WA National News

Isauria, Honorias: In accordance with instructions from the Royal Household and the Council of High Commanders, Honorian forces have begun to push into the southern reaches of the Median Desert to root out terrorist enclaves and bases in the area. The Duchy of Columbia has also mobilized to support the Honorian advance, sending ground units into combat zones while tasking its modest naval forces with supply and logistical roles in the Columbian Sea. This military action is a response to Duke Michael Orlov’s personal request to High Queen Meridia Kaltra-Desere Thermala to come to the aid of his Duchy against desert raiders that once plagued the borders of the Crownlands, but have chosen to seek easier targets in recent years.

Initial reports from the front were sparse, but satellite imagery has already demonstrated that the advance was swift and virtually uncontested. Three massive blast areas visible to the satellite cameras denote the former location of raider communities; now they are erased. Whether or not these are the particular groups responsible for terrorizing the Crownlands in the past or the Duchy of Columbia more recently is impossible to say, but a major from the Royal Guard has expressed plenty of satisfaction at the destruction regardless: “Whether they were attacking Honorias, the stranded Eurussians, or even other Medians, we can be sure that the balance of lives saved by this assault far outweighs the number that’s gone up in smoke.”


The Royal Guard initially advanced in a southeastward direction from Honorias’s eastern borders, in coordination with Gaivarvaran Levies called up yesterday in order to capture the shores of the Olympian Channel and fully establish Honorian control over this vulnerable avenue into the heart of the Crownlands. Regular Royal Guard forces entering the desert were immediately put to work establishing new permanent bases and observation posts to solidify Honorian control over the area. These bases will not only pacify these acquisitions as the latest additions to the Gaivarvara, but will act as staging posts for future retaliatory attacks into the heart of the Median Desert if it becomes necessary.

In addition to seizing desert territory, and again in conjunction with the Gaivarvaran Levies moving south toward the mouth of the Olympian Channel, Honorian support units have moved to take those territories stretching between Huperzia and the Median Desert in order to secure supply routes into the combat zone. Simultaneously, Columbian forces have pushed westward from the Duchy’s borders to quickly capture ports and docking facilities along the Olympian coastline, thereby assuring that supplies could be brought closer to the combat zone by sea. This is especially important for Columbian forces, as certain dregs of the Eurussian navy that had remained in port at Kaldwin throughout the silence of the homeland have now returned to service in support of Columbian ground troops. It is unclear what will happen to these territories at the conclusion of the operation, as neither Isauria nor Proventia have released statements claiming them for the Crownlands or the Duchy of Columbia, but given the importance of resupply to the newly-established bases in the desert, it is almost impossible to imagine these ports and the roads leading out of them returning to local control.


Despite the apparent ease of the joint Honorian-Columbian advance, however, there have been several tragedies reported, especially among Columbian forces in the Median Desert. At least three brigades have been lost to unusually-high resistance in the eastern portions of the combat zone; these areas of resistance were immediately targeted and destroyed by the Honorian Air Guard before more damage could be done. In Proventia, Duke Michael Orlov has called for an official period of mourning across the Duchy, and released a statement lamenting the necessity of these sacrifices. “These young men signed on to serve their Empress in far-away lands,” the statement reads in part. “While they perhaps thought it poor fortune to find themselves in Olympia on the Day of Silence, their loss was the Duchy’s gain, and it was to their eternal credit that they continued to serve the subjects of Eurussia long after Eurussia herself ceased to fly her flag. We will forever remember the good they have done for Columbia and its people.”

The statement concludes with assurances that any gap in the Duchy’s defenses as a result of these losses can be made up through increased recruitment of the local Columbian population and the aid of our Crowns.

* * *

IN OTHER NEWS:

Royal Household: Glowing Rocks Cause Confusion, Fixation, (Hopefully) Temporary Insanity

Eurussian “Day of Silence” Nearly a Third of a Year On: What We Still Don’t Know

President Waltz signs Military Bill into Law.
Today President Waltz has signed a much awaited military bill into law. The 2017 Military Modernization Act is a follow on to the 2015 bill of the same name. The bill has been stalled in recent weeks due to the political crisis with former President Hammond. The bill passed with a vote of 79-21; with all major parties voting in favor of the bill.

The main points in the bill are the purchases of 18 more F35 (bringing the total to 48), purchase of 3 Ocean Class LSD, purchases of 5 total Kraken Class Destyoer, as well as many other smaller budget items.

The entire bill is not without protractors though. General Mark Hanson, General of the Army, has stated, "Yes it is great to see that the military will be reinforced, but the army is being left behind. We are allocated only 17% of the total budget in the bill for this years and FY18."

General Hanson is correct in that the Army is getting the smallest part of the bill, but many major Programs are being funded. Such as improved infantry weapons, New body Armour, and replacement of M81 Camo by Multicam Variants.

Military Modernization Projects:

Kraken Class DestroyerReplacement for the Chandler MK2 Class. 1 Active, 4 more planned.

Ocean Class LSD:Handard Class Replacement. 3 under construction.

The New Camo Pattern used by the Military. Will completely replace other types in use.
Togana National Military Factbook

The bill also funds the improvements to many military bases including a new Defence Headquarters Building in the capitol and multiple bases in the Huperzian Islands chain. Even though the expansion has caused some alarm in other nations.

As the people of Carolina, and by extension the World Alliance, know, Carolina carries influence. However, for years the people have felt that the small size of the country don't adequately relay this influence.

As a result, President McKnight announced yesterday his intention to greatly expand the territory of the nation; specifically to the open hills and mountains in the north. This would not only provide ample resources for the country, but also allow for the population to comfortably grow for the foreseeable future. Other benefits of this expansion would include a much larger coastline, bringing promise to the important tourist industry.

Here is a map of the projected planned expansion:

We will keep you updated on these developments.

The Grimaldi Cascade
Government broadcasts fill the nations radio waves warning the public of several escaped clowns that had fled the "zoo" after a suspected act of sabotage. The prime suspect are the Tureag, as they would be the only ones with the capability to pierce the nearly impenetrable clown habitats with their stolen poly-acid explosives.


"Relatively docile clowns posing for a picture."

The Head of Security Anton Honwieilk warns the people...
"Don't underestimate the clowns comrades. There out and ready for distasteful pranking. Lest we forget the horrors of the last Clownpocalypse brought on by the Space Wizards Federation. These clowns needed time to integrate into society, several CR (Clown Retrieval) teams have mobilized, stay indoors if you wish to not be robusted."

Plans are underway for a more secure and relatively safe location for clown rehabilitation and integration. Several civilian ships where secured by the police force to transport hundreds of thousands of un-rehabilitated clowns to their new place of residence.


"Police Convoy transporting "Dangerous" Clowns"

Their destination is Bananium island, a previously uninhabited frozen hellscape. Expected loss of life is great. The head of the operation Guy Maynez reassures the public...
"We are going to give them homes, food, and supplies. I assure you all this is not any less humane then keeping them locked in the "zoo". This is for both our safety and theirs."


"Bananium Island - Maximum Security Environment"

In Other News...

"Many government officials denounce Toganian Military Action."
"Boda sales still at all time high!"

For centuries, the diverse peoples of the Federation have been expanding south and west after the conquest of the Great Isles in the early days of the Federation.  It is wholeheartedly believed by the Serenarean peoples that the Federation will undeniably settle and conquer the entire continent of Mnemosyne.  Part of the Serenarean Manifest Destiny has been realized today with the incorporation of newly southern territories after a long negotiation with the native people.  Through the treaty, the Federation has gained control to the vital Mnemosynean Strait and access to the East Beylovian Sea.  



The Federal Senate has approved the military actions take by His Majesty, Junkin III on the failed state of Kin Jidai, the nation west of the Federation's most western island, Croux.  Due to the strategic importance of the newly acquired eastern island, His Excellence, Junkin III had ordered the Federal Navy to blockade the island to stop the rampant piracy on western trade routes by pirate gangs based in Kin Jidai.  Today, after the Senate's approval, His Majesty occupied and annexed the failed state to bring peace and order to the Kin Jidai people.

2nd Fleet on the move.
Military enthusiasts have noticed that the second fleet has left it home port today and has headed to the East. When asked about the move the military has stated it is a standard military exercise.

News Today was able to get ahold of classified documents stating the intended purpose of the mission. "The Second Fleet has been ordered to the Gibraltar Sea as a preventive means. They are to remain on station for an unknown amount of time." The fleet also has a naval air arm and submarine task force attached as well. One Servia Class and on Los Alamos Class submarines are involved.

Many believe this is due to the recent threat made by Honorias. Quote "I think you can appreciate what Honorias is capable of doing if you choose to ignore these options and continue to threaten our national security so callously.” Many in the military circles have taken this as a direct threat to regional security. Hence they have started to prepare for any eventuality.

Attack on regional capital

Mosnarf,Snarfia

At 10:50 local time. A bomb exploded at the goverment building in the regional capital of Bagango.



After emergency services responded and arrived at the scene. The police got calls about 5 persons firing guns at a marketplace. Police responded with the Quick reaction intevention forces of the police.

While a Bell Huey dropped 6 Special arrest officers at the market. Several armoured vehicles blocked off the market.

Despide the officer being granted full autorisation to shoot on sight. 2 terrorist got arrested when incapacitated by Tasers of a new prototype weapon



The terrorist were of Shahrani orgin. Investigation is still ongoing.

Isauria, Honorias: As matters finally begin to settle in the Huzperian Sea, High Queen Meridia Kaltra-Desere Thermala has turned her attention to recent organizational matters that remain outstanding due to the sudden outbreak of war with the Republic of Togana. Most specifically, the High Queen, in conjunction with the Council of High Commanders and the most prominent field commanders of the Honorian military, released to the press and the Honorian public the initial shape of the Crownlands’ borders since the unprecedented period of expansion begun just over a week ago. The Royal Household’s statement includes information about who will oversee these new territories on High Queen Meridia’s behalf, with some surprising names making the top of the list.


The Royal Household has made clear that Honorian security requires Honorian control over both shores of the Olympian Channel; the recent fighting with Togana, which involved more than twenty-four hours of bombardment against the Huzperian Islands from positions on the southern shore of the Olympian mainland, underline just how important that territory really is to Honorian defensive and offensive capabilities. Given the violence already done and the danger of more violence in the future, either from Togana or other parties, High Queen Meridia’s original intention to cede direct control to those who would be willing to rule under her authority had to be abandoned. The High Queen has therefore assigned all of the new territory west of the Channel and the majority of the eastern conquests currently under the Gaivarvaran Levies’ control to the Gaivarvara, to be ruled by the Council of High Commanders. Lord Commander Tolireo in particular now possesses extensive new properties at the new borders to the west, the south coast of Olympia and both banks of the Channel, and a swath of territory on the border with Huperzia. The Lord Commander therefore rules the most security-sensitive areas within the Crownlands, and it is clear that he was chosen for this role specifically to maintain the security of the country in the event of another conflict now or in the future.


High Queen Meridia acknowledged that her decisions had been made with security foremost on her mind. “My husband is a capable warrior,” she said, “and while I am confident in the abilities of every one of my High Commanders, I trust no one more than Lord Commander Tolireo Hermatta Dul-Thermala. Should any threat return to these shores, I know the mettle of the man I have entrusted to drive it back into the sea.”

As so many extensive tracts have fallen under the Lord Commander’s immediate control, there were few other territories to be assigned to any of the other High Commanders, and no additional High Commanders could be named to the Council as a result. High Queen Meridia acknowledged the disappointment that many men among the higher echelon of the armed forces, especially those who had just fought a war on her behalf, were due to feel upon learning that their time had not yet come. “I have assigned these lands to the best of my ability to ensure the safety and security of the Crowns and the Olympian continent,” the High Queen insisted. “But this is a time of danger for our country, and our security is threatened in ways that it has never been before, and will hopefully never be again. I cannot promise that these lands will revert in my lifetime, but I can assure the men of the Honorian armed forces, to whom we owe so much today, that these lands will not remain locked in the Lord Commander’s hands forever.

“This is a matter on which my husband and I agree wholeheartedly,” she added.

The most surprising term of the new assignments, however, is that not all of the land currently under Honorian control has been assigned to the Second Crown. Much of the territory held in the southeast will instead be ruled directly by Duke Michael Orlov to be incorporated into the Duchy of Columbia, whose military forces took part in the necessary conquest of this territory as well as the recent fighting with Togana. Readers will remember that Honorias’s expansion took place at Duke Michael’s request, in order to protect the Duchy from raiders and terrorists in the Median Desert that had formerly been a cause for concern in eastern Honorias. High Queen Meridia assured her people that this was not a matter of charity. “His Excellency has already agreed to rule these lands in my name, and on behalf of the people of Honorias,” she explained. “Assigning these lands to Columbia is a necessary convenience, rather than a slight against any of our valiant High Commanders. Duke Michael will utilize the infrastructure of Columbia to ensure that these areas are developed to their full potential, as we in Honorias cannot.”


In addition to the land now under the purview of the Duchy of Columbia, High Queen Meridia reiterated that Honorian forces would soon arrive in the Duchy to maintain order, if necessary, in the absence of the large number of former-Eurussian troops lost in the Median Desert by unknown means. “We will do all that we can to ensure a strong and productive partnership,” the High Queen said. “The Duchy of Columbia is a neighbor, and a favored ally, of the Crowns of Honorias and the Gaivarvara.”

* * *

IN OTHER NEWS:

World Alliance Supreme Court to Rule Shortly

Eslanian Reconstruction Efforts Begin

OOC:

I was in the middle of typing this when Shockwave posted the verdict on the case, so that’ll come in my next international news.

The Republic of Chivalry would like to announce the addition to Their United Kingdoms.
This is the new Territory, within the next few weeks The current government will be adapted to the Colony form of the Republic government. They have become the 13th colony of the Republic of Chivalry.

Isauria, Honorias: In the time since the Supreme Court of the World Alliance clearly judged the Crowns of Honorias and the Gaivarvara at fault for what Honorian media has come to call the ‘Huperzian War,’ High Queen Meridia Kaltra-Desere Thermala has been rarely seen by the public or the media. Initial rumors that the matriarchs of the High Clans had seen fit to depose her, however, were proven false this afternoon when the High Queen, accompanied by Lord Commander Tolireo Hermatta Dul-Thermala and representatives from the High Clans and the Council of High Commanders, revealed themselves to the press to announce several changes in Honorian policy, which are to be implemented “immediately and without delay,” in the words of the High Queen.


“Over the past two months, since my election as High Queen, we have reached out to many nations throughout the world in the hopes of maintaining peace and stability by diplomatic means,” High Queen Meridia said. “In that time, we have successfully hosted the leaders or representatives of eight World Alliance member nations, been elected to the Security Council, and have done our absolute utmost to balance the needs of our nation with those of the international community as a whole. We believed, with reason, that our relationship with the World Alliance would bring benefits to all of us together.

“And in that hope we were completely and utterly betrayed.”

The Huperzian War with the Republic of Togana began as a diplomatic concern by the Honorian Crowns, which sent several communications with the chaotic and unstable government of Togana to peacefully discuss the Republic’s unnecessary plans to militarize the Huperzian Islands, which cast a threatening shadow over Honorian shipping as well as the entire Olympian Channel. After weeks of waiting while the Toganans slowly put their tattered government back together, the new president, Alvin Waltz, finally agreed to send representatives to the Olympia WA Neutral Territory to meet with Honorian delegates to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this question. Those talks broke down almost immediately, however, when the Toganan delegation was caught in an obvious lie, and thereafter refused to request international oversight for their activities to ease Honorian concerns about their true intentions. As a result, the Royal Household sent a request to the government of the Federation of Shockwave, President of the World Alliance, to seek international arbitration for the matter; Shockwave’s representatives complied with the request, but President Waltz of Togana ignored the newly-opened case in favor of sending Togana’s forces to the Huperzian Islands regardless of Honorian and international concerns. Honorias responded with a bombardment to destroy the military installations already present on the islands, in order to damage Togana’s ability to harm the Crownlands when their reinforcements arrived.


The resulting day-long war caused relatively impressive damage to the Huperzian Islands, especially their military facilities and infrastructure, but also prompted Togana to launch an airstrike against military installations in the Archduchy of Eslania. While Honorias’s small navy awaited the arrival of two much larger Toganan fleets in the Huperzian Sea, however, the Imperial Republic of Vitami declared that it would forcibly separate the combatants, sending three fleets to surround and guard the Huperzian Islands and deny access to both parties, while the Federation of Serenarea delayed the arrival of the second Toganan fleet to the Gibraltar Sea until after a ceasefire could be agreed through the efforts of the Supreme Court and the Federation of Shockwave, whose representative acted as the presiding judge.

Honorian spirits, especially among the High Clans, were high upon learning that the Republic of Togana had finally heeded the order of the Supreme Court to maintain the status quo. The jubilance was short-lived, however, as the presiding judge of the case, Shockwavean Representative Elliot Hanson, delivered a ruling that not only punished Honorias far in excess of the punishment delivered to Togana, but furthermore failed to even address the original Honorian concern of shipping and travel security that had brought the case to court in the first place. Representative Hanson’s amended ruling has since guaranteed the safety of Honorian shores and shipping, but it has not erased the horror that Honorians throughout the Crownlands have felt not just about this single verdict, but about what it means for Honorias’s relationship with the international community.

“We are alone,” said High Queen Meridia today. “We must never forget that again. Friends and allies today will not always stand by us tomorrow. Our trust in due process, and in the World Alliance’s ability to separate truth from lies, has been totally broken.”

What this means in practice, though, is somewhat contradictory. The High Queen confirmed that Honorias will not be breaking its existing alliances with the Duchy of Columbia or the Ravenholm Empire, which includes in the latter case a betrothal between the High Queen’s daughter Oriea Enesa-Meridia and the Ravenholmer Emperor’s grandson, Prince Constantine Blackmore. “We will honor those agreements as well as we can,” the High Queen said, further elaborating that she has received a message from the Ravenholm Empire and learned that a terrorist attack by a domestic republican movement had caused their communications blackout during the vital days of tension and war with the Republic of Togana. “It should be every Honorian’s intention to see my daughter rise to the throne of three nations upon the deaths of her predecessors: Honorias, Eslania, and Ravenholm; it should equally be in the interest of every Ravenholmer to see to Prince Constantine’s elevation in a similar manner. Only by honoring our commitments with Ravenholm will we see this glorious event occur.”

The High Queen added, “There are other offers on the table. We have learned a great deal about our neighbors in the past few days, and we believe that that knowledge will aid us in the future when making decisions about international partnerships.”


The international possibilities are more optimistic than an outside observer might assume, therefore, but High Queen Meridia warned the people of Honorias that nothing outside of their state’s own boundaries could be trusted anymore. “While your government conducts negotiations that we will hopefully never truly need, it will be the duty of every Honorian to build a nation that is entirely self-sufficient and capable of defending itself against any foe, no matter its form, no matter its source, and no matter its power. We will not and we cannot stop until we have created a nation that could stand against the whole World Alliance and stand undaunted in the aftermath. That duty falls to all of us.”

To that end, High Queen Meridia has announced a massive rearmament program utilizing the majority of Honorian heavy industries and the vast majority of the nation’s raw materials. Much more material will, of course, be appropriated from the Gaivarvara, whose newly-enlarged form has already attracted the interest of industrial and military leaders who are rightfully interested in the resources and manpower the new territories can provide. Existing Gaivarvaran lands will continue to provide the resources they have always done, of course, and the people living in the new territories will join the Levies provided by the old in due time. The High Queen made a particular effort to assure the people of Honorias that the usual Honorian policy toward the Gaivarvara had yet to change: “The High Commanders will rule as they wish, provided that the Royal Household’s needs, and the nation’s, are met without delay.”


It will not be an easy process, as the High Queen reminded the public today. “This is not a matter of simply making up the numbers,” she said. “No multitude of rifles will bring us victory against the long-range bombers wielded by our enemies”—a reminder of the airstrike carried out against the Duchy of Eslania by a Toganan intercontinental bomber—“and whole fleets can sink at the hands of a few well-designed boats, planes, and missiles. We will require the technology of our friends and acquaintances abroad, and we will provide them with whatever returns they desire in order to fulfill our debt, but we will never again allow ourselves to fight an enemy abroad while trapped within our own borders because of our limited reach. We will obtain the technology and the tools we need to set this right.”

And the most important provider of that kind of material, the High Queen said, will be the Duchy of Columbia. “We will be forced to rely on our new partner, Duke Michael, to ensure that we are provided with the state-of-the-art material we need to reinforce our isolated position in the World Alliance,” High Queen Meridia said. “His Excellency, of course, has relations scattered among the territories of Eurussia, and those relations are well aware of the protection that Duke Michael and the Duchy of Columbia have found under Honorias’s wing. They will be encouraged to come here as swiftly as they can. And they will be highly encouraged to arrive with whatever relics of the Eurussian state they can obtain.” Ironically, the Honorian representative to the Security Council, Dovali Trila-Nulai Senrida, was charged with authoring a well-supported proposal to assign Moscow to the Security Council’s jurisdiction to prevent the capital of the late Empire from becoming the target of international scavengers. The High Queen acknowledged the point: “We were aware of the threat because we ourselves were part of it. We acted to ensure that the international government, based in Moscow, was not unduly affected by the scramble for Eurussian scraps. Our current lack of faith with the Security Council and the international community notwithstanding, we do believe that our proposal will ensure the safety of the people of Moscow. They will certainly not be harmed by Honorian efforts to claim some of the technology and economic stimuli that brought Eurussia such great success.”

When questioned about relying on the efforts of the Duke of Columbia when rejecting the trust of other partners, High Queen Meridia clarified her position further: “Duke Michael relies on Honorias for his own safety and the security of his Duchy. He is not unaware of this, and was fully informed of what would be required of him in order to maintain that safety and security in future.

“To put it bluntly, the Duke has bent the knee to the Honorian Crowns.”

And the Eurussian bureaucracy that might have objected to this, the High Queen added, “has been swept away with the rest of its state.”

* * *

IN OTHER NEWS:

Security Council Decision on Moscow Neutral Territory Imminent

Poll: Does the World Alliance Value Justice?