Our Father [OPEN]

See also: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9015868/page-16#post-10263306

To: His Excellency Lyovkin Yermolayevich
President of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia

To My Great and Good Friend Lyovkin Yermolayevich,

Greetings from the Kingdom of Saintonge! I hope this letter reaches you in good spirits.

The Government of the Kingdom of Saintonge had received news that the Royal Santonian Embassy in Minsk is being overwhelmed with refugees and asylum seekers. His Majesty’s Government had resolved to take in these refugees into the Kingdom of Saintonge under Décret Royal 2019-117. As such, I am writing this letter to appeal to Your Excellency to kindly approve our humble request for the safe conduct of the individuals who had been issued refugee status (Certificat de statut de réfugié) under the aforementioned D.R. 2019-117. The Kingdom of Saintonge will shoulder all the costs of bringing the refugees out of our Minsk embassy and into Saintonge. Further details had been sent by our Ambassador to your ministry in charge of external affairs.

We hope that Your Excellency will view our request favourably, in view of our countries’ longstanding neighbourly ties.

Your Good Friend,

(signed)
Anne-Douceline Courseaux
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saintonge

Aleman International Airport
Glöckenkirchen, Highton

A group of children walked off of the massive airplane which had just landed at the airport. They varied in age from 3 to 17. The oldest, a boy named Stefan Nagelberg, stood at the front of the group. He held a Hightonian passport in his right hand- something he had had since he was a day old but had never used. It had been a long week; on Saturday, he had come home from school to his parents, both home early, and packing their valuables into boxes. That evening, his father had tried to board a flight to Highton, but he was caught in airport security and arrested. On Sunday, Stefan and his mother abandoned their house and worked their way toward the Yalkan border. On Monday night, they stayed in a tiny motel just six miles away from the border. In the middle of the night, the motel has stormed by Oclusian officers- Stefan’s mother was arrested. Stefan managed to escape, jumping out the window and running non stop for an hour until he reached the border. He made a cold sprint across the imaginary line which had become his goal. He was now safely in Yalkan, but with no phone, no bag, no shoes, and nothing but the pajamas that he was wearing and the passport that he had kept in his pocket.

He had a fresh set of clothes now. His great-grandfather has been born in Glöckenkirchen. This was the first time he had left Oclusia, and even though he was one quarter Hightonian, it did not yet feel like home. The airport was cold, and the younger children behind him, were in tears. He didn’t know where his parents were. He didn’t know where his friends were. The only people that he could interact with were young children who he was not at all interested in speaking with. The soldiers who had accompanied them led the group out of the airport and on to a pair of orange Aleman schoolbuses. One of the soldiers passed Stefan a note. He looked down and saw an address.

“What is this?” Stefan said in Aleman, but with a thick Oclusian accent.

“Where you will be taken. It is the address of your fourth cousin,” the soldier replied. Stefan did not know his cousins. He didn’t even know their names. They were too distant, in his mind, to be important. But now, here he was, going to live with them. The quick orange bus pulled up at the designated address in one of Glöckenkirchen’s suburbs.

“Nagelberg! Mitrović! This is your stop,” one of the soldiers through the bus. Stefan picked up with small string bag and walked off the bus. As he exited he walked past dozens of children who stared at him. A younger boy, maybe eight years old, shuffled off the bus as well. The bus pulled away as the two boys walked off the bus.

“Who are you?” Said Stefan to the younger boy.

“My name is Joachim,” said the boy. He was not related to him, but he had been assigned to the same house. As Stefan rang the doorbell, they waited. His relatives opened the door and they met for the first time.

Did this feel like home? He was not sure yet. Six days ago he was in school studying biology and now he was thousands of miles away. He could never have imagined it a week ago. He was a long way from Oclusia. But he was in Glöckenkirchen. He heard church bells ring for 4 in the afternoon as he was guided upstairs to his new room.

The Charrian Broadcast Company - Breaking News 2 October

HAOR CHALL SENDS DIPLOMATIC PROTEST TO OCLUSIA

In a quite minor escalation of the growing crisis in Oclusia, the Council of the Majestic Twelve have sent a formal diplomatic protest to the government of Oclusia, demanding that the regime stops its discriminatory practices.

The only concrete gesture from the government has been the redeployment of two Navy frigates, which had been travelling along the East coast of Meterra on a diplomatic goodwill tour, and have left port in Demescia ahead of schedule, reportedly now heading towards Saintonge. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that the frigates were deploying as a precaution, as a sign of support to Saintonge and in case they were needed to support humanitarian operations. The spokesman also said that this was "an excellent demonstration of the flexibility of Charrian forces to move rapidly from diplomatic missions, to humanitarian efforts or across the full spectrum of operations."


TRAIN WRECK IN XI CHAR DELAYS IMPORTANT MEETING

A train has derailed on the mainline into Xi Char, leading to long delays on the railways and impacts on nearby roads. Reports of casualties are yet to be confirmed, but it is thought that these events have lead to national security meetings at the Octagon to be cancelled.

As always, the CBC will keep you up to date with the latest developments in this story.




Charrian Broadcasting Company News - trusted across the nation and across the world.

3:45PM, Armed Forces Headquarters, Nuevo Antofagosta

The RAP cameras were rolling...
2 Generals, Predice's Mario Mendez, and Haor Chall's Brigadier Thomas Beck enter the press room.
Mario Mendez begins to speak: "Hello, and thank you all for being here. We're here thanks to the extremely grave situation currently taking place in Oclusia. After votes in both the Cabinet of the Most Serene State of Predice, and the Council of the Majestic Twelve of Haor Chall, it has been decided that Military Action will be taken against Oclusia. I wish to stress that this is not a declaration of war, simply an intervention to topple the Oclusian President. We call on all Oclusian troops to join this intervention. I must also thank our partners in Haor Chall for joining us in this intervention."

Thomas also speaks: "I echo the statements of my Predicean colleague, and absolutely welcome the support of Predice. Together we can defeat the evil, and help the Oclusian people rise anew from this crisis. I would also like to stress that this is not a declaration of war. To other META members who wish to see the end of this regime, you are welcome to contribute forces to end this evil in Oclusia"

A Reporter asks: "How many men will be involved in this operation"

"I am afraid that is classified military information, next question" Mendez answers

"Why are Predice and Haor Chall launching a military Operation?" A reporter asks

"We can assure you, this decision was not taken lightly. Our operations will take place, with the knowledge that this wickedness must be cut off before it can grow."

"Will this affect our foreign relations?" a reporter asks

"I can't say. But likely yes. These actions are likely not going to be popular with everyone. That is all. Thank you all for being here"

Both Beck and Mendez leave the room.

Once only a moderately unusual sight in the halls of the Rivage Palace, the presence of a man dressed in a black cassock had become nearly unheard of following the demise of Prince Stéphane in mid-2016. It wasn't the apathy of Stéphane's replacement that made meetings between bishop and sovereign nearly worthless, but the fact that the church had nothing to offer a princess who didn't want anything from it.

Regardless, there were times that necessitated a visitation, and today was one of those days. Bishop Anthoine Dupont felt compelled to take a chance after hearing of the new laws in Oclusia, and the days that passed without a response from the Sil Dorsettian government were concerning. As was custom, a warden at the entrance to the Chamber of Rule bowed before the bishop as he approached, and swung the knocker on the door three times.

"Enter," a voice behind the door called out. The warden admitted the bishop into the chamber and shut the door, ensuring privacy. In the room, Princess Claidie sat upon her throne in her typical yellow and silver skirt suit, adorned only with a red rose brooch. The Prime Minister accompanied her, sitting off to the side. Princess Alice was not present, handling another engagement.

"Bishop Dupont," Claidie addressed the man, "It's not often we meet. I assume this is for something serious."

"Indeed, Your Highness," Anthoine responded. "I'm sure by now you've been made aware of the new laws in Oclusia persecuting adherents of the Courantist faith, depriving them of their rights and threatening death to those who seek a better life elsewhere."

"I have, and I assume the reason you're here is to question why the government hasn't put out a response to that."

"I had hoped you were not as apathetic as your father."

"I'm not. But, if you want to compare me to my father, let me offer another comparison. I'm more tactical than my father ever was," Claidie smugly proclaimed. "I understand the plight, and I don't want to ignore it. If there's something I can do, I'll offer it. The question is 'What?'"

"You could freeze assets, or even seize them to pressure their leaders," Anthoine suggested.

"Assuming there's even anything to freeze or seize."

"You could issue a condemnation, urging Yermolayevich to repent. It would be a statement in support of the international community as well, to show solidarity with it."

"I understand your reasoning behind that," Claidie assured the bishop, "but we simply don't have the clout to make a difference there. Nothing we do will ensure the resolution of the conflict in one way or another; it will resolve on its own for better or worse, and if we're not careful, we could simply make ourselves a target for retaliation should things get worse in Oclusia. What I do not want is to use the international community as a shield for us to be reckless in what we say."

"A disappointing decision, Your Highness," Anthoine responded. "None should fear persecution for works done in the name of God."

"And yet I cannot demand that of the seventy percent of the nation that doesn't adhere to your doctrines, Bishop Dupont," Claidie replied. "We will do what we can, but we will be reasonable about it. We already have laws in place to ensure the safety and protection of asylum seekers, and I am quite willing to ask my sister and the Prime Minister ..." - She paused for a moment, staring at the Prime Minister in attendance - "... to have the situation in Oclusia declared a humanitarian crisis under the law, giving permanent residency for those affected and a path to citizenship. Is that sufficient, bishop?"

"Better than nothing," the bishop thought to himself. To Claidie, he was more direct. "It will do."

"Good. If there's anything else you can suggest that doesn't put the principality at risk of violence, I'm open to hear it."

"Nothing further, Your Highness."

"If that changes, let me know. I wish your flock well."

Seemingly dismissed by the monarch, Bishop Dupont left, disappointed that essentially nothing was gained. To him, the princess didn't appear to be as benevolent as he imagined she would be. He expected action. He expected a statement to be made. Instead, all he could hope for now was that the already existing laws were on his side.



The next day, the morning meeting with between the princesses, Prime Minister and the cabinet, was about to begin. Alice had returned from her engagement, and she and her sister were discussing the Princess's Storehouse stockpile numbers when the Prime Minister entered the room to start the meeting with a red folder in hand. A red folder was indicative that the documents inside were related to some kind of crisis, domestic or international, and it was not something anyone in the room wanted to see.

"My day's about to go bad, isn't it?" Claidie asked the prime minister.

Madeline, with a hushed and bewildered look upon her face, set the folder down in front of the princess. "It's worse than you and Bishop Dupont thought," she informed the princesses, before starting her presentation to the whole group.

"Your Highnesses, members of the Cabinet... Yesterday, the government was petitioned by the Bishop of Norvalle to take action against the government of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia, specifically President Lyovkin Yermolayevich, for engaging in religiously charged discrimination and persecution. The bishop wanted a statement to be released condemning the Oclusi government and for sanctions to be levied. We initially declined to do so, instead referring the bishop to laws concerning refugees and asylum seekers, ensuring that we would follow those procedures."

While the prime minister was speaking, Claidie was reviewing the contents of the folder, including all the media reports and public statements from around the world.

"The situation is worse than we initially believed," Madeline continued. "Reports show that the Oclusi government is exterminating anyone professing the Courantist faith, including its own citizens and even foreigners in the country. I believe the situation obligates us to issue a statement at a minimum to forbid Sil Dorsettian citizens from traveling to Oclusia, but I think a condemnation just another centimeter forward from that. I do not want the principality to be on the wrong side of history today. I believe we should issue a total condemnation, institute widespread sanctions even if they're only symbolic, and deploy the Solidarity to assist in refugee rescue and relocation efforts."

The final suggestion caught Claidie's attention the most, and her face went red with worry. The last time the Solidarity went off into the distance, a diplomatic dispute raged on for months, and it was only for a patrol. Now, the prime minister was advocating a deployment for action. The princess was hesitant, as the recommendation from her prime minister went against everything she told the bishop the day before, but she knew the situation was dire. She looked around at the room and all of the stoic ministers before turning to her sister. Alice simply nodded her head.

"If there's to be only one person in this room that knows what they're doing, it needs to be you," Claidie said to the prime minister. "Make it so."

The Government of the Principality of Sil Dorsett,

Disturbed by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia's implementation of discriminatory laws targeting those who do not profess the Orthodox faith,
Confounded by the hindrance of free movement to keep the those who do not profess the Orthodox faith confined to the borders of Oclusia to suffer continuous persecution,
Appalled by the forceful separation of Courantist children from their parents and guardians,
and Disgusted by the systematic extermination of Oclusia's own citizens on the basis of religion,

Hereby condemns the Government of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia.

__________​

Their Highnesses The Sister Princesses Claidie and Alice, and the Prime Minister of the Principality of Sil Dorsett hereby command the following:

1. that no citizen of the Principality set foot in Oclusi territory unless directed to by the Armed Forces as part of an international effort to intervene in the crisis,
2. that no corporation or proprietorship conduct business within Oclusi territory or with persons residing within Oclusia,
3. that any and all assets held within the Principality by members of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia, including President Lyovkin Yermolayevich, members of his Cabinet, and members of the Oclusi Congress, are forfeit to the crown,
4. that all members of the Oclusi ambassadorial staff defect or be expelled from the Principality within 72 hours, and,
5. that Oclusi who seek refuge from persecution be given permanent asylum and residence within the Principality.

It is so decreed.

Click to expand...

The sun just rose above the horizon, but numerous Oclusi soldiers were all ready. They tarried patiently at the entrance to the Ulstome embassy just waiting for the sign. They were backed up with backup soldiers in case they ran into trouble. Guns were drawn on their backs as if they were marching off to war. The door to the embassy was able to be broken down with a machine that specializes in forced door-opening. "We got word that there are Courantists inside of this embassy! Ulstome is hiding people from us and we need to put our foot down! This is an operation upon the orders of the president. We shall not fail or it's off with heads for all you lazy motherfuckers!"

Soldiers let out a loud grunt before the machine came forward to break down the door. Several loud bangs on the door were heard before the door fell over. The warriors let out yet another loud yelp and stormed into the embassy. "Top of the morning, you cheeky bastards!" Commander Vloska yelled to reveal an echoe off the wall. Several of them broke through the windows with the machine and looked over toward where there could be Courantists hiding. They checked room after room. No sight, but then they realized that there was the security of Ulstome. Several of the militants stayed behind and gunned down several Ulstomeans and the rest fled west. "Go! Go! Go!" Commander Zvolka yelled to his soldiers as they kept storming. Then, silence came as they went up the first few flights of stairs.

"Freeze!" the commander yelled as he pointed out several Courantists to his men. "Seize them!" he yelled. The Courantists ran as far as they could, but soon, they were at the end of the hall. The Oclusi militants got on knees and shot several Courantists before capturing the rest. Then, more of them went upstairs to capture more. There, they saw over fifteen Courantists who were captured without much trouble. Then, they went up the stairs once more to look for any remaining. They broke down a door and uncovered twenty-five hiding in the room. They held their hands to their faces to avoid looking at fate. Oclusi soldiers put them all in handcuffs and they transported all forty-five captured Courantists to the truck that awaited outside. All of them looked away as they were loaded on. Solemn was the only mood that was inside of the truck.

Soldiers went back into the embassy. They were not looking for Courantists anymore, but they were now looking for the Ulstomean ambassadors to Oclusia. The commander led the force up the stairs one last time. When the reached the fifth floor, they immediately found several ambassadors. The soldiers each surrounded them before sending another unit to another room for the other ambassadors. They brought them all out into one corner and tossed the ones acquired on the ground. "Hit!" the commander yelled. Several soldiers who weren't armed came forward and mercilessly beat the ambassadors to the ground. Blood was on the faces of all of them. Bruises were evident for all of them. They took one of the ambassadors to the back of their crowd. "Your ass will be burned on the stake..." the commander told that one. The soldiers armed closed in on the ambassadors. Commander Vloska stepped forward.

"When you aid and abed criminals, this is the shit you get. You motherfuckers emerge in darkness, and you will die in that motherfucking darkness!" he yelled. "Ready! Aim! Fire!" PKEWWFFFFF!

Spoiler: Ignore

Ulstome Forces Put On High Alert

Office of the Imperial Chancellery

Gartenstrasse* 152
Dinsmark, Meginland


Städtler was just standing by the window in his wood-panelled office after the conclusion of the cabinet meeting that took place a few hours prior. He was looking out at the city architecture while drinking a cup of earl grey when his parliamentary secretary came into his office. "Mister Chancellor," said the secretary in an accent typically associated with the east, "It's time. They're ready for you sir." "Good then,'' he replied to the secretary, "Tell them that I'll be down momentarily." The secretary responded with a "Yes sir", and went back downstairs to the ground floor from whence he came. Städtler took another sop of his tea before setting it down on his desk, and then proceeded to put on his suit jacket before leaving his office.


He came outside to where there was a podium nearby, with his official residence and a gold-fringed Mintorian tricolour as the backdrop for his official statement.

---

Städtler: "Yermolayevich is nothing more than an utter disgrace, unworthy of the title and office which he holds"


Chancellor Wilhelm Städtler condemns President Lyovkin Yermolayevich of Oclusia amidst escalation of the situation within the country.


2 October 2019 - 10:30

This morning, the Chancellor, the Right Honourable Wilhelm Städtler, made a statement concerning the events that have this far developed in the nation of Oclusia. In his statement, he had not only condemned the authorities and the government for its actions, he had condemned the Oclusi President, Lyovkin Yermolayevich, for issuing decrees that lead up these events. This was his following statement:

Chancellor's official statement:

Today, our government have learnt that Oclusi authorities had taken 20 Midranean tourists, and had shot eight of them while sending the rest to detention centres. And before this, we had received word that following the ratification of its anti-Courantist laws, it has begun to detain those who have attempted to escape their persecution. We have learnt that it has begun to discriminately kill their our citizens, on the basis of their faith. It has begun to arrest, detain, and kill those who adheres to the Courantist faith.

These the acts of a minority-controlled government that blatantly persecutes a group that is the majority of their country. It's bad enough that this government has shown itself that they willing to go to such length with disregard to the international response. They extended their policies to the foreigners in their country as well. These are the acts of a government led by a man with sinister motives. That man goes by the name of Lyovkin Yermolayevich. He is responsible for issuing these orders. It is as we speak that people are suffering and are being prejudiced under his decree. He said that it is done to stabilize the unemployment rate. Our government does not believe that it is because of that. The stabilization of its unemployment rate is merely a cover to hide the President's true malevolence, and his sinister, perverted machinations. Lyovkin Yermolayevich is nothing more than an utter disgrace, unworthy of the title and office which he holds. And starting now, this is something that our country and our government will not stand.

Click to expand...

The Chancellor's full statement can be found at www.KRD.cim, or on the KRD Vidcast channel. As of today, His Imperial Majesty's Government has condemned the government of Oclusia for their enactment of anti-Courantist laws with their country. Additionally, the Chancellor has ordered the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Right Honourable Friedrich von Pourtalès, to place a restriction on travel between Mintoria and Oclusia. Sanctions will be issued upon Oclusia that will have significant impact on Oclusi currency and industry starting at 13:00 today, and the Oclusi government has been ordered to withdraw all embassy and consulate staff from Mintoria by end of business today upon pain of expulsion.

We will continue to follow the events and inform of new developments as the situation progresses.

---

Gartenstrasse - "garden street"

Minsk, Oclusia

Casper Kirk, Prydania's ambassador to Oclusia. looked out of the window. The crowd out front- mostly pro-Oclusian government protesters- was still there, but things seemed fairly calm. They'd shown up to protest Prydania's decision to sanction and condemn the Oclusian government, but thankfully nothing had escalated beyond that.

The embassy itself was in a state of frenzy, because tomorrow was the big day. Prydania was pulling its people out. Everyone was going home, as part of the decision to condemn. Krik was nervous though. Under normal circumstances? Sure. The Oclusians didn't want them there and their own government wanted them home. A tense if orderly withdraw. The issue was...the civilians. Not Prydanian government civilians working in the embassy, no. They'd be fine. It was the Oclusians. Courantists. The Prydanian government had issued secret commands. Any Oclusian Courantist that managed to get to the embassy would be granted a Prydanian passport.

There were relatively few, actually. Saintonge's embassy was the more popular choice. The country was both on the border and Courantist. It made it a natural choice for the dispossessed. Still? A few families- mostly young families- had made it to the Prydanian embassy over the cover of night. Three of them- thirteen people in total with seven of them being children under the age of 13. They had orders. They came with them to Prydania, as Prydanian citizens. Would the Oclusians let them? He calmed himself, telling him they didn't want a war. They wouldn't force the issue.

Amalie Storgaard, Knight Lieutenant of the Knights of the Storm who provided Embassy security, approached him quietly, not wishing to interrupt the Ambassador if he was in deep thought. Krik, however, noticed her approach.

"Knight Lieutenant, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"All set. The route's been mapped out, my Knights have their assignments."

"Good..." Kirk trailed off.
"The families?"

"We're going to keep the children together and under guard. The adults will be given staff badges. They shouldn't be easily recognizable. You know what do if they press you about the children though, yes?"

"Yes" Kirk replied.
"We'll force the issue. No one wants a shooting war."

Storgaard just nodded.
"It'll be sundown soon Ambassador. Get some sleep."

---

Beaconsviði, Prydania

It had been, since the election, rare for Tobias to sit in on a Cabinet meeting. He was entitled to by law, of course, but he'd been content to let the Prime Minister lead the meetings. He'd wanted to see a return to democratic norms since the end of the Syndicalist regime and that meant allowing the democratically elected government run things without his say. He'd even been relieved. He had only been twenty-two when he was crowned. There was no elected government then. Just a Cabinet he personally picked on William's advice. And without an elected assembly? He needed to decree everything that cabinet had decided on. And they'd looked to him for a say. Not even twenty-three and they were asking him to help run a worn torn country. The return of a democratically elected government and Alþingi had allowed him more time to discover just who he was...

...but these were extraordinary circumstances. So he found himself in the rarely-occupied seat for the King on the far end of the table opposite Magnus' chair in the Cabinet meeting room.

"The situation is tense" Magus began, the Prime Minister rifling through papers.
"The PGU's moving as fast as it can to process information but everyone is in the dark. Brigadier Stahl has reported that the ÖSU is tracking the ever-changing situation."

"You don't think he's actually going to try and assassinate Yermolayevich?" Adriaan Høgh, the Minister of Culture, asked.

"That would be illegal" Magnus replied. "The ÖSU's bylaws state that the Chief cannot issue a warrant of assassination for a sitting head of state without the Cabinet and King's approval."

"Maybe we should let him" Tobias chimed in, breaking his silence. And suddenly he felt a Cabinet's worth of eyes turn to him.

"Your Majesty" Magnus began, "that would be an extraordinary step. The situation is pure chaos at the moment."

"Well what are we planning on doing?"

"That's what we need to discuss Your Majesty" Tom Balle, the Minister of Defence, stated.
"It's been the Ministry's position that boots have been needed in Yalkan since the start of this ordeal. The PGU's in an extended session, and if I know Svane? He's ready to die. But regardless, we've heard some interesting things from Sonny Kofoed."

"Our man in Astissa?" Tobias asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty" Balle continued. He was approached by members of Empress Alycia's government on the possibility of some form of cooperation. It's why we requested you be present for this meeting."

"What sort of cooperation?" Tobias asked nervously.

"The Norsians have suggested a joint task force, Your Majesty" Magnus answered.
"Obviously things aren't in need of too much politicking. The Norsians suggested it. We're open to it. We feel, however, as if you should meet with Empress Alycia and issue a joint statement of sorts as we convene with her government and work out how this will come together."

"You know, most men plan weddings with their fiances" Tobias grumbled.
"I have to say 'honey, how should we best address the gross human rights violations ongoing in a rogue state?'"

"We appreciate the magnitude of what we're asking Your Majesty..." Balle replied before Tobias cut him off.

"No. I'll speak with Alycia" Tobias insisted. "We'll find our way through this."

"There is also the issue of the Geldkrieger" Magus added.
"We know form our reports from the PGU Assembly that Gotmark has threatened to use the Geldkrieger against 'aggressive' actors if they deem it appropriate. We have Geldkrieger in Prydania."

"We lost Daae over Gotmark..." Tobias replied.

"We did Your Majesty. I told him I would not be the one who initiated any split in Prydanian-Gotmark relations. But if Gotmark gets wind of a planned Norsian-Prydanian effort to get boots into Yalkan then I cannot say for certain that they will not threaten to use the Geldkrieger as leverage against us."

Tobias sighed.
"I hope it doesn't come to that but if they do? Remind them of whose country they're in. As guests" Tobias replied, his jaw tightening a bit.
He'd been growing more bold in his willingness to assert Prydanian interests. Alycia had reminded him that his country needing the help it needed did not mean he had to surrender to being a doormat on the world stage. Gotmark had aided Prydania yes...but they couldn't tolerate a foreign force threatening their sovereignty.

"Follow up on Kofoed" Tobias remarked.
"Get in touch with the Norsian government. Make all the arrangements. I'll talk to my fiance."

"Of course Your Majesty" Magnus replied before adjuring the meeting.

---

Tobias gave himself no time to relax upon returning to Absalonhöll, making a bee line for his private offices. He didn't even remove his sports jacket as he sat, picking up his phone. He dialed into Alycia's personal line and breathed deep, enjoying the brief moment the phone rang to gather as much of his thoughts as he could.

"Hey honey" he said with a faint smile.
"It looks like we've got a lot to do..."

The embassy staff stood still, jaws agape, as they watched the presidential news broadcast in a muted shock. Expressions of outrage began to draw themselves upon many faces - what kind of barbaric, draconian, discriminatory codswallop had the Oclusians created? The absolute disgust of the Xentheridan ambassadors was almost palpable. They had to act - and fast.

Barely a moment passed after the broadcast, the ambassadors got to work - making calls, preparing documents to forge, anything they could to try and get around these horrific new laws. New orders were made to Xentheridan passport printing companies in preparation for the floods of people expected to be incoming to the embassy in search for some sort of relief.



The Xentheridan government harshly condemns the actions of the Oclusian government; this new set of laws is nothing but discriminatory and disgusting and is essentially a massive breach of human rights. Created on the hugely incorrect conclusion from data that could have almost any other variable that would actually impact it, these laws are dangerous and threaten the lives of the 52% of Oclusians who are a part of the Courantist faith.

Xentherida is immediately issuing a no-travel order to Oclusia, suspending all flights to the region, and is immediately calling for all Xentheridan citizens to leave the country immediately, and they will be compensated for their flights. Oclusian Courantists may also seek some assistance from the Xentheridan embassy in putting them in contact with any relatives they have in Xentherida to bring them to safety.

Xentherida will begin freezing all Oclusian assets in Xentherida, and is offering any Courantist Oclusians asylum in Xentherida until a later date when this crisis ends. Six Xentheridan air squadrons, each of 20 of TAI Örns, will be positioned in air bases to the east - it is offering the same courtesy of range to any other nations further afield who wish to operate their fighters within range. Xentherida will also begin positioning its First Carrier Fleet roughly 10 kilometres outside Oclusian territorial waters in preparation, should this conflict continue to escalate.

We hope the government of Oclusia can come to its senses and reverse this despicable discrimination lest this crisis escalate into a full-blown war.

OOC Note

Hello all participants of "Our Father". I am honestly so shocked that we have built something so astonishing. However, I have one thing to say further. I just want to apologize for getting carried away and drifting from the main storyline which was a border crisis and persecution. War was not ever part of the plan for this RP and nor were nations mobilizing. The only things that were completely expected were border crisis, condemnations, and maybe even aid for refugees. However, I made extremely crucial mistakes which made this escalate faster than I hoped. This is where I am going to get back on the plotline. I do not want anyone to mobilize troops or get involved in warfare in any way, shape, or form. If you want to aid refugees, be my guest. If you want to help at the border, you have my permission, but you must get Yalkan's as well. However, this has escalated too much and too fast. I also request that anyone who isn't Yalkan or myself, back up from the sequence of events. Yalkan and I will decide what goes and what doesn't. I will also request that you run any post that doesn't fit under condemnations or foreign reactions by Yalkan or myself.

Thank you guys so much for helping Yalkan and I build such a wonderful RP, and we hope that we can keep it swell. I also would like to give a shoutout to Yalkan for keeping his cool while I was off in lalaland doing whatever the hell I was doing.

Yours,
Oclusia

Akachi looked outside the window. He was growing more and more miserable and discouraged by the day. He was cold at night and he was unable to sleep. He had to work all day and he had to be in a cage full of seventeen or so fellow children and two of which were infected with a virus that was either influenza or the common cold. He was miserable in this cage. They were woken up and had to get into lines or else they would all get beat by the guards. That was the last thing he wanted for himself and for the people around him. He walked up to his cellmates. "We can't stay here," he said to them. They each agreed. "The conditions are terrible," another cellmate said. He nodded his head and he got ready to make an escape. Then, a special delivery came. "Blankets!" one person yelled. Immediately, Akachi devised a plan.

He walked up to each and everyone in his unit. "Pack your backpacks. Instead of your work gear, pack your necessities and a blanket. We are making a run for it tomorrow during work and we are going over the mountains," he said. They all looked at him as if he was crazy. "Just trust me," he said, "Those Oclusi Border Patrol agents won't know what happened to us."

Everyone nodded lightly as they scattered out throughout the cell and packed up. Akachi smirked as he packed his backpack at maximum capacity. He put his blanket over his neck. The blanket was soft and felt like cotton. It felt a lot different to the tin foil they once had. Then, there was a voice in the corner. “Akachi, where are you going?” He turned his head and he was shocked at the sight that he saw. “Anne?” he was taken aback. The next thing he knows she has her arms foiled around him. “What happened?” Akachi asked. “Bella is wounded and mom is dead,” she said. Akachi furrowed his brow. He then told her the plan of escape. She pulled up her backpack and got near the door. Everyone lined up near the door ready to break it down. “On three, guys…” he said quietly, “One,” the people around him got set. The place was about to break down. They pressed against the door. “Two,” the cellmates with him pressed their bodies against the gate once more. “Three!” they broke it down and they made a run for the door.

As soon as they got out, they ran for the fence that separated Oclusia and Yalkan. They climbed the fence one by one across the wall as well as helping each other get their stuff across. Then, when the last person wanted to try to climb across, guards came out and tried to pull him down. Akachi shook his head and went over the fence and punched back the guards. They each fell back as Akachi helped the seven-year-old over the fence before he came across. “Go! Go! Go!” he yelled. As they sprinted for the mountains. The Oclusi guards just looked at them as they ran. Gunshots filled the night sky, but luckily, nobody was hit. They felt the beginning of the mountain range. “We must climb the Spine of Mojabe,” Akachi yelled, “This is only the beginning of our journey.”

President Yermolayevich paced his office. He had a beer bottle in hand. He looked around carefully before he noticed his wife walking through the door. She bowed at his presence. "Master, I have brought you a water," she said. Yermolayevich pulled out his whip. "Thank you, slave," he said. He pulled out the whip and flashed it in his hands. "Bitch, you deserve all of this," he said. He picked up his glass of hot, boiled water and poured it on her. She screamed in pain as she went onto the floor. He pulled out his whip. "Take it!" he yelled as he started to mercilessly beat her. She winced in pain when he stopped. She started to cry. "Is a little baby scared?" he mocked. He pulled out a shotgun from his closet. "I can fix that shit right away..." he smirked. Then, he heard a loud bang from outside. He looked out the window to saw a coalition of people. They each had flags that read, "Freedom toward the Oclusi People". Yermolayevich cursed himself and tended to his wife. He put down the shotgun and tied her up to a chair. He smirked. "This is what you deserve, bitch," he shouted. He took the chair and threw it outside of his room. He took the back route of escape.

He found his way outside in the back garden and heard a sound from the fields. It was a helicopter. He ran from it and headed back towards the house. Yermolayevich had never run that fast in his life. He stumbled and fell on his face as the helicopter got slower and started to lower. He pulled out a handgun from his pocket and started to discharge at the people in the helicopter. Then, he saw the flag on the helicopter. "Is that a Highton helicopter?" he asked aloud. Then, the people came down from the helicopter. "We're back, motherfucker!" he yelled as he aimed sniper rifle at him. PKEWWFFFFF! Silence followed from the yard as the coalition forces paused in silence to look at the shot.

OCLUSI PRESIDENT KILLED IN ALLEGED COUP; REFORMS TO OCLUSIA BEING CREATED

Opinion by Jacques Gustave and Marcella Lindela

Updated 6:52 PM NMTZ, Wed October 12, 2019


Editor's Note: Jacques Gustave is a Political Science Director at the University of Astratov's School of Politics in Oclusia. While in government, he served in multiple roles, including senior director for counterterrorism on the Tyzkavicz Administration's National Security Council from 1997 to 2001. Marcella Lindela is a graduate student at the Minsk School of Politics and Economics. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any entity of importance.

L'Indépendant > Mercanti > Top Stories


by Marie-Catherine Landrin-Blanquart in Saintes and Anneliese Kromschröder-Beauguitte in Minsk
MINSK – Yesterday, the President of the Democratic Republic of Oclusia, Lyovkin Yermolayevich, was said to have been assassinated in a coup d’etat executed by internal forces reportedly composed of a military faction, some Orthodox groups, and Courantists.

Former adviser at the helm
After the chaos that followed the successful assault at the Presidential House in Minsk, Tatarov Yuliy, a dismissed ex-adviser in the Yermolayevich government, emerged as the leader of the new government. The Tatarov government promised to repeal the discriminatory anti-Courantist laws, free prisoners, and provide compensation to victims of the Yermolayevich regime.

Saintonge recognises new government
Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelline Tréhet announced the recognition of the Tatarov government earlier today. “The Kingdom of Saintonge is willing to work with the new Oclusi government in order to rebuild and heal their nation.” Ms Tréhet added that “the Kingdom of Saintonge wishes our neighbours well in their new phase of nation-building and hopefully, democracy-building.”

However, unverified information from Minsk indicated that foreign powers might have a hand in toppling the Yermolayevich government, particularly Highton, the former colonial master of Oclusia. When asked about it, Ms Tréhet said that “We have no credible and reliable information about the involvement of foreign nations in the coup d’etat. Our hope is that all nations choosing to involve themselves in Oclusia will do so in a humanitarian and benevolent spirit, not with imperialist or neocolonialist intent.”

Oclusi celebrate
Oclusi refugees celebrated with a street party in front of their nation’s embassy in Rue de Grimali. The Oclusi ambassador to Saintonge opened his embassy for the party. The Ambassador ditched the Yermolayevich government in the waning days of the regime; the Oclusi legation in Saintes was also one of the first ones to swear allegiance to the new Tatarov government.

“Finally, things are going to get better,” said Kirill Kovyrshin, a Courantist refugee who arrived by boat in Cantorbéry last week. “Saintonge had been kind to us.” When asked whether he plans to return, Kovyrshin said that he was still undecided. “It’s good here in Saintonge, but there’s no place like home.”

Tallies released
As of the last count released by the Santonian Bureau of Immigration and Integration (Agence d’immigration et d’intégration, AII), Saintonge had received 33,227 refugees. The departments which received the most were Côtes-du-Nord (10,362), Authie (5,738), Sebre (4,322), Sée (2,001), and Tage (1,119). Currently, one in every hundred persons in Côtes-du-Nord are Oclusi refugees, although the AII is set to redistribute these refugees to the other departments. Ms Tréhet, who represents a Côtes-du-Nord constituency in the National Assembly, said that “even though my department and constituency host the largest number of refugees, we are not going to drive them back simply because the Yermolayevich regime has fallen.”

The Justice Ministry, in charge of the AII, confirmed Ms Tréhet’s statements. Justice Minister Brice-Thibault Bardoux de Rosencoat, who represents the Sée department (also hard-hit by the refugee crisis), said that “the refugees’ asylum-seeker status will not be revoked. They will be given a choice to stay or go back to Oclusia.”

Meanwhile, the Santonian Civil Defence Service (Service saintongeaise de defense civile, SSDC) confirmed that the known deaths from the refugee crisis is at 2,793. Most of the dead were recovered at sea (1,186); at the beaches of Côtes-du-Nord (754), Authie (301), Sée (71); and in the mountains of Sebre (133), Hautes-Andes (65), Huisne (53), Aure (40), Taur (32), Basses-Andes (30), and Avaloirs (26). According to the SSDC, the Service de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale (SSJML), the country’s forensic service, had documented and processed the bodies for identification before burial. Repatriation and claiming of the remains by the next-of-kin will be possible.

translation by Hunter Kidlington de Collobrières

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OOC: Post pre-approved with Oclusia.

Upon the death of the late President of Oclusia, Lyovkin Yermolayevich, along with the soon to come repeal of the utterly disgraceful laws passed by his administration, the Mondic Travel and Tourism Board has lowered the travel advisory of Oclusia to a level 2 (Exercise Increased Precautions), the Mondic Department of Defense has also lowered the readiness condition to level 2. The release of the Mondic citizens and the reparations paid are a good first step to mending the damage caused by the past administration that we hope continues, the [past] administration has certainly harmed Oclusia both politically and internationally, the hope is that this new administration does all it can to rebuild the trust that was lost in the recent months. While many in Sudo are still aggravated by the murder of [Mondic] citizens, we understand that it was done by a deposed administration. Many in Congress want the politicians that supported Yermolayevich out of office, we believe that this new administration will do its best to remove any influence Yermolayevich left behind despite his death. In the coming times, we hope that Oclusia reaches out to the international community to work towards fixing relations and righting the wrongs done to the Oclusian Courantist community.