Another day

[Confederate States]

John Brown was walking hastily down an alley. In his hands was a briefcase, a very important briefcase. He got to the back of a house and scrambled in his pocket for a key. When he found the right key, he quickly looked around, then opened the door and hurried in. He was in the basement, it was damp and dirty, he hurried up the creaking old stairs to a round table with ten people sitting at it.

One of the men looked up at John, then looked at his briefcase and stood up.
“John! Thank God you made it here safely. You brought the briefcase! Good work,” the man said.
“Of course I brought it Peter, it’s vital to our effort,” John said.

John laid the briefcase on the table and opened it. It was nothing but blank pieces of paper. John took an ultraviolet like and shinned it on the papers. What showed was top secret information, a list of Blue Ops members that were currently looking for them. Then, John opened a secret compartment in the briefcase and pulled out photos. They were photos of the Blue Ops members that were currently looking for them. The group of people was amazed by what they found. They stared, silent, for a good 15 minutes, and then…there was a knock on the door.

They frantically put the papers and photos away and hid the briefcase. Peter went over to the door and opened it. In the door stood a thin, relatively medium heighted man, he had a black suit on, with a black tie and black gloves. He had blonde hair and sunglasses on, that completely hid his eyes. Peter knew immediately who he was.

“Can I come in?” the man asked.
“Who are you?” Peter responded.
“Can I come in?” the man asked again.

Peter stepped to the side and allowed the man to walk in. Peter quickly took a glance behind the man, and saw no others around. The man looked around for a bit, ignoring any question thrown at him. Finally, out of rage, one of the new members of the group shot up and said “Listen here fella, who are you!?”

The man looked over at the guy and stared for a little. He finally reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a gold badge, and held it out to the enraged man. “I am an Agent of the Confederate Government. Your compliance will be greatly appreciated; your incompliance will be dealt with.” The man put his badge back into his pocket and began to search the room some more. He found the briefcase, picked it up, and walked to the door. Peter quickly moved in front of the door and intercepted the man.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going with that?” Peter asked, angrily.
“Step aside,” the man asked.
“Or what, are you-“Peter didn’t finish his sentence. The man had pulled his gun and pointed it directly to Peter’s face, “Step aside,” he repeated.

Peter refused to move, the man without hesitation shot Peter, directly in the head. Peter’s lifeless corpse fell to the ground, and out of nowhere, four more men appeared, dressed the same as the visitor. They picked up Peter’s body and moved it away to a van they had parked in the street. The man walked into the van and drove away.

 

[Confederate States]

John was walking down the street; he had been panicking for the last few days. When would they come for him? It had been too long, they obviously would have found out what was in that briefcase. Then, out nowhere, a black van came up and three men jumped out, grabbed John, and jumped back in.

“Hello John,” one man said “Just answer our questions and you’ll be on your way.”
“You bastard! You killed Peter! You sick bastards think you can go around and do this?” John screamed.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, where’d you get that briefcase?” the man asked.
“Fucking store,” John said.
Bickering went on and John finally snapped.

“Kill me you bastards, do it, right now. Here my warning, you do it, you’ll be fucking sorry, I swear it,” John said.
“Not as sorry as you will be, John,” the man said.
They pulled over and kicked John out.

It was late night; Carson Brown was at a party with his friends. Carson was only 17, and was drinking, a criminal offense in the Confederate States. Carson said he had to get something from his car, so he walked out.

His friend, Scott, followed. Carson walked out first, and Scott looked. He saw a man, wearing a black suit, black gloves, sunglasses, and a black hat. Carson looked at him and said “hello?”

The man said he was sorry, and pulled out a pistol. Scott rushed at the man, and another man appeared, dressed the same, and shot Scott in the leg. Scott fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Carson began to run, but was stopped quickly by a bullet to the back of the head.

Later that night, John Brown got a call, and the call was, his child was killed. John knew who did it and why.

 

[Confederate States]

John put down the newspaper, 500,000 jobs lost. Six of the CS’ largest corporations went bankrupt because of the government’s harsh taxing policies. The CEOs said this:
“We were unable to provide any benefits for our employees. If we are to continue to pay them minimum wage, we must cut employees, not a little, a lot.”

President Sanford said that this is why the free market must be regulated; it is unable to manage itself successfully. John knew the truth. The problem was ever since the end of Featherston’s reign. It was the unraveling of this kind of economic system; the rich no longer had the money the government demanded of them. The Government’s 76 year long policy of redistribution of wealth had finally destroyed the wealth within the country.

Ever since the end of the travel ban, things had changed. Seeing how others lived…it made the Confederates want to live that way. Truth be told, the Freedom Party from the 80s on did not rule by popularity, it ruled by fear. No one man had the guts to stand up to the Government, the shadow government, known as Blue Ops, had no problem ending one’s life to keep control.

John was requested to meet with the leader of the opposition, and he planned to do this. His son’s murder will not be in vain, he promised himself this.

 

[Confederate States]

President Sanford walked to the podium of the news room. Before him were many eager people waiting to see what he would say. He quickly began to speak, and the room went quiet.

“I have officially decided that the Free Republicans’ Party is indeed a threat to the continuation of easy going governance in our country. Our country has survived under the Freedom Party, and I believe that a second party would disable our ability to continue the effectiveness of our government. I have officially voided the Free Parties Bill and as of now, Congress is officially dismissed until further notice.”

The President’s words sent shock waves across the nation. The state of South Carolina had been one of the most “progressive” states in the confederacy and warned that it would react severely if the President dismissed Congress. Nearly four hours after the President’s declaration, the State Assembly of South Carolina had voted on something that disturbed the nation, granting the Governor the right to secession. The Governor of South Carolina immediately held a press conference after the vote was cast.

“It seems as though that today, Democracy has died in our nation. The problems with these words are, democracy has not died today, it died a long time ago. The ideals our country was founded on have been forgotten. Life, Freedom, and the pursuit of Happiness, these are three basic rights that our people have been given. Our government has had genocides in the past, and there is good speculation that they most likely do now. Freedom was gone the moment Featherston ended the Supreme Court. People are free in this land, so long as you don’t voice your opinion. The pursuit of Happiness has been made to be that where you are born, you stay. There is no advancement in life.

Our National Government has forgotten states rights’ and made themselves the sole political power. In fact, the President has made himself a dictator, holding all political power that he deems fit. It is for this reason, I am passing the bill presented to me by the State Legislature, and I am officially declaring that South Carolina is no longer apart of these Confederate States. As of today, we are forming the Republic of South Carolina.”

The secession of SCarolina was shocking to the entire nation, but it was also an eye-opener. Neighboring states also began to talk about the possibility. President Sanford said he planned to look for a peaceful solution to the problem, and refused to recognize SCarolina as independent.

 

[Tyvia]

The screw turned a dial, the settings adjusting a tad. The low electronic hum of the assorted computer hardware reverberated in the compact space, and the beep of the sonar was faintly audible emanating from the headpiece of the officer. Picking his pen up, the dark-skinned Ensign made a small note upon a pad near him, continuing his watch over the screen – and his intent observation over the sound-waves. Another click, the engine's being started up again most likely. After the boat had reached a certain speed, around ten to fifteen knots, the sonar would become pointless, as nothing short of a nuclear burst would be heard. A faint whirring began, slowly becoming louder, and the Ensign tapped his pen idly against the pad again, a thin smile playing upon his lips, satisfied in his approximation of the sound.

Normally the watch hours for his post were on four hour shifts, alternating between himself, and two other sonar-trained operators who had been assigned to the boat. With the 'dangerous' operating position of the Mauricio Hernandèz in these Eastern waters, the skipper had mandated the crew to extend their shifts another hour each, issuing extra food in addition to keep morale up. The Mauricio wasn't too old a boat in itself, it was a submarine commissioned fairly recently of an only slightly older class. The exact date wasn't known, no one really knew. All he, Germán Rojan-Estadaõ really knew, was the Mauricio Hernandèz was perfectly capable of exercising near any whim of the High Wrung. High Wrung, of the many nicknames adopted for the senior staff of the Navy in Tempestad, that was the favorite of the submariners. Going to the depths, they perceived the upper echelon swivel chair cadre as having lost the touch of reality. All was done loyally though.

The whirring grew low and distant, Estadaõ flicking a small dial on his head set, lowering it from his ears as he checked his wrist. Seven more minutes before his shift was over. Placing the bulky appendage back over his ears, he sat once more, making a note of the stop of the sound, as he made of any. It was pointless really, the paper-and-pen record of sounds, especially those as pointless as that of your own boat. The sonar system had inbuilt systems to record the files for future reference, especially important when the upper cadre's wanted to hear the sound signature of some previously unknown ship or submarine. A short screech resonated from above him, startling the Ensign and interrupting his deliberations.

“All hands, stand by general quarters.” The deep voice of the captain, Commander Garcia roared, followed ominously by the cry of a klaxon. The whirring in his ears increased, another glance at his watch – the alarm indicating despite it that his shift would be extended yet a bit more. A sardonic smile plaited upon his face, Estadaõ drummed his pen against the light-brown paper of the notepad, noting with even more satisfaction that the submarine was rising to the surface.

The sleek black hull of the Mauricio Hernandèz broke the surface of the water a half mile from the shoreline of the city. Easily visible from the beach, it's frame shining in the sunlight – almost as if provoking an undue response. It was a fairly new design, kept rather well away from prying eyes in the confines of the Isla del Choca naval facility and docks until it had finally been finished. Almost mockingly, a periscope rose out from the top, an idle waft of it over the shoreline before returning back from wherein it came from. Slowly revving up the engines, the submarine turned aft, descending laboriously into the depths, continuing the turn back out into the sea. It was no doubt however that any military installations would've detected the presence of the submarine just now off the South Carolina coast.

It didn't matter, the purpose was to provoke a response.

 

[Confederate States]

Polk thought his presence at this meeting was wrong. He was no Governor, he had no power over the States’ decision, but he knew that the States needed to make the right decision. The Governors brought representatives from all across the world. One thing Featherston didn’t ruin from the constitution was that if 2/3 of the states agreed, an amendment could be made to the constitution, without the consent of the National Government. The Bickering in the room was disheartening. Polk wondered how long it would be until the National Government shut down this meeting as well. Polk finally stood to speak.

“Governors of the Confederate States, these times we live in are ones history offers us no lesson for. Never before has a state seceded for this reason and it will be a great debate before a final decision is made. I will present my own plan as a remedy to this situation. It is still within the States’ power to amend the constitution without the consent of the National Government. All we need is 2/3 of the vote to be for the amendment.

My amendment is to give the States the ability to void the National Government and return power to the States with 2/3 of the vote if we find that the National Government is unable to effectively govern,” Polk said.

He didn’t want to say much, but what he said sparked a massive debate, he decided to sit and watch.

 

[Confederate States]

The C.S.S. Russell was sailing along the South Carolinian coast. Their mission was not only to spy on South Carolina, but to locate the submarine, something President Sanford did not want near his coast. Captain James Stuart was in command of the vessel. Stuart himself was a middle aged man who had conflicted feelings with the current situation. He personally believed in what the FRP was fighting for, but he was a soldier, it was not his job to comment on the actions of the Government. He day dreamed as he stared at the coast of South Carolina, then one of his aides came to him and said the sub had been located and the ship was currently tracking them.

SECRET COMMINQUE TO SCANIA
It is with a great deal of gratitude that we hear of your nation’s position. As of now, we have hopes that the situation can be solved peacefully, so we do not require any foreign assistance. However, if the situation descends into a military matter, Scania will be one of the first nations we look to. We again want to thank you for your offer, you have no idea how much we appreciate it.

Jackson Polk

 

[Tyvia]

The Mauricio Hernandèz was proceeding east into the great sea proper at a leisurely pace, ten knots per hours was the speed, and descending as deep as it dared as the Atlantic ridge slowly descended and allowed for deeper dive altitude. At ten knots, and at this distance, Estadaõ still had sonar capability, enough even to make out the shape of the sounds of the loud CSS Russel. Jotting down a note idly, he raised his hand to his headpiece – clicking a small dial and speaking into the small black bead which served as the microphone. “Conn, Sonar – rouge a few miles out, a bit slower then us.” He stated simply, waiting a moment.

After a second, the familiar voice of Commander Garcia buzzed in his ear, “Sonar, Conn, active pinging?”

Shaking his head redundantly, the young man shifted in his chair, tapping his headset to listen to the sonar waves another moment. Clicking it again, he replied. “Conn, Sonar, negatory. They picked us up at last charity.” Though the jargon of the Commonwealth's military was already made difficult to understand by the unique language spoken in Ferèzanno and Coronado, it was only made more intricately difficult to be translated and deciphered by the indigenous terms developed, some specifically with ambiguity in mind. Charity was a term referring to breaching the water surface, which the Mauricio Hernandèz had done only moments before. It was not likely that the ship that was now attempting to re-locate the submarine had any powerful enough sonar sets to pick them up at this range, though the boat would've showed up on radar the moment it had come out of the sea. Submerged beneath the waves, it was in its aspect, a deadly predator.

Then again, Estadaõ was a sonar officer, it was now in the hands of the men on the bridge to see through the next few courses of action. Swerving aft a bit, the boat slowed softly a tad, raising itself up from it's position so that it just but rose from the water itself. From above it would be easily visible, the boat's shadow easily outlined, but on radar it was still invisible, and on sonar it wouldn't show unless the hunter was directly over them. A great exhaust of steam spurted out from the top of the Mauricio, a loud roar, which would give away the position of the boat on sonar once more – but not entirely pointlessly. The Coronadic ship wouldn't have been identified as such, it was impossible. The design was too new to have made it into the sonar sound logs, and the Commonwealth was intelligent enough not to paint the flag upon their submarines. You needed a submarine to hunt a submarine, and the Confederates had sent a ship.

A missile erupted from the submarine, sailing up towards the heavens, before descending down back towards the sea – aimed in an arc to track and impact against the Confederate vessel. The submarine would in the meantime, descend back down into the depths, where it's sound signature would be lost amongst the ground clatter and the warmer current waves, sound infraction throughout water doing the work it needed to conceal itself. The missile wasn't a simple one, it had been designed with this purpose in mind, and had a 1000lbs warhead inbuilt. It was fairly conventional, and was unlikely to sink the confederate vessel, at least not by itself. It was sure to wreak some havoc upon the vessel, if not damage it enough to slowly force it to sink. Radar-guided, unless the ship learned how to disappear, the missile wouldn't.

 

[Confederate States]

President through down the intelligence report with rage. Members of the Department of Defense starred as Sanford’s face filled with rage. Sanford got up from his desk and began pacing the room. He finally stopped and said.

“A sub, from some nation, fired upon one of our naval vessels and you can’t tell me which one of those abominations did it?” Sanford yelled.
“The sub is unmarked, we have no way of telling who the sub belongs to,” the Defense Department spokesman said.
“Listen to me. My nation is in a situation where our government is losing power as the minutes pass. I have a state that is in full rebellion and the rest planning to rebel!” Sanford yelled “Whoever sent that god damn sub is committing an act of war upon our nation. I want you to find out who that sub belongs to.”
“One nation under speculation is Meribia-” the man said.
“I don’t care about speculation, I want clear evidence, I don’t care how you find it, just find it,” Sanford ordered, and dismissed the men.

--
Captain Stuart was standing was the sea as the C.S.S. Russell moved through, trying to track the submarine. Recently, radar had lost its location, something Stuart was angry at. Stuart’s day dream was interrupted as someone screamed a missile was detected. Stuart quickly looked into the sky to try to look for the missile, when a visual was made; the crew of the Russell was in awe. It wasn’t long before the missile smashed into the ship. The ship rocked violently, but was still afloat. Stuart knew it would be imperative that the ship got back to port immediately, no second to spare.

Thankfully, the Russell had not strayed far from a naval base, but regardless, the CS was just attacked.

-----
10,000 CS troops were on the border of South Carolina. In less than five minutes, they would be given the order to invade and reclaim the state. The South Carolinian Government had not sent any message to the Confederate President, and it didn’t seem like they would any time soon.

After five minutes, 4 jets were seen; flying into South Carolinian Air Space, the battle had begun.

------
Governor Jim Arden of Texas stood before the podium. He had an announcement that came right after word that the invasion had begun. The room was quiet and watched him intently as he spoke.

“I told my legislature, that if South Carolina was attacked, to hold a secret vote on secession. My legislature voted massively in favor of secession. As of now, we declare that Texas is no longer a state of the Confederate States. It has become clear that the Confederate Government is ruling by military force and has lost track of the ideals that our nation was founded on. I wish to give my appreciation to the members of this meeting for attempting to solve the situation, but it is rapidly declining, and Texas will no longer be a part of it. Thank you.”

After the Governor’s announcement, people stood and cheered, four other states announced they were starting to vote on secession. News of the C.S.S. Russell being attacked made quick action urgent before more nations took advantage of the anarchy that now existed in the Confederacy.

 

[Serenierre]

High Commission of Belmont
Richmond

High Commissioner Jospin was sitting in his office waiting for a very important call. He had asked his secretary to get Mr. Polk on the line about two hours ago. Things were heating up in the Confederate States and Belmont's stakes in the country were threatened. And seeing two distinct groups emerging in the country, Paris wanted to make it known to both that Belmont would be standing firmly with the people of the Confederate States. Paris had ordered Jospin to contact the leadership of the FRP and to make it known to them that the Kingdom was willing to support the FRP were it to guarantee security of Belmontien assets in the country.

Jospin leaned back into his chair and took another puff of the cigar he was holding his hand. The television was switched on and the press conference of the Texan governor was being aired. No surprise there, thought Jospin. Although Paris was realizing the full situation now only, Jospin, due to his five years as High Commissioner, had developed a good understanding of the CS and had on seen the crisis coming a long time ago. As the press conference was going, the channel started airing a ticker, which was proclaiming in bold letters: "Confederate Navy Ship attacked by unknown forces."

Jospin's eyebrow arched at that. This was unexpected. But it could work in Belmont's favor, couldn't it?

Jospin got up and picked up his phone. Dialing the numbers he was, by now, quite familiar with connected him to the extension phone line of Pierre Juppé, the High Commission's Security Attache, or, in other words, the head of ISE operations in the CS.

*****

Juppé answered the phone. "Oui, Juppé speaking."

"Pierre" the voice of the High Commissioner Jospin came from the other end "Have you seen the news? CSN ship has been attacked by unknowns... oh, and Texas is also breaking away."

Juppé heard silently what the High Commissioner was saying.

Jospin continued, "I want you to get to know who attacked that ship. I need to know."

"Yes, sir." Juppé said firmly.

****

Jospin put down the phone. He continued to wait for Polk to call. Surely, Polk wasn't ignoring him. Belmont was far too important a presence in the CS to be ignored by anyone.

After another half and hour of waiting, his phone rang again. The number on its ID screen showed it to belong to none other that of Jackson Polk. He picked it up.

"Mr. Polk" Jospin began "Good of you to finally call. I have something to discuss with you."​

 

[Confederate States]

Louisiana, North Carolina, Florida, and Kentucky declared that they too are now out of the Confederate States. Six out of the Thirteen States have declared independence, after this five more states are bringing succession to a vote; one of those five is Virginia itself. Virginia’s significance in this was that Virginia held the capital of the Confederate States.

Richmond was confused as to how to respond. The Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina was now outside of the Confederacy, and the delegates believed themselves to be safe. The Government of the Confederate States went to Alabama, a state that was very supportive of the status quo.

Talks between the six, now independent, states have risen about unifying against the Confederate Government organizing a new Government over the Confederate States, however nothing can be confirmed.

--------
Polk was nervous. He knew what he said here would be one of the most important discussions of his life. Belmont’s allegiance to the FRP was absolutely necessary, and Polk felt as though the world’s weight was on his shoulders. When the Belmontian Man spoke, Polk took a deep breath and said.

“It brings me great pleasure to finally be speaking with you, I will be happy to answer any of your questions.”

 

[Serenierre]

Embassy of the Kingdom of Belmont
Richmond

Jospin reclined in his seat and started to talk. "Mr. Polk, first I would like to congratulate you. It seems the tide is turning in the favor of the FRP. It seems more states have seceded and we are assuming that the old order is on its last legs. If so, then expect our full support in getting the CS back on track. But the main reason I called you was to ask if it was possible for the senior leadership of FRP and I to meet... here at the Embassy or at a venue of your choosing. It'll give me an opportunity to show you what exactly we are willing to do for the FRP and its cause." Jospin said as a matter of fact.​

 

[Confederate States]

Now that Virginia was out of the Confederacy, it was safe to go to Richmond. Polk did not hesitate to reply to the Belmontian.

“After this conversation is done, I will immediately travel to the Belmont Embassy in Richmond. It will bring me great joy to speak to you in person.”
----
Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Sequoyah all voted to secede from the Confederacy. The only two remaining states, Alabama and Tennessee were very favorable of the Fascists. Most of the Blue Ops operatives were loyal to the Fascists, but over 90% of the military, including generals, moved in favor of the FRP. The few remaining military forces went into Tennessee and Alabama, to defend them.

Every seceded state, excluding South Carolina, met with each other and agreed to reform the Confederacy based on the principles of freedom, liberty, and democracy. The meeting in Raleigh was finished. Their final motive was to form the Confederate Council, which would govern the new Confederacy until a permanent Government could be established. President of the Council was none other than the man who started the rebellion, Jackson Polk.

Fighting along the border of the Fascist CS and the New CS broke out almost immediately after the declaration of the New Confederacy. General Horatio Stellers was put in charge of the campaign to defeat the Fascists as the Confederate Council moved into Richmond to reestablish order, and gain recognition as the legitimate Government of the Confederacy.

 

[Serenierre]

Embassy of the Kingdom of Belmont
Richmond

Jospin put the phone down. He knew that Polk would come as soon as he could. Here, with a new political order in the make, the FRP needed the support of Belmont, which the Kingdom was happy to give. He turned his attention back to the television, eleven of the thirteen states had seceded and the old guard had barricaded itself in the two remaining loyal states. But for the FRP's new nation to succeed, the perpetrator of the attack on CSS Russell had to be found out. No one was going to jeopardize Belmontien interests in the country. He dialed Juppe's extension number again.​

 

[Confederate States]

The plane touched down in Richmond. President Polk stepped out of the plane and goes into the presidential limo and immediately went for the Belmont Embassy. People cheered as they saw Polk, which was refreshing for the man. Polk arrived at the Belmont Embassy and he stepped out of the limo and walked in.

 

[Serenierre]

Embassy of the Kingdom of Belmont
Richmond

Jospin shook the hand of the new President of the CS and guided him to the drawing room of the Embassy. The room was cosy and warm. The two men took their seat on two sofas, which were facing each other. The warmth of the fire was reaching them and felt pleasant. It was very cold today in Richmond and the fire was perfectly welcome.

After settling into the two comfortable sofas, the butler brought a tray close to President Polk and asked "Tea or coffee, sir?" in accented English. After giving the President the drink he asked for, the butler did the same with the Ambassador and then went out of the room. The tray, which remained in its place, close to Polk, was covered in a number of various pastries, patties, sandwiches and salted nuts. Had Polk come later, this would have been a dinner meeting. But now was the time for high tea.

"Mr Polk... or should I say President Polk, the reason I have asked to meet you is because I wanted to tell you that the Kingdom of Belmont supports fully the FRP and its ideals. I also want to say that we view the entire nation of the Confederate States as allies. We have a long history and we don't want to lose this friendship." Jospin stopped talking, took a sip of his coffee and started talking again. "But, our support will come only after you can guarantee that our assets in the CS are protected and our prior agreements with the fascist CS government will carry over to the new FRP led CS. If you can guarantee us this, you have our full support."​

 

[Confederate States]

The President smiled at Jospin. He leaned back in his chair and began his answer.

“You need not worry. Even though the fascists have had outrageous policies, I give them credit for reestablishing relations with Belmont. The agreements between our two countries will be honored by the new Government. In fact, once our country and economy are moving again, we look to increase our relations. I also believe that our conversion to Capitalism will be highly beneficial for Belmont. I greatly thank you and the Belmont nation for their support in our cause, and I can promise you right now that our agreements will be honored and respected.”

The President understood the concern of the Belmontians, and he absolutely needed to assure their confidence in his leadership and the leadership of the FRP.

 

[Serenierre]

Embassy of the Kingdom of Belmont
Richmond

"Alright. That is well and good. But what of this attack on the CSS Russell? For the new nation to succeed, your security situation must be improved. I urge you to use all of you clout with the various state governments and get organized quickly. This anarchy will result in nothing for the CS."​

 

[Confederate States]

President Polk sat in his chair for a while. The current state of anarchy made it nearly impossible for a non-existent intelligence agency to keep up national security. The Problem with the Confederate States was it was hardly established at the moment, and if some nation decided to attack ships, not just the populace, but foreign nations may lose faith in the Confederate Government. That was something Polk could not have, especially not now. Polk decided it might be best to come straight out with the Belmontian and tell him the exact condition of National Security.

“Because of our countries’ relationship, and the fact that this isn’t much of a secret, I will completely inform you of my nation’s ability to keep its shores defended. As of right now, we do not have an operational central intelligence bureau. I cannot tell you who attacked that ship. I can’t even say for certain that it was a submarine.

In truth, even though our navy is effectively under our control, we cannot defend our coasts from any threat. We cannot scan our waters, if we can detect the ship, we are more than capable of handling it, but beyond that, we are powerless.

It is my faith in the relationship between our countries that compels me to make this offer to you. I am officially asking Belmont to monitor our waters for us, at least until we can effectively do it ourselves. This threat to our national security cannot continue, I ask you in almost a plea that you help the Confederate States in this effort.

I am however, happy to say the Confederate Council believes that we can establish an intelligence agency fairly quickly, if we are capable of doing this, then defense of our country is more than capable of being handled by ourselves,” Polk said.

 

[Serenierre]

Embassy of the Kingdom of Belmont
Richmond

"Well let me say, the Kingdom's navy will be honored to assist an ally at a time of need. We'll get in our best. We'll hunt down the people who attacked the CSS Russell. You have my word, President Polk"