Author Topic: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP  (Read 10119 times)

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Offline Aosta

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #30 on: August 06, 2021, 07:22:20 PM »
The Umbetto had spent the best part of a week sitting in among the islands of the Central Alucard Islands. Using international waters it had used the various equipment at its disposal. Once its time was up it turned for Aostan waters and home bringing with it a huge amount of information. Princess Brigida was keen to get the approval of the CNN nations and so turning over what they'd found would in her view get their support. Her brother Prince Lorenzo had argued against it as to him this was the equivalent of spying on the CNN operations. Brigida had argued against this, her time in military service she argued had been more than sufficent evidence to explain that it was something all nations did and the Morelanders, Lodjains and Cenneg would expect this to be happening, especially from a neighbour.

Brigida though had insisted the information come across her desk and it would be her who would make contact with the Morelanders. She had selected them as she felt they had the best relationship with them other than Lodja. The neighbouring Lodja though was seen as untrustworthy with this as after all their military was no seemingly split in what Brigida sensed could easily spill over into a civil war. 

Online DaveIronside

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #31 on: August 06, 2021, 10:09:06 PM »
Where normally an Air Traffic Control tower would have stood a tent had been erected. None of the fancy ILS systems were avalable as every landing at Cobble Field would be done with what Flying Officer Hope Meadows had been briefed as being "Mark 1 Eyeball" As Hope brought her Dragonbane II onto its final approach. "Wow thats tight" she said out loud to no one but herself. She took a breath and began the careful juggling between control stick, foot peddles and throttle all the time with her eyes fixed carefully on the runway. She was thankful to feel the solid ground beneath the wheels and even more relieved as the aircraft came to a halt. The islands make shift air field was just about big enough to allow her to taxi to a hardstanding but she was pretty certain that she had never seen aircraft parked so tightly together. There was enough room for four of the Dragonbane II's, they'd be flying combat air patrols ready to be called in as and when someone found a target worthy of being hit. Hope was the last of the four to arrive and was pleased to see her squadron mates there to greet her with a bottle of beer.

"Welcome to Cobble Field" Flt.Lt John Reddit greeted her. "I'll show you the officers mess." Having not walked more than perhaps twenty meters to the side of the aircraft there was a large tent, the inside of which was split into four. "Here you go." It was no luxury of the mess in Ostlake that the squadron usually called home but it would do. "We've about 100 people on this rock. We're cooking for ourselves, MRE packs all round, showers are out of the solar heating bags, fresh waters coming off the Destroyer, essentially its a shit-hole worthy only of a Red Legionnaire." He pointed across the airfield where the elite soldiers were already setting off into the Alucard on their patrols. "We start our patrols at sunrise tomorrow."



Sir John Miller had received his summons from the Aostan Princess and so naturally prepared himself to head to meet her. He suspected it would be military related and despite a lengthy military career it had been around 20 years since he'd been involved in the day in day out workings of the military. He headed down to the military attache's office and was pleased to see their guest had not yet left. Rebecca Jarrett was essentially the personal assistant and envoy of Princess Freya and was on paper a serving member of Pegasus Legion, she had seen service fairly recently too and held a title of significance within East Moreland that would enable her to be in the meeting with the Aostan's without being seen as disrespectful.

The pair made their way to the meeting and Sir John began proceedings "Your Highness, I've brought with me the Head of Household for Princess Freya, Rebecca Jarrett, she's a serving member of our military too and has the ear of Princess Freya who as you're aware has significant military experience and the ear of her brother. I thought she may be useful and she was in town checking on our embassy here." Rebecca bowed to the Princess and the duo waited for the Princess to begin.

Offline Achkaerin

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #32 on: August 10, 2021, 07:24:38 PM »
The island situation had developed, the first indication of that had been the arrival of a Sea Dragon which now sat next to one of the beaches, a medical team led by Sergeant Major Alya Simmons had been aboard the plane and was now doing all manner of diagnostic tests on the inhabitants in their floating village and all the while the surveillance was ongoing. As the sun set Alya wiped her brow and found Sam and Kara.
"So?" Sam asked as Alya shook her head
"Fits of uncontrolled violence and rage, headaches, heamoraging from orifices and vomiting." Alya said "It's Kaiju."
"They've got Kaiju virus?" Sam asked
"Or something very very similar." Alya said "Medication's on the way should be here by morning."
"Command is going to love this." Kara said


In Valtheim the news coming out of the Alucard soon meant that there was going to be very little or no sleep at all in Valtheim, Peter was brought out of bed and essentially found himself in a hastily thrown on t-shirt and shorts in the small kitchen/diner with Nettie, who'd also been dragged out of bed, and then Major Sally Westbrooke, she was the CO in the Achkaerinese army when it came to the analysis and disposal of chemical and biological weapons.
"Ok." Peter said passing Nettie a hot chocolate and picking up one for himself "What is it?"
"As part of the search for the HDMS Morelander we've been starting to set up a surveillance net in the island chain of the Alucard." Sally said "One of the islands had a water nomad settlement floating next to it, the inhabitants were found sick with the Kaiju virus or something that very much looks like it."
"How does a virus from Safraen get into the Alucard?" Nettie asked
"It doesn't." Sally said "I think it's T-76-S. Went missing in February 2014 from Gaia."
"So you believe Kozlov?" Peter asked
"I don't see another explanation." Sally said
"And the island's the testing ground?" Nettie said
"Could be." Sally said
"But Kaiju kills within three weeks to a month." Peter said "We're seven years after the event here."
"Could be a mutation, could be an environmental factor." Sally said "Could be a more recent exposure."
"Find out." Peter said "And let's probe the original event."
"Yes sir." Sally said

Offline KrisNord

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #33 on: August 11, 2021, 10:46:28 AM »
The Cenneg Navy was now beginning to flood the area with its navy now. The Copre and its escort had entered the Lodjain part of the Central Alucard Island Chain from the north while the Lugid had entered from a wide arc down the southern end. The problem was the sheer number of small islands, often volcanic that meant radar could be a bit of an issue at times. As such they were relying on air assets as much as anything. News of the Ekra-Badger sinking was also a problem. Every now and again they'd come across groups of water-nomads, something the Cenneg navy was used to however this time the usual friendly greetings had gone with the Cenneg keen to keep distance between the two groups to avoid any repeats.


Offline Libby

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #34 on: August 13, 2021, 11:34:42 PM »
Noginsk Palace was no longer a place from where a government could be run according to CrownPrincess Roksana. Despite the Morelanders and the Warriors of Gaia both trying to keep secrecy Queen Klara refused to listen to them. She had over the last few days been bringing friends and hangers on here. Roksana had tried to confiscate her wife's phone but had no luck. It was difficult as the Warriors of Gaia struggled with the line of doing what they knew was operationally the best thing to do and also with the idea of having unquestionable loyalty to the Queen. But what if the Queen wasn't in her right mind? She'd discovered lingering in the Palace grounds a middle aged Priests called Miriam who had no been adopted by the young Queen as a kind of spiritual mentor. Klara would pray with her each morning and then have a list of questions for her. In all of this spiritual awakening by Klara she had come across a tale of how a son of Sessifet was a key part in one of the battles among the Gods. She became convinced that only with a son in her ranks could she be victorious and with Isaak having been kidnapped that would mean she needed another child. She had set about this task with apparent glee often not attending Conclave meetings as she was "busy securing the future of the Queendom" with some handsome member of the palace household, she'd even tried persuading Keir Peters from East Moreland to father a child with us but he'd somehow escaped her clutches.

It had become clear to Roksana that she would have to take command of the situation and at the Conclave meeting no-one seemed to object when she stood up that morning in Conclave. "I have a proposal. As my wife hasn't arrived at a Conclave for nearly a week now it is clear we are like a rudderless boat with no one in control. As such someone must place their hand on the rudder. I am therefore proposing that I take control in the place of Queen Klara." There was a murmor around the table. "There is a precident. As Lord Besarian here will know." She pointed at the most senior figure within the Conclave beside the Queen. Besarian Ivanov had effectively been the 2nd most powerful individual in the nation for several years. "When Queen Viktoria was in hospital following being shot there was an initial move to have her husband fill in her role, however he passed on that oppurtunity when his aunt was impicated in the attempt. As such Lord Besarian here took the authority. It is therefore apparent that should the Queen be incapable of ruling her spouse should take command, failing that the Head of the Conclave. In this case I am able to take that authority so I suggest that we acknowledge this situation."

The members of the Conclave looked around at each other. There were a few seats empty from where those Leopold had kidnapped would have been sat. Besarian was first to speak. "Its clear if we don't do this then we can't really take effective action. I therefore will give the Crown-Princess my support." Gradually all the others around the table gave their approval and as Prince Lennox of Ui Cenneslaig in his role of Minister of Defence gave the final "Yes" Roksana let out an audiable sigh.

"Thank you" she said as she flopped into her chair. She had never expected the weight of the Queendom to fall upon her shoulders but she had once as a young Lady-in-Waiting taken an oath to serve the Goddess and if that meant allowing her to focus on her own gratification she would focus on her other duties. Roksana had brought with her a briefcase which she now unlocked and produced a typed up document. "I would like this to be put into effect immediately." She handed copies to everyone else.

Quote from: Document

Following consultation among the Conclave[1] it has been determined that the following actions will be required of all Lodjains with immediate effect.

1. All Lodjains are to remain in their place of residence between 9pm and 7am. Exceptions apply to those working in essential services.

2. Security forces have the right to stop and demand ID of any individual. Failure to provide ID when requested will result in arrest.

3. No gatherings in public of more than 20 people may take place without licence from the local Mayor.

4. Local Mayors have the power to designate areas as Social Control Zones. Within these zones Security Forces can, if neccessary, forceably remove any indivdiual.

5. It is now illegal for any individual to carry a firearm outside of private property. Anyone caught with a firearm is to be fined $10,000 and sentenced to 2 years in prison.

6. All individuals except those Pleblians who reside there must leave the Isle of the Goddess within 48 hours. This includes ambassadors. Ambassadors are not prevented from acquiring other accomodation within Gaia and if they require it the Conclave will aide in finding this accomodation.

7. All Universities are to postpone lectures for the next 14 days.

 1. To the people of Lodja this would mean the Queen, select nobles and her Ministers.

"It is my hope these will take the sting out of the potential riots that are going on. It'll also help us see which members of the Security Forces are on our side and which are not. In 48 hours time we shall leave Klara here and return to the Isle of the Goddess. We'll have a diminished staff and I want us to adopt a siege mentality while we are there."

The Conclave all seemed to support the idea despite a few of them voicing their view that they didn't think the ideas would be successful but at least they now had some sense of direction.


Leopold was confident that their new little island home was secure. He would now need to take a few risks. He'd got  the Frigates Offler and Zephyrus, and the corvette Fhez running interference covering the search zones near him and radioing contact with various Water Nomad groups but no sign of anything else. It was now a case of removing Klara once and for all, thankfully withe Helene Tar on his side and the fact Klara had wanted a salon of followers at Noginsk he'd gotten information on the Queen's whereabouts. An unaware mole in Noginsk had allowed Leopold to find out her location. Young Princess Alana Tar had been brought along as a companion of the Queen. Someone of a similar age, royal rank and a fun loving youngster was exactly the kind of person Klara wanted. She'd told her mother about being summound to Noginsk and Helene and Leopold had put two and two together. It was important that Alana was now removed from the Palace, after all as part of this arrangement she would become Queen when Helene married her off to the "King" of the monarchy. Helene picked up her phone and rang her daughter telling her that her four year old sister Jana was ill. Alana had naturally dropped everything and headed to the Isle of Tyr where the family had a lovely beach front villa. It would take her the best part of 48 hours to get there and once Helene had heard her daughter was en route Leopold put plan two into operation.



25km West of Noginsk

The truck for the freezer food company was parked up in a lay by. The driver was seemingly having a break when a local Police officer stopped. They'd had reports of this lay by in the past having been used for companies dumping materials as it had a ravine just the other side of the barrier. The Officer got out and peered over the rail and was happy this guy wasn't up to much. The heavy clanging from the rear of the truck though grabbed his attention. "Everything OK" the officer asked as he tapped on the passenger side window. "Sounds like you've something wrong" he gestured towards the back.

"Really?" The driver seemed surprised as he slid over to the side nearest the policeman. He put his head out the window as to listen and it was true there was a lot of metalic scraping. They hadn't counted on this. "Yes, that doesn't sound right." The driver replied and then without warning drove a knife into the throat of the police officer. The Officers eyes went wide as he saw his blood spill across his hands and side of the truck. Satisfied the knife had gone deep enough the driver let go and the officer slammed to the gravel below. The driver opened the passenger door and dropped down having first removed the silened pistol from the glove box. He glanced around, no one else in sight. He spoke into his right cuff where a radio was. "We've just had a visit from the Police. He got suspicious so I've neutralised him. It's show time." Pavel Grinkev informed his colleagues in the rear. They responded that they understood and almost instantly one of the apparent vents on the back was slide open. Inside the truck was a MVLS loaded with eight surface to surface missiles. The first of which was aimed squarely at Noginsk Palace. The men evacuated the rear and pressed a button on a control pad sending the single missile skyward and racing towards the Palace. Its mission done the men threw the Police officers body in the rear of the truck and then pushed his car into the undergrowth. Without a care in the world they drove off with 7 more shots to fire if need be and nobody the wiser that these men from the Queen's Own Artillery had one of the nations MVLS with them.

25km away a young Corporal from the Army Aviation Wing sat monitoring a scope showing local air traffic, in his headset he could listen to the chatter of those pilots and Noginsk's ATC. "We've got something" he said more to himself than anyone. A fast moving object had appeared on the screen. It was moving directly towards them and had no code, no ATC clearence and was rather low. He had by his mind just short of a minute to make a decision. "This is Sky Nest Control, activating Jekar Shield" He pressed a button and the system which had automatically been tracking the object knew it could fire. It took a few seconds more for the computer to be confident they had incoming and a plume of smoke from somewhere in the Palace grounds indicated a missile was on its way. The Corporal had just enough time to look out of the window and admire the explosion some 10km away and breath a sigh of relief before passing his information on up the chain of command. This was one more thing to worry about.

Offline Achkaerin

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #35 on: August 24, 2021, 11:44:09 PM »
The tension in Valtheim was palpable, the situation was getting further and further advanced and still no sign of the Morelander which wasn't a good sign. The Round Table Conference met for their latest session on the Lodja situation, a situation now complicated by events of recent hours. Peter sat looking around the table and at the various screens on the wall, some were maps others were where people were joining the meeting remotely. At present the floor belonged to the Minister for the Diplomatic Office Cheryl Holmes who was sat about a quarter of the way around the table from Peter "...Therefore given the decree we've moved Emalet Silvermist from the Isle of the Goddess to the embassy in Gaia." Cheryl said
"What's the read on these measures?" Peter asked
"Your Majesty." Consul Michael Williams said "The measures are understandable, however to some extent this looks like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It shouldn't change our support for Queen Klara but this has a lot of potential to spin well out of control."
"After the protests the Lodjan police don't really have a lot of credibility." Richard Chambers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said "If the protests continue then this has the potential to get very ugly very quickly."
"And it's at that point that this becomes a real headache." Nettie said "At the moment the protesters are a minority and public opinion is with Klara but if Klara's seen to be overreacting or doing things that cause more harm then it doesn't take much for public support to flip."
"All right." Peter said "Sally?"
"Yes Your Majesty." Sally said "We're expecting samples from the water nomads to arrive in a few hours, we will then run a comparison against the Kaiju virus sample we are based on reports very confident that the samples will match, we recommend a press release as soon as this is confirmed."
"Agreed." Peter said "Supposing they match can we get a visit with General Koslov?"
"We'll try but it's Lodja." Nettie said "And it's a pretty rough time at the moment."
"Good thing we've got someone we can call." Peter said "Get Emalet to do that."
"Ok." Cheryl said
"Peter." Rion Ayanami said "I want to pull Jack out now before this gets messy." this wasn't unsurprising as Rion had raised the issue at previous meetings "He's a high profile figure and he's leverage. It was one thing when this was contained to Gaia but it's spreading and it could easily happen in Quadaghlo."
"He won't leave without Katyusha." Peter said
"I'll have Mika talk to them." Rion said

"Ok then Admiral Sherman." Peter said "What's the manhunt like?"
"Your Majesty we believe based on our current search operations that the HDMS Morelander is in the Central Alucard Island Chain." Vice Admiral Michelle Sherman said, she was the director of strategic naval operations "It's a very good hiding place because there are so many islands to search and the various search instruments can run into trouble."
"What aren't you saying?" Peter asked
"Your Majesty." Michelle said slowly "It's true that the islands are an excellent haystack however there's only one end to this game of hide and seek, the Morelander will be found. And Leopold isn't stupid enough to believe otherwise, so whatever Leopold intends to do he's in a race against the clock to do it before he's found."
"Can we intensify the search?" Peter asked
"Yes Your Majesty." Michelle said "As you will recall when this started you ordered the INS Kyogre and ships into the Alucard for the purposes of evacuating should it be necessary, they are in the area now. We've also got the carrier INS Intrepid as part of that group."
"How'd the Intrepid get there?" Peter asked
"It was supposed to pick up the Dragonbreath's from the Kyogre at the end of the trial." Michelle said
"And one going into the Alucard puts them both there." Peter said
"Yes sir." Michelle said "I'd like to send the Kyogre and an escort to follow the evacuation protocol we'd already put in place and send the Intrepid towards the centre of the chain while using our existing drone nets to cover north and south. Have a sparrowhawk and fuel up top and lets try and find him before he makes his big move."
"Do it." Peter said


At the Achkaerinese embassy in Gaia Emalet Silvermist was settling into what was her second office so to speak, she was used to being based out of the Isle of the Goddess but here she was in the embassy for the duration of the current crisis, she was joined by her sister Zoe, it was going to be difficult to get what she'd been asked to get but Emalet knew how Lodjan society worked it was about did you know anyone who might be able to get you somewhere, knowing this the Achkaerinese government had mainly by virtue of the Emperor's friendship with her designated Alana Tar the then sister of the Queen as the recommended contact for such things and it had over time paid dividends, Emalet could only hope it did this time, she dialed Alana's number and paced around the room while she waited for the girl to pick up.


In Qadaghlo Mika Schilling stepped into a room where the Andronikashivili family was presently situated the parents Duke Robert and Duchess Svetlana, then Prince Jack's girlfriend Katyusha and her older sister Nikita. "Sir." Mika said addressing Robert "I'm under orders to evacuate Prince Jack, but predictably he's not wanting to leave without your daughter and my guess would be that she won't go without the rest of you. I can't compel you to do anything but I do recommend you let me evacuate all of you rather than risk scenes similar to Rakalin happening here." it was a rather weird situation there was something of an expectation that at some point Jack and Katyusha would marry and Mika really didn't want to be responsible for losing potential in laws of the Azurewind family.


In the Alucard the INS Intrepid, flagship of the Achkaerinese fleet with her escorts headed towards the islands, as far as the search went from their point of view this was game changer day, they now had more air assets in the area which meant they could cover ground more quickly, it would still take plenty of time but they had at least theoretically increased their odds of finding the Morelander sooner rather than later. Commanding the Intrepid was Admiral Lucas Harper and this was unlike any situation he'd previously been involved in and that was saying something considering his career history. He stepped onto the bridge and walked over to what was called 'the chessboard' an interactive table, or to put it another way the mating of an electronic tablet and a table, presently it displayed a map of the area, standing on the other side of the table was his XO Commander Carmen Webb.

"Status?" Lucas asked
"Sir." Carmen said "We're approaching the search area from the east, the Kyogre and Stardust have peeled off as per orders. The Rhyth Icerider is situated here." she tapped the table "We're going to rendezvous with them north of the Isle of Tar, that gives us open water to base out of while we search."
"ETA?" Lucas asked
"ETA for rendezvous is seventy two hours." Carmen said "We are however starting search operations sooner than that."
"Naturally." Lucas said

Below decks in the flight briefing room Wing Commander Lance Ellis had been brought in to give the operations briefing he stood behind a podium on a slightly raised platform, the pilots sat in chairs before him. "All right this is Operation Falcon, our primary objective is locating the HDMS Morelander. This is a twenty four seven operation, groups as per normal protocol for such operations. There will be a Sparrowhawk and fuel up top. We are not the only ones out here looking for the Morelander, if you discover the Morelander you are cleared to engage only if fired upon. Jackpot is bingo call." Lance said "Questions?" he looked around the room, there were none "Good hunting braves."

The senior pilot aboard the Intrepid was Squadron Commander Lucy Sherwood, a highly respected figure in the Achkaerinese military she had the callsign 'Hekate' and flew a Dragonite fighter jet, her wingman was Lieutenant Harry Kimblin callsign 'Fenrir', it was quite easy to tell that the two of them had been flying together since day one and had deliberately colluded in picking their callsigns. Now came the scramble as the first shift of jets including theirs took off up into the Alucard skies once they leveled off Lucy glanced around and spotted the Sparrowhawk, she clicked the radio "This is Hekate, you know the drill, Sparrowhawk up top on coordination, two fighter escort at all times, everyone else split into your flights and let's hunt this damn vessel down." she said, she clicked the radio off and banked away Harry following on her wing.

Offline Libby

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #36 on: September 19, 2021, 04:50:44 PM »
#

The Isle of Zhoyan (South East on map) was the smallest of the Lodjain islands. It was home to nothing much more than a naval outpost, a small airfield and a wonderful series of high class hotel. It was a lovely paradise in the centre of the Alucard. It was also an easy target. The aim for Leopold was simple, move the search to somewhere he wasn't actually looking to go. He'd dispatched two ships with a group of Marines onboard, their brief was relatively simple. As the boats neared they launched in small boats of their own and within a few minutes had secured a beach before moving in land. The island only had one town and it was named the same as the island. 45minutes after reaching the islands town 45 Marines had taken control of the islands Ducal Palace. Two hours after arriving they had the air-field, largely thanks to a handful of aircrew there turning coat and helping them. It was safe to say that with a force of around 250 Marines Leopold had taken control of the island. The flag of the monarchy was raised above the building and a scene showing the Duke of the island in handcuffs was shown to the world. A Colonel in the Marines gave a statement to camera.

"The city of Zhoyan has today become part of the Monarchy of Lodja. The people here are happy and proud to welcome our forces as we seek to liberate the territory held by a corrupt Queen who when her nation is plunged into chaos hides in a palace somewhere. With immediate effect all those Lodjains living on Zhoyan are ensured of the rank of Patrician. As King Leopolds forces move we shall ensure all who live under his regency are given the same treatment. In the new Lodja a person shall be judged by their loyalty to the Goddess, to the crown and to their fellows. To those waiting their freedom we are coming."



Over on the mainland things hadn't gone unnoticed. The handful of local defence force people had tried to put up a fight but were overwhelmed, only 60 men were underarms on the island and when the Air Force station split any help from there evaporated. They had though got a message out and then surrendered. In Noginsk the Queen was unaware, she had become convinced that simply by making herself, and therefore Sessifet, happy the situation would be resolved so it was back on the Isle of the Goddess that the makeshift command under CrownPrincess Roksana would take control of the situation. Roksana was clear, the island would need to be retaken. She had ordered as many Lodjain ships as possible to head towards the island, she didn't want it reinforced and she didn't want Leopold to get there. With that in mind she'd asked Sebastian Johnson to have the Morelanders plan the actual assault. With that in mind she'd put about trying to come up with a way of sorting out the mess her wife, Klara, had put her in.



Alana was up in Noginsk with Queen Klara, she had started to become uncomfortable with the situation there as things had started to get a little wild. First there had been Klara's refusal to do government business, then her spending lots of time with the men assigned to guard her, Alana was sure too much booze and drugs were also doing the rounds but she wasn't too fond of that, she just quietly indulged in a few drinks, some dancing and flirting but that was all. Until the missile attack she'd felt safe enough here but now the knowledge that Leopold had assets this close and knew where they were was a concern. She had been totally surprised when Emalet called.


Katyusha Andronikashivili's family were a proud one and had no desire to be seen to cut and run. Duke Robert had to be seen to maintain control here. "I'm sorry but you do understand what impression me leaving gives. It either shows the people that I'm letting our hometown become chaos because I'm in league with Leopold or it shows that I'm a coward unwilling to do my duty. I can not be seen to leave nor would I want to. Our family have a long connection to the Crown and I'd be letting our ancestors down if I escaped, especially with some kind of foreign help." He thought about his daughter though, "I will however be happy to confirm that we're so committed to life continuing as normal for the Andronikashivili family that Katyusha is still going to take up a Masters degree in Achkaerin." It of course wasn't the case, "I'm sure a woman of your ingenuity can arrange that?"






Online DaveIronside

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #37 on: September 26, 2021, 07:22:40 PM »
OOC- Joint post

As news began filtering in, first from the people on the ground and then the statement from the TV there were audible groans at Cobble Field. Their plan on finding HMDS Morelander and bringing an end to this farce was now in tatters. They had imagined that wherever the turn coat vessel was they would find Leopold and bring all this to an end. Now it was clear the number of forces at Leopolds command was larger than thought. The first task would be to get more information about what was going on. A strange combination of a Dragonbreath fighter and a photo recon equipped Dragonbane II were sent off to have a look.

Meanwhile Red Legion small craft began turning towards Zhoyan, for most it would take two days to get there and once they had hopefully arrived unseen they would establish observation posts to look at what the rebels had been getting up to and pick spots for attacks. They weren't the only ships heading for the island as the Cenneg ship the Conn was inbound with its escorts. They would be there at around the same time as the Red Legionnaires and a few hours behind them was the Tirech where Cenneg Marine Commando's were already beginning preparations for any potential action that they could face. So far they'd made the decision to leave the Lodjains out of this all the time knowing Crown Princess Roksana would likely be discussing things with her own people. That though was a problem in itself. Who could they trust?

As the two Morelander planes neared Zhoyan there was an immediate problem, a Lodjian Tornaado appeared on the radar screen. It was decision time the aircraft could be a friendly but they knew there was a small airfield there. The pilot of the Dragonbreath took a lead position and told the slower Dragonbane II to tuck in close behind. They tried contacting the aircraft but nothing came back leading them to assume it must be hostile, it was then confirmed when the Dragonbane II began getting indicators that they had been locked up. Without waiting for any further confirmation the Dragonbreath pilot turned his own targetting system on, locked up the Lodjain aircraft and launched a missile. They knew one was already heading their way and the close proximity of the two aircraft and the Dragonbreath's potentially lower radar signature meant it was likely the Tornaado had only seen one aircraft. They waited until the missile had clearly made a track towards the larger Dragonbane at that point the Dragonbreath opened its weapons bays hoping to make its signature larger and at the same time they both began launching flare and chaff and at the right moment both took rapid avoiding action. There own missile had been evaded too and now as the Dragonbane II dropped lower the Dragonbreath launched another missile. They were concerned another aircraft would be coming to help but as the 2nd missile found its mark they had an apparent open door, largely thanks to the islands base having a shortage of air to air weapons. They made a run across the island taking in key sites the military planners had asked for and while no other threats came to the duo open arrival back at Cobble Field it was clear the Dragonbane II had taken some ground fire from small arms but nothing to be worried about. It would now just be a matter of time until the boats arrived in 48 hours.

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #38 on: October 19, 2021, 10:31:07 PM »
While the Morelanders and the Cenneg hashed out there plan to retake Zhoyan with a handful of Lodjain Marines among their number it was Crown Princess Roksana who was left to turn to matters of keeping Lodja running. Her new decree to limit protests on the street had seen most clashes between factions on the streets ended however it had given the security forces backing both sides a clearer run at each other. Every hour it seemed there had been a flair up somewhere as a small group of those wishing for change had come out in support of Leopold or some investigation had outed them as disloyalists and as such violence had erupted. The Conclave had even given up finishing its meetings and returning to their own suites in the now deserted Palace of the Goddess. Instead they just waited for the next flashpoint to be brought to their attention. Queen Klara was oblivious to this all, safe and secure in Noginsk living the high life, quiet literally. News had come in of Klara being in an endless haze of drink and drugs rambling about how Sessifet was speaking to her about a need to "replace" Prince Isaak, she had even been heard yelling out of her window calling on the Gods that Sessifet had subdued to come serve in her Army and wipe Leopold from Mundus. That was apparently the reason she didn't need to concern herself with military matters as her "minion Gods" would deal with the matter.

Roksana though didn't put her trust in such spiritual saviours but spiritual advise was what she was in need of. She called Arina Maksimov to a meeting the Queen's office.  Arina was one of the pair of Priestesses that had been seen as the 2nd most influential voice of the Goddess after the Queen herself. Roksana would have called Maria Shvets too but with her father being one of those in Leopold's clutches she believed that for now Maria may have been compromised. Arina was surprised to be asked to come alone, normally her and Maria were always called to the Isle and Palace together and as she took the offered seat she was already confused. "Arina I don't claim to know the scriptures anywhere near as well as you." Roksana placed a copy of the Sessifetian texts on the table and turned to a marked page. "I've read this and I want you to explain it to me." Roksana ran a page down the white page until she found the bit she had underlined. "And as the enemies of the Goddess massed she sprang her trap of confusion. With wisdom and guile the Goddess of beauty and love convinced a maiden to take her place in form and as the forces of darkness took to close their jaws around the weak human bait the Goddess closed her own trap." The passage read Roksana closed the book. "Am I to understand the Goddess often was able to assume a form we as humans would not expect to trick her enemies?"

Arina was not expecting to be discussing stories of the Goddess but was compelled to answer. "There are a number of occasions through our holy texts that tell of how, in times of danger, the Goddess has manipulated us into thinking she was someone else, or that in fact someone was her. This is all part of her plan to ensure humanity survived and thrived. I can think of at least eight occasions she played such games." Roksana wasn't the most religious of people, she though understood how significant the stories had been to shaping the nation and therefore having a good understanding of the texts may help her.

"So at any point did the Goddess use the trick to bring about changes on our world?" Roksana sat perched on the edge of the desk.

Arina thought for a moment or two. "Yes, she introduced our hierachy to impose order at a time of crisis. She used it again to remove the original and corrupted Chief God." That was what Roksana had understood and had hoped to hear.

"Arina I am of the view that Sessifet is doing such a thing now. Think of how Klara has changed in the last year or so. She is not the same person as she was and there is no reason for that change that makes sense if the Goddess is within her. I believe that Sessifet is in hiding waiting for a chance to spring a trap to remove her enemies that are seeking to remove her true ways. The Goddess wanted us to live in a strict hierachy, but the Goddess made it a duty on us to ensure that those of us at the top managed it in a way to help those below. Not take advantage of them. Look at our nobility over the last decade, riddled with corruption and not doing anything to support those below. Klara did some and had the nobility several times take steps to halt her. Sessifet is now letting all those against her come out."

Arina mused on the words for a while or two. Roksana was speaking a lot of sense but the Priestess knew Roksana was perhaps the least devout of the Queen's inner circle since Stasya had left. She considered her words carefully. "Are you thinking you may be Sessifets Guardian?"

Roksana had not anticipated this question. "No...of course not...no" she protested. "I believe Klara was the right person." She let the "was" sink in.

"You think we need a new Queen?" Arina stood up and paced.

"I do. I think we need someone who is going to be strong enough to push for what Sessifet truly wants. A hierachy where all can progress and those born into good fortune are honourbound to create a better world for them." Roksana wanted that but probably just because it had become apparent that it would happen either through reform or by the gun and the gun would rip Lodja apart.

"It should be you." Arina suggested, "You have the pure spirit required, you have the connection. You could do it."

Roksana shook her head. "For this to happen I need to get my hands a little dirty and that alone means I am not pure. If this goes the way I think it will need to then I shall ask to rejoin my friend Stasya in East Moreland, never to return here. I though need your help. We need a new Guardian and it should not be some doe-eyed child, we've seen how that has failed. Mundus has changed and we need a strong leader."

"Any girl in mind?" Arina asked.

"No" Roksana took a deep breath, "I have a man in mind." Arina's jaw hit the floor. It was one thing to try and sell to the people the fact that the Goddess would be breaking with tradition picking an older Queen, but another to pick a King. The Crown-Princess could see the sense of shock at her blasphamy. "I want Dragan Knežević to be a leader for us going forward. He's a man with integrity. He's sat on the Queendom's money for four years and he accounts for every single penny. Him and Besarian Ivanov hate each other politically but even Besarian respects him for his work and that says a lot. This is why I think for Queen we should pick one of two people, the first is Anna Utkin, she's a Duchess, she's respected across all the nation and as committed to the Queendom as Dragan. The second is more of a punt, Anna Immich, she's served three Queens and turned down countless chances to cut and run in order to stand by the crown and I've heard her speak up many times in private to do what we're hoping to achieve."

"Anna Utkin?" Arina said once she had processed Roksana's suggestions, "But she was born a Pleb. If we're talking of doing this perhaps this is a step too far. She's not exactly the feminine Queen Sessifet is embodied at." Perhaps that was the point of suggesting her Arina considered she had a brief moment of doubting her previous words. "If we're doing this its Immich. I'll begin preparing some hints to drop in religious context. You will need to work out the political side."

"Thank you" the pair embraced and once Arina was out of the office Roksana had a good cry before phoning her contact with the military. "Hello Lubos it's Roksana" she could sense the confusion in the man at the other end of the phone. He had been a loyalist to the throne all his life and was a man Roksana could trust without any hesitation. He had tried to reform the military and found himself like a sailor on a leaking boat on the ocean with only a sieve to bail out the encroatching water. It had cost him his job with Klara being angered at the corruption still rife when the now infamous data breach had happened. Lubos had resigned and confined himself to his estates and the odd article on military theory since then. Roksana outlined the situation knowing that should he wish he could bring the whole plan down.

"I can make it happen" he replied, "We'll do it once Zhoyan has been recaptured."

"Agreed"

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #39 on: October 19, 2021, 11:21:47 PM »
Emalet smiled when Alana answered the phone "Your Highness, I can't go into too much detail but I've been instructed by the Achkaerinese government to seek the opportunit for intelligence officers to question General Koslov, in relation to something Achkaerinese forces have discovered while searching for the HDMS Morelander." she said before taking a deep breath "We found a water nomad settlement that appears to have been exposed to something resembling the Kaiju virus, given the location it could be T-76-S which is why we'd like to ask the General some questions."


Mika had gone straight to Jack and Katyusha and made sure the pair were packing this was not how she'd wanted this to go but she had no choice, this was getting dicey and she needed to do her job. As the two lovebirds finished packing Mika turned her attention to Jess.
"Transport?" Mika asked
"Helicopter's waiting at an airfield half an hour away." Jess said
"Good." Mika said as Katyusha went to say farewell to her family "What a mess we're in."
"That just about sums it up." Jess said "But what happens from here?"
"I have no idea." Mika said "I'm going to get the car started


About two hours later in Valtheim, Nettie stepped into Peter's study. "It's done Jack and Katyusha are on the Kyogre." she said
"Good." Peter said "What of Leopold?"
"Nothing yet but he's running out of time." Nettie said "He needs big moves if Zhoyan is the first what's the second?"
"Keep the search on." Peter said "We find the Morelander this is over."
"We'll find him sooner or later." Nettie said
"Sooner would be better." Peter said
"I'm not Scotty." Nettie said
"I wasn't asking you to change the laws of physics." Peter said
"No just bend the laws of time." Nettie said
"I thought time was a wibbly wobbly blob of stuff." Peter said, Nettie rolled her eyes she'd walked right into that one
"Please tell me you're going to run out of jokes before we start playing tonight." Nettie said
"Why did I ever agree to play dungeons and dragons?" Peter asked
"Because Maddy ordered you to." Nettie said

Online DaveIronside

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #40 on: October 28, 2021, 04:33:36 PM »
It had been two days since the initial flight over the island of Zhoyan by the East Moreland aircraft and in that time it had become clear that the troops on the island under Lodjian command were next to none existent. It was estimated that beyond a force of 250 Marines in the only town on the island, also called Zhoyan, that the only troops guarded the airfield, a port and then some around the holiday resort, effectively making it a hostage situation. In total probably less than 1000 enemy troops occupied the small island but they had the advantage of having civilians in close quarters so a full on barrage of shock and awe air power was out the question.

Over the last 24 hours teams of Red Legionnaires from East Moreland had put ashore covertly and been carrying out recces of the airfield and port. Around five Tornado aircraft sat parked up along with a few helicopters, meanwhile at the port a Frigate sat bobbing in the harbour. If they could be removed from the equation then it would give the troops sat in the REMNS King Robert and HMS Lugid put ashore at various point around the island. Air cover was to be provided by East Moreland via Cobble Field or the Cenneg aircraft carrier Copre Naturally East Moreland's Red Legion had been saying they could sort this themselves but with the on-going situation in Heyra and the logistical situation it was clear their claims were nothing other than professional bravado. The brunt of the work would therefore be split between the Cenneg Royal Kerns Commando unit and East Moreland's Royal Marine Commando's. The two groups made preparations on-board their ships as their respective vessels approached the island from the North and South. The Morelanders would hit the coastline and push for the islands capital while, if things went to plan the Cenneg would be hitting the opposite coast and making for the holiday resort. There was however one place shock and awe could be their friend.

A Red Legion observation post in the vicinity of the airfield heard the alarm begin sounding across the facility. "Command this is Foxtrot Oscar Papa we have base alarm. Over."

"Roger that Foxtrot Oscar Papa. You have a go at your discretion over."

"Roger Wilco" Tom Saxby smiled as they watched a the aircraft begin to taxi. "Mr. Barks hit the switch if you please." A mischevious grin from his colleague indicated something was about to cause the Lodjains a problem and the explosion of a fuel depot and one of the bases outlying radio towers happened simultaneously. Last night under the cover of darkness their four man team had sneaked onto the base aiming to sabotage the aircraft, sadly they'd been too well guarded and so they went for the secondary targets instead. The explosions caused one of the taxing aircraft to stop, no doubt the pilot shocked at the flames off his left wing and this almost caused an obviously distracted pilot taxing behind him to almost pass into his engine wash. Barks had waited a second or two and hit another detonator, this one causing several vehicles to get thrown into the air from the explosives they'd placed there. From one side of the airfield gunfire could be heard as now nervous Lodjain soldiers fired at imaginary targets. The first of the Tornado's had begun its take off and went almost vertical as soon as it had left the ground. "Command you've one bird off the ground.....now two.....three....four....." he was about to announce the launch of the fifth and final aircraft as from the opposite side of the airfield a burst of white smoke appeared, one of the other teams armed with a Javelin shoulder fired missile. The pilot had just enough time to try firing flares which was a forlorn gesture as in an effort to evade the missile at low altitude the pilot lost control and had just enough time to pull his ejector seat handle before the aircraft wing struck the ground cartwheeling the aircraft.

"Fifth bird down" Saxby said happily. It did mean though that the incoming support aircraft had four Tornado's to deal with. The Red Legionnaires watched as the troops at the airfield began taking up defensive positions around the airfield in expectation of some kind of ground assault. That however was for later and instead the two teams tasked with monitoring the airfield fired off their last hidden explosives which had been placed at points they suspected would be used to defend the airfield from ground assault before turning to their sniper rifles. They'd pick at the enemy until the Marines or Kerns arrived, if they would be needed at all.



As soon as the Red Legion call had come over the airways the Combat Air Patrol over the Copre roared away. Three Buthal fighters had hit their afterburners and raced away as the guys on deck launched the standby fighters as quickly as possible and within a short span of time eight aircraft were airborne. They kept low as they raced towards the island in an attempt to take out the aircraft before the landing groups were put at risk. Fortunately for them they had anticipated an attack from the airfield when it came time to put boats ashore and now they could see a pair of Tornado's heading towards each of the two landing groups. These aircraft quickly found themselves overwhelmed as volley's of missiles from Air Defence Frigates and the Buthal's lit up their radar screens. One of the Tornado's had time to launch at the King Robert before the pilot was forced to eject just in time to see his aircraft get blown out of the sky.

"Sir we've an incoming missile, time to intercept 40 seconds." the call came on the bridge of the King Robert, the flagship of the East Moreland Navy.

"Alert the Rhi" the ships captain watched on his screen.

"Rhiannon this is the King you got that missile in sight?" The radar operator was already getting their own CWIS system in order to protect the ship but the REMNS Rhiannon the Fierce was tasked with handling this.

"Roger that King. All in hand." Almost at the same time as the destroyers radio operator confirmed the good news two missiles left the ships deck and off the King Roberts bow a satisfying explosion took place followed by a sigh of relief from the crew. "Job done."

"Roger that Rhiannon, thank you very much."

The front doors were now almost fully open with the air threat having been neutralised.



Over at the Port the Lodjain Frigate was a hive of activity with men clearly expecting to be called into action. The ship could act as a means of air defence and was already tracking the Lodjain aircraft. It was preparing to fire when a boom filled the air. A Red Legion diver had last night placed a charge on the ships propeller meaning that it wouldn't be able to leave the harbour. The natural shape of the island now meant that the Cenneg fleet would be hidden from view by the hills however the Frigate was still capable of launching and soon the skies were full of Cenneg fighters avoiding the Frigates launched missiles. Two Cenneg pilots had been unable to shake their automated pursuers and were now gently floating towards the sea on their parachutes as in the distance they could see the tell tale trail of incoming missiles towards the Frigate. Three Spearhead missiles had been launched and two exploded well short of the Frigate when CWIS did its job, the final missile though had managed to get into its final dive and climb before it was intercepted and the deck was filled with the clatter of bits of casing falling. A few sailors called for help having been hit but the ship was still in fighting order. A second barrage of missiles came in and this time two got through the initial interception, one shared the fate of its previous last minute friend however one impacted on the bow of the ship causing the ship to rock violently. A few seconds later a further explosion buckled the whole front deck as the gun exploded along with the stored ammunition. It had been a good result for the Cenneg and Morelanders as the ships VLS system was now damaged massively limiting what they could launch. The ship was also taking on water and began to slightly lean to its port side. There would be plenty of time to evacuate the vessel but for now their was still a chance they could stay in the fight. It was now that the aircraft could return and soon the crew onboard were faced with a barrage of targets and not enough VLS tubes to keep them all busy. Soon air launched anti ship missiles flew in and the Frigate found itself overwhelmed until one breached its side and lodged in the stern helicopter hanger exploded effectively killing the ship as an effective threat as the Captain called for it to be abandoned.



"All callsigns we have the doors wide open. Good hunting." General Yacobs had been watching affairs from Ostlake and having briefly consulted with her Cenneg comrade it was on.

Onboard the King Robert the Marines piled onto helicopters and landing craft. Within minutes Marine Commando's lead by Peter Grant had landed on the island about 5km away from the town of Zhoya. "OK boys time to push inland." The first Light Armour had rolled off the landing craft and was already pushing inshore. So far they'd had no opposition, mainly because the coast was so long and had so many landing points, it would be likely the Lodjains would opt to defend the town itself. The initial force began heading for the town behind the armour as helicopters deposited an ever growing force as the spearhead moved forward.



At the opposite side of the island the Cenneg force heading for the resort had a slightly different experience. The topography there had meant it was a more predictable landing spot and as the first Cenneg troops hit the shoreline they came under fire from various points. There weren't enough Lodjains to make it an effective defence in the face of Cenneg fire from helicopter gunships and close air support but it had cost four Cenneg soldiers their life to take that thin strip of sandy beach. Now they were forcing their way forward as a armoured car rumbled forward across sun-loungers and other assorted beach furniture. The leading vehicle was broadcasting messages in Lodjain. "PLEASE STAY INDOORS FOR YOUR SAFETY" . They had to try and keep any tourists here safe, they had no idea where they were and the last thing they needed was images of Cenneg soliders shooting tourists by mistake to flood the airways.



The Morelanders had reached Zhoya with minimal resistance. A group of Lodjains had taken pot shots at them as they'd passed down a road but that had been ineffective and a barrage of gunfire had driven them away. The whitewashed walls of the usually quiet town were now in view and a few barriers had been fashioned out of cars, vans and even a lorry to try and halt the armour. This wasn't going to deter the Morelanders though, with the armour stopped they carefully made their way forward as the attack helicopters of the King Robert flew patterns over the city calling out targets while dodging small arms fire. Luckily the Lodjains ashore didn't seem to have access to much in terms of heavy weapons beyond a few mortars and what sounded like a howitzer, they lacked the spotters though to effectively use them. Soon the Morelanders had entered the town and fighting from street to street began. The town was essentially three long streets that meet at an old Ducal Palace which served as the hub for the town. The Marines fought down the streets for most of the day until just as the sun was beginning to go down they reached the Palace itself and halted. "Command we have a problem." Grant radioed in.

"Go ahead Major" Yacobs responded from Ostlake.

"We've reached the Ducal Palace. So far we estimate about 100 Lodjain soldiers, well dug in, but we can see civilians, looks like some tied to things like fencing, and a few vehicles, we're assuming against their will." It appeared these were human shields however with the mess Lodja had become it was going to be hard to work out whether this was just a rouse and these were people supporting Leopold willingly trying to trick the Morelanders.

"OK Major. Hold what you have and wait out."

"Roger that." Grant was disappointed, he had hoped this would all be done before nightfall and he'd also a professional desire to beat his Cenneg counterparts in terms of securing his objective.



At the resort things were a little more chaotic. The sprawling nature of the resort meant it was harder to conduct a sensible advance and as such each outlying building had been taken over, first a BBQ restaurant, then a tennis court complex. The nature of the construction also meant it was an awkard place to secure as there were plenty of hiding holes and vegetation as cover. There had been a few occasions were the Cenneg Royal Kerns believed they'd secured an area only for moments later having to backtrack as a burst of gunfire had alerted them to an ambush. Like Grant in the town though by nightfall they'd the complex largely under their control all except the main hotel building. They would assault that once they'd resupplied and found some plans of it and hopefully have the place wrapped up by the time Grant in Zhoya had even started his final push.

That dream though was halted when a white flag appeared and a woman exited through the main entrance to the poolside. She seemed a woman in her thirties and was dressed very casually with no sign of weapons. "Stop there please" One of the Kerns called in Lodjain and the woman dutifully stopped about twenty meters away.

"I have a message from a Captain Kerachev" she yelled.

It took a minute or two for a Cenneg Captain to make his way over. "What can we do for you Miss" he asked in rather poor Lodjain.

"The hotel is under the command of Captain Kerachev. He has a total of..." she checked a piece of paper in her hand she'd been given, "122 men, 134 women and 66 children in the hotel. He requests you withdraw you're people immediately and return to your ships."

The Cenneg Captain, a man by the name of Ryan Kirkpatrick sighed, it seemed this wouldn't be as simple as they expected. "Are you a hostage Miss?" he asked.

"Not as such." She began to cry, "He has my 16 year old daughter in the hotel and says if I don't return then she'll be put on trial for treason. He says anyone not staying would be a supporter of the Queen and therefore a traitor to the nation and under martial law that gives him the right to shoot them. I have to get back." She turned and despite the questions asked by Kirkpatrick just kept going.



"This complicated things Finley" David and the Cenneg monarch had connected over the internet for a face to face with their senior officers watching on. "We've effectively got control of the island except for these two hold outs."

"Its not a problem in the immediate time." Finley had served in the military just had David had yet unlike the Morelander monarch he'd been a Commando himself while David had been merely a mountain soldier, "glorified infantry" in the eyes of Finley. "They aren't going anywhere, they aren't at the moment threatening the people, we just keep them circled and move on. We find that stolen ship and deal with that meanwhile these hostages are dealt with as a separate situation."

"OK" David accepted it was possibly the best way of dealing with it. "I'll have our people in Gaia brief their people and see what they come back with."

"Roger that" Finley said with a smile. "I'll have my brother Lennox meet with your men before they meet the Conclave, have everyone singing off the same song sheet so to speak." The two monarchs ended the call and hoped their team in the Palace would be able to walk the remnants of the functioning government through the situation.



A joint Dave/Kris/Libby production.

Offline Libby

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #41 on: October 31, 2021, 09:46:09 PM »
The news of the two stalled offensives on the island of Zhoya was relayed to the Conclave on the Isle of the Goddess and to the Queen up at her hideaway in Noginsk. Roksana did her best to not looked concerned as Klara appeared on the video screen alongside the Morelander and Cenneg military minds. The Queen looked like she hadn't slept in a week and that her hair hadn't seen a comb in just as long. It looked like she was speaking with simply a bed sheet around her. As the situation was being relayed by the Morelander and the Cenneg commanders Klara seemed uninterested until they had finished. In a matter of fact way she pronounced her decision. "Send a squadron of Sodalane bombers and have them level the targets. Then the Morelanders and Cenneg can move in and finish off anyone still resisting. I shall be in touch this tomorrow for a report on how the attack ended." And with that the Queen hit the off button and disappeared.

Around the Conclave table there were concerned looks. It would fall to the Minister of Defence to ensure the Queen's orders on such military matters were carried out and in that case the responsibility would fall to Prince Lennox, a Cenneg. He looked even more uncomfortable than the rest and as each waited for someone else to break the silence it became apparent to him that he would need to. "With respect I'm resigning my position. I will not and can not give that order." He stood placing his badge of office on the desk before him and preparing to leave.

"Sit down please." Roksana said rather more sternly than she expected. "It is the duty of every soldier to follow lawful orders and I do not think that one is." Several of the key members of the Conclave nodded in agreement, key among them was Besarian Ivanov. He was the Lord of the Conclave and in theory the second most powerful person in the Queendom. He was a former soldier himself and by any mark had been a good one and so he was firmly on Lennox's side. "It's clear she has no idea what's going on. If in 24 hours the situation hasn't been resolved we'll make something up and deal with it then. What I need you to do Prince Lennox is keep doing your job and help the forces on the ground get this stalemate settled, preferably within the 24 hour time frame. I think we need to cut the Queen out of as much decision making as possible. The wholescale killing of hundreds of civilians is going to turn lots more against us. Its clear at present less than 1 in 5 people across the Queendom support Leopold because his ideas are frankly ridicuolous in terms of the teachings of Sessifet. Bombing our own people is going to make that change rapidly." Everyone seemed in agreement.

The meeting came up with an alternative arrangement and then began to leave. Roksana called back Besarian and Dragan. She had arranged for the Priestess Arina Maksimov to join them and Roksana nervously explained her concerns. "We need to remove Klara from that situation and as Queen." She said openly. "Lodja is sitting at a cross roads, one path is full on civil war with a mentally unstable Queen at the helm, the other is Leopold's reforms. Neither of those to me and the vast majority of Lodjains is acceptable. So I'm creating a third path but need both of you with me. I shall handle the Klara situation but it will mean a new Queen."

"No" Dragan said without hesitation. "The Queen is the Guardian of Sessifet and can not be handled, she leads."

" There are a number of occasions through our holy texts that tell of how, in times of danger, the Goddess has manipulated us into thinking she was someone else, or that in fact someone was her." Arina repeated what she had told Roksana. "The signs are here. She is showing mental weakness, she is showing signs of frailness. The Goddess wouldn't allow someone doing the role of Guardian to display such things. We therefore know the Goddess is setting a trap to remove obsticles for her. You gentleman are part of the solution."

Dragan sighed, "And what is the solution."

Roksana and Arina exchanged glances and then the Crown-Princess spoke. "Anna Immich" the most senior of the Ladies in Waiting came from a well respected family and had spent her whole life in the service of the crown. She was popular with nobles and respected by the Plebs. "She however will need help. As a result we're going to have a King rather speedily. Dragan that will be you."

"Why him?" Besarian asked the pairs old rivalry clearly on display.

"First of all because your married" Arina reminded him, "Also because you're already in the second strongest position in Lodja. The Queen would be, as always, above you and Dragan would merely be her independent adviser in a way. No one wants you gone from the Conclave." She reassured Besarin. "But we need to do this quickly once things move."

Dragan and Besarian exchanged looks. "I agree Klara has to be replaced. She's broken" Dragan said reluctantly and extended a hand to his political rival.

"I agree." Besarian and Dragan shook hands. "What do we do now?"

"You wait" Roksana informed them and left.



Outside Noginsk the former Minister of Defence Lubos Kubik had gathered a handful of men. They were all getting on in years but he trusted them more than anyone else. In addition they all kept themselves in good health with noble pursuits of hunting and riding. They would form the first part of his plan, the second part would be undertaken by his young nephew Tikhon Savva. He'd been spending time at the Palace in hopes of getting in good with the Queen when she had first arrived however he was now disgusted with the state of the monarch.

As the sun rose Tikhon shunned the wild party that had been raging a good 48 hours now and went on a run. He had got to know the Palace grounds rather well and made his way to the East through the woodlands. It didn't take him long to reach the pisition overlooking the ridge where the radar for Jekar's Shield system protecting the Palace sat. He checked his watch and then his phone. No message and so the next step was a go. He moved down to the radar station that was only protected by a single guard. He quickly moved to grab him and after the briefest of struggles had rendered him unconcious. He was not the target but quickly the Duke sent a message of a single pair of exclamation marks to Lubos before turning off the systems power and running. They had probably a few minutes before it was noticed and then a few more before anything happened.

Lubos spotted the exclamation marks and sent back two of his own. "It's time." The team manhandled the Mobile VLS system into position having "borrowed" it from an artillery unit on some fake orders. Now with it in position they fired off two missiles sending them off towards the Palace at Noginsk. With the radar down the Jekar's Shield system had no way of spotting them coming and the pair of missiles thundred into the Palace turning the West wing into a pile of rubble and smoke.



The Lodjain military command, or as much of it as could be trusted at this point, had come to a solution. They would offer the rebels in the hotel and town a chance to leave. They would be allowed to put down their weapons, boats would be provided and they could sail away. It was an offer that when made was laughed at, they could actually hear the voices of soldiers laughing in the background.

"Once we get on the boats you follow us and capture us or more likely sink us." The commander of the island, a Major called Artem Muelasov chuckled. He knew he was holding a rather large CNN force at bay with his human shields and this was all buying time for other cells across the Queendom to take their action. "You have my word if your puppets leave the island we'll let them go peacefully." was the counter offer and so the stalemate would continue into the next day.

Offline Libby

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #42 on: January 08, 2022, 07:51:41 PM »
It had been a busy 24 hours in the Alucard.



At the Isle of the Goddess there was merely a skeleton staff of the Conclave. Gone were the days when the corridors were a hive of music, poetry and art and instead they were replaced with just a handful of Ministers, bodyguards and military advisers. It was probably for the best as when news came that Queen Klara's body and those of Anna Immich and two members of the Queen's bodyguard had been pulled from the rubble of Noginsk. A further 28 people were helped out and in hospital with injuries ranging from minor cuts and brusies to those critically ill. Crown Princess Roksana wept when she heard the news, as would be expected if you found out that your wife had been killed but in truth Klara hadn't been the woman she'd married for a good year by now. The tears though were more for her friend Anna, an unexpected casualty. All the reports they'd got said that Anna wasn't in that part of the residence and the missile shouldn't have damaged the wider Palace however for some reason that routine had changed and now as a result so must Roksana's plan.



For Leopold the news also brought in an interesting turn of events. With Lodja not having an heriditary monarchy it effectively meant any claim to power he had as Klara's husband was gone. He was now only permitted by law to call himself King with the permission of the new Queen and clearly that wouldn't now be coming. His last hope at clinging to power was one of two things. The first was that his loyalists could hold Zhoyan and from there he could carve out a Kingdom for himself, the second option was some kind of uprising across the Queendom could be caused but while he'd seen some good support initially it was no fizzing out as the government seemed to have all but locked down some areas. With this in mind he had covertly called for all possible ships to head towards Zhoya. While the HMDS Morelander would stay behind a screen of ships that the Lodjains believed had been part of the search for the missing vessel those ships would in fact be tasked with clearing a path to the Island for the Marines onboard the Morelander to land and reinfroce the islands garrison.


When the news had time to sink in the Conclave meet along with the three leading Priestesses, Alla Kohan was the High Priestess, and then Arina Maksimov and Maria Shvets who were considered the next most influential. It was Besarian who spoke after they had observed a moment or two of silence for those who had died. "Ladies" he began addressing the three holy ladies. "We are in a difficult situation. We've never had a scenario where we have a King claiming authority while the nation has no Queen. While I understand that previously you've taken weeks to reach a decision on who should be the new Queen but we've then had the liberty of calm and peace. We're seeing a civil war take place out on Zhoya and I think the sooner we get a new Queen the sooner the nation can be unified."

"We already have a list of candidates" It was Arina who spoke but Alla didn't step in. They'd been discussing the matter on and off since the first attack on the Queen and as the situation had slowly begun to get complex. It had been Arina who had pushed for certain changes from tradition, just as she'd discussed with Roksana.

"Its a rather controversal list none of them are 18. A time of crisis requires a stronger, more mature head" Alla began. "First we have Princess Anfisa she's the great grand-daughter of Queen Sonya and has represented us in several events across Mundus. Then we have Natalya Kozel she narrowly missed out on being Queen when Klara was selected and she's served as a Royal Emissary in the Iwi since. If we could convince Stasya Pelagiya to convert back to Sessifet then she too would be a good candidate as she would further cement the Morelander support for the Crown, however I think she is very unlikely to do this. Our final option is you Roksana." The Crown Princess had already discussed with Arina why this would be impossible.

"I can't" Roksana began to protest.

Arina picked her words carefully. "The situation has become very complex now." She hoped Roksana understood. "Having someone with experience and knowledge of government would be useful....now more than ever." Alla nodded her agreement.

Roksana protested in her own mind she couldn't accept this. She had been responsible for the killing of one of her friends and her wife. While she was certain what she had done was for the betterment of the country it was still something that morally she couldn't accept a monarch having done. The debate raged for a good few hours until the decision was made.



It was rather fortunate that she was visiting her friend Stasya in Northfort when the news came. It was brought by a member of the Ambassador to East Moreland who was accompanied by two members of the East Moreland military. "My Lady" the man gave a nod of respect for her noble title. "It is my sad duty to confirm the death of Queen Klara." It was no real announcement as the news had been circulating around the Palace for hours, they'd even been speculating on the news while watching Prince Lewellyn squirm around on his floor mat. "The Conclave therefore would like to offer you the Crown." She sat in silence as Stasya squeezed her hand tightly. It was a bolt out of the blue and a complete break with tradition. She nodded and the man took that to indicate she accepted. "In that case allow me be the first to pledge my loyalty to Queen Natalya" Stasya hugged the now weeping Natalya unsure whether it was sadness or joy , probably shock that was making her friend blub.

The two Morelander soldiers looked at each other wondering what they should so and determined a quick bow was perhaps the best cause of action. They then relayed the decision their Commanding Officer who in turn spread the word through the East Moreland chain of command. It seemed they now had a Queen for tea.

Offline Aosta

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #43 on: January 11, 2022, 09:45:49 PM »
The Aostan fleet made up of the  subs Ildibad and Eraric, the Assault Ship Rothari, destroyersAripert, Perctarit and Godepat, frigates Pippen and Bernard was several days out of port. Initially they'd been instructed to patrol the Alucard along the edge of the Empire's waters, now however there was perhaps a need for that to change. The death of Klara meant the situation that was already bad in Lodja was perhaps getting worse.

It was Admiral Nandin onvoard the Aripert who was tasked with making contact with the Cenneg and Morelander ships in the region. He requested permission to join in their search inside Lodjain waters for the HMDS Morelander, they weren't exactly sure which ships they could trust and figured the CNN nations active would have an idea and so offered there best choice. Now as they waited the fleet just patiently waited.

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #44 on: January 19, 2022, 09:28:32 PM »
It had been a long, very long few hours aboard the INS Intrepid and other Achkaerinese vessels searching for the Morelander, no luck there yet but the net tightened with each strikeout, as far as the game of hide and seek went there was only one end to it. Lucas, Carmen and Lance were looking over the map of the area. "We've come up empty handed in these sectors." Lance said pointing out the island areas.
"Commander?" Lucas asked looking at Carmen
"I doubt he's slipped out of the net." Carmen said "The only place he can hide is in this island chain."
"So where?" Lucas asked
"Further south." Carmen said "We assumed he was going to hit and run, we assumed an escape posture, but if he's never planned on running, he'd be a whole lot closer than we think... close enough to strike."
"We head south." Lucas said "What about Kaiju?"
"We're on the lookout for any water nomad settlements, testing and vaccinating is underway and we don't have a ground zero." Lance said
"We need to find that." Lucas said
"I'll have some jets fly the nomad migration routes." Lance said
"Good." Lucas said


In Valtheim the virus's return was on the mind as well but it was the implications that bothered Peter, there existed no rational explanation for how the Kaiju virus could have originated in Safraen and then traveled the distance to the Alucard. However Lodjan corruption combined with Koslov presented a credible narrative as to the reverse, Lodjan bioweapon presumably sold or handed over to one of the more extreme criminal elements in Safraen which would confirm the theory that what happened in Safraen was born of criminal intent and not natural evolution. Quietly Peter had 'requested unofficially' that the MDI reopen the investigation into that incident, but meanwhile he couldn't shake the feeling that this crisis was entering its next stage, what move would be made next? How would things develop? An awful lot depended on whether Leopold would stop or not and Peter didn't much like the sound of that.

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #45 on: January 29, 2022, 08:02:43 PM »
OOC- All parts involving others agreed by those involved. Cheers folks


Following the announcement that Natalya Kozel was to be Queen of Lodja there was one obvious problem, she wasn't in Lodja. That was her first priority, she needed to get home but first there had to be a pit stop. She had just been elevated from the position of a private citizen who as Envoy occasionally did some work for the Queen, to being the one to appoint Envoy's. That was the reason King David had inisited that before heading to Lodja the new Queen travel to Aldcliffe, home of East Moreland's elite Red Legion. It was a place that was unaccustomed to visiting foreigners but this had been an important visit. Natalya had expected to see smartly uniformed men drilling in tough conditions but that wasn't the case at all. The Barracks seemed largely full of men in sports gear and looking more like they were planning a trip to the pub than into combat. The Queen was accompanied by Princess Freya and Alex Redfern, both of them knew Aldcliffe well. For Alex it was a second home and for Freya it had been the site of one of her biggest disappointments when she failed selection. They were there to make the introductions to Brigadier Kelly the man tasked with herding the chaos that Red Legion could at times be. "Your Majesty" he nodded to Natalya as she entered his rather plain office. Even the furniture had seen better days, he hardly spent anytime there so felt it pointless having the place nice. "Your Highness" He was happy to see Freya back here and still held out hopes she'd be the first woman of the modern era to pass selection. "Alex" He hardly acknowledged Redfern as the man spent so much time around the Brigadier and was here mainly just as the man making the introductions.

"Thank you for seeing me Brigadier" Natalya was rather shocked by the offices shabbiness. In her mind Kelly would have had some huge ornate office with grand windows and decorations of the units history adorning the walls but she was pretty certain she could see some paint peeling in the corner.

"Anytime Your Majesty" The Brigadiers aide-de-camp entered with mismatched mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits, some looked like they'd already snapped in two. Kelly picked up one of the mugs and poured in a hefty helping of sugar. "I've been asked to provide you with an initial security detail. I've assigned these four men." He passed over four hefty folders, "All of them have served tours in Lodja helping with your armed forces so speak Lodjain to a passable standard. They'll be lead by Captain Sebastian Johnson who is already in Lodja and will meet you in Gaia.

"Thank you Brigadier" Natalya had a few question of basic things such as how security details would work and their duties. Things that she suspected royals learned from a young age. Once satisfied they made their way to the bases airfield where the four men, each much better dressed than the others on the base waited. The four men in suits each carried a rucksack and a large trolly-case containing their gear. Ironside Two was waiting and soon the flight was underway.



On Zhoya the situation was unchanged. At one side of the island East Moreland's Royal Marines held down old Ducal Palace in the town that shared its name with the island, at the opposite side of the island the Royal Kerns Commando's had a cordon on a hotel and restaurant were Pro-Leopold forces were taking refuge. There had been small scale skirmishes as CNN forces had tried to find a way to scout positions and on a couple of occasions Pro-Leopold forces had tried to escape into the countryside. A couple of people had been successful and the Marines sent to track them down had been fighting several small fire fights in the forests. The situation was not out of control but it had taken time and resources to find such individuals and rest assured any who were missed would be watching over proceedings.

One such team from the Ducal Palace had managed to evade capture and had managed to make contact with the HMDS Morelander. It was some distance away tucked into a bay flanked by a pair of patrol ships that had made their way over. The Morelander could have fired missiles to support the rebels on Zhoya but that would have given away their position. Instead Leopold launched one of the drones with a pair of missiles designed to take out tanks. It would likely be a one way trip for the drone but Leopold was confident they could make a statement.

The drone kept low over the sea hoping to minimise it's radar signature. It was a small aircraft and the multitude of islands would make radar contact difficult. As the drone got closer East Moreland aircraft flying from Cobble Field began to move in to intercept but by the time they could intercept it the drone had managed to launch the two missiles. The target was the Frigate Philip The Wild. Alarms began ringing on the ship as a Dragonbreath fighter desperatly tried to splash down the drone in the vain hope it may throw the missile off. The first missile was on track until the Frigate's anti-missile defences engaged it making it explode in a fire ball. Meanwhile the second one had been fired and taken up a track just behind the other, it had masked the approach of the second and as such it sneaked through. The ship rocked violently and fire alarms blurred out. Onboard the missile had hit a few meters above sea level. Damage control teams sprinted to the area as shell shocked sailors dragged their injured friends out of what had been the water filtration and pumping section of the ship. It was fortunate that the missile was not a specialist anti-ship one but either way they'd need some help and so put out a distress call.

The various Cenneg and Morelander vessels rushed to the scene and gave what help they could. The "Phil" was still floating but would need to be towed to a safe harbour and a decision was made that with Zhoya being relatively safe they would wait for the time being before such a tow was made. The injured were flown by helicopter to Cobble Field and from there back to hospitals for specialist treatment.



It had been nearly a day since Philip the Wild had been hit and Sebastain Johnson was waiting at Gaia's military air base. He'd co-opted in his friend, former Red Legionnaire officer Keir Peters and Royal Protection Officer Tillie Breckenridge to suppliment his team of Red Legionnaires. The trio had been in country as a response to the initial attacks and had pulled Klara out of the embassy attack, now they'd support Seb in his new role. "Your Majesty" Sebastian greeted his new protectee. "Welcome home" He added. "We've a car waiting to take you to the Isle of the Goddess" Seb explained as the Queen was shown towards a heavy military vehicle. Three identicial ones awaited and as soon as everyone was onboard the car headed off. Natalya sat next to Seb in the back seat.

"We're going to People's People's Square" the Queen said calmly.

"I don't think thats a great idea" Seb said. "Beside why are we going there?"

"It can't be the fact anyone's planned to kill me. No-one knew that I was coming home today except you and I've just decieded to go there now. So surely we've an element of surprise." Seb had to admit she kind of had a point.

"Well your the boss" the Red Legionnaire relayed orders to the others and in around fifteen minutes they'd arrived. Tillie took the lead as this manner of work was her bread and butter. She looked around and no-body had yet took notice that this wasn't a military patrol, such things had become routine during the crisis as of late. She nodded that everything was fine and Natalya was quickly ushered out with her new security team close about her. The people in the government building there that was used by the civil service was shocked as their new Queen entered and with minimal acknowledgement made her way up to the large ball room on the top floor. It had a magnificent balcony and more importantly for Natalya had a public address system used for festivals. The staff hastily turned it on as a crowd gathered below. Seb was rather nervous but understood the need for what was happening.

Soon Natalya was ready, a few handscribbled notes from her jacket pocket emerged as Keir checked the microphone. "Ladies and Gentleman" Natalya began her voice shaking slightly. "I am saddened and proud to be your Queen. It should have been my friend Klara speaking to you today but evil sought to take her from us. She had every intention of leaving Lodja in a place where every citizen had a bright future and I today intend to continue walking her path. Today a countdown begins. In 30 days time elections will take place for the Tribune of the Plebs. While the position currently exists it has always been appointed by the Queen, from this time forward it will be elected by the Plebs. Whoever they elect will be given a seat on the Conclave and have the exact same voting rights on it as every other member. In 60 days time the Queen's Business Portfolio will open. Any Pleb who is able to prove they are registered for appropriate licencess and taxes for their business and who registers with the $1.00 a year fee will be permitted to trade under the banner of myself as a Patrician overseeing their business. There will be annual checks to ensure they are acting in a manner appropriate for a business connected with the Queen but as long as they pay their taxes and the annual fee they will be free to trade as they see fit free from the influence of any other Pleb who may traditionally have called for larger shares in the business. I wanted to tell you these things in person to show you that I will be a Queen taking action to continue the legacy of Viktoria, Klara and even Sonya. I hope I can be worthy of your support. Thank you." the Queen waved to the crowd that had gathered and who were now applauding. She stepped back into the building and breathed a sigh of relief.


Offline Aosta

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #46 on: January 30, 2022, 10:33:51 PM »

To:- The CNN Nations, Lodja in particular

Having heard the distress call of REMNS Philip the Wild we offer our hopes that the crew are safe. We offer our ports as a safe refuge if needed. Furthermore we would like to see Leopold Hamsik and his rebels brought to justice sooner rather than later. As we are aware that REMNS Philip the Wild may have been a part of your nations cordon for aircraft carriers on operations in Zhoya we would like to put one of our ships, the Frigate Pippen at your disposal to plug any gaps in the short term if required. Furthermore her sister ship Bastian will be avaliable to escort the Philip the Wild to port.

We hope this is useful under the circumstances and are willing to help in anyway required to bring this situation to a close.

Best Reagrds

Princess Brigida

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #47 on: February 06, 2022, 02:29:14 AM »
Leopold sensed his best chance was now. He had five ships with him, two Frigates, a destroyer and a pair of coastal patrol ships. It wasn't much of a fleet but it was good enough. With the various CNN nations focusing on the island of Zhonyna the door was largely open for a run on the coastal town of Stakiua. It was nothing other than a small seaside resort and nothing of military worth stood there. It was a soft target but it opened up the north or the nation to further action. The five ships kept close together making their exact fleet make up difficult to ascertain. The lead Frigate had radioed in that they'd picked up transmissions between the Water Nomads and the Morelander. They'd not been exactly difficult to fake and now they were en-route with the militaries blessings.



Queen Natalya had made her way to the had made her way to the Isle of the Goddess with little fanfare. The Isle was empty of many of the usual people and only those of the Conclave remained. She had been offered the rooms of the Queen by the household staff but that didn't feel right. She had settled on a set of rooms that had always been put aside for a visiting dignitary such as a foreign King or Queen. The next few days would hold some difficult conversations and the first was with Besarian Ivanov. The Lord of the Conclave was summound to see the new Queen but he had been expecting that since she had turned up on the Isle. "Please Lord Besarian have a seat" Natalya greeted him after he had knocked on her door at the appointed hour.

"Thank you Your Majesty" Besarian sat at one of the chairs next to the desk, he had planned to begin the conversation by congratulating her on her ascendency to the throne but even before he had settled on the chair the Queen was beginning.

"There is no easy way to say this so I suppose I better just get straight to the point" The Queen hadn't even took her own seat behind the desk yet as she was already getting things underway. "I need to show Lodja and the world that the Queendom is changing. With that in mind I am going to appoint a new Lord of the Conclave." She could see Besarian about to protest. "I understand this is a shock" she held a hand up to silence him. "You've served three Queens and done an incredible job in some very strange circumstances but things need to change. I will however be naming you the new Lord of the Isle's Approach." It was a title not used for the past three years but one that had historically been very prestigious. "And rather than being Lord of the Conclave I'm going to ask you to be my personal adviser. I'm a young Queen not used to the world of politics and you're the most experienced politician that I can count on. While you won't have a say in the Conclave you'll be helping me directly draft policy, prepare for speeches and persuading people to see sense in what I want." She smiled warmly. "I hope you'll accept."

Besarian was torn, he was in one way being demoted. The title Lord of the Conclave was the most prestigious outside the royal family however it was one where he had since the death of Queen Sonya been a mouthpiece for the Queen, simply guiding her policies through. He was now being given a real chance to shape them as Natalya clearly wanted his input. He could still have influence and power that he craved all be it from behind the scenes. He did his best to not look too disappointed. "I am obliged to accept my Queen's requests." He said with as much grace as he could muster. "Can I ask who will be taking on the role of Lord of the Conclave?"

"Of course" Natalya said. She had been giving it a lot of thought, "We're going to ask Lubos Kubik to come back into the fold. He's respected among the military, he's a loyalist and popular."

"A good choice" Besarian said more relieved that his rival Dragan was not getting the role. "I'd have thought though he'd have been the Minister of Defence once more, I assume you're keeping Prince Lennox."

"Wrong" Natalya teased, "If Lodja is to be seen as a strong nation we can't have a foreigner on our Conclave. The Minister of Defence is going to be sorted once this mess is cleared up, but for now Lennox stays."

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #48 on: February 08, 2022, 06:44:35 PM »
Truth be told, the situation on Zhonyna had been one that the Achkaerinese naval force searching for the Morelander had steered well clear of they'd done so for two reasons first their primary objective was finding the ship Leopold was running around on and second they were more than aware that Morelander and Cenneg forces were more than capable of dealing with it. That said international obligations were international obligations so when the Philip the Wild's distress call had been picked up the INS Leonaise under the command of Captain Alan Welsh had been dispatched to respond, Alan had fully expected to get there late and so it proved but this did at least give them the chance to get a look at the damaged vessel, missile strike of some description was his best guess but apart from that he didn't know. He'd keep the ship around the area just in case but he didn't expect to have to do much.


Elsewhere in the search for the Morelander Achkaerin's air assets hadn't sighted the fugitive vessel yet but they were ruling areas out one by one by one, they were also on the lookout for anything indicating ground zero for this virus, the odds were that it wouldn't have been that far from Lodjan territory it could even be somewhere in their waters, against the somewhat cloudy sky a Dragonite flown by Felicity Cairns swooped low over an island, she was about to call it in as another miss when a reflected light glare made her bank away and come back around. This was supposed to be an uninhabited island, she looked over again and got on the radio "Flick-Knife to control." she said "Possible ground zero located sending coordinates. Out."
 

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #49 on: February 14, 2022, 06:29:43 PM »
The Frigate Bastian was busy transferring injured Morelanders from the Philip the Wild onto helicopters to fly them to Aosta for treatment. Princess Brigida was determined that her nation would join the CNN and this could earn her some goodwill. The Frigate's helicopter had just taken off when they recieved a message from the Umbretto. They'd been monitoring electronic communications in the area hoping to pinpoint the missing drone carrier when they picked up the chatter between six ships where only five were visible on the radar. Clearly something was going on. "Bastian this is Umbretto you've got inconsistent comms between Lodjain ships to your south. We suspect its the bad guys."

Onboard the Bastian there was unease. The ship had their Morelander friends under tow and was unlikely to be able to engage that number of ships. They would need some extra hands and HQ informed them it was on the way in the form of two Pax maritime patrol aircraft. Their route was intended to get close to the ships, see who was who and with several anti-ship missiles on board likely engage. Following them down towards the border with Lodja was the attack sub Totila and the destroyer Godepat. While maybe outgunned initially they had need only to observe if it did turn out to be the renegade Lodjains.

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #50 on: February 14, 2022, 11:29:13 PM »
The situation on Zhoya had been a stand-off in effect for four days. Time had come to end the two occupations that blighted the island. The problem was the situation could turn messy quickly. Back in Northfort the military leadership had sat around the table and considered various options, the problem was that it wasn't known whether those seemingly being used as human shields were actually being held against their will or supported Leopold, for all the Morelanders and Cenneslaigs knew they could be rebels playing a role.  The first step was to send a formal written offer of a ceasefire and safe surrender for those holding the Ducal Palace and Hotel complex. With Major Grant receiving a rather impolite rejection the next phase was to cut the electric and water supplies to the facilities but that still brought no joy. While these steps were being taken more vehicles were being brought in to help for the next step if it was taken. Some Bison mobility vehicles equipped for crowd control operations were brought forward, their public address systems connected and Major Grant fired up his spotify to the most annoying music he could find and after ten minutes his Sergeant Major arrived "Sir with respect if you keep playing that detritious I'll go in there and surrender myself to Leopold." the pair joked as Achkaerin's popular girl band played through the speakers. Even the attempt at psychological warfare failed and so the Morelanders determined they'd have to go in. A quick view from a satellite confirmed the wall areas were clear and so the job was on.

With the aircraft carrier Chamwick on the coast they put up a decent display of air power aimed at ensuring no Lodjain Air Force got close to the action. They couldn't be trusted and a decision was transmitted to the Lodjain forces that any of their aircraft approaching would be considered hostile and engaged. Once the combat air patrol was in place the four Dragonbane II's from the "Flying Can Openers" moved in from Cobble Field they would be providing any close air support required. It was at sunrise that the assault took place. Smoke bombs from mortars popped canisters into the dead ground seperating the Morelanders from the Ducal Palaces walls. Engines of various vehicles were revved as the music changed from AKB47 to something more befitting the concoany of noise was designed to disguise the attack that was coming. Flying Officer Meadows had peeled off from the other Dragonbane II's and dropped to fly in at speed just above the trees. The sight of the fast moving jet coming down the drive and dropping a pair of bombs on the wall before pulling a high g turn to enable her to utilise the aircrafts canon to fire high explosive rounds through the ancient wall before spiralling into a tight climb. She'd heard small arms fire ping off the aircraft as she'd commence her run. "Ground Command this is Gunfighter One front door is open" she responded as she rejoined the others in formation high above the target.

"Roger Gunfighter One" Grant responded as he visually gave instructions for several tanks brought ashore to fire on the wall. Breeches had opened in several places and a few Lodjains clearly rattled began firing hap hazardly through the new openings. The tanks went first grinding the stone under their tracks as they entered the once ornate gardens of the Ducal Palace. The Marines followed them in and now began dispersing towards what cover the could find as they began taking fire. The tanks did the best they could to provide protection but a time came when the men had to risk the open lawns to reach the safety of cover provided by walls and ditches that formed a carefully constructed landscape. A few fell to defensive fire but the majority found themselves now closer and able to pour fire into the building carefully utilising the muzzle flash for targeting. An RPG impacted one of the tanks but was largely ineffective but soon a few more came their way and the tanks began edging back to ensure they didn't become a roadblock. To the west of the house the Marines had managed to effect closing in on the side door of the Palace but going in at this point would be impossible as too much Moreland gun fire was hitting the front of the building. The only part of the building now not fully being assaulted was the east side, that had been left with only a cordon to allow anyone making a break for it from the suspected human shields a safe passage.

The gunfight lasted most of the morning but it was clear by midday that the Lodjains were running low on ammo and so Grant called it. "All callsigns you are cleared for explosive entry." and within seconds the sounds of small explosions filled the air as pre-prepared charges blew in windows and doors. The gunfire started up again and then screams as a handful of human shields began to freak out and run. Several nearly got shot in the cross fire but soon they found the gap in the eastern wall and soon after were lying face down on a football pitch handcuffed with plastic ties.   For another few hours the sporadic gunfire continued and throughout it a steady conveyor belt of captured Lodjains, injured soldiers and bodies came out the Palace until at 4pm the Palace was silent. The hurried activity of medical units being about their work and helicopters taking injured from both sides out to the Chamwick for treatment was underway.

Grant found the Sergeant Major. "How'd we do?" he asked, "From ours 8 KIA, 10 wounded, civilians 3 dead, 4 wounded, total of 22 more being processed." For now at least it seemed that Leopolds forces were done for so far as ground conflict was called for.



At the opposite end of the island the Cenneg had tried similar tactics at first, the Morelander Dragonbane II's however had a lot more business. Several of the Lodjain APC's had been stored here and Hope Meadows had got to take out two of them after the Cenneg request for help. The fighting there was more chaotic. The complex not as well contained saw several Lodjains escape into the forest and over the course of several hours running battles were fought until it seemed that there too the rebels had been subdued. The island of Zhoya was now back under the control of the Queendom.

Offline Achkaerin

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #51 on: February 17, 2022, 04:52:08 PM »
Wide area searches were nothing new to the Achkaerinese military, they'd done an awful lot of them over the years but even with all the most careful of planning and area sweeping they'd learned that finding someone who didn't want to be found was quite the challenge, a game of cat and mouse, and usually it came down to a little bit of luck generated by either patience, a mistake on the targets part or having the right thing in the right place at the right time that you just happened to glimpse something and right here as the search for the Morelander continued the Achkaerinese got their lucky break, Wing Commander Lance Ellis now aboard a Sparrowhawk was called across to where one of the specialists was working. "What have you got?" Lance asked
"This." the specialist said "Close formation of ships looks like five but chatter from six is being picked up."
"Continue monitoring." Lance said he grabbed a radio "Eagle Eye calling Intrepid."

On the Intrepid Lucas picked up the radio "This is Admiral Harper go ahead." he said
"We've identified a cluster of ships, looks like five but chatter from six." Lance said "Sending coordinates to you, continuing to monitor."
"Received." Lucas said he brought the coordinates up on the chessboard and put the radio down "Carmen."
"Yes?" Carmen asked coming over
"Sparrowhawk just sent this over, reads like five ships but chatter from six." Lucas said
"Clever if you wanted to hide something." Carmen said "Like say a fugitive drone carrier."
"If it is them he's got one heck of a head start." Lucas said "Look at the direction of travel, even though we're the faster we're well away. What have we got closer?"
"The Kyogre and the Excalibur are close to the Lodjan mainland and the Leonaise is at Zhoya." Carmen said looking at the map "Not exactly brilliant odds."
"No, but two frigates are better than nothing, plus air support." Lucas said he then noticed another marker on the map "Is that the Phoenix?"
"Yes sir." Carmen said "That's got to be the fastest ship around here."
"Let's just hope she can get there." Lucas said


The INS Excalibur had spent most of the crisis sat not that far outside Lodjan waters, using its systems to monitor things out in the Alucard just in case. Commanding the frigate was Captain Joe McCarthy, it had been another day of monitoring, exchanging information and shift changes. In fact Joe was just about to go off shift when the call from the Intrepid came.
"Captain McCarthy" Joe said
"This is Admiral Harper." Lucas's voice came over the radio "We think the Morelander may be heading your way and not alone. Proceed to intercept. Remember we still believe there are seven innocents aboard ship."
"You're putting me right up behind the black Admiral." Joe said
"We're getting support to you as fast as we can, you will have air cover from the Kyogre. And we're diverting the Phoenix to you." Lucas said
"Understood." Joe said, he put down the radio and took a long, deep, breath it was very likely the next few hours were going to be the longest of his career. "Commander Serrel."
"Sir?" the commander asked
"Battle stations." Joe said


To the north, the calm of the seas was being shattered by a sound that would likely have turned water nomad heads, but no this familiar sound wasn't the Ekrabadger brought back from the dead it was the INS Phoenix charging south. The vessel was the command of Commander Brie Keane and this was the Phoenix's maiden voyage, it had been meant to be a simple transport run - take two ASF troops to the Intrepid but now Brie was biting her lip as the Phoenix headed for the Excalibur. Brie was on the radio with Joe.
"What's your eta?" Joe asked
"If all calculations are correct I'm about five minutes after you." Brie said "I'm going to be there Joe."
"You'd better be." Joe said
"I've got people with a mad idea aboard." Brie said "If you get the chance to knock Leopold's propeller out, make sure you take it."
"I'm going to hold you to that five minutes Brie." Joe said
"I'll be there." Brie said

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #52 on: April 04, 2022, 02:39:22 PM »
OOC - An RP that was supposed to last a few weeks to segway into a few changes in Lodja has now gone on a year. I should be back next week full time and I plan on finishing it in one long summary post. If you want something to happen please let me know as I know a few people have been building to things. I kind of miss RPing a normal nation..lol

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Re: The Birth of the Monarchy -Open RP
« Reply #53 on: April 16, 2022, 05:08:59 PM »
With Zhoya back under the control of the Queendom things were certainly looking up for young Queen Natalya. In her first days as Queen she had a victory under her belt, all be it one earned by the Morelanders and the Cenneg. What mattered now though was to stop Leopold. The good news was that seemed like they would have an opportunity. Word had come that the Aostan attack sub Totila and the destroyer Godepat were closing in on the Morelander and a small fleet, it was clear their plan of seeming to be a search party was foiled when the pair of Aostan patrol aircraft flew overhead. As soon as they saw the Morelander it was clear the deception was discovered and immediately they Aostans had radioed things through.

It would take a few minutes to filter the news through commands until it reached the Lodjains. A decision needed now to be made and it was a complex one. It was still unconfirmed whether Leopold was even onboard the captured ship however as soon as the patrol planes had made their report they came under fire from the two Frigates, a destroyer and a pair of coastal patrol ships below them from the renegade Lodjains. The barrage of fire was enough to drive the pair of aircraft away but that meant that soon they would be expecting company. Alarms rang out throughtout the ships and preparations began.

It would take about another thirty minutes until the Aostan assets got into range and by now orders had come back down the various systems of communication, the orders would be simple, destroyer the Morelander and everything with her. The commanders in Gaia had told Queen Natalya that it was likely that Isaac and the captured Conclave must be on board and Natalya acknowledged that was indeed a chance but that she would pray that they were either "good swimmers or lucky". The group was irrelevant to the future of Lodja. As the son of a former Queen the little Isaac served no purpose. If he grew up to be intelligent he would find himself a position perhaps in the diplomatic service or perhaps as an officer in the military, otherwise he would grow lazy off his families money and live out his life no doubt making the most of his former royal connections. The Conclave was already going to change significantly, Natalya had come to that decision already, therefore those onboard were expendable. To the commander of the Aostan ships though it would mean little as they would have no idea of the intelligence at the hands of those higher up. It therefore was the Godepat launched their first salvo of missiles. The speed off into the blue sky, some 40km to cover. The Lodjains could see it coming and began to move their ships into a position with the Morelander behind the others. The initial shot was not a problem, the Lodjain vessels had time enough to see it coming and the firepower to shoot it down. The Morelander launched a drone and much to the amusement of the Aostan's it was an unarmed reconnesance once however that was not the reason it was launched. At about the same time the Morelander launched its own missile and as the Aostan fleet began their own simple move of demolishing it the drone kamikazed towards the Aostan vessel. The CWIS system of the ship picked it up however and it exploded into a fireball high above the deck but pieces of its shrapnel covered then deck.

The fighting was at first a deadlock, each side fired missiles and the others intercepted them. It was only once the Aostan sub came into play that things began to change. Their target was not the Morelander. If they could breach the Frigates defence then the air defence coverage would begin to unpeel. The captain lined up a torpedo run on the Frigate and satisfied everything had been done ordered them to fire. The torpedos were picked up late and despite every attempt to avoid them they struck home rocking the Frigate with an explosion. It began to list to one side and would clearly, in time go down, but its weapons systems carried on trying to engage the Aostan surface fleet which was now beginning to come into gun range. Shells were now being added to the flying mass of metal above the combat area and as the stricken Lodjain dumped highly inaccurate torpedos into the water to try and get the Aostan sub the Morelander began sending drone after drone into the air. A helicopter managed to get off the deck of the Lodjain destroyer and jinking between missiles dropped a series of depth charges further driving the sub away. It was irrelevant as the sub had vanished, changed its track and had a line on the second Lodjain Frigate. This time the Lodjains got lucky, as the Aostans tried to fire their next barrage their onboard computer began to glitch much to the curses of their commander. It wouldn't matter too much as using the old fashioned periscope, stop watch and laser range finder they could still operate. This caused the Lodjain a problem, the torpedos were inaccurate enough to allow them to avoid them but it was another problem for them to contend with.

As though the Lodjains were not busy enough they now had the buzz of the first Achkaerin asset to arrive the INS Phoenix began to launch its missiles but once more the pair of Frigates could absorb the first of the barrage. One of the drones from the Morelander was tasked with dealing with it and after launching its small air to air missile it put itself square on the run the Phoenix was making. The game of chicken between a mechanical device and an aircraft with a live crew it was clear who would be the winner and as such by constantly setting up a drone the Phoenix was essentially being kept at long range like a boxer with an effective jab. With only six shot in its gun so to speak the Phoenix was soon out of ammo and would need to land somewhere to restock. It had however served its purpose. It had split the firepower of the Lodjains and even seen two of the drones miscalcuate and hit the surf themselves. BY now the Excalibur Frigate of Achkaerin had turned up within range and over the radio communication between them and the Aostan's who were now in a position of having to start reloading missiles was beginning. It was clear that as soon as the Lodjians hit the point of having to refill their own missile stocks the tide would turn and the slowly sinking Frigate was now abandoned. The other Lodjain assets now made a run towards the coast, the Morelander keeping its defenders between it and the Aostan and Achkaerin fleet. As drones tried to kamikaze the two attacking nations a third set of call signs joined the fray. A pair of Dragonbane II's had been fitted with anti-ship missiles and sent off to offer what help they could. While it was the missiles they were expecting to bring to the party one of them found itself becoming the first Dragonbane II to take down an aerial target as it got the drop on a drone trying to kamikaze the Excalibur. The pilot found themselves smiling as they wondered whether it was the first air to air kill with any of the Dragonbanes. It was a a thought to put to one side as they switched to anti-ship missiles and pinged one down towards the now rather awkwardly angled Lodjain firgate. It made a satisfying boom somewhere near the bridge and the guns onboard fell silent almost instantly. The chase was now on and as the battle moved out the area it began the sea was full of leaked oil, fragments of metal and the bright yellow life rafts of the now abandoning Lodjain vessel. It was the Phoneix that had turned rescue ship pulling them out the water while Achkaerin troops in the back searched them and then held them in the hold. It was as they pulled one life raft in they found two of the Conclave among them.

The Morelander was the prime target for the Dragonbane II's they had the advantage of being able to get well ahead of the defensive wall now being maintained by the Lodjain patrol ships that had largely been ignored and the remaining Frigate and Destroyer. The Destroyer fired off several ship to air missiles and the Dragonbane's had some close calls but by flying a wide arc they were able to get their shots off. The Morelander had run out of missiles to intercept and the CWIS system was momentarily overwhelmed as one made its way through and impacted just before the bow of the ship. The blast was above the water line but smoke began billowing out of the ship. Several helicopters now launched from the Morelander, their aim was the coast and not the chasing fleet that were about to settle the day.

The Excalibur turned its attention with its deck guns to the patrol ship nearest it. They had no choice it was clear the captain had put the ship on a collison course at full speed. It was a ridiciolous gesture as the Excalibur had plenty of time to get their aim right and soon a 5 inch shell punched through its deck clearly hitting something inside as an explosion was heard beneath deck and seemingly the ship split in two. A handful of people began to dive overboard and unlike with the sunk Frigate they would need to come back for those floating in the Alucard.

The Aostans had now got their VLS system back into the fight and along with their sub, still suffering computer problems, was about to take on the Lodjain Destroyer which seemed to be down to guns only. As the Aostan Destroyer Godepat aimed to overwhelm their enemies air defence systems the Aostan sub fired more torpedos. It was like a boxer who lands a perfect combo of jab to the head, hook to the body as a round from the Godepat ripped into the Lodjain Destroyers bridge as a torpedo took it in the stern. The blasts knocked a huge hole in the Lodjain Air Defence system and the next missile from the Godepat holed them effectively ending their fight.

It was looking forlorn for the Lodjains and matters got worse when the Aostan Maritime patrol aircraft re-entered the scenario. Armed with Harpoon missiles they could finish the job that the Morelander Dragonbane II's had started and with their escort all but gone it wasn't a surprise that the missiles had soon caused an explosion in the flight deck and then punched another hole in the side. The Morelander was going down. The Phoneix had launched one of its RHIBs, not in this case to pick up those abandoning ship but to try and board. As everyone else was clambering down the side five members of the Achkaerin military were trying their best to enter through a smoking hole. They'd brought NBC kit with them expecting to have to deal with the smoke of the fires and having forced their way in through the black smoke surveyed the situation. It was not a pleasant one as their was twisted metal everywhere and a fanfare of alarms. The Achkaerin military had been onboard the Cyborg Class more than a few times and so its layout was no mystery. "We've about three minutes" the boarding parties commander told them and they did their best to force a way up the ever changing angle of the corridor outside the room they'd entered, evidently a mess hall. Lodjains put up no resistance and despite yelling at them "Where is Leopold?" or "Where is Isaac" the men where in too much of a panic to answer as people hurried to get themselves off the ship. It became clear they were finding nothing and so as the situation told them it was time to get the hell out of there themselves they headed for the deck. En route they passed by what remained of the bridge and one of them had a quick stop by but again it was empty. They grabbed a few suffering Lodjains who looked like it would be touch and go as to whether they would get off the vessel and having thrown them overboard made the leap themselves before swimming to where their comrades in the RHIB held a gaggle of floating Lodjains under the aim of their mounted gun. They stayed floating in the water themselves instead putting wounded men in the RHIB as they waited for the Phoenix to catch up with them but even that huge aircraft was struggling now to find space. Phoenix's commander made the decision to launch their remaining inflatables and having landed even began getting the rescued sailors to sit on the wings while they waited for other vessels. A few merchant ships in the area, now reassured that the fighting was subsiding were en route to provide aid and now with their missiles exhausted the Aostan patrol planes dropped inflatable rafts into the area before heading back home.

The battle was over but what remained was the helicopters. They'd had a head start on any air assets among the Aostans or Achkaerin vessels but they wouldn't be able to evade the air assets coming from the Lodjain mainland. They were intercepted and forced to land just as they reached the coast. A group of Lodjain Marines greeted them and prepared for resistance was expecting to have to take the helicopters and those onboard out. Instead the doors opened and the soldiers onboard gave up. They'd been promised that a land force loyal to Leopold would meet them and that they'd carry the fight to land however that was simply a lie. They were asked were Leopold was and everyone of those in the helicopters told them the same. "Leopold and Helene Tar had left the Morelander when they'd joined up with a yacht last night. No one knew where they were heading except for a "Vital meeting". The man was still out there somewhere and now it appeared the mother of Viktoriya Tar was somehow involved. That had been a surprise to many but it seemed that for now at least Leopold was done for, his assets had gone, his supporters betrayed and he was running with his tail between his legs.

Over the course of the next six hours there was a lot to unpack. The Phoenix found various vessels from Aosta and Lodjain Navies coming to pick up the sailors they'd rescued and all would be returned to the custody of Lodja. Three of the Conclave were discovered, Lord Yuily Shvets, Isay Yakovlev (Minsiter of Environmental Affairs) and Borys Volkov (Junior Education Minister), the other three had been oboard the Frigate that had sank at the start of the battle and so it seemed, Maxim Schnoor (Minister of Home Affairs), Vissarion Novikov (Minister of Education) and Lady Ninel Naomov (Minister of Foreign Affairs) would be lost to the seas. There was no sign of Isaac. He'd been left onboard the Morelander in the care of a Ensign and nobody had found him, nor would they ever as the Cyborg Class began its descent to the ocean floor.



That evening word had obviously been spreading of the conflict at sea. It was time now though for the Lodjains new Queen to take to the TV screens and inform the world.

Quote from: TV Statement

People of Mundus. Nearly a year ago the former King of Lodja, Leopold Hamsik attempted to destroy the Queendom of Lodja from within. Using his influence and connections he turned neighbour against neighbour and used his own child as a pawn. Thinking Leopold was a man that he could trust hundreds of Lodjains placed their lives in his hands and threw their lot in with him believing he would give them the world. He has given them only misery and death. I am able tonight to say though that the threat he posed to our nation is over. Today I am thankful to forces from Aosta, Achkaerin and East Moreland in destroying what was left on the renegade forces. The HMDS Morelander is now no more, it sits at the bottom of the Alucard. Leopold is defeated and having told his men of a great army waiting for them on land those who managed to escape the battle in the Alucard found themselves just 45 men. Everything Leopold had told them was a lie.

The conflict has not come without sacrifice. Our nation has lost much and I will speak of that shortly. I must though ensure that the world knows of the sacrifices of troops from East Moreland and Ui Cenneslaig who freed the island of Zhoya where Lodjains and tourists from several nations had been used as human shields by those loyal to Leopold. I must go on record and thank members of East Moreland, Ui Cennesliag, The Unified Iwi, Aostan and Achkaerin Navies who joined us in combing the seas for Leopold and of course Aosta and Achkaerin's navy for destroying the threat of this renegade fleet aided by Morelander aircraft. Those who have been injured or died during their aid for our nation will always have a place in our nations hearts and one of my first acts as Queen will be to ensure each of the casualties are given a pension from the Queendom and either themselves or the dependents granted Lodjain citizenship should they ever wish it. Those who have shed blood for this land are as much part of it as the soil and grass.

Lodjains may not have been part of the action that brought this to an end but we have suffered. Trusts have been broken, families split and communities disharmonised. We will repair this. Those who fought for Leopold will face tribunals and given a chance to explain their actions. Anyone found guilty of a crime will face justice in an open court in exactly the same way as they would had they stolen a car. Those found not guilty will be given a chance to reintegrate into society. We have to find ways to heal. Among the dead are members of the Conclave,  Maxim Schnoor , Vissarion Novikov  and Lady Ninel Naomov all died aboard the ships aligned against us. Sadly Prince Isaac has also died. They shall be honoured and remembered. We have seen cowardly strikes on the Queen take the lives of Queen Klara and Lady in Waiting Anna Immich. We have seen members of the East Moreland embassy killed within Gaia along with innocent civilians going about their business. We owe it to each of these to build a better Lodja. In the coming days I have to unenviable task of having to grieve for my countryman and at the same time begin rebuilding a nation. It will be a different nation as some good must come from the losses we have suffered. I never thought a day would come after missing out once that I would wear the crown of Lodja and I wish it never had. We must play the hand we are dealt and I believe that Lodja can and will give me a strong hand. We shall emerge as a better nation.

Sadly among those who have died Leopold Hamsik is not among them. His location unknown but as he ran with his tail between his legs it is clear the man is a coward. With him sadly was the much loved and respected Helene Tar, seemingly part of the conspiracy. This is a sad fate for the Tar family. Queen Viktoriya Tar in her short reign was a visionary for our land and does not deserve to have her family name so sullied. As such from this day forward I shall be stripping Helene Tar of her titles and she shall forver be known as Helene Quisling by this administration. Many will ask about the fate of Princess Alana Tar she is currently in custody and like everyone involved in the crisis shall be investigated. Should she be found to be loyal she will become the matriach of the Tar family and I pray she carries on her sisters legacy. Should she be found to be disloyal then she will face justice. While those ringleaders are now beyond our reach for now we will not stop the search. Justice will be done one way or another but for now mourn the dead, rejoyce that this is over and I shall address you soon regarding the future of our nation."



As Leopold turned off the TV having seen the announcement he drained his shot of Vodka. For now he would disappear. He had money stashed away in several places, he had shares in places people didn't know of and most importantly for now he had a floatplane that could get him to a private airfield in Nya Aland and from there to a mountain villa in Zaporozh. They spoke a similar language there and he was confident no one would expect him to surface there. Helene Tar was with him as he began loading the float plane, "What will we do about Alana?" the former Queen's mother asked about her daughter now in some legal limbo.

"Fuck her" Leopold laughed and then realised how that could sound. He put his face close to Helene, "And I wish it had been her not her saggy assed Mother." Helene was shocked. "You're the reason this failed. You promised me men, you said the Tar family had men loyal to them. You said you'd get Alana to my side and she'd ensue we had support from the insiders. You messed up and now I'm forced to go and live among the Northern God fanatics."

"I am too you'll not be alone." She put her hand on his arm. "We'll be together." Leopold pulled his arm away as with his other he reached behind his back. Helene never saw the pistol coming up as he shot first into her chest. A shocked look spread over her face.

"I have money, I'm handsome and I have an appetite for younger and prettier girls than you. You're useless to me now. Join Viktoria" he finished as he fired a second bullet, this one into the middle of her forehead. He cursed as blood got onto his suit and dabbed at it making it only worse on his pale blue jacket. "Shit!" he exclaimed and in a last act on Lodjain soil took of his jacket and threw it on the body of Helene Tar before climbing into the cockpit of his escape vehicle. He would disappear, for now, and see what this new Queen was about.