LizNES5: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying, And Love The Bomb

[Dreadnought]

<De Vries> Well, I mean, screwed up place. I guess I have to give this Confederate guy some credit, because when you functionally annex a country that makes its living off of cattle you have to wade through more bullcrap than I have to wade through papers on an average day at work. That isn't to disparage Her Majesty's great government, of course. Look, we're really well off. We could be them. Anyway, good luck to Mr. Forrest. His shoes must smell awful. Also, his hair's perfect for living with a bunch of cows. I'd like to meet his tailor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No hard feelings, Dreadnought . I enjoyed your story and the map!

@TLK, orders sent

Haha! I found that paragraph quite funny, especially the bolded part. You can't make this stuff up!

And thanks for the complements. It means a lot coming from the #1 writer in this game so far!

 

[arya126]

Really enjoying this 'do frads' character. Wait do fros? de fries? De Vries? Ah thats it. Whichever way it is, very good personality, although I must say, once I have more time to write, this game will get a bit of stuff from me as well.

 

[Dreadnought]

A Meeting, Between Vice President O'Neill and The Ambassador of the Caribbean Republic.​

Vice President Jonathan J. O'Neill invites the Caribbean Republic's ambassador to dinner in the Presidential mansion, in order to discuss the plan that President James Monroe Forrest has just proposed.

Ambassador Garcia, a short, plump fellow, enters the Presidential mansion, where he meets the Vice President. Vice President O'Neill extends his hand when the ambassador enters, greeting Garcia with a cordial handshake. They exchange a few personal comments at the door. He then leads the ambassador to the dining area to discuss the current conflict in the Caribbean as the meal is served.

Garcia takes his seat opposite O'Neill and smiles. &#8220;Thank you, Vice President.&#8221;

O'Neill folds his hands on the table. &#8220;A pleasure. Now, as you already know, the President has just thrown his support in favor of the Caribbean government against the Communist rebels that currently occupy several islands of your nation. Have you any discussions with your President on the matter? What does your government specifically say in response to this declaration?&#8221;

The ambassador responds as food is set upon the table. &#8220;We will accept any aide that your can provide against this communist revolt. What did your government have in mind, when you declared your support against the communist uprising?&#8221;

O'Neill sat back in his chair. &#8220;Well, I can assure you that, once the Confederacy agreed to assist you against the communists, we meant that we would take any steps necessary to achieve that goal. We can provide both indirect aide, through military advisers and weaponry, and direct combat support. In fact, the President is preparing an expeditionary force to deploy as soon as weather conditions permit.&#8221;

Vice President Jonathan J. O'Neill, negotiating with Ambassador Garcia.​

The ambassador paused for a moment. &#8220;Vice President, we appreciate all the aide you can provide. However, I must warn you, that...&#8221; He chooses his next words carefully. &#8220;Our government is disgusted by the European imperialists that once dominated our lands. Our government despises the imperialists just as much as the communists. As you are probably aware, there is a rough history between our people and our former overlords, and...&#8221;

O'Neill interrupts him. &#8220;Ambassador...&#8221; He stares Garcia in the eyes. &#8220;What are you trying to say?&#8221;

The ambassador blinks. &#8220;Oh, I'm just stating that our people don't wish to be ruled by outsiders; imperialists, who will try to restore foreign rule to the islands. Our people have very precise views on the world, and...&#8221;

O'Neill interjects again. &#8220;Ambassador, I need a single-sentence answer in order to understand what you are insinuating.&#8221;

Garcia nods. &#8220;The communists might try to pin your troops as imperialist, and create a wedge between our two governments."

O'Neill smiled. &#8220;Ambassador, I can assure you that we have no such intentions. Relations between our two nations have been friendly for decades. The true threat to your government are the communists causing anarchy in your nation. However, since you have expressed this concern, I will see to it that any aide we provide in the coming months will be indirect. Remember, I'm a military man. I understand these problems. You need not worry.&#8221;

O'Neill's face darkens. &#8220;However, we can't let the communists win, ambassador. Neither the Caribbean nor the Confederacy will benefit from a communist takeover.&#8221;

Garcia agrees. &#8220;Most definitely, Vice President. After dinner, I will forward your proposal to our President. I'm glad we could reach a mutual understanding in the matter.&#8221;

The two men shift their conversation to more personal matters as they finish dinner.

* *
* *

To The Caribbean Republic
From the Confederacy of North America, through Ambassador Garcia

Does this agreement sound acceptable?

* *
* *

 

[TheLizardKing]

To: The Confederacy
From: The Caribbean Republic

We.. suppose. Just tell your troops not to get to comfortable. You will be out once the menace subsides, yes?

 

[Immaculate]

From Gran Colombia,
To The Caribbean,

President Andres Perez of Gran Colombia doesn't understand how the communist threat to the Caribbean will be solved with military might or more troops on the ground. The Caribbean has substantial military to deal with these threats but the issue is not a military one. It is one of ideology. The government of Colombia cautions against the Caribbean Republic allowing foreign military intervention into their islands. The issue will be solved with hard work and hard-won money, decisive politics and cooperation. Not guns. A military intervention will turn your islands into a battlefield between ideologies.

Ultimately the answer requires not foreign guns but foreign money. And patience, patience to allow the government of the Caribbean to win back the hearts of its people with forward-thinking, free-market economic and political projects.

Having said all this, if this is a mistake you are intent on making, we congratulate you on your choice of allies. The Confederacy have shown themselves to be wise and prudent members of the international community.

 

[Dreadnought]

An Emergency Meeting of the Confederate Cabinet.​

President James Monroe Forrest scheduled a cabinet meeting immediately after his return from the University of South Carolina, in order to discuss new details pertaining to the crisis in the Caribbean.

President Forrest was last to enter the large meeting room in the west wing of the Confederate White House, taking his seat at the head of a long oval table. Most cabinet members of the administration were present, including the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War. Vice President O'Neill was also present at the meeting.

After a brief introduction, President Forrest switched to the matter at hand. Turning to Vice President O'Neill, he asked, &#8220;Jack, I know your meeting with Ambassador Garcia, of the Caribbean Republic, went well. I know they were skeptical of foreign intervention. Did you make it known to them that there was no other option than Confederate intervention?&#8221;

The Vice President nodded. &#8220;I told them that there was no other option than the defeat of the Communists. They seem to agree that the Communists are a major threat. But I think the Colombians had more to say than the Caribbeans. Take a look at this.&#8221;

Vice President O'Neill hands the President a dispatch from the Colombian government, dated just a few hours before the President returned. As he handed it to the President, Vice President O'Neill added, &#8220;I thought you should see it in person.&#8221;

President James Monroe Forrest during the Cabinet Meeting.​

From Gran Colombia,
To The Caribbean,

President Andres Perez of Gran Colombia doesn't understand how the communist threat to the Caribbean will be solved with military might or more troops on the ground. The Caribbean has substantial military to deal with these threats but the issue is not a military one. It is one of ideology. The government of Colombia cautions against the Caribbean Republic allowing foreign military intervention into their islands. The issue will be solved with hard work and hard-won money, decisive politics and cooperation. Not guns. A military intervention will turn your islands into a battlefield between ideologies.

Ultimately the answer requires not foreign guns but foreign money. And patience, patience to allow the government of the Caribbean to win back the hearts of its people with forward-thinking, free-market economic and political projects.

Having said all this, if this is a mistake you are intent on making, we congratulate you on your choice of allies. The Confederacy have shown themselves to be wise and prudent members of the international community.

The President slid the paper onto the table in front of him, rereading the last sentence again before pushing the dispatch back to the Vice President. &#8220;Damn the Colombians.&#8221; He muttered. He then repeated it, louder, &#8220;Damn the Colombians! What justification do they have for this insult?&#8221;

The Vice President returned the dispatch to a manila envelope. &#8220;While I do think that the message was far from amiable, and a tad bit unwarranted, they do have a point. These Communists are tricky. They are a conniving group of dissidents. Like a poison, they try to strike discretely.&#8221;

The President nodded. &#8220;They'd also have the benefit of being on the defensive, should we intervene. They could twist our cause as one of imperialism, and try to gather more public support. But, at the same time, we need to send a message to these Communist scum. Shock and awe, if you understand me. They need to know that their murders and atrocities will not go unpunished. That is why we must intervene.&#8221;

The Vice President agreed. &#8220;There's more than one way to display our power.&#8221; The Vice President paused for a moment before continuing. &#8220;The C.S.S. Johnston is nearing completion. With the carrier operational, we could deploy our navy to the Caribbean, to provide arms and money for the Caribbean war effort. Our navy will show them the power they are trifling with.&#8221;

The President liked the plan. &#8220;We must bide our time before throwing our full might at the Communists. We must wait for them to make a wrong move. They must been seen as the enemy in the minds of the Caribbean people. As insulting as they were, the Colombians are right. This is as much an ideological war as a military one. The Communists must fail. The Communists will fail."

Vice President Jonathan J. O'Neill gives his advice.​

The Vice President opened a notebook. &#8220;What should we tell the Caribbeans and Colombians?&#8221;

The President thought for a moment before continuing. &#8220;Send a message to the Colombians, asking if they have any other plans for the Caribbean crisis.&#8221;

Vice President O'Neill then said, &#8220;I think we should send a message to the European powers, asking for their perspective on the situation. They have a lot on their plate already, with the Ukraine and Bavaria and the Communists of the east, so I doubt they will launch a direct intervention, but they might have an interesting and insightful perspective nonetheless.&#8221;

President Forrest agreed. &#8220;Do it. Try to get a direct response from their heads of state.&#8221; The President stood up and turned to everyone in the room before continuing. &#8220;There is one constant in this equation, however. Communist victory in the Caribbean is unacceptable.&#8221; He swallowed before adding, &#8220;I'll die before I see Communists anywhere near Dixie. Dismissed.&#8221;

* *
* *

To Gran Colombia
From the Confederacy of North America

Thank you for your advice. What plans do you have for the Caribbean?

To the European Powers aligned against Communism, especially the Netherlands and Germany
From the Confederacy of North America

Do you have any advice for the situation in the Caribbean?

 

[Lord of Elves]

Office of the Prime Minister​

<Secretary> Mr. De Vries, I'm to deliver this to you.

<De Vries> Oh, good. While you're here, take this down.

<Secretary> Okay.

<De Vries> I... Am... An annoyingly unspecific and vague... Person... Who needs to tell my boss what is in the letters I give him... Because if I don't... He has a one-way ticket to the Congo he's willing to generously donate to anyone who pisses him off today.

<Secretary> It's from the North American Confederacy, Mr. De Vries. Foreign affairs sent it up.

<De Vries> What the hell do we pay them for?

<Secretary> Mostly sanitizing and censoring your messages, Mr. De Vries.

<De Vries> Oh, right. I'm kind of busy eating this sandwich right now, do you mind reading it? Look, just read it. In fact for the record if I ever ask you "do you mind" the answer will always be no. You don't mind, and you never *************ing will or I'll find someone else to bring me lukewarm coffee. Also keep the coffee on the burner longer.

<Secretary> Of course, Mr. De Vries.

To the European Powers aligned against Communism, especially the Netherlands and Germany
From the Confederacy of North America

Do you have any advice for the situation in the Caribbean?

<De Vries> Take this down.

<Secretary> Mr. De Vries?

<De Vries> Don't rush me, woman. The last guy who rushed me is on an island in the Pacific trying to renegotiate the eminent domain of his entrails by the natives.

<Secretary> Of course.

<De Vries> Anyway. Dear Mr. Confederate President Guy, stop. We are surprised that you can write, stop. Having discovered that the literacy rate in your country is at least barebones-average, we expect this message to be understood, stop.

<Secretary> Mr. De Vries, you don't have to keep saying "stop".

<De Vries> I'll say stop if I damn well want to.

<Secretary> Keep going.

<De Vries> Do whatever you think I would do in this situation, stop. But keep the explosions, missing limbs and flying wreckage away from Suriname, stop.

<Secretary> I'll bring it down immediately.

Spoiler :

What De Vries Would Do

From: The Dutch Empire
To: North American Confederacy
Do whatever you need to do to stop the communists.

 

[ZeletDude]

To: The Confederacy of North America
From: The German Empire
We echo the statements made by the Dutch and we say do whatever is needed to stop this disease.

Orders will be sent soon TLK.. :\

 

[Dreadnought]

<De Vries> What the hell do we pay them for?

<Secretary> Mostly sanitizing and censoring your messages, Mr. De Vries.

Brilliant!

 

[Adrogans]

&#8220;Emperor we have a report from China.&#8221; Emperor Showa looked up from the very tedious report being given on expenses and turned excitedly to the distraction.

&#8220;Well what is the news that is so urgent you must interrupt this meeting?&#8221;

&#8220;Our early parley with the Chinese has indicated they will surrender upon our force&#8217;s arrival at Beijing.&#8221; The room erupted with a round of cheering until they noticed that the report had not been finished and quieted once more. &#8220;But early indications are that the fractures were reported in the China are real and coming to the fore now. Only some of the forces will accept the surrender. Already some generals are vowing to fight on as if we were trying to annex China.&#8221;

&#8220;What do our analysts say?&#8221; Interjected Emperor Showa.

&#8220;The first conclusion is that the warlords emerging now would have come out sooner or later anyway and tried to seize power from China just as we feared. At least since the war took place we have greatly weakened the potential conflict a Chinese civil war could have been.&#8221; Replied the messenger

&#8220;So the worms hiding in the bowels of the Chinese regime finally choose to show themselves. Well all we can do is accept the surrender of China and work out from there exactly what we need to do to deal with this infestation.&#8221; Emperor Showa nodded to his advisors. &#8220;Okay well we need to begin work on the treaty and preparations for the ceasefire with the loyal Chinese forces. Then we need to issue a statement condemning the disloyalty of these generals, warlords, whatever they choose to be called. In the end when the peace treaty is signed and China is still there then the pretense for these worms will be gone. Their simple traitorous natures and greedy grab for power from their legitimate rulers will be naked to all.&#8221; The room nodded in silent agreement and then quickly dispersed to take care of all the details this course of action would require. Soon the only people left in the room were the Emperor, the messenger, Marshall Fushima Arata, and the Coalition of Asian States representative from Japan, Ambassador Han Sang-Ah.

&#8220;Emperor while I do understand your haste in this matter let me consult with the Coalition to make sure this is acceptable. I doubt it won&#8217;t be but we must of course share the information.&#8221; Ambassador Sang-Ah paused a moment to make sure he had everyone&#8217;s attention. &#8220;As you know we have been in discussion with many players and we are fairly certain that none of these warlords is fighting for an ideology, yet. I stress yet because for the moment they are all really fighting to gain power for themselves as opposed to doing good for their nation. The Coalition has gone out of its way to treat civilians, infrastructure, population centers, and POWs with as light a hand as possible to try and make sure the Chinese people know we are not after conquest for conquest&#8217;s sake.&#8221;

&#8220;Let&#8217;s not kid ourselves here Ambassador, all of us here know that the reason was to prevent a civil war in China from spilling over to our borders, but we also realize that there will be some changes in borders with China after this.&#8221; Stated Marshall Arata.

&#8220;Of course Marshall I was not implying that there will be no gain for us just that it would be minimal and in our case more as a precaution then for gain. But, now that these traitors to China are going to continue the &#8216;good fight&#8217; we have to accept some will flock to them at least in the beginning. And from other &#8230;&#8221; the ambassador groped for the right word waving his hand in the air in front of him as if to grab it, &#8220;sources that do not want to escalate the conflict. Hell in honesty we have little to gain for Japan herself at this point in conflict with China except for securing and stabilizing a volatile neighbor.&#8221;

&#8220;Of course you are right. There is no way we could assimilate the Chinese population into becoming Japanese at this point. A century or more ago possibly as evidenced by the populations of Manchuria and Korea.&#8221; The Ambassador nodded agreement at this being a noble himself from Seoul and they all glanced at the messenger who was standing nervously at attention, it wanted to say something. &#8220;Heicho Nalan Ryoichi, you wish to speak?&#8221; Emperor Showa waved his approval to speak freely to the messenger.

&#8220;Emperor,&#8221; the soldier bowed, &#8220;you know that we in the Manchurian provinces while we still call the region Manchuria do truly believe us to be Japanese. Japan may have conquered us by force those years ago, but they took the responsibility to defend Manchuria and the people who lived there seriously and eventually treated us equally in the eye s of the law. I know that many of those from the home islands still view us as less than them but overall it seems that issue has faded. I cannot of course speak for the Korean provinces, but I know Manchuria is proud to be Japanese.&#8221;

&#8220;Thank you for that vote of confidence. And yes all the studies have shown what you said, though with numbers and graphs and less passion.&#8221; Emperor Showa stood from his chair and began to pace as he spoke. &#8220;But in fairness much of that loyalty was after we protected Manchuria from the atrocities by the scared senseless Korean army at the time. My ancestors shamelessly capitalized on this.&#8221; The soldier was turning pale and appeared to be looking for an exit. &#8220;Do not get me wrong they genuinely believed it was their responsibility to take care of and protect Manchuria, but they could do the right thing while also selling themselves to the conquered Manchurian people and turning what was simply acceptance of the Japanese rule into open loyalty they did so. What is the old European saying? Ah yes, kill two birds with one stone.&#8221;

&#8220;You have the right of it Emperor.&#8221; Spoke up Ambassador Sang-Ah. &#8220;While the Korean provinces are not quite to the point of completely accepting the fact they are Japanese, the urge to be &#8216;free&#8217; of Japan has long faded. The citizens of the Korean provinces realize their lot in life is much better than it would have been say had the Chinese conquered us, or as much as many hate to admit it to themselves, if they still ruled themselves.&#8221; He coughed lightly. &#8220;Anyway as rousing a discussion as this is I need to come back to my original point which is that if we try to annex large populations of Chinese people it would take a very long time, and possibly never happen, until they became Japanese. I see no need to tie such a dead weight to the neck of the Empire and will argue against such if needs be.&#8221;

 

[Dreadnought]

To: The Confederacy
From: The Caribbean Republic

We.. suppose. Just tell your troops not to get to comfortable. You will be out once the menace subsides, yes?

Of course. We are here to help retain stability in the Caribbean, not to dilly around after the crisis is over.

From: The Dutch Empire
To: North American Confederacy
Do whatever you need to do to stop the communists.

To: The Confederacy of North America
From: The German Empire
We echo the statements made by the Dutch and we say do whatever is needed to stop this disease.

Understood.

 

[Julius Gandi]

PS Dreadnought, did you consider using To Arms lyrics rather than the original Dixie lyrics? Always liked 'To Arms in Dixie' (confederate anthem/battle anthem).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd1oA47Ti0I

 

[Lord of Elves]

PS Dreadnought, did you consider using To Arms lyrics rather than the original Dixie lyrics? Always liked To Arms (confederate anthem/battle anthem).

For what it's worth I really liked the orchestral/military style Dixie theme he used.

 

[Immaculate]

To Gran Colombia
From the Confederacy of North America

Thank you for your advice. What plans do you have for the Caribbean?

Currently we are embroiled in central america. We had actually been planning to assist our good friends the Californians in defending against the Texans but with your involvement in that conflict, our assistance will no longer be requisite. And so we are free to focus more internally.

Good luck in the Carribean,

Perez.

 

[Adrogans]

@ TLK - When you get a chance there are some questions for you in the Coalition group. Thanks.

 

[TheLizardKing]

Awesome stories everyone.

I'm loving it, and hope you guys keep this up past the update.

Whoever still hasn't gotten in orders still has a good 4-5 hours to do so.

@Adrogans

I responded, I think. If that's not what you were referring too, please repost in the group.

 

[Agent 89]

Orders in.

 

[TheLizardKing]

The update has been started, and I've made some progress (in terms of Peaceful matters). I'm done for the night, and wont be back on for a few hours.. so if you still haven't sent in orders, I suppose you have some extra time while I'm away.

Expect the update, at best, tomorrow night, at worst, on Friday.

 

[Karalysia]

...........................................

 

[Immaculate]

Why did you drop California only to join somewhere else?