbers again. He preformed some transformations on the data, and searched for the specific number attached to fourteen large transfers of money from The First Sulari Bank to an offshore account belonging to a business called "Keymon Holdings Incorporated."

"Look," Martin insisted. "Exactly 335 precisely two weeks apart each."

Talmadge stood up with a heavy sigh, took a sip of his now cold coffee, and walked over to Victor's desk. He stared for a minute at Victor's computer. "Yeah, so what? Someone is moving money to Keymon. It's probably one of those bastards down on the pineapple plantations looting his own company."

Victor said. "THAT much? There must be..." he scrolled through the data base. "Like 65 million Rubles here..."

Talmadge shrugged, "And? Look. Keep an eye on the stuff going on in this country, please. We don't care what the f-k is going on in that banana monarchy. We're here to watch cash flows in Kalistan."

Victor paused. "You aren't concerned about this?"

Talmadge shook his head. "No, you know those Keymonites are all crooks anyway. What difference does it make to us if they steal ALL their company's profits and ship them home in a box labeled 'Stolen Keymon Profits'?"

"But 65 million? You're from down there. Do you think all those plantations combined make that kind of money? Seriously?"

Talmadge entertained the idea for a moment. "No..."

Victor felt vindicated. "An so...?"

Talmadge got rid of the idea in a moment. "Not our problem. They are probably doing a little extra off the books..."

"But..." Victor protested, but Talmadge cut him off. "...so Keymon has become smugglers too. We're hardly in a position to judge them on that count. Not our concern."

Victor had to admit that the boss had a point. "I guess that's why you make the big money, boss."

Talmadge nodded and went back to his desk. "Yeah, I thought you already knew."

Keymon Holdings Incorporated. Victor decided to ignore his boss's disregard and keep tracking them. Something definitely illegal was happening here, and Victor decided to use at least part of his time to make sure that Kalistan wasn't implicated in it. Little did he know that the Keymon Civil War, which had recently exploded on the scene was about to get a bit more explosive.

"Matter of fact, Vic, let's go out for a smoke. You've been up all night, and I think this dank dungeon is starting to play with your imagination." Victor reluctabtly agreed. The money transfers would keep coming in while he was gone, but if his supposition was correct, he wouldn't see another transfer to KHI for another two weeks. It should give him some time to research this company, and see how a company he had never heard of before just got capitalized by tens of millions of Kalistani rubles via a small local bank in Suldanor.

[Yolo04]

The Park of Love, Turtle Bay, October 13th, 23:00

The fighting had mostly stopped by now. One of the guys in his platoon had hollered something about the Queen being evacuated and that the whole operation was finished. “That’s a shame”, our protagonist thought, “wanted to shoot more of those goofy hats wearing fucks”. He was sitting on a crate of ammo they’d hauled from downtown in their APC’s. The only gun fire that rang out anymore was the occasional potshot one of the soldiers in the other platoon fired. He looked around the camp they’d just set up earlier. It was an extremely basic camp, with stockpiles of food, ammo, and clothes present but with no clear way to get water. “Hey,”, he thought, “we’ll just get some tap water. We won’t be here that long anyway, since this whole operation has apparently been a bust”.

But then his CO hollered for him, “Private Andria, come here!”. Andria hopped up and sprinted towards his CO, hoping he’d finally get to do something interesting. But, he was disappointed, yet again. His CO turned towards him, with his MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) in hand, and said- “Private Andria, do you have any water for my MRE…I don’t think I’d be welcome if I knocked on someone’s door to ask for some”. “Yes sir”, Andria said, as he reached for his canteen, handing it to his CO. “Thank you private…if you keep making sure I can eat, you may get a promotion”. “Thank you sir, I’d appreciate that”, the canteen-less Private said, with a smirk. “Thank…you…Private”, the CO said, looking up at the sky in a mix of superstition and of intrigue. “Do you hear that Private?”. “No sir, I don’t hear anything”. “Eh”, the CO said with a bemused smirk, “maybe I’m going crazy after all. Let me tell you this kid, me and you, we're gonna get ourselves some nice, comfy positions after this shitfest ends, just you wa-“. His sentence was cut short by an explosion, barely 30 feet in the sky above them.

The Private, practically on instinct, shut his eyes tight, as if he caught a glimpse of the sun. While he had his eyes shut tight, he heard some screaming but then it was followed with abrupt silence. When he opened his eyes, he no longer saw the blinding white. He saw dead and dying men. Men with no faces, men with indistinguishable body parts. Then he looked at the CO, still standing where he was before the flash of light blinded the Private. He tried to call out the CO’s name, but he just couldn’t. It was as if someone had taken the air out of his lungs. Then suddenly, he started choking on nothing. He couldn’t breathe and yet he still stood there looking at the CO. Finally, the CO turned to face the Private. The CO was burnt nearly to death, with his mouth appearing, like a ghost, from the burnt black remains of what the Private assumed was the CO’s face. Then, the CO, instead of speaking to the Private, merely fell to the ground without a sound, canteen still in hand. As the Private crawled over to the CO, hoping to drink what was left of the water in the canteen, he noticed the CO’s glasses, unscarred from the flames. The Private, with what few gasps of air he still had, grabbed onto the glasses, hoping to see what state he himself was in. With the last pockets of air in his lungs left, he gasped at what he saw. He was just like the CO. The CO, was just like the men around him, bodies burning on the floor. The Private looked at the entity that used to be a human and tried to cry. But his tear ducts had been destroyed by the napalm. As the Private fell to the ground, with his heartbeat coming to a flatline, he closed his eyes hoping, or perhaps begging, that he would see yet another flash of light when he closed his eyes for good.

[Yolo04]

Somewhere Within Keymon Aerospace, Turtle Bay, October 13th, 22:50

As the pilot stared endlessly into the starless sky, he could feel it in his chest. He could feel the pain of those men in ’The Park of Love’, that he would so cruelly be dishing out against them. He thought of the irony of the situation. He would be dropping a 300 pound bomb, filled with napalm on ‘The Park of Love’. Perhaps, this dry humor would help him swallow the fact that he would be the one burning men alive soon. It didn’t.

As he approached Turtle Bay, the stars began to show their full colors and shine in their, almost royal, grandeur. However, he couldn’t stargaze or truly focus on anything other than making his shot. Now, he thought of the bomb he was dropping, and the men he was dropping it on, as merely part of a training exercise. “They’re merely cardboard cutouts, they aren’t human”, he thought to himself as he began to position the plane for his first and final pass. If he missed this first pass, the enemy would know he was there and his whole mission would be for naught. He had to hit their base, he had to destroy them ok his first shot.

As he descended and began to position his aircraft, the weight of the situation seemingly left him. He felt like this mission was…his life. In those few moments, as he prepared to drop that hellish substance onto his enemies (for which he had no reason to hate), he felt almost blissful ignorance…or perhaps merciful desensitization. As he lined up his shot perfectly, he felt an almost euphoric relief as he clicked the button that flashed FIRE and dropped his payload onto those his commanders told him to despise. As he flew back to base, he forced the thought from his mind. He didn’t want to, nor could he, think of what he had just done. Of who he had burned to death and those who live with the scars forever. As he landed back at base, he was applauded, congratulated, and given pats of the back. He played it all off with a smile but the second he was alone in his bunk, he sat down and cried. He didn’t know it, but he had escalated a war that would kill millions and displace even more. Though, one cannot blame this mere pilot. He was merely a cog in a massive machine that had begun its full speed attack against its rival.

[Rogue]

Undisclosed, Keymon, October 4th, 19:00

A jet roars over them, shots can be heard in the distance, the shouting of young men is barely human. And still they continue. They are on a mission. "Again!", says a man dressed in civilian clothing. Another man can be seen, standing in the middle of the forest. Upon hearing the command he quickly unholsters his concealed pistol and fires several shots in the direction of the tree. Some of the shots hit on target, others miss. "You wont get a second change out there, do you want to die? We have been going over this all day. Get your act together!", the man says to the young Keymonite. "yes sir". Sometime later in a different part of the forest a group of young men is running. They duck, sprint and roll through the dense forest, hiding behind a log at the end of the treeline. A man cloaked in camouflage stands up and shouts, "You are all dead! Pay attention idiots!". When a truck can be heard on the road ahead it becomes clear this isnt just an ordinary group of keymonite soldiers training, they run towards a premade shelter, heavily camouflaged and partially hidden underground, hiding for any possible patrol to come by.

The next day, in a undisclosed building in one of the keymonite mountainranges under Carlu control several men stand around a table. One says to the other, "We are making progress, but they are not ready yet", the other man, clearly the one in charge, looks at the others. "We have just started, this is gonna work. Use their patriotism, their dedication to their family, their will ti fight for their king. We can teach them. And we will use them." he looks over to a man sitting in the corner, "Are 5 and 9 ready?", the man stands up, "yes sir."
"Good, we will use them to show the potential of this program. Put them out in the field. Start easy, get them infiltrated in that scout camp nearby. Report to the office once its done."

The Office, now clearly known to be IDI high command. All over Keymon the IDI has vested itself, now working on a new program to make their operation more effective. As the Keymonites would say, for the king.

[Yolo04]

Undisclosed Location, Keymon, October 14th, 18:00

As the producers, assistants, and other television faf ran by her, connecting wires and preparing for what was surely going to be the most important broadcast they were ever going to play, the Queen sat and contemplated her next moves. She had recently forced the Parliament to give the Prime Minister emergency powers, which gave her the ability to whatever she needed, or in fairness wanted, to do without the approval of Parliament. She practically became an absolute monarch overnight, which had become both a blessing…and a curse. She had wanted this power from the beginning but she had never wanted her only pathway to said power to be war. But…the die has been cast, and the fight has begun.

The man behind the camera motioned for the rest of his crew to move behind him and soon, only she remained in that small space, designed to look like an office. In reality, it was nothing more than a few pieces of drywall and some nice furniture. But she had more things to worry about than drab decor or the lack of insulation, which had forced some of the camera crew to bring jackets, which she could not wear. As the finishing touches were made and the crew sat nervously watching, the Queen quickly glanced at her cabinet standing to her right. They had all ceased talking, which was something she could rarely cherish, and had stared solely at her. As the teleprompter sparked to life and the cameras and lights surrounding her did the same, she could feel the pressure mounting on her. However, she could not buckle. She could not break. This is what would make or break her regime, and she knew it. As the cameraman began the countdown until they were live, she knew that now was the time to show the world and the people of Keymon that she would not kneel to threats. She would stand and she would fight.

As the cameras finally began to broadcast and the teleprompters words began to spew from her mouth, the Queen knew that this would be her crowning moment. Even if she lost the war, her voice and her message would not be lost to the sands of time. As her 30 minute long speech finally came to a close, she finished her speech with-
“Let it be known, before God and all of Keymon…I shall defeat my brother and his aspirations to kill not only my reign but the basic character and laws of Keymon. If it is necessary, I’ll fight by myself on the frontlines to guarantee the freedom and security of the loyal Keymonites all across Keymon. The attempted assassination of me will be repaid…in blood. It is not those who write the treaties who make history…it is those who fight to get said treaties. Victory is written by blood and steel, not words”.

As her speech ended, and as the cameras cut their feeds, a heavy weight fell onto her, as if an anvil had dropped onto her head. But this was not a cartoon that she and her brother would watch in the morning whilst their dad was working. This was the real world and now…she would have to kill her brother…before he killed her. As she stepped away from her desk to discuss the crisis with her cabinet, the Minister of Defense grabbed her and whisked her away. “Your majesty, I understand you’re being worked to death here, but you have to make a decision now! Either we order the military against the Carluists and we begin the offensive we where discussing or we wait for them to attack us…your majesty, you may be supreme commander at the moment, but I have to say that if we attack first, we can end this war as quickly as it started”. Her mind wandered, as to the numerous possibilities of a first strike. Perhaps she’d be hailed as a hero for ending the war quickly. Or perhaps the history books would remember her as the women who destroyed Keymon. The Minister’s word snapped her out of thought. “Your majesty, we need a decision now!”. She understood what she had to do, as she looked at the Minister. “Prepare our forces for a full offensive, don’t hesitate to destroy anyone in your way!”. The Minister looked pleased with himself, or perhaps with her decision, she couldn’t tell nor did she truly care. “Yes your majesty, Operation: Lightning Bolt will be ready by November 1st”. The Minister then quickly grabbed his phone and frantically pressed the buttons, clearly desperate to begin preparations. She knew there was nothing she could do from now on…the failure or success of her reign depended on other people. She thought to herself how ironic this situation is…she had been given dictatorial powers by the Parliament and yet, still, she relied on others to accomplish her goals. “I suppose that’s what being Queen is all about…getting others to do your job”, she thought as she began her slow walk back to the gaggle of politicians that she called her cabinet.

[Yolo04]

The Royal Palace, Leighstown, Keymon, October 14th, 19:00

As General Saveriu began his ascent up the steps towards the Princesses office, he could hear the sound of news broadcasts, though the languages and dialects they spoke changed with every handful of seconds that passed. As the General knocked on the door, the sounds abruptly cut out and a simple “Enter” rang out from behind the office door. The General opened the door and found the Prince, sitting with his feet propped upon his desk, looking at a television set ablaze with newscasters and pictures of the Queen. “Your majesty”, the General said, with some hesitation, “what is the reason you’ve called me here?”. The Prince looked at him and motioned him to sit down in one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk. As the Genera sat himself in one of the chairs, the Prince began to speak. “General, may I ask you a question?”. The General, looking up at the now clearly angry man responded with, “What is your question your majesty?”. The Prince then took his feet off of his desk and turned to look at the General. “Did you or did you not promise me, that I would have my sisters head on my desk by tonight”. The General, in a defensive tone spat back with “your majesty…the Queen has been forced into hiding and we can ta-“. He was cut off by the Prince’s hand, which he then followed up with by restating his question. The General now seemingly understanding the defensive position he was in, answered. “Your majesty…we said the queen would be deposed shortly. There has been a misstep in that plan…but we will find her and we will bring her to you”. The Prince then looked at the General, with an almost cheerful grin. “And yet General…”, he then motioned towards the television that had been muted hardly a minute ago “she is on every news channel in every country. You’ve clearly failed to kill her General and that is seriously bringing my faith of you into question”. The General spat back in an angry tone, “we would have killed her if you had bothered to at least distract the Air Force. But instead your lazy ass sat here and did not-“. The Prince slammed his fist into his desk and turned his head sharply at the General. “I didn’t ask for excuses General, I asked for a reason that bitch isn’t dead. You understand that this coup has failed and now the military is coming for my head. We have barely 10k men, and now the whole of the Keymon military will come crashing upon me and you. We’ll be hung and quartered if you don’t do something General”. The General merely replied back with “I can’t form soldiers out of dirt. We need to take some from her, if we even have a chance of winning this”. The Prince, calmed slightly by the generals statements, stated that “I have an idea General…there’s a television station just down the road. If we can hijack the television signal, we can broadcast my message throughout Keymon”. “Your majesty,” the General continued, “I’ll get the best soldiers I have ready to take the television network. You’ll be broadcasting before the hour”. The Prince, seemingly pleasing himself, hurried the General out of his office and slammed the door.

The General began to get his men together, and get ready for perhaps the most important mission he’d ever undertake. But even as he prepared to fight, he wondered why he supported the Prince in the first place. Perhaps it was naivety…perhaps it was that job he promised to give him. But regardless of why…his job was to make sure the Prince won and by god, he’d make sure of that.