Kardonyszlav: An Emergence

After the events of the Kardonyszlavic Civil War led to a victory for democracy. Led by Joseph Lazarev and the Kardonyszlavic Democratic Party, the government has made radical changes to the economy and political system of the war-torn nation. The most controversial of these changes are replacing the command economy with a new economic system that leans much more towards free markets. Gone are the days of citizens receiving no pay from work and being fed low quality government-issue rations, now citizens are encouraged to work hard to make money and to buy food from vendors (a relatively new form of business that is now present in every Kardonyszlavic city). The times of government surveillance on its people are no more. Freedom has finally emerged in Kardonyszlav.

The KDP, working with the remnants of the Kardonyszlavic military, have used census data to calculate the approximate death toll of the Kardonyszlavic Civil War.

Population Before War:
54 Million

KDF Casualties:
2.3 Million Dead

Kardonyszlavic Army Casualties:
1.7 Million Dead

Civilian Casualties:
2 Million Dead

This data grants a new perspective to the devastation the civil war has brought. In total, 4 Million people lost their lives in this brutality with the majority of casualties being civilians. The true cost of the war, however, is unquantifiable. Millions of people have lost their homes and jobs, currently the government is doing everything it can to improve the lives of civilians. The KDP has launched many public works projects and encourages citizens to start their own businesses in an attempt to jumpstart the economy. In the first week of economic "revitalization," signs are showing that it is working.

Not all news from Kardonyszlav has been good, however. Today a radical group of Pavlov loyalists from the remnants of the previous Kardonyszlavic military have declared that they want revenge and are going to destroy the new Kardonyszlav. This group, dubbed the Opposition, has announced that they will start their war in one week. Though nervous, the government has stated that they will heavily increase security in and around Kardonyszlavic government buildings and will continue its reforms.

In other news, Joseph Lazarev has announced that he will be running for president alongside the Kardonyszlavic Democratic Party His campaign is set to start on June 6. No other parties have announced their campaigns for the presidency.

The KDP has announced its ballot for the upcoming election.

President: Joseph Lazarev
Vice President: Vasily Zakhaev

Lazarev has stated that once he becomes president, he will make Kardonyszlav stronger economically that it ever was before. Zakhaev has voiced his desire to rebuild the military and increase security.

Currently, the agricultural sector is the largest economic sector in Kardonyszlav.

After giving his final speech to Kardonyszlav, Joseph Lazarev has gone to his summer home to wait for the results of the election. Since there is no opposing political party, Lazarev's victory is assured. However, the future is uncertain and anything can go wrong.

Meanwhile, a terrorist attack has occured in Highton City. A car across the street from the Presidential Mansion has exploded, likely the result of a car bomb. An envelope found by the wreckage contains one hundred streloks and a campaign flyer with Joseph Lazarev's face on it. The face has been scratched out and the word "traitor" was scrawled underneath. The loyalist organization, now known as the Pavlov Society has claimed responsibility. "This is but the beginning. Today we attack Kardonyszlav's closest allies, tomorrow, we attack Kardomnyszlav itself..."

President Calabrese sat eating dinner in the Silver Room, the President's private dining space. The round table was a little busy with six people seated at it: the President and his wife Lena, as well as four of their five children with the youngest, Greta, only three. The past few days had been successful. He had gotten off the phone earlier with Highton's CEA delegate, Pia Herzog, who had informed him that the early weeks of the organization were going smoothly. He had had another phone call the day prior with the new President of Kardonyszlav, Joseph Lazarev. For years, the communist regime in Kardonyszlav had been the only true enemy of the Crowned Republic, several times threatening to be a menace to peace on Highton's eastern border. Now, the communist government had fallen and with Highton as the first nation to recognize the legitimacy of the KDF, Calabrese hoped he could find an ally in Kardonyszlav. Yesterday was the first time he had spoken with Lazarev, and things were looking up. Calabrese completed his kartoffelsteak and began to place his utensils on the place when suddenly there was a loud boom. The table shook. Greta screamed as the other children dove under the table. A member of the Presidential Guard screamed: "Mr. President, GET DOWN!" After a few seconds, everyone realized that the room was not what was under threat, but they were escorted by the Guard downstairs into the bunker. The Guard refused to explain what was happening, but the President's 13-year-old Anthony could make out the words coming through a guard's walkie talkie. What he heard was staggering– there had been an explosion right across the street.

That Evening...

"Good evening, my fellow Hightonians," said the President, addressing the nation from his office. "Today is a dark day in this chapter of Highton's history. As I am sure many of you already know, an explosion occurred just meters away from this front door of the mansion I sit in right now. When I first stepped into this office three and a half years ago, I swore to provide transparency and I believe it my duty to make sure that the people I was elected to represent understand what is happening. Our intelligence has reason to believe that the perpetrator of the attack was a loyalist to the fallen communist regime of Kardonyszlav. Highton in no way, shape, or form condones these actions and warns those prepared to damage innocent civilian lives that this will not be tolerated. It is with the deepest sorrow that I have to inform the nation that along with the four injured citizens, one Hightonian was killed today by the explosion. I wish that Ms. Edda Apfelbaum may rest in peace and that her family and friends can find God in this difficult time. Thank you, and good night."

We in the Republic of Mondari unilaterally condemn the terrorist group, the "Pavlov Society," their actions in attacking Highton is extremely vile and deplorable. The tragic death of Edda Apfelbaum is incredibly disheartening to hear and our best wishes go out to the Apfelbaum family, along with the compromised safety of President Calabrese of Highton are worrying to hear about.

The RM is willing to send any aid that the Hightonian government may need, we view Highton as an important partner due to our mutual membership in the Luscova Pact along with the individual trade partnerships between our nations.

We hope that this attack does not sour the warming relations between Highton and Kardonyslav and that the relationship between the two governments can prosper despite this setback.

The United Clans of Essalanea Condemn this cowardly attack on our Brother Nation Highton, the so-called 'Pavlov Society' have shown themselves to be weak cowards who would rather hide in the shadows and kill defenceless civilians.

The clans, therefore, offer our finest Assasins that we might together as allies, sniff out this vile collection of honourless curs and put them to a bloody end. An attack on one of our fellows in the Pact is an attack on us all and we shall not see the death of innocents go unpunished!

Death to the Pavlov Society! Long Live Highton! Long Live Essalanea!

“For those of you who may not know, a terror attack occurred yesterday evening in Highton and an innocent civilian was killed. The perpetrators of this attack were a group known as the Pavlov Society, a group of loyalists to the previous communist regime.

To combat this opposing force, I will work with the other victims of these terrorists. Soon, we will no longer have to live with this thorn in our collective side.

The election results are in for Kardonyszlav’s first election:

KDP - 76.3%
Other - 23.7%

Lazarev has announced that he will work his hardest to make Kardonyszlav into the most powerful it can be.

For the past 2 days, Kardonyszlavic reconnaissance planes have scoured the lowlands and countryside of Kardonyszlav for any vestiges of the Pavlov Society. Nothing has been found.

"We need to locate and destroy this group of terrorists, lest they destroy the integrity of our nation."
-Zakhaev

After winning the election, Lazarev has begun to select the his positions for the Ministry of Kardonyszlav. The full list will be released in 24 hours.

The construction of several factories in Kardonyszlav has begun today. They are scheduled to go online in 6 months.

Rearmament of the military:

"Since the end of the Kardonyszlavic Civil War, the Army of Kardonyszlav has exponentially been downgraded. That stops today. Alongside our Ministry, Vasily and I will equip and rebuild the military forces of Kardonyszlav." -Lazarev

In other news, the Lazarev administration has revealed the names of the members of his appointments of the Ministry of Kardonyszlav.
Minister of Finance: Vladimir Kuznetsov
Minister of State: Elena Petrov
Minister of Culture: Milo Kolyev
Minister of Defense: Adamska Kowalczyk
Minister of Health: Fabiola Malinowski

All of his selections are prominent political figures with heavy ties to the previous Kardonyszlavic Democratic Front. Lazarev has indicated that they will all act with some degree of autonomy from the President and Vice President.

After weeks of searching, the newly christened Army of the Republic Kardonyszlav (ARK) has indicated that the most likely location of the Pavlov Society is in the mountains on the border of Kardonyszlav and Highton.

Today, the Lazarev administration has made several announcements about the Kardonyszlavic economy. First, anti-monopoly laws have been put in place to ensure that no corporations have dominance over their particular industry. Second, the arms industry, the energy industry and the oil industry will be controlled by the government for the foreseeable future. Finally, the Kardonyszlavic economy will be open to foreign imports.

In other news, the search for the base of the Pavlov Society has remained inconclusive.

In an effort to encourage cooperation with foreign nations, Joseph Lazarev has made a formal request to Syrixia and Highton to help Kardonyszlav wipe out the Pavlov Society. When questioned about this request, Lazarev was reported as stating: "dealing with these terrorists in our current state is nearly impossible, Syrixia and Highton have show support for us in the past and should be ready to help us now in our time of need."

The President has requested for military personnel to help train Kardonyszlavic soldiers and for small arms to help equip the fledgling Kardonyszlavic military.

Today in Samoyava, Joseph Lazarev gave a speech about the future of Kardonyszlav. Before he could finish the speech, a shot rang out and Lazarev was tackled by a member of the secret service. The president had narrowly avoided death. The Pavlov Society has taken responsibility.

Vasily Zakhaev’s personal car exploded today. Fortunately, he was not in the car at the time and was left unharmed. Unfortunately, his wife and a member of the secret service were killed in the explosion. Once again, the Pavlov Society has taken responsibility.

The funeral of Vera Zakhaev is set to take place within the next week.

Due to unforeseen complications, the funeral of Vera Zakhaev had to be delayed to July 10. Thousands mourned in Samoyava and millions more mourned across the nation. Zakhaev, devastated by loss, issued a statement to the press after the funeral. “The needless death and terror caused by these murderers must be stopped. Lazarev and I agreed on finally ending this once and for all.”

It is unknown if the ARK has located the main base of the ilusive Pavlov Society, but Adamska Kowalczyk (Kardonyszlav’s Minister of Defence) has indicated that the military is preparing for a possible strike.

Adamska Kowalczyk has announced that the Kardonyszlavic military will be holding an exercise in the mountains of Kardonyszlav on the 22nd of July. The exercise, known as Operation Fidelity, will train the 1st Airborne Battalion of the ARK for the rigors of combat.

Operation Fidelity has reportedly been a success. President Lazarev has announced that he plans on visiting Highton with Zakhaev to discuss the future relations of both nations.

The Trevyav has finished being rebuilt and will host senate meetings in the next few weeks.

In its first official meeting since the Kardonyszlavic Civil War, the senate has ruled that citizens may possess their own firearms. This is the first time in Kardonyszlavic history that civilian have been allowed to carry weapons.

President Calabrese stood outside the Presidential Mansion shaking hands with President Lazarev. It was Lazarev's first visit abroad, and he had traveled west to the Hightonian capital. The meeting also marked the first time in history that a Kardonyszlavic leader had visited the Crowned Republic. Calabrese smiled for the cameras, and the smile was genuine. Highton had now secured an ally on its eastern border. For decades, the communist regime had been a threat to stability in Highton, but now, after the KDF's takeover, it had been replaced by a democratic nation.

In the meeting, the two presidents discussed several varying topics. There were smaller things, such as the potential to expand Hightonian railways east of the Rixion Mountains, and more important topics like a future trade deal. But the most important topic was dealing with the notorious terrorist group "the Pavlov Society". Little remains to be known about the group, other than that it is loyal to the fallen communist regime and is believed to have been responsible for several recent incidents such as the Highton City attack and the bombing of Vasily Zakhaev’s car. The location of the group's headquarters remains unknown, however, it is believed to be somewhere in the large Rixion mountain range. Calabrese understood that the Highton City attack would act as a warning shot and that the Pavlov Society was a threat. While the brutal regime had fallen, this new society was beginning to establish itself as just as brutal, if not more. Another reason Calabrese wanted to focus on taking care of the terrorist threat had to do with the location of the previous attack- when the car bomb exploded, he was eating dinner with his family and the very last thing in the world that he wanted has for his family to be harmed.

"We will be working with our new allies from the Republic of Kardonyszlav, as well as the Syrixian Empire and the United Clans of Essalanea, in order to snuff out this threat to Craviterean security and stability. President Lazarov and I would like to send a clear message to the Pavlov Society that any acts of terrorism at any corner of the globe will not be tolerated, and that future incident will be met with fire and fury!"

Not long after Calabrese stepped back inside from the press conference, a member of his guard called him over and the phone in his pocket began to buzz violently...

"Channel 137. Now."

The TV station was changed to Aufgang News. On-screen was the flag of the Pavlov Society, a black star with an eye drawn in the middle. The camera turned to show a man sitting at a desk. It was impossible to tell who he was due to him wearing a balaclava, but it was evident that he was one of the terrorists. He spoke. "You have grown weak. And for that, you must be punished. We have taken the liberty of kidnapping Helena Calabrese and her bodyguard. Not to mention, we have taken everybody in this television station hostage. That is a total of 24 people. We will release all of them if our demands are met. First, we want safe passage out of Highton. Second, we demand the release of these prisoners from Kardonyszlav." A list of around twenty names was shown on-screen. All of them belonged to known terrorists. "Finally, we want ฿100,000" If our demands are not met within the next three weeks, all will die. The choice is yours.”

“Dear God, no, you’ve got he to be kidding me,” yelled the president, as he stormed back into his office. Three members of his staff stood near his desk as he sat down. “ALL OF YOU! OUT!” he screamed. They scuttered out like mice, closing the door behind them as they exited. The communists were a menace. First, they made threats. Second, there was the attack on Highton City which was later concluded to be a failed assassination attempt. But now, they had taken it too far. Way too far. First they had attacked Highton, then they had attacked him, but now, they had attacked his family. He slammed the desk in anger. “They are not going to get away with this!” He yelled in anger. There were not many options left for him at this point.


Calabrese never wanted to be president. In 2012 he was appointed as Vice President when his mentor and friend Felix Colombo ran for his second term. In January of 2016, he became president when Colombo resigned due to severe illness. He accepted the Conservative nomination to run for a first full term as he felt it was his duty. After winning, he had filled the office with pride. Now, with just over a year until the next election, Calabrese had not yet decided if he would run for re-election. The events of today would certainly impact that decision.


The first thing he wanted to do after he received that horrific phone call was the call the terrorists himself. He held the phone in his hand, with Aufgang News’ phone number in from of him. A unit of the military could easily overwhelm the terrorists. He knew that. But it was too much of a risk, with the president knowing his daughter was in there. Would he negotiate? Would he just pay the money? No, Hightonian policy was to not negotiate with terrorists. This is the biggest crisis of my presidency, he thought...

Aufgang News Station, Highton
8/14/19
18:45

The leader sat patiently by the phone, waiting. He took off his balaclava, revealing short brown hair. He lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. Then, a voice came through his communicator.

"Colonel, we have a situation. You better come see this."

The colonel sighed, put his cigarette in the nearest ashtray and left the room.

Aufgang News Station
18:47

One of the terrorists stood in front of the television, on-screen was the news. The colonel entered the room. The terrorist turned to face him.

"What is it?"

"Sir, Kowalczyk has made a public statement that he would not release the prisoners. He has also stated that the ARK will be sent to assist the Hightonian military to free the hostages!"

The colonel grimaced, he had considered that outcome.

"Take one of the nonessential hostages. And join me on the roof."

"Which one, sir?"

"It doesn't matter. Just as long as they see it."

18: 51

The colonel and one of the terrorists stood on the roof of the news station. From the roof entrance emerged another terrorist and a hostage followed by another terrorist holding one of the news cameras. The colonel motioned for the hostage to be brought to the edge of the roof. He was handed the microphone and the camera turned to face him.

"This is a message to those who do not comply."

The colonel then proceeded to pull out his pistol. He placed it against the back of the head of the hostage. After a few seconds of silence, he shot the hostage, who fell off the roof. The camera was shut off and the terrorists went back inside.

18:54

The sickening footage was put on the news for all to see. The terrorists, content with their message, began to wait for a response.

Presidential Press Room
Highton City
18:54

The president's press secretary, Romina Fisch, stood at the podium as press packed into the room. Romina did not say much, just making a brief statement regarding the abduction of Helena Calabrese.

"I will be answering a few brief questions," she said. Every journalist in the room raised the hands at once. The noise was deafening. "You", she said, pointing at Marko Desch of HAN.

"Marko Desch, HAN. I'd like to first say that my thoughts are with the President and with the rest of the First Family. But why isn't he here to speak to us?" Romina looked back, somewhat troubled.

"Marko, you are smart enough to know that a person whose daughter has just been taken hostage is in no state to answer questions from the press. Please be respectful." The next question came from the Herald.

"Ludwig Maurer, Highton City Herald. Will the military be taking action against the terrorists?" Romina began to respond confidently.

"As I'm sure you are aware, Ludwig, Highton does not negotiate with terrorists. That said, we will not yet be taking military act–" she was cut off by a member of the president's staff who yelled through the room...

"CHANNEL 137! NOW!" A member of the Aufgang News team was shot. Everyone rushed out of the press room. It was chaos. The crisis in Highton City continued.

Aufgang News Station, Highton
8/17/19
15:20

The colonel entered the backroom. On the floor sat Helena and her bodyguard. She looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"What do you want? Money? I can give you money. Just let me go. Please."

The colonel pulled up a chair and sat down.

"My dear, we do not purely want money. No. What we are after is so much more. We want power, and power comes from spreading your message."

"What's your message?"

"The Pavlov Society will no longer tolerate Highton's support of the Kardonyszlavic Democratic Party."

The colonel glanced at his watch and got up.

"Get up. We need to show Calabrese our most valuable bargaining chip-"

"Touch her and I'll kill you..."

Helena's bodyguard sat up, struggling with her bonds. The colonel motioned to one of the terrorists, who promptly struck the bodyguard with the butt of his rifle. Grabbing Helena by the arm, the colonel dragged her out of the room.

15:35

The cameras were on and the broadcast had begun. Helena sat facing the camera with a sheet of paper to read off of. From offscreen, the colonel spoke.

"President Calabrese, I can assume that for the past week, you have been worried sick about your daughter Helena. Not to worry, we have taken good care of her."

Helena began to read off of the paper.

"A week has passed since our initial demands have been issued and nothing has come of it. 336 hours remain. If our demands are not met, the consequences will be catastrophic. I pray that you have good judgement. Give our regards to Adamska Kowalczyk. That is all."

The broadcast then cut to black.

Presidential Mansion, Highton City
18th of August 2019
00:28

Six days were all that was left for action to be taken before the terrorists acted. They threatened catastrophe. The President re-watched the video of his daughter that the terrorists had put out. She looked tired, weary, sleepless, and beaten. There was nothing he could do about it– attempting to storm the news station would certainly result in the killings of the hostages, but it was also Hightonian policy to not negotiate with terrorists. But if the crisis could not be resolved by Friday, the President thought to himself that he would take matters into his own hands.

Highton could not withdraw its support for the KDP, though. Stability east of the border would be important for Highton's security. But if the last-minute attempt needed to be made to rescue the hostages, concessions may need to be made. ฿100,000 is a lot of money, to begin with, they wanted the release of dozens of terrorists, they wanted safe travel out of Highton, and they wanted the C.R. to stop recognizing the KDP as the legitimate government of Kardonyszlav. None of these were plausible.

There was no way for Calabrese to contact his daughter... or was there? The terrorists had left the phone number of the television station on-screen during their broadcasts... could he call and demand to speak with Helena? Perhaps it was worth a shot. He locked all the doors in his office and took out his note pad...

"Hello? Is anybody on the line?" the President asked into his telephone. It was an outdated piece of technology, practically antique, but it was still used for state phone calls. There was initially no answer, even though the phone had been seemingly picked up at the opposite end. "May I speak to my daughter please?"

There was silence. Eventually, a man speaking poor Aleman with a thick Kardonyszlavic accent answered.

"Your daughter is right here. However, we cannot allow you to speak to her. We aren't stupid, you know. Please only call us back if you come to make a deal. We will not give into your requests." His voice was deep and stern. The president knew it would not be easy.

"I will ask you again. May I please speak with my daughter?" he said, practically begging at this point. The answer remained no. Would his staff be annoyed that he had called the news station without permission of anyone else? Of course. But there was no turning back now. The man on the opposite end of the call told the president to hold for a moment. About thirty seconds later, he returned.

"We will let Frau Calabrese speak to you briefly," he said. The president could vaguely hear the sound of rustling paper on the other end.

"Papa! Please let me come home! Just give them what they ask for!" she said in a somewhat forced tone. Calabrese did not know what to say next.

"Helena, we are going to get you out of there. Just stay strong and remember everything you have learned." He tried to sound calm in an attempt to calm his daughter down. There was a muffled scream as it was evident the terrorist ripped the phone away from her.

"Please only call again if you come to bargain." There was a long beep– they had hung up. Calabrese sat at his desk. Nobody else would know about that call. He opened a bottle of water as he walked back across the room to unlock the doors.

Samoyava, Kardonyszlav

Kowalczyk's phone began to ring. Lazarev. He picked up and prepared for the worst.

"Kowalczyk, we have to stand down. Withdraw our soldiers from Highton."

"Joseph, it's our fault this happened, we have to stop it."

"No. This is outside of our jurisdiction, Calabrese said that the Hightonian military was going to deal with this. It is better that we not get in their way."

"But Joseph-"

"Adamska, this is not our fight. Let Highton deal with it. If we intervene, we risk more hostages dying. Do you understand?"

Kowalczyk sighed.

"Yes sir."

He hung up.

Highton City

Supplies were running low. In the backroom, the terrorists briefly considered their situation. One of them spoke.

"The deadline is far overdue. We are running out of options. Colonel, what do we do?"

The colonel stood up. "Gentlemen, it seems that our message falls upon deaf ears. Only one of our hostages is necessary. Perhaps the rest can help us kill two birds with one stone."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Simple. Release five hostages in exchange for more supplies. Kill five as an example. I shall get on the phone with the president."

The terrorists went into action.

10:00 PM, August 25th

Two weeks had passed; the Hightonian government could not coordinate a strategy with the army which would retake the news station while preserving the life of the First Daughter. Negotiation was not on the table; the President had tried to convince his officials that it should be an option, but they warned that negotiating with terrorists was in violation of Hightonian policy and set a dangerous precedent. Ever since the President's rash phone call on Day 4, the Mansion had rejected all calls from the news station. And now, with 14 days passed, the terrorists prepared to put their plan into action.

The colonel walked into the room that they had kept Helena locked in. She lay on her makeshift bed, praying for her father to issue an order to seize back control of the station. "Fourteen days have passed," said the colonel, pointing towards the clock. "We will permit you one final sleep; if a deal is not reached by 8:00 tomorrow morning, you will join Pavlov at 8:01." She shuttered at the words but did not respond. She lay in the bed silently and stared at the ceiling as the colonel walked out of the room. He locked the door using an old fashioned key in the door. It clicked loudly. There were no windows here; it was a storage room where microphones were kept. Was all hope lost for Helena? She thought this to herself. She was tired. One half thought that she should get sleep, the other knew that she may have nothing to rest for. The clock ticked along. She did not lie down. Around 3 in the morning, the light under the door flicked off. It was now pitch dark. But the darkness turned out to be a motivator: perhaps, the terrorists' guard had been let down. The only problem was that she was locked in. If she were to escape, she would first need to figure out how to escape the room. What did she have, though? They had dressed him in business attire for the televised hostage videos, and she had not changed. Then, she had an idea...

Helena picked up the heels under her bed and put on socks that were inside her bed. She had a plan. She stood and walked toward the door. She picked up a pair of massive microphones, almost resembling large teddy bears. Using her free hand, she reached behind her back and took off her hair clip. She approached the door. How had she not thought of this before? A few months earlier she had seen a video on VidCast showing her how to unlock a door using a hair clip. And now, it might save her life. But she still had a long way to freedom. She would need to pass through two rooms before she would be able to attempt to smash through a window to escape onto the streets of the capital. Her arms were more than full but she soldier on. The door creaked slightly, but the slow opening of the door limited its sound. She slowly walked through the main room of the news station. There were two armed Kardonyszlavic soldiers in the room, but they were asleep. Helena was halfway there. She needed to open another door, though this one was unlocked. She tried to open it slowly, but it creaked loudly. Only one soldier was in that final room, and he was woken by the creaking of the door... it was none other than the colonel.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady?" He yelled as he stood from his sleep... from his pocket, he pulled out a tiny handgun. For Helena, this seemed like the end. For the colonel, too, she thought this would be the end of Helena Calabrese. But he had a weakness that he had grown unaware of. Helena did not put her hands in the air as the colonel began to cock his handgun. They stared at each other in a standoff. The terrorist prepared to shoot the First Daughter of Highton dead. As he pulled the trigger, she lifted the two microphone sets in front of her head, neck, and heart. He pulled the trigger, but the fluffiness of the mic smothered the shot. He tried to pull the trigger again for a second shot, but nothing happened. Unbeknownst to him, there had only been one bullet left. Nothing happened. Helena turned and chucked one heel at the window in an attempt to break it. The colonel lunged forward to tackle her, but it was to no avail; a swift kick between the legs sent him to the floor. Helena fled out the broken window as Hightonian soldier camped outside stormed inside. Every last terrorist was either arrested or committed suicide to avoid arrest.

8:47 AM - Kardonyszlav

Lazarev noticed his phone ringing. He picked it up and heard the voice of Kowalczyk.

"Did you hear about the hostage rescue?"

"Yes. How many dead?"

"7."

"And the terrorist leader?"

"Unknown. Presumed dead."

"Good. We can rest easy for now. I'm coming back to Kardonyszlav tomorrow."

"We await you with open arms, Mr. President."

"Thank you, Adamska."

Click.

His majesty, Harald V of House Glücksburg, sovereign of the United Kingdom of Winterfeld, strongly condemns the attacks of the terrorist group called "Pavlov Society" and his involvement in the attempt against Vice President Vasily Zakhaev and his family. The people of Winterfeld show their support for Kardonyszlav and his president Joseph Lazarev.

Our society does not tolerate terrorist acts, and we believe that the attacks of the Pavlov Society are detestable and even more, because they have involved the death of innocent peoples.

We offer a trade agreement with Kardonyszlav for the mutual benefit of both nations.

It had been nearly two months since the Hightonian forces had seized back the Aufgang News station and Helena Calabrese had escaped. The President of Highton, Alex Calabrese, prepared for yet another speech from his office. Before going on air, he fixed his tie- this speech would surely be seen all over the world and viewed millions of times. The red light turned on, and those millions of eyes watched eagerly.

"Good evening, to all of those in Highton, and those across the world. Today will be a day that will define the immediate future of the Crowned Republic... I have a very important announcement to make to the public. The last few months have been many things for Highton... there have been many successes which I am very proud of, such as paving the path to equality for LGBT Hightonians. There have also been some low points– coming to mind, the fateful attack on Highton City and the hostage crisis. It has been a difficult time for the nation collectively, as it has been particularly difficult for me personally. Today, I am pleased to report, that the Hightonian Army has nearly wiped out the Pavlov Society, and this fight against the terrorists from our eastern neighbor will soon come to an end. I am extremely proud of the work we have done with President Joseph Lazarev in order to make sure that the relationship with Kardonyszlav is solidified for the future. But there is more to say today.

"This speech is somewhat difficult for me to give. I sit in this office, which has been the height of my career to hold and am honored that I have been given this opportunity for the last four and a half years. More than anything, I am proud to have served the Crowned Republic and all of its citizens as your President. And this may come as no surprise, but today I announce that I will not be running for a third term next August. It has been to honor of my life, and it is something that I will be eternally grateful for, holding this office. I look forward, however, to running for Aleman state legislature next summer. Thank you, and goodnight."