Trouble in the Great Sea

[Europaland]

It was no secret that Europaland wanted to see regime change in Engellex. The two countries were complete opposites in every possible sense. One a conservative, autocratic, hierarchical state in which women and the working classes were shut out from politics; the other a radical, libertarian democracy notorious for its commitment to feminism and lack of any noticeable class differences. Ever since the current radical coalition had taken office a powerful interventionist lobby had gained more and more influence over the country's foreign policy. Europaland had long invested in its armed forces and was now one of Europe's strongest powers at least in terms of its military expenditure. Perhaps it was arrogance but many believed this put the country in an ideal position for exporting its democratic and libertarian ideals through force.

Presidential Residence, Europa City

The President had assembled some of her top ministers and advisers for an emergency meeting at her official residence in Europa City. Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Ceitidh NicIllEathain, Defence Minister Arne Isaksen and Foreign Minister Saida Nasri. As the ultimatum from Engellex drew closer they discussed the country's options. President Nordahl first asked her Defence Minister to update them on the situation.

”We've got one ship, the frigate ES Democracy, within the immediate area which Engellex has asked us to vacate. All of our other ships are situated between Europaland and off the north-eastern coast of Havenshire, well within international waters. I suggest we've got two options, either we find some excuse to pull the ship back or we send in massive reinforcements to warn off Engellex. If you were to ask me I think the first option in the most sensible one. While Engellex has a weaker army, navy and air force than we do and is stretched in Montelimar there's no point in endangering our sailors at this time. If we want to go to war with Engellex we should work on building up the necessary coalition first.”

Foreign Minister Saida Nasri was quick to jump in: ”But we can't be seen to give in to Engellex's demands as then we appear weak before the nations of Europe. If we send in the necessary reinforcements they won't dare to attack us if they've got any sense. And if they do then we come down hard, we rain Dulwich with long-range missiles and send in our air force to bomb the shit out of them”.

While impressed at the apparent fanaticism of her Foreign Minister, President Nordahl was keen to avoid a war at this point, seeing the promotion of democracy as a long-term process that required careful planning and consideration as well as coalition building:

”I have to agree with Arne, a war right now, even if we have the advantage militarily, is quite unnecessary. I think we should scale back the deployment to those areas where Engellex couldn't possibly attack our ships without attracting outrage from the international community. We can send some of the ships home while still maintaining a big enough presence between Europaland and Havenshire to make our strength in the Great Sea known. That doesn't mean we give up our aim of destabilising Engellex though. We've got meetings planned with the FLTM to see if they can get arms into Montelimar and these will certainly go ahead. How do you feel Ceitidh?"

Ceitidh NicIllEathain, who had also been Prime Minister under the previous government, was seen as more moderate than some of her cabinet colleagues and was less of an interventionist on foreign policy matters:

”I agree with you and Arne. While we must appear strong in the face of threats there's a risk of our actions appearing excessive and overly belligerent. To undermine the Engellexic regime we need to bring other democratic states on side and encourage resistance among its own people first. States like Danmark have expressed at least some understanding for our position so we should definitely work on building an international coalition against Engellex.”

For the President the matter seemed settled: ”Okay then, we give the orders to the ES Democracy to pull back from the Strait of Cambria at once while we'll pull the other ships back towards Havenshire and send around a third of the fleet home if Engellex shows no further signs of aggression. In the meantime I feel we should all keep up the rhetoric around Engellex. It's a miracle that such a state has survived this long when it hasn't even given the vote to its citizens. We can surely foment trouble inside Engellex by increasing our support to its pro-democracy movement and encouraging industrial unrest within its factories and workplaces. ERT is already watched by many inside Engellex and we can perhaps set up a new propaganda channel aimed directed at the country”.

Revolution Square, Europa City

A crowd of over 50,000 people had gathered in the city's largest square at 5pm to demand action against Engellex, burning Engellexic flags and chanting angry slogans. Many were carrying flags and banners from the two main governing parties, others were there to represent various feminist, anarchist and vanguardist groups while there was also a small contingent of Montelimar exiles bearing their national flag. But most were simply ordinary citizens who had heard about the protest through the media or decided to join as they walked past on the way home from work.

The crowd's anger was whipped up further as a succession of speakers took the microphone. First was a Montelimar exile and founding member of the FLTM who accused Engellex of genocide in her country and made a moving call for Europaland to come to its aid, claiming that Engellex will ”kill and torture us all, will keep on massacring and orphaning our children, until our comrades across Europe begin to stand up and come to our assistance”. Then a parliamentary representative for the Revolutionary Left Alliance got up to speak, drawing cheers from the crowd as he called the Engellexic regime a ”cancer that has to be cut out of the centre of Europe” and claiming that Europaland has the ”army, navy and air force required to take out these fascist scum and ensure total liberation for the people of Engellex and Montelimar”.

Strait of Cambria

The frigate ES Democracy had been asked to accompany a NordOlje tanker as it passed through the Strait of Cambria on the way back to Europaland. The tanker had just passed through without incident and the captain was waiting to hear what to do next. As the Engellexic ultimatum drew closer the crew had become increasingly nervous, knowing that without reinforcements they were vulnerable to attack. It was therefore with a great sigh of relief that they received the order from navy command to set sail for the coast off Havenshire where the navy already had a significant presence. Europaland currently had 8 submarines, 4 frigates, 6 destroyers and an aircraft carrier as well as several dozen smaller patrol vessels in the Great Sea. Most were situated between Europaland and Havenshire and had gained a position of supremacy over the shipping channel.

 

[Breotonia]

Naval Communication Service
Encryption Code: RED
Classification: SECRET
Public Key: file/flip_and_sizzle/

234009Z FEBRUARY 2012
From: Urban Holland - Director of Prowler Operations ONI
To: ONI FLEET> PROWLER-FORCE> ONI PROWLER CENTRAL OPERATION> MIDSUMMER NIGHT (P-SSN-77)
Subject: NEW ORDERS - OPERATION WHITE GLOVE

Orders received in accordance with standard monitoring of Central Fleet Assigned Area are hereby rescinded. New mission directives are as follows:

1. A TASK UNIT will be formed around MIDSUMMER NIGHT (P-SSN-77) to shadow assets of [EUROPALAND'S] naval presence in the [GREAT SEA]. Target of responsibility can be found in attached documentation.

2. CIRCUMFERENCE (P-SSN-74) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

3. WINK OF AN EYE (P-SSN-75) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

4. GHOST (P-SSN-84) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

5. RAZOR'S EDGE (P-SSN-79) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

6. DUSK (P-SSN-83) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

7. LAST GLEAMING (P-SSN-80) is hereby assigned to TASK UNIT MIDSUMMER NIGHT.
​

 

[Khemia]

Trade between Great Engellex and the Republic of Yujin had grown in recent years, but had always remained strong after the end of the Great War. Products shipped between the two nations ranged from foodstuffs, clothing, and furniture to expensive violins, exotic animals, and avionics. In recent weeks, however, the demand for avionics, and other goods associated with Great Engellex's national past-time of late had caused the Republic of Yujin to shift the focus of its exports from satisfying civilian consumer demand to supplementing Engellex's domestic military production. Of course, the shipments were legally procured on a relatively free market - one in which all competitors, from Dulwich to Nurnberg, were treated fairly. However, few nations had taken the liberty of exploiting the cheap labor found in the oriental nation.

As such, the exports from the Far East towards Dulwich included shipments of rice and canned food, clothing for refugees and soldiers alike, cement and large amounts of lumber long since exhausted in Engellex proper, iron and tin, and more controversially: avionics required to fit newly built planes and Engellexic indigenous caliber ammunition. These materials were carried aboard Yujiner merchant vessels flagged under a nation which had, to this point, held no real stake in the Occidental conflict beyond profiting from the violence. To bypass EDF threats, even some Engellexic merchant vessels bringing goods from Yujin had registered their vessels with Lianggang-based P&I clubs.

The Yujin merchant fleet may not be the lifeblood of the Engellexic war effort, but it did alleviate the pressure the average citizen on the Engellexic homefront felt, and the sheer quantity of construction materials and clothing benefited not only the troops and civilians, but Montelimaren refugees as well. Every day, up to 30,000 TEU's of materials were shipped through the Great Sea to Engellex, while other vessels delivered goods to countries like Franken, Breotonia, and even the economically unstable Scanian nations. What's more, many Yujiner vessels had since opted to sail through the Implarian Sea and avoid the hassle of the conflicts in the vicinity of the Long Sea; as such many of the captains of these ships were concerned with the increasing instability of the Great Sea.

 

[Havenshire]

Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic lads, it's a red alert
There's something here from somewhere else

The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
-99 Red Balloons, popular Pop Song by Wiesan Artist Nina


Admirality Headquarters, Westhaven

"Radar reports from Solway have arrived, sir. The Europalandian Fleet is definitely pulling back, but not all the way."
Fleet Admiral Naseby snatched the report from the woman who had brought it. He was in a foul mood, and Europaland's antics were not helping one bit. "Thank you, Signaller. You may return to your post." he rasped. Naseby had been in the Navy almost as long as there had been a People's Navy. He had started out as a Chief Petty Officer on a post-war cruiser, and had spent the next fifty years climbing the ranks through sheer bloodymindedness. Even when the Navy had recieved harsh spending cuts, he'd clung on, his loyalty to the state absolute, whoever held the chair of office.

"Where's Hawking? Still at that damn fool conference? Europaland clearly doesn't give a fig for the Laws of the Sea." he rasped. "Damned women, never did trust them."

Angela Steele, Minister of Defence and his boss, politely coughed. She was used to Naseby's ancient rumblings. She didn't take offence. The man was, despite his ancient age and hoary old prejudices, nonetheless a very useful asset and a pillar of the People's Navy. "Fleet Admiral, with all due respect, but I believe that this situation is rapidly becoming farcial. Europaland's manuevers do not threaten us, and Great Engellex knows that we have no intention of supporting the Europalandian Navy. We must allow cooler heads to prevail, rather than add further tensions."

The Conference room was packed with both Ministry officials and members of the Admiralty and Air Force, all of whom were male. Yet, above them all, a fourty-four year old woman reigned supreme. If some felt resentment or jealousy, they did not show it. Many of them had come to trust in her and her...plan for restoring the People's Republic, behind closed doors. Those who had not yet joined the Shadow Faction would be approached in due course, or trusted to follow in its wake when the time came.

"I still say we should shadow the Europan ships, perhaps with some of our submarines." said one Admiral.

"Nonsense. We should send a clear message to both by mobilising our Air force. They will be more concerned by the sight of a mass of jets on their radar screens than the possibility of a few submarines at their tail." advocated a Sky Marshall.

"Shut up, the both of you. We're not doing either of those things." Snapped Ms. Steele. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allowed this crisis to go on by its reluctance to be too harsh with Europaland. Handle them with kid gloves, is the stern instruction they have given. Well, I am going to send a much clearer and sterner message to them, one that doesn't neccesitate risking a shooting war, in our own backyard, between three or four of the world's largest navies."

She ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook, and began to scribble something on it. Finally, she folded it up, and rose from the desk. "I am going to have this telexed to Europaland's High Command directly, even if we have to hack into it with the CIB's Information warfare division. I want my counterpart in their Ministry of Defence to be the first person to read this note, and to know how serious we are."

As they began to rumble and object, she simply glared, and nodded at the Fleet Admiral. "Naseby, as most senior officer present, you have command. Try not to join World War 3."
"And what if they start it regardless of your note?" he asked.

She sighed. "You know what we will do in that eventuality."

Naseby simply nodded, grimly, his misty blue eyes reflecting a deep inner calm. If the Storm came, so be it.

 

[Danmark]

Christiansborg had sent the order that three of its frigates - Hans Danske Majestæt Skeb (HDMS) Kong Jørgen II, HDMS Stormen, and HDMS Standhaftige - were to be dispatched to the Strait of Cambria with the strict orders of observation and reportage. The Danes had been rather worried of late at the escalation of tensions on the high seas and the sharp elbows of those with inflated egos in the Long Sea, prompting it to despatch a portion of its naval forces to nearby Eiffelland to both secure its own interests those of collective Cisalpine Germania, so events unfolding in the Great Sea region were of obvious concern and curiousity. It was somewhat grateful that Touzen had convened an international conference which, the Danes hoped, would strike a lasting accord on maritime security, but agreement seemed someway off and the insecurities remained.

News of Europalandic anxiety at its own security had rung bells in Christiansborg. It had shared some of the concerns that had initially been expressed by the governing authorities in Europaland and so understood when they indicated efforts to ensure their own maritime security given a dearth of international law in this field though the Danes believed that going beyond minimum force, and then only using it as and when necessary, was rather self-defeating and needlessly stoked tensions which would be more destructive in the long run. It would sooner abide by consensus between all parties that ensured its own interests at the same time. Indeed, some felt Europa City had gone just a little too far. On top of this was a Danish preponderance with strict neutrality vis-a-vis Great Engellex, despite misgivings that it was carving its own niche over the Great Sea which Christiansborg was a little concerned by. Thus far, Dano-Engellexian relations had been kept on an even keel and Christiansborg was in no way inclined to chart a different course at this stage.

An additional measure was in the equation - trade and cordiality with the states neighbouring the Great Sea. Danmark was more interested in trade relations and fostering healthy bilateral friendship than sticking forks into others' eyes. It felt there were good opportunities for both fields. In all, it was more interested in viewing events in a position of neutrality and that was its mission. Needless to say, if it did find itself under deliberate attack, that might change the minds of those back in Christiansborg. They wouldn't take it lightly and would respond accordingly.

 

[Potenza]

Prime Minister's Office
San Salvo, Potenza

"Should I be entirely surprised to see you here, Count Guido?"

Guido della Torre turned and smiled when he saw Niccolo di Grimaldi stepping down the halls that led to the prime minister's personal office. Niccolo seemed to be in a rather particularly happy mood, though Guido wasn't sure if that was because something else was working out for him, or he was sincerely happy to see the Lord Speaker.

"Perhaps not, you are a sharp one, after all," Guido replied, leaning against his cane a bit, "congratulations on being the first delegated noble, incidentally."

"The thanks is owed to my brother," Niccolo said, "I do what I can to relieve stress from his shoulders."

Guido nodded politely. Over time he had grown to realize that Niccolo was the true mind in the Grimaldi household. Everyone respected what Duke Silvestro di Grimaldi said, but what Silvestro did was entirely affected by his younger brother. Niccolo probably had the cunning and power to convince Silvestro to step down, but for whatever reason - be it a lack of desire to hold such a title, or some other personal dilemma - he had not.

A political aide stepped forward suddenly, "Your royal highnesses? He will see you now."

The two men entered the office, one that had become very familiar to Guido after some time. Prime Minister Gaetano Merlino sat in one of the couches before his desk, while the foreign minister Franco Frattini sat in a chair beside the couch. Guido smiled and stood up, putting his hands on his belt - he had his blazer off, and therefore looked rather informal to the two noblemen:

"Ah, good, good, you two arrived. Please, have a seat. Frattini knew you two were coming. And please, feel free to speak freely in front of him."

Guido took a spot in a chair seated across from the couch, moving his good leg in such a way that it hid the stump of his other. Niccolo sat next to the prime minister on the couch, and received a nod from Frattini as he did so:

"I have to thank you, your highness. Your two articles did more to validate Potenza's stance against Europaland on the international scene than anything my ministry had done. I hope you don't mind if I admit a tinge of jealousy."

"Don't worry about it," Niccolo replied, "I didn't expect that nutty witch to reply twice. She offered us all the ammunition we needed. But enough of that. I'm sure you're all well aware of what is going on up north."

"Yes, yes," Merlino replied, "it's getting serious. I'm really worried it's going to come to blows."

"Unfortunately," Niccolo replied, "I have a feeling it will. Nordahl is delusional enough to think her mighty socialist empire will conquer all capitalist and conservative elements in the world. Plus, this might possibly earn her some allies abroad. She's in desperate need of those, you know."

"Yes," Guido said, waving his hands in a circular formation, "Nordahl's ever shrinking circle of friends..."

"Well, Engellex already knows we support her politically," Merlino said, "but I gather some of you think we should go a step more?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'a step more,'" Niccolo replied, "the fact is, Nordahl is sticking her leg in skirts it doesn't belong. That she wants to fund Montelimar movements directly north of us is troubling, and puts her into our sphere of influence. If she wins a military confrontation against Engellex, it will no doubt end any concept of 'invincibility' Engellex may have in Montelimar, and will bolster rebel sentiment. Now here's the issue, prime minister: Europaland's government is taking an ever more aggressive and expansive stance on her brand of socialism. If she wins a socialist government in Montelimar, do you think she'll stop there? She would gladly fund insurgent groups in Engellex and Potenza if she so desired. Montelimar would prove a bastion for that."

"I'm afraid he has a point," Frattini said, "Nordahl does appear overly aggressive. I wouldn't put it past her to try something like that."

Merlino sighed, "If we were talking about any other socialist country in Europe, I would think you were all being psychotic. Unfortunately, I think you're correct. There's little that it seems we can do. As you know, we can't exactly transport the Potenzan navy across a wide expanse of land, and even if we could, we could do little more than spray down the Europaland ships."

"You forget one thing," Guido said, gripping the head of his cane, "the air force."

"The air force?"

"Activate two wings - that isn't much - and offer them to Engellex. They can serve as defensive measures to permit more Engellex boys to bomb or shoot down more Europaland boys, or they can act offensively, to launch attacks against Europaland troops that draw within range. In either case, they prove a benefit. They can bolster the Engellex ranks either way."

"The Grand Duke would probably be opposed to that. Plus what would the population say?"

Guido smiled, "Ask Engellex to 'request' those wings from him. He will have to do what his Engellex masters ask. As for the population, you can simply say the air forces are to show a sign of support between our two nations. We aren't declaring war, and there's not even a guarantee that our Potenzan boys will enter combat."

"That does make more sense. Well then - Franco, do you think you can send the appropriate wires?"

"I can do that, prime minister."

"Good," Merlino smiled and rubbed his hands together, glancing from one count to another, "all right, you sons of silver, let's see where this goes."

 

[Frescania]

ARF Terrastania – Strait of Svea

Since the beginning of the Bantyr conflict, Frescania’s navy had taken position in the Strait of Svea and within Suionia to maintain coordination and cooperation with the troops in the ground. An important part of the Navy’s responsibility was to maintain the corridor between the theater and Frescania open for supplies. The navy, by following international law, had successfully done it.

However, the Europa Navy’s recent movements put a major obstacle for Admiral Mario Perez Garcia. The increasing tension between Engellex and Europaland, combine with the recent increase security in nearby nations cause many within the government to be on the alert. The last thing everyone wanted was a conflict to erupt that would not only disrupt the lives of many and trade, but also supplies from to the troops.

To Garcia, the scenario in the Great Sea was of great importance. Orders had come to be on high alert on events, but to also consult Suionian officials on possible responses. Furthermore, Engellexian cooperation would be sought while the Frescanian ministers of foreign affair and defense where in Dulwich. Until a solution was found, the Republican Navy would keep an eye on every move by the Europaland’s armed forces.

 

[Tulus and Biminis]

On-board RKS Sibelia
Bulk Carrier
Strait of Cambria

It was cold and dark. It had been raining earlier but had since ceased. The crew was sleeping, save for those on the bridge. They were on their way home from Scania after having been chartered to deliver coal to one of those war-battered countries. The journey back to Liangang where all Karakh-registered ships originated from would be a long one, even longer than usual thanks to the wires that kept coming in on the bridge. The captain was nervous as his eyes scanned over the latest report of increased military activity in the strait. Just a week and a half ago the RKS Sibelia, a medium sized bulk carrier, had passed through the tumultuous Long Sea. Order from headquarters in Almatii made it very clear that the return route would be via the longer, but supposedly safer Implarian Ocean route. Until Europaland's antics made everything more complicated.

The ship's bow plied steadily through the dark water creating a white-topped crest which reflected the moon's glow. The captain turned to his navigator and first mate. The dim glow from the ship's instrument panel was the only source of illumination.

'Send out a general radio call to all those within reach that we are passing in peace en route south. Provide them with our scheduled itinerary. Make sure our flag is clearly visible and lit.'

The captain's orders were taken with a simple nod as the navigator turned to the radio officer to dispatch the orders. The first mate had his doubts that lighting the Karakh flag waiving from the aft of the ship would be of much help. Few mariners, even those of experience, would recognise the flag of Karakhstan, it being a landlocked country. The company had chosen Karakh registry over Yujiner for one reason only: cost. There was little to no tax involved and only a small permit fee.

'Captain, perhaps we should also increase our cruising speed to ensure swift passage through the troubled waters?' the first mate suggested firmly.

The old captain's eyes continued to gaze out into the dark expanse of sea. The far-off lights of a group of ships could just be made out. Probably of one of the navies. He didn't care to get close enough to make out insignias.

'Yes, that's a fine idea. We haven't got that load of coal weighing us down now so bring her up to 18 knots and maintain that until mid-morning.'

'Aye, Captain.' the first mate disappeared as he relayed the order. The RKS Sibelia sailed on, it's captain having little idea of what lay ahead of them. Such smooth seas were eerily deceiving.

 

[Europaland]

Cabinet Meeting, Europa City

President Nordahl was increasingly alarmed at the reports of naval mobilisations by Kyiv and Breotonia. It also concerned her that the country's RDTO membership could be in jeopardy and that Havenshire, an important trading partner, had taken such a critical stance against her government. As a result she organised first a private meeting with Defence Minister Arne Isaken. Both of them came quickly to the conclusion that the mass deployment was proving counter-productive and drawing unwanted attention at a time when Europaland was keen to pursue change through more covert means.

After that she called all her party's 9 other ministers as well as the two belonging to the Green Party to meet with her personally to persuade them of the need to pull back. Half of all the navy's ships and submarines were to be sent back to their bases in Nordland and Saint-Laurent and the remaining ones would be pulled back to at least half-way between Europaland and Havenshire. She persuaded most of the ministers without difficulty except for Saida Nasri who initially complained about ”appeasement” and felt that doing so would send out a message the country was weak. Eventually, after some persuasion, Ms Nasri came round to the plan with the President convincing her that it was necessary to get rid of the naval presences of Kyiv and Breotonia if the country's aims of exporting revolution overseas were to have any chance of success.

With her Foreign Minister on board the President could now count on the votes of 13 out of the 21 members of the cabinet, herself included. The remaining 8 ministers were all from the Revolutionary Left Alliance and she considered it futile to try to win all of them over. While the President and many of her Socialist Left colleagues were themselves interventionists they were certainly not suicidal in terms of how and where they chose to get the country's military involved. The same could not be said for many in the Revolutionary Left Alliance who had been using every opportunity to persuade her to take as hardline an approach as possible. Elin Nordahl therefore saw no choice but to let most of them vote against her plan and risk splitting the government. She was counting on them staying in the coalition as they'd been out of power for 8 years and surely wouldn't give it all up again to a Centre Party-led government which was the only viable alternative.

The cabinet meeting which took place the next day was to start at 11am in a special room within Ms Nordahl's official Residence since she was the one who chaired it and officially appointed its members. The President expected the arguments between the two main parties to be fierce and was certainly not looking forward to it.

By around quarter past all of the ministers were seated. It tended to annoy the President when her ministers turned up late. In Nordland where she came from most people valued punctuality and would rarely walk in late to important business but this didn't necessarily apply to other more laid-back parts of the country. It often seemed that despite 170 years of living under the same nation the old cultural differences from one language group to another remained as large as ever.

After around 30 minutes of discussing less pressing matters the next item on the agenda came up: Europaland's deployment in the Great Sea. First the Defence Minister gave everyone an update, noting the reports and observations of naval activities by Breotonia and Kyiv and Danmark's deployment of three frigates to the region. The foreign naval presence had so far been limited and civilian shipping had continued normally but the risk of escalation in the days ahead was very real.

Next it was the President's turn to talk: ”Comrades, as we all know our naval deployment has drawn the attention of nations across Europe, most of it negative. Even key allies such as Havenshire have harshly criticised us and there's still no word from the RDTO about whether or not we're likely to be accepted. The imminent arrival of the navies of Breotonia and Kyiv poses us a real problem. While any attack is certainly unlikely it could devastate our navy and lead to massive loss of life on all sides. In light of this, and the need to divert attention away from Europaland as we continue funding various movements through our freedom fund, I have drawn up a plan which I wish be brought to a vote”.

The President then brought up some maps and diagrams through her laptop which were displayed on a large screen at the front of the room.

”As you can see I propose we pull back to behind this line between Europaland and Havenshire and that we significantly scale back in terms of the number of our naval vessels present in the Great Sea. Naturally our navy will remain in a full state of readiness and will prepare to mobilise the entire fleet should tensions flare up for a second time. I think our most important priority now is getting rid of Kyiv and Breotonia and repairing our relationship with the RDTO and other democratic states that we consider important potential allies. There is little mood for war within our country and these naval tensions seem counterproductive to our goal of helping allied groups overseas through the freedom fund. Engellex is still liable to lash out in some way as our involvement in attempts to destabilise the country become clearer but it is best that we prepare for conflict in some other way less likely to attract the attention of our enemies”.

The first minister to raise her hand was Finance Minister and Revolutionary Left Alliance leader Ida Jakobsen:

”So you think we should send the message out to all our enemies that Europaland is a push-over, that we give in to the slightest threats and military posturing from the fascist scum who want to destroy our revolution? My party can't possibly think this is a good message to send out at a time when we are threatened more than ever before. We must stand firm, deploy our entire fleet and prove to all these fools that we are force to be reckoned with on the world stage.”

The President sighed. She liked Ida Jakobsen but was fed up with some of the craziness from her and her party.

”But it's insanity for us to try to stand up to several of Europe's top naval powers all at one time, especially when we're lacking allies at the moment. If this continues we'll have the entire fleets of several major powers surround our nation and cause far worse humiliation for Europaland internationally. When even the RDTO nations refuse to defend us we're clearly in trouble. And if anything pulling back will make us appear mature and responsible before the nations we need to try to win over to our side. Engellex is drawing increasing condemnation across Europe and the last thing we want is to draw attention away from their crimes with a deployment with many consider unnecessarily belligerent and an act of warmongering.”

After an hour of bitter argument in which neither side coming round to the other's points of view the decision on the President's plan was ultimately taken with a show of hands As predicted 13 voted in favour while all of the RLA's 8 ministers voted against. While angry the party had shown no signs of reevaluating its position within the government, something which relieved the President greatly. She desperately wanted the coalition to succeed after her party's 8 years with the Centre Party in which she had felt the Socialist Left had surrendered too much of its radicalism in an attempt to appear moderate and respectable before its capitalist enemies.

The Great Sea

The navy started its second major pull-back, this one much larger than the first. Almost half of the ships and submarines were immediately ordered back to Europaland, leaving just 5 submarines, 3 frigates and 3 destroyers along with some militarily useless patrol boats. Those left retreated to at least half of the way between Europaland and Havenshire, ending the country's dominance over the shipping channel. Out of these two submarines, a frigate and a destroyer along with most of the smaller patrol boats were deployed to guard the economically vital oilfields off Nordland which no government could surely complain about Europaland wanting to protect. The question now was if other nations would follow suit or if they would continue with their own planned deployments, placing the country under renewed pressure to respond.

 

[Great Engellex]

Dulwich, the Empire of Great Engellex

Despite the suspicions of the government about Europaland’s motive, or more so the extent in which it will pursue foreign policy, the general belief in Dulwich was that war could be averted and that diplomacy would settle the quarrel between the imperial metropolis and the feminist bog. Europaland’s decision to militarise the Great Sea had been widely denounced in the Engellexic press and by politicians within the cabinet, but the Queen-Empress argued that it should not be considered an act of war.

Following an address of the House of Lords the Queen-Empress found her impression reinforced by the wisdom of the peers when she informed the cabinet later in the day that it is now given to be understood that the determination of Europaland in the Great Sea will afford a much needed and particularly favourable opportunity for negotiation. Charlotte had instructed the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maritime Trade to interview leading mercantile companies operating from Engellexic cities. They had much to lose if war were to be declared but had been convinced that they should remain confident that Europaland is unable to afford a conflict with any European Power, even Great Engellex, mainly because the finances of Dulwich maintained market confidence and that Europaland was very much an isolated banana republic. Not only would Europaland be at risk from its own social unrest that has no doubt been brewing under the façade of social-feminist harmony, but any trade embargo by Engellex would cut Europaland off from one of the largest agricultural exporters in Europe and with the extortionate prices of food presently it was certainly irresponsible.

From this point onwards the Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff and the leadership of the Royal Engellexic Navy and the Royal Engellexic Air Force took part with cabinet meetings with Europaland on the agenda; intelligence dispatches describing Engellexic and other state’s naval movements in the Great Sea and Cambrian Strait were observed regularly in meetings.

Presently Great Engellex maintained several submarine squadrons within the Great Sea, originally focused on tracking the Federation’s movements but now Europaland’s also. Even if war did not break out it was now an article of Engellexic imperial policy to contain the threat of Europalandian expansion in the Great Sea and surrounding region and, as has been demonstrated, Dulwich considered the Great Sea to be integral to the independence and prosperity of Great Engellex. However, the immediate problem to be solved was the Europalandian military presence within the Great Sea. The feminist president had ordered the move to put pressure on Engellex to bow down to the feminist agenda of Europa City but the deployments had disrupted the regional balance in favour of an irrational and hysterical regime, at least temporarily. Dulwich knew the Breotonians, and the Havenites, would be displeased by the deployment because any conflict in the area would disrupt trade within the sea, the main conduit of European trade. The theory had been accepted that Europaland was Havenshire’s natural ally, but Europa City clearly took the RDTO member state for granted, with statements leaving Westhaven demonstrating a level of suspicion toward the feminist president. Even so, it didn’t quite sooth the difficulty of Engellex’ position as the main cause of frustration was any disruption to maritime trade.

The Queen-Empress reasoned with the Northern Secretary to make hasty arrangements for a governmental meeting in Lunden which could take into consideration the questions of Europa’s idiocy before it should be resolved by one of the Powers by force of arms. The ambassador to Lunden was instructed to deliver the details for a meeting with the Foreign Secretary.

 

[Großlausitz]

Diplomatic quarters
Nürnberg

Amidst the night a shady creature put a small container in a dead drop preferably used by the communist intelligence services operating in Franken. The small box contained an encrypted USB flash drive, which in turn held an offer for the government of Europaland for support in their bid to restore Montelimarian territorial integrity. It was designed in a fashion that made sure it could not be traced back to any Franconian government agency if the sometimes overly idealistic Europalander government would decide to publish it. By extremly tacitly supporting Europaland Franken hoped to cause just enough irritation for Engellex to make them regret marching into Montelimar.

 

[Breotonia]

Naval Communication Service
Encryption Code: RED
Classification: SECRET
Public Key: file/cryptum/

135019Z FEBRUARY 2012
From: FOREIGN OFFICE > FOREIGN SECRETARY MATTHEW STEEL
To: ENGELLEXIC EMBASSY LUNDEN > BARON HUSSEY
Subject: GREAT SEA SITUATION

A conference can be convened at your pleasure.