Phoenix Iterum

USSR's post

Union of Soviet State Republics wrote:

Nepos nods.

“I most certainly am not. Had I had the say in that battle, I would have instead cut the city off from supplies and starved it out. Such a bloodbath was completely avoidable, but I can’t help but suspect it will happen again, so long as there are bad apples in the Grand Soviet that have not yet been rooted out. Though I fear there may be nothing I can do about it, not on my own at least.

Anyways, I think some very sensible deals can be struck here today between us. You need what we have, a strong ally to maintain your fragile unity and stability, and we need an advantage over our adversaries to keep the casualties to a minimum and reunite this fractured nation once more. The first thing I think we ought to agree on is likely mutual defense. I do not expect you to attempt any offensives, it would be senseless, but if one of us is attacked by an outside power, the other should do all it can to assist it.

The second would be an exchange. We have a vast surplus of resources, and will gladly deliver some of the resources you need to help stabilize your regime by showing the people you can provide for them. What we’d ask in return is permission to set up several military outposts and airbases, perhaps even permission to set up or acquire a port along your coast so we can keep an eye on our shared enemies, mainly L’bania and the ISAF, both of whom are bound to attack you any day now to get at one another. Chances are that the winner of that conflict will then turn and come for us, so I hope to prevent that first step from happening. By showing our military presence in your land, it will hopefully scare them enough to instead go around you instead of through to fight each other. Whoever attacks you would know they would have to fight 2 adversaries at once, eventually 3 once we manage to send proper reinforcements. Harsh to say, if you are invaded, chances are they will overrun you eventually, so your best bet is to merely delay as long as you can to buy the Soviet army as much time as possible to prepare, counterattack, and eventually liberate you. But if all goes well and they go around, we’ll have a great place to survey them from, and if they attack afterwards, they’ll face attacks from multiple directions. My strategy is to buy time, let our enemies duke it out first, then we can take on the victor, likely cementing our place of success. The only remaining threats, that nation centered in the old capital and those foreign barbarians to the northeast are hardly anything to fear. And as far as I am aware, neither are foolish enough to wage war with us. Have you any objections?”

Siburian blinks in surprise at the offer.

"That... that is actually very generous of you. We currently have plans to build up a military so that we can hold off any attacks from L'bania or ISAF or whoever else for a while until your forces arrive, we would be happy to allow some of your officers to help train us if that's possible. We can allow you use of our existing military infrastructure and to build up new infrastructure, as well as the use of the East Port of Yasaket since that one's larger and more capable of handling ships like yours. Your aid would be greatly appreciated. Overall, we have no objections."

After a while, the deal is finally put on paper and copies are handed to both men alongside very nice fountain pens. The deal is signed, and Siburian and Nepos shake hands.

"If you would like, I could show you around Yasaket some more before you leave. If you have urgent business back in Nova Ravenna though, we can escort you back to the airport."

The Blood on the Hands of the Union

Sep. 1982 - The investigation into the Park Kul'tury Massacre, which began on the eighth of July, 1982--the same day as the attack--draws to a close. Tovnyeskiyy addresses the nation, and the world.

27 September 1982 - 14:38 "It is with a heavy heart that I say that, following two months and nineteen days of reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses and potential suspects, we have reached a conclusion. According to the accounts of several eyewitnesses, as well as three of the sixteen suspects interviewed, the attack on Park Kul'tury in Syktyvkar, in the Komi Republic of the Social Democratic Republic of L'bania, was orchestrated by the Union of Soviet State Republics. This conclusion is further supported by security camera footage from within the park, as well as footage from the drama theatre, located just sixteen and one hundred and twenty-eight metres from where the attack took place, respectively. I, alongside the Prime Minister, several members of our Parliament, the National Security Agency, and those involved in this investigation, can now safely determine that the origins of these attacks against our people, our country, and our sovereignty began with the Union of Soviet State Republics. Our Republic does not stand for these intolerable acts against the safety of the people of the world. I therefore request that our Parliament issue a formal statement to the government of the Union of Soviet State Republics, condemning these acts, their government, their military personnel, their ideology, and their imperialist motives. We have thoroughly inspected all evidence we could access, and we do not make this statement lightly. An accusation that another government deliberately attacked and created unnecessary casualties upon the people of another, is not to be made lightly. Our administration has spent these past eighty-one days checking again and again in order to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt who may have planned this attack, and all major and minor points of evidence lead to the government of the Union of Soviet State Republics." - Uil'yam Tovnyeskiyy, President of the Social Democratic Republic of L'bania

Centralsk wrote:

USSR's post

Siburian blinks in surprise at the offer.

"That... that is actually very generous of you. We currently have plans to build up a military so that we can hold off any attacks from L'bania or ISAF or whoever else for a while until your forces arrive, we would be happy to allow some of your officers to help train us if that's possible. We can allow you use of our existing military infrastructure and to build up new infrastructure, as well as the use of the East Port of Yasaket since that one's larger and more capable of handling ships like yours. Your aid would be greatly appreciated. Overall, we have no objections."

After a while, the deal is finally put on paper and copies are handed to both men alongside very nice fountain pens. The deal is signed, and Siburian and Nepos shake hands.

"If you would like, I could show you around Yasaket some more before you leave. If you have urgent business back in Nova Ravenna though, we can escort you back to the airport."

Nepos smiles.

“As much as I would enjoy witnessing what you’ve accomplished, I need to return to Nova Ravenna as soon as possible. I’ve received word of war brewing on the horizon, and I need to be back to offer a strong voice of reason to make our next move. It would also be best if I share news of our new alliance in person with the rest of the Grand Soviet. I appreciate your generous hospitality, and no matter what comes next, I hope for continual mutual cooperation for many years to come. You’ll likely hear from me again soon enough; I’m bound to need your assistance soon enough.”

With that, Majorianus leaves, leaving behind some of his men to finish establishing the various deals, while he and his main entourage board a plane headed for home.

Truly at War

September 29th, 1982
“This is a disgrace! Who do they think they are, accusing us like that?”

News of the accusations made against the Union spread even quicker than the fires of Zenopolis did. While the two countries were already at war, this was the first time the Soviets had been implicated as the faulty party.

“Madmen, Comrade Alexander. They are madmen. They have witnessed all we have done, and seek to undo it all, trying to return us to the vile ways of old. We will not abide by it!”

“Indeed, Comrade Flavius. But we won’t be lured into committing some folly because they dare to throw up a false accusation. We play this smart. When I took Severe, I did so with extremely well thought out plans. Seeing as I was the only one able to secure his state, I think it best we continue that strategy. Slow, methodical approaches, not rushing to meet them head on.”

“That sounds like talk of cowardice, Comrade August. We cannot just take a punch to the jaw and do nothing. We need to act, with caution I agree, but not so slowly the world actually buys into this nonsense!”

“Then we fight their words with our own.”

Theodora Mitchell stands to her feet.

“They want to accuse us of attacking their citizens? Then let us do the same. They want to start this war off with fire? Then we won’t use water. We’ll coat all of their heads in gasoline.”

Everyone stops and looks around the room. They know what they need to do.
“I, Hosea Bascus, now call a vote in the Grand Soviet. Who will give the public address?”

“I, Proteus Flavius, hereby nominate myself as speaker to give the address.”

“With Comrade Nepos still on his way back from the diplomatic mission, a tie is now possible. If one is reached, it will be considered as a failure to pass. All in favor of this?”

All members agree, and the votes begin.

“All in favor of Comrade Flavius?”

13 votes are given.

“All against Comrade Flavius?”

1 vote is given.

“The vote is settled then. Comrade Flavius, you have been chosen.”

October 1st, 1982:

In the small town of Vatazes, in the north of Severe, a family of 6 sit down after their adequate meal of chili, bread, and corn to watch the nightly news, as they’ve done for years after a long work day on the farm. The youngest son quickly points out the government broadcast on the air, and the family tunes in just as the address begins to the world.

“People of the Union of Soviet State Republics, and people of old Wintercrest. I am Proteus Flavius, Grand Premier of the lost state of Philemon. For many years, we have enjoyed peace, fragile peace, but peace nonetheless. Earlier in the year, this peace was taken from us by the monsters that lead the so called SDR of L’bania, who decided to send their citizens to their deaths in some blind crusade against us and many others. While no fighting has occurred yet, it appears they not only want to kill you, the citizens of the Union, united or lost, they want to debase our good name with lies and false propaganda against us and our leadership.”

The screen flickers, and a recording of the address given by President Tovnyeskiyy plays out. Once it concludes, the screen changes back to Proteus, who continues his own speech.

“According to their pitiful story, there is supposed proof in this video surveillance that supports the idea that we, the government of the Union of Soviet State Republics, was responsible for the attack on the citizens of Phillippi, Crux, and Iannis, our own lost citizens. Yet what exactly is the proof put forward here?”

The speech given by the President is replayed, and Proteus speaks again.

“Did you catch anything that was actually concrete? Neither I, nor any member of the Grand Soviet has found a shred of evidence put forward that actually supports this claim, that we would launch an attack against another nation, illegitimate as it is, without prompt. Not only according to them did we not attack a sensible target, such as a military base or their Parliament building, we instead waged war by causing the deaths of relatively unknown citizens in the far flung reaches of a lost state. Why did we do this? They have not said. How did we do this? They haven’t said this either. What is the proof that a Soviet citizen even did this, nevermind the government? Not a piece of proof exists. Why? Because there is none. In fact, we would like to offer you, the good citizens of the Union, and others, evidence to suggest the direct opposite of this claim. Giving you this evidence, I now call my fellow comrade, Grand Premier of the lost state of Gratia, Galileo Leon, to the stand.”

Flavius steps off screen, and Leon walks on from the other direction, adjusting the mic to his height. Then, he speaks.

“First let us reask the question already put forward by comrade Flavius. What reason do we, the government of the Union of Soviet State Republics, gain from an attack on the citizens of one of our lost states? The cause cannot be reunification, L’bania currently hides far out of our reach. It cannot be to send a message, they claim they did not deduce our involvement until now, why would we have hidden that it was us if intimidation was the goal? No motivation appears to exist, save to fill their own delusions.

Next we must ask another question. How was it deduced that we, the government of the Union, had a hand in this? There is again, zero evidence to support this claim besides their own delusion. Third, had we had a hand in this, we would have done far more than kill a few innocent bystanders. We would have eviscerated every last one of you filthy dogs that call yourselves the members of the L'banian government. There would be no remnant of your foul warlord state left, every bit of existing proof that shows the blight of your nation would be expunged. We have no interest in killing innocent civilians, this is not our way. You have no evidence to support this claim, and you never will. Even Zenopolis, that tragedy, was a war against those who refused to give up their power and allow us to save their citizens. There was not an innocent soul lost in that city, and no evidence to say otherwise exists either.

So as you can see, not a piece of evidence to point to us as the guilty party exists. Why? Because our hands are clean of this massacre. But if not us, then who? While we can speculate and muse, only one clear candidate stands out as the likely attacker against these innocents. It is clearly not the states of Snub or New Felegano, both have been dormant for ages, and no signs of hostility has ever leaked from their borders whatsoever. The same can be said for the Emergency Junta of Centralsk. No evidence points to either us, nor the ISAF. As for the Winter Company to their east, while motivation exists, once again, no evidence exists as to why the Company would wage a war on a nation it does not border. So only one candidate remains: L’bania itself.”

The screen flickers and changes again, and it is now Gordon Tiber, Grand Premier of the lost state of Majoria, who steps up to speak.

“Let us turn back the clock, and paint you a picture of the series of events that led us to this massacre, and later, the war. Prior to the attack, most of the world was at ease, making no moves. Except for us. We took the initiative when no others would and began to reunite the nation of Wintercrest under its new rightful leadership. As we continued to press on with staggering success, lesser governments began to look on with envy. The most jealous of these, L’bania, who was, and still is, too weak to accomplish what we can, decided that rather than help its citizens, it would tear down the livelihood of another nation, ours. To do this, they came up with a plan, a plan to paint us as the villains of the world, turn the misinformed against us, and leech upon our greatness like the parasites they are. To do this, they needed something to make us this villain and give themselves an excuse to look like the hero. They tried to do this by painting us the antagonist of Zenopolis. This failed, so they looked for another massacre. We did not provide it. So they made one of their own.

They then proceeded to enact this dark plan. Rather than do good for their people, they turned their weapons against them, and orchestrated an attack against some of their own. This not only could be used to paint us and others such as the ISAF and the Winter Company as potential villains, but give them an excuse to fuel their war machine and take the fight to us before we could cement our place as the true successor to Wintercrest. If anyone had motivation to attack innocents, it was the L’banian government, not us. Look at the facts, do not be deceived by the tongues of vipers! They condemn us? We do the same to them, but are going a step further than that.

For the sake of the world, we, the Grand Soviet, are hereby announcing that we are placing a bounty on the head of President Tovnyeskiyy to put an end to this madness. Whoever succeeds in killing him will be paid a sum great enough to ensure a more than comfortable living for the remainder of their life, an unconditional pardon from any and all crimes committed until that point, and guaranteed safety from any repercussions that may follow, including asylum in our territory, should you not currently live within it at this time. You have crossed lines far too deep to withdraw from now Tovnyeskiyy, you and your government. You will be annihilated without mercy, you and anyone else that supports your cause. Let this serve as a warning to all L’banian citizens. Cast off the yoke of your masters, join us instead. We will bring you a life of contentment that L’bania cannot offer. Join us, flee from us, or you will die where you stand.”

The broadcast ends, and the TV goes to static.

In another home in Nova Ravenna however, the TV is shut off at once. Watching from their favorite arm chair, a shadowy figure sits and watches as 3 members of the Grand Soviet, the regime that they themselves are a part of, end their speech like planned. They reach to their small table to their left, flicking the ashes of their cigarette onto a well used ashtray before crushing it entirely, leaving it to their spouse to clean up later. They then take a sip of their preferred choice of wine and smile. Their comrades and the world at large were biting directly into the bait they’d set up. Now nothing could stop this war.

And it was all just as they planned……

Even their rallies
3 October 1982 - Tovnyeskiyy sits at a table alongside three military advisors, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defense, staring solemnly at the battle plans sprawled out in front of him. Lebadev brings out a television set paired with a VHS tape and VCR player, and inserts the VHS containing the speech from the Union, given a few days prior.

"Christ, even their rallies are full of death. Threats of it as well..." states Tovnyeskiyy. "This is.. disgusting.. hateful.. dangerous rhetoric."

"We can't even push back, their people won't listen. They'll just become enticed to kill you." The Prime minister notes, "Plus, our deficit is too great to even hold a speech of the sort."

"How much is our deficit..?" Tovnyeskiyy asks, destroyed.

"..381.6 Million." replies the Prime Minister. "Uil', please understand that this is an impossible war. For any side. They all either fall or this ends in a stalemate."

Then comes on the television the announcement of the bounty on the President's head. Silence. Complete silence.

"How.. how possible is it that I die within the next several weeks..?" breaks Tovnyeskiyy.

The room continues silent, almost dead. Tovnyeskiyy can only hear the ringing in his own ears.

"HOW LONG DO I HAVE!?" Tovnyeskiyy screams out in an unsettled, horrendous tone.

"..At most you have a probably a year, maybe a year and a half, Mr. President," remorsefully estimates the Minister of Defense.

The President nods, taking the estimate as fact. In his mind, panic consumes him. On his face, a tear runs down his cheek and falls onto the table--a tear he had not shed since the death of his father during the Great Purge in 1937. The tape ends.

"..I suppose it's an important year and a half for me, then." Tovnyeskiyy states, attempting to retain a façade of strength in the world he once protected slipping away, collapsing as he stands. He clears his throat, "How is our advance going?"

"Underperforming. We're having problems advancing due to local resistance as well as direct opposition from our people," Lebedev claims, "We also don't have enough funds in the budget to effectively support our armed forces."

"But we can confiscate weapons from the local resistance movements, can't we?" notes the Minister of Defense, "If they're still against the cause of reuniting the People's Republic under a free, democratic government, couldn't we just.. seize their weapons?"

"Now what kind of democracy takes away people's property?" Butts in the Prime Minister, "We can just entice them to join the armed forces in our fight to restore Wintercrest, can't we?"

"It's not that easy..." interjects Korolev, one of the most senior military advisors, "We can't just take their land and go 'hey, I know we killed some of your friends but wanna fight with us?'"

Tovnyeskiyy places his face against his hand, a deep sigh following.

"What the hell are we doing. This is by far the most.. depressing meeting I've ever attended..." whines Tovnyeskiyy, under his breath, "Why are you all so immature?"

September turns

L bania attacked unclaimed territory, attempting to consolidate their position. While they did make gains, the losses meant that the army had lost about a third of its strength. 416 damage done to unclaimed land. Most of that concentrated to the south west, with some of it pointed directly south.

Union of Soviet State Republics Continued thier violent march westward. Resistance was never soft on them, but the union kept marching on. 18392 damage done to unclaimed land.

---IT IS NOW OCTOBER---

Consolidating Their Holds

October 4th, 1982:
“Today, citizens of the Union, we have prevailed once more!”

After considerable efforts to move to the northwest in response to the L’banian declaration of war, the Union had almost unintentionally come across another of its most important goals: another state had been brought back into the fold. Holding the celebration was the new Grand Premier of the third state of Majoria to be added to the fold: Gordon Tiber.

“With Majoria, one of the most rich states in all of Old Wintercrest now back into the fold, our position is stronger than it has ever been! Tremble world, those who defy our might and destiny! Shake in fear at what it is to come to those who try to stop what is right! We will continue to rebuild, one state at a time! And while many states suffer from foreign occupants, we will liberate the people from their old shackles, no matter the cost! But it is not just us, the Soviets, who ought to celebrate, for today marks another great day in our books, and in another’s!”

Tiber takes a step off of his podium, and taking his place is Majorianus Nepos, another member of the Grand Soviet, who had just recently returned home from his diplomatic mission.

“Workers of the Union, today I bring glad tidings! As many of you know, I have been gone for the last few months on a deeply important mission in a bid to establish our first set of friendly relations with another entity that emerged from old Wintercrest! Today, we make good on our promises, and show the world that we are not only an entity to be feared. We will always be good to our allies and terrible to our enemies, make no mistake of that! But today, I happily announce all is well with the people of the Junta of Centralsk, and a new partnership has been born! Not only are they amicable to our cause, we now have a strong, legitimate backing from beyond our own borders! Today, I make a grave statement of warning to our enemies. I hereby announce that we, the Union of Soviet State Republics, guarantee the independence of the Centralskian State, and any attempts to subjugate them will result in our immediate involvement, and the attackers imminent demise. Together, we will build the true strong future for all peoples of Old Wintercrest. Fear not, for our Golden Age will soon begin its dawn!”

The people in Majoria’s new capital begin to cheer, and the celebration continues, while the day is officially made into yet another holiday, along with The Day of Severe and The Day of Andromeda, with many more to follow soon enough….

OCTOBER TURN
Nisat marched west on unclaimed land, however the PMC forces struggled to fight effectively in the Mountains. Regardless, they managed to take plenty of land on their march. Nisat did 3540 Damage to unclaimed land.

---It is now November---

November turn
The United Socialist States of Union of Soviet State Republics continued looking north so hard that everyone died. they did 14360 damage to unclaimed territory.

---It is now December---