The Three Warlords

[Kadikistani Union]

Ivar Central Command
28th of January, 04:17

Even though it was extremely early in the morning the Kadikistani Central Command in Ivar had assembled in their great halls so that the Directorate of Intelligence could give them the news about General Marko Leninov. The latter had been killed by Kern insurgents in the High North during an ambush only a few hours earlier. The news brought nothing short of a shock-wave through the room where all of Kadikistan's top clans were present safe for the members of the Tsjekova family. Leaving the main rivals of the Leninov Clan out of this seemed most opportune at this time according to the Leninov dominated Directorate for Intelligence. The initial shock and following silence was broken by none other than the Glorious Leader himself who slammed his fists into the solid oaken table, enraged that the enemy had dared kill one of his kin. "Damn that Kern filth!", was his initial phrasing before uttering a long line of both personal and political insults towards the Kern and the Cumbrians for several minutes, "Why was my nephew so lightly guarded?!", Nikolai said while trying to get a grip on himself. A member of the Directorate replied with his head down, fearing that reveilling more or noth enough information could not only mean the end of his carreer, but also his life. "Comrade Marshall, our reports indicate that the Kern used a combination of tribal techniques and modern guerilla strategy and tactics which would have proven very effective against even a bigger security detail. General Marko Leninov surrounded himself with men he had known for years and entrusted them with his personal security, refusing our countless recommendations for the utilization of JSO units rather than his veterans. The latter having much experience in dealing with the dangers that exist along the Jurzani border, but not in the High North and certainly not with the Kern nor the Cumbrians.", the Intelligence Officer informed boldly not leaving out his criticism for Marko's choices.

Nikolai took some time to think matters over, the rest of the room remaining quiet with both hands on the table. This time Nikolai spoke calmly, "Who assumed control over the 18th?", he said shedding his emotional connection to his favourite nephew and returning to business. "According to our information Brigadeer General Slobodan Ratkovic assumed command, as is protocol Glorious Leader.", the Intelligence Officer stated before Leninov frowned lightly and continued, "What about Alexei Miraslevijc? I believe he is the most senior commander after Marko?". The Intelligence Officer informed Nikolai that Brig. Gen. Miraslevijc had been shot two days ago by a Cumbrian sniper known as the 'White Death'. Nikolai had been informed about this, but given the frequency of sniper related deaths of his officers in Cumbria this information had slipped his mind. The cold reminder of his thinning officer corps abroad, with his own nephew being the enemy's greatest victory yet, turned the Glorious Leader silent for a moment.

Having just lighted his cigarette General Bramski Burukova, First Secretary of the International and Patriarch of the Burukova Revolutionary Clan, took his chance to see his own line benefit from the loss of a Leninov. "What about Brigadier General Zlatan Burukova? He served your nephew for many years and achieved great things in Jurza...", Burukova said before rudely being interrupted by Nikolai who ignored him completely. "How did his forces respond to the news? Given their history I hope they did more than just mourn their beloved commander?", Nikolai asked looking at the Intelligence Officer, "Reports are still fresh, but apparently Colonel Sergei Moravscik, acting on his own accord, organised some units and initiated a penal expedition into known Kern hideouts. I do feel obliged to warn the Comrade Marshall that while Moravscik's actions might seem brave, he did it on his own behalf without approval by anyone higher in the chain of command. We do asses that while he is a useful tool in this dirty war, he must also be kept on a tight leash...", once again Nikolai interrupted and spoke out in defence of Moravscik, a man to which the Leninov Clan owes a great deal. "On the contrary! We need more men like Moravscik! He is effective and systematic while earning the loyalty of his men. Comrades, drastic times call for drastic decisions. I will promote Moravscik to the rank of General and give him command of the 18th Mechanized. Give him everything he needs to crush the Kern. If he wants more tanks, airplanes, fucking submarines for all I care. Give it to him.". Other members of the nomenclature complained and protested for a while, especially the patriarchs of the Obrjanov and Burukova Clans who saw their own ambitions foiled, but in the end nobody would vote against their Glorious Leader.

"One final point for now. The enemy knew exactly when and where to strike. The RIA's ranks are soaked with infiltrators and deserters. I want to prepare for a large scale systematic purge of the RIA with all those suspected of sympathy towards the rebels detained. You will organise this covertly and make sure the purge ensures the loyalty of all ranks, from the lowest to the highest.", Nikolai said while writing the orders down for the Intelligence Officer to take with him, "Do not inform Becker yet. We can trust him, but not all those around him. We will inform him in a week. By that time the preparations for the purge must near completion.", the Glorious Leader ordered while finishing his writing and putting the latter in a closed envelope. The Intelligence Officer walked away from the room after saluting his superiors, relieved that the ordeal was over. Little did he know that his 'Glorious Leader' had included a small note on the bottom of the latter ordering whomever receives this letter to detain the officer until 'further notice'. It was almost certain that 'notice' would never come. Nikolai gave that officer one more thought while being driven home later that day and smirked, "Cheeky runt.".

Naoned Joint Kadiko-Cumbrian Command
9th of February, 12:00

The White Army had hit the Naoned regime right in its heart as it launched offensives on Roazhon and Dol while certain neighbourhoods in the capital itself had experienced bloody Wala-dominated uprisings. General Danilov Tunski was forced to remove two regiments, the 'Stars' and the 'Iron Miners', from the Becker line in order to counter the two new White enclaves in the South. The positions on the Becker Line were replenished by the DKKP-dominated International Brigades and Serenierrese Volunteers. Kadikistani-RIA concentration in the North had left the South defended only by General Ilcarthon Senlan's 2nd Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army. The latter was plagued by low morale and spread thinly over the southern half of the country. Therefore it was unable to counter the White incursion before the Kadikistani reinforcements arrived several days ago to lift the sieges with massive air and artillery support. Nevertheless the White Army had gained a foothold in both Roazhon and Dol and was still fending off countless counter attacks in the industrial area south of Dol and the south-western half of Roazhon while the 1st Mountaineer Division of General Gwalather mab Torwannick was steadily losing control over the mountains between the two cities.

The situation wasn't improved by the fact that a large purge had been set in motion. Thousands of RIA soldiers and officers where pulled from their positions and placed under arrest. When the ones under investigation resisted arrest, lethal force was often used. The detainees would be judged in hastily set up 'People's Tribunals', which more often then not issued the hardest possible verdict. The purge would cripple the RIA by removing roughly 10,000 soldiers and officers from their ranks over night. Officer positions were mostly filled by Kadikistani's, a few dozen Calidian officers and even a handful of Milesians who couldn't resist the call-to-arms after the cease-fire in Ivernia. But some volunteers weren't the only ones coming from Milesia. The battle-hardened veterans of the 1st Kadikistani Expeditionary Infantry Division under General Sepakov Berbadjov had endured more than a year in Milesia, but now with the cease-fire the men longed to warm their bones with some combat. The decreasing importance of Milesia, the enormous amount of resources it took to maintain the beachhead, the fact that Kadikistan had already sucked it dry from anything other than soldiers and the increasing importance of the war in Cumbria had changed Berbadjov's orders from holding Milesia to attacking the White Army in Milesia in the rear while the latter launched an offensive into Dumnonia.

With the south in turmoil and the enclave turned into a peninsula connected to Naoned by the Kadikistani 6th Guard Tank'ers the offensives in the north were halted safe for Moravscik's private campaign against the Kern tribes. Pacifying the south had become the main priority, without controlling the south the regime could not hope retake the north.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Rurikgrad Naval Facillity
17th of February, 14:18

"They sank the 'Sbrevika"? How the fuck did they even manage to pass the blockade? Why does the Northern Fleet even have so many destroyers if they can't stop.. What was it? Five!?, Admiral of the Fleet Yurgi Vukovic inquired agitated at his commander sitting around the round wooden table in the socialist realist-styled Naval Palace of Rurikgrad. Sitting there with him where all the major naval officers, including recently appointed Admiral Jeskov Marjutsk who replaced the discredited Danilov Tunski after his

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and was known for having the ambition of replacing Vukovic as Admiral of the Fleet next. Vukovic had managed to maintain in the favour of the four major Revolutionary Clans and was considered as a neutral figure in his position. The fact that a non-aligned Kadikistani had managed to grow so high in the ranks was based on his many merits as a naval commander, but also because there was a consensus made several years ago that to maintain the delicate political balance of power in Kadikistan no single Clan should be able to claim hegemony over the Kadikistani waters.

"Affirmative, Comrade Admiral.", a reluctant Dimitri Soldatovic, Vice-Admiral of the Northern Revolutionary Fleet, replied before nervously taking a sip of his drink and continuing. "Our defensive net intercepted two of them before the attack commenced, destroying one while another managed to escape. Three others were destroyed during and immediately after the attack on the Sbrevika. By the time we were able to organize a proper response the mighty vessel received several critical impacts.", Admiral of the Fleet calmed himself down by pouring himself a shot of vodka which he quickly downed before filling another one and giving the bottle to one of his aides. In the few seconds it took Vukovic to finish his drink Admiral Marjutsk saw his chance; "Vukovic.", he said firmly, arrogantly shedding the formalities which he was able to do because he was under the protection of the Tsjekova Clan. "If it will aid the war effort I am willing to replace Radordevic as Admiral of the Northern Fleet. I can send the request to Central Command immediately.", Marjutsk said not hiding his ambitions. But Vukovic was not about to give Ivan Tsjekova's protégé the opportunity to grow in the ranks even further. Not directly answering Marjutsk, Vukovic enquired, "What about Admiral Radordevic? Was he at his station on the bridge of the Sbrevika at the time of the attack?". Soldatovic was once again addressed, much to his own disliking, "We was at his station Comrade. But Admiral Radordevic and a significant amount of his crew successfully abandoned ship only to be rescued moments later by a nearby frigate. I do wish to stress that at least four of the five attacking submarines have been destroyed with a large scale hunt being organized in the White Sea to find and destroy the remaining enemy sub. The latter likely being damaged during the first interception and thus an easy prey." Soldatovic emphasized hoping for a merciful response towards him and his commander Radordevic.

"Yet we still remain with the question in how the Cumbrians managed to successfully operate those Pelasgian units so fast. According to the Directorate of Intelligence these and other naval units were sent no more than two months ago and during this time they managed to launch a failed attack on Rurikgrad and now this? Sure the clumsiness of this attack is a testament to the fact that they have only operated that technology for a short while, but regardless they came within five nautical miles of of our nations most precious port and naval facility while two Kadikistani Fleets were in the area on full alert ever since the Milesian conflict. This is why I hereby order a complete review of the commanders responsible for these failures and a thorough analysis of our defensive capabilities against such attacks. As always I will report to the Glorious Leader personally. I assure all of you that he will not be pleased." The meeting lasted for another few hours before the various naval Big Whigs returned to their respective stations. The situation was discussed with more detail as report kept coming in. Kadikistan has a large, but outdated fleet that the enemy managed to hurt against all odds. It was the latest in an increasingly longer list of failures during the Cumbrian campaign. Even the Glorious Leader himself felt for the first time the bitter taste of defeat, something that laid heavy on his heart both emotionally and physically as he had come to believe the propaganda by his own Party which portrayed him as invincible.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Roz an Arvor
5th of March 1957

Brigadier General Slavic Taderdov, Commander of the 20th 'Steel Workers' Brigade of the Northern-based 18th Mechanized Infantry Division had been in the port town of Roz an Arvor since the 13th of January and his stay in the High North had been nothing short of and icy hell. Winter had been hard and even though it was coming to an end the frost still managed to crack the bones of the Kadikistani soldiers, especially those under Taderdov. The 20th had been holding the ruins of the once thriving port town for nearly two months, supported only by vessels of the Northern Revolutionary Fleet over by the coast who had become proficient in both precise and massive naval bombardment. Those few time Taderdov sent his scouts beyond the range of the naval artillery it resulted in a massacre at the hands of the Kern. The latter know the territory better than even the Cumbrians regardless of the thick packs of snow and ice. The tribal units proved extremely mobile and efficient in waging a guerilla war against the Kadikistani's and managed to keep the pressure up by constantly finding new and creative ways of harassing. On top of that the Kern were smart, prioritizing officers and the few RIA soldiers there to share their knowledge about the territory. The casualty rate was nothing short of catastrophic. Out of the 5,000 men who landed on the shores of Roz an Arvor only 3,214 had survived the first two months including 486 wounded. The relatively low number of wounded compared to the amount of deaths was the result of the Kern's strategy to kill their every victim rather than wounding him.

"With the Southern Hill watchtower overrrun and no reports coming from our sentries in the North we must once again assume that we are reduced back to the town proper and the immediate surroundings. My request for more men was denied as our forces are apparently overstretched.", Taderdov said as he was still overlooking some documents in front of him. He was sitting alongside his staff in a stone basement build under a much older shrine, which they believed would provide them some cover as the Kern feared damaging it further. It was dark and moist with the candles barely being able to light the room due to the humidity. The only thing providing some colour was the red insignia's on the brown uniforms and a slightly torn and muddy Kadikistani flag hanging on the wall in the background. "Comrades, I will request permission from central command to withdraw from this place. We can not do what Moravscik has done further south. His penal expedition against the tribals has managed to burn countless Kern villages, truly making them pay for the murder of our Commander. And while we all know that it would have been my honour to take over command from General Marko Leninov should he fall, I must recognize my better this time. General Moravscik's promotion as General of the 18th Mechanized is not only political, but also because of his many skills that we failed to recognize before. That is why I will also request permission from General Moravscik himself while pledging the allegiance of what remains of our regiment. If the General approves we will join him in his campaign against the Kern or deploy elsewhere at his disposal.", Taderdov continued, clearly tired after nearly two months of minimal sleep and physical exhaustion. Maybe it was his tiredness that made him lack the ambition he once had, but now he could barely muster the power to throw in the towel. He didn't want to start a conflict with Moravcik, a member of the Leninov Clan, because even if he was a direct descendent of Vutar Taderdov his popularity could not compete with that of Moravscik.

Many more of his men would die in Roz an Arvor as the Central Command would take their time in relaying their orders to the isolated regiment. Eventually they were notified that they would be allowed to retreat back to Doveneleg with the first transport ships set to arrive on the 10th of March. Even Central Command realized that to deny Brig. Gen. Taderdov's request would mean the annihilation of his entire regiment within the next two months. Hopes of retaking the High North through Roz an Arvor would be placed on ice for now as the peninsula seemed impossible to control without more divisions to repress the enormously tough Kern minority. Even Moravscik had faced nothing but setbacks the last two weeks after his initial victories immediately after the death of Marko Leninov. With the momentum gone the forces in the North would consolidate their positions, tend to the defences and lick their wounds. Meanwhile in Rurikgrad a division of Kadikistani volunteers war being organized under direct control of the Kadikistani Communist Workers' Party. It was doubtful however that throwing more meat into the grinder would turn the tables of this conflict.

 

[Rheinbund]

Kanzleramt
Trier, Eiffelland

“Going in there? I consider it quite a messy situation there. Whoever wins there, will achieve a Pyrrhus‑victory according to me,” Chancellor Von Seydewitz said. “The only option for me, is sending humanitary aid. And we will make chrystal clear that that humanitary aid comes from Eiffelland. That is the way to make Eiffelland popular, and with that Eiffellandian products.”

The discussion on the table was not Cumbria, but Borovanger.

“I understand where you’re coming from, Matthias,” the minister for Defence Claus von Seydewitz said. He used the Chancellor’s first name; all Ministers in the Cabinet did so among each other, although they used the formal Sie instead of Du to adress each other. “However, I think there is a reason to go in: Gaining combat experience.”

“What do you think will happen when there are suddenly people with Eiffellandian military signs running around there?” the Chancellor asked. “Or when there are planes with Eiffellandian signs. Or even Eiffellandian-made planes without signs. People will know that we are militarily involved. But apart from that, if we go in, we need to make sure that we choose the right side. Not only in the sense of what kind of government we want in Borovanger, but also in the sense of on which side our allies are standing. Then it could be better to deliver weapons to one of the factions, like we did in Cumbria. But first let’s prepare the humanitary aid. I also propose to setup an airlift of sick children to Eiffellandian hospitals. Both from Borovanger and from Cumbria.”

“Are we going to militarily involve ourselves as well?” Clausewitz asked.

“No,” Von Seydewitz said. “Neither in Borovanger, nor in Cumbria. But I don’t have any problems with delivering weapons, planes and ammunition to the right faction in Borovanger, and more planes to the White Army in Cumbria. By the way, talking about Cumbria, maybe we could sell the Emden, Warnemünde and Wetzlar to the White Army? And do we still have some old Panther and Tiger?”

The Emden, Warnemünde and Wetzlar were a cruiser and two destroyers. They were decommissioned in favour of the large aircraft carrier that would be the basis for the Sturmvogel. All three ships were from the beginning of the 1930s, but maybe the Whites could make good use of it.

“We don’t have any spare Panther any more, but next month 50 Tiger will be replaced with 50 Löwen. Where do you want to send them to?” Clausewitz asked.

“Let’s send them to Borovanger,” Von Seydewitz said. “We won’t help the Whites with such heavy tanks. They’ll get stuck in the mud. Please bear in mind that Winter means lots of snow there. If that starts to melt, the water can’t go anywhere, so everything will turn into mud for a month or so. Better send light but fast equipment there. Another patch of Wasserbüffel, for instance. Don’t forget to send some good anti-tank weapons there.”

 

[Pelasgia]

Road to Tref Peniti, Maetia, Cumbria

To the men 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Pelasgian Volunteer Legion’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Cohort, the cold of Cumbria was something beyond what most of them had experienced before. With the notable exception of a few dozen Euxenian ultranationalist volunteers who had come to shoot any Communist they could get their hands on, the vast majority of men had come from the much warmer coastal regions to the north, where the equatorial sun had already started scorching all in its fiery gaze, and where winter consisted of cold and rain, with the rare sight of light snowfall at most.
Other Cohorts, like the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and the 4[SUP]th[/SUP], made up of Pierrheans and Moesians, had more than enough experience with the cold, their pale skin and light characteristics making most of them hardly distinguishable from the innumerable ethnicities that seemed to populate this faraway and strange land. Unfortunately for the men of the 1[SUP]st[/SUP], their white winter uniforms were about the only thing about them that was acclimatised to Maetia, though upon closer inspection of their Pelasgian-made gear, that too faded away.

And yet, these southerners (to the locals that is, for they were northerners, by Pelasgian standards) had found themselves a way to keep their souls and spirits warm and high, even if their bodies were freezing: song. From the rusty old marches that the more “nationally-minded” folk in the Euxenian and Melingian sections preferred, to the cheerful sailor and port songs of the Opsicians and Aethyians, the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Cohort under Ekatontarchos (“Centurion”, the Legion’s term for lieutenant colonel) Ioannes Makropalamas had earned the name “The Nightingales of Makropalamas”, one which they had no problem with.

As the Cohort progressed through the road to Tref Peniti on Eiffellander-made trucks, which they would have to return to the Cumbrians once they were quickly moved to the front line, one of the men from Section Lambda, Iōn Proskynētēs, a man from the port city of Telmessus, in Opsicia, started singing a rembetiko folk song about a journey from Kyrnovas, an area populated mainly by wealthy foreigners in his home city, and Sidon, a busy harbour in Philistaea, where Ion had first found his manhood, so to speak.

Παποράκι τοῦ Κυρνώβα
Ship of Kyrnōvas
καὶ καρότσα τῆς στεριᾶς,
and carriage of the land,
πόσα τάλιρα γυρεύεις
how many fivers do you want
στὴν Σιδώνα νὰ μὲ πᾷς;
to take me to Sidōn?
Πόσα τάλιρα γυρεύεις
How many fivers do you want
στὴν Σιδώνα νὰ μὲ πᾷς,
to take me to Sidōn,
παποράκι του Κυρνώβα
ship of Kyrnōvas
καὶ καρότσα τῆς στεριᾶς;
and carriage of the land?

Κάθε νύχτα στ' ὄνειρό μου σεργιανάω
Every night in my dream I roam
Ἅγιο Πέτρο, Σαϋδιάνι, Μαρμαριᾶ.
Hagios Petros, Saÿdiani, Marmaria.
Καπετάνιο, χρόνια ξέρεις πὼς πονάω
O Captain, you know I have ached for years
μὰ δὲν ἄνοιξες πανιά.
and yet you haven’t spread your sails.

Καπετάνιο Ἁϋδίτη
O Haydian Captain
καροτσέρη φουκαρᾶ,
o your poor carriage driver,
στὴν Σιδώνα ἔχω σπίτι
in Sidōn I have a home
καὶ στὸ Φρούρειο κυρά.
and in the Fortress a mistress.
Στὴν Σιδώνα έχω σπίτι
In Sidōn I have a home
καὶ στὸ Φρούρειο κυρά,
and in the fortress a mistress,
καπετάνιο Ἁϋδίτη
o Haydian Captain
καροτσέρη φουκαρᾶ.
O your poor carriage driver.

As the “nightingales” finished their song, a wave of applause echoed overtook the convoy. Yet, this small lighthouse of joy in a stormy ocean of destruction and loss was to be short lived; less than a minute later, the Pelasgian-made TOA armoured car leading the convoy had its two front left wheels crippled by a mine. As the wheeled goliath slumbered to a stop it leaned on the ground to the left like a sinking ship. Not an instant later, a small projectile, fired by some rocket launcher whose model was entirely alien to the Pelasgian legionnaires, hit the armoured car’s tower right at the point where the currently unloaded main gun connected to the rest of the tower, punching a hole into the gun that rendered it useless. The crew member manning the armoured car’s machine gun lay dead from a piece of shrapnel, and another crew member who tried to climb out to take his place met his end from a hail of fire almost immediately.

The legionnaires were suddenly roused, having never expected an assault within their own lines, though a barrage of fire from the trees on both sides ripped through those who did not duck immediately, leaving a dozen laying on the ground next to the trucks or within the trucks themselves, their blood splattered on top of those next to them. As the first wave of fire, passed, some of the legionnaires fired from behind the cover of the trucks, while others rushed off the trucks and went prone to the ground, with at least half a dozen more of the legionnaires falling to the ground as they moved into position and rushed out from the trucks that seemed to attract fire and grenades like honey bees.

Though those ambushing the legionnaires had the element of surprise and a well-entrenched position, the ambushed men had superior firepower and numbers, which soon begun to bear down on the ambushing force, a situation which was compounded by the fact that the last living crew member of the armoured car had taken advantage of the chaos that ensued, climbing out of the gunner’s hatch and putting suppressing fire on the ambushers from the right flank. Thus, after nearly ten minutes of heated exchange, the right flank had been routed, leaving at least four of its own dead in the process, while the legionnaires focused their counterattack to the left, which had already begun retreating in as orderly a fashion as it could.

As the storm of fire that had overtaken the road died down, Iōn slowly stood up, fixing a bayonet on his rifle. He approached the left flank of the road, with another three men slowly following him. In a small and yet somewhat deep ditch next to the road, the Iōn found the body of one of the attackers; his gear was clearly Kadikistani, save for one small detail: on his left arm was a red star, flanked by two olive branches: the emblem of the Pelasgian International Brigade. A lone voice belonging to some legionnaire disrupted the macabre choir of cries of anguish and calls for medics behind him.

«Βρήκα ἕναν Πελασγό! Τὶ στὸ διάτανο κάνουν ἐδῶ οἱ διεθνεῖς ταξιαρχίες;»
“I found a Pelasgian! What the heck are the International Brigades doing up here?”

Turning the cadaver around with his foot, the young Opsician saw a bearded man with a long knife, the mark of the “Geneiophoroi” (lit. ‘the bearded ones’), the elite troops of the DKKP, trained by the Kadikistanis in guerilla warfare and usually coming from the harsh mountains of regions such as Brennia. Though the convoy was a few kilometers away from the front line, the Reds seemed determined to harass the Whites well beyond the front line, using hit and run tactics; and for the less supported and more isolated units of the international volunteers, like the Legion, that meant a whole lot of trouble.

 

[Saaremaa]

Marzh Palace, Naoned
10th of April, 1957

Roman Becker was sitting in his office together with the members of the "Committee for Social and Political Improvement", whom he appointed a few hours before, who's Chairman is Loic mab Pasco and with General Santo mab Yan, the main strategist behind the defense of the Becker line. The war was closing to it's end by now. Roman could feel it, by reading the reports coming in from Votadinia. He created the committee to reform the constitution to change the face of Cumbrian socialism, so it would be better received by the people and not be seen as a Kadikistani import.

We need something that can reflect on the Cumbrian democratic traditions while keeping it Marxist-Leninovist ideologically, said Becker as he first addressed Loic mab Pasco. Comrade President, I feel that to make it easier to approach the people of Cumbria we should accept their most important request. The decentralization of the state, Loic quickly said.Yes, I thought of that already. This is the thing that made the Prometheists of Lena Reese lose support. She wanted everything to be under the authority of Naoned. This must be done and I have some ideas on how to do it and to link the image of socialism with the democratic traditions of Cumbria. Comrade Loic, in the preamble of the future constitution I want Cumbria to be defined as a Directorial Republic with Council democracy elements functioning under the Vanguard of the Communist Party. I will take the office of Prime Minister and will merge it with the office of General Secretary of the Party. As for the Presidency, it will be taken by a Council of People's Delegates, each coming from one of the historical region, said Becker as he read from the notes taken on a document. This would make our country federal, if not an outright confederacy, comrade president, Loic commented.Yes, the Federal People's Republic of Cumbria. That will be it. This will also make our party the element that keeps the Cumbrian society cemented, Roman said. Acknowledged, comrade president. There is also the image problematic. We still had huge defections from the Army to the fascist side, said Loic frowning.Yes, I want the news coming during peace to avoid at all cost the news of post war trials, with the exception of the leaders of the fascist mutiny. I want the people to see and understand that the peace that will follow our victory will be the one that brings to an end the war communism and will bring democracy. People's Democracy, said Becker. Loic mab Pasco took notes then excused himself and left the room.

Before we start, Comrade President, the Counterespionage Bureau has arrested a woman and two Wala men smuggling weapons in Naoned. The investigation quickly led us to a Wala group loyal to the fascists in Maseru who were trying to organize either terrorist actions in the capital, or even a potential coup d'etat. They managed to arrest 34 Wala, Santo reported. Good. End it quickly with them, said Roman. Roger that, comrade, noted Santo.

As for the north, comrade General? asked Roman. Sir, we are ready to begin the final chapter of the war against the fascists. We are approaching Pennsans. We believe that this would be the final strike. If we manage to take Pennsans the cohesion of the fascist forces will surely break. They are too heterogenous... Prometheists, Fascists, Catholics, Atheists, Republicans, Monarchists and between them all, Corporatists. If they lose the center, they will surely lose all cooperation and try to fight by themselves, a thing which will help us tremendously. As for Pennsans, we will follow your plan, comrade General and will attack in force the neighborhoods of Ker and Roue Andras to attract the bulk of the fascist forces in the city and then we will send the Kadikistani volunteers to attack the hinterlands around the city from the northern and southern flanks to surround them. We will thus be sure that more fascist forces will be caught in the pincer movement and annihilated swiftly, Santo reported. Very well, comrade General. I also want two more operations to be organized. First, under the command of General Taran mab Truolphin, I want the units on the Becker line to advance north and to push the fascists in Ivernia. I want them to be their problem. Plus, the border would be easier to defend from one side, than if there are hostiles both insider and outside. Secondly, under your command, comrade General, I want the Serenierre, communist Pelasgian and Ivernian volunteers, together with the Revolutionary Guards and other forces remaining in Deira to rebuild and prepare the Conan line. I want to be sure that the border between Cumbria and Milesia is impenetrable. We know that there are soldiers from Loago waiting for their order of attack so we must be ready, said Becker. General Santo took some notes, saluted and then left.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Mizergh, 56 kilometres south-west of Sant Marzh
18th of April, 1967

Spring had slowly started to hit the ice cold northern parts of Cumbria which was noticeable even to outsiders because while much of the land remained under a pack of snow, the first greens started showing their natural beauty. The latter regardless of the fact that the land had suffered greatly from almost four months of war. The Cumbrian High North had undoubtedly suffered the hardest, not only because it was seen by the regime and more so the Kadikistani's as being an 'incurable' region political wise, but also since it was the site of war-promoted General Sergei Moravscik's almost private war against the White Army and more specifically the Kern Units. The latter tribal-structured warriors called this region their homes and knew every rock, hill and tree in the region inside and outside. Yet after an initial strategic momentum in the first weeks of the conflict even those hardened tribal units started realizing that they were firmly on the losing side for the past two months, albeit while still inflicting heavy losses on the Kadikistani and BNA forces both in manpower and materially. The Kadikistani forces in the north would not quickly forget their Kern hosts, but today some feared the Kern would only be a shadow of itself once the 18th Mechanized was done with them.

The direct cause of this fear was General Sergei Moravscik, the man who rapidly grew from being a Captain

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to a Major and later a Colonel for his role in the

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and finally a General after the death of his former commander and benefactor Marko Leninov by the hands of a Kern sniper commander named Camulus. While his promotion was largely political and it had taken many Jurzani, Cumbrian and even Kadikistani lives for him to keep climbing for the top, he had managed to turn the tide in the North with his not always sanctioned, brutal tactics that were aimed mostly at destroying the Kern. The latter being those whom Moravscik held responsible for the murder of his commander and friend, General Marko Leninov. Given many liberties by Marshall of the Revolutionary Army Nikolai Leninov, who ordered state media to praise the 'war hero' and donated the full support of the Leninov Clan, Moravscik used methods like torture and random executions in order to gain information from Kern villagers on the whereabouts of their military hideouts. Not only him, but also his men had gained a dubious reputation when it came to dealing with civilian life and restraining themselves from their urges. It would be long before the Kern people would forget or even recover from this dirty war. With the new policy being enforced by Naoned to show a human face to the Cumbrians, even those who sympathize with one of the many White Army causes, the Cumbrian non-combatants were largely left alone while receiving a very clear message on what could happen to them if they refused Becker's final deal.

But even though he had "burned out" hideout after hideout of the Kern insurgents, giving no quarter as the enemy had done to them, Moravscik could not even be remotely satisfied as long as he had not killed the man who shot his master. That man was the main Kern military leader known as Camulus who successfully executed an uncountable amount of guerilla actions aimed almost always against Kadikistani forces. By killing Marko Leninov Camulus had, however, also sealed his own faith as his actions unleashed Marko's ruthless, power-hungry thug Moravscik, who was known to the locals as the 'Kadiki Hyena'. After over two months of searching day and night Moravscik's men had finally received credible intelligence on the whereabouts of Camulus. It appeared that he was hiding in the ruined tribal temple of Mizergh, a small village 56 kilometres south-west of Sant Marzh still roughly halfway covered in both white and black snow. Black from from the ashes that had frozen into the snow coming from the temple and several houses that had been plundered and burned about a week ago by the same men who would visit it again. Those men where the ones belonging to the 741st 'Fallen Sons' Battalion of the 77th 'Marshall' Regiment under Brig. Gen. Slobodan Ratkovic. But in this case Ratkovic had been pushed aside so that Moravscik, who had commanded most of these men directly even before the outbreak of the war, could personally lead and execute this operation.

"He is guarded by only a dozen and a half of warriors, comrade General.", Moravscik's intelligence officer informed him as both men had crawled up a natural lookout point about a kilometres from the centre of Mizergh. Moravscik smiled as he was already thinking of the confrontation with the infamous commander Camulus, whom he saw walking from the temple with two guards at his flank. "Those cunts with their blue painted faces..", he said before pausing a few seconds and letting his own hatred for the Kern sink in even deeper "We need to make sure we get them all. I want none left alive, tell the boys they're allowed to get creative if they capture live ones, but Camulus is mine! I want him alive, so it can be me who avenges our commander.". The orders had been given and the Fallen Sons had surrounded the village once more. In the rear they had managed to set up various mortar stations which would begin a heavy bombardment onto the village, surely destroying the few houses left untouched by the war until now. The three Kern sentries surrounding the village had been stealthily silenced and the enemy seemed tired and unwilling to muster the strength for even a patrol after months of being hunted with no rest. While the ground troops remained fresh and ready, bayonets set on their KA-47 assault rifles, the bombardment began with explosions rocking the town, shredding people limb from limb and throwing large chunks of rubble around like a football. Moravscik insisted that he would personally give the order to commence the ground attack: "FOR MARKO! FOR KADIKISTAN! NOW! ATTACK!" he screamed with the order instantly being passed on as the Kadikistani troops emerged from their hideouts on the edge of the village.

The battle was merciless and the screams would continue several hours even after the fighting would be over. The last man not being captured or killed was none other than Camulus himself. The latter had run out of ammunition half a minute ago as he was holding out from behind a burning wooden cart, just having the brains of his last personal guard splattered all over his face. The latter was now covered in red blood and blue paint, which only seemed to increase his almost inhuman burst of rage. Camulus threw his weapons at the enemy and grabbed the family axe that he always wore on his back before jumping from behind his cover and facing his attackers who screamed Kadikistani slurs at him and ordered him to lie down. Being given the order to leave Camulus alive the Kadikistani soldiers tried avoiding his loud provocations and short range charges while keeping their sights aimed on the berserker. One unlucky soldier tripped over a rock as he was walking backwards and received the full blow of the Camulus family axe. It would be the last victim this family heirloom would make in his hand. Seconds after his last victim's head was split in half Moravscik ordered his forces to stand down, his enemy instantly recognizing him. "I'm going to piss on your corpse, Camulus", he said in broken Cumbrian, learning the words especially for this occasion. Camulus barely waited for his opponent to finish his words before starting a charge towards Moravscik accompanied by a loud warrior scream. How courageous the attack might have been while over fifty weapons were pointed at him, it was quickly stopped as Moravscik pulled out his customized revolver and shot out the kneecaps of the falling Kern giant with two well-aimed shots. As Camulus fell on the ground his anger still overpowered his pain as he muttered: "Hyena... your time will come" and spat out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth. Moravscik smirked even though he couldn't understand Camulus as he walked towards him, put the barrel of his massive revolver against his temple and pulled the trigger with pure enjoyment in his eyes. Being a man of his word, he urinated on his victim as the blood was still running from his skull ferociously. His men chuckled and turned their own way as they were given the next three hours off for 'leisure' before they would head back and meet up with the rest of the division which was besieging Sant Marzh in the north-east.

The entire tribe would soon hear word that their warlord has fallen as Camulus' corpse was tied behind a truck and dragged over the road passing the maximum amount of Kern villages that their fuel allowed o their way back.

 

[Saaremaa]

Kerveur, Deira
19th of April, 1956, 1545 hours

Commissar Andreas Keil started his career as a Woad Guard three years ago when Leena Reece tripled the numbers of the Guard to make it more effective against the infiltrators coming from Kadikistan. He was a member of the Prometheist People's Union but he was critical to the right-wing tones Prometheism took during the tenure of Reece as the Chairwoman of the Party and as Benadur of Cumbria. Even so, he didn't want to abandon his life to join the Party of the Left. When Reece was assassinated by the communists and Rewan mab Andain became Benadur, the PPU was broken in two. The ones later called the Right Prometheists became the National-Syndicalists and the Left Prometheists retained the old party's name. Andreas finally felt that Cumbria was going on the right path when the Democratic Socialist Republic was proclaimed. The Kingdom fell and the Prometheists merged with the communists in what he hoped that is a recipe for success. Unfortunately, joy lasted just a month, until the attacks on the republic by the Right Prometheists from Milesia which led to the coup d'etat of Roman Becker and the creation of the People's Republic. The Republicans and Prometheists revolted in Milesia and Andreas thought of joining them but he was one of the members of the Woad Guard who was in Republican territory when the war started so he was quickly made a Revolutionary Guard and the chance to defect to the Whites simply didn't come, especially when Kadikistani political officers arrived to keep the Naoned armies from disintegrating. He lost the will to defect when he heard that in the White Camp a coup d'etat took place and now, instead of democratic republicans there were corporatists and monarchists resisting against the communists. He knew that this time, he had to play his cards with Naoned and to remain loyal because a white victory would have brought problems, most probably, as he was a known republican activist and a supporter of the Democratic Socialist Republic. Now, as the war was coming to an end and the Whites were desperately using their last resources to resist, he heard that Roman Becker wanted to unite all republican factions under his banner. Andreas started to become enthusiastic of this, as he hoped that the future Third Republic, Becker was promising would surely be closer to the First one, not just a simply copy of Kadikistan.

He heard that Miniver ferch Nechtan was arrested by the Counterintelligence unit for smuggling weapons to Wala members of the republican partisans in Naoned, the investigation bringing them to Kerveur base, the main base of operations of Credan mab Locryn and his republicans. The Naoned government understood that Miniver and Credan had a romantic relationship and wanted to use this to persuade him to join the NPA. They used Andreas Keil, whom both knew from their republican activism and membership in the Left Prometheist group of the PPU, to negotiate the switch of the republican partisans from the white to the reds. After a short talk, the truck carrying Andreas, Miniver and seven revolutionary guards was given open access to the heart of the Roazhon Mountains and finally to Kerveur base.

"It's good to see you again, after all those years, Andreas, too bad it's in those circumstances..." said Credan as he shook the hand o the commissar. "It's good to see you again, Credan, though I am sad to see how bad we have become... I am sorry. I heard of Goron mab Massen and the death of the republican thought in the White movement after the coup of Tregan and Bivin," said Andreas. "The thought is not dead, though many are fighting more from inertia, as I think many know that they would prefer even the current Naoned regime rather than a Pennsans Corporatist and Monarchist regime. They want their first republic back but they still fight because they knew that Becker would arrest them or even kill them," Credan said. "This time, Becker wants to return to it too. He is not really the power hungry maniac the white propaganda paints him into. He is much more pragmatic and also very idealistic in his faith in communism. Now that the war is coming to a close and it is clear even for him that the republic you wanted to create is the same that he also wanted to defend, he wants you to come in his camp and fight against the Whites, as you are a victim of them too, as the Democratic Socialist Republic was too," said Andreas looking at Credan in the eyes. "And what would Becker plan for the future?" Credan asked.

"A socialist directorial republic with council democratic elements. A decentralization of the state, each of the historical regions receiving it's parliament and local government and sending a delegate into the Board of Delegates, which would represent the head of state. The Head of government will be elected by the National Assembly and Becker will take the role of General Secretary of the Communist Party," said Andreas. "Though it sounds, good, I don't trust Becker as much as you and I still believe that in the end his power hungry face will show and he will do something that will end up with him having the supreme power in the new republic. Even so, I know that we have no future if the Whites would would and also no future if I don't accept this offer. I also know that if I tell the republicans to join you, not only the Roazhon mountains will come under the power of Naoned, but many White soldiers from the Becker Line and Pennsans will defect back to the communists. That would rush the end of the war and by May, Cumbria would be against united in peace, so..." Credan war interrupted. "Becker also thought of reforming the actual NPA, as the war was a disaster for it and to integrate your partisans in it, forming thus the Cumbrian Republican Army. And as a show of good will, we also liberated Miniver ferch Nechtan and she was acquitted by the Naoned tribunal for her actions against the People's Government. All you have to do is to align your forces to Naoned and to join the Communist Party," said Andreas as ordered a soldier to open the back of the truck from which Miniver came out. Credan was shocked, as he thought that he would never see her again after he heard of her arrest. As he hugged her, he could barely reply the positive response. A few minutes later, Andreas and Credan went to the main building of the military base to sign his surrender and the order for the republican soldiers to defect to the government army.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Pennsans, Periphery
21st of April, 1956

Dawn was breaking around Pennsans, the self-proclaimed capital of the White government and its military forces, but the view from the city upon this natural wonder hadn't been beautiful in a long time. Right now the city was in ruins, with smouldering buildings, craters and rubble filled streets making the scenery. Since the beginning of the conflict in Cumbria the city had been the primary target for the Kadikistani 31st Mixed Aviation Division under Marshall of Aviation Yuri Taderdov which hardly left any part of the city untouched. Not that the fight for aerial supremacy over the city had gone without severe material losses for the Kadikistani and their allied respective air-forces. After nearly 4 months of combat the well-organized White Anti-Air battalion had proven to be very effective against the 31st, especially low-flying aircraft's. By today already one-third of the Mixed Aviation Division had fallen resulting in a severe material, but more significantly financial loss for the Kadikistani war effort and thus, the KCWP state. Kadikistan had more then enough facilities and industrial capacity to replace the planes and other military hardware, but it had become increasingly difficult to muster the necessary funds for such endeavours. The Kadikistani State always had a strong war treasury in the past while now the reserves were quickly running dry. However there was still enough left for one final offensive. Namely the offensive on Pennsans, the one meant to break the White Army.

On the ground, forces from the 6th Guards Tank Division and the 17th Mechanized Infantry Division, supported by their Cumbrian allies, had managed to complete the encirclement of the city, facing heavy resistance in doing so. The attack was organized from three Naoned-Kadikistani strongholds, more specifically Tref Peniti in the south, Tref Mezieg in the north and the formerly less known town of Kells. The latter was a town within the corridor that the Kadikistan tank division provided several months ago between the Tref Mezieg-Doveneleg Enclave and the Becker Line from Stredel. Kells was dead in the centre of the corridor and had been reorganized and transformed into a Joint Ivar-Naoned military base of operations against Pennsans and the surrounding mountains. The Votadinia mountains being a nearly impregnable obstacle for even the Kadikistani army and a more than reliable natural defence for the White Government in Pennsans. But after 4 months of intense warfare which resulted in nothing more than a stalemate the combined forces of Kadikistan and revolutionary Cumbria had managed to secure the most essential key locations around the city from various hilltops and also the main roads in and out of the city. From those roads just under 100 tanks along with the 12nd 'Hammer' Brigade under Brig. Gen. Zlatan Bovinovitch were mobilizing for the final push into the city once the continuing barrage from both the air and the ground was deemed enough and the moment opportune.

In order to break the resistance in the city the bombardment continued and was even reinforced by twelve

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super-heavy mobile artillery pieces to be positioned in the west of the city, where the less mountainous lands around the river allowed for such a deployment. The RAPTO-A2, Kadikistan's heaviest mobile howitzer, was transported and shipped especially for this operation from Sbrevika in Central-Kadikistan to Rurikgrad and now Naoned. They would arrive in two more days, weeks after the order was given. Upon arrival they would deploy and reap a thunderous apocalypse over the city that will shake the earth beneath. Meanwhile air strikes and artillery shelling had destroyed the enemy's AA abilities and with the city surrounded there was no way of getting new AA systems back the city now that it was surrounded, safe for smaller portable AA which could still be smuggled in through the mountains. By the week's end the ground offensive would commence against the very heart of the White rebellion. Once the capital of the uprising was taken and with the Kern Units decapitated and broken it was only a manner of chasing the White's out of the agrarian lands in the North, taking back Sant Ervlon, Sant Marzh, Roz an Arvor and lifting the sieges of Tref Peniti and Tref Mezieg.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Pennsans
26th of April, 1956

Regardless of Moravscik burning his way through the high north, it was the city of Pennsans that would serve as an example for whomever would dare defy the rule of Naoned in the future. With the Kadikistani and Red Cumbrian respective Air Forces already laying waste to most of the city's infrastructure, the artillery was tasked only with shelling the remaining known enemy positions and potential hideouts to the ground. Fire's still burning, ashes still falling from the skies and the artillery continuing their fierce bombing campaign on all except the Eastern part of the city, there wasn't a native family in Pennsans left untouched by this cruel war. The Eastern Part of the city was not spared, in fact it was the primary target for both air and artillery forces for the past few days. Softening up the enemy was crucial before the 6th Guards Tank Division of General Zdravko Vasiljević could enter the city with just under a hundred tanks and supported by two regiments of the 17th Mechanized Infantry Division and no less than three by the 1st Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army, the latter currently in the process of being reformed into a more inclusive National Army. One of the Cumbrian units involved was the highly decimated 1st Tank Division under General Gurbodu mab Godporth, who would be spearheading the assault. The latter being mainly so the propaganda machine could do its work and point out that this theatre was where the Cumbrians took back the rebel capital and not the Kadikistani military.

"This is not Tref Mezieg, nor is it Roz and Arvor. This is Pennsans, the capital of the Whites. The capital from which they launched their vile rebellion and attempted to establish a regime that would have been even more detrimental for the Cumbrian people than the years of social-capitalist rule under the repressive yolk of Lena Rees", General Vasiljević yelled proudly in an attempt to boost the morale of both his men and the Cumbrians who would be assisting in securing the city during the following days or weeks. "Our glorious artillery has nearly annihilated the enemy, which has been reduced to hiding in the ruins of their once strong bastion of evil. But, comrades, we have yet to overcome the hardest part in taking this city from our vicious enemies. That being the ground offensive that is about to commence after days of showering the Eastern part of the city with Kadikistani and Cumbrian bombs. We will fight, bloc by bloc, street by street, if we must, but we will not stop! We will not stop until the reactionaries are either killed or captured and the city returns to the fold of Naoned. The time to attack has begun! Go, now! Fight for a better future and an end to that which seeks to destroy you and your family!", Vasiljevic said passionately, inspiring courage in most of the Kadikistani men, while the Cumbrians where not nearly as loud in their war cries compared to their Slavic counterparts. Nevertheless all of them started running into various directions after standing before the improvised stage that the General ordered constructing about an hour ago. Most of them belonged to the soldiers of either the Kadikistani or Cumbrian Tank Divisions and could be seen hastily jumping into their respective tanks and turning on the roaring engines while the crews made the first line firing-ready. The tanks left within minutes and formed formations before heading into the city from the main roads east, coming in two separate groups on each side of the river as the artillery barrage in that area had ceased.

Though each tank was accompanied by two dozen infantry men and anti-vehicle infantry units spread out throughout the assault, it wasn't long for the first tanks, mainly Cumbrian, started exploding and the men behind them being mowed down by hidden enemy sentries. Precision artillery strikes along with the tanks, who pushed their way through the wreckage of their fallen comrades, quickly did away with the static defences, but the more mobile white units had more success in avoiding enemy fire or staying covered, using the hills of the city. The infantry units would come to hunt those units down, but in this first phase their priority task was to secure the eastern part of the city before regrouping and preparing to take the rest. As predicted the push into the city would take a lot of lives, both Kadikistani and Cumbrian, but it was generally believe that after the fall of Pennsans the White rebellion would be decapitated and the remainder of their territories would fall within weeks, or even days. As for General Vasiljević, he knew this attack would either make or break his career, completely oblivious to the conspiracies that were taking place within the Kadikistani military. Vasiljević was one of the few higher officers that managed to balance between the rivalling Clans that controlled the Kadikistani State and maintained a credible neutrality. Given that any one of the conspiring factions, be they the New Order or one of the Clan dynasties, could not with certainty establish his absolute loyalty, be was never contacted.

 

[Pelasgia]

Pennsans, 27[SUP]th[/SUP]-28[SUP]th[/SUP] of April, 1957

To say that the Pelasgian Volunteer Legion had been reduced to a shadow of its former self would be an understatement of enormous proportions; in fighting for the White cause, its ranks had shrunk due to attrition of bullet and frost alike, and yet it had always recovered and carried. But the fall of Tref Peniti was not a fall it would ever recover from. As the Reds had come in to break the siege, the Legion’s least experienced cohorts, which had already been worn down by guerilla attacks from the Pelasgian Volunteer Brigade and other unconventional troops on the Red side, were pinned at the rear of the White formation by the Red relief force’s intervention. Though they had fought valiantly to buy retreating White forces time from both the relief force and the counter-attacking troops from within Tref Peniti, the men of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP], 8[SUP]th[/SUP] and 10[SUP]th[/SUP] Cohorts, each numbering 350 men, had been crushingly decimated, the first two losing nearly half of their men, while the last one was essentially all but wiped out, save for a group of twenty Legionnaires who managed to flee to a nearby village.

Even worse was the fate of those who survived the battle itself and found themselves surrounded by Red troops. The men of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Cohort were promptly executed by a force of local irregulars and foreign volunteers, though whether they were acting on orders was unknown, while the surviving men of the 8[SUP]th[/SUP] were lined up on top of a bridge in riverside town near Tref Peniti and shot by Pelasgian volunteers on the Red side, after being promptly declared “enemies of the Pelasgian and international proletariat”. The men of the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] Cohort were found later that day, after being betrayed to the Reds by a local woman whose son had been killed by White artillery fire using Pelasgian-made howitzers ; the Geneiophoroi were the first Red troops to arrive on the scene, and by the time a detachment of Kadikistani regulars had made its way to the village, the corpses of the men laid with their throats slit in the main square, drained of life and blood. The officer leading the survivors, a Sergeant from Brennia, been disfigured beyond recognition, before being handed from a tree nearby. Even the other Pelasgian volunteers on the Red side who had heard of these stories had been frightened and shocked.

However, the brutality of these killings had had the desired effect: by the time the Red troops had begun their encirclement of Pennsans, most the Legion’s surviving troops had only put up a token resistance, most of them retreating away from the isolated capital of the whites; a notable exception to this was the honourable resistance put up by the men of the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Cohorts, from Melingia and Euxenia, respectively, as well as elements from various other Cohorts who had refused to flee, totaling around one thousand men. Outside the city, another 1400 troops were officially awaiting, though desertion had probably thinned their lines to half of that, an effect which would only worsen with time.

Whereas the troops outside the city, did what they could to break or breach the Red encirclement of White Cumbria’s capital, it was almost certain that, at the first sight of a real onslaught, most, save for perhaps the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Cohort under Centurion Makropalamas and small elements from other Cohorts, would give way and flee. In contrast, the forces inside awaited barricaded in and around an old school. The building itself, a grey, damaged and shot-out shell of its former self, was located on the crossing on two important avenues, in a rather elevated position, effectively controlling one of the main routes into the eastern part of the street. The school’s unusually thick walls served as adequate protection for the defenders, though the multiple breaches in said walls, as well as their relative inefficiency against concentrated aerial and artillery attacks, set them far below any military-grade fortification. The entrance to the school was located atop a flight of stairs, the doors being the location of a sandbag wall with a machine-gun, while the four floors of the antiquated structure served as shooting galleries as well as quarters for the men, depending on the proximity of the rooms to the exterior and the number of openings (quickly repaired or otherwise) their walls had. The small tower and dome atop the building, at the corner where the building’s two sections met along with the two roads outside the school, served as a mix between and observation post and a sniper nest.

The Legionnaires had posted guards of thirty men to four small fortified locations in buildings close to the school, to warn of any oncoming attacks and to slow down the attackers, while the small yard at the back of the school and its rooftop served as mortar-firing sites for the few portable mortars the Legionnaires had with them. The two streets had been termed A and B, while the outposts had been assigned the numbers 1 and 2, 2 being the furthest outpost from the school building on each street. To avoid being outflanked, a smaller garrison of fifteen men had been placed inside the Eastern city, behind the school’s primary defensive line, as well as another on the other side of street B, being termed outposts C and D (without a number) respectively.

The attack finally came with the dawn of the 27[SUP]th[/SUP] of April, as Red troops hoping to surround the Eastern section of the city and to cut it off from the rest of the White-held areas of Pennsans attacked outposts A2 and B2, the furthermost outposts of each street. As the school was near the southern frontier of the city, it was effectively within the range of the attackers, despite being on the other side of the Eastern city. Though the original scouts and skirmishers were easily repulsed, at the loss of two dead and three wounded men, the first major attack came at nightfall of the same day, as a surprise move by the Geneiaphoroi was able to take out outpost B2 as well as outpost A2. Outpost C was also attacked, but it managed to hold out as the attackers fell into a series of booby traps set in the buildings between streets B and C, alerting the defenders who mowed the Reds down with a machinegun.

As dawn broke, another wave of attackers came, supported by mortar fire. Though the outposts held out at first, B1 was set ablaze by Molotov cocktails and grenades being thrown by the attacking Reds, its men being all burnt to a crisp. The lower levels of the building where A1 was were overrun by noon, though the men on the last two floors held out until only five of them were left, at which point they charged down onto the attackers in the staircase with fixed bayonets, dying in the process. An hour later, outpost D was suddenly struck by a Kadikistani bomber as it was trying to avoid local anti-aircraft fire, probably mistakenly, setting its upper two levels ablaze, though the defenders were able to save the crumbling building from complete destruction, since a fire hydrant was located right outside it and it had not yet been the target of ground attacks. All in all, the first clashes had cost the defenders one hundred and twenty nine dead, as well as fifteen wounded; it was only the beginning.

Over the next day, the attacking reds continuously pounded the school, which was now directly in their path, though the defenders fought back bravely; as many of them had previous combat training and experience, they were able to push the force of conscripts and foreign volunteers before them back, inflicting rather considerable losses relative to their own, though insignificant if one were to consider the overall supply of troops and equipment the Reds had. It was time that mattered, and time was certainly being bought. That night, the Reds attempted to cross behind the school through the remains of the blasted out building to its left on street B. However, the Pelasgian volunteers trying to make the crossing argued over whose squad should go first and were quickly gunned down by a machinegun, as the defenders had realized their movement. Another attempt was made at taking out C, but it too was repulsed at a heavy cost for the Reds. Thus ended the second night of the assault.

 

[Saaremaa]

Sant Marzh
28th of April
0530 - 1550 hours

When the war began, Major Onuist was already a member of the Revolutionary Insurectionist Army. He was one of the few Kerns by that time who managed to enroll and also graduate from the Ceretic Guletic Military Academy in Naoned, but thanks to the restrictive and discriminatory policies of the Lena Rees administration, he had to do it with a fake identity, as the Kerns were discriminated against. The state was actively pursuing the assimilation of the Kerns and their declaration as Cumbrians. Even so, there were many Kerns that fought against the republicans and were supporting of the Whites and the Monarchy even after the Coup in Pennsans, which puts Tregan in power and thus demotes the republican prometheists as secondary forces, while the fascists, clericalists, corporatists and reactionary monarchists took the primacy. Onuist first came in the south with an alias, that of Angus mab Rhun. He graduated the military academy and then was delegated to the 13th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Pensans. When the monarchy fell and the DSRC was proclaimed, he was transferred into the newly created Revolutionary Insurectionist Army, but this time in the 1st Mountaineer Division, based in Tref Govan. When the war started, he was shocked to hear of Camulus and the likes and the whole stories being told about him and his units. He couldn't understand how come the Kerns, who were so disrespected by the monarchists and also the Prometheists aligned with Lena Rees could ally themselves with the fascists. It was explained to him by Eugein Beli, a Communist Workers' Party activist from Aentieg that was described in the unit as the perfect man for Future Cumbria, as he had Kern, Ivernian, Cumbrian and German roots. He said that statistically, many Kerns flooded the cities of Votadinia, Maetia and ever Cervetia when the DSRC was proclaimed and they were given the rights to leave rural Maetia and Votadinia. Nearly all of them were supporters of the socialist government. When the war started, the ones that formed the Kern units were the ones that fought not so much as to legitimate and defent the discriminatory policies against the Kerns, but to defend their way of life from what they saw as the destructive modernity that would end their tribal and nearly savage way of life. Onuist couldn't know for sure how much is true and how much is propaganda, he truly hoped that the Kern partisans that were obliterated by the campaign led by the Kadikistani "Hyena", Moravscik, were a minority, albeit a very loud one, but still a minority. He saw the stories of the killing of Camulus by Moravscik as propaganda and rumors trying to break the alliance between the Kadikis and the Cumbrians.

Onuist was leading his squad on horse, as the spring started coming to rural Votadinia and made things hellish, at least for the Cumbrians, Kerns and Ivernians, who were used to the extreme cold temperatures, while the southerners were feeling that finally the weather was improving. But Onuist and the Cumbrians knew that the thaw would make problems, as for a month from now, in best case, the whole north would be muddy and swampy. As the RIA crossed the Cegin River, to attack Sant Marzh both from the south and the east, Onuist's unit went past a RAM-01, a Kadikistani super heavy tank that was destroyed two weeks ago and by now it went down in mud, barely it's turret could be seen. When he first said that he needed horses for reconnaissance, the Kadikistani laughed, but in the end, the old horse was the best way of surviving the spring in Hen Ogledd, the Old North and still keeping your mobility high. For more than a week, when the attack on Pennsans began, the whites were concentrating on trying to break the siege. It was extremely important as the pincer move caught in trap a prey so valuable, that no one ever dare to hope that it would. The surprise offensive was so successful that the white government was caught in the city. They couldn't escape by plane, as they would surely be shot down by the Kadikistani, nor would the White Air Force have any more functioning planes, for that matter and surely as much as Nuada Airgetlam would prefer to see the white government safe and sound he wouldn't risk a war with Cumbria and with it with Kadikistan and Calidia for that. So, as Onuist heard, the war really is in it's final stages, with the whites lacking ammunition, weapons, supplies, planes, tanks, any kind of armor for that matter, even manpower and were now fighting their last and most important battle, the one to try to break to siege of Pennsans to retrieve their government and then evacuate to Ivernia.

As much as the Hen Ogledd was seen as the savage back garden that Naoned shouldn't show to the others, the unforgiving landscaped made Onuist feel at home. The unending plains, filled with bushes and trees no bigger than a standing man made him feel free. Probably as much as the Kerns and the Cumbrians and maybe the whole Scanians, he felt best in wintertime, especially when the cold could finally make the region passable. Now, the thaw and the spring and summer rains were bringing mud and swampy terrain that was home to all kinds of insects and lizards. As his reconnaissance unit advanced into Sant Marzh from the south, he could hear the artillery barrage hitting the town's airport and military base from the east, from across the river, where the Cumbrians and the Kadikis organized a small harbor to quickly cross the river with barges. In the morning, the unit had two run-ins with Cuckoos, snipers hidden in the bushes. The first one missed his shot and was quickly eliminated by the soldiers, while the second, managed to shoot Eugein Beli right in the head, before being also killed.

The population of Sant Marzh no where to be seen. Probably half of it ran away when the war fist started, in December, as the first shots were being fired right at the airbase that the reds were currently bombing, a quarter ran away when the current bombing started and the remaining quarter were hiding in their houses. Onuist ordered the soldiers not to hit the houses and not to harm the population. He did not want to create the impression of a terrorizing army. He saw himself as the liberator of the Kerns and wanted to be sure that the others respected this. The Kerns living in Naoned lobbied around Roman Becker for the recognition of their groups as a separate ethnicity and it seemed that their requests were received positively by Naoned, especially now that the likes of Camulus disappeared and the Kerns can be transformed from the savage fascists into the oppressed naive peasants.

Six barges full of soldiers, Kadikistani, Cumbrians and Serenierre crossed the Cegin River under the covering fire of the heavy artillery on the other side of the river. The whites responded with mortar fire, but the low intensity of the response made Onuist fear a potential trap, but as they entered the town, Onuist's squad had a firefight with a group of whites. It lasted about fifteen minutes, but it ended with more than thirty whites dead and six red casualties. As they met with the soldiers crossing the River and advanced on the Airbase. Little did they know that they took cover in the same ditches in which five months ago the whites were hiding in which attacking the base. As he communicated with the artillery commander on the other side of the river, Onuist ordered a concentrated fire in the main building of the airbase. The rest of the airport was already in a dilapidated state. The runway looked like it was outright plowed by the bombs, the hangars were transformed into a bunch of distorted metal and the outbuildings were destroyed in the first attack, five months ago and never rebuilt. The concentrated fire filled the air with smoke, debris and the stench of sulfur and death. When the bombs stopped falling, one could barely see around him and the only things that could be heard were the screams of the ones trapped in the building when it was bombed. Onuist then whistled the attack and went head on through the smoke and debris, followed by his men and the Kadikistanis. He decided that he needed to give the Kadikistanis and the Serenierre an example of Kern courage, but this time on their side, not as the fascist savage they were talking about. He went head on through the corridors remaining in the building, shooting anything that still moved. The whites that still survived the bombardment were quickly shot by the attacking reds, as they were still shocked by the powerful bombardment. By the time the reds reached the still standing commander's office, the whites tried to fortify it by using the desk as a cover, but a well thrown grenade was enough to quickly end their resistance. Sant Marzh was taken.

Onuist went out of the building, white some soldiers were taking down the white-black ermine flag and replacing it with the white-green-black tricolor. Out of the building, the northern sea could be seen. Onuist was looking at it, while another Cumbrian officer came to him. "What's next, Major?" he asked. Onuist smirked. "There," he shown with his hand towards the sea. "Somewhere over there, to the north west is Roz an Arvor. We need to go there, to be sure that the whites will be pushed into Ivernia. we will need some boats though... It would be the third, I think... battle for that fishing village, Roz an Arvor." The soldier looked towards the invisible point Onuist was showing. "I think it would be the fourth, Major. In the first one we lost the village, in the second one the Kadikis took it and in the third it was taken by the Kerns." Onuist made a gesture of contempt with his hand. "Kerns... There are no Kerns there anymore. They are either dead with that blue demon, Camulus or they are here, with us. The Kern Militias are dead."

75 km north of Din Rheged
28th of April
1220-1645 hours

General Taran mab Truolphin was leading the 1st Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army northwards. He took Din Rheged and now he was for some time in lands that were lost since the December rebellion led by Goron mab Massen. He was reinforced by the International Legion, the army corps of volunteers coming from around the world to defend that republic against the fascists and monarchists, but also by republicans who were first part of the white rebellion, even led it at the beginning but now defected to the government's side. He was proud and happy to see so many people coming from all over the world, from Calidia to Pelasgia, Eiffelland and Ruthenia-Galicia to volunteer to defend the Cumbrian republic. As much as Taran also believed that Becker would be a menacing dictator of Cumbria, he saw him as more malleable than Tregan and his white fascists in Pennsans. If the coup in Pennsans wouldn't have taken place and the anti-communist resistance would have been represented by Goron mab Massen and his republicans, many of them Prometheists and left-wingers, he would have gladly supported and joined them, but before he decided to do it, he heard of the coup and how the corporatists and fascists took over. He then decided to be loyal to Naoned and now that he heard from Roman Becker that once the war will end, a new republic will be proclaimed, mimicking the first one, the DSRC, he has happy that he didn't defect from Naoned and now he was in a race with himself to try to lead the offensive as fast as possible, motivated to see the third republic take shape as fast as possible. Contrary to many of the RIA generals declared "loyal" by the communist secret police, Taran felt he could trust his new republican soldiers and he was right, as many of them decided to defect from the white cause as they were give amnesties as they knew that their alliance with the fascists was kept alive only by the pressure the reds were giving them. Once the war would have been won, it it would have been won, many knew and were expecting a second civil war between the corporatists and the prometheists.

Taran's attention was brought back to real life by a sergeant reporting that the soldiers reached the biggest lake in the North, the Loch Padarn. Taran turned to one of his communications agents in the HQ: "Call Naoned. Report to them that we reached Loch Padarn." The officer immediately executed. After quickly reporting, the man gave Tregan the telephone, telling him that Becker himself wanted to talk with him. "Tregan here," he reported. "Comrade General, I want to congratulate you. The end of the war is merely days away. We have managed to trap the fascist leaders in Pennsans and are attacking the city with everything we have," Becker told him. "I am glad, Comrade President..." He couldn't continue, as Becker interrupted him. "That is why, I want you to divide your forces. I want the 1st and 2nd Mechanized divisions together with the International Legion to advance west of the lake until it reaches the border and then advance north, while the 1st Armor division, the 6th reserve infantry division and the Republican Army to advance to the east of the lake and attack the southern flank of the white army," Becker made a pause at the behest of General Taran so that he could take notes. "The whites are trying at all cost to disrupt our pincer movement around Pennsans. From what the men in the north are saying they literally moved nearly everything they have into this offensive, to try to save their masters. They can't evacuate them by planes as the Pennsans Airport has been literally shredded by bombings and an attack from the west is the only way. I want you to lead the men attacking the southern flank of the whites. Be careful, Taran, I trust you more than any other officer, Cumbrian or Kadikistani in the whole north. Becker out!" As he put the telephone down, Taran sighed. He made some markings on the map showing the new routes of his units and then delegated the command of the other half of the army to General Digory Truroc. Taran looked at the map, as he updated it with what he heard reported as a victory in Sant Marzh and it's liberation. It truly was one last big fight to take and the whites would finally be crippled.

 

[Saaremaa]

Roz an Arvor
29th of April 1957
0430 - 1150 hours

Major Onuist decided to move as quickly as possible and decided to use the momentum gained by the concentration of the white forces in the battle of Pennsans and ordered to continuation of the offensive. Using the barges that crossed the Cegin River, at sunset he started crossing the Norzh Gulf towards the Arvor Peninsula. He asked to keep the horses as they crossed the gulf, many of the soldiers, Cumbrian or Kadikistani were shocked by the ideas of Onuist, but as he said it before, the horses were the best in traversing the vast tundra in the spring and it was also the quietest way to do it, as the diesel motors could be heard from far away, but compared to northern Votadinia, the Arvor peninsula was filled with vast pine forests, similar to the taiga in northern Kadikistan. DUring the night, the barges crossed the Norzh Gulf and landed 30 kilometers south of Roz an Arvor. The Peninsula, as the rest of the north was kept under a blockade of the Kadikistani Northern Fleet which covered the landing of the red forces. they were expected by some white forces, but the bombing coming from the ships quickly made them scatter. Onuist ordered the Kadikistani soldiers to go north to claim Roz an Arvor. As much it was a small and forsaken fishing village, Roz an Arvor was an important settlement as there was the base of the Cumbrian Northern Fleet. The Base, along with the northern fleet were destroyed a long time ago, but the small gulf in which the village was situated was an important strategic point, plus the liberation of the northernmost settlement in Cumbria would have been a tremendous propaganda victory. As much as Onuist didn't trust the Kadikistani soldiers to follow his orders of leaving the civilians alone, he knew that the village is just a smoldering pile of ash and they can't do any more harm than it was already done. He had other targets in mind.

Onuist led his Cumbrian and Kern mounted units inland, passing through the taiga to the south-west, where the prisoner camps were situated. The camps were organized more than a hundred years ago, when King Arthyen II dissolved the parliament and instated an absolute monarchic regime. The Arvor caps were the most notorious because in the winter one could not survive in the wild while in the spring and summer, the bogs would be deadlier than the camp's guards. The camps were abandoned when King Arthyen was assassinated, by a Woad Guard, who was also a Kern named Urguist. Onuist found it amusing, but maybe it might show why the later governments and kings didn't trust the Kerns anymore and wanted to make them disappear. The camps were deserted for fifty years, up until 1900 when the "Social Struggle" began, with the Prometheists and Communists starting to demonstrate and organize against capitalist Cumbria. Many Prometheists were locked in the rebuilt camps in 1900-1910 period as the government as seeing the Promies as a bigger menace than the communist party. The red years followed and the camps were deserted again and the Prometheist, Social Democrat and Communist coalition won the elections. In 1930 the conservatives returned and the camps made a return as well, this time the communists and pro-Ivernian unionists were locked in. When Leena Rees became Benadur of Cumbria and the Prometheist People's Union dominated the country's politics, the camps were filled with members of the Celtic Union, a fascist group fighting for a Celtic Empire encompassing Ivernia and Cumbria and later by members of the Party of the Left. In 1956, the Party of the Left came to power, renamed into the Communist Worker's Party and filled the camps with Prometheists but again things changed a few months later, as in December, the white government liberated the camps as they took the Arvor Peninsula and filled them with communists. Now, things were to change again, as Onuist was coming to the camps followed by 350 mounted infantrymen to liberate the prisoners.

As his units passed the taiga, Onuist started to see the smoke coming from the chimneys heating the camp. They dismounted their horses and decided to continue on foot. Onuist ordered Drest and Galan, two Kern snipers to quickly shoot down the sentries sitting in the wooden watchtowers. Onuist hoped to keep the element of surprise until he managed to cut the barbed wire to enter the camp, but this time it didn't work out. The guards were alarmed and chaos ensured. White soldiers came to the scene starting to fire, the prisoners, many of whom were in the yard at that time, started running, but immediately after they observed that it was the reds coming to liberate them, started to take anything they could, from branches to stones to fight the whites. In the whole chaos, Onuist went to the fence, together with another soldier and started using a wire cutter. The soldier coming to help him was shot in the neck mere seconds after he started cutting, but was quickly replaced by another one. Onuist could hear the bullets pass by his ear. He managed to cut it and the reds stormed the camp. In the whole chaos of the fight, one barrack was set aflame, probably by a spilled oil lamp. The fighting was continuing, as the reds were rushing to eliminate the white guards as quickly as possible, as many of them started to kill as many prisoners as possible, knowing that the battle was surely lost. Even if Onuist felt that they were fighting for hours, he was shocked to see, after he took a short glimpse at a clock situated in one of the barracks that no more than a quarter of an hour passed since he ordered the attack. Many of the prisoners were dead, killed in the crossfire between the reds and the whites or executed by the whites while many others ran away, behind the reds to take cover. It finally ended when the whites in the command barrack raised the white flag and surrendered. When Onuist saw that the camp's commander was Reece Cadogan, he was shocked, as he respected the man when he was an important member of the Prometheist People's Union. Even if many soldiers and prisoners called for their immediate execution, Onuist ordered them to lock the remaining whites in the cells in solitary confinement up until the war will end and they would receive a fair trial.

55 kilometers South-West of Pennsans
29th of April 1957
1220-1410 hours

General Taran mab Truolphin was tired and weary. He couldn't sleep well since the war began but now it's been four or five days in which he didn't even manage to get some shuteye. He was functioning on "Kadiki military chocolate", as the Cumbrians were calling it, which were chocolate bars full of vitamin and energizers or things that the Cumbrians couldn't really read as it was in Kadikistani. Either way, bars like that would keep a soldier woke for around a day. He was following Becker's orders to secure the southern flank of the cordon surrounding Pennsans. His units, coming from the south west were encountering heavy resistance, but Taran was bringing under his banner the 1st Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army, numbering close to 40,000 soldiers and nearly 500 tanks. This time, he said that victory had to come as fast as possible and he must not care of the loses. The Cumbrian reds were advancing to the north through the Diura Rills which were flowing in Loch Padarn.

At noon, the Cumbrians met with the Kadikistani soldiers surrounding Pennsans, who were fortified and under attack from the west by the whites trying to break the encirclement of Pennsans. Taran organized a joint HQ with the Kadikistani division in the south-west of Pennsans, which was commanded by the Kadkistani General Danilov Tunski. After the Catholic militias in the south were defeated and Credan mab Locryn and the Republicans allied themselves with Naoned, his division was sent North, to Pennsans.

Taran was looking at the map of the operations that Danilov presented him. He didn't like the Kadikistani, as even if Taran was higher in command, commanding a whole army, not just a division, Danilov seemed very authoritative, even with him. "With your arrival, comrade General, we can now organize an offensive towards the west, so we can break the whites," said Danilov. "I do not agree, comrade. A direct attack towards the west would make us receive the fullest extent of the white's firepower," said Taran as he was looking disgusted towards the protuberant belly of the Kadiki officer. "No, the Republican Army and the International Legion will enter Pennsans from the west and attack the city of Pennsans. Our great victory stands in the taking of the Norzh Palace, the center of the white operations in the city. While we need to push the whites to the west to be sure that we can secure Pennsans without problems, we will use another pincer move. The 1st and 2nd Mechanized Infantry will attack from the south, while the 5th Reserve Infantry Division and the 4th Motorized Infantry Divisions will come from Sant Marzh and attack from the north," continued Taran. Before Danilov could say anything, Taran received an intelligence officer reporting that the Cumbrians and the red Pelasgians are reaching the Norzh Palace and that the white government and their guards are still in the bunker underneath it. As he was happy with the news, especially because it meant that in a week or so he would receive the surrender of Tregan and the whites, he took out his bag of tobacco and started to roll a cigarette. As he was rolling, he observed a man wearing a Kadikistani uniform who put a briefcase under the table on which the map of the military movement in the whole north was situated. Taran didn't thought that much of it, so he took his lighter but then saw the face of Danilov, who then asked him to smoke outside. Looking around, Taran decided that it would be for the best, as some sun and clean air would do him well. He went out and lighter his cigarette. After the second smoke he took, a huge explosion rocketed the building in which the HQ was set up, the blast throwing Taran in the melting snow.

As soldiers started coming from around and were extinguishing the fire, Taran rose up with the help of a stretcher-bearer and looked around. It seemed that there was no bombardment coming from the whites in the west. Curiosity led him into the building, as he told the medics that he would help them take the survivors out, but the first thing that he saw when he entered the command room was the crated created in the floor where that briefcase was put, the sturdy oak table transformed into smoldering splinters and mangled bodies. He recognized Danilov's body by the epaulets showing the starts of a general. He started to feel sorry for the man that he considered disgusting a minuted before but saved by life asking him to smoke outside. He ripped the epaulet from the remains of the bloodied uniform and went outside, where at a functioning radio, he reported to Becker of an assassination attempt on him and the HQ of the 1st Revolutionary Insurrectionist Army, but also completed by saying that the operations will not be delayed and that Pennsans will fall within a week.

 

[Saaremaa]

Epilogue
Caladbolg
30th of April 1957
2020 hours

Rewan mab Andain was sitting in the office of the ambassador at the Cumbrian Embassy in Caladbolg, together with the Prime Minister of Loago, Reese Bivin, to was also living there since the war started as he said he wanted to be closer to the action and with Iver Gower, who was mostly traversing the world to and from Maseru to Caladbolg with sensitive information. Rewan sighed as he read the telegram coming from Pennsans. Probably the evening edition of Ar Pobl was already spreading the news. Tregan and the whites in Pennsans have surrendered. "I can't understand what happened," said Rewan as he put the telegram down. "There were still chances... if not of victory, at least of a conditional surrender," he continued. "It seems that the death of Leninov brought many changes. Many more and much faster than expected," said Gower looking outside the window. Life in Caladbolg was continuing as normal and he was charmed by the show of lights from the cars travelling up and down the boulevard, though his look was empty. Rewan slapped the table annoyed: "It is your fault!" he screamed as he looked at Reese Bivin. "If you would have attacked Dumnonia from Milesia how it was planned, we would have been in Naoned now and would have enjoyed victory!" Bivin was slowly smoking a Loagin cigar. "It wouldn't have changed a thing. It would have only brought more death and destruction in Cumbria and Loagins would have died fighting a lost war in a frigid place on the other half of the world. They would have started to ask questions, like why are we sent here? Who are those Cumbrians to us if not foreigners who boss us around and now are sending us to the slaughterhouse? No, no, the fact that Loagin intervention was minimal is what saved our Empire, because nationalist movements start in wars like this. I like my Empire... I don't want to lose it," he said looking Rewan in the eyes. "It is not your empire, Bivin. It's his majesty's!" Rewan seemed visibly annoyed by the earlier comments.

Iver Gower was still looking outside as he lighted a cigarette. It was a Giraffe, from Loago. He took two smokes but then extinguished it as it was horrible. He then opened his wallet and looked at his passport, a green one showing the marks of the republic with "Democratic Socialist Republic of Cumbria" written on the cover. He looked at Rewan and Bivin as they were arguing. Well, more likely Rewan having a nervouse breakdown and Bivin maintaining it with defiant comments. He could see it now clearly, even if he observed it in February that Bivin had the power actually, but he was keeping the appearances of the loyal governor who follows the legitimate government. For some time, Gower suspected Bivin of orchestrating the coup in Pennsans that toppled the republicans and put fascists in power in Pennsans, as he saw that Rewan was more moderate and Bivin was an outright fascist that learned very much, if not too much from Nuada Airgetlam. The problem in all this is that the faction that Gower supported, in the end defected to Naoned, the faction that Rewan supported, the centrist democratic monarchists was not existing at all for like... 30 years or so and the faction that Bivin supported fought and was defeated. He looked again at the passport and thought of Naoned again. He didn't see the white city in a very long time now. He was missing the modernist bauhaus architecture or the new city and the medieval buildings of the old town. Living this many years in Kadikistan and then in Ivernia made him miss the days in which he could go out on the street, and hear the people speak Cumbrian. When Leninov died, he knew that the war will come to an end quickly and things will break down, but he didn't knew how it would end, as things could have gone both ways: either the moderation of the communists which brought them more support, like it happened, or a complete disappearance of the support the Communists had, but this had to happen only if the Kadikistani would have retreated the moment Leninov died and that would have been impossible. He was looking at the two as they continued to argue, but he didn't listen to them anymore. He went to the desk and red again the telegram. It came from Naoned and it also said that the ones who want to surrender would be forgiven if they do it in 48 hours. He wanted to return and maybe now that Leninov is dead, he could continue as a simple civilian in Cumbria. He knew Roman Becker even from before the crisis. He wasn't as bad or evil the right wing media was presenting him. He was more pragmatic, certainly even more than Rewan, seeing that he managed to attract the left-wing prometheists by his side. Politics were complicated as the allies of yesterday were transforming into enemies today and tomorrow they become allies again. Gower was sick and tired of all that. He decided that once this meeting would end, he would take the luggage he came with from Maseru two days ago and would take the first plane to Naoned.

"Gower! Gower! Can you hear me?" Rewan looked at him annoyed. "We need to form a new government in exile, here in Caladbolg, seeing that the one in Pennsans fell. We need one closer to the people," he said. "No we don't! You need to understand that your precious kingdom is forfeit and not from today on, but since the King ran away scared when Gower returned to Naoned! Loago is from this moment free from all this and I will not accept orders from paper tigers anymore!" Bivin's screams shocked even Gower. He wasn't really expecting it, as legally, Rewan still had the primacy over him, even if, as Bivin said, he was a paper tiger, a Prime Minister without a country or a cabinet. "I want to go to Naoned," Gower said penitently. "This is treason!" Rewan screamed. "Guard!" he yelled towards the door. A bulky Wala man wearing the khaki uniform of the Imperial Army of Loago entered the room. "Arrest those two for treason!" he yelled. It was clear for Gower that Rewan has lost hist minds. The soldier didn't know what to do. He was coming closer to the desk but looked very confused. "Soldier, stop," Bivin said calmly. The soldier stopped. "Arrest those two for conspiring against the Empire of Loago," he said showing Gower and Rewan. The man turned towards them closing in menacing. Rewan turned rabid, screaming things no one could understand and took out a gun from the desk trying to shoot the others in the room. He missed the Loagin, he shot Gower in the shoulder but was shot himself by Bivin, right in the head. Bivin turned towards Gower and shot him too in the head, killing him. "Clean this up," he told the soldier and he called a communications officer: "Declare the official end of the Kingdom of the Cumbrians and the independence of the Empire of Loago. Send a telegram to all capitals of the world and also declare that from now on, Arthyen III of Cumbria is now Arthyen I, Emperor of Loago."