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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 10, 2012 18:12:34 GMT -5
People's Ambassador Clemens Urrad -his last name, like Kazamar's, was an Ayar family name adopted after his emancipation-, smirked at Drussus' attempt at criticism.
"My dear friend Drussus," he began, "if the Esharan Republic had made half the provisions for the due rights and freedoms for its workers and the abolition of the crime of slavery as the 'capitalist power' in question, you would have a new ally.
"As for our allowing the passage of the UCLC fleet, what would you rather we have done? We had almost incontrovertible proof of the Reich's intention to invade the system; surely as many Esharan merchants would have died at its callous, fanatical hands as have in the Centricus' regrettably necessary surprise attack. And even if this were not the case, would you expect us to simply allow imperialist cultural purists of the highest degree to subject the UCLC to the horrors of total war, followed by the expansion of their frightful, anti-Revolutionary influence into our own home system?"
Urrad eyed the Senator with amused anticipation as he lit his own cigar. He was convinced that Drussus' self-righteous demands were full of steam and utterly lacking in substance.
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Apr 10, 2012 19:29:35 GMT -5
'' And you would expect us to sacrifice the lives our citizens for your ambitions? I would see New Sovereignty burn first. '' The Senator replied icily. '' The character of the alliance the Republic and the RWU shows through even now if such is your response. '' He said, exhaling a blast of smoke from his lips as he leaned across the table.
'' Let me be clear. If the Revolutionary Workers Union declares war on the Reich, we will stand by our allies. For now, you and the Republic will let the Reich sort this out between themselves. Any Ayar military invention will be seen as hostile to Esharan interests and the Princeps will take great joy in deploying the fleet to counter any aggression such is the public sentiment. Until an official apology from the RWU is offered and plans for restitution made for the thousands of Esharan deaths, we will be placing new tariffs on RWU goods with more sanctions to follow. ''
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 11, 2012 0:41:56 GMT -5
Clemens Urrad sighed. "You set an interesting precedent," he noted wryly. "Shall we, then, demand an official apology for the deaths of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of overworked slaves betrayed to the hands of the Antoviyan Empire by the Esharan Republic? This is a phenomenon not of ancient history, but of less than a decade ago, remember. There are certainly enough bereaved men and women, enough orphans to justify such an obligation. Indeed, many have petitioned for exactly this.
"If the Esharan Republic will apologize for the deaths of those it sold into the horrors of Antoviyan slavery who died in field and factory, we will apologize for the unintended deaths caused by our friends in their defense of their sovereignty. However, if you will not apologize, we are willing to forgive and forget, if only you will not lash out so violently and hypocritically against deaths fewer and number and farther removed.
"If you do insist on tariffs and sanctions, note that you will be in violation of our treaty: We will respond exactly in kind, fully within our rights. However, in my opinion and that of the Union Council, such would be a mutually detrimental waste of time. Rather, let us seek to resolve matters before they create a destructive downward spiral." The People's Ambassador's tone lost its mocking edge and turned matter-of-fact.
"If you will put your diplomatic weight for a peaceful resolution to the conflict which preserves UCLC sovereignty and security in its home system, we will have no reason to fear the Reich. We may even be able to reverse our Enemy of the Revolution label, after some time. This will ensure the safety of Esharan merchants in both Hai and RWU space, threatened by neither UCLC preemptive strikes nor RWK imperialist campaigns.
"Furthermore, this will allow us to focus our efforts on a shared concern: The Graal Hegemony. It threatens your security, and it crushes Revolutionary Workers with whom we stand in solidarity. Clearly, a joint effort to address the Graal problem, from which we have much to gain and increasingly little time to act, will be much more productive than squabbles over the Hai problem, a futile exercise. Do you not agree?"
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Apr 12, 2012 17:55:02 GMT -5
The murderous impulse to leap across the small coffee table and strangle the Ayar diplomat to death was nearly overpowering. Soft bureaucratic hands closed into balled fists, teeth bit down onto his bottom lip so hard he could taste the copper tang of blood. Before he descended into a blood crazed orgy of violence, Senator Drussus tapped a small device on his wrist. A hurried injection of drugs brought the Senator's blood pressure down to tolerable levels. Within a few moments, the bulging vein in his forehead had disappeared as he drank heavily from a glass of water on the table. In the space of an instant, he had managed to compose himself. As much as he wanted to punish the RWU and burned their little communist utopia to ashes, he couldn't. The Graal and their Dronavi slaves were more important threats. The Republic could not fight a two front war, at least openly. It meant quiet support for the Reich while the bulk of the military was geared up to fight the Graal menace. And if a few million idealistic revolutionaries wanted to die freeing the repugnant Graal from supposed slavery, so much the better. Before he spoke, the Senator had a few choice expletives about slaves and the workers revolution but for now he forced himself to be civil.
'' We can't cut an open deal with you. Not with the current climate. '' Drussus managed to murmur, the cogs of his mind working furiously. '' But we could agree on a...two front solution I believe if the RWU is so keen to deal with the Graal. Our forces will not be bound together but we could share a common strategy. But, we will not allow one threat to simply be replaced by another. The Graal must be given the right of self-determination once the Grand Ruling Council has been dealt with. A choice between ruthless rebels and a tyrannical government is no choice at all. Free and fair elections with independent observers. The RWU must also agree to refrain from entering the current conflict with the Reich as long as Eshara does.''
Of course, Drussus didn't really care for the rights of the Graal. They were the locusts of the galaxy, hell bent on war. A galactic genocide of the Graal would be doing the universe a favor but that idea would be shelved for now. The Graal could be introduced to democracy. Whether it devolved into bloody fighting when it came to voting was another matter entirely. This was also all purely hypothetical. With Dronavi industry behind them and hordes of warriors, who was to say that Eshara and the RWU wouldn't be joining the ranks of the defeated?
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 13, 2012 17:55:50 GMT -5
Clemens stifled a chuckle at Drussus' near-fall into rage. His dark eyes glanced over the Senator's pitiful physique; the notion of any attempt at violence from what seemed essentially a plush toy was laughable. Clemens and Drussus might have looked much alike, if Clemens had not been a veteran of the Revolution. His tanned and visibly roughened skin contrasted with the Senator's pale and unscathed, his muscular build with the Senator's poor, and his drab grey marked only by a red star with the Senator's more luxurious attire. And then, of course, there was the matter of self-control.
"The Esharan Republic Senator cautioning the Union citizen-member to respect self-determination?" he inquired amusedly, deciding that it couldn't hurt to continue making jabs at the patrician. He didn't care much for Drussus, after all. "You need not worry, we are fully supportive of open, democratic elections. We will expect, however, that Esharan state and commercial interests will not jump the gun and meddle in the new Republic's affairs before it has even granted them permission.
"Speaking of which, it is probably best if we outline how best to create a space for a new Graal state before any actual military effort, so that we do not add a debacle to a war. The Union Council wishes that Sorguth Prime and Gruul each be allowed their own, separate elections, followed by a referendum on unification potentially followed by federal elections. The elections should be overseen jointly by Eshara, the RWU, the Dronav Holdworlds, and the UCLC, as the four known democracies of the galaxy. The teams of overseers must be composed of fours, one official of each overseeing nation, to avoid separate teams promoting each their nation's interests to the detriment of democratic integrity. We also suggest an overarching Oversight Committee run jointly by the four democracies to manage the many teams.
"As for the initial war effort itself, our first goal should be, obviously, the destruction of the Graal fleet in both solar systems in which it operates, immediately followed by the destruction of all orbital military shipbuilding installations and a blockade. This should then be followed by the liberation of the Dronav Holdworlds. We should be able to count on Dronav support once our forces arrive, making for strong chances of victory and undercutting a major source of Graal economic power. Thereafter, we must stage as quickly as possible by an attack on the Graal Hegemony in its home system. In all efforts, we must insist on a strict ban on planetary bombardments except against obvious Hegemony military targets.
"Does this plan suit the Esharan Republic?"
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Apr 14, 2012 6:53:31 GMT -5
Drussus nearly let out a harsh bark of laughter, to call the RWU a democracy was bordering on the ridiculous. If the choice was one party and one set political ideology of expanding the 'Revolution' then Drussus had a hard time swallowing the voting rights of the Workers. Fools and idiots all of them. But that didn't concern him. His interest wasn't so much as promoting democracy as countering the pestilent infection of the Revolution's disgusting dogma. Pitting the working class against the elite, culling free enterprise and crushing the free markets will to decide, even a centralized government like Eshara had a hard time swallow the set conditions that the RWU imposed on it's people. It was a narrow minded view that would end in destruction Drussus was sure. Hopefully the Senator lived to see it.
'' Naturally and I imagine you'll keep the Union's boots on the ground to a limit. As for Dronavi participation in this grand scheme I am skeptical. The Dronavi have the least to gain from ensuring that the Graal reform into any kind of power that can threaten them. Indeed, having them there might only aggravate tensions. '' Or was that what the ambassador wanted? '' As for orbital bombardments, we agree. Only war supporting industries and military targets will be targeted. We wouldn't want needless killing, now would we? '' The recent holo vids of Dunkelheist showed just how much damage orbital bombardments could inflict and in fact could have the opposite effect. Instead of demoralizing the population, it could galvanize them into even greater acts of resistance.
'' We will revisit the issue of the RWU's brazen act of aggression against the Republic after the conflict with the Graal has been settled. You should advise your ally however that Esharan convoys will now be guarded by the Esharan Navy as they travel through Reich space, any hostile actions will be construed as an act of war.'' Indeed, he imagined that there would be some in the Republic whom would be eager to turn their attention to settling old scores once the Graal..well if the Graal had been pushed back.
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 16, 2012 19:00:31 GMT -5
"Union boots will be limited only so much as the number of Republic boots," Clemens affirmed, ignoring Drussus' near-fall into delirious laughter. "As for Dronavi participation, it is perfectly within the Holdworlds' interests to create a space for a legitimate, self-determining democracy. Anything else would only provoke the Graal and create more problems for the Dronavi.
"And I believe you misunderstand the Union's stance on orbital bombardment. War-supporting industries are not the same as military targets. Military stations harboring and building space forces are one thing. Factories on the ground employing masses and not directly threatening our own forces are quite another.
"Do not confuse the UCLC's actions for the Revolutionary Workers'," the People's Ambassador cautioned. "Simply because we are not willing to bow down at Eshara's feet with the words and reparations it demands does not mean that we haven't our own statements to make, on our own terms.
"Finally, we are happy to inform the UCLC of our desire to avoid further conflict, if only the Esharan Republic does so to the RWK. Regardless of your rhetoric, and regardless of our shared qualms about their tactics, the Union and Councils' raid was provoked. The Reich had made its intention to invade unmistakably clear. Thus, there is no asymmetry in provocation between the two powers. Either each will respect the other's borders and there will be peace in the New Sovereignty System, or the RWU will have no choice but to keep its warfleet at home to maintain stability in-system. If that means pulling out in the middle of a crucial battle, so be it: There will be only the Reich, and perhaps its ally, to blame."
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Apr 20, 2012 19:34:29 GMT -5
'' I don't particularly care what the Union's stance is on orbital bombardment. Nor does the Esharan military. You run your campaign, we shall run ours. All considerations will be taken within reason before an attack is launched but we cannot make promises that will put our own peoples lives at risk for the sake of those are supporting the enemy war effort. '' Drussus explained as if he was talking to a simpleton.
'' Tell me, if the UCLC ran blatant covert operations in your territory..operations that were botched and cost the lives of many of your countryman, would you not consider that grounds for a counterattack? I would caution my dear friends in the Union to quit hiding behind your cheap facades and simply admit the truth. The UCLC was responsible for starting this war with its over aggressive saber rattling and the interference in the sovereignty of the Reich. Do not follow their path ambassador. It will end badly, for you and your people. '' Drussus didn't like having terms dictated to him by some damned wretch with a superiority complex because he'd 'made his bones' on the floor of some god forsaken factory.
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 21, 2012 0:44:55 GMT -5
Clemens face soured, but he maintained his composure.
"A politic of 'I don't particularly care' will hardly get you far in a joint war effort," the People's Ambassador affirmed, matching Drussus' condescension with his own. "And the same can be said of a politic of 'do not...it will end badly,' and all the threats and dogmatism that come with it. We are here to negotiate, good Senator Drussus." He wondered if the Esharan patrician even knew the meaning of the word.
"You may challenge our terms. You may even challenge our perspective. But you must recognize the existence and seriousness of each, and you must address them as they are, rather than making unilateral and non-negotiable declarations, or your presence here is nigh useless.
"So, let me lay down our terms clearly, so that you can respond to them like an ambassador," he stated, as if explaining an extremely simple concept to a small child. "As necessary preconditions to cooperation in the war effort against the Graal Hegemony which so threatens your borders, the RWU asks that Eshara exert all necessary pressure to keep the RWK from invading the New Sovereignty-Natchika System, promise not to deliberately target any non-combatants in the war effort, and commit to genuine, self-determining democracy in post-war Gruul and Sorguth Prime. On our part, we will exert our own pressure on the UCLC to respect the Reich's sovereignty and will ourselves respect the sovereignty of whatever states emerge after the war."
"Can the Esharan Republic abide by these terms? If not, which are acceptable, and which does the Republic wish to revise?"
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Apr 22, 2012 19:17:36 GMT -5
'' But why not ambassador? It sums up our position perfectly. We will not have our rules of engagement dictated to us by a foreign power. We will conduct our campaign as the operation dictates. '' Drussus said with a shrug before giving a reply to the posed question, despite the fact that the ambassador had refused to answer his own.
'' The terms are satisfactory for now. Are we finished here? I don't find myself to be in the mood for a lesson on the merits of the Revolution for the second time in a week my dear friend. '' He said with a smile that could kill.
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Apr 22, 2012 21:54:04 GMT -5
Clemens countered the sharp stap of the Senator's smile with the blunt slam of a wide, satisfied grin.
"The terms will do splendidly," the People's Ambassador conceded with feigned friendliness, "though your disdain for the lessons of the Revolution won't, if you keep it up until Eshara's workers inevitably rise with the rest of the galaxy's. But that is your personal prerogative, and not a concern for official negotiations.
"Good-day, Senator."
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 19:03:40 GMT -5
In light of recent events, the RWU embassy had been turned into a miniature fortress: Windows were barred, barbed wire and sandbags layered around ornamental walls and fences, laser beam-cannon nests set at critical junctures. Clemens Urrad was no fool. He knew that he could die any day in this environment, and he would rather die cutting down Royalists than live having fled them. Of course, most of the rest of the embassy staff had been evacuated as soon as possible, those who had not already "disappeared" in the preceding days. Those remaining, for however long they might live, were either Revolutionary Guards or People's Ambassador Urrad himself.
As long as he was alive, though, Clemens was not going to keep his head down. Amidst constant broadcasts either encouraging popular rebellion against the military or countering Eshara propaganda about Kommenous' assassination -the simple fact that he was behind the Abolition Act was proof enough, and there was much more beside that-, the ambassador had one important message to send. It was short, curt, and to-the-point:
"The RWU recognizes the Republic as the only legitimate government of Eshara. All existing agreements are binding only with the Republic. Kindly relay our wishes to the so-called Emperor Vespasian and the generals behind the joke to immolate themselves before their people do it for them."
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Jul 3, 2012 19:12:26 GMT -5
'' False representative of your people! The Dominion of Eshara officially withdraws its recognition of the RWU and will recognize only the Royalist Government as the sole government of the Ayar. In turn, we expel your ambassadors from Esharan soil, we expel all Ayar companies and peoples currently residing within the Dominion from the state for the crime of murdering Alexandros Kommenous. In the name of the Emperor, you have 72 hours to withdraw your ambassadors from Esharan space. '' A return message shot back moments later. Likewise, the Esharan embassy had already been evacuated. Meanwhile, the newly minted Imperial Army had taken up positions around the embassy. Attempting to cut off it's communications and ensuring no one went in or out.
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 19:32:13 GMT -5
Clemens chuckled. What Royalists were the Esharans talking about? The entire Antov line was dead, and no remaining Royalist was anything beyond a lesser noble in the times of the Empire, let alone respected by any community aside from the remnants of the former Antoviyan bourgeoise and military in the same compound as the noble. No matter, the new "Dominion" wanted to rattle its sword.
"The RWU People's Ambassador to the Republic of Eshara will remain exactly where he is situated. Appointee of the democratically-elected Union Council to the democratically-elected Esharan Senate, he has no business anywhere else. If the forces of Imperialism and Autocracy wish to add more blood to the seas already soaking their hands, they are welcome to, for it will be the only way to carry out your demands."
Until that inevitable blood came, the broadcasts continued, with RWA communications experts taking every possible measure to slip past Dominion jamming signals.
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Post by Empire of Ezria on Jul 3, 2012 19:44:40 GMT -5
The Esharan's seemed befuddled with what to do with the Ayar response, not counting on the fact that the Ayar wouldn't go home. For several hours, Esharan army commanders awkwardly attempted to get the Ayar to see sense. When they wouldn't, the growl of tank treads began to fill the air as several dozen Testudo Main Battle Tank's surrounded the embassy. A battalion of infantry had been brought up, ready to storm it.
'' To the Ayar! You have one final chance! Withdraw from the embassy now, you and your staff can go home and live. Refuse, and we will take Esharan territory back by force! '' When there came no response, the order was given. The Testudo's cannons roared, striking the main building and pummeling makeshift Ayar positions with high explosive shells. Mortars and artillery fire soon joined the fray, lighting up the embassy for more than thirty minutes. Through the dust, haze, and rubble the Imperial Army advanced to retake it's sovereign territory.
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