Reformation. Revolution.

[Josepania]

Rumperup, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

10:52 Germanian Standard Time, 12/03/1954

***

"I will never forget how it began... I was reading the German edition of A New Edition of Critique of Political Economy: The Twentieth Century Methodology by Taketori Natsuki, something that was illegal during the Troubled Years. It was fascinating to me at the time, however, because although I did not necessarily agree with everything it said, it provided to me an alternative to the oppression, the chaos, the lies, all of the idiocy that oozed from Christiansborg. I had entertained ideas of spreading the word to others, inspiring them to lead resistances, but never once did I truly expect that it would start with me, on that day…"

***​

Franz Kammerschen didn’t notice the cold, the dampness, that mildly miserable atmosphere in weather that seemed to press down on the otherwise minor border city of Rumperup, Danmark. His thoughts and attention were not focused on what was real, but rather what was imagined, or what could become reality. His imagination was running wild as his mind analyzed the text, a text he had already read five times, offering critique already annotated in the book, or praising it, or simply asking questions as though he were having a conversation with the author himself.

Brushing a stray red hair away from his face, Franz’s grey eyes flew across the pages, despite their speed taking in every word with the reverence of an enthusiastic reader, his gangly body hunched over the book as though he were attempting to fit himself inside the pages, immerse himself into the world that it offered. The seat he was in, the dulled bustle of the coffee shop around him, none of it mattered. All that mattered was the book.

It took Franz a minute longer than anybody else to notice a larger bustle outside, a dull roar of voices and movement that steadily increased with every passing second, but when he did notice, it was already in his face. The front door to the coffee shop was smashed open, soldiers garbed in the uniform of the so-called “Reformed Danish Army” poured in and began pulling and pushing people out into the street, barking orders that more resembled the roars and growls of animals than a human’s voice. He too, was snatched from his seat, his precious book ripped from his hands into a virtual ether as he half-stumbled, half-ran outside.

Around Franz, the scene was replicated many times over, but he had little time to take it all in, for his vision was a blur as he was led to a nearby wall, lined with his fellow citizens, and forced against it, facing what looked to be an organizing firing squad. Recognition of his new situation was slowly beginning to enter his consciousness, and fear began to replace confusion as he realized what was about to happen. He, however, did nothing as one of the soldiers stepped forward, probably a lieutenant going by his somewhat gaudier appearance, and held up a book… Franz’s book.

“You are charged with knowingly harboring communists, post-delegationists, and other subversive enemies of the Danish Realm, as well as colluding and collaborating with said enemies, have been found guilty with evidence like the one I hold in my hand, and are hereby sentenced to death by order of the Danish Empire.”

The matter-of-fact way he spoke almost softened the content, to the point where it took those against the wall a few seconds to figure out what exactly he meant. Some, perhaps those like the man himself who courted such illegal ideologies in their minds, responded with quiet resignation to their fates. Others, those who perhaps had no knowledge of any such events despite being on the border with the once communist and now post-delegationist state of Tyrrhenia, responded with panic, pleading for their lives in a pitiful way that, nonetheless, seemed to touch the hearts of some of the assembled soldiers, who overall looked rather uncomfortable with their upcoming task.

As for the Franz? His fear was now gone, replaced by anger and defiance that erupted. “Shame on you! You would kill innocents, your own blood, just because a pack of criminals in Christiansborg told you to! They are no better than the royalists! They are worse! At least the royalists didn’t murder their own people out of a paranoid bloodlust! Shame on you, all of you!”

His defiance shocked all in earshot, civilians and soldiers alike. The lieutenant, however, quickly became enraged, and advanced upon Franz, drawing his pistol as he did so.

“It is because of subversives like you,” the lieutenant began, shoving the book into Franz face, “That we must do this! You have brought this upon yourself, and upon others, because of your lack of loyalty to the legitimate state!”

Franz, strangely even to himself, was not fazed, “And why do we turn to such ideologies?! Because of fascists like you, those who would forget their humanity in the name of obedience to some criminal, scum not worthy to-“

He could speak no more, for the lieutenant’s fist interrupted his speech and impacted the side of his head, causing him to see stars and lose his balance. He impacted the ground, the book hitting the concrete next to him, before he was roughly dragged back up and staring back into the face of the lieutenant, who by now seemed to become death himself.

“Insolent dog! You die first, by my hand!” he screamed, pointing his pistol at Franz’s face, the barrel holding a void of blank nothingness masking the bullet that would end Franz’s life.

Time seemed to slow as adrenaline pumped into Franz’s blood. He became acutely aware of everything around him, how the civilians and the soldiers were staring at him, in awe of his defiance in the face of certain death. He could feel the white-hot rage of the lieutenant emanating as though from a factory. Franz swore he could see the bullet loaded in the gun, itching to burrow its way into Franz’s mind and join the text of the book that swam in there.

One word from that text popped out, shining forth like a light in the black void, and consumed his mind, its context now lost in what seemed to be his last moments in this world: Fight.

Without further thought, his left hand shot up, pushing the gun out of the way, a split second later the bullet erupting from the barrel and impacting the wall next to Franz’s head. He ignored the ringing in his ears, focusing everything on the lieutenant in front of him, who was just beginning to realize what was going on as Franz’s right fist plowed into the lieutenant’s face, a crunching sound following the blow.

Time sped up to normal again as another strike, then another, as Franz pummeled the lieutenant with a rage he had never felt before. Before he knew it he was on top of the officer, his left hand pinning the gun to the ground that nonetheless kept firing into the wall, perhaps from reaction more than intent, his right hand turning red from the blood that began to appear on the lieutenant’s broken face.

Franz was vaguely aware of a renewed chaos around him, civilians and soldiers both, with shots punctuating the screams and shouts here and there, but he didn’t pay attention. Instead, he ceased his barrage to reach for the pistol and tear it from a weakened hand, pointing it at its former owner. Through bloodied, bruised eyes the lieutenant recognized what was happening, and with renewed strength did his best to push the gun away, but to no avail, for although it shook with the effort Franz gave to keep it on target, on target it stayed.

“No!” The lieutenant shouted, a weak, pitiful scream of primal fear, a stark contrast to Franz’s reaction to death staring at him in the face. “No! Don’t kill me!”

His words fell on deaf ears as Franz, a twisted, feral snarl warping his features, began to squeeze the trigger.

“N-“

BANG!

Reality slowly began to come back to Franz, his focus off of the now shattered remains of the lieutenant. Around him were civilians and a few soldiers alike, most of them bloodied and bruised, some of their comrades of both occupations strewn around them. Franz became further aware of more chaos around his little group, as it seemed others were following his example, whether they were uniformed or in plain clothes.

Those around him, though, were looking at him, their eyes asking the same question, ”What now?” For a second, Franz’s mind was blank, for he had just killed a man, and felt nothing from it. He then saw another word from the text, still swimming in his head, come forward and be illuminated, and it said REVOLUTION.

He was committed, now. His path was clear. It had to be. Why else did he survive certain death beyond luck? He reached for his book, its pages dotted with the blood of the lieutenant, and he stood, holding the book in his left hand and the pistol in his right.

Franz then said, “Stop this madness, save the people.”

They now had a purpose, and with a cry of defiance, they set to their work.

 

[Josepania]

Rumperup, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

08:36 Germanian Standard Time, 14/03/1954

***

"By the next morning we had taken control of the city. That is, we felt safe enough to say we had taken control. Most of the time was spent determining who was on whose side. Some would call it a witch hunt, or rather a Dane hunt... I most certainly did. They committed some pretty terrible acts... centuries of pent up anger released on those who didn't even fully deserve it. To this day I remember the screaming... By the time we got back on track, we had to discuss what to do next, and that took hours upon hours, almost a day, actually. Eventually we just decided to narrow down the decision making to three people: Captain Otto Kraus representing the soldiers, Deputy Mayor Wilhelm Liepkin representing the civilians... and me, the instigator of this whole mess. We were all fairly exhausted by the time we lucky few made a decision, but it was a decision that would define us, and our cause."

***​

“We have very few alternatives as options… to attack the eastern military base now is suicide, while sitting here and hoping for the best is foolhardy. We have the forces, however, to take Aalborg and bolster our numbers and our support amongst the populace. With further support, more options become open to us. In the meantime, we can let the civilians get Rumperup back in order and shore up its defenses as Christiansborg will never let this incident go with no reprecussions…”

As Franz made his argument, he struggled to focus his thoughts, feeling the weight of the past few days upon him. His near-death experience, the effort to take control of Rumperup, reining in the bloody anarchy that followed their victory, and then having to deal with hours of hundreds of people shouting at once… They were inspired by their interpretation of post-delegationism of everyone being involved in the decision-making process, but the best decision that mob ever made, aside from stopping the Dane hunt, was appointing representatives to decide what to do, Franz being one of them. Fortunately, Captain Kraus and Deputy Mayor Liepkin were just as tired and just as eager to end this discussion on a productive note.

“Agreed…” first responded Captain Kraus, “We only have about 200 soldiers, most of them armed only with service rifles, a few heavy support weapons, nowhere near enough to take on a base. I know there’s an armory in the city of Aalborg, though. I was stationed there before being dragged out over here. If we can gain control of that armory, and with a little more time, we can get a force together that will be able to put a dent in that military base.”

“I agree as well…” Deputy Mayor Liepkin added, “But that also brings us to what exactly we do here in Rumperup. Do we maintain a post-delegationist slant in our governing?”

The dirty looks the three men gave made the response inevitable, “No…” Franz replied. “At least not entirely. Obviously they must have more say in the going-ons of the city, and they must be able to endorse the citizens they want to represent them, but we need to organize the creation of collectives as well. Of businesses, social services. We need organization, not total anarchy.”

Deputy Mayor Liepkin raised an eyebrow, “But what are we, if I may ask?”

Franz sighed, “We are simply a group of people who believe in democracy as well as republicanism, not this fascist tyranny that replaced the oppressive monarchy. We believe in the rights of the individual, but also their commitment to the greater good, the collective. We are moderates, borrowing ideas from the radicals. We are only radicals in that we are willing to go any distance to fight for what we believe in.”

The Captain and Deputy Mayor exchanged a look, Captain Kraus saying, “This is why we think you should join our forces heading to Aalborg, to galvanize the people there.”

Franz paused, “… look, I know where you’re going with this… I’m only a college student who’s focused on political science, history, speech and religious studies. I’m not a professional in any of those things, the chaos of the government over the past few years prevented this. What you saw today… I just fought for my life, and tried to stop the madness. I don’t even know why I’m here…”

The Deputy Mayor replied, “You’re a leader, the people recognize this, as do we. They want you to represent them, that is why you’re here. That’s why we want you to go with Captain Kraus and his men, because you can show the people what they’re fighting for… and by God man, they’ll fight.”

Captain Kraus nodded. “We need a civilian there anyway, someone who can show that this isn’t purely a military coup, that this has popular support. We’re planning on taking others, of course, but I want you above all others.”

Franz leaned back in his chair and closed his aching eyes in thought. He had been planning on staying in Rumperup, away from the danger, perhaps supervising the Deputy Mayor and his efforts to bring order to the city. But this… he was not expecting this. Nor did he particularly want to go, because it meant the possibility of another gun to his face, something he did not want to repeat. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel like he could win this argument. He simply did not have the energy for him.

… and besides, part of him did want to continue what he started.

“… very well. I’ll go to Aalborg.”

 

[Natal]

2 kilometers south of Rumperup, Danmark
0835 hours

We were all seated in a single truck. I was sitting in the cabin, near the driver and I was looking at the rolling hills of the Danish countryside as we were approaching our target, the town of Rumperup. It seems that I was right, the powder ked that is Danmark finally exploded. I still remember their faces when I said that Danmark was ripe for revolution. Only one person believed me and I was lucky enough that it was the right person. Laskaris heard my argument, listened to me and it seemed that he was also thinking of this. Either way, Danmark needs to be a bridge between Tyrrhenia and Cantignia. This revolution will also be the one that will make the socialist ring fully engulf Eiffelland. Finally, I can see the world revolution starting to take form…

“It’s good that the Danes left their post, right, comrade commissar?” The driver interrupted me from my line of thoughts.

“You don’t even know, Lysandros… you don’t even know how lucky we are…” I told him smiling; afterwards I continued to look at the fields outside.

When I went a few weeks ago to Kastoria to talk to Grand National Assembly about Danmark, Samaras, as chairman of the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] International and the Worker’s Party was the only one who supported me. President Katsaros was against it, as well as many of the commissars from the government. After I argued with them, I managed to get a mission from Samaras, ordering me to go to Danmark and foster the revolutionary ideals to the people, but the elections and the Sacred Revolution kept me from starting it. But now, with Laskaris and the Post-Delegationists it seems that support for this was nearly unanimous in the council, so we received green light. But this time, it seems that destiny did much of our job, as we received news that fights took place on the other side of the border two days ago. I quickly went to form a group of volunteers to join me and took, under the orders of the Stratigos, some weapons to help the revolutionaries. The scouts observed that even the border guards disappeared, probably they went to reinforce the town, or maybe they just deserted it. Such things were common in Danmark after the collapse of the monarchy, but now fascist government was struggling to take control of the country, but the rural area was in chaos… I looked again at the driver, as we started to see the town. He was keeping one hand on the steering wheel and another on the gear lever. He was twitching; with his fingers he was slowly taping the lever.

“Are you nervous, Lysandros?” I asked him concerned.

“Me?” he looked surprised at me.

“Watch the road.” I told him, making a gesture with my head, showing the road in front of us. “I was talking about the taping of the lever.”

“Oh, that… well… I believe so. It’s my first mission. I never thought that is would be something like this…”

“Something this big?” I asked him smiling. “My first mission was the arrest of some secretaries of the Worker’s Party in Ayios Andronikos when Loukas Lambrakis was accused of corruption. They started to cry as we arrested them… disgusting… they had no problem when they were involved in the embezzlement, but when they are captured, they start to plead for mercy, they start crying and other shit.” The disgust in my tone must have been very easy to observe…

“Yes… I was expecting something shorter and smaller… not like this.”

“It says Town Hall. Follow that street sign.” I told him as we already entered the town, wishing to meet with the revolutionaries. “Stop here.” As the truck stopped, the people gathered in the square in front of the town hall started to look concerned towards us.

“My name is Chrysanthos Rallis.” I started to say in German. “We have heard about your fight for liberation and have come to help you. Who is in charge here?” as the people in the square showed me a tall, but very thin man, of similar age to me, with strange grey eyes and short red hair. Before going to him I told the others in Tyrrhenian to get out from the truck and to unload the AT-54s.

“So, you are the one that started the whole movement?” I told him as I reached my hand to shake his.

 

[Josepania]

Rumperup, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

09:06 Germanian Standard Time, 14/03/1954

***

"It was shortly after my decision that another monumental event decided to dump itself into my lap, though by now I was beginning to realize that this was the beginning of something truly great, beyond my wildest dreams. He was a gift from heaven, and the man I fear most in this world, at the same time. His name was Chrysanthos Rallis, a half-Germanian half-Tyrrhenian mix, though you could've sworn he was all Germanian. He was a tall man, not quite my height, but certainly more than others, with short dark blonde hair with striking green eyes. The fact that he was about 25, almost my age in fact, didn't matter, he exuded an aura of determination that made other men fight for him, and die for him, something I may have shared to a degree, but never at his level. But, as said, he was a frightening man. His cold ruthlessness, stemming from his Germanian mother being killed by Danish fascists after the fall of the monarchy, hardened him beyond his years. He's done things I've never found out about and, frankly, don't want to know about, and we've had our... disagreements. Despite our differences, though, he has sworn undying loyalty to me. To this day, I don't really understand why he loved a moderate like me... maybe he admired my idealism, something he had already replaced with hatred... in a way... I pity him."

***​

Franz hesitated, staring at this stranger in front of him, hand outstretched, men that seemed to swear allegiance to him and his cause. Chrysanthos' tongue was German, but his accent was Tyrrhenian. It seemed too good to be true, that even at this early stage the world was proclaiming itself to be on his side. Granted, the world at this point consisted of a town and twenty-one Tyrrhenians, but after three days, that was certainly a start.

He finally grasped the man's hand in his and shook it, firm despite his exhaustion. "Unwittingly, yes, I suppose so. I am Franz Kammerschen."

Chrysanthos smiled, seeming to study Franz as they shook hands, a look that almost made Franz shudder, "An honor to meet you, Franz. I am sorry for my late appearance, I had been planning on coming here and stirring up some trouble for weeks now. Imagine my surprise when I learned that somebody beat me to the punch!"

Franz gave a weak, tired smile in return, "I am sorry to disappoint-"

"Don't be!" Chrysanthos interrupted, "If anything, I'm overjoyed to see someone has taken the initiative here."

"It was either that or take a bullet to the brain..."

At that, Chrysanthos laughed, "A wise decision, I'd say!" The laughter ended, and although he kept smiling, his transition to business was striking, “So, Franz, what is the situation here?”

Franz took it in stride, and looked around him in the bustling town square. “A bit confused, but slowly coming together. I have agreed with the Deputy Mayor, one Wilhelm Liepkin, that he should begin reforming the government here, doing away with the excesses and corruption of the royalists and fascists that came before us, and bring in some real democracy, encouraged participation amongst the citizenry, and collectivizing the businesses and social services here. Only in increments though, and gradually, so that the citizens understand what is going on and accept them, and support them. I wish I could be around for that…”

He then turned to the soldiers, now eyeing the AT-54s the Tyrrhenians were unloading with open interest, “But instead, the Mayor and Captain Otto Kraus have convinced me to join in on a 200-man strong expedition to the district capital of Aalborg. We feel that, should we take the city, the district as a whole will join us in open revolt, perhaps, if all goes well, the military base as well, and the armory in the city will do much to give us better weapons to fight with.”

Franz turned back to Chrysanthos, “After that, is anybody’s guess. But if the stars align and all goes perfectly, the vague plan we have now is we’ll turn north to the Cisalpina district, then west to the Jelling and Amager districts… and keep going until Christiansborg…”

 

[Natal]

Rumperup, Danmark
0910 hours

I expected the head of the rebellion to be more… bulky… more athletic, not so skinny. When the people first showed him to me I wanted to ask them if they are mocking me, but it seems that Franz has the charisma to have the people follow him… he surely has the dreams to do it and also the guts to follow them. This made me smile. Returning here it was something magical. To see those people so full of hopes raises one’s morale pretty much. I never saw this in Tyrrhenia. The revolutionary period in Tyrrhenia passed well before I was born and it was replaced with pragmatism, people going on with their lives, looking at all the slogans on the billboards and buildings and seeing just some letters painted there, without any substance. They are missing the main message, because they go on with their lame lives, seeing their small problems as the center of the world, while here, in the Eastern Cape, in Yujin, in Boliatur, in Touzen, people really die for their beliefs. This Danish guy had something in him and only after observing him, his moves and the way he speaks I finally observed it… it was something that I always wanted to feel and see the Tyrrhenians be like that too. I wanted us to be happy again, to feel that the future is in our hands again, but it seems that such idealist times have long passed. Our time to feel this has passed, now the time of the Germans has come.

“Well, you really want to change this country from one day to the other.” I said smiling. “Remember, comrade, what you are starting now, is an eternal fight. What are we doing now it’s just the easiest part, because we simply fight against the fascist government. The real hardships will come when the people will have to slowly transform their mentality and understand that the era when they had leaders that ordered them around has ended. This will be a shock for many, as the responsibilities are not anymore in the hands of some politicians, but in the people’s hands, this obliges them to make no mistake when they rule their lands. That is why we are here. Tyrrhenia is in full support with the people of Danmark. We also thought that you may also need firepower.” I told him as I made him come with me to show him the guns.

“Those are the AT-54. We brought 40 of them. Those guns are the jewel of socialist engineering and will help you, the Danish people join the free world.”

I looked again at him. I wasn’t sure, but I was of the belief that he was close to my age. He wasn’t very different than me. Even if we had the same principles and ideals, or that’s what I believe, it still seemed that we came from completely different worlds. For a few seconds I tried to imagine what I would do if I would have been in his place. I couldn’t imagine that I would live in a fascist country and be so close to be killed by my countrymen. That though gave me a shiver, though I hoped he didn’t observe it. I must concentrate. I came here to see those fascists destroyed. To finally see the hegemony of the Danes over the Germans succumb. I must concentrate. After I took a big breath I continued:

“Regarding the attack of Aalborg, I have to say that the best thing would be that we will arm as many men from here that we can and then attack the barracks and the armory. We should move during the night, to be sure that they don’t observe us and take them by surprise. If we attack just some trucks or a convoy of the army, the fascists can easily say that it was an accident, but if we attack the armory, the military base, then it will not only be an important tactical victory, we could easily just march into the city afterwards, but also a propagandistic victory, to show the whole world that the people are finally fighting for their rights and emancipation and Tyrrhenia will bring even more help then.” I said looking around after that captain and the mayor, to be sure that they heard and understood what I said.

“In the end, this land is German land and it must be clear to everyone. The end of Dane minority rule must end.” After I said this, I was glad that I didn’t said it louder as it would probably made some problems if there are ethnic Danes in the town and they support us.

 

[Josepania]

Rumperup, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

09:15 Germanian Standard Time, 14/03/1954

***

"Later on, I grew to trust military and security matters to Chrysanthos. He had a boldness, a ruthlessness, that was required in many of those situations. Initially, however, I did not yet trust him. He did after all show up uninvited, albeit not unwelcome, and begin to throw his weight around. There was also, admittedly, a selfish aspect to my decision to overrule him. I had to prove, not just to him, but to Captain Kraus and Deputy Mayor Liepkin and all involved that I was in charge. That they did not make a mistake in choosing me to have a major part in this conflict. Strangely, not long before, I just wanted to fade into obscurity, let others more capable than me take control of the situation... maybe I felt responsible for this entire conflict, or maybe I was more ambitious than I realized. Regardless, I took a chance in challenging Chrysanthos, and though he felt the sting of disagreement, his respect, and other's, of me grew that day, for better or for worse."

***​

Franz, Captain Kraus and Deputy Mayor Liepkin listened to Chrysanthos give his assurances, his explanations, and especially his suggestion to attack the military base of Østmarka, almost halfway between Rumperup and Aalborg, in order to take the Danish military by surprise and further arm the revolutionaries. It would, indeed, allow them to simply walk into Aalborg without a fight and send a very clear message to the rest of Danmark that this was a successful challenge to the government in Christiansborg. His confidence made the plan sound good, but Franz was not convinced.

"With respect, Chrysanthos, the Østmarka military base has the capability to house a couple thousand trained soldiers, while our professional forces currently range just north of two hundred." Franz began, knowing that Captain Kraus and Deputy Mayor Liepkin were watching him closely.

Chrysanthos paused seemingly not expecting resistance from Franz, before responding, "Yes, which is why I propose that we attack at night, along with moving at night, to have the element of surprise. Combined with reinforcements from the population here, we have a better chance."

Franz shook his head, "True as far as it is a better chance, but not by much. To send untrained men into combat, no matter their courage in the face of unfavorable odds, is throwing their lives away and making their sacrifices useless. Further, were we to attack by night, the soldiers would be compelled to fight back against an unknown enemy, not because their officers order them to, but because their own lives are at stake. There is also the fact that attacking by night makes coordination of our attack that much more difficult, nullifying our advantage of surprise and making it that much more difficult to achieve success."

Franz could see that Chrysanthos' will to argue was weakening, though he still made an effort, "You may be right, but we lose the chance of a victory in the realm of propaganda, a clear message to the people of Danmark, and the government of Christiansborg, that we are a group willing and able to challenge the fascists and bring them down."

"Not necessarily." Franz replied, "Taking a major city will provide just as good of a message. It shows that we are not isolated to minor cities, towns and villages, but that we can also take district capitals, and major cities. We will also expand our base of support from the citizenry, giving us more options for future operations. Captain Kraus also tells me that there is an armory, albeit a smaller one, within the city itself. Gaining control of it will give us access to better weapons, making it more likely for us to be able to take on a military force such as Østmarka Military Base. Besides, there is the additional message we send that we do not wish for civil war, and thus bloody death and destruction upon the land and the people, but that we wish for a legitimate people's revolution. Popular support increases our support within and without our borders."

By this point, Franz was becoming uncomfortably aware of not just Captain Kraus and Deputy Mayor Liepkin observing him, but a growing number of other people, civilians, soldiers and even Chrysanthos' volunteers. They were looking at him with varying degrees of respect and approval, but it only made him feel like he was under a microscope. Even the way Chrysanthos was regarding him, as though he were meeting Franz for the first time, was vaguely unsettling. Still, he kept up his appearance of self-confidence, and finished off his argument.

"I also think that taking the city will force a response from the base itself, and once the soldiers see the amount of people flocking to our cause, they will be unwilling to take up arms against us... if anything, they may allow us to simply walk into Østmarka Military Base, a far greater victory than any battle won."

Finally, Chrysanthos smiled, his warmest one yet, and he nodded, "Very well. I can see you and the others put a lot of thought into this. When do we leave?"

Resisting the urge to sigh in relief, Franz instead turned to look to the northeast, in the direction of Aalborg, as though he were already seeing the city in front of him. "Tonight."

 

[Josepania]

1 Kilometer Southeast of Aalborg, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

06:58 Germanian Standard Time, 17/03/1954

***

"Aalborg was where our revolution would be made, or broken. On the march to Aalborg, consisting of Captain Kraus and his 200 soldiers, Chrysanthos and his 20 volunteers, and I with almost 1,800 civilian volunteers we picked up along the way, we had begun to hear encouraging rumors. That the unrest was increasing throughout Danmark due to our successful stand in Rumperup, being encouraged by communists, post-delegationists and socialist republicans alike. That the Danish military, such as those in bypassed Østmarka Military Base were refusing to kill their fellow Germans, which was probably why we made it that far anyway. That Eiffelland was sympathetic to our cause and preparing to intervene, not just with humanitarian aid, but with soldiers as well. Nothing confirmed until later, of course, but it gave us, especially me, the courage to press onwards despite our lingering doubts. After all, the only real plan we had for Aalborg was a bold, almost foolhardy march into and through Aalborg, swelling our numbers with those sympathetic to our cause, being able to beat off any armed response to our march, and officially overthrowing the Danish government there, proclaiming a new era for our people. Jokingly, we said that we couldn't fail, because at least by now we had a flag. Heh... as if that was what would bring success... but desperate times called for desperate measures."

***​

Franz sipped at his steaming cup of coffee, huddling close to other warm bodies in the back of the truck he found himself in. They were doing likewise, for it was an especially cold morning, one that nonetheless promised to be beautiful even this early in the morning. It had been a difficult trek, trying to stay below the radar of Østmarka Military Base while at the same time passing through various villages and small towns. That being said, what once started as a force of just over two hundred soldiers and volunteers had swelled to a force of nearly fifteen hundred, with civilians and some soldiers flocking to the banner of Germanian freedom in Danmark.

When the people of the towns saw the flag, heard Franz and Chrysanthos speak of the impending revolution, and tell the tale of Rumperup’s stand against fascism, the response was moving. They flocked to the cause, hundreds dropping what they were doing to join the March on Aalborg, as it was beginning to be called. This response was repeated in every village and town they marched through, giving the men, Franz included, a confidence in their cause, beyond simple devotion to it. They now believed that they could be successful.

But Aalborg would the biggest test, in many ways. It was larger, so the ideologies of the people could vary, including far more Mezhist sympathizers. With that came a stronger government presence, and Franz knew they would not be willing to see his horde simply walk in without a fight… he paused, realizing what he had thought: his horde. It was now his… no, it had always been his in a way, but he never acknowledged that until just now. How these people flocked to him and his cause, declaring him their leader, their symbol of resistance against the evils of Christiansborg and all it stood for.

The challenges Aalborg offered didn’t matter, he told himself as he felt the truck stop. He and others in his group jumped out and began assembling themselves. The revolution could not be stopped, and would never be stopped. He adjusted his cap, no longer feeling uncomfortable in the slightly oversized military uniform he was wearing. As he moved forward and prepared to give an inspiring speech, just before the march into Aalborg, he felt ready.

Aalborg would be his, no matter what.

 

[Rheinbund]

Control freaks as they were, the Eiffellandians had set up quite an impressive radar system to control its air space, and parts of the air spaces of its neighbourcountries, and they had started with that as soon as radar techniques became available. As a result, they knew exactly what happened in and around its air space. Also at the seas around Eiffelland, because they surveyed there by using the radars of their naval ships and by patrolling with fighter planes. On top of that, a few fighter planes permanently patrolled the Eiffellandian air space.
The patrolling of the air space was intensified immediately after the Staatstag and Staatsrat approved the deployment of conscripts abroad. The Navy also started to patrol more intensely, both at sea and in the air from an aircraft carrier. Apart from that, troops and equipment were transported to the northern border. To make sure that not only well‑trained conscripts but also experienced soldiers could be used for a possible invasion, a troops exchange with Solaren was prepared. Conscript troops would be transported to Solaren, and professional soldiers would be transported from Solaren to Northern Eiffelland.
Food packages had already been prepared. They would be dropped above Eastern Danmark soon. Heavy bombers were prepared for that, as well as fighter planes to accompany and defend the bombers. Eiffelland’s intentions to intervene had already hit the news, so it was assumed that the Danish could expect at least a food dropping above Eastern Danmark, but the food droppings would be announced to be polite. Would the Danish government

But that was not the only thing that would be done. Lutz Nielsen was a secret agent from the Staatsschutz, the Eiffellandian secret service. He was an Eiffellandian of Danish descent who spoke several languages, among others Danish and Tyrrhenian. He was on a mission in the neighbourhood of Rumperup when Franz Kammerschen started his revolution. When he notified his superiors, he was ordered to follow Franz and try to contact him if possible. Now he was part of Franz’s horde, on the way to Aalborg.

 

[Asylan]

Major Savon was sitting in his cot in the crew quarters of the freighter they had taken a ride on since boarding several days ago. The door opened and one of his men, Lieutenant Marks stepped in, "Major, we've arrive in port."

He sat up and grabbed his pack, "Alright get everyone else ready. We don't have much time."

By the time he had made his way up to the deck, after paying the captain of the ship his dues, his team of five had assembled. Captain Eising, his XO for the mission greeted him, Sir, the trucks on the dock have been loaded. Our friends who are supporting the rebel movement here have payed the right bribes. It seems to be in total chaos, I don't think there will be any security for quite some ways. As far as our contact knows, the Danish government hasn't had much of a response to the movement in the east."

Savon nodded, "Alright then. Which city are we at."

Eising pulled out a small map. He spent a second scrutinizing it and showed it to Savon, pointing to a coastal city, "We are in Samso. From there we can take a major highway from here to Ravensborg, and from there to Kastrup and then the reaminder of the distance to Aalborg. We think Mr. Franz will be able to capture the city by the time we make it there."

"Alright, the captain has been taken care of so its time for us to be off."

The team went to the two waiting trucks on the port, each loaded to the brim with supplies they had smuggled from Asylan. Savon peaked in the back of each of them to make sure, each one had AK47s, ammunition and a variety of small supplies. They weren't coming to upkeep the army of course, but it was more of a friendly gesture. Their contacts had assured them a meeting with Franz, although they didn't know if he actually knew they were coming. Nevertheless it was nice to know they wouldn't be shot the moment they arrived.

----

They had been traveling the road for a little under a day at this point. In front of their trucks was a Danish officer in his own vehicle, who they had paid an ungodly amount of money for just driving with them the entire way. But they had to make sure they made it undetected. They had made a few stops for fuel and had passed Ravensborg a while back, with little challenge to their driving. The entire country had been writhing in chaos. When they had passed through Ravensborg they had seen rioting in the streets. They had to take side streets through the city in order to remain undetected and avoid the large crowds.

"So, how much longer?"

Captain Eising snickered, "Well we have to travel the distance of Asylan tip to tip so probably another day at this rate."

"Who ever though being a civil war could be so boring," Savon said, resting his elbow near the window.

"Sir I don't think you would want anything too exciting to happen. I'd prefer to not have to shoot anyone before we get there." Of course, even Savon could notice Eising getting antsy. He was sure every man he had here was wondering when their luck would run out. Of course surprisingly the state of the country seemed to be working in their favor.

"It's getting out of control out there. Those riots we passed looked almost too intense."

"The more reason we need to get to Aalborg as fast as we can. We have to make sure Mr. Franz doesn't lose his mind and start slaughtering people."

 

[Ionia]

The Ionians weren't too happy when they learned of a post delegationist uprising in Danmark. To their eyes socialism and communism were tolerable but post delegationism was a non-practicable menace that would only serve to weaken both democracy, trade (especially free and naval one, Ionia's main source of profit) and the very stability of the region. As such they had dispatched a special Office of Naval Intelligence division made up of ONI agents and Ionian special forces troops. The team was to be part of an operation to secretly and unofficially support Eiffelander efforts and to stop Tyrrhenian and Rebel ones. The operation was code-named "Alcibiades" and its headquarters were located in the Ionian Embassy in Christiansborg and the Ionian Consulates in South and Eastern Danish cities. For now an agent had been dispatched to meet Franz and a group of Ionian OYK troops and agents had also been dispatched to help organize and equip anti-leftist and possibly even democratic militias.

Michael Michanikos Georgiou was an Ionian ONI officer tasked with meeting Franz. A founding member of SOKI, for operational reasons rather than ideological ones of course, he was known all across the globe as a hero and champion of Socialism across the globe. He was officially wanted in Ionia and nobody knew his true name but all that was just serving ONI purposes. He was travelling alogn with a group of Ionian OYK troops who were also officially wanted as they were members of the SOKI's paramilitary groups. Nobody would ever suspect them. In the back of their car they carried ATA-54, a makeshift version of the Tyrrhenian At-54, manufactured, used and favored by Ionian Leftist Guerrillas that had fought in the civil war and the recent failed coup. A gesture of good will to buy Franz's trust.

"So when are we arriving?" asked Ioannis, one of the OYK troops while waking up;

"We just did." replied Michael.

---------
20 Ionian OYK troops were driving across a nearly empty road in Southeast Danmark. They were headed for the city of Ravensborg, which was still under government control. The city boasted a majority of Danish resident who were strongly pro-government. The perfect place to organize an anti-revolutionary militia.

The Ionians walked into the city's town hall. Apparently the residents along with the Mayoral council had gathered there along with the soldiers stationed near the city to decide what to do about the revolt. The OYK troops entered the council room. There was a heated and loud conversation among the locals. It took them a couple of minutes before noticing the fully equiped Ionain commandos, who were however wearing no distinctive badges or carrying no distinctive weapons and equipment.

"Good evening gentlemen." said the Captain of the Ionians

"And who the hell are you?!" asked one of the councilors angrily.

"The ones who will help you deal with the Red scum." said the Captain in a daring if not suicidal bet.

The room quietened in a disturbing silence.

"Welcome to our city friends." said the mayor; "We were just discussing about that. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Yous we though we aren't very well equipped apart from the few soldier stationed here."

"Not a problem my friend." said the Captain while making way for the other OYK troops who were unloading crates from the trucks that they came to the town with. They opened them and several

You must be registered for see links

without serial numbers as well as with altered barrel marks and different bullet caliber. "Will these help?"

"Oh sure they will!"

The councilors and residents looked at them happily like the brought news of a divine miracle.

 

[Natal]

Near Aalborg
0720 hours

I hate to depend on others. Seeing the recent news, I can’t but hope that Franz is experienced enough not to be overwhelmed by what will follow… or at least I hope that his intuition will prove right and in the end everything will end well. The news about the Eiffellander intervention made me nervous. I already started to see this great country ending up as Solaren, a failed and divided state. A possible divided and destroyed Danmark… Just because of those greedy capitalists! Sometimes I felt the need to scream as loud as I could to release all the anger, but I knew it was impossible at least not when so many people were around me.

The intervention of Eiffelland made me remember something else. Now that our group of revolutionary was approaching a number of two thousand members, I remembered that by now we have achieved some notoriety and this whole unit might be full of foreign agents bent on either influencing our war to their own interest or doing everything that is humanly possible to stop us.

I already sent someone back to contact Kastoria. Now that the first piece of the domino will fall in the next days, we must be prepared for the avalanche. When I left, comrade Laskaris said that an expeditionary force will start to be assembled in either Iordanopolis or Ayios Andronikos in utmost secrecy and when Franz will proclaim the successor state of Danmark, they will intervene and the news will be made public.

I feel like I am on a sinking boat, but I still row, hoping that I will reach the land before I drown. My greatest problem is that I already start to see the land, but I feel like it’s too hard to get there. The land I want to reach is the proclamation of the new state and the reinforcements from Tyrrhenia and I feel that this boat is either this revolution or my life. The only difference is that this revolution may go on without me, but because I am involved to this level in it, I believe I can’t go on if it would fail.
Sometimes, I would love to live a passive life, simply no to care. It would be so easy to get under a rock and sleep until I die… but until then, I have to survive this weekend… I feel overwhelmed and suffocated. I don’t know why I have panicked so much because of this intervention, now that I’m thinking about it rationally, though I simply fell that I am overwhelmed by the scope and size of all this thing that we have started… and I have only twenty men which I trust and I try to defend with them a country wide revolution…

After I shaved, I wanted to talk to Franz about the Eiffellanders and other possible foreign agents. At first I wanted to call him to me, but then I imagined that this could tarnish his reputation as some wrongdoers might say about him that he’s my pawn or whatever, so I decided to go to him. After greeting him and asked if we could talk in private eyes, I went directly to the subject:

“Franz, I need to talk to you about the Eiffellander intervention and other possible foreign agents. I don’t know yet what to think… Trier state that they will support the fight against the fascists, but also remember what happened in Solaren. Urban was also a fascist and Carentania and Eiffelland joined together to fight him. I’m not seeing with good eyes this intervention. I started to feel attached to this country and people and I don’t want it to see it become a failed state like Solaren and I also don’t want to see all this passion of the people be destroyed by the foreigner’s interests. That is why I want to ask you to come to me every time a foreign agent comes to you and tells you that he wants to support you. I trust your instincts, but I just want to double-check and also be sure about it.”

 

[Ionia]

DELETED BTW I'm now supporting Eiffeland as well as Franz

 

[Josepania]

Aalborg, Østflod District​

The Danish Empire, Germania​

09:25 Germanian Standard Time, 22/03/1954

***

"As we were beginning our march into Aalborg, Chrysanthos’ warning hit me hard, and it showed. He was paranoid about foreign involvement aside from Tyrrhenia, because he and his land were the only ones truly behind our cause. All other actors, no matter if they supported us or not, had their own agendas, and due to my youth and inexperience they would try to take advantage of me. I told him as much, and told him that whenever possible I would seek his counsel, because by this point I had learned to trust him and his loyalty. There would be times, though, that I had to make a decision on my own. I assured him that I would always have the best interests of the land and the people in mind, and I would never allow another Solaren without a fight. He accepted it, but requested that he and his volunteers became an unofficial bodyguard of sorts. It was the only way to truly convince him, so with some reluctance I accepted, yet he remained worried despite my resolve. Truth be told… I was as well. By that point, I lost my doubts of taking Aalborg, of proclaiming a new era for our land and people. Not so much because they were inevitable despite the fact that they were, but they were replaced by my doubts of my abilities to deal with foreign interests. I knew the flood would begin after the proclamation, and I was right. I hope to this day all I did was to the best of my abilities, but even now, I’m not certain… all I’m certain of is that my decision to make the Tyrrhenians my bodyguards was correct, they saved me from an early death countless times, and I will never forget their loyalty and sacrifices."

***​

Franz Kammerschen’s mind remained on other matters despite the chaos around him. He was, flanked by the Tyrrhenians and multitudes of other Germanians, marching down the main boulevard towards city hall, where the last pocket of Mezhist resistance was holed up. Sporadic gunfire erupted from the distance every now and then, indicating other pockets of resistance that were quickly collapsing. Faint cries of triumph, of proclamation and of agreement were more common, as speakers took to the streets to galvanize the population and organize them to Franz’s Banner, as it was now being called. Red, white and blue cloths were flapping all around as the people of Aalborg in their own efforts to show support for the banner of revolution, the actual banners themselves made during the March on Aalborg accompanying the original two-thousand men, scattered throughout the city but now converging on its center, at city hall.

It had taken five, long days, but the success, in hindsight, was not terribly surprising, as Aalborg had been a hotspot of unrest for many months now, cooperating groups of communists and post-delegationists giving the Mezhists a constant headache. Despite cooperating, though, they remained divided, never able to truly coordinate their efforts. Not until Franz came along, at least, showing that he would build a coalition of communists, post-delegationists and democratic republicans, supported by the Saxon Catholic Church and sympathetic powers abroad. It got their attention, but they were convinced only after Chrysanthos came forward and provided proof, albeit slightly exaggerated proof, of the true synergy between post-delegationism and communism, and its tolerance towards religion and moderate republicanism. That, combined with their success in Rumperup and the March on Aalborg gave the groups all the proof they needed to unite and go all out on the city, bringing the population out and, after initial resistance, neutralized any organized Mezhist response.

Franz had also made it clear during his initial speech to the assembled revolutionaries that “Dane Hunts” would not be tolerated. That this revolution needed to be humane, civilized and legitimate. Not just for the sake of international observance, but national observance, local observance, and indeed, their own consciences. He had made little headway in that regard until he changed tactics and brought in the Saxon Catholic Church and the actions of the Danes. For the former, he stated that, despite being leftist, he like other Germanians was a Saxon Catholic, and he would ascribe to its teachings regardless of his own personal hatred of Danish oppression. He would also never stoop to the level of the Danes, committing revenge through violence, tyranny and oppression, otherwise what was truly the difference between him and them? He would always respond to violence and threats of it against him and his fellow revolutionaries, but he would never initiate it. He asked for them, as humbly as he could convey, to follow his example, for his sake more than anything else. They had responded in the affirmative, and he placed his trust in them for better or for worse.

Regardless, there were reports coming in of isolated incidences of “Dane Hunts”, incidents that were neutralized as quickly as possible, and they were smothered in other news, such as reports of Østmarka Military Base going through an all-out mutiny. This information came from soldiers stationed in Aalborg and in contact with the base, and it was the piece of information that drove the revolutionaries to push forward while they could, keep the initiative on their side, and force the fall of Aalborg. Despite the good news, though, every smaller piece on “Dane Hunts” troubled Franz to the core, and despite his trust in Chrysanthos, he could never shake the feeling that the Tyrrhenian secretly encouraged it. Despite his show of support during Franz’s speech, Franz could see that Chrysanthos was not convinced, and was still driven by some modicum of revenge. Franz knew better than to bring it up, lest a wedge be driven between them, and he could only hope that the hunts would always be isolated, and always under the radar. Otherwise, further troubles would appear down the road.

But the biggest thing that kept Franz focused on anything but their success in Aalborg was his thoughts on what came afterwards. After his planned proclamation, he would have to organize a government, and he would have to deal with the flood of foreign interests that would follow, the biggest one he knew of being Eiffelland, though he knew other interested powers would be involved. Unlike Tyrrhenia, whose increased support was sworn on the life of Chrysanthos, he did not know the intentions of other possible foreign support, at least their true intentions. He knew negotiating and influencing would be involved, and he did not know how he would respond. Would he do it to the best of his abilities? Of course, he would also consult Chrysanthos whenever possible, keeping in mind the Tyrrhenian’s own personal biases. But it would be a challenge far surpassing anything accomplished and to be accomplished thus far.

Still, it would be done, he thought as he caught sight of City Hall. A makeshift barricade had been set up on both sides, and both sides were taking potshots. It was clear, though, the Mezhists were fighting a losing battle, and sooner or later, they would be overwhelmed. Franz wanted to give them a way out, perhaps offer a negotiated surrender where they would not have to pay for their crimes, but the revolutionaries were a mob now. Organized, perhaps, but only in regards to where they were being directed. They would not accept letting any criminals go off scot-free, not without trials at minimum, trials Franz could foresee having questionable fairness.

He had to end this, quickly, and with every chance for at least some surrender.

“Chrysanthos!” he called out, by now the members of the March having taken cover with their nearing the barricades. “Organize a final assault on City Hall! Every opportunity to take prisoners must be taken, and they must not be harmed! We need to end this now!”

It looked as though the Tyrrhenian wanted to question the idea of taking prisoners at this stage, but he seemed to relent, and replied, “You got it!”

It took an hour of organization, the light beginning to fade fast, but the revolutionaries were finally ready. At Chrysanthos’ signal, a blue flare shot into the air, the air erupted with a wave of gunfire, mostly from the civilian volunteers, while the professional soldiers began the assault under cover. The Mezhist forces returned fire as best they could, but even now they were being overwhelmed, their morale minimal, their numbers thinned, some broke and ran inside City Hall itself for comparative safety. Others attempted to surrender with mixed results, much to Franz’s dismay, but at least it was not universally refused. Within minutes, the Mezhist barricades had been taken, and their lines of defense were cracked to the point where a general assault was declared, and the revolutionaries surged forward, a wave of humans blazing away with their firearms that the Mezhists could not stand up to.

Within half an hour, it was over. The accounted casualties were fairly minimal for the revolutionaries, the Mezhists catastrophic, but there were still a number of prisoners, and their treatment, under the supervision of the professional soldiers, was still fair to an extent. It was the best Franz could hope for, but the actual leadership of the Mezhist government had been eliminated, either by suicide or by murder, it was not fully clear, though the story being run by Chrysanthos was of mass suicide, and the people bought it. Franz did not, but he did not question it either, now was not the time.

For he had a new job, one he began by asking Chrysanthos to organize the people in front of City Hall.

By the time everything was ready, it was eleven-thirty in the morning. Chrysanthos gave a preliminary speech, his enthusiasm and charisma firing up a tired but jubilant crowd, praising them for their revolutionary valor against the forces of oppression and tyranny, and promising that their actions would not be forgotten or go unnoticed by those in Danmark and around the world, focusing especially on the promise of Tyrrhenian aid, aid that would, regardless, never surpass the efforts of the people themselves.

Then, the Tyrrhenian brought forward Franz, the cheers nearly deafening as the man who started it all walked forward as though in a daze. He could not pick out individual faces in the crowd, he could barely recognize Chrysanthos beside him, a gigantic smile on his face as he shook Franz’s hand. There were the leaders of the communist and post-delegationist and republican underground groups, their names forgotten by Franz, but they regarded him as their best friend, hugging him with a very real enthusiasm. Everything was a blur, Franz even questioned the fact that he remained on the earth, and was not on some other world where time and physics did not normally operate.

But he was here, and he had a job to do. So he raised his hands, and slowly, over a few minutes, the cheering died down, and he was given a chance to speak. He quickly noted the time on the clock on one of the nearby buildings: Noon exactly. Destiny was now to be made.

“People of Aalborg!” he began, his voice booming out of the massive speakers set up around him so that the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, assembled could still hear him, “Today is a day that will be remembered by all, regardless of whether they were here or not. For this was the day when the people of this land saw the oppression and the tyranny, stood up, and in one voice cried out, ‘No more!’ Today is a day where the people, the true lifeblood of this land, showed who they really were. They showed that we are not like the Mezhist Danes, or the Royalist Danes, a petty, oppressive people reviled by all in and out of this land in everything we do. Instead, we are a people who desire freedom, liberty, equality, justice, safety, and respect for all!”

“We here are not one, unified ideology. We are, instead, a collective of many ideologies, but we, nonetheless, believe in the same tenets. There are post-delegationists here, as well as libertarians. There are communists, Vanguardist as well as Council Communist, alongside socialists. There are republicans, liberal and conservative. There are nationalists as well as supporters of the holy Saxon Catholic Church. All here have differences in their beliefs from their neighbors in some way, but all here can agree that the people should have… no, must have the central tenets of freedom from oppression, liberty from tyranny, equality in the face of discrimination, justice as a response to crime, safety from war, and mutual respect of those who love this land and this people with the same amount of passion!”

“We are not the Danes, we never have been. History shows us that the idea of Danmark is a lie, a lie fabricated by those who came from the sea and brought down the Germanian kingdoms of Kurland, of Livland, and of Estland. We have attempted to show this lie for what it really was time and time again over the centuries, but each time we have failed. We now have the opportunity to try again, but this time, we shall not fail. We shall shout from the tallest mountain to the deepest valley. We shall cry out from the frozen north to the scorched south. We shall proudly proclaim from east to west as the sun, the moon and the stars light our way, that we are Kurlandian, Livlandian, and Estlandian! We are not Danes, and we never will be again!”

“Therefore, I proclaim to the people of Aalborg, to the people of Østmarka Military Base, to the people of Rumperup, to the people of Østflod district, to the people of all the districts of this land, to all of our international neighbors, and to the world as a whole, that the Empire of Danmark is no more! For the people have resoundingly rejected this lie, spewed forth by the government in Christiansborg and in isolated pockets throughout the land, and the truth shall now be proclaimed! We are not Danes, we are Germanians, and we hereby proclaim the following governments to be the true successors to the Empire of Danmark: the Democratic People’s Republic of Kurland to the west! The Democratic People’s Republic of Livland in the centre! The Democratic People’s Republic of Estland here in the east! These three nations and its peoples shall be united under one Commonwealth, devoted fully to peace, prosperity, and partnership for its people, and for all the peoples of Europe!”

“I say to you, peoples of the Commonwealth, rise up under our banner! Rise up and show the lie for what it really is! Show who you really are to your oppressors, and to the world as a whole! Help me make our freedom a reality, and we shall be welcomed with open arms by the peoples and governments of the world!”

“And rejoice, peoples of the Commonwealth! For your nightmare of centuries is over!”

***

“Nothing in my life, past, present, or future, can ever compare to the outpouring of pure joy that followed my speech… I could have died then and there, and ascended to heaven, and it would have been found wanting, compared to what I felt that very night… for I had woken up from the nightmare too."

End of Prologue​

 

[Asylan]

They began to finally reach the outskirts of Aalborg. They had pulled over for a minute to let their Danish military friend, one Felix Mortenson, get out of his jeep and get in their own trucks. He had decided that no doubt returning to his base after such a long time away would only get him killed, and not being too fond of his own military he was happy enough to join the team on their journey.

"Before we go I heard something on the radio you would like to hear. The Danish military is looking for a group of armed men who arrived in Ravensborg not long ago. Apparently they cam offering promises of redemption from revolutionaries only to murder the mayor and fire into the crowd next to them."

Savon raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "Who the hell would let in a random group of strangers like that and not even ask who they were?"

Felix shrugged, "I don't know. Desperate?"

"Doesn't matter now. I'm going to assume our not so covert assassins are on their way to Aalborg like ourselves. Let's change everyone. You to Felix, if you are staying with us, I'd prefer if they didn't execute you for being on the wrong side."

Felix nodded in agreement and went around to the back of the first truck with everyone else. Inside a small box were a stack of Asylan special forces uniforms. Of course Asylan didn't just make a special brand of uniform on the side, these were simply modified to have more equipment pouches and other miscellaneous storage. Of course these uniforms came with the distinctive Asylan flag patch on the left shoulder. Unlike some of the operatives coming into Danmark, they weren't planning on keeping themselves a secret. After changing the men got back in their respective vehicles, except with Felix joining Eising and Savon in the first truck. They decided to leave the Danish military jeep behind so there would be less confusion, and hopefully less shooting, when they arrived.

----

The ride to Aalborg was gorgeous. It shocked Savon how a country as beautiful as Danmark could be so embroiled in civil war. They were driving on a road and the top of a large river valley, with the small urban sprawl of Aalborg below them. But this time it was near sunset and the view itself was quite stunning.

A few minutes later they were in the outer borders of the city. Small buildings surrounded them and they could see the slightly taller buildings that made up the city core in the distance. They did their best to avoid armed patrols and stuck to side streets, in an attempt to make it as close to the heart of the city, and no doubt closer to Franz before they would be stopped. They took the trucks and parked them in the in a small side alley to make a final determination of where to go.

"City Hall is about five blocks away at this point." Felix said, pointing on the map they had unfurled. "I would suggest these streets and we can stop about a block away here. The contact I discussed with you earlier will be there and it will all be in his hands then."

"Alright let's get to it then," Savon said in agreement.

They drover for a few more minutes and watched the people as they drove on. Some were celebrating rifles in hand at their liberation. Other seemed to be simply going about their daily business, and an even smaller few acted solemn, their heads low. Every building around him seemed to have some sort of battle damage, whether it be just a few bullet holes, or a knocked out wall. He was glad Asylan never had to go through such a dark period, he couldn't imagine his own home in New Frisia looking like this. Soon they turned the corner to the road they were supposed to me there contact at, and were greeted by a large group of soldiers and civilians, all pointing weapons at them.

They all started yelling and all the men in the trucks threw up their hands. A military looking man walked up to the first truck and asked them in broken English, "You are expected, yes?"

Savon, who was driving, nodded. The officer waived for them to get out of the truck and turned back to his men and yelled. They lowered their weapons and some began to whisper amongst themselves, wondering whose these new people were.

"Come, I am sure he wants to meet you."
[MENTION=34]The Commonwealth[/MENTION]

 

[Ionia]

Michael's team has arrived just in time to witness Franz's speech. It didn't stick well with HQ when they heard of it; "Democratic Republics" "mass suicides (?) aka mass murder of the Mezhists by the Tyrrhenian scum"? The information that had been fed to them earlier made them think of changing their stance. But now? Now it was war! It was just another Tyrrhenian game aimed at advancing their ridiculous anarchist bull-crap yet into another nearby nation. Ionia would not and could not ever stand for that. Thus all of Michael's hopes at allying with the leftists for once, since he had grown up in a leftist family, were blown to pieces. The old division and infighting among the Hellenes had gotten the better of him once again. The orders were now as clear as ever;
"Approach Franz, earn his trust and put a bullet into his skull. And blow yourself up instead of getting caught."
It was after all his only chance at saving his life after he tried to aid the SOKI coup. Even if he got back to Ionia his treason would be exposed and he would be executed, or more precisely "suicided". If he was going to go out he might as well do so with a fight and heroically. His truck reached the square outside the city hall. He and the DYK men exited it. After walking up to Franz he stretched his hand;
"Michael M. Georgiou. What's left of SOKI has decided to help your cause. It's a honor to meet you."

---------
The Ionian troops were following their orders as planned. They were giving out unmarked, non-Ionian looking uniforms and unmarked edited weapons to all large groups of anti-revolutionaries. They were organizing a militia and reinforcing the city's defenses expanding their zone of control and defense to the entire mountain range and plane surrounding the city.

Ravensborg, a city whose population numbered in the hundreds of thousands and was almost entirely Pro-Christiansborg, had an excellent natural defense on a mountain range. The city was built on top of a mountain and the city's strong and solid medieval walls, which had been reinforced with modern arms and fortifications by the large force of stationed troops, clearly laid out the boundaries between the city's various districts with safety and wealth increasing along with height. The city was rich and prosperous even in this crisis and was as such fiercely loyal to the government.

As the regional capital it had a size-able military base which ensured it was very well protected form both land and air. The city also boasted several rich businessmen who would ensure the city's resupply. Even before the arrival of the DYK forces the few pro-revolutionaries and even fewer leftists of the city had been forced to flee it. The DYK men were being stationed in the City Hall, atop the Ravencastel mountain, were the old castle of the city laid. There they helped in organizing the city's defense and trained the local militia with the help of the local army brigade.
The captain was in the castle's central hall overlooking large map and placing figurines while discussing with the Danish Brigadier General, Commodore and the Mayor-Governor.
"The fifth force will secure the stonemarket district with the help of the city watch. We will protect they Duke's Mansion here. The ONI tam will set up office here, near the west, so as to be able to escape ASAP-
-training is going well. Almost 6% of all able civilians are currently ready to fight. We have recruited two new brigades of militiamen and are waiting for a third along with a reserve and support force. The foreigners know what they're doing wherever they're from- Affirmative, the last group of leftists has left the city and is currently headed for the border with-"
The Duke of Ravensborg stepped in apparently eager to welcome their new supporters. He approached the Captain in a friendly manner nevertheless the Ionian DYK troops, two men and one woman, didn't neglect to cock their

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...just in case;
"Hello there my friend! It is good to see a friend of the legal government of Danmark! And what may be your name"
The Captain wasn't toward nobles. As an Ionian if there was one thing he hated more than anarchists that would surely be monarchists. But in his situation it was a needed evil. Either way he had been ordered not to reveal a clue of his being Ionian without further command and that was what he was going to do. Remembering the Odessy that he had both been told of as a pre-schooler and taught in school he replied coldly;
"Thank you for the warm welcome. My name is Nemo."
Nemo was literary Ancient Tiburian for Nobody. He figured that if he said Kanenas the educated fat pig before him could understand of his being Ionian. As such he chose to speak in a dead tongue rather than a living one with the same meaning. And just like Polyphemus the Cyclops had bought Odysseus' story the Danish man bought his. What could he expect from a barbarian? Similar tricks work on similar people more than once;

 

[Rheinbund]

The disadvantage of being a democracy is that the government cannot deploy troops unnoticed. The deployment of troops can be prepared, but in the end the parliament has to approve the actual deployment. And that approval cannot be obtained in secret. Too many people were involved, in Eiffelland to begin with 500 members of the Staatstag and 200 members of the Staatsrat.
But Eiffelland hadn’t been unaware of the troop movements in and around Danmark. Also the seas between Eiffelland and Solaren were under permanent Eiffellandian surveillance. Small ships could have been overlooked, but larger ship were not. The Asylan and Ionian ships had been seen. They had also been observed unloading at the Danish shore. The fact that that could happen unnoticed by the Danish armed forces told how bad it was in Danmark.
Lutz Nielsen had also informed the government about the presence of the Tyrrhenians in Danmark. Of course they had their agenda. The Eiffellandians had their agenda as well, but that was more sketchy than the Tyrrhenian agenda would be. The official agenda was the actual one: Let the Danish decide about their future. But that was apparently not believed in Carentania, a country so preoccupied with its propaganda and hidden agendas that it could not believe that sometimes there was no hidden agenda. In any case, it was clear that Tyrrhenia’s presence in Danmark had been discussed in the RDTO. Otherwise the Carentanians would not have warned the Eiffellandians against an intervention in Danmark. But with the situation as it was now, the Danish civil war could end with the Ionians, Asylans and Tyrrhenians fighting each other on Danish soil. The Eiffellandians decided to wait for now.

But the Carentanians could not have anything against food aid, so that was started immediately. Starting in the border region, Eiffelland started to spread food packages.

 

[Ionia]

Back in Algolis the Ionian High Command had organized an immediate emergency meeting. The Ionians were considering helping the Eiffelanders. But an outright intervention could prove devastating to the whole region. Secret support was more effective... for now. The Ionians wanted to side with Eiffeland, they wanted another Democratic, Liberal if not Centrist nation in the region, to block RTDO influence and ensure their trade increased; but the Tyrrhenian intervention and the left-leaning stance of Franz's revolutionaries.. complicated things. Thus it was Field Marshall Nikolaos Plastiras who commenced the talks.
"Gentlemen. You all know why we're here. The President and the Prime Minister have given us authorization to proceed with the Danish civil war as we see fit. Yet Tyrrhenian involvement has complicated things to a great degree. Asylan is currently taking un unclear stance but it would seem Eiffeland shares our views and interests."
"And what do you exactly propose?" replied Brigadier General Maes Dikaniotis Petrou
"Is it not obvious?" pointed out Admiral Themistocles Odessotis Neocleous; "We already have a large force in there. We start supporting the Eiffelanders. We hold on to areas like Ravensborg, expand our zone of control and then give it to them. We support them with supplies and even troops. All of this unofficially and covertly of course. We could send the 32nd Marines Brigade in there. After all it doesn'tneed the approval of parliament to move into Danmark and we can do so secretly."
"Of course a full intervention is out of the question... for now; Now let's send a telegram to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ask hem to invite Eiffeland to a summit. We need to discuss this with them. Also inform the government. ASAP." concluded the Field Marshall

 

[Josepania]

Reval, Reval District​

The Democratic People’s Republic of Estland, The Commonwealth​

***

"The meetings with agents of Eiffelland, Asylan and Ionia taught me much about international politics and the current state of affairs in the international world. There was a lot of mutual mistrust, not just between the government I was setting up and these agents, but also between the agents themselves. Competing agendas were inevitably going to collide, and with increasingly ugly results if repeated. The trick, for me, was to make sure that their agendas did not, ultimately, come into conflict with mine… or if it was inevitable, neutralizing them as swiftly as possible…"

***

07:45 Germanian Standard Time, 24/3/1954​

Since the proclamation two days ago, Franz Kammerschen had been consumed with organization. Nothing along the lines of building a government from the ground up, that was being handled by minds more tuned to that sort of thing than he was, although his input was always sought for and appreciated. Nor the renaming, especially the recent renaming of Aalborg to Reval, and Østflod to the same. Moreso it was sending and receiving communications from various other rebel groups that answered the call of revolution throughout Danmark, now being proclaimed to be the Commonwealth of Democratic People’s Republics.

It seemed, as of now, that the rebels were having the easiest time in eastern Danmark, now de jure the Democratic People’s Republic of Estland. Perhaps it was because it was the region that had seen the most oppression from Christiansborg, combined with proximity to the initial spark of revolution that came from Rumperup, but already Christiansborg’s hold on the region was nearly non-existent, allowing the rebel groups there to more easily coordinate with the politicians and bureaucrats in their efforts to set up a new government and political system.

It was one that took cues from post-delegationism’s mistrust of representative democracy and political parties. It was also an attempt to blend individualism and collectivism, as well as take an old concept of democracy that the Diadokhoi briefly practiced during their heyday, a concept Chrysanthos and the Tyrrhenians in particular appreciated:

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, the concept of random selection of candidates for various offices. The details were still being hashed out, currently the proposal was for candidates being randomly selected from a group of volunteers for either six month or one year terms, their time in office renewed through endorsement from the citizens, but it was in theory a system that would solve the problems of both representative and direct democracy on a national scale.

One of the biggest problems Franz had to deal with, however, was the issue of the intervention of Eiffelland. As of now, it was the air drops of food packages throughout Estland, air drops Franz and the provisional government made sure would not be opposed, no matter their unease in the matter. If anything, they wanted to assist in streamlining the process as well as keeping an eye on the actions of Eiffelland.

After all, there was word that up to one hundred thousand troops were being prepared for a possible entry into Commonwealth territory, their mission officially to make sure the food distribution went off without a hitch, but it still scared those involved. It scared Chrysanthos and the Tyrrhenians in particular, because they knew that the agendas of both parties would not necessarily be the same. If anything, they might compete due to the Kingdom of Eiffelland’s mistrust of Carentania and its alliance, the Revolutionary Defense Treaty Organization, an alliance Tyrrhenia was a part of. Mercifully, the idea of the Commonwealth joining the RDTO had not been brought up, but Franz expected it sooner or later, and it was an issue that would be problematic for Eiffelland.

So when word arrived that there was an agent of Eiffelland who wished to speak with Franz, already being called amongst other things the Overseer of the Commonwealth, he quickly set up the meeting that was to happen this morning. In the room with him were two Tyrrhenian bodyguards, two more just outside the door of his makeshift office. Chrysanthos was also a phone call away, the man trapped in his own office likely establishing contact with the Tyrrhenian government and informing them of the current situation. Franz would keep his promise in making sure Chrysanthos remained involved, and that he would remain safe, the pistol he wore on his hip a last resort in that regard.

So when the agent of [MENTION=18]Eiffelland[/MENTION] knocked and stepped in, his weapons left outside as per protocol, Franz stood from behind his cluttered desk and walked around to greet him, hand outstretched, “Welcome to the Commonwealth, sir.” After shaking hands, he directed the agent to the chair in front of the desk, and then moved around to his own chair and sat down. “Might I inquire to your name, and the nature of your business here?”

***

15:15 Germanian Standard Time, 24/3/1954​

Economics were never something Franz was especially good at, yet he had to involve himself in them, especially if he wanted to make sure that the state he was, at least in part, crafting would be one that matched his dreams and desires for the Commonwealth. In the discussions with the various professional economists in Aalborg and throughout Estland face-to-face and via the phone, he listened more than he talked, and learned as he went along.

However, he was allowed to quip in every once in awhile, and each time he pushed forward communist ideas of collectivization of businesses in order to eliminate corruption and unprofitable businesses, increased welfare for the population, and more focus of the budget on public works and infrastructure. Technically, they were slightly moderated versions of these ideas, more socialist or anything, partially because they would be easier for the economists to swallow, but also because that’s what Franz believed in.

He hoped that the people believed in it too, but things were slightly unclear outside of Estland. In the west, the Democratic People’s Republic of Kurland was gaining the upper hand over Christiansborg, but it was slow going. The focus there was more on military conflicts than state building, something Franz hoped would change soon as things stabilized more in Estland and Tyrrhenia sent in reinforcements.

There was also the matter of Asylan, who had sent in a team of special-operatives and travelled all across the country in order to meet him. Asylan’s interests were very unclear, but the guess from Franz, Chrysanthos and other advisors was that they meant to keep an eye on Franz and, like Eiffelland, make sure that he did not stray too far into the Revolutionary Defense Treaty Organization, considering [MENTION=1673]Asylan[/MENTION] was part of the Tripartite Agreement, and there was a major crisis developing in ex-Danish Eastern Cape, an issue that even Franz did not want to touch.

That being said, they made no secret of their intentions to talk, so their entrance into City Hall was accepted, though most of the team was kept in the main hall, a close eye kept on them just in case, for these were troubled times. Only their leader, one Major Savon, was admitted to Franz’s office, and outside the door his weapons were removed by the bodyguards before he was sent in.

As he stepped in, Franz stood and smiled, “Welcome, Major. I’m glad to see you’ve finally arrived. Welcome to the Commonwealth.” Leaning over the desk, he shook the Major’s hand, and gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite of him, before sitting himself and continuing, “You have come at an interesting time, being able to see a state built before your very eyes. What can I do for you, sir?”

***

17:30 Germanian Standard Time, 24/3/1954​

Despite the lateness of the hour, Franz was still hard at work, his mind having moved on to the task of observing the reorganization of the military. Here, fortunately, Chrysanthos was finally present, having dragged himself away from his own issues and affairs to assist Franz. Civil wars, no matter how limited they may or may not be, tended to seriously screw up organization, and a disorganized military was little better than an unruly mob, something the Commonwealth could not afford in its efforts to take down the Danes in Christiansborg and the central, final piece of the Commonwealth, the proclaimed Democratic People’s Republic of Livland.

Livland was a tough nut to crack. Its proximity to Christiansborg allowed the Mezhist government there to exert more control, and its popularity, amazing though it might be to a leftist like Franz who saw the horrors of Mezhism first-hand, was higher. The regional capital of Ravensborg was especially a problem, almost as rabid in their pro-Mezhism as Christiansborg itself, and the two areas made it problematic at best, near impossible at worst, for leftist forces to establish much of a foothold in Livland. It was the smaller towns and rural areas where they were achieving success, but if they wanted to win control of the area, they would need outside assistance from Kurland and Estland.

Thus, along with the political and economic issues consuming the new administration, there was the issues of the military, what with finding new officers, reorganizing the orders of battle for the armed forces as well as getting an idea of what military forces would be committed in the Commonwealth from Tyrrhenia and Eiffelland, along with other potential actors. Chrysanthos was currently saying he expected a brigade of five thousand from Tyrrhenia being sent in as support, something that would be very welcome to the Commonwealth forces in Estland, their first mission aiming for the linking up of rebel forces in Kurland.

It was while Franz and Chrysanthos were in deep discussion on the specifics of the plan, that there was a knock on the door, and conversation ceased, for it was time for the meeting with the leader of the Ionian forces in the Commonwealth. Franz had already gotten an earful from Chrysanthos regarding his deep mistrust of the Ionians, a paranoia not quite shared by Franz despite his own personal misgivings. The Ionians had major disputes with Tyrrhenia, and considering the latter’s obvious involvement in the Commonwealth, the idea of the two sides working together was shaky at best. Yet reports were that these forces were not necessarily part of the government, confusing the situation even more and causing Franz a headache. He finally, after an hour of non-stop argument, convinced Chrysanthos to at least see the man, only on the condition that the Tyrrhenian himself would be there to observe and provide some of his own input and questions.

The Ionian then entered, his weapons the bodyguards frisked off of him left at the door, his men left in the hall (for there was no way twenty men were going to fit in this somewhat cramped office), and Franz stood.

"Michael M. Georgiou. What's left of SOKI has decided to help your cause. It's a honor to meet you." the Ionian said, hand extended for a shake, which Franz grasped in his own.

“Franz Kammerschen, I am honored you are here. This is Chrysanthos Rallis, a loyal friend of the revolution and to me.” Franz responded, gesturing to Chrysanthos, who refused to move from his position behind Franz’s chair, merely nodding a greeting, never taking his eyes off Michael.

After Michael sat and Franz did likewise, the latter said, “I am especially honored that SOKI has decided to fight for me, considering the situation in your homeland…”

Chrysanthos then spoke up, the suspicion in his voice plain for all to hear. “Indeed. I was under the impression Tyrrhenia was willing to give political asylum to your movement to receive training and arms for the liberation of [MENTION=1678]Ionia[/MENTION]. Why the shift to the Commonwealth?”

***​

OOC: Chrysanthos’ dialogue was cleared with Tyrrhenia.

 

[Ionia]

Michael was startled by the man he just met. His admiration for Franz increased and was justified. "Fuck the orders" he thought; "there's no way I'm killing man so dedicated to his country!". His thoughts were disrupted by the ironic if not insulting words of the Tyrrhenian. And his hopes were shattered once again as he was reminded why the Ionians were so paranoid of leftist revolutions near them; the reason? Tyrrhenians. Actually a member of SOKI, for covert ops purposes of course, he had heard the remnants of its command discussing their moves. As such he was able to reproduce their talk which was pretty much bout the same matter. "No way you can get caught if you're simply telling the truth." he thought.
"That's easier said than done. Most of our leadership and those you have communicated with are in jail. Not some petty normal jail, they're in Petronissos; so there's no way they can do anything. We haven't talked to them in weeks. They can't accept your asylum and help while in Prison."
Every Ionian knew of Petronissos. An impenetrable rocky island-fortress serving as a high security prison directly under ONI control. Normal law didn't apply there. ONI was given a lot of money and a free hand. Of course only the dangerous SOKI paramilitary leaders were held there. The SOKI political leaders and PMs were held in a normal prison in Oliveia but under heavy security.
"We're organizing revolution in Ionia, in the State of Pyrrheia near the border. Nothing big really as there aren't many of us left. We would appreciate your help. To be honest it's the first time I hear of help from you even though I have links in the top leadership of SOKI's remnants. Probably because our links with the persons you communicated with were cut when the Ionian Astynomia arrested them. For now our liberation is years away. But we've come where to help for two reasons; first of all if this revolution succeeds and there's another people's republic in the region we might have a serious chance of succeeding. And also as socialists we can't just abandon comrades in need. Well at least that's what Ionian Socialists do..."
Michael was determined. It was now or never. He had to tell Franz that he would support him along with all of the Ionians. He would find a way to convince high command to go ahead with it and even if they didn't agree he would support Franz along with his small number of loyal troops. But for now he had to tell Franz that he really was with ONI and that ONI would support him. He had thought some pretty good arguments to convince his superiors to actually do so later. If all went well and he later convinced ONI High Command his words would come true and Ionia would support Franz. And even if it didn't Franz would get 20 DYK troops and him on his side. However there was a problem. He would truly help Franz, and perhaps even ONI might do so, but the Tyrrhenian would do everything against him simply because he was Ionian. But he thought of a way to ensure he would help Franz and avoid trouble with the Tyrrhenian. He gathered all his strength and started talking to Franz;
"Franz I need to tell you something important. However as your Tyrrhenian friend seems to distrust me I would be more comfortable in doing so if he waited outside. The armed guards can stay of course, the non-Tyrrhenian ones at least, but I need to talk to you about something really crucial."

 

[Josepania]

Reval, Reval District​

The Democratic People’s Republic of Estland, The Commonwealth​

***

17:35 Germanian Standard Time, 24/3/1954​

Michael's question was odd to Franz, and slightly disturbing. He knew from Chrysanthos that the mutual distrust of Tyrrhenia and [MENTION=1678]Ionia[/MENTION] was bad, but this was showing it was far worse than he had initially feared. Sensitive information was going to be shared that would, evidently, be problematic if Chrysanthos and any Tyrrhenians were in the room. No matter what it was, it was going to cause problems down the road, problems that Franz wanted to eliminate here and now, in order to leave his plate just a little clearer for more important matters concerning the state he was building.

He knew it would be challenging to remove Chrysanthos and the guards from the room. Their loyalty to him and dislike of Ionia was proving to be volatile. Even the guards were giving Michael suspicious glares by now, glares the Ionian was mercifully ignoring. But, as much as Franz wanted Tyrrhenian protection with his own misgivings, he wanted as much help as he could possibly get, from as many angles as he could, and it seemed as though the only way to secure help, true help, from Michael was to trust him. And for that, Chrysanthos had to trust Franz.

So Franz turned to his partner, and said, "It's alright gentlemen. Please wait right outside, it will only be for a minute."

The guards hesitated, looking to Chrysanthos, who looked appalled and opened his mouth to protest. Franz, however, cut him off with a sharp look, one that told the Tyrrhenian to trust in Franz and his abilities as well as his well-being. Reluctantly, and with a sharp glare to Michael, Chrysanthos nodded and walked stiffly out of the room, the guards hesitating for another second before doing likewise. Franz felt some small assurance from the weight of the pistol at his hip, as well as knowing that regardless of where he was, Chrysanthos would go so far as to stick his ear next to the keyhole to listen in, and would break down the door if something went wrong.

As the door closed, Franz waited for a moment, to give Michael assurance that there was some privacy in the office, before he nodded to the Ionian, "Please, speak."