The Road - (Concluded!)

[Pelasgia]

The Archon and the servant were a bit shaken. Even if they were not he ones who had been told off, just the commoner guard, they had been used to people sugarcoating everything around nobility to please their every wish. Apparently in the real world this was not how it worked at all. The servant translated the Doctor's words to the Archon once again who complied. He was slightly happy the trial would be postponed. Though if the Executive Assembly got its way he would be ligned up against a wall and shot for all the trouble he gave them in Demetrias, putting all of the Doctor's good effort into waste. Then again nobody could really complain for a few more hours of life, even if it was the worst case scenario.

"Of course Sir Doctor. The Archon does have a question.... will it hurt?"

Evidently being raised with everything sugar coated did bring a fear of pain... something that surely annoyed most people. Meanwhile near the door the guard listened to the internist's explaination and then tried to find words to reply without ruining too much of the Eiffellander language.

"I speak some Eiffellander from all I learned in school. I accept your apology and understand. The Doctor cares for his patient more than the orders of the army. It is only natural since he swore to put the patient above all. I will have to report to my superior that the trial has to be postponed. He did order me to come here after all. Once again I would like apologize for interrupting the Doctor."

He stood in attention and saluted. He moved to exit the door but then stopped and turned to speak once more.

"Do not worry. I know most Eiffellanders are not like the Doctor. After all you did rule us for a long time. We got close during that period so most of us see you positively. And if that was not enough the help you provide here is more than enough to justify any kind of minor slips of tongue."

OOC: No problem. Exams and work are a killer this time of the year

 

[Rheinbund]

"The Archon won't feel anything of the operation. The anaesthesist will put him asleep," Dr. Sauerbruch said. "The day after will be a different story. Bone pains are one of the worst pains. We can ease the pain with Morphine, but then the Archon will get nauseous. On the other hand, he will be nauseous anyway because of the narcosis, so he'll get the Morphine despite the nausea. We're going to keep him here for at least two weeks. Then we'll remove the stiches, give him a new plaster bandage and release him. He won't be fit for trial before we release him, by the way."

Sauerbruch was cynical enough to realise that the Archon already underwent a part of his punishment in the hospital, but despite his ill manners he was professional enough to not say that out loud.

The internist said to the guard: "Thank you for your words. In any case, you heard Dr. Sauerbruch's estimation of the Archon's stay in this hospital. That will be at least two weeks. I'm afraid we cannot shorten this. I'm not a surgeon, so I cannot explain the details, but in Eiffelland it is standard to keep surgical patients in hospital for one or two weeks, depending on the duration of the narcosis. That time is really needed to recover after an operation."

 

[Pelasgia]

The servant neglected to mention the remark about the pain after the Archon wakes up, instead focusing on the part where his trial would be put off.
"The Doctor says your trial will be postponed for a couple of weeks. Do not worry clearing your stomach will not hurt."

"Thank the good man!"

The Servant turned to the Doctor.

"He thanks you. About the pain, while I did not tell him to not make him uneasy. To be honest his orders cost so many people their lives I think it is only fair he feels a little pain, in exchage for his life being saved."

While the Archon was on his knees thanking the doctor for buying him some more weeks of freedom the guard was walking out of the tent to the lieutenant who had ordered him to speed the doctor up.
"Sir, the doctor says the Archon will not be ready for trial until two weeks later."

The officer was surprised.

"He said what? Why are we even letting that scum live? He should be shot."

"The Executive assembly wants the trials done properly, Sir. We are not the Despot, we do not kill people without a conviction."

The officer punched the door of his jeep.

"Very well then. But I want guards around the building. That asshole is not escaping on my watch."

"With all due respect I am not sure he can even move sir-

"With all due respect you will obey my orders, Hoplite! Unless you want to take his place in the firing squad."

"Understood sir."

Antikyra
With Zorbas gone to Sounio, Glaucon Navtidis, his 'disciple' so to speak had been assigned as head of the Sounian delegation in the Executive Assembly. Officially Zorbas had taken a temporary leave to give a speech and see how the new government was doing. The reality however was much different and only known to few like Glaucon. Zorbas had left to try and convince the Sounians to back the compromise constitution in the Executive Asssmbly.

While all states were united behind the goal of deposing the Despot, once their common enemy went out of the way, only then did they realise how different their views and aspirations for the future were. Zorbas had tried very hard to bring a compromise. And so far it was working. But the Sounians wee hesitant to support it in a vote, as it was not exactly what they had promised the people and they feared a switch of voter support to the already strong Vanguardists. If the Constitutional Assembly members of Sounio, his own Polis, were to vote against the compromise Constitutional draft in a vote, it would surely mean a collapse and there would be no way it would even make it to a second vote, so fragile was the political situation.

Thankfully the Carians had more unity in minor issues, for now. Walking to the Executive Assembly's chambers for a discussion on the day's events, since all scheduled votes for the day had been completed, Glaucon entered the large, white marble made room to find an environment quite opposite to what he had been used to. The Synedri, the Assembly's members, had stood up from their seats and were having a heated debate wle papers were being thrown around. They wore a ceremonial Himation with a stripe coloured in the colours of their Polis and bore a pin with its arms.

Glaucon moved to separate a Sounian and a Naupactine Synerdus who were about to exchange fists. He took a deep breath and shouted.

«Σιωπή! Τι ασέβεια είναι αυτή, μέσα στο ίδιο το άνδρον της Δημοκρατίας και της Ενότητος μας!; Δεν έχετε ίχνος σεβασμού ή ντροπής επάνω σας και κάνετε σαν τα θηρία; Ντροπιάζετε τα Ιμάτια που φοράτε!»
"Silence! What insolence is this, in the very heart of our Democracy and our Unity?! Do you not have the slightest trace of respect or shame and thus you be have like beasts? You bring shame upon the Himatia you wear!"

The room went silent. The Synedri returned to their seats and tried to put things back as they were before the brawl. A man who had spent the fight sitting down in his Edolium instead of standing or shouting stood and spoke to Glaucon.

"Thank the Gods you came! A Demetrian said their Archon was being treated and would avoid trial for two weeks and next thing we know all Erebus broke loose!"

Glaucon was stunned. The same man who had brought the deaths of countless men to avoid trial? Now he knew what had made the already high tentions finally explode into a brawl.

"Why is it he had to stay in Demetrias? Could he not be brought to some Naupliot hospital and be treated there so the court would be near?"

The man from Xerres spoke again.

"It is not anything your average Doctor can treat sir. He has a very complicated bone fracture. And there is probably only one man who can treat it right now, Dr. Alexander Sauerbruch. And thankfully he is in Caria. He is the chief of a field hospital set up by the Eiffellanders in Demetrias to help the locals, since the war hit them very hard."

Glaucon sat down and tried to think of a way to appease the more radical elements in the Assembly who were asking for the Archon's head. After a few moments he stood back up.

"Alright then. I have a proposal; The place where the Archon is will be guarded. If he cannot be transfered to Nauplio then he will have to temporarily sign his physical presence in the court over to some lawyer or family member he trusts. It will take longer for the trialbecause we will have to get the messages to him all the way to Demetrias and then get his responses back from the phone or by telegram but it is faster than if we had to postpone it all together. After a couple of weeks the trial will continue normally since he will be present."

The Head of the Assembly raised the gavel he was holding.

"All those in favour raise your hands."

Most of the Synedri raised their hands.

"All those against raise your hands."

A few who were still bitter about the incident raised their hands in turn.

The Chairman struck his gavel onto a wooden pad on the desk before him and proclaimed.
"Then it is done. The Sounian delegation's proposal is accepted and ratified by this Assembly. A telegram shall be sent to the field hospital and our forces in the area to enforce it immediately."

 

[Rheinbund]

“I know what happened here in this country. Not in detail, but I know that this country turned into a mess because of some stupid decisions by the Archons. However, my duty is independent from politics. My duty is to cure my patients, and I will do so without making a distinction between my patients, even if I get the main responsible for the chemical attacks in Yujin on my table,” Dr. Sauerbruch said to the servant. “OK, it is tempting to apply a central line without anaesthesia to such a patient, but I won’t do such things without a purely medical reason. We will go to the operation room now and proceed as planned.”

 

[Pelasgia]

With a week having passed the Carian government had decided to see if they could transfer the Archon to a hospital in Nauplio so he could be present in teh final stages of his trial. His lawyers and family had handled this part but from this point on the law demanded his presence. The Assembly had ordered a contigent of local troops to do the transferring so as make sure that their work was not hindered by any... overzealous doctors. Among these was Georgios, the guard who had been assigned to the task the previous week. As the Lochagos (Captain) led the troops into the field hospital, the Hoplite was trying trying to convince him to rethink it or at least let him do the talking.

«Κύριε Λοχαγέ, σας παρακάλω, δεν θα ήταν σοφότερο να περιμένουμε καμία εβδομάδα; Μπορεί αλλιώς να μας πρίξουν οι διεθνείς ανθρωπιστικές οργανώσεις.»
"Sir Captain, I beg you, would it not be wiser to wait a week or so? Otherwise the international humanitarian groups might start annoying us."

«Θα μου κλάσουν διεθνώς τα παπάρια αυτές οι 'διεθνείς οργανώσεις'. Έχουμε εντολές και εξουσιοδώτηση από την Εκτελεστική Συνέλευση.»
"Those 'international organizations' will internationally suck on my balls. We have orders and authorization from the Executive Assembly."

«Μπορείτε τουλάχιστον να με αφήσετε εμένα να μιλήσω μαζί τους; Αυτός ο γιατρός δεν είναι και πολύ υποχωρητικός... Ξέρω όμως τον γραμματέα του.»
"Can you at least allow me to speak with them? This doctor is not very compliant... But I know his secretary"

The Captain stopped and held a hand up signaling the men to stop moving.
«Καλώς. Έχεις μία ώρα. Μετά θα μπούμε και θα τον σύρουμε έξω, αν χρειαστεί.»
"Very well. You have one hour. After that we'll come in and drag him out, if needed."

Georgios saluted and starting walking rapidly into the lobby of the field hospital, to meet the lobbyist.

Sounio
Nikolaos Zorbas stood on the roof of a building in Sounio. It was in the district near the port, with the tall white buildings, the dusty alleys and the quiet roads. As he looked down on the port and then up to the Acropolis he saw the white city in all its might, with the light of the bright Sounian sun, which so soon after the end of December was already shinning again, reflecting off of the city's buildings. As he stood, with his hands placed on the short walls that were on all sides of the flat rooftop to support his weight, he looked down on the alley. What he saw painted a smile on his face.

"Cleisthenes. Come over here."

He spoke to his protégé Cleisthenes Agonistis. Agonistis had been orphaned at an early age when his mother died of disease and his father was murdered. Nikolaos took him into his Domos (House/Clan), the Zorbae. To be taken into such a prestigious clan was the lottery win of a lifetime for anybody living in the poor areas near Sounio's port. And Cleisthenes used his sharp mind to make the most of it. To Zorbas he was like a son, and technically in the eyes of the law he almost was one. He had been the first to welcome Zorbas back to Sounio and went him everywhere.

It was no secret that Zorbas wanted Cleisthenes to succeed him as the dominant political leader of Sounian politics. Though this did not sit well with many within the Zorbae, the people had no problem with it. After all, despite his more radical lefitst views, Cleisthenes was a great politician and speaker, even better than his patron, and a man with a soft heart that cared for others and did his best to help everyone in the Polis.

Cleisthenes walked over to Zorbas almost immediately.

"What is it, Professor?"

"Down there. Look, on the wall."

Somebody had painted the Carian word for liberty/freedom (ελευθερία/eleftheria) on the wall in big, blue letters. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ

"It is just a writing. They are not that uncommon these days." Cleisthenes replied, dissapointed.

"Do you know how this whole thing started?" Nikolaos asked.

"From what I know there was a riot in the fish market after the Despotic Militia shot somebody. And in typical Sounian fashion it turned into a Revolution."

"Yes but what caused it? You see that man was trying to protect a child. And rumor has it that child was being chased by the Militiamen... for writing something like that on a wall."

"Do you seriously believe that, professor?"

"I do. And the only reason I do is because I was among the very very few, if not the only person, who saw it happen. I stood on a rooftop and looked down on the road as I was drinking my morning coffee. Then I saw this kid in a white shirt holding a backet of paint walk into this alley in front of the building. The kid looked around to se if anyone was there and I simply had to kneel and then stand up again so he did not see me. Then I saw the whole thing unfold. And then the shots started in the fish market."

Cleisthenes was shocked.

"And where did all that happen?"

"Right here. That right there is the writing that started this whole affair. Poetic is it not? A single youngster with a foolish idea, way too much bravery for his own good and too much free time... changed this country forever."

Cleisthenes looked up at the sun.
"Indeed. Very poetic, indeed, Professor."

 

[Rheinbund]

The reason why Dr. Jürgens was able to keep Dr. Sauerbruch at least a bit at bay was that he was a very good doctor as well. Because of that, Sauerbruch had a bit of respect for him. But not even Jürgens could not completely control him. As soon as he had heard Georgios tell that a patrol was waiting outside to take the Archon to Nauplio, he realised that there was a problem. When Georgios told him that the guards outside were close to dragging the Archon out of the hospital, he realised that there was an enormous problem.

The typical Eiffellandian he was, he used the formal Sie for every adult person that was not a close friend. Even the cleaning lady was Frau Soundso for him, and he would treat her as if she was the wife of the professor. Also Georgios was treated formally.

Jürgens started to talk.

“Dr. Sauerbruch will never let a patient go if he doesn’t consider him fit to go. He will even go against the will of the patient. But I don’t need to tell you, you already noticed. I understand that the Government wants to finish the trial against the Archon as soon as possible. I completely understand. But I also understand Dr. Sauerbruch’s position. And you can count on it that he will position himself in front of the Archon’s bed in such a way that you people will have to drag him out as well. And that may cause some problems on a higher level. You probably understand that our government won’t like it if officials from the Carian government do our doctors harm.”

He paused for a moment. Then he continued.

“I agree with Dr. Sauerbruch’s diagnosis regarding the Archon’s current medical status. The Archon cannot be moved to Nauplio, at least not by car, and definitely not by train. With all due respect, the civil war inflicted some damage to your roads and railroads. I don’t know exactly where Nauplio is, but I presume it is several hundreds of kilometers from here. Several hundreds of kilometers over a bumpy road is not something you can do with somebody recovering from a complicated bone fracture. Apart from that, the Archon is still too tired to follow a trial. I re-iterate: You will violate the principles you fought for if you let him stand trial now.”

He paused again for a moment. Then he continued.

“I will propose the following to Dr. Sauerbruch, as soon as he returns from his current operation. The Archon will be flown to a hospital in Nauplio by helicopter. Then he will stay in that hospital for at least ten days. During those ten days, he may be interrogated each day, but only one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. That is the absolute maximum I can do. Wait here.”

Meanwhile, the Logachos and his other men had been waiting in front of the lobby of the hospital. Suddenly a door was thrown open. Dr. Sauerbruch walked in with a high pace. He was 1.90 meters tall, weighted 100 kg mainly due to muscles, his arms were 25 cm in diameter, and he had enormous hands. He wore the typical clothes of an Eiffellandian doctor: White trousers, a doctor’s coat and a white shirt with tie under the doctor’s coat. With the same high pace he walked in, he walked to the Logachos and positioned himself just 10 centimeters in front of him. Sauerbruch had walked so fast, that Jürgens and Georgios almost had to run to not stay behind.

Sauerbruch kept standing in front of the Logachos for a minute. Then he started to talk, in German.

“I was in the middle of saving the leg of a 12 year old girl when I heard that you morons had walked in again for that Archon of yours. I already told you that he isn’t fit for trial, and now you even want to drag him to Nauplio over those cart-tracks you dare to call roads. You guys are complete idiots.”

He paused for a moment. Then he continued.

“Arrange a helicopter to transport the Archon, otherwise nobody will go anywhere. Understood? Furthermore, arrange a hospital in Nauplio where the Archon will stay for at least ten days. During those ten days, you will have one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon to interrogate him. Not more. If I find out that you interrogate him longer, I will go to Nauplio myself to prevent you from doing so, even if I have to sleep on the ground in front of his bed. Clear?”

 

[Pelasgia]

Georgios was startled once more at the impressively built doctor. The proposition of the lobbyist would be a hard one to convince the Lochagos to agree to. The doctor's was easier. Relieved he spoke to the two Eiffellanders before him.

"Sir Doctor, Mr. Jürgens. Thank you. I do not want the man to stand trial in this shape either... this is why I came here to try to negotiate. But since it seems the potheads on my side do not want to let him rest your solution is a real life saver. I will go tell the Lochagos. He has a bad temper but I think he will agree after a while. The helicopter should not be that hard to get if the Assembly is really that determined to force a sick man to Nauplio... as if he could escape."

Georgios bowed before the two slightly and run to go convince the Lochagos to allow the transfer. As the Lochagos saw him exit the hospital he moved up to him.

"So did you get them to give in?"

"They came up with a compromise. We need to get a helicopter to transfer him with. And we need to have a hospital ready. One hour of interrogation in the morning. One in the night. No exceptions."

The Lochagos got red with anger but the medic of the company stepped in before he could speak in a rant.

"He does have a point. We really cannot expect much more of him. Unless we want to kill him before the firing squad does."

"Fine. But where will we get a helicopter?"

"I think the Assembly would not have a problem with sending a single chopper over here. We have an air base is literally next to us."

Sounio
Nikolaos Zorbas exited the car that had brought him to Dimokratias square. Previously called Megaro square it had been renamed to Dimoktarias after the Revolution. It now housed the Vouli ton Sounion (Assembly of the Sounians). The ceremonial guards in front of the building stood in attention as he walked past them. They wore ceremonial 19th century Sounian uniforms, white with blue details, a shako and bolt action rifles. With his coat on his arm he walked up the large, bright white marble steps of the massive building. He looked up at the structure. A large pediment featuring the Olympian Gods was there, supported by large doric pillars, while the second row was made up of ionic pillars. Over the gate of the Vouleftiko Megaro there was a large inscription:

«ΤΟ ΕΝΑΝΤΙΟΥΜΕΝΟΝ ΤΩ ΔΥΝΑΣΤΕΥΟΝΤΙ ΔΗΜΟΣ ΩΝΟΜΑΣΤΑΙ»

(To enantioumenon to dynastevonti demos onomastae / "That which opposes the dynast/tyrant is called the people" - Thucydides). Zorbas entered the building and walked through the halls until he reached the Plenary room of the building. Walking in he was met with a round of applause from the Vouleftes and walked up to the podium at the centre of the room. With the light shining down from the large dome and the Vouleftes in their ceremonial Himatia looking at him Zorbas begun the delivery of his speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Vouli. Comrades, brothers, friends and co-citizens of Sounio. In these recent months both Sounio and the entirety of Caria have been gripped by a popular uprising that has forever changed our world. It started from the most minor, the most tiny of events. And brouhgt us to this point, where Caria stands united and free, looking forward into the future. It was not an east road, and certainly not a painless one, but it was the right way to go down. As I look upon you today, I know with full confidence that the citizens of this Republic have rightly entrusted you with their governance after such a long time when they had no say over who ruled over Sounio from within these halls. Yet it is on this historic day that I ask you for one more struggle, one last push. For while the light at the end of the tunnel can be clearly seen, we have not yet left the tunnel. It is for this very reason that I ask that this honourable assembly do its utmost to support the proposed constitution that seeks to unify and permanently democratize Caria. Let us not stray from our path after so much progress. Honourable Vouleftes and observers of this Assembly, thank you for giving me so much of your so precious time."

 

[Rheinbund]

Dr. Sauerbruch was as precise in his reports as he was blunt in his encounters with other representants of the human species. Furthermore, contrary to the prejudice of a doctor’s handwriting, his handwriting was extremely well legible. The report was in German, but described clearly what he found when he examined the Archon for the first time, the diagnosis, the operation, the medications given to the Archon and any other care. His report was photostat-copied, extra prints of the pre- and post-operation X-ray pictures were made, and these items were combined in a map to form a duplicate medical file. The Archon was made ready for transport to Nauplio, and the duplicate medical file would accompany him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jürgens talked to the Logachos. “Sir, I completely understand your anger towards the Archon. I don’t know what he exactly did, but I do know that he has blood on his hands. But there is one thing you have to realise. You fought for freedom and justice in Caria. Justice can only prevail when it applies to everyone. That also means to the Archon. No matter what he did, he has the right to a fair trial. A trial cannot be fair if the suspect is too ill or tired to follow it. Indeed, the Archon must be punished, but in a rightful manner, otherwise injustice will be one of the fundaments of your new Caria.”

 

[Pelasgia]

The Lochagos looked back at the man with fiery eyes.
"Listen here. That scum killed so many people you could not even imagine in your worst nightmare. He killed my own brother. And you come over here and lecture us about morals and how he is in no shape to stand trial? His subjects were in no shape for a lot of things but they did a lot more than stand trial. And many more will never do anything again! Get out of my sight you-

A hand touched the man's shoulder and he was interrupted by the owner of that hand.

"That is enough Lochagos. You are being disrespectful to a man who came all the way from Germania to Latinium to help our people and has asked nothing in return. Just because your sister died it does not mean you are above the laws. We have always prided ourselves in being ruled by laws, not men. And we have always put these laws above everything else, never to be breached. The Despot breached them and now he is as good as the simplest farmer or worker among us. If we are to kill others without a fair trial how are we better than him?"

It was a Colonel of the Army. He had been sent by the Assembly to escort the Archon to Nauplio, safely. The Lochagos moved away from the Syntagmatarchis and snapped back.

"He lost his rights a long time ago! And foreigners have no say about our-

"One more word and I will have you court marshalled. Get out of my sight and back to your barracks. You are relieved of your duties for the next week. And take your men with you."

When the Lochagos and his men started leaving the Syntagmatarchis turned to face Dr. Jürgens.

"I am sorry. The Gendarmes tend to get over excited. That is why the Assembly sent us professionals over here to make sure the Doriphoria does not boss everyone around. The Lochagos lost many people during the Revolutionary War so he is enraged beyond reason. Let us hope the jury and judges are more neutral."

He cracked a smile to top the speech off while the regulars started coming out of the trucks that had stopped outside the hospital. A helicopter moved to land on top of the building.

Sounio
With the Vouleftes clapping Zorbas started walking down from the podium to floor of the Vouli. The Vouleftes stood up as the oration had concluded while the reporters and observers in the elevated observatories of the room started walking out from the back doors. Zorbas smiled and started walking to the door along with Cleisthenes, when another Vouleftis, Alexandros Anastasiou stopped them.

"Your Excellency, that was a fine speech."

"Thank you, Alexandros. Please call me by name, you have known me long enough to earn that right."

"Of course. May I have a word with Cleisthenes here for a second? Treasury stuff. I am sure it would bore you to death."

"Oh it is fine by me. The again he is then one you should ask."

Cleisthenes moved his head and spoke to the Vouleftis.

"If it really is that important I have no choice but to come, Mr. Anastasiou. Please excuse me, professor."

"With pleasure. Try not to tire your minds too much. The journalists will want to that soon enough."

Zorbas continued walking toward the exit. When he reached the main hall of the building, the room right after the main entrance a group of at least a dozen Vouleftes stopped him. With Cleisthenes removed from the scene they could make their move. Creitton Krasatos, a Vouleftis, walked up and tried to rip the Himation Zorbas wore prompting the latter to pull away angered.

«Κρείττων, παλιάνθρωπε, τι κάνεις εκεί;»
"Creitton, you skunk, what are you doing?"

«Ζήτω ο Βασιλεύς Νικόλαος!»
"Long live King Nikolaos!"

«Δεν είμαι Βασιλεύς, είμαι ο Νικόλαος Ζορμπάς!»
"I am no King, I am Nikolaos Zorbas!"

«Πλέον δεν διαφέρεις καθόλου με βασιλιά!»
"Now you do not differ at all from a king!"

The Vouleftis tried to stab Nikolaos but he blocked the knife by holding it with his hand. Another managed to stab Nikolaos in the back, and a couple others managed to get to him, one in the shoulder and one in the lower half of the arm. Nikolaos managed to fight back, pushing and blocking many attackers and even punching one hard enough to make his nose bleed. However Glaucon stepped in front of Zorbas stabbing him in the gut.

«Και 'σύ παιδί μου, Γλαύκων; Γιατί;»
"And you Glaucon, my child? Why?"

Saddened Zorbas stopped fighting back, being stubbed six more times before ge was finally stabbed in the heart, dropping on the floor and bleeing out. The assasins stormed out of the Vouli while Cleisthenes, who had just come back from meeting with Anastasiou run horrified toward the body of his adoptive father.

«Καθηγητά! Καθηγητά! Πατέρα! Όχι!»
"Professor! Professor! Father! No!"

 

[Rheinbund]

Caria

“Thank you for your intervention, Herr Oberst,” Dr. Jürgens said, using the German word for Colonel. He had already seen the correct title of the Syntagmatarchis, but he feared that he would not pronounce it correctly, so he used the German title. “I fully understand why the Gendarmes reacted like they did, but we cannot let emotions take over control.” Then he handed the medical file of the Archon to the Syntagmatarchis. “Dr. Sauerbruch, who treated the Archon, cannot give you the medical file personnally because of an emergency, so I will give it to you. Please hand it over to the physicians who will treat the Archon in Nauplio.”


Eiffelland

According to Eiffelland’s constitution, the King was part of the Government. However, he didn’t have the right to visit the Ministerversammlung on Friday, unless he was invited. He did have a weekly meeting with the Chancellor though, on Monday morning. One of the topics of this Monday’s meeting was Caria.
“As far as I can see, Herr Kanzler, the future of Caria is completely open,” the King said. “The country can become a democracy, but we can also get a second Kruševa west from us. That is a situation we need to avoid. We can handle one Kruševa, but we cannot handle two of them, not even combined with Nichtstein. Furthermore, a stable Caria is needed because of the crucial position of the Long Sea. And with a stable Caria, I mean a moderate Caria.”
“I agree with you, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor said. “We do need a stable Caria. We are currently investigating our possibilities. There is a centrist movement in Caria. We are trying to contact them. For now, we will mainly spend them financial support. But the situation is about to get complicated. I was phoned that an important person in the Carian Civil War, Dr. Nicolaos Zorbas, was killed after he adressed the Sounian Vouli.”
The King frightened up. “That is bad news, Herr Kanzler,” he said.
“Indeed. Apparently the various factions in the country are less happy with each other than it seemed. The honeymoon after overthrowing the old regime is over,” Chancellor Von Seydewitz said. “In any case, like I said, the future is open. And we have to be a bit careful. Dr. Sauerbruch caused a scandal.”
“Well, we couldn’t expect anything else from him, could we?” the King said. “What did he do?”
“The Archon of Demetrias had to be operated by him, but the authorities wanted the man to be trialed as soon as possible, and that was something Dr. Sauerbruch didn’t like. According to him, the Archon wasn’t fit for trial, so he kept him in the clinic. Against the will of the authorities, who had to face Dr. Sauerbruch’s famous fits,” the Chancellor said.
“Poor Carians,” the King said. “Anyway, this is going to become complicated. What are we going to do?”
“At this moment, we are already handing out humanitarian aid. And of course we make sure that the people know that that humanitarian aid comes from Eiffelland. Furthermore, we are contacting the Centrists and Liberals in Caria, whom we will offer financial support, stencil machines, other offset equipment and so on. Also radio sending equipment so that they can set up radio broadcasting stations,” the Chancellor said. “We will even see that we spread transistor radios among the younger people in the country.”
“That could be risky. With those radios, they will not only listen to the radio stations of the Centrists,” the King said.
“That is a risk we have to take,” the Chancellor said.

 

[Pelasgia]

"Thank you, Sir Doctor. I will make sure it gets to the Archon's doctors. Thank the good Doctor for me."

Sounio
As the assasins run out of the Vouli most got into cars to leave the city. A group of three however, led by none other than Glaucon and made up of him, Alexandros and Creitton stopped. Glaucon adressed the crowd who were looking at the blood stained Himatia of the Vouleftes in awe.

"People of Sounio! You look upon us scared. Yet you should celebrate. Because the tyrrant Nikolaos Zorbas is dead! Dead by our hands!"

As the crowd started booing Glaucon used all of his rhetorical abilities to quell them.

"Why do you boo? Was he not a man who only sought his own ambition to further his own ends? You hungered and wept but he only cared about expanding Sounio's hegemony in your name without even asking for your opinion! All to make him, the so called 'Consul' the strongman of all Caria! He betrayed our democracy! He betrayed Polis! He even betrayed his own ideology, so that his Domos may be stronger! But he is no more!"

Some of the crowd were still booing while others were others had stopped unsure. But the crowd was not yet under the control of Claucon.

"Sounians! Proud sons of Poseidon! You know of me and my loyalty to Zorbas well! You all know I first of all would die rather than betray him! But when he betrayed himself and strayed from his path I had no choice but to take it upon myself to bring his reign of terror to an end. And because I tried to evade this duty at every step these brave men who stand next to me had to convince me and remind me of this at every step. You all know the honour both I and they bear all across Caria, from the distant vineyards of Ampeli to the Crown Jewel of the Long Sea, our beloved Polis! And you know I would not stab a man who was like my brother in the heart without good reason! And it was not just a good reason! It was such a big reason that I had no choice but to restore justice, even if it meant bringing this honour into question! This is what I swore when you gave me this Himation for the first time, just like all the Vouleftes and Sounians keep their oaths, no matter how much it may hurt them!"

The crowd cheered. Many shouted 'Death to the tyrrant!' and some even cursed a dead man. Cleisthenes who could hear their screams of joy from within the Vouli, with he blood of Zorbas still in his hands, lifted the body of Zorbas and walked out of the main gate, knowing full well that the crowd which was now under Glaucon's foul influence could very well turn against him too for being Zorbas' adoptive son. But he did not care. As he walked out the sun hit him and reflected off of his whtie Himation, which was stained with the blood of Zorbas' body. The crowd looked at him and moved their fists up and down while shouting. Cleisthenes hardly cared as he walked down the white marble steps. When he reached two thirds of the steps he stopped and placed the body of Zorbas down. He raised his fist, pleading for the silence and attention of the crowd.

"Sounians please give me a moment of your time! You did so with Glaucon and his lot, you might as well allow me to express my opinion of Zorbas for the sake of fairness. I do not want to state anything against Glaucon's opinion, only to build upon it."

The crowd stopped shcoked that Cleisthenes would tarnish Zorbas' opinion. Cleisthenes of course had no such purpose.

"The right honourable Glaucon told you that Zorbas was a man of ambition, hegemony and brute strength. That he only sought to further his own and his clan's dominance over Sounio and all of Caria. This was not false. After all how could a man with Glaucon's statue ever lie? Yet what he told you was not entirely correct either. He truly was a man with high ambitions, not for himself but for all of us. All Sounians, all Carians, all men and women, young and old under this blue sky if I may say so. He wanted one thing to dominate this world, but that was not a crown that he would bear, but instead the will of the peope living within it. He did want to further the interest of only his clan, but his clan was not the Zorbae. His clan was all of us. And I see all of you ready to burn his body or hang it upside down even though without him ever requesting, even against his wish, you minted his face on coins and called him 'Your Excellency' and 'Consul'. Lie not to me that you did this out of fear, for he was not a man of violence and not one who could even show wrath even if he wanted to. So you did love this man once. And this speech delivered by the most honourable Vouleftes, with their hands still stained by the blood of the noble Zorbas, has made you forget why you loved him. But let me remind you why."

Cleisthenes pulled a document from the body of Zorbas. He raised it to the air, where everyone could see it.

"This document bears the seal of Zorbas both as Consul and as Professor as well as his signature and the Crest of the Zorbae. It says, as you may see here, that it is the will of the man. May I read it in public, since to him all of you are members of his Domos while lacking bonds of blood, as I stated before?"

"Aye!" shouted the crowd like a single mouth.

"Very well then. 'I, Dr. Nikolaos Zorbas, Professor of Philosophy and Arch-Rector of the Grand Academy of Sounio, leave the following as my will. To each and every Sounian of the 3.5 million there are, I leave Four Thousand Tetradrchms. I also leave at my own expense money to host games and celebrations for the liberation of Sounio and all of Caria from the Despot, as well as my garden of carnations and other gardens for the public to enjoy and take care of for as long as Sounio stands. The rest as well as the leadership of my clan I leave to my adoptive son, Cleisthenes Agonistis, to whom I give the name of Zorbas as an equal and first among all of the Zorbae. I wish for him to continue my work, but whether that will happen is up to you, my beloved comrades, the people. I wish that I might be cremated and that my ahses be spread to the Archipelago, Caria's greatest treasure.' This is as I stated the one and only will of Consul Nikolaos Zorbas. The man who cared not for his riches but for you, as he gave everything of value he had to the people, and the man who was murdered by these 'Honourable Vouleftes' in the very halls of the Vouli! I am not a man who can deliver stunning legal speeches, like Glaucon or Alexandros, but I am a man who can show you the truth and that I did. The rest is up to you! Becuase if I did have the rhetorical skills of these 'Honourable Vouleftes' the very sacred marble that this city is made up of would rise to punish those who stained it with the blood of a truly noble man!"

As the crowd shouted in support the Vouleftes started fleeing the scene too, before the crowd would notice them. The crowd in the meantime took Zorbas' body to take proper care of it while the guards outside the Vouli stood before it in attention.

 

[Pelasgia]

Nauplio
With the cloudy weather of Nauplio's late January having created a gloomy atmosphere and rain covering the large city thousands waited outside the Supreme Court's doors, umbrella in hand. The Astynomia and Army had opened a path for the Despotic family to exit. The other defendants, both the convicts and innocent ones had been transfered in previous days, but this one was solely for the Dospotic family. The Astynomia wanted to have absolute control of the situation.

Near the building a car had stopped. Black and with dark windows, inside it three men waited. One in the drivers seat, one in the co-drivers seat and onerelaxing in the back two seats. It was a Titania 1700, probably the most common car in Nauplio. That, along with having a radio, was the reason the passengers chose this specific car.
«Σε λίγα λεπτά ο εκθρονισμένος Δεσπότης και η οικογένειά του θα εξέλθουν από τις θύρες του Αρείου Πάγου για να πάρουν το δρόμο της εξορίας στην Πανορμό της Νήσου Ελίου[...]»
"In a few minutes the deposed Despot and his hamily will exit through the doors of the Supreme COurt to take the road of exile in Panormus of Elios Island[...]"

The man seatng in the drivers seat turned the radio off.
"Alexios. Anastasios. It is time."

The men noded with their heads and they exited the vehicle, dressed in suits. They separated and moved among the crowd, positioning themselves near the path the Despotic family would use to exit. The doors opened and the Despotic family exited with the guards standing in attention for one last time. This time there was no applause or joy for the Despotic family. They were lucky there was not a booing either. Evangelos pulled a small revolver from his belt, from within his coat and dropped his umbrella.

«Θάνατος στους τυράννους!»
"Death to the tyrants!"

He fired his weapon. The shot did not hit the Despot. Instead it hit his daughter's arm. Evangelos had lost his own daughter in the war and he was determined to even the score. He aimed for another shot but the Despot threw himself in front of the weapon right before he pulled the trigger. Out of reflexes he pulled the trigger anyway, plunging a bullet in the Despot's belly. Alexios shot the princess in the back and she fell to the ground dead, with a pool of blood around her. Despot Thrasybulus, who was on the floor barely alive and bleeding extended his hand toward his daughter's direction and uttered his final words.

«Ιουλιέττα! Κόρη μου...»
"Ioulietta! My daughter..."

Anastasios finished the job and shot him in the head from behind. While all this happened rapidly the officers on the scene were finally able to pull out their sidearms and gun the assasins down before they could kill any more people. But the damage had already been done. The Despotic family, made up of the Despot, the Despotissa, two Princesses and two Princes, including the Crown Prince, had lost the father and eldest daughter of the family.

 

[Pelasgia]

Nauplio
II Army Corps HQ
Attalus sat in his office reading the morning paper. The sunny day outside let plenty of light in his room, in central Nauplio. There, in the headquarters of the II Army Corps countless officers worked tirelessly on typewriters and message receivers. Everything went as normal, until suddenly, Theodoros, the officer of desk number 52 of the communications department, got a very weird message.

PFRK VOCQ UZSZ MMFV QEYV IBGA TUKY FNDV HVSM ZUHK ZDPX QROF QDBK WPTI GIKW BLRM WBTE WNXB FZTM LDBD HZPW HGYV OFMR NSWJ YVSM YOYL RWXW DAKR PJQZ IYPD TOIL VNUN HWVV CQJH L
​

He proceded to decode it as instructed by standard protocol writing the transcript on a piece of paper.

Ο Συνδεδεμένος Τύπος εξέθεσε το σχέδιο Θρασύβουλος. Καταστρέψτε άμεσα όλα τα στοιχεία και προβείτε εις άμεση εκκένωση. Ενημερώστε άμεσα τον Ταξίαρχο. Δυνάμεις της Συνέλευσης κατευθύνονται ταχέως στο κτήριο για να τον συλλάβουν.
The Associated Press exposed plan Thrasybulus. Destroy all proof immediately and proceed to evacuate immediately. Inform the Brigadier immediately. Forces of the Assembly are moving rapidly to the building to arrest him.

Shocked he stood up and raised his hand for his superior to come over. He handed him the paper and the original message.

"Sir. What do we do?"

"I will go tell him. You start destroying proof and tell the others to do so too."

The officer started walking to the Brigadier's office and he went in knocking on the already opened door, something he would not normally dare to do.

"Sir! 52 got this message!"

Attalus read through it before slamming his fist on the desk, hard enough to make the office lamp on its edge fall off.

"Those god-damn Krusevans! Can those idiots keep a secret secret?! Is it that hard for a tinpot dictatorship like theirs to do its job?!"

With the office silently looking on, Attalus picked up the office lamp and put it back on the desk.

"Give the order. We are going ahead with operation Thrasybulus right now. It is either us or them."

While this was going on General Papanikolaou and his men entered the building. They took out any men fiercly loyal to Pelasgiotis without him knowing it up until the reached the final floor where his office was. There both he and the communications officer where shocked when a large number of troops came in and shot a dozen guards and a couple of office workers in cold blood. Their blood run across the wooden floor and the wooden offices of the building while the typewriters of the countless office workers in it stopped as they looked at the General and his men terrified. The General who had just heard the conversation of the Brigadier and his office spoke to the former.

"The operation is certainly going ahead.... but you and your bedtime lovers have been exposed. I will be taking charge from here. Apparently it seems I trusted you with too much, Attalus."

The General pulled out his sidearm and shot Attalus, who dropped to the floor struggling to live. A soldier moved ahead and finished the job. The General walked up to the officer and grabbed his shoulder.

"You are working for me now. No word or version of this other than mine shall reach the outside world. Understood?"

The officer noded with his head.

"Good choice. That applies to the rest of you, who are in here."

Streets of Nauplio
With the order given countless soldiers of the II Army Corps started moving across Nauplio and barricading roads with barbed wire and Czech hedgehogs. Several divisions moved in and took over key buildings detaining those inside who had questionable loyalty while the Naupliot Astynomia's General Command was surrounded. The Astynomi tried to fire back at the large group of soldier soutside wounding a couple, howeber the soldiers returned fire and the two tanks they had with them blasted through the front wall. As the soldiers moved into the building killing thsoe who resisted the Astynomia had no choice but to surrender. They forced the General Commander to order all Astynomia stations in the city to surrender to the Army's forces.

With that taken care of the II Army Corps' soldiers met the Assembly's Gendarmerie forces near the western suburbs of Nauplio. The commander of the General's men in the area had ordered them to hide while the Gendarmerie's APC convoy went through and only fire when they were deep inside to trap them. The men had positioned themselves in buildings with rocket launchers and other small arms, while on the non-visible side of the 45 degree turn at the end of the road there were heavy anti-armour weapons and many troops, who had fortified their positions and dag in.

Without knowing this the Assebly's Gendarmes moved into the city in a large convoy. The Gendarmes, who had been previously guarding Dr. Alexander's Eiffellander Field Hospital, had been tasked with arresting Pelasgiotis, who unknown to them had been killed by his own patron. Georgios was in the third vehicle from the front along with his Captain.

"It seems awfully quiet for a capital undergoing a coup, sir. Something is off."

"I agree.But I can not tell what."

Suddenly the first vehicle of the convoy was lifted to the air as its front hit a landmine causing the convoy to stop. Fire started raining on the convoy from all sides while the soldiers who were armed with rocket launchers destroyed vechiles at the back and middle of the convoy to keep it isndie the city and break it into smaller parts. The captain was hit by a sniper's shot to the neck while Georgios started running for his life, desperately trying to find cover. The buildings in the residential areas, right outside the city center of the capital were very tall but they had a small gap between the sidewalk and their ground level floor, so that the basement appartments' residents could come outside and get fresh air in the summer without a balcony. In the clogged city centre this would not be the case, especially for so large buildigns but here it was. Georgios jumped into one of them and tried to hide as well as possible while around him all hell was breaking loose.

Within a quarter of an hour most Gendarmes were dead and those who were alive came out with their hands up or whatever white cloth they could find raised. There were few of them left in pockets here and there. Georgios was found by the General's soldiers who were moving forward. As he was taken to the center of the street like the others he saw the destroyed vehicles burning or burned, the bodies of countless friends or brothers i narms littering the ground. Among them was that of the captain and the men of his platoon. He and the others were lined up in the center. Soldiers took position behind them and aimed their guns.

«Πύρ!»
"Fire!"

The sound of synchronised gunshots rocked the air and drove the birds that had settled after the pandemonium was done to flee. The bodies of the Gendarmes started to be collected and moved.

 

[Rheinbund]

Trier, Eiffelland

“So that is the situation, gentlemen,” Staatshauptdirektor des Staattschutzes Karl-Heinz Farnbach said. He had just explained the situation in Caria to the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, Minister for Defence Ralf Clausewitz and the Generals. The Staatsschutz didn’t know what exactly happened in the office of General Pelasgiatos, but they did know about the gendarmes having been shot in Nauplio. And they also had heard some rumours that General Papanikolaou wasn’t completely clean, either. Whether those rumours were true wasn’t clear, but the Staatsschutz “could not rule out the possibility that the reactionary faction in Kruševa has a second liaison in Caria”.

“How certain are you, Herr Farnbach?” the Chancellor asked.
“Not very certain, Herr Kanzler. But the fact that the Kruševans tried to meddle in Caria to install a regime friendly to the reactionary faction in the Slavic Church means that I can’t rule out any ambitions of reactionary forces in Caria,” Farnbach said. “Maybe Papanikolaou, maybe Glaucon, maybe both, maybe even both together. The Despot’s regime might be replaced with a worse kind of dictatorship than the Carians previously had.”
“In any case, Glaucon knows how to handle a crowd,” Vice-Chancellor Kögler said.
And if we have the possibility to steer the events in Caria, we have to use that possibility to get a stable democratic system there,” Chancellor Von Seydewitz said. “And we may have such a possibility, given what you told, Herr Farnbach. Actually, we might have two possibilities. Crown‑Prince Erichthonius still has some followers. He wants to turn Caria into a constitutional monarchy like Eiffelland. His ideas are good, and fit in with our own ideas. However, there might be two problems. One. Will he be considered Erichthonius Alkimon, or will he be considered the son of the late Despot? Two. The Carians just dethroned a monarch who at least did not prevent that Caria was turned into a brutal police state. We may be able to let the Carians adopt the Eiffellandian system, but chances are higher that they like it with a president at the top than with a monarch at the top. But it would also be possible that the Crown-Prince’s ancestry is not a factor at all, or even a positive factor. So I don’t know yet if we have to push him forward as the leader of a new political current, or if we have to help him create that new political current and let him stay behind the screens. In any case, he has a small number of followers at the moment.”
“Then how smart would it be to support him?” General Karlheinz Modersohn asked. “I understood from Herrn Farnbach that Zorbas’s organisation is far larger and still alive and kicking. He has enough momentum to defeat the reactionary forces in Caria, even if theyr are supported by the Kruševans.”
“But that organisation is socialist,” Kögler said. He and the Minister for Defence were members of the rightwing liberal party FDV, which favoured many social freedoms and a capitalist system. Especially Kögler was allergic to people calling themselves socialists or communists. Capitalism was more important to this party than social freedoms, by the way: Eiffelland’s Christiandemocratic party categorically refused to cooperate with the far right party Volksunion, while the FDV was less principal in that.
“Well, you can hardly call them sociodemocratic, let alone socialist. At best, you could call them centre-left. They are less socialist than our own SPE,” Farnbach said.
“And that is the reason why we cannot rule them out completely,” Von Seydewitz said. “They are not that far away from our preferences regarding how to rule a state. And like General Modersohn pointed out, they are currently larger than the faction behind the Crown-Prince. And I think that the adoptive son of Nicolaos Zorbas, Cleisthenes Zorbas, will continue the organisation. And he is capable of doing so.”
“So you want to propose to support Cleisthenes Zorbas instead of the Crown-Prince?” Vice Chancellor Kögler asked. “How are you going to tell that to the King?”
“Who says that I don’t want to support the Crown-Prince? I want to support them both,” Chancellor Von Seydewitz said. “General Modersohn correctly pointed out that Cleisthenes Zorbas has the momentum to defeat the reactionary forces. It might be a different story though if the Crown-Prince joins the reactionary forces. We have to prevent that from happening. We may have to facilitate talkings between Cleisthenes Zorbas and the Crown-Prince. Also their ideas are not that far away from each other, so it should be possible for them to come to an agreement, although we may have to find a new job for the Crown-Prince.”
“I think we have enough power to enforce a win for the Crown-Prince,” one of the other generals said.
“That is a risky strategy. If we loose, we will not only loose a very tense situation, or maybe even a war, but also the hearts of the Carians. We will become The Enemy who meddled again in the interests of its former colony,” Von Seydewitz said. “Then it is better to win the hearts of the Carians in a different way. I don’t rule out a military intervention, but then we have to be received as friends helping the Carians out against a foe, not as occupiers pushing the will of their government through.”
“So we will support them both,” the Minister for Defence said.
“Yes. For now. First we will send a radio station to the Crown Prince on Elios Island so that he can send his message of centrism all over Caria, and spread transistor radios all over Caria to hand out to the young people,” the Chancellor said.
“Don’t forget batteries,” Farnbach said.
“Indeed, you’re right, Herr Farnbach,” the Chancellor said. “We will spread batteries as well. We will also support the Crown Prince with other things. On top of that, we will start talkings with Cleisthenes Zorbas. I also want our carrier fleet to be prepared so that it can sail out immediately when needed, to be positioned west to southwest of Elios Island in case the going gets tough. Also in case the going gets tough, I want to be able to intervene. Meine Herren Generäle und Admiräle, prepare yourselves for the case that we have to intervene. Maybe we don’t need to intervene, but better safe than sorry.”

 

[Pelasgia]

Elios Island
Ericthonius looked out the window of his office in the Despotic Residence at Panormus. The old building once belonged to some now long bankrupt merchant family and it had been given to the state to turn into a museum ages ago. That had not been done for ages so now it served as the temporary 'Despotic Residence'. Withthe servant having barely cleaned the dusty old building Ericthonius was angered at the mere thought of General Papanikolaou seating in the once Grand Despotic Megaro in Nauplio, like the usurper he was. Of course the death of the traitor and foreign puppet Pelasgiotis gave him some joy but he could not leave Caria in the hands of the idiots of the assembly and the power hungry fossils in the army. The Zorbae had so far not even been able to catch a dozen assasins, let alone rule Caria. He needed to take over. And the rest of the family knew that too. THe power gap in Caria was too big for any of the newly emerged forces to fill.

When the family gathered to dine once more he decided to put the idea on the table. He put down his fork, used a table towel to clean his face and spoke.
"I heard Pelasgiotis was killed. And Papanikolaou now runs Central Caria."

"And the Zorbas mule was chosen by half the country as chief of that confederacy they formed in Amarysia." said Theodora, the youngest daughter of the family.

"The Assembly is not going to last for long. They are surrounded by enemies on both sides and their words are powerless now. They only are alive because the Antikyran Archon tolerates their presence in Antikyra... for now. Men like Ioustinianos do not keep expensive and dangerous visitors for long." added the family's Mother.

"That leaves out a few city states though... What do you think of Elios, Navarino and Naupactus?" asked Ericthonius.

"We all know what they want. Stability and somebody who will let them trade in peace. If your blessed father had kept his nose out of their trade they would have given him all the armies, support and mercenaries in the world. As if annoying them at every step was not enough he owed them all the money he used for his palaces. The Naupactites always have their due, even by monarchs." replied his Mother.

"Perhaps we could fill the gap there. If we and these three cities could come to an understanding..."

"I think we already have one." said his mother handing him three letters bearing the seals of the City States. "Republics that are beyond their control are too unstable for trade. You however are just the man they need... The problem is, how do we get out of here?"

Theodora and Lambros grinned.

"The people love us here, mother. We have made their life immensely better. They could surely spare a ship. After all we are Sovereigns of Panormus as long as we are exiled here. And we have those two hundred loyal guards the court allowed us. It would be more than easy to get over to Naupactus for a coronation." said Theodora.

"A coronation? That would be far too obvious-

"We want it to be obvious. We want to come back into the game hard. We have the regalia with us after all."

The next day the Despotic family was ready. A merchant from the city had allowed the family on a ship he owned and the people of the town cheered as the ship departed for Naupactus. Ericthonius had the radio the Eiffellanders had given him with him. He would use it to transmit what would become one of the most important moments in Carian history.

Elena Island
After weeks of preparation the Amarysian League's Forces landed on Elena Island. With 12,000 men and women and having blockaded the port town where the reactionist assasins where hiding they could easily deal with the 3,000 strong force of poorly equipped and ill trained militiamen the assasins were fielding. Swipping the island from north to south they reached its southern tip. There the militia had formed a defensive line by digging trenches. The port town was built on a rocky coast on the island's mountainous area so it would be hard to capture the city. The Amarysian League placed its forces on a large line of trenches north of the militia's trench.

Both sides had aritllery however the militia had very few guns while the Amarysian League had full organzied units. The League begun a bombardment of the reactionists' positions that would last overnight to the morning. Then the League's forces, led by the Sounians and Nikaians, would advance with artillery barages covering them every few minutes while the Elenan Marines would move into the port catch the reactionsts in a hammer and anvil position hitting them from both sides. The Elenans were known around Caria, and even the Long Sea, for being excellent sailors and marines. They also used to be pirates and while the Revolution had been a perfect chance for them to do so again, the Elenan navy had ensured trade in the Long Sea would not be inhibited. Elena Island housed many merchants who certainly did not like the idea of piracy. There were also pirate merchants, rich merchants who secretely funded some pirates working for them. These had been decreasing constantly since the late 19th century, becoming practically non existent nowadays. Their descendants however where more than glad to use their skills against the murderers of Nikolaos Zobas.

Antikyra
The Antikyran Archon was in his chambers in the Megaro of Antikyra. He was signing documents like every day and working tirelessly. Unlike the other Archons who used their status as an excuse to eat like pigs the Ioustinianos concerned himself with his people's wellbeing and the trade interests of Antikyra. He protected a strong economy and made sure the lower classes lived well, isntead of giving into the wealthy businessmen, under a strong leadership, a benevolent despotism of sorts. In many ways he was the right man for the job, the Archon that all other City States wished they had under the Despotate.

When informed of the arrival of Ericthonius to Naupactus he called a meeting of the Antikyran government in the Council Room. There he sat at a table with his ministers and advisors ready to discuss the best course of action.

"You all know why I gathered you here. You have all heard the whispers and the rumors. They are probably even in the port, every petty little corner of Antikyra and soon enough every port of Caria will have heard the news. Crown Prince Ericthonius Alkimon is in Naupactus."

The councilors looked at the Archon with faces giving out their concern. As the Archon spoke the door of the room opened and a representative of the Executive Assembly walked in.

"I do not remember asking for the Assembly to attend a meeting of the Crown of Antikyra." the Archon commented.

"The Assembly was thinking that because of some very improtant rumors we should know where Your Grace and Your Grace's government stand."

"Your Assembly shall only know what the Crown allows it to know, when it allows it to and if it allows it to. You have wasted enough money by keeping your Assembly of mules in my Megaro but do not mistake my hospitality for weakness or stupidity. Get out of this room or you will be dragged out of it."

The man tried to walk in but the Guards put their arms through his armpits and moved him out of the room while shutting the doors. The Councillor of Defense commented.

"Very out of character for those politicians to bust into our chambers and demand to know our position."

"It is a move of desperation. They know their time is running out. All of Caria is split into three factions, none of which have any time for their bickering. Except for us of course." replied the Archon.

"Well it seems the Assembly does not even pretend to be our friends anymore. And there is no way we and the Amarysians could come to an understanding."

"We cannot side with the usurpers of the Army either." noted the Councilor of Intelligence.

"Then we all know what is left. Send a letter to the Crown Prince with my seal. The Greater one. We are bending the knee."

The Representative of Antikyra non-noble wealthy was not particularly pleased.

"Would it not be a better idea to support a Noble Republic, liek the one the Assembly's members propose? Ericthonius does not seem to stand a chance against the Junta in Nauplio."

"I do not intend give this throne up in exchange for a seat in parliament upper house and have plebs filling the lower house. Unless you failed to notice the Crown Prince did not just crown himself, he got the support of the local Archons. Archons who have the money and strength to field large armies and to give him countless mercenaries. And those Archons influence bankers and rich men and women in their city states who have more wealth than Nauplio. Do not take them lightly. With our support too, Ericthonius will control the only southern City States not affected by the Revolution. A very strong support for his cause. And he will reward far more than anybody else."

"The risk is bigger than with anybody else too."

"It is a risk worth taking. Also draft a letter to each of the three strongmen Caria has now. Present them with the offer I have on this paper. I think it is time we did away with the Assembly and gave power to some more... capable people." said the Archon handing his Minister of Diplomacy a sheet of paper.

 

[Pelasgia]

Elena Island
The first rise of the sun on the southern tip of Elena Island was usually calm and quiet. But today the constant hammering of the artillery left hardly any space for calamity. With a cloak of artillery fire masking their advance the Amarysian League's forces started advancing, fighting for every inch. Machine gun crews, snipers and riflemen from the positions of the defenders took many of the attackers down on every advance. The tanks moving toward the city took fire from rocket launchers causing at least half a dozen to be destroyed. With bodies littering the field the line of the attackers finally reached the city's gates, covering behind any bush and hole they could find.

Fire exchanges between the two sides were intense lating for long periods and costing both many men. Suddenly, as the defenders got ready for another barrage of fire, a humming sound started getting stronger. As the defenders looked up and out from the windows of buildings fire from aircraft starting ripping through them. A few bombs were also fired, being more than enough to disrupt the front line of the defenders for the attackers to move in. As the attackers poured into the city the defenders begun fleeing to the second line, in the inner city, while those who oculd not escape were gunend down or bayonetted by the League's men.

In the port a short barrage from a couple of frigates and a corvette was followed by an air raid. This opened the way for the marines who begun landing in the city's port and attacking the unsuspecting guards, whose numbers had been reduced with more men going to the front line. The marines begun a cosntant advance pushing deep into the city centre, where the front line defenders were retreating. The defenders were caught between the land attackers and the marines, taking fire from both sides. The gun battle that between them lasted for no less than four hours and by the time it was done, fewer than four hundred men were left across the city in small packs. The largest one was in the city centre, numbering about seventy.

Those in the centre, including six of the assasins of Zorbas, were lined around a well and shot with their bodies thrown into it. The smaller bands around the city kept fighting but they soon were destroyed by the much larger Amarysian League's forces. With only a couple hundred left, countless of them wounded, they gave up and were taken prisoner.

Xerres
The death of the six assasins on Elena Island and the crushing defeat of their militia lef tthe remaining four assasins and their troops in a critical position. No longer able to stay near any major city, they were forced to flee on the lower area of the northwestern Titanian mountain range, in Artemis' forrests. Chased by large Amarysian League forces they decided to gumble everything on defeating their attackers and trying to gain support from the local City States' population, by claiming the Amarysian League's centre of power in the south was not concerned with their far away interest. Their attempts were mostly fruitless in terms of recruitment. They would need to win a battle first to gain prestige. But with the large Amarysian League force surrounding them and moving closer by the day it seemed harder and harder.

 

[Pelasgia]

Xerres
After discovering that the forces surrounding them were about equal to theirs in numbers to four remaining assasins decided to attempt a surprise attack to break through the Amarysian League's troops and create a corridor to major cities in order to resupply or to at least try to inflcit losses on the League's forces. The battle would be given in the lower parts of the Titanian mountains. It begun on the morning of the 8th of February with initial success and surprise by the assasins. As the day progressed however and the front line stabilized the regulars of the Amarysian League now knew the positions of the militia.

The next day saw attacks on the flanks on increasing heights on the mountains behind the militia's positions until the Amarysian League's outflanking forces were nearly behind the miltia on the front, moving to encircle them on all sides. In the first night and second day the Amarysian League started bombarding the militia's positions with incidiary bombs, inflicting severe losses and destroying the natural cover of the militia, step by step.

By the third day the miltia was down by almost a thrid of its troops, with no way out. In the morning they decided on one last attack. However as their attacke was allowed to advance on purpose on the northern front down the mountains, on the flanks toward the south and the higher altutudes the Amarysian League's troops started moving forward and caught the militia between their lines. The miltia took fire from all sides, losing many troops and the League forces on the south stopped faking defeat and advanced on the militia too. In an exchange of fire one of the assasins died and one was wounded severly, dying of his wounds later. By nightfall almost all the militia had surrendered. The two remaining assasins took their own lives to avoid dishonour in capture and the last militia disbanded. The conspiracy of the twelve Vouleftes was now over.

 

[Pelasgia]

Nauplio
General Papanikolaou was quietly sleeping his bed with his wife, during a quiet Naupliot night, when the phone rung. Papanikolaou pushed himself to the edge of the bed and then up to his office to get the ringing nuisance in time. Picking it up he yawned before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"General. The Asfalia's chief just told me the news. The assasins are really dead, the Sounians were not lying."

"Sofoklis. Get me Sofoklis. Call them all to the Megaro in an hour. We need to have an emergency meeting now."

Within an hour all were in the General's Triarchic Office gathered. Behind the General's office there were two large maps of Cyclopeia.

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The General sat in his chair while the tactical analysts explained the current status of Cyclopeia to the other Junta members. Colonel Sofoklis Ioannidis pointed at the map of the faction on the eastern border of the Junta with the Amarysian League.

"As you can see here the border of the Amarysians with us in the east is small. While mountainous and easily held, it could be easily taken out by an outflanking manuveur. Right now the only forces the Amarysians have on the borders are volunteers. The Sounians have their main forces on Elena Island and the northerners have theirs in Xerres to hunt the assasins. A quick assault could get us on the gates of Sounio in half a month, even less."

General Papanikolaou continued.

"The northern border is covered by our large force in Pyrgos and the Titanian mountains themselves. There is no way the Oenotrians will allow a League force through to attack us. The crown would never cooperate with the socialists."

The councilor of diplomacy interrupted the two men.

"How will we outflank the Amarysians in the first place? The only way would be to go through Antikyran territory. And if we do that the Duchy will surely attack us or at least let the League through."

"They know the do not have the men to fight us, our ships could reach Naupactus in a day. And it will be too late by the time the League can move an adequate force south." replied Papanikolaou.

"Why are we even discussing civil war all of a sudden?"the councillor of said economics.

"Kruseva is communist now. And with the prestige the Amarysian League acquired after single-handedly defeating the conspirators we had funded... this means that every single one of the communist staes in the area will give them support. And there are quite a few. How long before the Oenotrians find out we killed the Despot and we have to fight a two front war?" said Sofoklis.

"We need to act now." said the General.

Nauplio-Amarysia border
As the day dawned Apostolos looked from his gaurd tower on the mountainous border of Amarysia and Nauplio. An Amarysian Border Guard of the 18th Division of the Organization for the Protection of the Popular Struggle, a fancy name for a volunteer Gendarmerie, he was one of the men tasked with guarding a passage of Petropyle. A tight rocky road, flanked by unforgiving mountains and the rocky coast that few ships could get close too. In thousands of years many had tried to cross it... and they had always failed, drowning in pools of blood. A proud task in theory but a cold and tiring chore in practice. Not that he had any say in the matter.

The lone metal tower stood in the middle of rocky hills and mountains, with the sea to the north. In the cold weather of the morning in the area it had little protection and Apostolos had to wear a coat at all times. Hardly what he had imagined when he signed up in the warm Amarysian lands, filled with forests, fields and vineyards and even warmer people. His memories of home and his morning warm cup of coffee were interrupted by the sound of a plane in the distance which got increasingly louder. It was followed by the sounds of more planes. Apostolos jumped in his tower and woke up Kostantinos, the other guard who was in the tower. Konstantinos woke up to see Apostolos pointing at a silouette in the horizon and he moved to his telegraph to message the command.

OZFQ HOWJ XYJA VULD KMAN NLAN RQFR OCMP HLHJ KNEB WIGZ LUHM KFAC XEXO WPYF ZYNG IQXC MCY
"possibly hostile planes of unknown origin sighted - requesting orders"

​

As the planes closed in the command struggled to find a reply. With the planes now clearly visible Apostolos shouted at Konstantinos.

"What are they telling you?!"

"Nothing yet! Wait! I have a reply!"

FDWI DMWU LEER NCYW TCFC UFOY ZWJQ PCCU ZSQJ DPRD WGMZ ARDT XOWP LISU GQNE UGYL NAUR LOAJ AHPX RMPG SUWQ YMMF RLJO
​

"Attack coming- from- Nauplio. Retreat immediately- enemy force- overwhelming. Reinforcments- will- arrive but- not in- time."

"They are abandoning us!"

The lead plane started firing on the tower with its machine guns and Konstantinos grabbed Apostolos jumping of the tower with him. Behind them the tower started crushing, having been cut in two by a bomb the plane dropped. War had come back to Cyclopeia.

 

[Josepania]

Revolutionary Palace, Nowogród, Wendziema
13 / 2 / 1954, 0909 Hours​

An emergency meeting of the Assembly of Overseers of the Revolution had been called by Nadzorca Zgromadzenia Franciszek Komorowski in response to the rapid development of the situation in the Cyclopeian Triarchy, moreso the developments coming from their Kruševan neighbors. When Nadzorca Spraw Międzynarodowych Boleslaw Zalenski had made his official communique in response to aggression from the Nauplio-Pyrgiot Junta, although the language had been cautious the intention was a build-up to intervention in Cyclopeia to assist the brothers and sisters of the revolution. Such a build-up could only happen through the efforts of Nadzorca Kongresu Krzysztof Kowaleski in whipping up a revolutionary frenzy in the Kongres Ludowy, the official power in the Rzeczpospolita Ludowa. For although an unofficial precedent was being set in Nadzorcy Komorowski and Kowaleski being the true holders, or at least harnessers, of power in Wendziema, the two men were still idealists and still pursued legitimacy through their actions. The two Nadzorcy were nonetheless already committed to Wendowie intervention in the internal struggles of the Cyclopeian people, and would convince the Wendowie to follow them into glorious battle, though it would take some time. After all, it was still less than a year since the short but destructive civil war that threw the Mezhists out of power, and the Wendowie remembered the death that had touched every life, and very nearly claimed Komorowski's during the Siege of Christiansborg.

The news of the Kruševans beating them to the punch came as a surprise to the Assembly, as was the news that Ioannu Andric, a Hero of the Revolution in Wendziema, would be leading the expeditionary force of the four brigades deploying to Cyclopeia that took part in the Wendowie revolution against the Dansk Imperium. In a way, the Kruševans were envied by the two Nadzorcy who felt restricted, not only by their own rules, but by the circumstances of the Wendowie geopolitical situation: Eiffelland. The friendly kingdom to the south of the Rzeczpospolita Ludowa was not communist, and although it disliked war, it was also unlikely the Eiffellanders would be receptive to the idea of being completely surrounded by leftist states, no matter how officially friendly they were. Losing the good graces of the Eiffellander Kingdom was an unenviable scenario for the Wendowie, who owed a portion of their success to Eiffellander intervention, and the humanitarian and economic aid provided by the Eiffellanders was also an undeniable factor in Wendowie hesitation to jump into foreign intervention.

Therefore, despite the boldness of the Kruševans and the loss of prestige in letting them be the vanguard of potential success in Cyclopeian leftist victory, the Assembly remained committed to a gradual, rather than rapid, build-up to intervention in Cyclopeia, in order to be able to argue democratic and moderate legitimacy at home in their revolutionary actions abroad, and keep in the good graces of the Kingdom of Eiffelland. It would be easier on the still fragile economy at any rate, as Nadzorca Skarbu Wladyslaw Belka was more than happy to point out, as well as the mobilization of the military. Nonetheless, it was also determined that the Amarysian League had to be informed, through more secret diplomatic channels, that the Rzeczpospolita Ludowa was not going to abandon them to the Junta. Nadzorca Zalenski was quick to draft such a message that would be wired to the Cyclopeian leftists.

***

Biuro Nadzorcy Spraw Międzynarodowych
Pałac Rewolucyjna - Nowogród, Wendziema

Rzeczpospolita Ludowa Wendziema W Najwyższej Godności • In the highest dignity

Sciśle tajny (Top Secret)

Sekret (Secret)

Poufny (Confidential)

Ograniczony (Restricted)

z 1954

Oznaczenia są w kolorze czerwonym. Dokumenty nieoznaczone są niesklasyfikowana. • Markings are in red. Unmarked documents are unclassified.

• • • • •​

Comrades of the Amarysian League,

Let it be known that the Rzeczpospolita Ludowa Wendziema will stand with you in your struggle against the forces of the Junta. Even now, our people learn of the cowardly attack and are outraged by the audacity of it, and the process has begun towards action replacing mere words. We will not, however, unilaterally intervene without your expressed permission, and the will of the Wendowie permitting. We are also committed, should permission be given by the people of Cyclopeia and Wendziema, to cooperate fully with your military operations in order to secure total victory and bring peace, prosperity and partnership to your lands. For we are not and never will be conquerers, but rather liberators.

We eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,
Boleslaw Zalenski
Overseer of International Affairs

Spokój. Dobrobyt. Współpraca.

• • • • •

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[Saaremaa]

Palace of the People, Petru Stojanović Boulevard, Veles, Kruševa
13th of February 1955

The office of Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Premier Aleksandar Dušan Marković was full of officers and state secretaries going up and down the halls of the Palace of the People in a very tumultuous swarming that started after the communique regarding the new war in Cyclopeia was sent by Alen Lucijan Kasun. Many people condemned the premier for him rushing and saying that he prepared three brigades to intervene in Cyclopeia. But the message was too clear and too simply put in front of everyone, literally explaining the Kruševan plan for Cyclopeia, to be simply an error, or the stupidity of the writer of the message. It was actually a sign for the fascists from the Junta.

The Triarchy of Cyclopeia was brought together to fight against the conspirers that dastardly assassinated the icon of Cyclopeian socialism, Nikolaos Zorbas. It seemed that mostly only the socialists fought against them and right now when they managed to defeat the militias loyal to the reactionaries; they are again stabbed in the back. As Premier Marković put it in the moment he heard about the attack: “Kruševa was lucky. We were only once allied and then betrayed by the fascists. The Cyclopeians aren’t that fortunate. Nikolaos Zorbas was killed by fascists whom he thought that they were his allies and now Cleisthenes Zorbas is again attacked by fascists who were supposed to support him,” it was clear that the Kruševans were annoyed by the fact that now in Cyclopeia, they were living exactly the same thing that happened in Kruševa in 1917 and also there were clear parallels between the assassination of Nikolaos Zorbas and the Kruševan communist leader Petru Stojanović. It was clear that for the Kruševans, this those events has a very powerful emotional impact and knowing how it felt then, many of them were clear and ready to volunteer into the People’s Brigades to go to Cyclopeia to help them defeat those fascists.

Marković knew that the Popular Front will support his intervention, because it was dominated by the Revolutionary Communist League. The other two parties, the Social Liberal Union and the National Liberal Party were involved in the first civil war on the side of the monarchists, such a thing made the Kruševans skeptical towards them. Now, with the fascists from the National Integralist Union out from the political scene, it was clear that in the near future, the Communists will dominate the policies of the country and will dominate without any problem the Popular Front, with the majority support from the population. He knew that the party and the people will stand by this intervention.

Secondly, the way the communique was formulated, it was made clear that the intervention is not a thing that needed any sort of acceptance or not. It will happen. In the worst case, if Sounio would not approve, the Popular Front will completely take off its hand from the Cyclopeian socialists and brand them reactionaries and enemies of the revolution. If they were to accept, which Marković was sure that they will, the Popular Front will not be so puritan like its Fennian counterpart and will not brand them revisionists because of the prominence of the Prometheist ideology. He always believed that a smaller party from a smaller country, compared to Fennia, had to be more open to adaption and to compromise, in other words, it had to end its ideological and revolutionary idealism and become more pragmatic and dominated by realpolitik, not by idealism. As for Eiffelland, he hoped he can work closely with them without any problems, as he saw them as potential friends. But if needed, especially if they would condemn the intervention, he wouldn’t have a problem to remind them that they are surrounded by Socialist countries, which can either be their friends, but also their enemies… He was in general supportive of friendly relationships with other countries but he wouldn’t accept to become a puppet of them just for the sake of good relations.

As for the message in the communique, it was mostly for the Junta. It was there to show them that they cannot simply start a war of aggression, especially against socialist elements and not suffer the consequences. The war in Cyclopeia was started by the fascist surprise attack. It was not a legal move, as it broke the laws that created the Triarchy. Kruševa was ready to defend the socialists in Cyclopeia and for that, if needed it would not only send its volunteers to Sounio, but it needed it would openly declared war to the Naupliot-Pyrgot Junta and send its fleet to blockade them.