Coup 2010/07/26(Mon)13:49 No. 212555 ID: 845c1e
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Montgomery Hotel, City of Southkol on 16th October

Following the invitation to mediate the peace negotiations between Lovko and Kormun on behalf of the CCSH, a diplomatic institution bent on solving the disputes of the continent's nation, you travelled to the city of Southkol in the far east, right in the south of the border where both aforementioned nations hold on to an unstable truce.

The beginnings of the war between Lovko and Kormun date back thirty years, the origin being a religious dispute among the followers of the Solarian Church, to which more than ninety percent of the population of Lovko and Kormun are fiercely devoted.

Beside a good dozen of civil servants, bodyguards, law experts and diplomats,your entourage is accompanied by Stanislaw, your economic counsellor, who has claimed to be familiar with the conflict and the language of Lovko and Kormun. After a short stop in a foreign city, Gustav Jacobsen, a representative of the CCSH, and Meryl Quant, a young journalist, also join you on your way to Southkol.

Your impressions after the arrival in the city are dominated by the war-torn appearance of the city, which seems to consists largely of ruins and heavily damaged buildings. Empty streets and occasional military installations you see on your way to the Montgomery Hotel, your official housing for the time of the negotiations, complement the picture.

Shortly after your arrival at the old-fashioned hotel, Stanislaw comes to your room on the third floor to speak to you. But your talk is quickly interrupted by the sound of artillery, far away but still discomforting.

The artillery seems to have been the herald of worse things to come, since shortly thereafter an explosion takes out the windows of your room. Luckily unharmed, you and Stanislaw attempt to leave the room, but a missile is heading right into the direction of the hotel building.

Coup 2010/07/26(Mon)13:49 No. 212556 ID: 845c1e
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The resulting explosion ripples throughout the building and throws you and Stanislaw to the floor. Electric lights flicker and die. In the dark, you and Stanislaw make your way out of the room. The smell of smoke and burning plastics fill the air.

“We should leave now!” Stanislaw shouts, or at least you think he shouts. A constant ringing noise is obscuring your sense of hearing.

“Left, to the left!”

Due to the absence of windows, the corridor is even darker than your room. With your hands on the walls, you and Stanislaw try to reach the staircase, which will lead to the first floor, to safety.


Your pace is agonizingly slow. Rubble and broken furniture lie in your way and have to be circumvented carefully in the dark. A sprained ankle would be fatal.

You notice a strange glow coming from the corridor where the staircase should be, and a black figure is standing in front of it.

“Who's there?” you shout. At first, the person answers in a language you don't understand.
Then, finally, you hear “It's me, Jourdane.”

You recognize the blind woman who was assigned to you as a translator. She has wrapped a piece of cloth around her mouth.

“Sir, the second floor is on fire!” You can see Stanislaw, illuminated by an orange glow from below, standing at the entrance to the staircase and looking down in bewilderment.

“We should look for an another exit...” You can see him trying to grab the blind Jourdane by the arm, but his hand is roughly pushed away.

“I know the building. Follow me!” Suddenly, it is Stanislaw who is dragged along by the woman, who is moving as fast and as secure as only somebody can who is not disturbed by the lack of visibility.

“Uh...” Quickly, you grab Stanislaw by the sleeve and onwards through the darkness it goes. Jourdane moves much more briskly than you thought possible and somehow avoids most of the hindrances you and Stanislaw encountered.

A terrible heat seems to descend from below and also from above, and you suspect that more than just the second floor serves as fodder for the flames. Briefly, you worry about the fate of the other men and women in the hotel, but your concentration quickly returns to your here and now. Smoke makes your eyes water and stings painfully in your throat. As difficult as thinking coherently is at the moment, your mind is nonetheless able to trick you to remember that most deaths during a fire are not caused by burning, but by suffocation.

“Here it is.” Jourdane comes to a sudden stop. The sign “EXIT” in fat Heurlyndian letters is beckoning you through the darkness, thanks to luminous plastics, no doubt.

The translator and Stanislaw begin to work on the door, and for a hysteric moment you have impression that it's stuck and stuck forever.

But fortunately, the door opens and you, Jourdane and Stanislaw flee down the stairs as fast as your feet allow. On the second floor your group is joined by other people, some of them hotel staff, some of members of your entourage.

The emergency exit leads you outside, to freedom and fresh air, but also to a new, terrible noise. Your tilt your head.

The sky above Southkol is ablaze with explosions and tracer fire. Clearly, this attack is no minor military operation and the Kormunians seem to be strained to contain it.

“Anybody hurt? No? Good.”

“We have to look for the others. They might be trapped inside.”

“There's nothing we can do, Sir. If anything, they'll use one of the others exits and we'll just search an already empty building. Protecting your life is a priority, Sir. Also, we shouldn't stay here, the building doesn't look too safe.”

You dare to look up and gasp. Most of the building's roof is gone, and there's an unsettlingly large hole leading to the fourth floor, where a whole part of the wall has come apart. Thick, black smoke streams out of the broken windows, and even while you watch, there's more and more rubble tumbling down the hotel's front. Hopefully, there's nobody inside anymore.

Your group, many of the men and women unsettled by the noises of the still ongoing battle, hurries to get away from the burning hotel. Stanislaw's question, when the fire-fighters might be expected to arrive, are answered by the Kormunians by tired head-shaking.

You turn to Jourdane. “Thank you for leading us to the emergency exit.” The woman just smiles, her teeth shining white in her sooty face. You raise a hand to your own face: The palm comes back black and smeared. All the other persons around you, too, look like coal miners straight after their working shift.

“We should try and get to into contact with an authority”Stanislaw says. “A phone would be handy right now.” Everyone agrees, and together, the group increases the distance between itself and the still burning building, heading for one of the larger streets. Sometimes, one of the hotel employees knocks on one of the doors to either side, but the house silent. One time, a man with hollow eyes appears behind a window and watches your group wander by. After somebody called out to him, he just disappears in the darkness of his house.

Coup 2010/07/26(Mon)13:50 No. 212557 ID: 845c1e
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Anxiously, the group leaves the half-shadows of a side street, which at least resembled something like cover, and you are immediately discovered by a soldier in Kormunian uniform.

“Are you from the hotel?” he calls out. Jourdane translates for you.

“There's a transport waiting for the Gorvian state guests.” He gestures back over his shoulder.

“What is with the other members of my entourage?” you ask. “Some might still be in the hotel.”

“Are... are you the president?” he asks. You nod.

“We will make sure everybody is secure, Sir. But now go on, please!”

You, Stanislaw, Jourdane and the other Gorvians head towards several large military vehicles, each with six wheels and armoured hatches instead of doors. Another soldiers utters something in Lovkormunian and indicates you to hurry up, something which you understand even without linguistic proficiency.

You and the others sit down in the cramped interior space and the mighty engine of the vehicle comes alive with a roar.

You notice one of the soldiers has taken seat in the vehicle as well.

“Hey, Jourdane.” It's difficult to say whether the translator heard you over the noise of the engine or not, since she never looks into the direction of the person she is talking with. “Could you ask the soldier what is going on?”

She nods and a quick conversation erupts between her and the soldier.

“The city garrison is under attack. Enemy aircraft and ground troops, too.”

“I thought there was a truce?!” one of the Gorvians yells.

“The attackers weren't identified, yet. They're probably Lovkosi, but we don't know for sure. You will have to talk with an officer.”

“Where are we going, now?”

“To the headquarters of the local theatre. It's the safest place.”

Coup 2010/07/26(Mon)13:50 No. 212558 ID: 845c1e
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Central Underground Bunker, Fort Firnis on 18th October
To call Fort Firnis a “fort” would be quite an understatement. It is, in fact, a multitude of low buildings in the centre of various overlapping defensive positions covering miles and miles of ground, very close to the southern border of Southkol.
In fact, a few ruined buildings in the south of Southkol serve as makeshift barricades for one of the outer defence layers.
Although, or maybe because Fort Firnis is very close to the border, it serves as the main supply depot for the Kormunian Army, with its own railway station and a fleet of transport vehicles. It's also a way-station for soldiers arriving from the Kormunian hinterland or leaving the combat area to be assigned somewhere else. Last but not least, the deep underground bunkers provide workspace for the staff of the local commandeering officer.

It's also a very busy place, you learned as much.

After spending a whole day in the care of a few very nervous doctors, who seemed to have been inclined to make your stay in the well-equipped hospital as boring as possible, Stanislaw and Jourdane were finally able to convince the person in charge to let you leave, but during your first night in the living quarter you grew to miss the secluded tranquillity of your bed in the sickbay. Kormunian soldiers seemed to have a field day marching up and down in endless columns right in front of your door, and the angry shouting of the officers in a language you don't understand didn't help at all.

After your first night in Fort Firnis the local commandant, a brigadier called Nesive, showed up and apologized several times for the inconveniences, by which, as far as you grasped, he meant the fact that your hotel was blown up by a missile.

On the other hand, the news that all members of your Gorvian staff made it through the night alive and in relatively good health cheered you up to no end. After the arrival at the Montgomery Hotel, most of them had gathered in the hotel's lobby on the first floor for a late drink and thus were able to swiftly evacuate the building. Now, just like you, they are guests in Fort Firnis.

Jacobsen, the man of the CCSH, and Quant, the journalist, have not been as lucky. They are both still in the sickbay, Quant recovering from smoke poisoning, while Jacobsen seems to stable, but unconscious after receiving serious head injuries.

For a change, you don't wait for Stanislaw to visit you in your quarters. Instead, you pay him a visit in one of the rooms where your entourage spends the day sitting on their bunk beds, trying hard not to revel in inactivity. Ironically, Jourdane, the blind woman, who still knows the place better than any of the Gorvians, usually helps the Gorvians out whenever they get lost in the underground maze they have to stay in while the fighting on the surface still lasts.

The battle, and every Kormunian you spoke to now calls it so, is going quite well- depending on the point of view, of course. Since the Kormunians were quite concerned about the well-being of you and your staff, you unconsciously side with them whenever you think about the fighting.

The intensity of combat died down quickly on the second day, but, understandably, you were not allowed to get to the surface.

“Would have been quite a scandal, getting the Gorvian president killed on his first visit in Kormun, would it not?” the Brigadier Nesive told you once in his horrible accent. You agreed wordlessly.

Nesive, a military man who seems to fulfil all movie clichés up to the point of constantly biting and chewing a fat cigar (heaven knows where he got those in this isolated country), has provided you with a communication line to the outside world, something which seems more difficult for the Kormunians than you previously imaged. The military communication hub you saw would have been scrapped in Gorvia twenty years ago.

Beside the highly important call back home, where Florence and the rest of the G.I.A. keep things going, you actually got some news about the reason you came to Kormun in the first place: The negotiations have been postponed by a week and, since the building, where the negotiations should have been held originally, has been flattened by a 650 kilo bomb, the new location will be Horest, a small village near the border to Tarrperia, an area that is considered much safer than either Southkol or Northkol at the moment.

The negotiations weren't cancelled altogether, because, as the Kormunians found out, elements of the Lovkosi Army defected to the ultraconservative hard-liners in Lovko, who oppose any solution to the conflict which does not include their radical views. Still, they might want to participate in the negotiations, if only to show their current influence among the Lovkosi, and send their own representatives along with pope Solia IV. Nesive, however, said that the leaders of the Kormunians are sceptical whether the hard-liners should be informed about the new location, fearing another attack. It's true that the attackers did not have the intention to sabotage the negotiations in the first place, the blowing up of the Montgomery Hotel has been merely an accident. They did not, or could not, know the Gorvians were in the hotel, or at least that's what the Kormunians claim.

As you enter their quarters, you notice the members of your delegation are sitting together in a sinister circle. You notice Jourdane, who spent a lot of time with the Gorvians, is absent.
“Ah, Sir!” Stanislaw greets you. “We were just talking about you?”
“You were?”
“Well, yes. To be more precise, we wanted to ask you something.” Stanislaw gestures towards the assembled men and women. “Boredom seems to be the seed of loony ideas. We discussed our current situation, and if we stay for the negotiations...”
“If we stay?”
“Well, Sir, if we abandoned the negotiations now, who would blame us? Our life of every one of us was in danger, after all.”
“I see.”
“Don't get we impression we'd want to. If you decide to stay, we'd all stay with you, right guys?”
Murmured acknowledgements from the group.
“So?”
“I think you'll concur if I say, the situation has changed quite a bit since our arrival. We got a new negotiating party, and we don't know how the other factions will react to that. On the other hands, nobody, not even Jourdane, knows that I understand Lovkormunian perfectly. And Mister Leschki here...” Stanislaw points at a scrawny man with a birth mark on his face. “...his Lovkormunian is not half bad, either. And then Miss Shaley...”

A tall woman with black hair stands up. You can see the day-old, first-degree burns on her hands. “I learned Lovkormunian at school, Sir.”

“...which leaves us with three persons able to snatch some Intel.” Stanislaw concludes. “And I think information is what we need right now, if we still want to go through with this. As it stands, we'll fly to Horest in three days, and the other negotiating parties will arrive simultaneously. That leaves us at least three more days to try and sneak into one of the camps and take a closer look at their agendas. I can think of various excuses to get in touch with either party, the only problem is we don't have enough people to survey both the Lovkosi and the Kormunians. If we want to achieve anything in a short time like this, we'll have to concentrate on one faction. You might even consider one-to-one talks with either Solia IV. or Field Marshal Austeaux, to see what they are willing to tell us and how far it differs from what we can deduce.”

“Well, originally I had planned not to talk to any of them before the negotiations officially start. Would give nobody reasons to doubt our neutrality” you say.

“I, personally, think we should try to get as much Intel as possible, Sir, especially about how the factions react to the uprising of the hard-liners in Lovko.” Stanislaw answers. “This will help to avoid stumbling into something heedlessly.”

“Yeah, and end up in a burning hotel or something like that” Leschki says. Some of the others laugh.

I think I cried a little.

My vote's for staying in kormun. Intel's on the agenda.

Out of the two countries, I think good intel on either is just as important, but being forced to pick, I'll choose Kormun, for simple expedience's sake. They're the ones we're closest to, without having to risk crossing any border regions and whatnot.

Speaking with the Field Marshal... might as well, though we'll have to pick our words carefully, and be wary of making promises while we fish for information. I think we have a decent excuse for speaking with him now, after this attack, him being a military leader and all.

Off for bed. Don't let it die again, folks.

Field Marshal and Kormun.

Even if no one would blame us for leaving after an attack, there would still be a loss of face on the political stage both at home and abroad. We stay, and we make the best of it, and that includes collecting HUMINT with the assets we have with us.

>>212580

You've got a good argument for learning more about them, but they're likely to be the more reasonable group in this. We really should try to learn more about the extremists. Die-hards can run guerrilla wars for decades, if the reasons for their feuds can't be de-fused. And in this case it's supposedly religious in nature, meaning it's even more sticky for an outsider to try to negotiate.

! Coup 2010/07/28(Wed)07:43 No. 213180 ID: 845c1e
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A house in Horest, close to the Tarrperian border, on 23rd October

Horest proved to be an ugly little town, the centre consisting mainly of social housing and neglected apartment blocks. The sole outstanding oddity is probably the make-shift runway, which, as you suspect, was probably once part of a Kormunian highway.

Few locals roam the street and whenever you look out of the window, military guards in more or less obvious disguises are prowling around house corners and on rooftops.

Jacobsen, the CCSH obersvant, is still unconscious, but Quant, the journalist, insisted on coming to Horest in order to be able to write about the negotiations.

Since your arrival two days ago, your staff has been preparing for the negotiations as good as they can, with the exception of a few individuals, who were sent by you to gather Intel about the Kormunians.

And two of these individuals have just entered your room.

“Good afternoon, Sir.”

“Good afternoon, Mister Leschki. Mrs Shaley. Where's Stanislaw?”

“He is trying to arrange a meeting with Austeaux. The Field Marshal still claims he's too busy” Leschki explains.

“Ah, well. What news do you bring?”

“We were quite successful, Sir” Shaley answers “Mister Leschki was able to acquire copies of most of the files of the Kormunians. We translated and analysed them for your convenience.”

“Excellent. The Kormunians don't suspect anything?” you ask. They exchange quick glances.

“Uhm, Sir..” Leschki says carefully “Technically, I was discovered.”

“What!?”

“Eh, while I was going through the files in the office of the Kormunian envoy, his secretary suddenly came in. The situation was quite obvious to her and she recognised me immediately as a Gorvian.”
But all is well, Sir” he hurries to add “She proposed a deal, which I accepted. She did not report me to her superiors. She didn't tell anyone.”

“May I know what kind of deal you struck with her?”

“Apparently, I'm going to marry her” he says quietly.

“Apparently, he's going marry her!” Shaley grins.

“Uh, excuse me, but for a moment I thought you said you were....”

“That's exactly what I said.” Leschki is sounding more and more uncomfortable and thrwos angry glances at Shaley.

“His charming nature and good looks simply overwhelmed her, Sir” Shaley laughs. “No girl's able to resist our Mister Leschki.”

“Ahem, as it stands, marrying a foreigner is one of the few ways to get a travel permit” Leschki says meekly. “It's but a marriage on paper . It seems like she wants to leave the country as soon as possible. A Solarian priest will conduct the ceremony on the day before we leave Kormun.”

“Ah, yes. I didn't congratulate you yet, did I?” Shaley snorts. “Congratulations, Leschki, I hope you two are going live happily ever after...”

“It's only on paper, Shaley. And look, you bore the State Monitor with your talk. We should give him our report.”

“Of course.”

They hand you a big ring binder and bid farewell. As they leave, you can see Shaley patting Leschki's back. “Cheer up, man, it's for a good cause. And think about the tax benefits...”

Shaking your head, you browse through the pages.
You read a passage. You blink. And then you read the passage again:

...according to the orders of Field Marshal Austeaux, pope Eusebius II. and pope Hermius XII. remain under house arrest. Unless otherwise stated by a member of High Command, any attempts to contact them have to be prohibited...

You read on. It seems like the Kormunian High Command (KHC) has secretly worked towards banning any kind of religious influence from their administration. Offices and politicians were replaced by members of the military, or people close to High Command.
Using the war as a reason, the KHC was assigned comprehensive authority over the Kormunian public.
The process is not completed yet, but most of the plans of the KHC are already fairly advanced.

Their aim seems to be a total secularisation of Kormun, with most of the religious offices unable to exert influence on public matters.

Looking through the files, you have to admit that you admire the work of the KHC. But just a bit.

Concerning the negotiations, the Field Marshal's aims are as follows:
- controlling the Bay of Kollste (the strait leading to it being one of the main trade routes)
- supporting the demands of the hard-liners in order to weaken the position of Lovko
- giving in, supposedly reluctantly, whenever demands of a religious nature are at stake
- forcing the Lovkosi to abandon the defensive positions near the border (at least partly)
- a formal document, which blames the anti-reformers of Lovko to have caused the war
- forcing Lovko to resign as a member of the CCSH
- creating the illusion that the popes of Kormun fully support the KHC in order to destablize the population of Lovko
- an agreement for accepting humanitarian help from the CCSH
- forcing Lovko to surrender the “Holy Spirit”, their only aircraft carrier
- establishing a demilitarized zone, forty kilometres deep, inside the border of Lovko
- accepting Kormunian military observers in Lovko's major cities


It knocks. You raise your head and Stanislaw enters.

“Sir, Austeaux is ready to meet you in half an hour. He said he has been too busy until now...”

“Well, I can imagine what kept him busy” you say.

“Sir?”

“Did you read this yet?” You nod at the ring binder.

“No, Sir.”

“Then forget it. Where will the meeting take place?”

! Coup 2010/07/28(Wed)07:44 No. 213181 ID: 845c1e
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Conference Hall, Horest, on the same day

As you enter, Field Marshal Austeaux rises to greet you. He does not look as you expected. You imagined a big hat and a chest full of medals.

Austeaux seems to have a few of his aides with him, while you are accompanied by Stanislaw and Jourdane. The latter translates.

“Greetings. My name is Austeaux. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

You shake his hand.

“Let me apologize for what happened in Soutkol. If you were killed that day, it would have been a great shame for the army of Kormun.” You both take seat.

“It's a pity I couldn't comply with your request earlier. But I am also curious. Why did you insist on this meeting?”

...This is a Gorvian Knot. All craftsmanship is of the highest quality. It is encircled in bands of Secularism, Oligarchy and Religion. The object is adorned with hanging rings of Military Policy and menaces with spikes of Intrigue. On the item is an image of Montgomery hotel and Austeaux in Intrigue. Montgomery hotel is burning. Austeuax is laughing.

...I need time to process this properly.

Anyone else able to figure out just what the KHC are trying to do here? I mean, beyond just screwing Lovko straight over and secularising their country with themselves in control. It seems as if they've coordinated with the lovko extremists.

Alright, sorry about the wait. I can parse this, just not late at night with no sleep.

And post something, fellas! I know I wasn't the only one with interest in this.

GOALS SUMMARY

Our goals: For a peace treaty to be viewed as successful thanks to our efforts, so that we may gain international cred and garner political support back in Gorvia. Bonus goal: Actually succeed to some extent.

CCSH goal: Apparently to improve the humanitarian situation in both countries, which is supposedly the worst on the entire continent.

Kormun High Command goal: To set themselves well up for the next war/in a position of dominance over Lovko. Make Lovkovians believe the KHC has the support of the popes.

Kormun Popes' goals: Mostly unknown. Two are in house arrest.

Lovko Puritans goals: From the sound of it, seceding fully (spiritually), and creating their own religion, splitting the Solarian main church. Unknown if other specific goals.

Lovko Pope's goals: Peace. Probably other goals.

Reunification: Goal of Kormuns and Lovkosi both (bar hardliners?), but different approaches to it. KHC gears for a future war. Lovkosi Pope seems at first glance genuinely into peace.

SOME POSSIBLE COURSES OF ACTION

Option 1: Softball

Be the neutral party we're supposed to be, and try to navigate the mess of faction interests and intrigues to hammer out something that won't send the countries descending into further religious or civil strife for the time being. This might mean trying to stymie the KHC's demands and plans to some extent, and work out a stop-gap solution to the religious reform dilemma, in order to make it work at all.

If we make it work, we might even look into trying to make it last.

Option 2: Hardball

Help the Kormunian High Command in their quest for authority or warn the Lovkosi about the KHC's secularization, future plans and their influence over Kormun politics. Either will be a breach of our role as a neutral party, and could cause further war actions down the line or immediately, dpending on how we play our hand, in open, or in secrecy.

Might not benefit us much, or their nations, if the wars just continue as-is. If we set someone up to win later, though, we might gain a united Lovkormunia who owes us one down the road some years.

Option 3: Deadball.

Simply let the talks fail, or just arrange the barest of concessions to be made, enough to be seen making an effort, but not enough to be deciding to either side. While this might be giving up, the KHC's sincerity is very much in question on whether they'll honor or accept a treaty that doesn't favor them, and their demands will be pretty hard to reconcile with the Lovkosians' anyway.

Plus, we know little of Lovko's own plans and goals yet. They might not be that much better.

SPEAKING WITH THE MARSHAL

Some questions could end up being bad or a little too revealing. We should tread lightly when suggesting topics to raise. That said, I'm not sure how to corner Austaux and get him to reveal information to us, without revealing too much... ah well. He who dares not, wins not.

-We are meeting now for several reasons, curiosity among them, but mainly due to the latest attack, which has given us some food for thought.

-We should perhaps express polite gratitude for the care the Kormunian army has given us and mention we're honored that we were invited to the proceedings, not to mention more than a little curious. It's understood that it is practically unheard of that an outsider is allowed to advice on internal matters like these. Who initiated the suggestion?

-What is the government's goals for the peace talks? Do you plan to make demands Lovko moderates or hardliners will find hard to swallow? We've yet to receive the papers on what matters will be raised at the treaty talks... from either side. The lack of information leaves us with little option but to seek it on our own from you.

-We would, incidentally, like to request a line to the Solarian popes of Kormun, and reinvite them to this meeting. If the hardliners of Lovko threaten religious seperation, as seems possible they might, this could be the catalyst needed to draw the popes out onto the negotiation table to speak with the moderates. ((I certainly wonder what reaction this thought would bring!))

-Figure out some inconspicious way to point out that the matter of whose responsibility the war has been should have no relevance on treaty talks... it is simply not the way to set up a working relationship. Those waters will be, if history and experience has ever taught us anything, far too muddied to measure, and stirring them certainly won't help.

>>214342
i'm all for softball but don''t really hate hardball

“The attack has stirred up some confusion among my the members of my delegation. I hope to clarify matters.”

“Clarity is a noble goal to achieve.”

“But, first, I want to express the gratitude of the Gorvian delegation, Field Marshal. The Kormunian Army took good care of us after the attack.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

“We are also honoured to participate in the proceedings, but, if I may say so, also very curious. It's very uncommon for outsiders...”

“...to be part of Lovkormunian matters? Indeed.”

“Why now? And why us?”

“You may be surprised to hear I, personally, requested outsiders to participate. And I also suggested the new State Monitor of Gorvia to help the negotiation efforts. The circumstances allowed it.”

“What kind of circumstances?”

“Pope Solia IV. and I have met before, we negotiated the truce after all, and we are in agreement about certain things.
One of them is the urge to bring this war to an end. Another, that it is time for our nation to accept that we are part of a greater community. And lastly, that every change needs time.
It would an unbearable shock for our people if we suddenly opened our gates and let the rest of the continent flood in, picking at what's left of our nation like carrion birds. Small, steps, you agree?

We needed somebody whose word had some weight among the international community, but was not yet ensnared by the corruption of international politics. That's where you come into play, if I may use that figure of speech. Solia IV. agreed with me on all those points.”

He throws a glance at his aides and they respectfully increase the distance between themselves and the table. Suddenly, he switches into Orgosian, a language you are perfectly fluent in.

“Something on which she might have not agreed on is the following: I admire the way you came to power in Gorvia. You saw that the faults in your nation's government, its instability and failure to provide for its people, and you corrected them.” Austeaux leans forward and he almost whispers as he says: “I think you and I, we are men who think alike. Men like us see the imperative of certain... actions. Men like us perceive the things in our societies which should be changed.”

“And, Field Marshal, what do you see which has to be changed?”

He pauses. “Well, State Monitor, my position is no secret. I support the modernisation of my nation. I want to bring Lovkomuny on a level with the other nations of the continent.”

“I see. But what do you mean with modernisation?”

He makes another pause and looks at you, with hard, grey eyes. “The Solarian Church did not prove to be as salutary as its followers hoped. The church might play another role in our country in the future. A... less significant role.”
As director of the GIA you acquired the ability to accurately judge the people you face. And at this very moment, your judgement tells you are sitting on front of a man you would rather not have for an enemy.
On the other end, only the dangerous creatures are worth to be slain, are they not?

You ban these thoughts from your mind and postpone them to a later date. “Thank you for sharing your view, Field Marshal.”

He nods and leans back against his chair.

You change back into Gorvian and Lovkormunian, respectively. Jourdane has remained stony-faced during the short Orgosian conversation and now resumes her translation work.

“We didn't receive any papers from any side yet, thus we don't know what matters will be raised at the talks.”

“No? Most unfortunate, the delivery must have been somehow forgotten in the confusion of the last days.” Austeaux snaps his fingers and one of his aides approaches. The Field Marshal orders the aide to have the documents delivered to the Gorvians as fast as possible.

“Could you ask the Lovkosi to hand out their papers, too?” you ask. The Field Marshal turns to the aide once more. “See to it!” The young man rushes out of the room.

“Well, thank you for your help. But it might be useful to get some information right now. From you, personally, if I may be so bold.”

Austeaux smiles. “Intelligence people. They are alike, no matter where they are from.”
He takes out a few papers from a briefcase.

“Kormun, as the legal successor of the former nation of Lovkomuny, will demand the following...”

“Excuse me” you interrupt him “but neither Lovko nor Kormun have been recognised as such by the CCSH.”

“Hrm, I see. Well, anyway, our goal is to lay the cornerstones for a reunification. To achieve that, we need:
1. An immediate stop to all combat actions.
2. A slow, but constant demilitarization, with both sides being able to trust each other again.
3. Forming a council with representatives from both sides, where matters of mutual interest can be discussed
4. Beginning to form a combined government, aiming to unite the administration of Lovko and Kormun again.

Besides...”

“Field Marshal, before you continue, a word please. These are very general points and you do not mention, how they can be accomplished.”

“They can be accomplished through modernisation of Lovko and Kormun and their respective governments. Only a 'restart' will be able to set aside the rivalry of the past. We need new men and women to lead our nation into the future...”

“Men and women... from Kormun, I guess?”

The Field Marshal puts his hands to one another. “We understand each other very well, State Monitor.
Of course, the new leaders have to possess certain qualities. And, considering Lovko is lead by a pope, who represents the very religion which originally caused the war... Let's say I don't trust the leadership capabilities of the Lovkosi too much.
And the leadership of Kormun certainly won't shrink from taking responsibility in a reunited Lovkormuny.
We need people with a vision. The vision of a modern nation. And whoever supports that vision will, of course, enjoy the never-ending gratitude of our nation”

“And what about traditional values?”

“Traditional values, as you call them, are what brought us here in the first place.”

“So, you probably won't accept any terms Lovko might bring up?”

“With the radicals having shown their military might a few days ago, does Lovko have anything left to bargain for?”

You don't give him an answer.

“Field Marshal, the religious side of this conflict should not be disregarded during the talks. I'd like to speak to the popes of Kormun. The threat of the puritans in Lovko to divide the Solarian Church should spark their interest and I'd like to hear their opinions. I'd even say they should participate in the negotiations.”

You observe Austeaux's reaction closely. The man is as cool as a block of ice.

“If you wish, you can speak with any of them. There's no problem to arrange that. But having them participate in the talks?” Austeaux shakes his head. “I don't think that would be fitting. Wouldn't it send the wrong image? We have to look at the new, the better future. I'm afraid my government will not allow any change to the negotiations which might give off the image, we would cling to the dark days of old. Only through modernisation we can overcome the conflict which besets our nation.”

“Yes, but how will the religious side be represented?”

“Through the official representatives of Kormun. Isn't this common among the members of the CCSH?”

“But Lovko sends Solia IV., a pope...”

“...to represent Lovko. Matters of state – officials of state. I do not see a problem there.”

“Yes, but if they could address the moderate forces on both sides, it would...”

“...undermine the position of Lovko and lead to instability for years to come? Certainly. By having the popes address the moderates of Lovko, we will only alienate the puritans, the sworn enemies of the papacy. If we want to strike an agreement with them without causing a second civil war among the Lovkosi themselves, radicals versus moderates, we will have to keep the popes as far away from the talks as possible.”

Something about Austeaux's tone tells you, that nothing you say will be able to change his opinion. You sigh and read through the papers he gave you. One of the paragraphs, containing the clause about the responsibility of the war, catches your eye.

“Field Marshal, I think the responsibility of the war should have no relevance, if we are inclined to make the treaty talks a success...”

“I'm afraid the demand will not be rephrased. I insist.”

'Oh come on, now' you think. 'Can't you give in at least once... But wait a moment. Did he say “rephrased” ?' You glance at Jourdane, for a moment doubting her translation skills, and ask her to repeat the sentence.

“The Field Marshal said 'I'm afraid the demand will not be rephrased'.”

“What was the last word?”

“Rephrased.”

“As in 'cannot be expressed differently' ?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“As in 'cannot be expressed by different words' ?”

“Yes, Sir.” Jourdane's eyeless gaze rests uneasily on you.

You take a closer look at the document. ...the responsibility of the war lies with the anti-reformers, who originally opposed the religious reform initiated by the council of the popes, and their opponents, whose violent clash led to the first bloodshed...

That is not the same sentence you read in the Kormunian documents earlier in your office, or is it? And if it's phrased differently, why? Something in the back of your head tells you, there's something of great importance in this sentence, but you are not able to catch it...

“Well now” Austeaux says “Do you have anything else you want to talk about? I'd wager you want to talk to Solia IV. now.”

“Why do you think so, Field Marshal?”

“You know, hear my side, hear her side. Staying neutral. We all want to make the peace talks a success, don't we?” His smile gives you an edgy feeling.