ARCHIVED: Political Upheaval

(OOC: Just a note, this thread is open to all who want in. Dialogue only please, unless said otherwise by me. What I mean is that you should refrain from international communicates and the sort. Threadjacking, if continuous, will lead to eviction from the RP, obviously. Finally, be sure to have fun! The OOC thread is called "Parties" and it's in the Drafting Plane.)

The Emperator of the Watching Nebula was at a conference with the leadership of New Sekai when an aide handed him a sheet of paper, detailing the Syrixian situation. The Emperator immediately pulled out his cell phone and called his Head of Foreign Affairs.
"The Syrixian government is undergoing some ...internal debates concerning the formation of political parties. Although it is inevitable that they will be formed, many worry that this will only happen after a civil war."
"I have heard about this," replied the Head of Foreign Affairs, "and I would advise you to support the formation of political parties, particularly socialist ones."
"Of course, of course," replied the Emperator. "If we can cultivate a socialist party in Syrixia, we may be able to later impose trade deals and military concessions on them, using the reminder of our assistance to keep them motivated. Do not mention this, of course. Send a communique to the Prime Minister of Syrixia, telling them that we will serve as a mediator between the Syrixian government and various socialist parties and organizations there."
"Yes, your Excellency."

Deputy Prime Minister John Sirus, under orders from the Prime Minister, had gone to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Foreign Call Center to read the communique from Nebula. A clerk read the communique, and it was clear he thought the same way as Sirus did.

"Damn Nebulans...they're up to something. You can't trust a nation that quickly builds up its arms and then asks to help support a certain party." scoffed Sirus. "I guarantee they're gonna try and do something tricksy to further their own agenda."

"So what should I do, sir?" asked the clerk. It was clear he was very nervous due to the fact that he had the unfortunate job of typing and responding to international communiques. If he typed something wrong, it could create an international incident.

"Tell them this:" said Sirus. "Tell them that we do not want to have them be a mediator for just the socialists and us, but between us and all political ideologies protesting. We just can't make the risk."

"Got it, sir." said the Clerk. He furiously typed at the keyboard and had the message sent to the Nebulan Head of Foreign Affairs.

The Emperator's BlackBerry went off.
"Yes?"
"We have a response from Syrixia."
"And?"
"They're willing to have us mediate, and for other groups too. However, I feel that they don't trust us."
The Emperator laughed. "Of course not. They'd be stupid to. Reply and tell them that we accept the role and will have a negotiation team there whenever they're ready for it. Send our best negotiators and political maneuverers."
"It will be done."
The phone went silent.

The Spokesman heard the news gladly. Syrixia was finally doing something interesting with their new democracy.
"It is good to see the further spread of democracy in Syrixia," he said. "Although I look forward to seeing how this will play out. We know Nursson's right wing views, and I hope the leftists get fair representation in the new system."
"Would we ever look at political parties, Sir?"
"No. They're unnecessary in Eumenor's system - the National Assembly takes care of that."
"Mmm. You're right, as ever."
"Still, I shall observe closely the Syrixians to see if this new initiative benefits them or not."

(OOC: Nursson is not a right-wing politician. The no-party model was enforced directly by the Constitution, which was approved by John Sirus, who was then Prime Minister and is now Deputy PM. HE, not Nursson, leans toward the right wing, conservative side. Also, I'll post later today.)

-THE BALAMB CHRONICLE-
​

BREAKING- A protest occurred today in Balamb at the Yine'ina, the main road and park in front of Parliament Hall. While the Democrats and Centrists move their messages through various forms of national communiques and the Nationalists through grand speeches, the Socialists, the third largest faction behind the Centrists and Democrats, have taken to the streets and factories directly and have launched extremely violent protests. The Centrists, Democrats and Nationalists have banded together and have taken a very negative stance to the riotous socialists, however this is expressed through peace only and thus there continues to be no resistance to the socialist protests other than that of the military and police.

Prime Minister Alfred Nursson, leader of the Democrats, has stated the following:
"I respect the right to protest of the Socialists and all Syrixian people, but when it gets violent we simply have to intervene before anyone gets hurt. I fear for the safety of the people witnessing and being impacted by these protests, and I urge the socialists to find more peaceful methods of protest."

Meanwhile, the leader of the Nationalists, Minister Licia Dorina, had a more extreme opinion. She had this to say when interviewed by Balamb Chronicle reporters:
"This is ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS, what these socialists are doing! I respect all ideologies, but in the name of Syrixia these people must be punished before they actually kill people! We should put them in jail and teach them the error of their ways, so we make sure our glorious nation isn't threatened by these repugnant rioters again!"

This protest only adds to the growing tension, and the tourism rate of Syrixia is slowly dropping. Economists project that if the problem isn't solve soon, Syrixia could lose one of its most important industries.

ABOVE: The protest as seen from an aerial camera right above where the mobs were marching. No one has been killed in these protests, but the protests are very violent.​

Prime Minister Smith [National Party] receives a call at 2am from the foreign affairs minister. "We have heard of protests taking hold in Syrixia, primarily led by the socialists. They want the parliament organized into political parties."

The Prime Mister inquires, "What should we do? Will this affect us here?"

"I advise we publicly remain neutral on the matter." remarks the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Brumsfeld. "The Socialist and Communist Parties of DavidLand have often expressed grievances at their under-representation in our parliament. Supporting the Syrixian government openly could spur domestic protests."

"We will remain neutral, but I also authorize gathering covert intelligence against the Communist and Socialist parties of DavidLand to monitor them in the short term. Finally, you may privately notify the Syrixian government that DavidLand is against violent protest, and that we support the legitimate government of Syrixia, regardless of what decision on political parties they make."

The cell phone rang. It was the Head of Foreign Affairs.
"Yes?" the Emperator snapped into it. "What is it?"
"Syrixian socialists are growing violent. Riots are rocking the streets."
"Just the opportunity we need. Call the head of Nebula Military Manufacturing and tell him I'd like to see him as soon as it can be arranged. In the meantime, send out a message to Syrixia. Tell them that we deplore the socialist riots and that we hope that it can be stopped immediately."
"And what about the socialists, sir?"
"Go through our files. There's a good chance that there are a few ringleaders organizing this. Contact them immediately."
"Right. What should we say?"
"Leave that to me."

In the center East Stonessfurd, the small city on the outskirts of the Stonessfurd metropolis, sits a small building in the City Square. Such building is the temporary headquarters of the Syrixian Socialists and their leader, Dulo Pskov.

Naturally, Dulo was busy planning the next protest, to be staged in the city of Manaan. However, suddenly, he received a phone call from what appeared to be a caller ID originating in Nebula. Naturally he recognized it as someone from the Nebulan government, though he wasn't sure who.

Dulo knew the Nebulans had an affinity for supporting socialist parties and organizations and was very interested in seeing what this Nebulan official had to say. He picked up the phone quickly, hoping his guesses of who the man on the other side was were to be correct.

"Maksul. This is Dulo Pskov, leader of the Syrixian Socialists. How may I serve you today?"

"Oh, what's this? Are you who I think you are?"

"Hello. This is Armon Clorius, the Nebulan Head of Foreign Affairs.
"Now, I've heard that the socialists have been protesting in Syrixia. Violently. Although we urge you not to use such methods in your pursuit of political recognition, I have orders from the Emperator to inform you that should you decide to make a violent bid for power, we will secretly support you with advanced weapons and financial assets. Of course, we would want a bit in return, but please consider it should things get violent. Oh, and don't mention this conversation to anyone."

"It sounds good. I oblige." said Dulo, in response. After a brief conversation, Dulo put down the phone and got back to work, not knowing that an agent had listened to the entire conversation and was not in the process of reporting it to the government.

One hour later...

"I knew it. I absolutely knew it." said John Yse'qi, Syrixia's Minister of Homeland Security. "Those damn Nebulans and their declaration lied. I knew they wanted to use their armed forces somewhere. Now they have an excuse to, and Syrixia is growing ever closer to a civil war at a terrifyingly alarming rate. If the Nebulans get their way, the People's Republic of Syrixia could return- this time as a Nebulan puppet."

"So, what should we do, sir?" said the agent who got the information. He was clearly nervous, and beads of sweat dripped down his head. Never before had such a discovery and the fate of what would happen next lied on him. He was just a lowly intelligence worker.

"Give me that recording, and do some encryption so the Nebulans and/or the socialists don't find out we intercepted them. The Defense Ministry's gotta see this."

"Are you sure that there is no chance the Syrixian government could have spied on the transmission?" the Emperator demanded. He was constantly anxious, and the mere idea that Syrixia could spy on transmissions worried him greatly."
"I don't know!" wailed the Head of Intelligence. "We don't have enough data on Syrixia yet!"
"It would be a good idea to presume that they had," chimed in Clorius. "Most nations have this technical capability. Not all use it, of course, but Syrixia has always had a powerful military and intelligence."
"Well, then, we've got a problem, haven't we?" growled the Emperator. "Syrixia could very well know! Do we have any immediate options?"
"We could launch an immediate attack," suggested General Radion Curius. "The socialists would probably take our side. Syrixia would fall within a few days."
"That would ruin our international relations," noted Clorius. "We cannot afford that."
"Anything else?" asked the Emperator.
"An issue is that we have not completed our military buildup," added Curius. "We still need to purchase ammunition."
"We have begun production of the Wolfsea missile launchers," said the head of Nebula Military Manufacturing. "However, the general is right. We simply don't have the firepower to take them on just yet, unless you want to use antiriot chemical agents."
The Emperator turned to General Curius. "Has the Encryption Department finished the latest codes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Send the socialists in Syrixia a package of two-way radios. We'll encrypt all transmissions to them starting now."
"And if they haven't actually cracked the message, sir?"
"Well, it'll still be good for them to have the things, don't you think?"

"It is all coming together." said Dulo to one of his assistants. He smirked, knowing his plan was coming to fruition and he had a powerful ally on his side.

"Agreed, sir. Ah....shall we rally the tanks?" said the assistant.

"Yes." said Dulo. "Raze Balamb to the ground and capture the leaders of each political faction. Licia Dorina for the Nationalists, John Sirus for the Centrists, and Alfred Nursson for the Democrats."

"Yes, sir." said the assistant.

"Oh," said Dulo, "and one more thing. When you capture Nursson, force him to make tea for me. I heard he makes good tea."

"O...okay, sir." said the assistant.

About two hours later, tanks with red stars on them began rolling into Balamb...

Meanwhile at the Council building in Summerland, an emergency session of the Council Ministers has been called.

Solveig Nightsong, President of the Confederation and Minister of Finance, begins: "As this is a matter of foreign relations with a close ally of ours I am turning over the meeting to Minister of Foreign Affairs Issac Laux and Minister of Defense and Civil Protection Damien Holbach. Sirs, you have the floor."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Issac Laux: "As the situation currently stands protests have broken out in Balamb over the government debate on how political parties should be formed. Primarily it is the Socialistic minded parties that seem to be causing the most disruption."

Minister of Defense and Civil Protection: Damien Holbach: "Speaking of the Socialists, Sefydliad has been picking up sporadic chatter from Syrixia. While we can neither confirm nor deny what we have heard, the Kaltian Intelligence Community has put forward a Corcra Warning."

Vice President of the Confederation and Minister of Justice Anthony Stark, interjects: "A Corcra Warning... are we certain?"

Minister of Defense and Civil Protection: Damien Holbach: "Not with 100% certainty, no. The KCC has no active agents on the ground so we are relying on our satellites to pick up these communications. We don't know if the chatter is referring to future protests or a full on revolt."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Issac Laux: "Well, this puts us in an awkward position. We could call up a small contingent of our military to be put on standby in the event of the Syrixians needing foreign military help. But that could just as easily backfire on us if this turns out to be yet another protest."

Minister of Economic Affairs and Social Welfare Maryln Kiani: "I personally object to calling up our military until we have 100% confirmation they will be needed. I recommend letting Sefydliad continue to monitor the situation via satellite. Minister Nightsong, as the confederation's President, reach out to the leaders of Syrixia and let them know they will have the full cooperation of the Council if needed."

Ministers Wardson, Engstrom, Nesor, Artyn and Sarrat all nod in agreement.

"Very well, if there are no further comments, this emergency session of the Council is adjourned."

As everyone heads out, Minister Nightsong grabs a phone and calls the Syrixians to check up on the situation.

"The first shipment of tanks has arrived in Syrixia, sir."
"Excellent. Keep a close eye on the situation. Make sire the rebels don't get out of hand."
"Will we have to send soldiers into Syrixia?"
"We might. Finish the arms purchases."
"The fleet has been readied, sir."
"Good. Best to be prepared."

"OH MY F ING GOD, WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING OUT THERE?!" yells Prime Minister Nursson, standing next to Deputy Prime Minister Sirus. The two watch in horror in Parliament Hall as the leader of the nationalists, Licia Dorina, is bound and carried away, kicking and screaming, by socialist troops. Citizens are running through the streets to get inside their houses, as all non-governmental buildings are basically ignored by the socialists.

Suddenly, the phone rings.

"Yes? Oh, Minister Nightsong! Yes, if you can hear the screams in the background we're in a bit of a pickle right now. See, a sizeable force has captured Balamb and our military is still en route, so we're kinda trapped in Parliament Hall for about an hour and a half until they arrive..."

"Of course... I can mobilize our military but it will take them four hours to arrive in Syrixia. However, I can send Oiche na Ruin Units I, II, V and X who can get to Syrixia in an hour. You are already familiar with the leaders of OnR Unit X and will meet the others when they arrive. I'm sorry we can't provide more assistance on such a short notice. Also, despite being a small contingent of soldiers I can guarantee that they are more than capable of holding their own until the military arrives."

"Let's hope so. Please do send them in." said Sirus.

At that moment, a giant *boom* sound came from 10 floors down. The socialists were getting in, and they were using a tank to do so.

An explosion rocked the doors of Parliament Hall, and socialist troops poured in. They searched every room, kidnapping every government official they found who didn't have socialist ideals. They ascended floor to floor, and they were approaching Floor 10 very quickly.

At that time, Parliament was holding a quick meeting on whether to endorse the DU application of Great Briganthia. After making the vote, Parliament was just about to deconvene and commission a search for the socialist ministers, who were notably missing.

Suddenly, a voice came on the intercom. It was the Prime Minister. "BRAVO BRAVO CHARLIE, 84376494376! ECHO ZULU INDIA!" he said over the microphone. In an instant, all the Ministers scrambled for the secret hatch leading to the bunker under Parliament Hall. The Prime and Deputy Prime Ministers soon appeared and followed, and Deputy Prime Minister Sirus sealed the hatch.

It was now a matter of time. First Oiche na Ruin would appear, and then 30 minutes later, the Syrixian military. All they had to do was hide and wait it out while the socialists worked their way up the building and hopefully they'd make it.

The Ministers began to move around the bunker, enjoying the commodities of the bunker they were now stuck in; there was a lounge, a bar, a hot tub, and a room connecting them where the entrance to the bunker was. However, luxuries aside, Syrixia's highest government officials were still trapped...

As the Solas C-5 entered Syrixian airspace, the Oiche na Ruin teams made final preparations for their HALO jump onto the roof of the Syrixian Parliament Building.

"Varcia reporting in... OnR I is ready to jump."
"Ditani reporting in... OnR II is ready to jump."
"Dyzir reporting in... Ranii and OnR X are ready to jump."
"Aris reporting in... OnR V is ready to jump."

"Aris, this is the co-pilot... I'm picking up tank fire from the ground. How do you want to proceed?"

"We will take that chance. Ditani... arm some of your men with RPG's. We may need to hit the tank mid fall."

The RPG's are handed out and soon the drop zone is reached. As the rear door of the plane opens, the OnR soldiers jump two at a time until all forty five soldiers are out in free fall. As soon as parachutes were deployed, ground fire was aimed upwards at the rapidly descending Kaltian troops. The tank did not pose a problem and all OnR members made it onto the roof safely, baring a few bullet grazes but nothing serious.

"Dyzir, Ranii... go with Varcia. OnR I and X, your top priority is to locate the Syrixian parliament members and ensure their safety."

"Ditani, let's go see if we can rile up a bit of chaos with that tank."

"Sir, the Kaltians have joined the fight on the side of the government."
"Our hand is forced. Draft a declaration of war and send the fleet to Syrixia. Carrying soldiers, of course. Have our PR man talk to the papers and get something figured out."
"What about the ammunition?"
"Finish those purchases and let's get going!"

In the War Seomra, the Council along with the heads of the Conclave, Assembly and Intelligence Community had gathered.

Minister Damien Holbach: "Well President, it looks like the Corcra Warning was well founded."

Minister Solveig Nightsong: "Indeed... What is the status report of the OnR teams?"

Minister Damien Holbach: "Aris and Ditani are running distraction on the troops and tank. Everyone else is focused on finding and securing the Syrixian parliament members."

Minister Anthony Stark: "Do we know yet which nation is behind this attack?"

Minister Isaac Laux: "Sir, it looks to be the Nebulans."

Minister Anthony Stark: "Huh, someone we haven't dealt with before. We need to be careful on how we handle this diplomatically."

Minister Solveig Nightsong: "Your advice has been noted Anthony. Damien, how much of our military was prepped?"

Minister Damien Holbach: "We sent in two full contingents."

Minister Solveig Nightsong: "Send in two more. I want them to converge on Balamb and recapture the city. So long as the Syrixians hold their capital and their parliament members are safe we can then approach this from a diplomatic perspective without having to resort to more violence."

The meeting continues to discuss other logistics of the crisis happening in Syrixia.

---

Meanwhile in Balamb...

"Aris, this is Varcia. We have located the bunker that the Parliament members have taken refuge in. How do you want us to proceed?"

"Varcia, I'm receiving you loud and clear. I just got word from home that the War Seomra has sent two additional contingents. We are to hold this building until they arrive. Their ETA is two hours while the Syrixians are ETA thirty minutes. Do not breach the bunker until then, I repeat, do not breach the bunker."

"Understood Aris, we will dig in and hold the line. Have fun playing hide and seek with the tank."

Prime Minister Smith picks up the phone. Foreign minister Brumsfeld reports, "It's now a full scale civil war! We must do something! We can not let the socialists gain regional power!"

"What? War? Where?" responds Smith.

"In Syrixia, remember. In addition, we have proof that the nation of Nebula is on the ground with the socialists."

"This is an unacceptable move. The Government of DavidLand no longer will remain neutral. We will now be in full support of government forces. Send word to the Syrixian government that we will be ready to provide money and troops immediately. In addition, prepare the air-force for deployment and order the navy to secure vital trade routes."

"Would you like me to notify parliament?"

"Immediately."

Suddenly, a horde of marching Syrixian soldiers wearing blue uniforms and carrying rifles and machine guns appears over the hill near Parliament Hall. They fire on the socialist troops and the socialists fire back. The military manages to plow through the socialist troops but socialist resistance gets thicker the closer they get to Parliament Hall. Eventually the Syrixian military takes over the southern part of Balamb, the new, modern city, leaving a small northern strip on the coast to the socialists. This northern strip, North Balamb, contains the Old City and Parliament Hall. As Oiche na Ruin defends Parliament Hall, the socialists are encircled yet the military cannot get into North Balamb, effectively making the large government headquarters a second order enclave unto itself...

Nebulan landing ships were pulling ashore near Balamb.
"Go, go, go!" screamed the commander.
Under heavy fire, the first squads advanced up the beach toward the ridge.
An bomber pilot radioed in, "Acquiring targets."
"Take out the pillboxes," came the reply. Within seconds, many Syrixian machine gun nests were blazing.
Meanwhile, naval bombardment of the coastal positions continued.

"Damn Nebulans!" Yelled the Syrixian commander. Call in reinforcements! This is worse than we thought!"

About ten minutes later, the Air Force began bombing Nebulan and Socialist outposts and sending paratroopers in large groups; and the Navy began firing heavily on Nebulan ships, sinking many and boarding/looting others. The army itself also received reinforcements, as Stonessfurd had now been defended. More armies marched into Balamb, and at this point there were more Syrixian soldiers than Syrixian citizens in the capital. However, the socialists did not give up, and kept climbing Parliament Hall's many floors where (hopefully) Oiche na Ruin was waiting for them...

Parliament House
Prime Minister's office.

"Prime Minister, there is war in Syrixia," said an aide to Ivan Nelson.

"What?"

"Socialists in Balamb are revolting," replied the aide.

"All socialists are revolting. What's your point?" the Prime Minister quipped. The aide was not amused. Ivan sensed this. He wiped the smile off his faced and asked, "Is there a death toll?"

"So far the Syrixian government hasn't released much information on the matter. Forces from The Watching Nebula are assisting the rebels. Kalti has joined the conflict on the side of the government. They're trying to secure the members of Parliament and take them to safety."

"Well I suppose my Government will need to prepare an official a response."

The Prime Minister sat on the corner of his desk. He thought for a while. Suddenly he spoke, "I wonder if the UNPS has something to do with this."

"Sir?"

"The Watching Nebula is fighting on the side of the Socialist Rebels. The Socialist Party of the Watching Nebula is a member of the UNPS. I wouldn't be surprised if Lehmann* knew something about this. The UNPS was her idea, and it's struggling to take off."

"If I may, sir, we can't level baseless accusations against the PSF."

"No, of course not. I was just thinking aloud."



*Alesia Lehmann is the leader of the People's Socialist Front.

The Chief of the Air-Force reports to the Foreign Affairs minister. "Four reconnaissance flights were flown over Syrixia. It appears as though the government has begun a heavy response. Despite this, the socialists are still well dug in."

"Should we launch long-range bombers to dislodge them?"

"Only if we receive permission from Syrixia, we do not want an international incident. Also, the air-force is ready to drop agents behind socialist lines, with your permission of course!"

"Yes Sir! The Intelligence Agency and Air-Force have permission to insert agents behind socialist lines. In addition, we need to 'purge' several socialist operatives suspected of being here in DavidLand!"

"Understood."

The Nebulan fighters went up. Syrixian forces outnumbered them, but the pilots were holding their own.
The fleet, meanwhile, had dispersed and had moved to blockade the Syrixian coast.
Meanwhile, Nebulan forces had made progress on the landing. The ridge was under heavy fire and success seemed imminent.

Submarine commander Urel Brinks contacts Navy Command on a secret frequency. "Target acquired, we have found several Nebulan ships engaging in a blockade. Do we have permission to launch torpedos?"

Soon the Prime Minister himself is on the line. "Take the shot"

.......... Smoke and flames rise up in the distance ..........

"Target hit" is the last transmission before communication stops.

The captain turns to his pilot and says, "we need to descend and leave the area immediately before any submarine hunters are dispatched."

The submarine disappears into the murky waters off Syrixia.

"Sir, from what I hear on the surface, we are being protected by Oiche na Ruin, our military has arrived, and David Land's armed forces are assisting too!" said an aide, running up to the Prime Minister. "Interesting. Give the Davidlanders formal permission so there isn't any sort of incident. And call in more forces, from what our sensors tell us the Nebulans are still fighting." the Prime Minister replied. "Yes, sir." said the aide. After hearing the orders from the Prime Minister, he immediately called the Syrixian commander, telling him the news.

"God damnit," said the Commander. "These flies are hard to swat. CALL IN MORE REINFORCEMENTS!" And they were called. At this point the Syrixian ships outnumbered and were sinking Nebulan ships left and right. Nebulan outposts were heavily bombed by the Air Force but the southern part of Balamb, the New City, remained largely unharmed. The Old City, however, was decently damaged. With a sudden burst of troops, the Nebulans were forced down the ridge once more and Balamb looked like it was going to be defended.

However, in all the fighting the Syrixian armies had forgotten about the Socialists, who had at last broken into the 12th floor of Parliament Hall. The door to the Chamber of the Parliament was heavily guarded and the Socialists tried to budge through, with gun butts, modern-style battering rams, and C4; but to no avail. The door was thick metal and was locked from the inside. Regardless, they still kept trying. As the Nebulans were being massacred by the Syrixians and Davidlanders, the Socialists were free to keep trying to get in. All that stood between them and their targets was Oiche na Ruin.

Meanwhile, in Rethel, Plembobria...

Ambassador Ishia Seldindon, the Syrixian ambassador to Plembobria, was practically running. She needed to get to the main government building of Plembobria so as to find the Prime Minister and request his assistance; and that was exactly what she intended to do. Ishia swung open the doors and ran to the reception desk. "Hi. I'm Ishia Seldindon, Syrixian ambassador to Plembobria. Do you know where I can find the Prime Minister? We need to have a conversation; EXTREMELY urgent. There's a civil war going on in Syrixia and we'd like to request assistance." she said to the clerk at the desk.

The OnR teams have banded together to form a defense of the bunker entrance.

Ditani: "Aris, the Socialists are getting mighty close..."

Aris: "So is the Syrixian military. What's the ETA on our military?"

Varcia: "They should be here any minute. Call in and have the army HALO drop on the roof. Tell the navy and air force to take defensive positions and help clear the area around the Parliament Building."

As the orders were relayed to the Kaltian Royal XX, XIV, XV and XIX contingents, pounding could be heard outside the door.

Dyzir: "Well Ranii, they are damn persistent, have to give them that..."

Ranii: "Yes they are. Good thing the door is reinforced steel."

As the OnR teams were digging in on their defensive positions, the Kaltian Royal XIX contingent HALO dropped their army soldiers on to the roof before proceeding to anchor their naval ships off shore. Very soon the air force was in the air providing covering fire. The army quickly made their way down the stairs to the bunker and where the OnR teams were.

To the socialists: "Lay down yours arm and surrender! You are surrounded with no way out."

Varcia: "About damn time they show up, was starting to feel like a sitting duck. Aris, Dyzir, Ranii, Ditani... Shall we head out?"

Aris: "Of course. Lets get the rest of the building secure."

"Sir, our fleet is under heavy attack! Many vessels are critically damaged!" an officer shouted in the Nebulan control room.
"Damn! We'll have to get tough! Get the fleet to form a defensive position. Tell them help is coming. And prepare to deploy cruise missiles against Syrixian military targets."
"We have other issues, sir."
"Such as?"
"We're vastly outnumbered on the ground, sir. The Syrixian military has us pinned down everywhere."
"Have we got any options?"
"Either complete evacuation, surrender, attacks on civilian targets, or calling for help within our alliances."
"Let's take the last one."

Meanwhile, Nebulan troops, taking heavy losses, were being pushed back toward a fortified bunker that had been a Syrixian command center before its capture. The retreat, however, was slowing. Using the charred remains of tanks as cover, Nebulan soldiers were holding the line against the enemy attack. Fighters harassed Syrixian aircraft and fired missiles at enemy soldiers and tanks. Eventually, the battle ground to a temporary stalemate, and reinforcement helicopters began to arrive from Nebula.

The sound of jets roared over the runway, the bombers had returned.

"Mission complete, Sir. We caught the Nebulan fleet in the middle of their redeployment. Dozens of ships were sunk or heavily damaged. In addition, we believe we damaged a Nebulan Flag Ship."

The Chief of the Air-Force recorded the operation. Seconds later a report from another bomber mission.

"Sir, we have completed assault of socialist and Nebulan positions as they retreated. However, they were heavily armed, and 1 bomber was downed. The pilot is likely being held by either the socialists or Nebulans right now."

"Unfortunately, the situation on the ground is too dangerous right now to launch a rescue operation. I'll notify the prime minister and schedule another round of reconnaissance flights tonight."

Meanwhile, residents of DavidLand were still struggling to understand exactly what had happened in the last 24 hours. Due to poor editing at some newspapers, some residents thought they were at war with Syrixia! Fortunately, the prime minister quickly resolved the issues!

"Damnit, these guys continue to persist." said General Clovis Von Winstin, in a private conference in Stonessfurd with Admiral Henry Tiberio, Air-General Joseph Qian, and Minister of Defense Auel Vist, the latter being, luckily, not in Balamb at the time and this not imprisoned in the bunker. "What're we going to do?" The Admiral stood up and said, "Well, obviously, we need to hit the Nebulans where it hurts. We can call in even more reinforcements and then create a massive attack formation, bombarding the Nebulans' defense formation and plowing through, creating not only a huge problem for the Nebulans but also a decoy." Suddenly, Air-General Qian's eyes widened. "Ah!" he said. "I see where you're going! The "where it hurts" would be their control center! The Air Force could bomb it after the Nebulans fall into our trap and this would disorient command from army, making it easier to then have another squadron bomb the Nebulan garrisons, allowing the Army to finish them off."

"Yes, that would be a good strategy." said the General. "However, we cannot forget the socialists. After this operation concludes, which should be (if it works) around 3-5 hours from now, we'd need to, of course, liberate Parliament Hall. The socialists are surrounded by the Kaltians and they should get backup. How I think we should go about this is simple. We use the reinforcement ground troops we'd call to start the strategy you two mentioned a couple minutes ago and divert them to the Hall. We'll threaten them for ten minutes. If they come out and surrender, we'll negotiate a peace treaty. If not, we'll go in and bring them out by force. This should take about an hour total, so once the Hall is secured and Parliament is occupied negotiating a peace treaty, we will be able to support our ground troops fighting the Nebulan army." Minister Vist then nodded his head and said "Alright. I approve this strategy. Have it carried out, and hopefully we will win. Dismissed."

The three military leaders did just that. More reinforcements soon arrived and the attack formation was in position, bombarding the Nebulan defense formation. The decoy was almost in place. Meanwhile, at Parliament Hall, a large force of Syrixian soldiers marched to the doors. The Old City's damages were being quickly repaired by military repair crews, so as long as they weren't damaged again Balamb would look as it did by war's end. However, Parliament Hall was the main focus now. One of the army commanders, a mononymous man named Onolien, grabbed a megaphone and yelled, "THIS IS ONOLIEN, CAPTAIN OF SYRIXIAN INFANTRY XXVIII! COME DOWN NOW AND THERE WILL BE PEACE AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION FOR YOU! REFUSE AND WE WILL RESORT TO FORCE!"

There was no response. The socialists continued, instead, to attempt to breach the doors of the Chamber of the Parliament.

"Sir, the Syrixians have begun advancing again!" a corporal screamed.
"Hold the line!" the sergeant yelled. "Cover the helicopters!"
Nebulan helicopters were trying to maneuver through the flak and wheeling fighters to carry reinforcements to the ground forces. However, Syrixian artillery crews were doing their best to keep them away. As the sergeant watched, a direct hit sent a troop carrier spiraling down into the forest in flames.
"Where are the artillery boats?" he asked himself. But even as he turned back to the fight, he heard the sound of the landing ships coming ashore. Instead of soldiers, each carried a self-propelled artillery piece. These began to roll into the clearing occupied by the Nebulans.
"Fire!" screamed the artillery commander. The guns began firing into the woods, causing the Syrixians to pause. Just as they prepared to continue their assault, however, machine guns began to fire, cutting down dozens. As the Nebulan heavy artillery began to get a bead on the Syrixian guns, the helicopters were able to descend to the clearing. Another two were shot down before the doors opened on each transport and soldiers ran out.
But then the Syrixians began their bombing runs, and the Nebulan soldiers were thrown into temporary chaos. But the Nebulan fighters, despite being outnumbered, continued to fight, and began bringing down more bombers.

The Foreign minister interrupts the Prime Minister's dinner. "Sir. The persistence of the Nebulans is incredible. They are outnumbered and taking heavy losses, but have brought in reinforcements and are holding the line stubbornly!"

"What do you want me to do?" Exclaims the Prime Minister, noticeably irritated. "I can't send the entire Air-Force in at once! What about the Navy, are they in position?"

"I'm afraid it will be days before our heavy ships move into position. Our best bet is to target the Nebulan fleet by air. Without it they cannot sustain a campaign. We could also send fighter jets and block airborne reinforcements from the ships."

"Very well" mumbles the Prime Minister. "Sink every last Nebulan boat, and shoot down every Nebulan plane, helicopter, or hand-glider. Whatever it takes."

The Foreign Minister shakes his head, sighs, and walks out of the room.

(OOC: Syrixia. The PM's office is in Parliament House, and there really is no clerk.)

As the Prime Minister and a large coterie of several other officials headed through the main foyer of Parliament House on the way to a plenary session of the Commons, they encountered the Syrixian ambassador.

"Ambassador," Nelson addressed Ishia, "you are exactly who I need right now. Come with me."

The group of people entered the Commons chamber. The Prime Minister sat on the front bench with the rest of the Cabinet. The ambassador was directed by an aide to a seat near the Speaker's desk. Across the room from Ivan sat Opposition Leader (and former Prime Minister) Briggs, flanked by Lehmann and the rest of the shadow cabinet. They looked prepared for a fight. Just the sight of them made Ivan shudder.

"I call the Right Honorable Prime Minister," said the Speaker. The PM rose "Members of the House, I have called a session of this council to decide this government's reaction to the unrest in Syrixia."

Briggs interrupted, "Yes Members, in a time of crisis the Prime Minister would rather sit and debate instead of acting immediately!"

"The Prime Minister has the call!" stated the Speaker.

"Mr. Speaker, I would like to have the ambassador from the Most Serene Republic of Syrixia address this chamber.

"I call her excellency the Ambassador from Syrixia."