For Profit and the Downfall of Our Enemies

[Ceausescu]

Bucharest City,
Allied States of Carpathia and Moldova



"In Carpathia's forests, there lives a creature called a direwolf. It is said that this creature is amongst the wisest and most patient in the world. When its enemy, the bear, growls and roars at him, the direwolf patiently waits. When the bear swipes its paw at him, the direwolf waits. And when the bear goes to sleep in the winter, the direwolf sneaks up on it and rips out its heart." - Emperor Constantin the Third.

It was a warm, sunny day in the sprawling metropolis that is the capital of the Allied States. In the pleasant weather, people went about their daily lives in peace, enjoying safety and prosperity in this city that was the birthplace and the beating heart of National-Communism. But the serene atmosphere of this city said nothing about its past.

The citizens of the nation that had become the Allied States did not always enjoyed such safe and prosperous lives. Carpathia was a nation born out of the fires of revolution and forged of the steel of war. Indeed, everything within this nation, every right and benefit that its people enjoyed, was bought and paid for in blood.

The Allied States knew war, as intimately and intricately as one would know a gentle lover. Carpathia and war were intricately intertwined, forging a culture built upon the ideals of hard work, cooperation, sacrifice and military discipline that was unlike any other in the world.

Now, once again, Carpathia's old companion, war, seemed to once again loom on the horizon.

For nearly a decade and a half, the great and terrible bear that is the nation of Severyane, has hounded Carpathia at every step. It has rebuked every attempt made by Carpathia to establish friendly relations, it has done everything within its power to isolate and intimidate its leadership and people, but the Carpathian direwolf can only be pushed so far.

Behind the closed doors of one of the largest conference rooms within the People's House, a group of officials plotted Severyane's downfall. They awaited a guest which, a mere two years ago, no one would have thought would visit Carpathia: the Foreign Minister of the Holy Lanlanian Empire.

Up to this point, relations between the Allied States and the Holy Lanlanian Empire have been mostly neutral. Neither nation has engaged in actions through which it would declare itself the other's rival. Carpathia has stayed out of Lanlania's way and the Lanlanian leaders have been content to leave Carpathia to its own devices. Now, those relations seemed on the verge of taking a friendlier route.

The Lanlanian Foreign Minister's upcoming visit to Bucharest had been discussed and debated by the press ever since its announcement. It was certainly one of the biggest political surprises of the year. Little did the press know how far Carpathia's intentions went.

In the Carpathian government, the powers that be had decided to begin the delicate dance of courtship that would eventually result in an alliance with the Holy Lanlanian Empire. Carpathia would offer Lanlania a powerful ally and more importantly, secure Lanlanian interests in East Brigidna for the future. By picking the Lanlanian side, the Allied States were effectively eliminating a potential trojan horse amidst the carefully-built web of alliances that the Holy Lanlanian Empire had secured for itself in the region. Through the addition of Carpathia into its web of alliances, Lanlania would gain assurance that no nation in East Brigidna could challenge its interests in the region.

In return, Carpathia's own regional interests would be insured. By aligning itself with Lanlania and, by extension, its allies, Carpathia aimed to defuse decades of political tensions with its neighbors. And Carpathia would also gain a powerful backer against Severyane's continued pushes into the region, shoring up the Allied States' policy of deterrence and effectively hamstringing Severyan influence over East Brigidna.

And if all went according to the best case scenario, this was only the beginning of Carpathia's ascension. And of Severyane's downfall.

[Ayzek]

Bucharest City, Allied States
Wednesday, 25 Dosa 1587

Elias Borkson, Foreign Minister of the Holy Lanlanian Empire, was not a large man. Of only average height and being unarguably underweight, only the crisp, well-tailored navy suit and the Imperial flag pinned on its lapel made it clear he was an official representative of the most second powerful country on the planet. And arguably, the first didn't count. Elias wasn't too surprised that he was ordered to visit the Allied States. The Empire did visit it from time to time as part of its diplomatic tours of South Brigidna. Usually, however, it was a short courtesy visit to signal that the Empire recognized Carpathia and Moldova and meant no ill will as it pursued real purposes in the various other states. That the working visit was more than double its usual time was certainly a signal that something was afoot.

This time, however, he'd received a concrete agenda to pursue in the Allied States and had been given the time to pursue it. Those orders were the true surprise. His time in Carpathia and Moldova had been extended by the Prime Minister on fairly short notice, after the Allied States government had expressed their interest in closer ties with the Empire. That too had been a bit unexpected, though not significantly, given the state of affairs of South Brigidna.

The Allied States were surrounded by Lanlanian partners, after all. Though not explicitly allied with all of them, the Empire was bound to protect many South Brigidnan states and they were part of the Imperial defense stratagem for South Brigidna. The Allied States were the only holdout, and now that they were willing to work with the Empire....

The challenge was getting the Empire's other partners to understand that the Allied States could be a force for good in South Brigidna, if they could harness it just right. It could be argued the Empire's lack of initiative in South Brigidnan politics was a contributing factor, but the fact was that Allied States's neighbors distrusted it, perhaps even feared it. It would take years, if not decades of work for the Allied States to fix its relationship with its neighbors, though doing so was paramount to secure lasting regional peace in South Brigidna.

Reminding the Allied States of this and setting the foundation for it were two of Borkson's key goals for the trip. He was worried it would be too difficult. The Carpathians and Moldovans were known to be stubborn, after all.

"We are arriving," Borkson's driver said.

Borkson glanced out his vehicle's tinted windows and saw what he recognized as the Carpathian People's House looming into view. He and the Carpathians had arranged a meeting with his Allied States counterpart to start with, before introductions with key members of the Carpathian legislature. Only a minister, he didn't expect to meet with the Carpathian Dictator. Though an official state visit between heads of state was an option, for a later date.

[Ceausescu]

Bucharest City, Allied States
Wednesday, 25 Dosa 1587

The twenty mounted soldiers of the Cavalry of the Guard stood at attention, as motionless as their black steeds, broadswords drawn and held in a salute. It was a tradition which dated back centuries, a fact reflected by the archaic, but immaculate uniforms that these cavalrymen wore. These soldiers were not mere set pieces, though. They were drawn from the best of the best from amongst the armed forces of the Allied States and also acted as a final line of defense for whichever official they were assigned to escort, a fact made evident by the assault rifles slung from special holsters hanging from their saddles. Also, according to rumor, each of them was trained to wield the broadsword that he carried. It was a strange mixture of tradition and modernity that was typical of Carpathia.

Outside the courtyard of the vast building that was the People's House, a crowd of journalists and bystanders was trying to take pictures, under the watchful gaze of an impressive security force consisting not only of police cars, but also of armored personnel carriers and what looked like a large contingent of the Carpathian equivalent of SWAT teams.

The People's House itself, was an impressive building. Standing right in the heart of the capital, it was a massive structure, the second largest in the world by surface area. Only the imperial palace which the Lanlanians were building for their emperor, was larger. An icon, in a country fraught with symbolism and tradition.

Foreign Minister Elias Borkson was welcomed into the conference room by Foreign Minister Lucescu, his Carpathian counterpart, as well as Marius Ionescu, the economy minister and Marcel Tudor, deputy minister of defense. Accompanying them, was an impressive contingent of aides and secretaries.

Octavian Lucescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Allied States, wore a simple business suit. He was a bald, old man of seventy-four, but his eyes were still sharp as he shook hands with his Lanlanian counterpart.

"Greetings, Minister Borkson and welcome to the Allied States. I hope your journey here, has been a pleasant one," he said, motioning to the semi-circular table which stood at the center of the conference room. "On behalf of the Allied States and their people, I thank you for coming here."

The conference table was of a peculiar design, shaped like a half-moon, so as to convey the idea that everyone was of equal station, while also allowing the people attending, to see whatever presentation was displayed on the large screen which hung on one of the walls.