Rion looked at Kayleigh and Hazel and nodded meaning both left the room, Kayleigh undoubtedly heading straight for the Imperial Palace to get Emerson in the loop. Rion sighed and perched herself on Beatrice's desk "Trusting someone who gives you no reason to trust them is difficult, made even more so when they lie to you." Rion said "If we have to put a question mark against Rowe then that means we have to put an asterisk against the Rokkenjiman military whether it be army, navy or air force. What earned him the slap was that his agency said in the wake of the debacle between Rokkenjima and Daito that there were no collaborators or concerns within the Rokkenjiman military and now he tells me that at that time he was running an investigation into Rowe. He can't vouch for every solider, sailor and airperson in the military anymore than any general can of any fighting force. You're familiar with the phrase 'see the whole board' because your father tried to get it into you, well Kado's not seeing the whole board. When we start being forced to put question marks against people who are essentially professionally trained killers we're acknowledging things have the potential to get messy. He's worried enough to recommend that we not allow any Rokkenjiman military on Pyrena grounds, which is why Hazel's here because if a move is made then I want the best I've got protecting the key pieces." she looked Beatrice straight in the eye "Trust and you have never gone hand in hand you're pretty much renowned for not trusting anyone. It's my job and Kado's job to put the pieces together here, I will be telling your other sister and your father because if somethings up things need to be ready, it's your job to trust us to do our jobs, Gemma will keep Asuna safe, Kayleigh will take a look at stuff around Kyoko and if something is going on we'll figure it out. But I do need you to do one thing." she took a moment "Be prepared to throw your previous preconceptions of various things away, it's Hazel's job to look after you she can't do that if you're at odds." she slid off the desk and headed for the door.

The silence was very obvious before Rion stood up, walked the short distance to where Kado sat and proceeded to slap him hard across the face "So let me get this straight at the exact time that your allies are screaming at you that there's an issue within the Rokkenjiman military, at the exact time that the INIS verifies that there are no problems within the Rokkenjiman military, you start an investigation into the most senior officer in the Rokkenjiman military? It'd be laughable if it weren't such a serious issue."
"And people say she has no emotion." Hazel said as Rion ran a hand through her hair
"Ok..." Rion said "Helus how I hate games where I don't know all the pieces. Kayleigh, you tell all your people, you tell them what they need to know, if there's something going on I really don't want to be blindsided."
"Do I tell Emerson?" Kayleigh asked
"Yes you do." Rion said "He'll want to instantly act, tell him not to and if he questions why you tell him I said so."
"So what do I tell him?" Kayleigh asked

"Tell him to let the game come to him." Rion said noticing the look on Kado's face "The obvious consideration is Rowe's access to the Imperial Palace he's on the Imperial Council, he's a trusted individual, normally we'd say risk outweighs reward and contain him, we don't need to here. Rokkenjima's about to have a new Constitution that will take care of that problem and after that he's a lot easier to contain in the access stakes, should give you enough cover to continue investigations. Kayleigh you keep the family safe, Hazel if any member of the IRAF comes into the grounds of Pyrena, I don't care who they are you have my full authority to do whatever you need to do short of breaking the Uppsalla Convention. I'll get things going on my end, we got blindsided a year ago that's not happening again." she looked at Kado "The slap was for lying to me." she delivered a second strike "And that's so you don't do it again."

"Your Majesty that's not the point." Nell said "The agreement you've just signed states that Beatrice will not be engaging in certain things, if she gets off that plane and goes straight into a press conference or an interview she's going to be asked questions that she's not allowed to answer, if she goes and shakes hands with people then that's creating a risk factor. Not to mention the security factor that Ms Pryde has to consider. Also she's a convicted war criminal how do you think it looks if she returns like a triumphant hero? What message do you think that sends to the international community? No this must be point a to point b, this in effect a prisoner transfer not a royal procession."

"As much as it will pain you to hear this." Kayleigh said looking at Asuna "The safest way of doing this is to avoid immediate engagement with the public and the press. Your mother may well be beloved of most of the people but she also represents something else, she's party to the deaths of millions of people, I'm responsible for the safety of you and your family that includes your mother so I'm not keen on putting her out in the open where someone who might be inclined to take action takes a shot at her. We get her off the plane, we get her straight into the car, we get her straight to Pyrena. Once she's inside those walls if she wants to talk she can because that gives us time to vet and brief anyone from the press. I'm not McKenna and I'm not Emerson but you know that they'd both tell you that Lieutenant Foster is correct."

"I think you're seeing problems that exist in a vacuum." Serenity said "Nell just said it, one of the reasons she was kept away from serving time in Rokkenjima is because there was always the risk that some would seek to reinstall her. We wouldn't enter into this now without eliminating that risk."

"These Your Majesty are the terms of the House Arrest if moved to Rokkenjima." Nell said putting the papers in front of Asuna

Conditions of the House Arrest of Beatrice Anselmo

Section 1: The Location

1. Beatrice Anselmo shall reside at Pyrena Castle

2. Beatrice Anselmo shall be within the grounds of Pyrena Castle between the hours of 8pm and 10am every day.

3. Unless circumstances stated in this agreement exist (or emergency circumstances are present) Beatrice Anselmo shall be within the grounds of Pyrena Castle between the hours of 10am and 8pm every day.

4. All visitors to Pyrena Castle must be approved by an individual or individuals to be determined by Lt Nell Foster, Achkaerinese Navy. The same individual or individuals shall be responsible for maintaining an itinerary as required.

5. Security of Pyrena Castle to be considered the same as security of the rest of the Anselmo family.

6. Sections 1.2 and 1.4 shall also apply to Lucinda Hadley.

Section 2: Restrictions on Beatrice Anselmo

1. Beatrice Anselmo shall not engage in any royal or political duties whether directly or indirectly for the duration of her sentence.

2. Beatrice Anselmo shall be electronically tagged.

3. Beatrice Anselmo shall not leave the territory of the First Empire of Rokkenjima (for the purposes of this agreement this is defined as the territory on Ardia and does not include Rishiri)

4. Any circumstances requiring Beatrice Anselmo to leave the grounds of Pyrena Castle (in accordance with section 1.3) must be approved in the same manner as visitors under section 1.4. Should she leave the grounds in compliance then she shall be accompanied by a security operative at all times.

5. Beatrice Anselmo shall not be permitted within the grounds of the Imperial Diet.

6. The restrictions listed in section 2 (with the exception of article 2.2) shall also apply to Lucinda Hadley.

Section 3: Rokkenjima's Responsibilities

1. The Rokkenjiman Government affirms their understanding that Beatrice Anselmo is a convicted war criminal.

2. The Rokkenjiman Government affirms that there shall be no attempts before the Rokkenjiman Courts to 'clear' Beatrice Anselmo of the crimes for which she has been convicted.

3. The Rokkenjiman Government shall pay an annual fee to Achkaerin in regards to the upkeep of this arrangement.

4. The Rokkenjiman Government agrees that should Beatrice Anselmo be required to appear before the Uppsalla Convention Court in future they shall not prevent this from happening.

Section 4: Penalties

1. If any section of this agreement is violated then Beatrice Anselmo is liable to be arrested for breach of the conditions of her house arrest and/or removed from Rokkenjima back to Achkaerin.

2. If a future Rokkenjiman Administration withdraws from this agreement then Beatrice Anselmo shall be removed from Rokkenjima back to Achkaerin.

3. If in future the Uppsalla Convention Court orders the end of the house arrest then Beatrice Anselmo shall be removed from Rokkenjima back to Achkaerin should it be required by the Court.

"They're fairly straightforward terms, nothing surprising in there." Nell said "In order to eliminate the risks we see potentially happening we need to be clear about where she can and cannot go and what she can and cannot do, we've also had to bind Lucinda to them a little but that's to be expected and of course we need it understood that there will no attempt to take advantage of Beatrice's presence in Rokkenjima."

"Now we know Rokkenjima has this thing of who has what authority but I'm going to be very very firm on this." Serenity said "Those are the terms and we need the signature of the Empress of Rokkenjima on them, not McKenna's, not Emerson's, yours."

Group A

Valen 2-1 Jugland
Semelberg 2-2 Ui Cenneslaig

Group B

Reenberg 0-4 Medusalin
Achkaerin 3-2 Tytor

Group C

Floodwater 3-1 East Moreland
Abertone 2-1 Kaitaine

Group D

Rokkenjima 3-0 Asadal
Kalasin 1-1 Nya Aland

Current Blind Mens Standings

It would have been borderline amusing if the issue wasn't what it was. A legal challenge that didn't change the circumstances or introduce new evidence was supposed to enable Beatrice Anselmo to go home? It had raised plenty of eyebrows in the Marble Palace and probably across Mundus among legal analysts and experts. For Serenity, it smacked more of something else. The truth was the wrong question was being asked by Rokkenjima, it was understandable why but it didn't change that it was the wrong question. An unusual pair of guests to the Palace Lieutenant Nell Foster and Lieutenant Gary Newton stepped out of a car at the front of the Palace where Serenity was waiting, Nell was the prosecutor on the Andean Genocide case while Gary was the officer to whom Serenity had handed her caseload after her coronation as Empress.
"Have you got it?" Serenity asked
"You don't want to know what Commander Armitage's reaction was to this whole thing." Nell said handing Serenity a piece of paper "But that's what we're looking at."
"Sensible enough." Serenity said "And thorough."
"We're not taking chances on this." Nell said
"Will the Court agree to it?" Serenity asked
"Provided Rokkenjima upholds what's in there yes." Nell said
"Gary?" Serenity asked
"Yeah." Gary said
"Ok then let's go." Serenity said

In truth the hardest part of this was going to be the initial talking, the easiest part was going to be the getting there, a short hop in a helicopter to the coastal dock and then it was onto the Blue Vixen with Serenity in the drivers seat as she took it out at speed, making the rendezvous would be easy enough, the Achkaerinese Ekranoyacht may have been smaller than the Rokkenjiman liner but she was sleeker, greener and faster. Pulling up alongside the United States was simple enough, Serenity sighed. Now for the troublesome part of the whole thing. Climbing aboard the United States was a simple matter, getting directed to Asuna also not that difficult.

"This is Lieutenant Nell Foster and Lieutenant Gary Newton of our JAG corps, they're the current attorneys of record for the Andean Genocide case. The last time I had to come see you on a ship it was your ill advised trip to Josai with Thomas and we were both Crown Princesses, now we're both Empresses we have far less time than we'd like. So how about you stop the grandstanding around something you're not going to resolve and ask the question you want to ask?" Serenity said

"That one was way too close." the voice of Fleur Mishima said as the Shadowfox tank she commanded just avoided an incoming projectile, this was battle for Pattani, for days the area outside the city, the open terrain had been the site of a fierce confrontation between the Achkaerinese and Kalasin forces, and then the balance had tipped and the Achkaerinese had started to push into the city. This wasn't unexpected, a hard fight was what they'd prepared for and now in the urban environment the pace of the advance had slowed, this was methodical block by block, clearing insurgents and Kalinese military from each area before moving on. It wasn't anything Fleur hadn't seen before she'd been in charge at the battle of St Catherine's in the Seaforth Eugenics War and that had been brutal, the devastation of both the city and the surrounding countryside was something she wouldn't forget in a long time. As for Pattani well this was a far more dangerous battle, the separatists were beaten, they were cornered but they were going take as many of the invading force with them as they could. There was a loud explosion off to one side "What the hell was that?"
"These insurgents just collapsed a building." the voice of Caspar Schiffer came over the radio.
"It's their last stand." Fleur said "Keep pushing we're almost into the government area."

Ever since Ranong had fallen this had become the primary focus of the push in Pattani, forcing the hand of the separatists, making sure an end was put to this and that those responsible were in custody and would go on to face justice for what they'd done. As each block of Pattani had been cleared, those who'd surrendered had been put under guard. Fleur had hoped for an easier time of it if Ranong had fallen first but while the Kalasin military seemed to be prepared to surrender other militia associated with the enemy had other ideas. It did take time but eventually the advance into the centre of Pattani brought the Achkaerinese forces to the home of the Separatist Government, it was deathly quiet, after a few moments Fleur put her head up out of the tank megaphone in hand "This is Major Mishima of the Achkaerinese military, the building is surrounded, come out now with your hands up or we will come in, let's end this now."

It took a couple of minutes but eventually the white flag was flown out of an upstairs window, much to the relief of everyone in the square, shortly followed by the procession of officials coming out of the building, a fair number of whom would be facing up to the legal reckoning heading their way and once the dust settled the full extent of that would be known. Regardless in the official sense the white flag and the nod from the man standing under it was enough the city was taken. "Get on the radio to command." Fleur said ducking back down into the tank "Rangsitpol and officials in custody, Pattani has fallen."

Group C

Cantabria 0-1 Semelberg
Theocracy of Kaitaine 2-2 Jugland
Mktvartvelo 0-1 Kalasin

Group D

Tytor 1-1 Weibenwald
Lodja 2-0 Asadal
Reenberg 0-0 Rokkenjima

Current Womens Standings

Group A

Medusalin 2-1 East Moreland
Achkaerin 5-0 Valen
Floodwater 1-1 Ui Cenneslaig

Group B

Nya Aland 1-3 Daito
Abertone 3-0 Themyscira
Kaitaine 4-2 Neu Uburzis

Current Womens Standings

Group A

Themyscira 2-2 Jugland
Abertone 2-0 Valen
Cantabria 1-3 Daito

Group B

Mktvartvelo 0-1 Reenberg
Nya Aland 3-1 Weibenwald
Marseilles 0-3 Kaitaine

Current Mens Standings

Purpose of the Report

1. This report is an independent analysis of the procedures around the arrest, trial and sentencing of foreign nationals in Clysperis. This was done at the request of the Clysperi Government.

2. The team that compiled this report was led by Detective Inspector Amber Duff, an experienced law enforcement official, and also included legal, policing and forensic experts. Over the course of the investigation the team re-examined evidence, the procedures of the investigation by Clysperi authorities and the trial that resulted. The full cooperation of the Clysperi authorities in this is appreciated

The Defendants and Timeline

3. On the 20th of August 2023, the four defendants entered Clysperis on tourist travel visas each was detained at the airport on suspicion of possession of an illegal substance with intent to supply. The four were then charged on the 25th of August 2023, the specifics of each of the four are as follows in this section.

4. Aiko Odaka is a Daitojin national, charged following the discovery of cannabis in her luggage.

5. Daniel McConnell is a Seaforthian national, charged following the discovery of methamphetamine and fentanyl in his luggage.

6. Novak Tasic is a Safraen national, charged following the discovery of cocaine in his luggage.

7. Stephanie Le Fevre is a Marseilles national, charged following the discovery of marijuana in her luggage.

8. All four defendants deny the charges against them.

9. On the 1st of September 2023 the four defendants were tried and convicted of the charges against them. They were sentenced to death.

Examination of the Evidence

10. When interviewed as part of the independent analysis the defendants denied the charges against them, while not surprising it is noted that none of the four have prior criminal records. During questioning Ms Okada claimed to have never seen the bag containing the cannabis before.

11. Consultation with each of the home nation embassies was undertaken by members of the team to query what travel advice was given to their citizens traveling to Clysperis. Each of the four nations in question (Daito, Seaforth, Safraen and Marseilles) have clear guidelines for travel abroad provided by their respective foreign offices and issued as part of the visa application process. In respect of Clysperis the information makes the drug laws very clear, it is therefore reasonable to conclude that the four defendants were notified of the Clysperi laws. Questioning of the four defendants confirmed their awareness.

12. Given the remarks of Ms Okada forensic examination of the drugs and the bags containing the drugs was conducted. These were carried out by Dr Allen a noted Achkaerinese Crime Scene Investigator. The results in respect of the drugs confirmed their identity and purity as originally reported by Khemen police, analysis of the bags yielded no DNA traces matching the defendants, this prompted questions of the officers responsible for the original investigation who confirmed that the bags were the ones seized from the defendants.

13. It is concluded by Dr Allen that there is no identifiable forensic evidence linking any of the defendants with the substances they are accused of bringing into Clysperis.

Examination of Trial Procedure

14. For the purposes of the investigation the review of the legal procedure was conducted by SHIELD Law LLC, a leading and reputable law firm, the case handler was Elecktra Hope

15. Ms Hope notes in her findings that despite the impression given by reports in CSMC articles specifically that of a "swift trial" that the Clysperi trial did resemble a trial that appears compliant with article 8 of the MCUR given the information and evidence presented at the time of the hearing.

16. It is noted that the defence attorney's in the case were not provided with all the facts, this is a point made in respect of paragraph 12 of this report and not a reflection on the trial process, the evidence provided to the court in the original case included forensic reports showing links between the defendants and the drugs. Given the conclusions of the forensic examinations undertaken by Dr Allen it is believed by Ms Hope that the forensic reports provided by the prosecution at trial have been fabricated.

17. It is further noted that the defence attorney's at trial (provided for free as per the MCUR) were not what might be called "battle hardened" a survey of them found that they were all recent graduates of law school with varying amounts of experience in court ranging from a handful of small claims cases to no experience whatsoever, certainly none of them had ever been involved in a criminal trial before, let alone had responsibility for one that carried the potential for the death penalty. This lack of experience is probably primarily responsible for the evidence not being robustly challenged, a more experienced attorney would undoubtedly have had independent testing on the evidence done, that these attorney's did not is no reflection on them, their ability and integrity is not questioned. It is simply a further piece of evidence against elements within the Khemen police.

18. Given the tainted evidence it is concluded that the convictions against the four defendants are unsafe.

Recommendations

19. The convictions against the four defendants to be quashed and their immediate release ordered.

20. An immediate investigation conducted by the appropriate watchdog authority into the conduct of Khemen police in this matter in particular with respect to officers involved in interview, arrest and evidence analysis, it is apparently clear that for a reason as yet undetermined elements within Khemen police sought to facilitate a miscarriage of justice. While it is not the purpose of this report to speculate on the motive it does lean towards a political one.

21. The Clysperi authorities to fully comply with the defendants should any of them wish to enforce action under article 6.5 of the MCUR, this does amount to a finding that the arrest of the four defendants was unlawful and therefore a breach of the MCUR, however it is again noted that this appears perpetrated by a handful of individuals within Khemen police and perhaps elsewhere, there is no evidence that this was at the behest of the Clysperi Government.

The above report is hereby submitted to the Clysperi government and the Foreign Offices of Daito, Safraen, Marseilles and Seaforth

Signed

Amber Duff
Dr Paul Allen
Elecktra Hope

The ADSN Declaration (Dunwich Declaration) Dunwich, 16th November 2023

The nations of the Dauntel Sea, Rokkenjiman Sea and Strait of Shaw

MINDFUL of the existence of mutual interests and common problems among countries of the Dauntel and the Straight of Shaw and convinced of the need to strengthen further the existing bonds of regional solidarity and cooperation;

DESIRING to establish a firm foundation for common action to promote regional cooperation in the Dauntel and Straight of Shaw in the spirit of equality and partnership and thereby contribute towards peace, progress and prosperity in the region;

CONSCIOUS that in an increasingly interdependent world, the cherished ideals of peace, freedom, social justice and economic well-being are best attained by fostering good understanding, good neighbourliness and meaningful cooperation among the countries of the region already bound together by ties of history and culture;

CONSIDERING that the countries bordering the Dauntel and Strait of Shaw share a primary responsibility for strengthening the economic and social stability of the region and ensuring their peaceful and progressive national development, and that they are determined to ensure their stability and security from external interference in any form or manifestation in order to preserve their national identities in accordance with the ideals and aspirations of their peoples;

AFFIRMING that all foreign bases are temporary and remain only with the expressed concurrence of the countries concerned and are not intended to be used directly or indirectly to subvert the national independence and freedom of States in the area or prejudice the orderly processes of their national development;

DO HEREBY DECLARE:

FIRST, the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the countries bordering the waters of the Dauntel, the Rokkenjiman Sea and the Strait of Shaw to be known as the Association of Dauntel and Shaw Nations (ADSN).

SECOND, that the aims and purposes of the Association shall be:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Dauntel and Shaw Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region.
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote shared Dauntel-Shaw studies;
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

THIRD, that the Association represents the collective will of the nations which border the Dauntel Sea, Rokkenjiman Sea and Strait of Shaw, to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.

FOURTH, that the Association is open for participation to all States which border the Dauntel Sea, the Rokkenjiman Sea or Strait of Shaw who subscribe to the aforementioned aims, principles and purposes.
(a) Any prospective member of the organisation must be admitted by majority vote of the membership

ARTICLE ONE: THE COUNCIL

1. The Council shall consist of ambassadors representing each of the member nations, each member shall have one vote on any matter.

2. Any member may propose a matter for debate, all votes on resolutions are by majority vote unless determined otherwise by the Council.

3. Only a resolution of the Council may amend this document.

ARTICLE TWO: TRAVEL

In order to ease the movement of citizens throughout the ADSN region members of the ADSN agree to the following measures.

1. There shall the the establishment of a four path system for visas. These shall be the Short Term Visa, Business Visa, Educational Visa, and the Temporary Worker Visa.

2. The Short Term Visa shall be available to any individual who books return or onward passage via any means at least 30 days before the date of travel. So long as these dates are no longer apart than 60 calendar days then the individual may enter visa free so long as the receiving nation do not believe that the person poses a risk to the security or good order of the nation. Holders of this visa may not undertake any work while staying in the receiving nation.

3. The Business Visa shall be available to any individual who is travelling on business purposes. To obtain this an individual must have a guarantor from a business within the receiving nation. This visa shall allow an individual to remain in the receiving nation for 180 days and they may undertake paid employment while based there. This type of visa may not be renewed for 90 days. Should the receiving nation believe the individual is a risk to security or good order of the nation then entry may be stopped.

4. The Educational Visa shall be available to any individual who has obtained confirmation of the offer of an educational course within a receiving nation. This visa shall cover the entire duration of the course and will permit the holder to a maximum of 20 hours per work employment during their course. Should the receiving nation believe the individual is a risk to security or good order of the nation then entry may be stopped.

5. The Length of the above visas may be increased at the discretion of the receiving nation.

6. Any individual breaking the conditions of any of these visa programmes is liable to deportation and may be banned from travel to the receiving nation indefinitely.

7. The home nation shall take all reasonable steps to ensure anyone deported and banned from travel is prevented from returning.

8. In the event of an individual traveler in one nation being believed to be responsible, whether individually or as a conspirator, for criminal actions within the jurisdiction of another member state, the individual shall be extradited subject to the following being provided to the visited nations relevant authority.
a) Evidence of the wrongdoing
b) An understanding that the individual will receive a fair trial in a court of law

9. There shall be no obligation for the visited nation to extradite an individual to the death penalty.

ARTICLE THREE: TRADE

In order to effect more prosperous trading oppurtunities the nations signed as members of the ADSN agree to the following measures.

1. Any export to a member nations shall be accompanied by a declaration that the export abides by all local laws. To ensure compliance the receiving nation may carry out any non-destructive test on any product arriving at their nation. Any product deemed to be not incompliance with local laws or not accompanied by a decleration shall see a fine of non more than 5 times the value of the consignment paid by the exporter.

2. On the anniversary of the signing of this document each member nation shall produce a list of tariffs to be paid by all member nations. Those tariffs may be set on any goods or items the nation wish. The tariffs set by each nation must be at a level lower than for any nation with which they do not have a current trade agreement with.

3. This agreement does not prevent member nations making their own trade agreements.

4. Any item with a value of less than $1million exported to a nation for temporary use shall be permitted to enter tariff free so long as it is for a period of less than 30 days.

5. ADSN nations agree to allow operations by businesses from other ADSN nations on condition that those businesses operate following local laws concerning taxation, employment, health and safety and environmental matters.

ARTICLE FOUR: SECURITY

In order to make the region a safer place for all nations members agree to the following.

1. That they shall first and foremost consider their regional neighbors as friends and as such shall do all that is reasonably possible to avoid armed conflict with them.

2. In order to protect citizens of all nations any intelligence gathered by one nation that would indicate a likely threat to another is to be shared in a speedy manner. Should a nation believe that by revealing this intelligence it would place its own safety or operations in jeopardy then they are excused from sharing this intelligence.

3. Each nation shall maintain in their embassy a military attaché who shall share relevant military details with their host nation so long as doing so does not infringe on the attaché's own nations security.

4. Nations hosting military exercises shall, so long as it is safe to do so, advertise via the attaché system the size, scope and nature of these exercises at least 3 days before they begin. They shall ensure all relevant notices to shipping and airmen are made in good time.

5. Nations agree that they shall take no action to prevent or interfere in exercises or movements of another nation so long as it does not impose on their own waters as laid out in the Fair Seas Concordat.

6. Nations agree that under no circumstances will they knowingly allow a third party nation to utilize their territory, waters or airspace to conduct a first strike or similar operation against another member nation.

DONE in Dunwich on the 16th of November, 2023.

Signed,
Eijirō, Emperor of Daitō

Emerson Ravenswood
Vicegerent
First Empire of Rokkenjima

Empress Serena
Empire of Aosta

Consul Graziano Lupo
Empire of Abertone
(Ratified by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Marco)

Chief Councillor Xiaoling Tsu
Gowu
(Countersigned by Molly Newton, Gowu Minister, for the purposes of security provisions)

Stranger than Fiction

Truth could sometimes be stranger than fiction, though for Rion Ayanami she was used to having to extract the truth from the fiction an operation usually accomplished by having the members of the unit she had command of do what they did best. But today's briefing was like none she'd ever been involved in. Sitting in her office she glanced over at where her colleague Kayleigh Pryde was standing "Are we seriously doing this?" Rion asked
"Unbelievably yes." Kayleigh said "Weird isn't it? If she'd just said something..."
"She's just come out of university she's not used to the whole having someone following you around thing, she's not used to how we do things." Rion said
"One word, one week and we'd have been ready." Kayleigh said "And she goes and applies for... I don't even know what to call it, Hunger Games but the prize is marrying an Emperor?"
"Pretty much." Rion said "What are you doing with the security assignments?"
"Liam's taking over as primary on Evanthe while she's in Lodja so I've got Kyoko which keeps me in Pyrettania." Kayleigh said
"Ok." Rion said as there was a knock at the door "Come in."

Into the room walked two young women first Catrin Waterstone followed by Poppy Locklyn, they took a seat opposite Rion's desk.
"This is probably the weirdest thing I'm ever going to say to you." Rion said "Normally we'd be giving newly minted operatives such as yourselves your commissions, clearances and such, but..."
"But then Sophia Anselmo went and entered herself into the competition to be Empress of Neu Uburzis." Kayleigh said "This is both somewhat troublesome given our current responsibilities but also an opportunity considering certain other things."
"Sophia hasn't been assigned a CPA yet so, and this is where the weirdness comes in, we want you to enter the competitions yourselves we don't know what format this competition takes it could be anything and it could easily involve putting all the entrants in a building together where who knows what's going to happen so having you on the inside of it is what we want. You have two jobs keep an eye on Sophia that's your primary, your secondary if the opportunity arises is to investigate certain incidents around how Orion came to be Emperor."
"Keeping an eye on Sophia doesn't mean help her win." Kayleigh said "If one of you happens to win then this will be the only assignment you're ever given. Treat this as what it is, a contest and try to win it."
"Part of this is a background check which we're not worried about." Rion said "There's no paper trail to here, they'll find your university stuff, they'll find your high school stuff, they won't find stuff relevant to here, no intelligence sharing agreement and all that. Any questions?"

"Are you picking me because of my sexual preferences?" Poppy asked "A bisexual girl for a homosexual Emperor?"
"Maybe," Rion said "That's your advantage, this isn't about love it's about producing an heir and having a positive relationship with Orion, love's a bonus in that."
"Next move?" Catrin asked
"Get yourselves packed and ready to go." Rion said "Get to know Neu Uburzis a bit."
"So a paid holiday?" Poppy asked
"Something like that." Kayleigh said "Good luck."

Group A

East Moreland 2-2 Floodwater
Ui Cenneslaig 0-2 Achkaerin
Valen 3-4 Medusalin

Group B

Daito 3-1 Kaitaine
Neu Uburzis 2-1 Abertone
Themyscira 0-0 Nya Aland

Current Womens Standings

Silla

The town of Silla had been viewed, by those who knew the plan, as the gateway to Pattani. The Achkaerinese had expected a hard fight here, what they got was the open door, an eerie feeling to say the least and for the man in charge Lt Colonel Sebastian Brandt highly suspect, after all any military commander worth their rank knew that this front could have been opened and knew therefore the importance of Silla in that respect. What hit him first as he took his squad into Silla was the smell, something wasn't right, something had been unleashed here, tapping his radio button he took a breath "Colonel Brandt to all squads anyone got eyes on any inhabitant or sign of life?" he said
"No sign boss." came one response
"Nothing seen." came another
"Negative" came a third
"Major Skarsgård?" Sebastian asked
"Not found anything yet." came the response of Major Ezri Skarsgård
"Where are you?" Sebastian asked
"Northern sector just cleared a police station." Ezri said "I don't like this."
"Neither do I." Sebastian said "It screams trap."
"But where's the cheese?" Ezri asked
"I don't know but let's be vigilant." Sebastian said, he took a deep breath, he had to admit it was clever of the PAFK, the nature of urban warfare meant that they'd have to search and clear every building which would take time, however that didn't help nor did it explain the missing civilian populace.

It happened about an hour later as the Achkaerinese military units pushed closer to the centre of the small town, the sound of gunfire punctuated the silence out of nowhere "Contact." the word lit up the radio frequencies followed by positions, Sebastian and his squad found themselves pinned down by fire coming from what looked like a school.
"Colonel Brandt pinned down by fire coming from the school in grid Juliet fourteen." Sebastian reported
"I'm right next door Colonel, Lima fourteen." Ezri said responding "School complex has several buildings."
"We'll draw fire you go in." Sebastian said
"Copy that." Ezri said
"Go." Sebastian said, he and his team began laying down covering fire while Ezri's squad got inside.
"We're in proceeding to clear." Ezri reported
"Have that." Sebastian said, it took a few minutes but eventually the fire directed at them ceased but the gunfire itself didn't, taking the chance Sebastian led his squad in through another entrance, it was an explosive breach, it had to be it seemed like whatever was going on in Silla this was a big part of it.

It took about another hour to be able to satisfactorily clear the school, but that was just the beginning of the discoveries, each classroom was full of people almost like overcrowded dormitories, they didn't look that well nourished or clean either. "Contact base let them know we need medical and support here." Sebastian said
"Colonel can you come down here?" Ezri asked over the radio "I'm in the sports area."
"On my way." Sebastian said, he walked down the stairs and across to the sports building to where Ezri was waiting "Report?"
"Changing rooms are where they've stored dead bodies." Ezri said "The five enemy working in here surrendered when we entered, they thought we were going to kill them when we burst in. They told us there's a mine a couple of miles north of here that's part of this."
"Take your squad and investigate that." Sebastian said

---

The Marble Palace

The sound of a phone vibrating prompted a mumbled and slightly chaotic affair as Serenity opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them before carefully reaching over to the bedside table and picking up her phone "Yes?" she asked before listening "I'll be right down."  she hung up before nudging Euphy who was asleep on top of Serenity, her head on Serenity's chest "Euphy." Serenity whispered running her hand through Euphy's hair as the Rokkenjiman Princess stirred a little "I've got to go to work."
"I guessed." Euphy whispered
"I'll be back soon." Serenity said as Euphy rolled off of her.
"How much would asking you to take the girls to school cost me?" Serenity asked as she got out of the bed
"That bad?" Euphy asked
"It's a war in Kalasin it's bad." Serenity said
"It'll cost you a night out dancing with me." Euphy said
"All right." Serenity said

When Serenity walked into the Round Table Room she raised an eyebrow at the room "What you've never seen an Empress attend a meeting wearing Pokemon pyjamas?" she asked "Don't answer that... what's going on?"
"Rokkenjima surfaced three submarines in what looks like in relation to what's coming out of Kalasin." Rion said "They say something else but there's no such thing as a coincidence."
"And King David is offering assistance to the survivors of these camps." Nettie said
"Admiral Rankin?" Serenity asked looking at William Rankin
"There's a legal reckoning coming for everyone involved in this." William said slowly "When this is over we're going to want everyone from the Rangsitpol regime, the Kalasin military and anyone else in a courtroom to answer for crimes whether that be the Uppsalla Convention or the Historical Crimes Treaty. It's already murky, we don't want it getting murkier."
"It's high stakes." Serenity said "Adam, when are we expecting Daito's advance to hit Ranong?"
"Within the next forty eight to seventy two hours, we're continuously touching base on that." Adam said
"Ok let's time a humanitarian insertion with that, create a safe zone." Serenity said "Meanwhile let's not let this get out of control. The separatists aren't winning this war so let's start focusing on not letting them win the peace as well."
"Do I put people on the ground?" William asked
"Yes let's get that rolling." Serenity said "Anything else?"
"When do we hit Pattani?" Peter asked
"Could be any point within the next week." Adam said "And the fight within that city? Who knows how long that'll take."
"Keep me updated." Serenity said "Nettie speak to Emerson, you know what to do."
"Yes." Nettie said
"Adam you talk to Captain Watson, you know what means." Serenity said
"Yep." Adam said
"I'm going back to bed, let me know if anything else happens." Serenity said