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The Zoranian Civil War


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A report from the Embassy of New Velka in Termina:

"New Velka will remain out of the affairs of the Zoranian civil war. However before this announcement is to be done, 2 Kabals who are in a middle of dispute wished to settle it in combat to a point that both sides are now working as mercenaries for warring factions.

Whilst the NV government condemn this, that the two Kabals will not allowed to returned to New Velka or to the mainland until the end of the civil war as well as they must help the country afterwards in recovering."

- Morgiana, Diplomatic Head of the New Velkan Embassy

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Jamie Marshall ran frantically through the halls of Windlar Castle to the King's office with a map of Zoran in hand. He had called beforehand to tell the King to stay in the office. He knocked on the door and entered the office to find King Maddy IV sitting on the couch by the fireplace.

"Sir the Corporates have pushed into Gagotigakanvsgi and have managed to defeat the GDC and the Monarchist forces in the province," he said as he pointed to the province on the map.

King Maddy IV replied," That is a matter of concern. This one right? That looks like an important province, considering it's proximity to the Southern island of Zoran, and the huge chunks of contested areas."

"Yes sir. It was a big loss in Gagotigakanvsgi for the monarchists. We need to do something."

"Yes that we do. Send Prince Sergio to Saint Mark to talk with Prince Marcarius about this situation. Talk about this situation with them and come to a mutual agreement on how we can help. Establish contact with Prince Dominic. Make sure that only Dominic hears what you talk about."

"Yes sir."

"Tell him to talk with the General and ask him how he feels about Larxian secret agents in Zoran."

"But sir, why do you need to ask. You can just send them there. Who would find out?"

"Marshall it's not about who would find out. We are supporting the Monarchists because we respect their sovereignty. And right now we need them to trust us. We don't need their distrust, especially when we want to help them."

"Yes Sir. Right away."

"Just contact [-redacted-] and ask him to ready the agents. If the general doesn't mind, tell him to deploy them instantly to the different provinces. I want four agents per province to be ready and awaiting orders."

"Yes sir, your Highness. I'll talk to him immediately. Will that be all?"

"Yes, now hurry. I want a verbal report soon. Just talk to the President and give him the memo. Tell him to be alert about the Zoranian situation."

"Yes Sir."

"God speed Marshall"

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  • 2 weeks later...

May 4, 1420
6:32 AM Over Time
National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower; Yemiduga City, Fisheros, Zoran

Kunagadoga was looking over some data collected on the average expenditure of the war effort to see where he could potentially cut costs when his secretary buzzed in through the intercom,

“Sir, your Director of PR wishes to speak with you.” Kunagadoga sighed,

“Send them in.”

The doors open as a very frantic woman rushes into the room holding a stack of papers. They put it on his desk before they spoke,

“Mr. Kunagadoga have you seen the news?”

“Not particularly, why do you ask?”

“Fujai and Giovanniland have changed their support!” Kunagadoga clapped his hands together with glee,

“Excellent! I knew putting that idea into the mind of that stupid general would pay off! Now they will be ba-”

“Before you get too excited sir, they have not declared that they would be supporting us. In fact, many politicians in those countries have shown open disdain towards us. Both Giovanniland and Fujai have voted to side with the Monarchists. On top of this, Fujai passed a vote to hold those accountable for those responsible for the bombing of Zoradia,” Kunagadoga sat still and remained ominously silent as they continued, “which if they question General Lagodo they might link it back to you…” Kunagadoga slammed his fist on the table, causing the stack of papers that the director of PR brought in to fall all over the ground.

“Damn it! Grrr I don’t know why I thought those dirty hippy socialists would align with us but I thought the idea of economic growth in Zoran and a valuable trade partner would motivate them!” he sighs before downing a cup of gin he had on his desk, “Has there been any word from the GDC on this at all?” The director shook her head in response, “Well let me know when they do, I am not letting this ruin my plans. I am going to have to turn to Plan D.”

“Plan D sir? What happened to plans B and C?
“Those plans are too cliche and over rated, Plan D can’t possibly fail! Plus it will deal a blow to not just the Monarchists but to Atsil personally. It will also demoralize the working class and poor of the country while removing a thorn from our side that has existed for years. Send an order to our Chief Business officer to get me in touch with a Cambrian official ASAP!” The director nodded, cleaned up the papers that were knocked onto the floor, and rushed out of the room to fulfill the order.

Kunagadoga swiveled in his chair to look out the window behind him and he recalled the meeting he had with CGZ two days ago.

You always come knocking for trouble CGZ, you and your ancestors have always managed to escape it but this time your luck is going to run out.

May 4, 1420
7:50 AM Over Time
Temporary Grand Defense Council Building in Southern Zoran

The meeting chamber is active with discussion on recent events. The GDC has not agreed on a plan of attack or defense and has essentially been paralyzed while conflict still rages in the country they have lost control over. The people of Zoran are furious over the bombing of Zoradia and the benefits of the move have been called into question. Speaker Quadelo called the room to order with a slam of their gavel and everyone took their seats. 

General Lagodo, still confident in his ability to be the hero of Zoran, stands up and requests permission to speak and the speaker accepts his request,

“Representatives, I know what we did was hard but think about it! Now no side in this madness can claim the capital and support their claim to be the rightful Zoranian government. We still have international ba-” Representative Tsolaquo then interrupted him,

“False! Don’t even finish that statement! Have you not forgotten what happened yesterday! Both Fujai and Giovanniland, the only countries that have publicly recognized us, have announced that they are supporting the Monarchists! To add insult to injury, all of us here would be brought to court in Fujai over the planning and execution of the bombing of Zoradia! We are now without international support and recognition thanks to the plan you put forth!” General Lagodo, as well as the rest of the room, was caught off guard by this abrupt interruption. He wiped his brow nervously,

“We didn’t need them, they uh...they didn’t even provide us with funds or arms, only recognition and humanitaria-”

“Yes but we wouldn’t have needed arms or funds if it wasn’t for the bombing which wasted not just jet fuel but also missiles and fighter rounds! This is not some video game where you don’t have to worry about supplies but this is real life Lagodo! This is real life war! You can’t win by doing brash actions like this! Every action has consequences!” Speaker Quadelo slammed his gavel,

“Representative Tsolaquo please stop interrupting General Lagodo, I did not give you permission to interrupt or to speak for that matter.” Representative Tsolaquo grumbled as he leaned back into his seat as General Lagodo continued,

“Thank you Speaker, now my plan is simple, we gather our troops here in the area we control and fight off any attacks that the other factions send at us.” More experienced representatives groaned at the sound of this plan as the session went on without any actual plan to be voted on.

May 4, 1420
10:25 AM Over Time
Unknown location

A young recruit came into General Waholi’s office and stood at attention until he was recognized,

“What is it, recruit?” said Waholi as he looked over the plans for the upcoming Uweyv Nunnehi Campaign,

“I was ordered to tell you that Fujai and Giovanniland have both changed their support in the war to supporting our cause. Giovanniland has  stated that, for now, they are only recognizing us as the true Zoranian government. Fujai on the other hand continues to provide humanitarian aid but they also intend on giving us funds and supplies as well as legitimacy. There is a possibility we can be given more support from Giovanniland if we can convince them.” Waholi smiled slightly and turned to face the recruit,

“Thank you for that message, it was much needed good news! You are dismissed.” The recruit salutes before running on back to training. Waholi was relieved by that news as he looks at the plans for the campaign with renewed confidence in their ability to win this war.

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  • 1 month later...

May 5, 1420
8:30 AM Over Time
National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower; Yemiduga City, Fisheros, Zoran

(Since it has been a while since the last post, I will remind you all that this event is happening before Atsil has decided to leave CGZ's hide out, for OOC sake I will say that the stories I post here for a time will not go past July 18, 1420 until a post that is in the works is complete because it is necessary for the story to progress. If you are confused about what I mean just DM me on discord and I will explain)

Kunagadoga stands in his office looking out upon the city of Yemiduga, dark clouds loom overhead as rain drops fall upon the city of the Corporates. He is waiting for his team to arrive but they are running late, something which displeases him deeply.

I don't know why I keep surrounding myself with such incompetent people. I ask them to do one simple thing, arrive on time, and yet they manage to fuck that up. If they didn't have inside knowledge on our plans after this war I would fire them.

That was when the door to his office opened and three people, one male and two female, in water soaked suits entered the room panting.

"Sorry Mr. Kunagadoga, sir! We tried to get here as quickly as we could but the protestors kept getting in the way of our car!" said the man. Kuna did not turn around nor reply to what his excuse, leaving an uneasy silence in the room until he heard them walk closer to his desk and set something down on the table. That was when he actually turned around to face them,

"Let's get straight to business. I don't care about your excuses, you already cost me money by having me wait. Have you drafted up plans our plans for after the war?" said Kunagadoga,

"Yes, which would you like to see first. The reconstruction plan or Operation Lavandula Spica Incursio?" asked one of the women,

"The Operation, I already know the reconstruction plan well enough." answered Kunagadoga. The other women sorted through the papers and pulled out a map of Lavender Island to the south of Zoran.

"The biggest opposition we will face on the island is the Giovannilandians, despite having a small army they are well equipped. However, they lack actual combat experience, something which could be to our advantage. But we must be cautious considering they have more knowledge of the terrain there and they have homefield advantage."

"Thank you for stating the obvious Gadiya. Show me what actual invasion plan we have for the island."

Invasion.thumb.png.be6292b241f68cc9dac0dabee5af7544.png

"What kind of drawing is this?!" Kuna says as he gestures towards the map, "It looks like a five year old drew those lines!"

"Sir, you did ask us to make these plans only about two hours ago. It was hard to get ahold of our officers considering the recent campaigns." said the man. Kuna gave him a withering stare which immediately shut the man up. The man cleared his throat,

"Anyways, this is to depict the various parts of the Operation. From our southern most island, we will launch three naval invasions. One on the northern coast of Giovanniland, one on a nearby island to establish another base from where we will make landfall on directly southwest of the island, and the third on the northern coast of Blue Bubble. Our forces will secure a foothold on the land to allow for supplies to be sent to them. Meanwhile, once we acquire the Zoranian Navy, we will send them to blockade the southwestern coast of Giovanniland. By controlling the northern coast and blockading the south we will cut Giovanniland off from imports." Kuna nodded, pleased at what he was hearing, "From these footholds, we will start a push towards the inland, securing our control over the island as our men make our way inland. As we starve the people of Blue Bubble and Giovanniland, they will become desperate, weak, and divided as they face unrest from the people. This should make the job of our troops easier when we secure a solid front after we push to the first dotted line you see there. Once that is secure, we will have a three pronged push to Giovannistadt, hopefully with air support and missile strikes. We will ensure that our men use a scorched earth policy to further starve the city as we burn the farmland around the urban areas. The missile bombardment and the air support should assist in the final push where we surround the capital city and ensure no one gets in and no one gets out. We starve them out for a few days with occasional bombardments and give them a three day ultimatum. If they do not comply we will push into the city, round up the monarchy and members of the legislature and force them to sign a surrender. From there, we will execute the monarch, the royal family, and all members of the government we capture live on television and have the military control the country until we send our own people in to govern the area. Blue Bubble should follow suit with Giovanniland if they know what is good for them." Kuna was very pleased by this plan, he didn't need the specifics of how these plans will be carried out as he will let his officers decide how to do that. Lavender Island will be the first of his future corporate empire, the rich will get richer and the land will be reaped of all it holds, no matter how many lives it will cost. Kuna opened a drawer in his desk and took out four cigars and handed one to each of them. He cut off the bits for all of them and lit his own before raising it up in a form of toast,
"To profit, my friends." He could tell none of them were smokers by their reluctance to accept his offer to light their cigars, but they were too scared to refuse and they followed suit,
"To profit." they said somewhat half heartedly.

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Official Report from the Velkan Diplomatic Consulate:

"Situation between the 2 warring Velkan Kabals; named Kabal of Red Winter and the Kabal of the Eclipsed Sun had reached a white peace after the intervention of the Nevarine. All claims of both sides are temporary and required further formal argument to re-settle their claims. As result, all participating Velkans that fight along side in the war are demanded to be pulled out, with an exception of posing as mercenaries."

- Morgiana, Diplomatic Head of the New Velkan Embassy

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May 7, 1420
12:30 AM International Atomic Time / 01:30 AM Over Time
Unknown dark alley in Yemiduga City, Fisheros, Zoran

Three days after the Parliament of Giovanniland had decided to switch the country's support from the Grand Defense Council to the Monarchists, there were already a dozen Giovannilandian intelligence officers across Zoran in order to keep the government updated of any important happenings. Some of them stayed in Monarchist-controlled lands and were the main channel for contact between Monarchist leadership and the Giovannilandian government, but others were spying on the enemy factions. Two of them, named Theodoro Violetshire and Ulysses Maravista, were tasked with staying on the Corporate-dominated city of Yemiduga in order to try to retrieve any important information from the Corporates.

For the past two days they spent time locating the houses and apartments of high-ranked Corporate executives, as well as tracking their movements around the city. They hoped to steal an office key card from one of these executives, as that would be the only plausible way of breaking into the National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower and finding secret information. It was past midnight, and they believed it was finally the time to strike.

"My friend Ulysses," Theodoro quietly whispered, "I think it's finally time. Most Corporate executives have already gone to sleep or are spending time on gentlemen's clubs or restaurants." 

"That's good news," replied Ulysses, "it means we finally have the chance of finding out secrets kept by those evil capitalists. Tell me, where is the nearest of these executives' houses or apartments?"

"I think it should be around 200 meters to the east of where we currently are," said Theodoro. "Let's go there quietly, there's no time to waste."

After arriving there, Theodoro spotted two security guards. "Damn it! It seems this evil capitalist has spent quite a lot of money to keep his apartment secure," Ulysses said. Theodoro nodded, and they proceeded to go southwest in the hopes of finding the house of Corporate executive that was a tad more careless.

Ten minutes later, they arrived near another house they had located a day earlier. Seeing as there was no visible security guard, they managed to bypass the electric fence and entered the front yard. Ulysses quietly celebrated, "Success! Now to break into this evil capitalist's house and proceed with our plan." 

However, they were dismayed to find that the front door was locked. "Ulysses," ordered Theodoro, "please walk to the back yard and see if there is any door open, while I stay here to watch if anyone comes to stop us." Luckily, nobody came as most people in the city were asleep, and Ulysses ended up finding a hidden open door that gave access to the executive's bedroom. 

"Theo," Ulysses whispered with joy in his walkie-talkie, "I've found an entrance, and there seems to be nobody in here! This careless evil capitalist must've gone into one of these clubs you mentioned. Please stay cautious right where you are while I search for his office key card."

After sweeping through the rooms of the house and searching everywhere, Ulysses found the office key card. "Huh, they are more forgetful than I thought", he muttered to himself, "and now they will pay dearly for their mistake." He notified Theodoro of his find, and the two quietly found their way out of the house about 20 minutes after they arrived.

May 7, 1420
01:45 AM International Atomic Time / 02:45 AM Over Time
National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower; Yemiduga City, Fisheros, Zoran

Theodoro and Ulysses finally arrived at the National Zoranian Banking Clan Tower after tiptoeing through Yemiduga City for almost half an hour in order to not be caught. "Here, my friend," told Theodoro to Ulysses, "please wear this corporate uniform just in case. We ought to be as discreet as possible now that we are so close to our goal." Ulysses nodded, and the two broke into the tower, conscious that one slip could doom their entire operation and risk their lives.

They proceeded to quietly go up the stairs, checking if there was any security guard watching them. Fortunately, the half-asleep guard they met was convinced and let them pass when, after stopping the pair, Theodoro grabbed the executive's stolen office key card and lied, saying that he had forgotten something in Kunagadoga's office. "Victory," he whispered to his colleague Ulysses after the guard was out of their view.

Finally, they arrived at Kuna's office and Ulysses started to rummage through all the drawers and desks, in the hopes that any secret information would be there, while Theodoro stood near the door to keep an eye on the outside. They were starting to lose their hope after spending almost 20 minutes without any new find, but in one drawer was an alarming map that stood out from the rest. It was a map of the Zoranian islands and Lavender Island to the south, with some badly-drawn lines pointing to Blue Bubble and Giovanniland.

"This is... outrageous!", thought Ulysses to himself as he was frightened by the map. "These evil capitalists haven't even won the civil war yet, but if they do, our homeland will be in great danger! Our families, our friends, and the entire peoples of Lavender Island would be enslaved by this corporate empire! I am speechless..." Theodoro then saw Ulysses staring at the map while searching in some other files, and then went to comfort his friend as tears of anger ran down his friend's face.

"My friend, I am aware it's horrible," whispered Theodoro as he also sought to contain his anger, "but we can't waste time. Let's take some photos of this map and leave as soon as possible, because this is already enough information for now."

After both were calm again and took the photos, they quickly sent them to Guillermo Edryst-Orpheus, the Giovannilandian Minister of Intelligence. "We can't risk failing to send the information after we found it out, just because someone finds out we are here," Theodoro said, and Ulysses nodded. They went down the stairs and in some minutes were out of the tower and back to the dark alleys of Yemiduga City, seeking a refuge somewhere so they could continue their operations in the following days.

May 7, 1420
7:30 AM International Atomic Time / 8:30 AM Over Time
Violet Palace, Giovannistadt

As the Prime Minister of Giovanniland, Amore Gil Albrecht, had just woken up in the Violet Palace and went to take care of pressing internal and external affairs, one of her aides rushed into her room. "Your Excellency, the Minister of Intelligence wants to bring important news," said the aide.

"Send him in," Amore replied.

Guillermo Edryst-Orpheus then entered the room and started to deliver the information. "Your Excellency, two of our intelligence officers have brought disturbing news right from Yemiduga City in Zoran. Theodoro Violetshire and Ulysses Maravista, as they are called, found out some hours ago that the Corporate faction plans to invade Lavender Island if they win the civil war."

"Oh my Violet, this is horrifying news!", replied the Prime Minister. "We ought to support the Monarchists more than ever, and maybe even send some arms and funds there to help their cause. Thank you for this information, Minister." Guillermo nodded, and then he left Amore's room, as she prepared to change her plans for the day.

One hour later, Amore went to meet the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, Aurelio Qualwill and Elizabeth Schmidt respectively. She instructed both to craft a bill with the intent of sending funds, arms, and assistance with espionage to aid the Monarchist cause; and then present it to both houses of the Parliament as soon as possible. They both nodded, and by the end of the day, the bill passed with a fair majority in both houses, the main opposition coming from the Republican and Patriot parties who ironically wanted to ally Giovanniland with the very faction that sought to invade their country if they won the war. The results were then released for all citizens to see, and after the vote Amore started to coordinate the new Giovannilandian efforts related to the war.

Party Name  Total Deputies      Yes        No      Total Senators      Yes        No    
Green Social Party 294 256 38 60 57 3
 Giovannilandian Communist Party  85 79 6 13 11 2
Democratic Coalition 60 33 27 9 4 5
Republican Giovanniland Party 40 5 35 8 2 6
Theocratic Violetist Party 15 6 9 6 2 4
Patriot Party 6 0 6 4 0 4
Total 500 379 121 100 76 24
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May 12th, 1420

6:30 AM Auran Standard Time / 8:30 AM Over Time

Fribernese Fortress, Federal City of Friberne, Canton of Friberne, Santos-Dominius

"What is it, Paul? Why did you summon me here this early in the morning? I have meetings this afternoon, and now my eyes are going to be baggy because of you!" Stuyvesant-Callaghan asked as she walked into the room. This was a busy day - Dominion Bank had a major deal to negotiate with another big corporation. As CEO of the bank, she was to do reading on the corporation's tactics, operations and details - so as to intimidate and threaten its representatives and secure a deal that would maximise benefit for the DB. But now, here she was, disgruntled and sitting in the meeting room at the Fribernese Fortress with the old and near-centenarian President Paul Goldberg. Her disheveled and frazzled assistant put her bag on a chair next to her and put a vase of flowers on the table as she sat down angrily.

"I'm sorry, Harriet, but I've summoned you on urgent business. It's about the Zoranian Civil War." Goldberg replied.

"What about it? Didn't we make a deal with that Quasena guy a while ago? I haven't heard from you about this war since then, so I assume that it's going smooth enough."

"Well, Harriet, it's safe to say that...I'm getting cold feet. And I need your advice on whether we should limit our involvement, stay the same, or increase our support for the corporates." Goldberg said in a reserved manner. Evidently, the old President was having concerns about both his political career and the safety of his relatively small country. If he makes the right decisions, then both would be safeguarded. But ally with the wrong people, send support at the wrong time or make any other wrong decision, and both would be in enormous peril. He was over 90 years old, and he didn't want the legacy of his 2nd term to be that of a catastrophic failure.

"Cold feet? You asked me to get here to provide you advice because you're having cold feet? Are you out of your mind, Paul?" Stuyvesant-Callaghan said as she walked towards the President. "You have advisors! National security advisors! Military generals! Seasoned diplomats! All at your disposal! Why bother me when you know I'm a busy woman with far too many responsibilities and far too limited amounts of time to deal with your cowardice!?"

"Stop it, Harriet! Don't you bully an old man." Goldberg stubbornly replied. "I have invited you here because you are my only major collaborator in this scheme of ours. Telling anyone else in the government would risk leaking this clandestine operation - one that isn't authorised by the National Senate, mind you - to the opposition. Just imagine the field day Art Bernstein and the Coalition of Roses will have with this scheme if it leaks! My party and I will crash to defeat at the next cantonal elections in Niedersasslen. Your bank will have serious questions to answer and will fire you. The stakes are too high for me to make a decision on my own!"

"Ugh! This is why I hate the public sector with a passion. People like Senator Bernstein cannot be bought, unlike in the private sector, where everyone is for sale...only at different prices." Stuyvesant-Callaghan moaned. "So, what are our options? Remind me again - and quickly! I still have work to do."

"Our first option is to stay the same, Harriet." Goldberg explained. "As long as we remain silent and keep upholding our end of the bargain, the corporates will probably give us the benefits they promised without fail. But, since our involvement with the corporates is low-profile, illicit under Santo-Dominian law and politically damaging if leaked, Quasena can easily renege on his word and refuse to give us anything if he does win. We will have nothing to hold against him, nothing to force him to give us what he owes. And we don't even know if he will win."

"Sounds like blind faith, Paul." Stuyvesant-Callaghan remarked. "That's very risky."

"It is blind faith, Harriet. And yes, it's risky. So that's why we can consider the second option: pulling out of the war. We will inform Quasena of our unwillingness to continue supporting the corporates in the war, and then slowly but surely cut back our aid until we fully retreat. We will cut our losses if Quasena had decided not to pay us back, but we will also miss out on the war chest if Quasena had originally decided to pay us what he owes to us. It's the safest option, but also the one that doesn't give us any benefits except an opportunity to fully save ourselves and avoid anything if Quasena loses."

"Sounds dumb. So, I assume that the final option is increasing our aid to the corporates."

"Correct, Harriet." Goldberg said. "We can opt to increase our monetary aid to the corporates. Now, we can either inform Quasena of our willingness to further support him...or we can choose to keep that from him. If we choose to inform Quasena, we will be able to secure his trust with our forthright attitude and honesty - but we will lose a bargaining chip. If we choose to go behind his back, we can make him inadvertently rely on us more. This is the bargaining chip we will get if we choose to increase support without consulting him, and it's the one we'll lose if we tell him."

"Three options...and all of them have positives and negatives. Well, Paul. I've already made my decision. But I want to hear from you. What's your decision?" Stuyvesant-Callaghan probed.

"Well..." Goldberg answered. "...I was thinking we should either maintain our current level of support, or pull out of the war entirely. You know, I'm serving my 2nd term as President, and I intend to run for re-election one last time in February 1421 to secure my 3rd and final term. If our involvement gets out, I will be doomed. Utterly. So I'm just thinking that we should play it safe and back out."

"You coward! I knew that caution ran in your blood." Stuyvesant-Callaghan barked. "Well, I like risks. Actually, to rephrase, I like taking risks with big potential rewards. I think we should opt to increase our monetary aid to the Zoranian corporates and Quasena. The war has been raging on for a bit now, and if we can send enough support, we might be able to help Quasena win decisive victories that scores him the final triumph in this devastating war. Then, we will be able to reap the numerous benefits we're entitled to for supporting the right people at the right moment by taking the right risks."

"Alright, alright! You're really disrespectful and rude in the morning, Harriet. Fine! We shall proceed with your plan. But since I call the shots in this country, we're informing Quasena of our willingness to increase aid. I'm not going to gamble big and try going behind his back - we don't know what tricks he has up his sleeve. I'll have someone send him a message via secure channels that will ensure the secrecy of this operation and our involvement. You can go now, Harriet." Goldberg said.

Harriet Stuyvesant-Callaghan snatched her bag, stood up and left the room in a composed hurry. President Goldberg then closed his briefing book, stood up, turned off the TV in the meeting room and went upstairs to his presidential office. Then, Stuyvesant-Callaghan's assistant came into the room, picked up the vase of flowers, and detached from its inside a small black cube that flashed a small red light. It was a recording device.

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July 12, 1420

12:27 PM Polaris Eastern Time

Saint-Jocelyn, Cambria

Co-authored by @Bran Astor

Kunagadoga Quasena is taking a big risk by leaving Zoran and flying to Cambria. He knows that he is leaving a lot in the hands of his subordinates but after much difficulty trying to get in touch with a Cambrian official they finally got a hold of one a week ago. Kunagadoga did some basic research on the person he was about to meet and looked through the file he has on the person he is going to meet.

Darrin Oliver, a knight-inspector for the Order of Tamar. Appears he was a grenadier guard before moving to the Office of Justice. His service record is impressive and he appears to be a very accomplished man, it’s no wonder why the Order wanted him to join them. I shouldn’t underestimate him and I should show him my utmost respect if I am to work with him.

The car came to a stop and he exited the car and six mercenaries he hired for his protection exited another vehicle to accompany him as he walked up towards the Office of Justice building. The guards stopped him, “State your business.”

“I am here to see Knight-Inspector Darrin Oliver.” He said in Cambric, the guards radioed someone in to escort him to Darrin. As they walked through the building, Kunagadoga noticed how little of a threat his mercenaries looked in the presence of the Order members. They certainly do not disappoint, they live up to what I have heard about them so far. He was taken to an office where he was asked to sit and wait for the knight-inspector to arrive. But it was there that he noticed his guards were no longer with him and his eyes began to inspect the office.

The knight-inspector's office was spacious, but simply kept. It had a workmanlike look to it and the trappings that existed appeared to be out of design rather than the occupant's choice. A simple table strewn with scattered files sat in the middle of the room, a couch flanked by reading lamps sat opposite the door. A series of landscapes dominated the space above the couch. A built-in set of shelves to the right of the office's window bore testimony to everything Kunagadoga read in Darrin's file. Degrees, decorations, commendations, and trinkets from far-flung battlefields occupied every centimeter of shelf space. In front of the shelf was a hefty mahogany desk, perfectly polished and vibrantly red.

What a fine desk, I wonder if I can acquire one of these for myself after the war. But I will say I can’t remember the last time I was asked to wait in an office. It has been quite a few years since I was in a situation like this. 

He thought to himself as he waited. It took a few minutes before Darrin Oliver came into the room. He had a long white beard and wore a suit with a kilt. Kuna’s eyes met with Darrin’s extremely blue eyes and could see the experience behind them. He stood up and shook his hand,

“It is a pleasure to meet you knight-inspector. Might I say you were a difficult man to get a hold of.”

"Folks often forget to dial the '9' first. How can I be of service to you, Meistros Quasena?" The inspector smiled warmly and firmly shook Kunagadoga's hand before walking around the desk to his chair. "Please do sit. Why have you come all this way to see me today?"

“Now I believe you are aware that I am here to discuss a certain...thief or rather for you a certain terrorist.”

Darrin jabbed at his keyboard with two fingers. His brow furrowed, he seemingly split attention between hunting for the right key for the password and recalling the details of Kunagadoga's terrorist.

"You will need to be more specific. There are-" Darrin paused mid-sentence then triumphantly hit enter. "There are sadly too many terrorists in the world these days."

"What? You know, the terrorist!” He said slightly flabbergasted, he didn’t anticipate that CGZ wasn’t highlighted in any way shape or form for them, “The one that caused all the trouble in Saint-Jocelyn during the Olympics?”

"Ah! The infamous CGZ. Yes, it is true we have an interest in this fellow." The inspector reached across his desk and picked a couple red candies from a crystal dish on his desk. The room fell silent except for the sound of the hard candy clacking against Darrin's teeth.

“Here’s the deal, I do not know where his hideout is. We have been unsuccessful in locating it whether it be by drone, scouts, or scans. But I know where he is going to make his next appearance.” Kunagadoga said, “But before I get into those details, do you have any questions, requirements, demands, anything you want to mention or request.”

The gentle, almost bumbling look in Darrin's eyes hardened as Kunagadoga spoke. Whatever warmth was present a moment ago was replaced with cold resolve. Darrin held the gaze, continued to play with the candy in his mouth, but didn't speak.

What is this man playing at? I know I can be an intimidating bastard but this guy is a master at intimidation. I can’t read him whatsoever! He is unlike anyone I have ever dealt with!

Beads of sweat forms along Kunadoga’s forehead as those blue eyes unsteady him. He cleared his throat before saying,

“Now for where our target is going to be. Knowing Atsil Ani’-Wah’, the daughter of the late President Apenimon Ani’-Wah’, she will leave CGZ to join the monarchists sometime in the next month or two. When she leaves, CGZ will take her to the Monarchist headquarters and will leave her there. Thankfully for us, we recently discovered the location of where the Monarchists headquarters is. So what I propose is we have some of your officers and some of my men hide out nearby and wait until he arrives with her. We both get what we want here, I get Atsil Ani’-Wah’ and you get your terrorist. How does that sound?”

Darrin finally broke his stare by leaning forward and pressing a button on his office phone. A moment later Kunadgadoga's Cambric escort stepped into the room, ready to tend to their charge. The warmth returned to Darrin's eyes and he stood with a smile.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Meistros Quasena." He walked around the desk and shook Kunagadoa's hand again. "May the Lady watch you." Darrin nodded to the guards and returned to his deskchair.

As Kunagadoga was escorted out of the building, his mind was stirring with what Darrin could have meant.

Was that a yes? Wha-what did he mean?! I am guessing it is a yes but what in the world was that man! I couldn’t read him at all and I made my living off of reading people! Well, at least I know he is competent and that the execution of this plan will go off without much of an issue.

At this point Kuna was standing with his mercenaries outside of the building and he entered the limo that was waiting for him.

“How did it go sir?”  asked an aid in the limo,

“He beat the hell out of me,” Kuna said as he whipped his brow, “he was the most intimidating man I have ever spoken to. He savaged me, mentally, in there.” He then put his head in his hands as the limo drove to the airport for the flight back to Zoran.

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  • 1 month later...

July 20, 1420
6:00 PM Over Time
Unknown location

Atsil packed the final articles of clothing into her bag as the words of the woman in her dream echoed in her head,

The son of the basket weaver, soaked in blood, seeks to kill the heir to Ani’-Wah’

She couldn’t stop thinking of those words recently and one name appeared in her head as she thought more about the “son of the basket weaver”—Kunagadoga. The person responsible for the suffering of so many people and whose attention she attracted back in high school, but back then it was a less malevolent and more...creepy form of attention. And she is grateful she turned him down back then after what CGZ told her about his sister two days before.

Atsil was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice CGZ leaning against the door frame with his hands buried in his pockets,

“Are you ready to head out?” he asked. Atsil turned to see him wearing black denim pants, a black cotton sweater, and his black ski mask with sunglasses over them. But he also had what seemed to be a utility belt.

“I just finished packing,” Atsil said with a sigh, “but I am not sure I am ready to...face the music.” CGZ walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder,

“I know you are probably expecting me to say some sappy, inspirational crap but to be honest I don’t understand what you are going through. You are in a unique situation that no one can really relate to in any way. But what you are about to go into is something that no one can be prepared for and you have prepared yourself the best you could. At this point, you are this country’s only hope, so you have to do this whether you feel ready or not.” Despite how blunt CGZ was being, Atsil couldn’t help but feel comforted by his words. Atsil went for a hug but CGZ stepped away and held a hand up,

“There isn’t time for sentimentality, it is time for me to take you to the Monarchists. Come find me when you are mentally prepared.” And with that, CGZ left Atsil in his sister’s old room.

CGZ walked with purpose towards the library for what might be for the last time. He wasn’t a fool, he had been keeping an eye on the situation in Zoran and he saw Kunagadoga’s flight to Cambria and he had a sneaking suspicion on what the business he had there was about. He sat at his desk and let out a sigh, he knew that his actions at the Olympics were going to catch up with him sooner or later.

My sister would have been so much better at this than me. She was all about the ‘stealing things with style’ attitude of the CGZ mantle. Me, I am too concerned about safety to do things right.

His eyes drifted to the drawer where he put the last picture he and his sister took together at the beach. He pulled open the drawer to look at it but he saw a folded piece of paper beneath it, something he never noticed before. He set the picture aside and unfolded the piece of paper to read it.

To my beloved brother,

If you are reading this then you must be having some doubts about yourself or are going through some tough times. I know how much you wish you could be like me and have the confidence that I have(You should get a better lock for your “journal” by the way), but you are incredible in your own way. Throughout our family history, no CGZ has been the same, they never had to be like their predecessor to be successful. Take our ancestor, Captain CGZ or Captain Stormrider as he was more commonly known, his predecessor was the exact opposite of his personality. His predecessor was more interested in developing a mystique around himself and being undetected in his heists. But when Captain Stormrider took up the mantle of CGZ in 1116 AF, he claimed to have started the Golden Age of Piracy in Aura when he stole a ship off the line and started raiding ships, especially during storms which is what got him his name. He was a lot more flamboyant, daring, and mentally unstable than his predecessor and was extremely successful.

Even though you aren’t going to be the next CGZ, just know that you can be yourself like our ancestors and still be successful in whatever path you walk down. You were always better at planning two steps ahead than me and you are great with technology and engineering. Those are two talents that I don’t have that you do. You will do great things, Kariwase, and know that I will always be with you no matter where you go or what you do. But always remember that our family, through CGZ, is the champion of the people and even if you aren’t CGZ, always remember to support the less fortunate and to be a champion of the people in your daily life.

Love, your sister,

Ojistah

CGZ felt tears well up in his eyes. It's funny how she talked about planning two steps ahead when she wrote this knowing that I might be going through a hard time. He missed her every day of this life since she was sold by Kuna, and every day he wishes he had done more to stop her from seeing him in the first place. But her words from the past renewed the confidence he had in himself and made him remember the legacy his family worked to leave behind, one that supported the people and those without a voice in the world.

Maybe by helping Atsil, I am living up to that legacy in my own way. But what if this doesn’t have to be the end for my legacy...

But before he could develop that train of thought any further, Atsil walked into the room with her bag in tow.

“I’m ready to go.” CGZ nodded and led her to the vehicle storage where there was an ATV that was waiting for them.

“You have an ATV too?” asked Atsil,

“Not until yesterday.” answered CGZ as he got on it,

“So you stole it.”

“Atsil, I am the latest in a dynasty of thieves, what do you expect?”Atsil didn’t bother saying any more as she put her bag on the back and joined CGZ on the ATV.

“Hang on, it might be a bumpy ride.” CGZ said as the engine came to life. Atsil grabbed onto CGZ as he zoomed through the tunnels until they came out of a secret passage that landed them in the middle of the jungle. The trees and vines were a blur as CGZ drove the ATV through forgotten trails made back when the years Saint Mark ruled the land. And after about an hour or so an ancient Saint Markian fortress came into view. CGZ brought the ATV to a stop when they reached a clearing in front of the entrance to the fortress. A group of monarchist soldiers approached, rifles aimed at CGZ as they didn’t seem to see Atsil behind him,

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked one of the soldiers. CGZ lowered his head to make Atsil’s face visible to the soldiers. When they saw her, they immediately dropped to one knee and their right arm crossed their chest and their hand clenched in a fist over their left shoulder. This drew attention from others taking watch at the fort and a crowd could be seen forming on the different floors of the fort. CGZ got off of the ATV and helped me off of it as an older man approached from the entrance of the fort and knelt down the same way the other soldiers have.

“Uh, you may rise. There is no need to kneel like that.” Atsil said nervously. The older man rose with the other soldiers,

“My lady, I am General Waholi of the Monarchist forces. It is a pleasure to see you safe at last.” he then looks over at CGZ, “This must be the legendary CGZ. Thank you for keeping Atsil safe.”

“Oh please, I didn’t do it for you or your cause. I did it to keep Kuna from getting power.” Waholi simply nodded in response before returning his attention to Atsil,

“It will bring much joy to the troops to be under the command of their queen. We look forward to seeing how you lead.” Waholi said. CGZ heard a branch snap behind them and tackled Atsil to the ground right as the shot of a rifle echoed through the jungle, the bullet whizzing past them by an inch. The entire fort sprung into action along with the troops in the clearing. CGZ looked up to try and pinpoint where the shot came from.

“We can’t have that unfortunately, Ani’-Wah’ and CGZ are coming with us!” yelled the voice of Kunagadoga from the trees.

What is he doing here?! He is literally going to die here!...Actually, would that really be a bad thing?

CGZ thought to himself as he laid over Atsil on the ground in the middle of a standoff between Monarchist and Corporate forces that were about to break out into a full blown battle.

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