Scourge of Scorpions: The Diamond War

[Gunnland]

Yungdrung Gutsak, OLR. "We are resisting armed confrontation with the radicals at all cost, Robert," said Niels wearily, "I only hope the Skycommand will do the same. The whole country has fallen apart. We need talks in Eiffelland to happen before someone does something stupid, preferably with Council of Nations oversight."

Issverth, OLR. The only one of the country's three cities firmly under government control, state television programming was being conducted in the port city of Issverth. Before going on-air, Viereskog and Geijer had agreed not to divulge the Rigpa's death to the already reeling country. "We will play with the liberals for as long as we can, Rob," Geijer was whispering to the prime minister before the cameras came on, "but at some point we're going to need to draw blood again in Knytlingsfort."

Knytlingsfort, OLR. "Symeon has always been a collaborationist, and worse, a real committed liberal, he's just another left-wing liberal..." Gutkind was complaining to an aide.

Yungdrung Gutsak, OLR. At a familiar table at The Spot, Alasdair Symeon was pushing a basket of bread over to Valerian Poller. "Truth be told, Chief, I have no idea what is going on now in Knytlingsfort. Fil has taken over down there, blocked the railroads, cut the telephone lines and taken down the cellular towers. The situation is getting dangerous and the Central Committee is losing all control." He shifted to take another slice of bread. "I will contact Commander Stigeskaper, who I am closest with, down there to find out why your people have been taken in. We are not going to budge on nationalizing the mines, but once we do I am not opposed to negotiating an above-market-value deal with Franken to run them. The problem is that Gutkind hates you people, but he won't be a petty tyrant down there for very much longer."

 

[Großlausitz]

Nürnberg, Franken

“This I understand, Niels,” Robert replied, “I have informed our friends in Eiffelland and asked for due haste on their part. Does that mean you have any pieces of information you’d share if you could without someone listening in?”

Yungdrung Gutsak, OLR.

His gut feeling told Valerian Poller Symeon wasn’t telling entirely the truth. Granted, the whole issue was getting a bit funny, yet he wouldn’t be leader of their party for long unless he had a way of keeping tabs on affairs. Poller made a mental note to have him tailed throughout the Oelarian capital by one of his teams. While he was knibbling on a piece of bread from that basket, the head of intelligence for Franken’s secret services in Oelar, he told Alasdair Symeon “Your cooperation is appreciated and will not be forgotten. I’ll tell my people about your proposal. Yet don’t forget that my bosses and the rest of the top brass aren’t blessed with infinite patience, much like any other boss or supervisor on this green earth. The longer the whole issue drags on, the likier it becomes we have to deal with nosy journalists, who the top brass doesn’t want to suddenly pop up and investigate our deals.”

 

[Rheinbund]

Trier, Eiffelland

Dear Robert,

Of course we are willing to mediate between the parties involved in the Oelarian crisis, and to host a conference. If it is needed to operate outside the reach of the press's eyes, I suggest a resort hotel in the North of Eiffelland, near Kaprun. One of our representatives at the CoN, Dr. Norbert Schmelzer, and I myself will act as hosts.

Best regards,

Rudolph

After he had finished typing it, Minister for Foreign Affairs Rudolph Kögler sent the e-mail to his colleague in Franken, Robert Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg.

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. Without the traditional patronymic middle-name, their names felt short and liberating, but also half-lost. But that was the price of progress, maybe. In modern business suits, green neckties, and sunglasses, Rob Viereskog and Niels Roerich arrived in Kaprun. A third party could feel a distinct chill between the new friends, because Niels had told the prime minister that he had informed Robert Beaumont about the death of the rigpa. Prime Minister Viereskog said he understood why, but the foreign minister knew Rob was always more suspicious of the pro-Franconian wing of his government.

Trier, Eiffelland. "I don't think it's wise, Fil, to use the Franconian spies as bargaining chips." Alasdair Symeon and Filip Gutkind, whose jackets buttoned all the way up to their necks, were taxiing to the main terminal of the Trier airport. But Gutkind was implacable. And secretly Alasdair was afraid that he would make a radical stand at Kaprun in order to position himself for leadership of the entire ILO at the upcoming All-Party Congress.

 

[Großlausitz]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

On the one hand the resort hotel's manager was delighted when he was told that a very important conference had been scheduled to take place in his hotel, on the other hand the secrecy displayed by the agents - Eiffelland's very own Staatssicherheitshauptdienst - was unnerving. They refused to tell anything about the guests and recommended him not to tell anyone about the meeting. "If you or your staff spill the beans about this gathering before its end, you might get more regular visits by the authorities, especially from the departments of sanity and labour permissions."

As they weren't on a formal international conference but behind closed doors, the Oelarians, the Eiffellander and the Franconians decided to address themselves by name instead of title. It would less this complicated discussion a bit less strenuous. "Gentlemen, I'm delighted everyone could make it in time," Foreign Minister Robert Beaumont von Miltenberg began, "And I'd also like to thank Rudolph for agreeing to mediate the necessary procedures. Since my country happens to be an immediate party to the dispute I'll eagerly cede the floor to you, Rudolph, so you can moderate the talks."

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. "On behalf of the government," Viereskog pronounced this word with a certain iciness, "Niels Niklausson will circulate our proposal for a semi-autonomous Knytlingsfort Administrative Region."

The document was passed around to the Franconians, Eiffellandians, and to the two intersectionalists in their green jackets.

Knytlingsfort Administrative Region (KAR)
Devolution and Power-Sharing Agreement

• Independent nationally-funded regional legislature.
• 50% of national tax revenues to KAR for services.
• Full control over regional school policy.
• Ability to tax corporate income up to 30%.
• Responsibility for railroads and public transportation.
• Guarantee of private ownership of firms.
• Oath of loyalty to the Lord Rigpa.

Gutkind looked up, visibly annoyed. "Is this what we came here for?" Roerich put his hand on the prime minister before Viereskog had an opportunity to angrily retort. "I'm sorry, Filip. I told the prime minister I thought it was more than generous. Could you or Alasdair provide us with a counter-offer?"

Fil Gutkind gave General Secretary Symeon, who ran his hand through his white hair and brought it down to scratch his goatee, a hard look that seemed to say "Yield no ground." Symeon's lisp seemed more pronounced because he was nervous: "We can go down two paths, Foreign Minister Roerich. Toward full recognition of an independent thtate in the Thouth. Or toward a national conthtitutional congreth with democratically elected reprethentativeth to dethign a new government altogether." Svava Gunn stood up, and the cute young diplomat and unassuming revolutionary passed the synopsis around.

ILO-ISRA "Call for Fair and Open Dialogue"

EITHER the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Knytlingsfort by the Yungdrung Gutsak government and the international community, and a written pact of non-aggression with both parties as the RK pursues an independent course and a future of remedying racial, economic, and gender-based injustices of the long past,

OR a national Oelarian constitutional convention to design a new government, with representatives elected in proportion to electoral performance in Knytlingsfort, Issverth, and Yungdrung Gutsak in the previous elections cycle, tallied by the Symeon-Hart proportional representation equation* of current party support.

*Namely 44% delegates ought to be named by ILO-ISRA, 16% by the Himmelright faction, 31% by non-ILO/ISRA members of the Great Council, and 9% by the Issverth governate.

Viereskog leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. The quick math in his head said it would give the intersectionalists and socialists 53-69% of the vote, and the rest of the country 31-47%, depending on how Himmelright's chips fell. And no matter how they fell, it would look like a takeover of the entire government. That wasn't going to happen. Was Symeon's offer really going to be 'secession or total takeover?' Was his uncle the Skycommander really going to allow those terms to be dictated to him, the Prime Minister, without intervening?

Oh, well. If the meeting didn't go well, he could go home and blame the death of the Lord Rigpa upon the governments of Eiffelland, Franken, and the EDF. He could probably start enough of a furor among the Oelarian to get the Skycommand to crush the rebellion in Knytlingsfort with the broad support of the nation. The EDF countries are sitting on a bomb.

Fortunately, Roerich started talking again with a request for more information about Symeon's national convention proposal. Gutkind curtly responded that it meant, "Democracy. Getting people like you out of power for good." From the corner of his eye, Rob noticed a somewhat embarrassed Niels leaning closer to Robert Beaumont. Perhaps the Franconian foreign minister, Niels's sage mentor, would have some bright ideas. The bastard.

 

[Großlausitz]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

Trying to convince Oelarians of following the rules of so-called modern politics and law would be a complete waste of time, as it simply wasn’t doable without being prepared to force those ideas upon them. This was exactly what the ILO guys were trying to. In the end of the day it would lead to a massive bloodshed, possibly even a bloody civil war Franken could no longer ignore, Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg pondered. Briefly before he wanted to address his counterparts, it hit him like a lightning bolt. He had seen and talked to Suava Gunn before during that memorable election council during Christmas. What on earth was she doing here? Was she more ambitious than expected? Did she decide that her aims – liberating the women – would be achieved better by supporting the ILO cause? He wouldn’t blame her for being opportunists, for that was the nature of any career diplomat. Instead he’d subtly quiz her during the next coffee break.

Finally the Foreign Minister put forward his proposal. As Oelar’s major constituent parts had been roughly the same for centuries, it was no surprise His Majesty’s Government had developed a wide selection of contingency plans for its northern neighbour. One of them happened to address the federalization of Oelar. There was but one trick question. Was federalization too modern and Germanic a concept for Viereskog’s faction, let alone the arch-conservatives? Beaumont von Miltenberg trusted Kögler would get the message and mollify the harsh message, which between the lines still favoured the Alvitrs.

• The three traditional constituent parts of Oelar will set up regional assemblies to control governance and deliberate a regional constitution.
• The legislature of Oelar shall be divided into two chambers: The lower house will be elected nationally by proportional vote, while the upper house shall be indirectly voted by the regional legislatures.
• The national legislature shall cooperate with the Rigpa and his government and it shall be able to deliberate the national budget.
• The Rigpa’s and the Great Council’s rights and duties shall remain unchanged.
• The business of the day shall be decided by the Rigpa and his government, while the Great Council will be convened for grave matters of state.

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. It was not the end of the argument by any means, but the roadmap for peace had been established. There would be a democratic constitutional convention, as the ILO-ISRA negotiating team desired, and a majority of the delegates would come from the upstart intersectionalist umbrella party. But as a guarantee to entice the more conservative government, the Rigpa and Great Council would remain in place. Arguments remained, but the broad architecture of an acceptable peace plan had been found.

Rudolph Kögler called a coffee break, smiling broadly. Robert Beaumont looked carefully optimistic as well, optimistic because the Oelarians had agreed to his broad targets astoundingly fast, but careful because they were an unpredictable and implacable lot - especially the lisping Symeon and the militant Gutkind.

"No cream? No sugar?"

Svava Gunn, attractive despite her sexless green tunic that matched Symeon and Gutkind's paramilitary outfits, turned to see Robert Beaumont. She smiled - hers was the only smiling face among the rebel faction - and dropped her voice very low. "All of this business leaves a bitter taste in my mouth anyway, Robert. Margarethe, dead, her murder still unsolved. Stoker, disappeared and maybe dead. No word from the Rigpa. Rob Viereskog..." - she motioned to the prime minister, who was chatting sunnily with Niels Roerich and Rudolph Kögler - "...in bed, some were saying, for more than a month. The government is acting awfully strangely. These are strange times in Oelar."

She reflexively tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and turned up the lights in her intense green eyes. "Folks are getting nervous. The people are looking for a government that will get to the bottom of these mysteries. A modern government. Niels is frightened of change, but more people, I think, are frightened of what will happen if there is no change. Do not underestimate the student movement, Robert, or the ISRA rebels down south. Things have changed over this strange winter. Changed drastically."

 

[Rheinbund]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

Kögler's strategy was to facilitate and stay in the background. He didn't want to intervene too much to prevent that he himself would become a faction in the dispute. The background of these negotiations was a difficult one. They had been hating each other for generations, while living in the same country for the same amount of time. They couldn't do without each other, either, but how would you make that clear?

It was an extremely complex problem. While functioning as the chairman of the negotiations, Kögler was continuously thinking about a possible way out. While talking with Viereskog and Roerich, he pointed at what he considered the most important problem of the country: Economic problems, and indeed a government system that didn't work any more as it used to work and should work. If everything would go without problems, the ISRA would not have got a chance.

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. Walking back from his tête-à-tête with Kögler, Rob Viereskog lit his pipe and smiled at Fil Gutkind. Alasdair Symeon could not remember how the argument started. One of the men said something about "you all are going down easy". And then a shouting match started in heavily-accented Tagzig. Concerns were raised inside the meeting room itself. "Fuck off" is pretty much universal European.

When the official meeting reconvened, there was an awkward pause. Some progress was made on simplifying Beaumont's federalism plan, the Kaprun Agreement, such as collapsing the Great Council into a unicameral national legislature elected by the provinces according to an adjustable twelve-point model, 5:4:3 selected by the Knytlingsfort, Yungdrung Gutsak, and Issverth legislatures respectively.

As the talks went on, Rob Viereskog appeared to have forgotten his quarrel with Gutkind. But Filip was silently fuming. A nervous man by nature, he was entertaining suspicions. Why are the Franconians giving ISRA control of Knytlingsfort? Have they made a deal with Alasdair that they will keep their mines? He sensed a double-cross was in the works. There were, after all, casual rumors that Symeon had been meeting with Valerian Poller, the Franconian spymaster.

"Any more business for today?" Kögler was pleased to see Viereskog and Roerich cordially accept Symeon's diatribe about the need to address the 'forces of production' and not merely the 'political-legal superstructure' of the country.

Gutkind leaned forward. "There is a pressing item of business. Before I pass down the order for Spartacist Command to train our long-range artillery away from Neu-Sebastiansburg and the border towns" - Filip raised one mocking eyebrow at Robert Beaumont - "There is the final matter of a prisoner exchange we have not yet discussed. Perhaps we can put it first on the agenda tomorrow. In our cells, we are holding fourteen Franconian spies as enemy agents with hostile intent. As everyone here is aware, Eiffelland is currently holding political prisoners in violation of international norms. Minister Kögler, if you release the political officers of the Radikalsozialistische Aktionsfront, at that point we can discuss releasing terrorist agents of the Franconian state in our custody."

Alasdair and Svava could barely conceal their surprise at the man sitting to their right. Visibly agitated, Viereskog fished in his pocket for a tin of snus to calm his fraying nerves, while Roerich put his arm on the table in front of the prime minister to stop the government delegation from exploding in indignation.

 

[Gunnland]

In their little conference, Roerich had slipped Beaumont a note.

My dear friend, Robert,

It may look like curious perepeteia if we avert disaster here with an agreement. I am not as worried as Prime Minister Viereskog; if we cannot placate and moderate the Left, we will drive a wedge into the ILO, and divide and conquer.

But all will be lost if the people discover that even as we reach this agreement, the Lord Rigpa lies dead in Buxtehude on the coast. The country folk are a superstitious people devoted to the old customs, and they will talk of conspiracy and ruin.

The campanile has an agent among the Mimir, Sigbjorn Dmitrisson Obstfelder, who will serve as an impostor. We shall simply prop him up to pretend that he is the rigpa, and arrange for him to "die" in due time. The rigpa lived in a pre-television world; Sigbjorn is an old man - older than Thorlakur was - but will play the role well. Please communicate to Rudolph that it is of the utmost importance that news of the rigpa's death does not travel beyond Eiffelland.

Yours,

Niels.

 

[Rheinbund]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

“Ah, the Radikalsozialistische Aktionsfront,” Kögler said angrily after a pause. He realised very well that he could not promise to set those people free. At least he needed to discuss this with his government. For him, it would be out of the question, unless he would get very much in return, although he wouldn’t know what.
In September, there would be provincial elections in Sauerland. At this moment, the polls looked well for the FDV, but that could change if suddenly the government would set political radicals free. And those votes would not go to leftwing parties but to radical rightwing. Kögler hoped that Gutkind would understand that.
In any case, it would not be good for the ISRA if Gutkind would make Eiffelland a faction in the Oelarian struggle, because then the ISRA would have to face three enemies instead of two. But Kögler would not even hint on that, because then he himself would turn Eiffelland into a faction instead of a neutral mediator. He would wait until Gutkind himself would make that mistake.
But something else was also made clear by Gutkind. If the members of the Radikalsozialistische Aktionsfront could be made part of the deal at a negotiation table, foreign terrorist groups could demand them to be set free as well. It would be needed for Eiffelland to be extra keen on that. And maybe it would be good to let the members of the Radikalsozialistische Aktionsfront get some fatal “accidents”. But Kögler rejected that idea directly. These people could get into the focus of the international press soon, and then their deaths would look suspicious even if Eiffelland’s best doctors would try to cure them from an incurable disease.

Kögler said with a deep and heavy tone in his voice: “Mr. Gutkind. I don’t know the exact details about the Radikalsozialistische Aktionsfront, but I can tell you this about its members. The reasons why they were convicted, namely murders, planning murders and planning terrorist assaults, among others, are legitimate even in a country like Arendaal. The accusation of holding political prisoners is a serious one. I recommend that you carry out a thorough investigation of the situation here before you accuse us of holding political prisoners. I also recommend that you accuse us via an international body like the Council of Nations instead of on this table. And finally, I recommend that you focus on the problems in your own country, because they are already large enough and they are the reason why we are here.”

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. Filip Gutkind sat back in his chair and stared at Kögler with a remorseless look. The foreign minister of Eiffelland had been rattled a little, but it was soon evident to all that what Gutkind wished to do was torpedo the talks by attacking the mediators' legitimacy, and threaten the Franconians by using hostages as a bargaining chip.

Symeon had had a hunch something like this was going to happen. It was a gamble, but perhaps a smart bet. If Gutkind could break with the ILO leadership right before the 2nd All-Party Congress, he might stand to attract the radical vote. But push too hard, and Gutkind would be isolated as a terrorist fringe figure, even by the other ILO leaders.

The general secretary silently motioned to Gutkind to keep quiet. "There is the matter of the Franconian nationals we are holding on suspicion of espionage. I personally guarantee their safety, regardless of whether they are sent back to Franken or tried in a court of law."

Wordlessly, Gutkind stood up and without so much as looking at the others, left the room. Symeon felt a surprised sinking feeling in his stomach. "Please excuse my colleague. There are those within the League who doubt that these talks are being conducted in good faith. But the Intersectionalist League, the Intersectionalist State Reform Authorities, and the Spartacist Command will all honor my signature. Perhaps the matter of the Franconians' release should best be handled bilaterally..."

 

[Gunnland]

Mimir, Olmolungring. Mimir Abbey was one of the architectural wonders of the eleventh century, perched high on snowy mountains, it could only be reached by horseback. Atreifur Tomasson Aethur had traveled for four days to give the abbot the envelope he held in his hand.

A white-robed monk with a long gray beard led him silently through stone halls adorned with golden icons. "The Nameless One will see you now, Atreifur Tomasson."

Apparently the monks of Mimir, most of whom were cloistered at the monastery for life and spent every waking moment saying the Jesus prayer or chanting in eight-hour long liturgies, had not become accustomed to the newly fashionable naming conventions, thought Atreifur.

The Mimir, it turned out, was immersed in prayer and wordlessly accepted the envelope, only murmuring, "Brother Atreifur, of the clan long fallen into disgrace, peace be upon you, brother."

The letter, written in the hand of the Lord Rigpa, would disturb the nameless Mimir with the most unwelcome news that he was the leader of the Realm of Olmolungring.

 

[Großlausitz]

Kaprun, Eiffelland.

The Foreign Minister had been following the rest of the exchange silently, pondering the note by his colleague Niels Roerich. Up to now they had been able to cover up the disappearance of the CEO of Franken's most important privately held bank, the Guttenberg Bank. Usually the Guttenberg Bank wasn't the institution which promised a scoop for nosy journalists. However, with Mike Will still being trapped in this ridiculously huge catch 22 things could change and cause some annoyance for Franken's government.

Dear Niels,

we will try our very best to help our Eiffellander friends to keep the news from travelling and you with diving the ILO. Both matters are obviously in our interest, too.

Yours,
Robert

"Well, Alasdair, my government is open for any reasonable deal, ideally a win-win situation. We desire to solve this issue as peacefully and calmly as possible. That is why we have come here. I do believe you'll have an idea up your sleeve, don't you?", Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg remarked after Gutkind's sudden departure from the room, "Just remember we are as aware of what we are worth as you are." Or even more aware, the Foreign Minister added in thoughts. Courtesy to Franken's fine espionage network.


Mimir, Olmolungring.


Said espionage network was also put to work to tail the messenger heading to Mimir Abbey. Two former Gebirgsjäger soldiers of the Royal Army, who were now working as spooks for the Landesnachrichtendienst, had been instructed to follow Aethur as discreetly as possible for a foreign spy. There was no doubt the more sophisticated inhabitants of the region would soon identify them as alien objects to Mimir Abbey's realms. Plainly clothed the two men were to blend in with the population. Only their accent, their satellite phones and modern weapons would betray their origin. The spies' main job was to observe the abbey during and after the visit of the messenger.

Meanwhile, they were staying with a somewhat well-to-do farmer family, whose five cows and fifteen pigs were a sign of moderate wealth. They were eager to earn themselves some extra money. The housewife's cooking skills weren't that bad, either.

 

[Rheinbund]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

“I can reassure that we are here in the interest of Oelar as a whole, so also in the interest of the people and groups you represent, Alasdair,” Kögler said with a friendly tone in his voice. “The agreements we are discussing here are aimed at an Oelar in which all opinions are heard and considered.”

 

[Gunnland]

Kaprun, Eiffelland. Nothing had gone according to plan. Filip had stormed out, leaving Alasdair alone with a hostage crisis in between his position and the Franconians. The general secretary sighed deeply. "If you honor thi(th) agreement, then there i(th) no need for a ho(th)tage cri(th)i(th). It would not be fitting for a new democra(th)y to start off in (th)uch a manner."

Svava Gunn moved in swiftly to calm the concerns of the men around the table. "We will use our contacts within the Spartacist Command to have all foreign nationals repatriated immediately. I think it would be wise at this time for General Secretary Symeon and I, representing the pro-treaty wing of the party, to get the contact information for Franconian special forces and the cooperation of the Viereskog government..." - from across the room, Rob Viereskog was nodding in support of Svava's sanity - "...in case we need to resort to more punitive measures. If Filip does not comply, we will have a terrorist situation on our hands."

Two days later.

Knytlingsfort, Olmolungring. "Corny?"

Officer Stigeskaper did not pull his eyes away from his binoculars, which were transfixed upon his fellow Spartacist Command Oelar comrade, Harald Symonsson Hrodgunnr, who was pacing on the roof of a building some two hundred yards away, ducking in and out of camouflage netting and machine gun turrets. The classrooms of the old Swordbrothers' school were being used as makeshift holding cells, now, for political prisoners.

"Comrade, you're not going to really storm the school, are you?"

Depends on what the Franconians do. But Cornelius was silent and said nothing. Personally, he was no more loyal to the general secretary than the SCO's internal command structure that was firmly pro-Gutkind. Nobody had ever asked him to choose. But he had always been cast as a soft intellectual and therefore a partisan of the Capitollium clique rather than the Knytlingsfort clique. And he worried what would happen to him, in this environment, if he did not act.

Plus, they had a few men on the inside, some veteran snipers who had seen service in the Franconian foreign legion, and even a few suspected Eir loyalists who were demolition experts.

On the telephone that morning, General Secretary Symeon explained that he had called Valerian Poller two days previously. Poller had some reservations about authorizing a high-profile mission by himself, but two days would be plenty to get the A-OK from the capital, draw up plans for an extraction mission, and send a team to Knytlingsfort. Now, the only question was whether he had, and whether they would show up...

 

[Großlausitz]

Kaprun, Eiffelland.

Robert nodded towards Suava. "You will be given the contact information as soon as the units are ready for deployment on short notice." Within the next two days the Franconian special forces aka Kommando Spezialkräfte were instructed to dispatch several units to the border regions nearby Knýtlingsfort. Indeed, despite his relatively senior rank Valerian Poller could not order the deployment of Royal Army special forces. His authority was limited to the units and teams directly assigned to him.

Two days later...

Knýtlingsfort, Oelar

A heavily armed and well equipped advance guard team of 10 men and women had already arrived in Knýtlingsfort. Their job was to get in touch with key assets and, more importantly, to sabotage power supply to the quarters where the Sword Brothers school was located. In any other more modern country KSK would relied on the Royal Armed Forces' very own IT teams to hack the grids' computer control centre. However, in Oelar you had to do some stuff still manually to ensure you'll get the outcome you want. Therefore, they would lay their hands directly on the power lines. The advance guard as a whole was led by Leutnant Hans Schaidinger, who would also communicate with the key assets. The team's was posturing as renegade Franconian mercenaries looking for opportunities.

Meanwhile, across the Franconian border four state-of-the-art helicopters, which would carry another sixteen KSK soldiers into Knýtlingsfort to execute the actual retrieval operation. Needless to say, those helicopters were armed to the literal teeth, too. Commanding Officer Hauptmann Thomas Erichsen would participate personally.

Not long after the dawn of the third day a FMW X5 SUV, which was completely soiled by dust and dirt, stopped by Officer Stigeskaper, who was apparently enjoying a break from duty or so. "Are you Officer Stigeskaper?", Leutnant Schaidinger's voice, whose sound betrayed its owner's love for Oelarian whiskey, inquired.​

 

[Rheinbund]

Kaprun, Eiffelland

"Alaisdair, you speak wise words, and you clearly think in the best interest of Oelar as a whole. He who will break this agreement, will loose his own honour," Rudolph Kögler said.

 

[Großlausitz]

Nürnberg, Franken

While Hauptmann Thomas Erichsen and his servicemen were busy preparing a retrieval operation, the spooks working for the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz had been instructed to feed Franconian and international media a story slightly different from the truth. According to the new legend Fritz Lessing, Lisa Frauburg and Mike Will were senior government officials, who had been arrested by Knýtlingsfort’s authorities on account of a misunderstanding. They had been sent to Knýtlingsfort to pave the way for a peace deal between the capital and the wayward self-proclaimed republic.

Foreign Minister Graf Beaumont von Miltenberg was adamant in his resolution not to hand recognition of independence to the republic. “A relatively weak central authority which depends on our help suits our ends far better than a collection of independent statelets. A fully sovereign Knýtlingsfort would be free to invite Kryobaijani or any other friendly country’s forces to help them guard their border. Oelar is our frontyard, ladies and gentlemen,” he told the other members of the Reichssicherheitsrat, among them its president Prince Regent Jakob.​