Forcible Unity

[Stedoria]

ELECTION CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF

Election campaigns and bids have officially begun for the office of State President of Gadutea, with elections being set to be held on May 2nd, 2022. All major parties have set off in the race for the position, with the Gadutean Regional Branch of the Dolchic Socialist Gemotam Party (DRF-FTG) aiming to retain the State Presidency under another term by State President Valentin Blücher, whilst the opposition from all sides of the political spectrum, from left, to centre, to right, hoping to finally break over a decade of gemotamist rule in Gadutea and finally return the DRF-FTG to the opposition.

Though election manifestos have not been released by each other parties, promises and goals have already been made by virtually all candidates. Der Morthal will briefly go over some promises made by candidates, what they could mean, and any unprecedented changes or moves within this year's election-cycle,

Incumbent State President Blücher and the Gemotam Party have so far pledged to "continue leading the country in its current path". Whilst promises have been vague, this presumably means that Blücher and the gemotamists will continue to seek further integration and expansion of relations with Stedoria's quasi-authoritarian gemotamist government, as prescribed by gemotamists self-proclaimed "pan-Dolchic" values.

Experts have raised concerns that closer ties with Stedoria could lead to what they call "further democratic backsliding for Gadutea". Stedoria's government has recently expanded relations with @DPR Velaheria's ruthless and totalitarian government, who, along with Stedoria, have supported Dolch ultranationalists after the outbreak of civil war within @Baltica, with Dolch forces being responsible for renewed violence, war crimes, and crimes against humanity within Baltica against ethnic minorities.

Most significant however, are Blücher's promises to withdrawal Gadutea from and revoke the Treaty of Tenby, signed 1971, which was responsible for the creation of the Free State of Gadutea—Gadutea in its present day form, and to remove all foreign military presence from the island, which has stayed within Gadutea to prevent Stedorian incursions.

Withdrawal from the Treaty of Tenby would be unprecedented, say political experts, and could send the country into a political crisis. Blücher has continued to claim however that withdrawal from the treaty would simply establish Gadutea as a fully independent, neutral state, free to pursue its own destiny democratically, though opposition parliamentarians have criticised this decision as populistic pandering to nationalists.

In an unprecedented political move by the opposition, a grand pro-democracy alliance, Democracy!, has been formed by major opposition parties including the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Free Liberals, all of whom have cited the Gemotam Party's decade-long rule as motivation to form the provisional alliance. Though the parties have little in common, their leaders still remain confident that they will oust Blücher and his gemotamists.

Democracy!'s leader, however, has already been chosen, with Christian Democrat leader Volkhardt Isenhour being chosen to lead the coalition. An experienced lawyer and legislator, all parties within Democracy! have expressed their approval of Isenhour's appointment, showing the coalition's apparent unity, though this remains to be seen until the election.

Isenhour's promises include the continuation of the Treaty of Tenby by proposing a constitutional amendment to cement the treaty into Gaudtea's constitution. Experts state that, should this occur, any future planned withdrawal by the Gemotam Party would become almost impossible.

Also included within Isenhour's promises is further economic liberalisation, claiming that the Gemotam Party's policies are hostile to businesses, which in tern have decreased economic investment into the island. Economists claim that this process of further economic liberalisation will have beneficial long-term effects on Gadutea's economy.

The left-wing to far-left Socialist Revival Party under Janina Höß has pledge to establish a path towards a socialist society with Gadutea, reorienting Gadutea's economy in line with what it refers to as a "socialist market economy", along with further redistribution of wealth.

Höß and her party have remained ambiguous regarding Blücher's statement on the Treaty of Tenby, stating that the party would support a referendum on the matter, accepting any resulting from it, though it is believed that the party leans more in favour towards a withdrawal from the treaty.

The far-right Citizens' Initiative Party under Kajetan Scherrer have remained vaguely populistic in both economic and foreign policy, but have generally supported both policies made by Blücher's government in terms of nationalisations and closer foreign relations with Stedoria, with the party originally playing a role in coalition governments led by the Gemotam Party.

Scherrer has come out in support of Blücher's statements regarding the Treaty of Tenby, stating that the treaty as akin to being a "puppet state of @Seylosian and @Delamarian political elites", and that for Gadutea to achieve "true independence", the country must first rid itself of the treaty.

Opinion polls are currently sharply divided between the Gemotam Party under Blücher and the newly-formed Democracy! under Isenhour, with both parties remaining in each other's margin of error. With this being the case, campaigning prior to the election on May 2nd will be crucial in winning the election.

The editorial staff at Der Morthal would like to express its support for Democracy! in the upcoming election; Blücher's gemotamists have become increasingly anti-democratic in recent times. Gadutea, and the entire wurld, must remember that those who enjoy democracy often do not realise its benefits until they have already been lost.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Orioni
spelling (see edit history)

[Stedoria]

Valentin Blücher - Outgoing State President of Gadutea
Stefan Klügmann - Speaker of Parliament

May 4th, 2022 (03.05.2022)

Valentin Blücher slammed Der Morthal's latest paper on the desk once more after reading it, the headline: "BLÜCHER'S LEAVING". The votes had already been cast on the 2nd and then counted on the 3rd. The result was a narrow victory for Volkhardt Isenhour's self-proclaimed pro-democracy coalition, receiving 34% of the vote, whilst Blücher's Gemotamists received 32%. Thanks to Gadutea's election system, only a plurality is required for a State President to be elected, something that Blücher and the Gemotam Party took advantage of on numerous occasions, though now finally Blücher was getting a taste of his own medicine. That doesn't mean, however, that Valentin was going to accept it.

Valentin picked up the phone and started dialing; he already had a plan, but he needed to get its instructions out. He needed to speak to Stefan Klügmann, the speaker of the Gadutean parliament and high-ranking Gemotam party member alongside Valentin. Just as it seemed that the phone was about to forward to voicemail, the line picked up.

"Stefan, do you see this shit?" said Valentin, not even giving time for Stefan to say a hello, gesturing with his hand toward the paper even though Stefan couldn't actually see him or the paper."I was told multiple times that we were safe; that we would win without any problems! What the hell is this?" Valentin was livid, to say the least, whilst polls did predict a close race between the Gemotam Party and Democracy! coalition, much of the Gemotam Party leadership were confident that they would win another term. The loss came as a shock to much of the party.

"Calm yourself, Valentin, we can't change the past, but we can certainly change the future. I'm already planning ways we hamper that bastard Isenhour's coalition. They're only held together by their dislike for us; a few blows and their coalition should collapse. Whilst we still have our parliamentary majority, we can't simply impeach him; the Supreme Court will overturn it if we try without any valid reasons; besides, the Chief Justice, Engelbert Eßig, has sympathies towards Isenhour's lot. I'm already planning to have the party officially challenge the election result with international election observers. If we can damage the election's integrity, then we've already gotten a head start against Isenhour. Don't forget, Isenhour's 'inauguration' isn't until the 23rd; we have a lot of time to stop him." Stefan responded calmly. As soon as he heard that the election had been called for Isenhour, he had started planning ways to stop him, either by stopping the election's validity itself or by hampering Isenhour and his coalition until and after his inauguration. None of his plans included any violent means however, something that Valentin was sure to advocate for, though Stefan realised that it could be potentially needed in the case that his plans didn't work.

"Good, but it still isn't enough. Prepare to mobilise the Party's paramilitary, the Self-Defence League. Don't have them do anything yet, however. Should your more peaceful ideas not work, we need a fallback; the Self-Defence League needs to cause chaos and unrest the moment Isenhour is inauguarated. Anything that can be done to destabilise him, we must do. Refuse any proposed legislation by his coalition, the more he fights with parliament, the easier it'll be to find justification to remove him. Get in contact with a high up in the Gendarmerie, Diätmar Florabel. I know him well, he's a gemotamist and we can trust him. He can sway the Gendarmerie's commander, Antonin Mangold, towards us. I'm not saying we need the Gendarmerie's support behind us for this, but we can't take any risks here. I'm sure you know that."

"Very well, I'll do that too. However, we must only use your options if all other non-violent options fail; violence could have the opposite effect: instead of dividing Isenhour's coalition, it'll just serve to strengthen them and bring them closer. Even if we're forced to use violence, we'll still be taking a gamble." Stefan replied. If Isenhour's coalition was brought further together through any violent actions by paramilitaries, then any actions against him would be much harder. Further strength in the coalition could also result in more support for Democracy!, meaning that even if the Gemotam Party's actions to hinder or oust Isenhour were successful, the fallout from the public could be disastrous.

"I know, but it's one that'll be in our favour. Anyways, our ideas seem like enough to stop Isenhour in any case. If you have any further ideas, or if anything isn't going to plan, tell me immediately. We still have lots of time to react to this; the real work will start after the swearing-in of Isenhour. We'll talk more later." Valentin replied, hanging up almost before Stefan could eke out a goodbye; Valentin was always an individual prone to rushing, one of the main reasons he didn't fear resorting to violence and authoritarian governance if he saw a political benefit to it. Valentin smirked to himself; the election was simply a battle that he and his party had lost. The real "war" hadn't even begun yet.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Stedoria (see edit history)

[Stedoria]

Volkhardt Isenhour - Gadutea's incoming democratic State President
Engelbert Eßig - Chief of Gadutea's Supreme Court

June 30th, 2022 (30.06.2022)

The chamber of the National Assembly of Gadutea, located within Gadutea's capital, Päskar-on-Morthal, was much quieter than expected, especially considering the imminent oath and swearing in of Volkhardt Isenhour as the new State President of the Free State of Gadutea. The chamber was only filled with members, supporters, and parliamentarians of his democratic alliance, along with a modest amount of foreign representatives, mainly diplomatic bureaucrats and attachés from the Ceriser states, Seylos, and Delamaria. The losing Gemotam Party, and its leader and now outgoing premier Valentin Blücher, had been surprisingly quiet rhetorically, something that Isenhour hadn't expected, with the Gemotamist and Blücher's only announcement being that they wouldn't attend Isenhour's official swearing in, a first in Gadutean politics, and an obvious sign of the former's hostility at the latter's victory; even the Assembly's speaker, Stefan Klügmann, was absent. Far-right and far-left representatives were also absent, despite both blocs not announcing their intention to do so, something that Isenhour partially expected, yet, at the same time, didn't. Nevertheless, Isenhour's pride nor confidence were damaged; he knew that, whilst the first few months of State President would bring immense difficulty, Gadutea was about to be in much better and more respectable hands.

Though having been quiet in their announcements, the Gemotam Party hadn't remain this way within Gadutea's courts. Immediately after the election, the Gemotam Party demanded multiple recounts of all ballots to ensure the election's integrity, something that had been refused by the Supreme Court of Gadutea. Furthermore, the Gemotam Party had launched multiple and continuous legal complaints and lawsuits against Isenhour's democratic alliance, the national elections commission, and even Isenhour himself. These, however, proved to be fruitless for the Gemotam Party; virtually all legal complaints had been thrown out by the time of the swearing-in ceremony, with the only real "accomplishment" being made by the Gemotam Party with these complaints was jamming up Gadutea's already-strained legal and court system, and issue that had persisted within Gadutea since the free state was established.

Upon finishing brief handshakes and greetings with his parliamentarians and foreign representatives, Isenhour made his way to the front of the chamber where the lectern was located, the typical spot in which the swearing in ceremony for the new State President would take place. Isenhour stopped a meter away from Engelbert Eßig, the Chief of Gadutea's Supreme Court, and someone whom Isenhour knew he could place his trust in. Unlike much of the other judiciary, which had been replaced by Gemotamist-sympathetic individuals, Eßig had been appointed by the previous and more liberal-democratic minded government before the Gemotamists' gradual yet quick rise to power. Much of Eßig's time after this had been spent fighting with the Gemotamist-led legislature and executive; owing to the lack of term limits and methods to remove a Supreme Court Chief, the Gemotamists had to stick with Eßig, waiting for his eventual death; something that, fortunately for Isenhour, still hadn't come. This had made him a target for assassination, presumably by the Gemotam Party's paramilitary, the Self-Defence League, on more than one occasion, with authorities never investigating these attempts seriously under the Gemotam Party's rule.

The two faced each other; though Eßig's face remained serious for the ceremony, Isenhour couldn't help but detect a hint of relief from the chief judge, apparently happy that the Gemotamists would no longer be a thorn in his side for the time being. Eßig held a copy of the Gadutean Constitution and the Treaty of Tenby, the two things that the Gemotamists despised the most. Isenhour place his left hand upon the consitution and the treaty, and prepared to take the oath, something that Blücher had always refused to swear during the swearing-in ceremony; being solely a ceremonial procedure, he was always able to get away with it without incident or problem.

"Volkhardt Isenhour, raise your right hand and start the oath when you are ready." Eßig said, his voice serious, with it echoing throughout the chamber for all to hear. Isenhour confidently raised his right hand in the traditional oath-taking manner and started to loudly recite the oath he had memorised for the chamber to hear.

"I, Volkhardt Isenhour, citizen of the Free State of Gadutea and president-elect, swear, with full confidence and truth, to respect and uphold the laws of the Free State of Gadutea, to uphold and respect the constitution of the Free State of Gadutea, and to uphold and respect the Treaty of Tenby until I am no longer in my office or until my death. I swear to respect democratic values and to uphold the democratic institutions of the Free State of Gadutea, or give my life in doing so; so help me God." Isenhour finished the oath pridefully. He knew that today was just the start of a democratic, safer Gadutea.

"Volkhardt Isenhour, I, through the powers vested to me within the constitution and by the law of the Free State, grant upon you the office and title of State President of the Free State of Gadutea, free to lead us into a better futu-"

BOOM

An explosion; then darkness. A safe Gadutea was still far away.

Edited July 4, 2022 by Stedoria (see edit history)

[Stedoria]

31.06.2022
ATTACK ON PARLIAMENT BY STEDORIAN-BACKED TERRORISTS

The inauguration of newly elected democratic State-President Volkhardt Isenhour, taking place within the National Assembly chamber in the capital, Päskar-on-Morthal, was unexpectedly yet barbarically cut short yesterday by a devastating terrorist attack at the hands of a bomb placed within the National Assembly chamber. According to first response and rescue crews which rushed to the scene immediately following the bombing, State-President Isenhour, taking the traditional oath to the constitution prior to the attack, suffered only minor injuries; Chief Justice Engelbert Eßig was also unscathed by the attack. Seven newly elected lawmakers, all of whom were elected to Isenhour's alliance, are confirmed dead in the attack. Twelve other lawmakers, all of whom were also from Isenhour's alliance, were also injured.

Speaking today for the first time since the attack, Isenhour called the attacks "barbaric", and "an attack on Gadutea's very institutions and instruments of democracy", and has called on the nations of the wurld to continue its opposition and condemnation of all forms of political, violent, and otherwise extremist acts of terrorism, along with any threats to democracy by authoritarianism. Isenhour furthermore stated that an immediate investigation had already been launched into the culprits of the terrorist attack, promising that "those seeking only terror will find only unforgiving justice". He also expressed Gadutea's openness into allowing any foreign and third-party investigations to be launched in order to find out more information regarding the attack.

Much of the National Assembly Chamber was damaged in the attack and has been rendered unusable for the time being, it being clear that not only were the terrorists attempting to stop Isenhour's swearing-in, but also attempting to stop Gadutea's institutions and instruments of government from function following the terrorist attack. Not allowing Gadutea to be bested by cowardly acts of terrorism, State-President Isenhour claimed in his speech that the National Library of Gadutea has offered itself as a temporary legislature until rudimentary repairs can be made to the National Assembly to allow it to be functional once more.

No group as of yet has claimed responsibility for the terror attack; official authorities at this time have also not released their lists of groups suspected of carrying out the bombing. What is known, and has been made clear through the attack, however, is that the terror attack is an obvious act of political terrorism, rather than any lone-wolf acts or religious acts of terrorism. It is also highly unlikely, according to terror and political experts, that the group responsible will claim responsibility, with many experts claiming that had the terror group desired to claim responsibility, then such responsibility would have already been claimed.

Political experts at Der Morthal have already voiced their suspicions and beliefs that the Self-Defence League, the de facto paramilitary of the Stedorian-led and backed Dolchic Socialist Gemotam Party, is responsible for the attack. Experts have pointed to the recent hostility the outgoing Gemotamist government of Gadutea had to Isenhour's incoming government, quietly launching failed legal battles to either postpone or halt Isenhour's confirmation, along with the Gemotamists' refusal to attend Isenhour's swearing-in ceremony, where the attack took place. 

Der Morthal's political experts have also pointed out that the Self-Defence League has a history of political terrorism and violence, both within Gadutea and the Stedorian People's Republic; Gadutean gemotamists have allegedly been responsible for multiple assassination attempts on Chief Justice Engelbert Eßig, along with many successful assassinations of outspoken critics of gemotamism. Within the Stedorian People's Republic, their latest election months ago was marked by deliberately unreported political intimidation and violence at polling stations by Self-Defence League squads, resulting in a landslide victory for the National Party of the Stedorian Revolution, Stedoria's branch of the Dolchic Socialist Gemotam Party.

The Self-Defence League, the likely perpetrators of this terrorist attack, being the paramilitary wing of the Dolchic Socialist Gemotam Party which is backed and funded by Stedoria, has by proxy carried out an act of political violence and terrorism with the backing of the Stedorian state, who has made no secret of their hatred of Gadutea's existence as an independent state. Anti-Gadutean rhetoric within Stedoria has only increased in recent times thanks to the ultranationalistic and pan-Dolchic attitudes of Stedoria's authoritarian leader, Tamäj Köseg. Stedoria and its terroristic Gemotamist movement must not be allowed to its acts of barbarity and terrorism on those who simply want a free voice in a democratic society. 

Edited April 24 by Stedoria (see edit history)

[Stedoria]

Volkhardt Isenhour - Gadutea's State President
Aloyse Bausch - Gadutea's Foreign Minister

October 21, 2022 (21.10.2022)

After the terrorist bombing by presumed Gemotamist sympathising paramilitants, things had rather surprisingly and quickly calmed down, much to the surprise of Isenhour, his cabinet, security officials, much of the island's media outlets, and even some lower ranks of the Gadutean Gemotamist opposition. Many suspected that the investigation launched into the perpetrators of the bombing may have scared off Gemotamists from engaging in any further violent action. This calm finally allowed the battered yet new government of Gadutea to finally start implementing their promised policies, specifically the privatisation of certain state-owned businesses, enacting a more laissez-faire economic policy, the banning of the Gemotamist paramilitary, the Self-Defence League, but most significantly, the breaking of foreign relations with the Stedorian People's Republic. Although the calming down of violent activities may have seemed like the end of post-election political troubles plaguing the island, allowing the government to start getting day-to-day affairs done, troubles still persisted on a different front for Isenhour and his government: diplomacy. 

The breaking of diplomatic ties was, of course, taken extremely negatively by the Stedorian government, resulting in Gadutean diplomats being expelled, the cancellation of visa friendly policies for Gaduteans, and most significantly, Stedorian state-owned businesses pulling out of the Gadutean economy, which, although hurt the Stedorian economy somewhat, hurt the Gadutean even more, resulting in many of these former employees in Gadutea simply losing their jobs. Stedoria, prior to the election of Isenhour, didn't hesitate in stating its intention for Gadutea to be peacefully be re-incorporated back into Stedoria; this rhetoric continued after Isenhour's election, though in a more forceful, irredentist tone, directly threatening the Gadutean government and the very independence of Gadutea itself. As such, Isenhour was quick in finding ways to protect Gadutea's independence from the growing threat of Stedoria.

Another factor had recently entered into the fray, however: Dolchland. The very recent outbreak of war in Gadutea's backyard with the invasion of Iwenland, along the very likely prospect of war between Dolchland and Velaheria had prompted a new concern for Isenhour: seeing Seylos as a key guarantor of Gadutea's independence, the war with Dolchland provided a short but very vulnerable opening for Stedorian interests to manifest themselves further within the politically divided island. Initially, Isenhour was hopeful that he could request a Seylosian show of naval force in Gadutea's waters to deter any Stedorian actions, but with a war already starting, this had now become highly unlikely.

"War between Seylos and Dolchland has broken out, and from here it's only going to get bigger; Velaheria is likely soon to join against Dolchland, with Stedoria joining shortly after. The formation of the 'Argic Defence Coalition' which include both Seylos and Stedoria among many others, serves as a problem for Gadutea's interests. As long as this provisional alliance persists, it is clear that Seylos and Stedoria will presumably avoid any hostile actions against each other in the face of Dolchland's aggression. Along with this, Seylos and its allies are highly unlikely to send military support of any sort to Gadutea due to more urgent matters—that is Dolchland." Aloyse Bausch, Gadutea's foreign minister, finished giving his lecture to Isenhour on the state of Argic affairs. Bausch was an experienced expert in Argic geopolitical affairs, though also someone who deliberately remained out of politics, making Isenhour unsure as to if he had Bausch's full support, or if he could even fully trust Bausch.

"Dammit, so there's nothing we can do to stop these damned Stedorian agents from interfering within our own affairs?" Isenhour asked, annoyed and already knowing Bausch's likely answer to his question.

"No, but as a previously stated, it's likely that Stedoria will also risk any actions perceived hostile by Seylos, this including interference within our government." Bausch said, confident in his response, though still clearly trying to speak with little expression in what Isenhour assumed to be an attempt at being completely serious.

"Still, it's not a risk I'm willing to take. You've already seen what they're willing to do: they tried to kill me, for God's sakes. We can't take any gambles or risks." Replied Isenhour. Being a man of caution, Isenhour understood that risks needed to be taken at times, especially within the wurld of politics, and even more so in Argis. Despite this, however, his carefulness persisted, and he only took risks when left with no other choice. Letting the Stedorians have an open window to Gadutea was a risk, and something was needed to stop this.

"Every act of diplomacy is a risk; it's one of diplomacy's tenants." He quipped at Isenhour's remark.

"Yes, yes, I know. With that being said, however, we need to do something." He paused for a moment to think, quickly sharing his thoughts on an idea he'd already as the prelude to the Dolchland War as building up "Send a request to the Seylosian government requesting our entry to the Argic Defence Coalition on the grounds of self-defence, and offer port to Seylosian and allied naval ships; we already know that Dolchland is going to be fighting in the Dolch See, but there's also going to be the same in the Morthal Bay. Providing these nations with port will make it easier for them to fight Dolchland's navy in the Morthal Bay; after all, we do still have massive dockyards fit for use—probably the only good thing the Stedorians left for us."

"That's… a drastic decision. It would mean officially getting involved in the war against Dolchland, which also includes risks of attacks against our country at the hands of Dolchland and its allies. I'm also unsure of the public's perception of the idea of war; I don't believe it'd be accurate to say all Gaduteans are opposed though, it'd also be inaccurate to say all are for war, not to mention the size of our Defence Forces; they're only equipped for defensive capabilities." Bausch was surprised by Isenhour's idea, given his reputation of meticulousness. He wasn't opposed to the idea, but, at the same time, didn't really know how to feel about it.

"We can't be stuck debating this; it's decided. Draft a letter to the North Adlantic Union, requesting entry to the Argic Defence Coalition in exchange for opening our ports to Defence Coalition members; in the meantime, I'll be making an announcement to the public regarding our intentions of joining this coalition."

"Yes, State-President."

Isenhour didn't want to be known as the only State-President to have involved Gadutea in a war, at the same time however, he didn't want to be known as Gadutea's last State-President; he was willing to make peace much easier with the former though.

[Stedoria]

Tamäj Köseg - Chief Consul of Stedoria
Tädrik Fogl - Head of the Committee of Public Safety

December 10, 2022 (10.12.2022)

Isenhour's decision to officially join the Argic Defence Coalition, and by extension the war against Dolchland had caught the Stedorian government by surprise, as had been intended by him. It appears Isenhour's plan might work after all; that Stedoria wouldn't be foolish enough to engage in hostile actions against Gadutea whilst the two nations had a de facto common enemy. While Gadutea's security forces had no real means by which to contribute militarily to the conflict, their offer of welcoming naval vessels from most nations part of the Argic Defence Coalition had helped clear up logistical problems regarding combat with Dolch naval vessels in the Morthal Bay. Gadutea's refusal to allow Stedorian and Velaherian ships to dock within Gadutean ports hadn't gone unnoticed, however; no less by the Stedorian government, especially.

The Stedorian government had made severe diplomatic protests, both to the Gadutean government directly, and within the loosely-formed Argic Defence Coalition. However, owing to the coalition's provisional and informal nature, Gadutea's sovereignty was respected and the ban on Stedorian and Velaherian ships continued, forcing Stedorian and Velaherian naval vessels to only operate out of their own respective ports. Stedoria-Gadutea relations were already tense following Isenhour's election and the assassination attempt against his life. This new rift was finally the breaking point for Stedoria and its government: it was finally time to act; it was finally time for Stedoria to take back what belonged to them.

"It's finally time to act, it's finally time to show this sellout-puppet Isenhour that our nation shall not be made a fool of; that the Dolchic peoples shall not bicker and make fools of each other." Tamäj said, his voice calm, yet determined. Since the day the Gemotamists had lost the election in Gadutea, he had already tasked Tädrik Fogl, head of Stedoria's secret police, and intelligence service, both internal and external, with plotting ways in which to re-establish control over Gadutea, either through political means within the island nation, or by less conventional and more devious means. Tädrik had stressed that now wasn't the time to act, that Stedoria had to bide its time until the right moment; he had always been meticulous and calculative, the reason for which Tamäj viewed him as belonging as chief of Stedoria's intelligence service. Recently, however, Tädrik had informed Tamäj that the time was right, that Stedoria had a great opportunity: the war against Dolchland.

"Indeed, now's the perfect time. The Dolchland War is greatly affecting Delamaria and Seylos along with their puppet Iwenland and more regrettably our ally, Velaheria. However, although we're also involved in this war, we don't need to worry about any pressing issues within our own territory; Iwenland and Velaheria are doing that job for us. With that happening, we've now the perfect opportunity to strike." replied Tädrik. The Gadutean joining of the Dolchland War had, like everyone else in Stedoria, caught him off guard. However, he soon realised that Isenhour's gamble played both ways, and that it was now Stedoria's turn to play their cards.

"How?"

"It's simple: Isenhour played a gamble in joining the war and the Argic Defence Coalition; he thinks that because we're fighting a common enemy, that either we'll be too busy with Dolchland, or we'll just be unwilling to act against him in any sort of way. However, our hand is better than Isenhour realises; Gadutea's protector, Seylos, is too busy dealing with Dolchland in Iwenland. Any action that we take, they'll be too pre-occupied dealing with Dolchland's hordes to even care about what's going on in Gadutea. Secondly, the longer this war goes on, the better our position will be for us in Gadutea: Argic Defence Coalition ships should become more and more reliant on Gadutea's massive ports for conducting naval operations against the Dolch. This means that they won't be able to react too harshly to any upheaval in Gadutea caused by us, even if it's obvious that we're involved. All we'll need to do is threaten expelling their vessels from Gadutea's ports, and they'll quiet down real quickly." Tädrik could hardly hide the enthusiasm in his voice. It truly did feel like a card game, and it felt as if he had caught Isenhour in the largest bluff of his life, a bluff so large that it'd cost him his nation.

"Excellent. What sort of upheaval shall we be conducting?" replied Tamäj, impressed at Tädrik's reasoning and eager to hear more.

"The classic: a military coup, or rather, a corrective action." Tädrik gave a small chuckle with his "corrective action" joke, a reference to the official name of Stedoria's 1971 military coup, now revered by Gemotamists; corrective action sounds a lot less threatening than "coup", although more ominous. The term had been used so much that, in recent years, "corrective action" had evolved into Stedorian slang to mean any illegal action done to fix a problem. "Most of the high ranking officers of Gadutea's security forces were put in place by the Gemotamists. As such, it can be safely assumed that most will prefer Gemotamists over liberal-democrats, especially knowing our pro-military stance on many policies. Isenhour hasn't removed any of these high ranking officers yet, likely because he fears of a coup if he did so, but he won't remain this way for long, so we can't waste our time. All we need to do is offer something to Gadutea's army chief, Antonin Mangold, to entice him to help us. I already know of something, however, there is a downside to what we'll need to offer to him. After power is seized, a referendum will be held quickly to have Gadutea formally join Stedoria, and boom, that's it."

"What's this downside?"

"Well, the most guaranteed way to have Mangold help us is to offer him the position as leader of a potential Gadutean province within Stedoria--"

"And what of Blücher? He's the leader of the Gadutean branch of the Gemotam Party, not Mangold."

"I was just getting to that, which is the downside. I don't think Blücher will take too kindly or even accept being removed as head of the Gemotam Party in Gadutea, so we're left with only one other option: we need to eliminate him." replied Tädrik matter-of-factly. He wanted to avoid killing fellow Gemotamists, but he knew that sometimes the ends justified the means.

"Hm." Tamäj hesitated and pondered. He knew Blücher well, with the two meeting one another many times since the Stedorian Revolution. The two weren't necessarily friends, but they did know each other fairly well. Since Blücher had been elected as Gadutea's State-President, he had virtually been at the forefront of the Gemotamist movement in Argis until the revolution in Stedoria. He was by no means a revolutionary or groundbreaking theorist, but he had played an important role in both the history and very survival of the Gemotam Party. He sighed, "Fine… If there's no other alternative. But if there is, let me know immediately." Although, Tamäj knew that there probably wasn't going to be an alternative.

"Believe me, if there was an alternative, I would've already told you. The best way to do this is to have one of our own agency conduct the termination and frame it on Isenhour's supporters. This should also get Gemotamists in Gadutea more supportive of the corrective action when it takes place."

"Alright, alright. I don't want to think about Blücher right now. Have one of our agents contact Mangold and inform him of our offer. Report back to me with his replied immediately." Tamäj replied, wanting to end talk about Blücher. He would be lying to himself if he didn't feel guilty about essentially ordering Blücher's murder. Sometimes people need to be sacrificed for the great good of a cause, even if they don't know that they'd been sacrificed; at the very least, Blücher will be made into a martyr rather than a tool for the Stedorian Gemotamists. There was much work to be done.

[Seylos]

The Dolch Surface group had made a quick stop at the Iwish capital of Zestrahaven to pick up three hundred marines that had already been deployed the the country following the Dolch invasion. The Dolch attacks so far had been harsh, but as of now had been unable to break Union lines, and with fresh waves of reinforcements coming in from other countries, an offensive was considered by Union leadership, though nothing had been firmly decided yet. Still the troops could be spared, and Seylos intended to honor its promise to Gadutea by deploying them and the Dolch Surface Group to the small island nation. The HMS Argos, Lindsey, Savidge, and Manchester would pick up the additional supplies and troops and quickly move on.

At the docks the three members of SF-13 were waiting for the ships to arrive, initially believing they'd be deployed to the mountains of Iwenland, instead they had their orders changed and ended up right back at the docks. It wasn't long before the trio spotted a small motorcade riding up to where they had been waiting, which they at first thought was just another group of soldiers coming in, before they recognized the vehicles as more government issue, not military.

Oswin stood up from where he had been sitting and winced slightly as he spoke, "Something is about to get incredibly complicated for us isn't it?"

"When... isn't it complicated?" Kieron asked from behind him.

"Never," Maura said, standing next to Oswin, "Let's just hope it isn't Sentist crazy."

The motorcade came to a stop not too far from the three. When the doors opened the King and some of his general staff emerged from the lead car as long as a few other people from the other vehicles. Both Maura and Oswin quickly snapped to attention while Kieron looked on in curiosity.

"Well I'm glad you three could make it, at ease." Aidan said as he walked up to them, "Your probably thinking the world's about to explode again aren't you?"

Oswin and Maura relaxed while Kieron spoke up, "Isn't the world already exploding?"

"OK, fair enough," Aidan replied, "Well regardless of the dire state of the world I thought it best to come here in person to tell you your mission. I hope you can glean how important it is from this."

"What's the mission sir?" Maura asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Before we get to the Captain," another officer approached them, a colonel from General Padraig's staff, "We want to introduce another member to your team."

"Another member sir? Right now?" Oswin asked. "Wouldn't it be best to break in someone else when we aren't on a mission."

Another man stepped up to them looking as stoic as the day they had met him.

"Hey! Tiradates!" Kieron yelled out.

"Hello Kieron." Tiradates replied. SF13 had met Tiradates on their mission in Ceris, though he was a member of Monarch at the time doing hired work from the Ivericans. Though the rest of the team was confused as to why he was here.

"It doesn't have to do with the mission now, but rumors from Cussia are growing that the Haru are up to something in Europa. Unfortunately the Cussians are the last to know these sorts of things. Your old friend Tiradates here has left Monarch and has joined the New Cussian Militia, and considering the lack of military experience with that force, the Militia was ecstatic to get a veteran from the Haruspex-Cussian conflict."

The creation of a New Cussian militia wasn't out of the ordinary, though it was something the team had never thought about. Each autonomous territory in Seylos had its own militia for home defense. Even Llalta, though it only tended to fluctuate between three or four people.

"I had no idea one had been formed, how big is it now?" Oswin asked.

"Incredibly small." Tiradates replied raising an eyebrow.

"Well I'm glad we've had this catchup, but we've got more pressing matters," Aidan said crossing his arms, "Gadutea is on a precipice, and unfortunately @Stedoria has caught us at the worst time. We were hoping getting Gadutea into the Coalition would protect them from whatever scheme they've been planning, but its clear there are forces at work to try and stoke revolution in the country. All of you are going to Päskar-on-Morthal with the Dolch Surface Group to provide security for Gadutea against any possible Dolch incursion."

Aidan raised his finger, his tone slightly more serious, "However your mission specifically is to protect State-President Isenhour. The Tädrik Fogl has been far more active than we are comfortable with recently and as of now we have no idea what they are going to try. If assassination is on their agenda I'd rather your team be near the President in case anything we to happen. You're authorized to do whatever you need to to keep him and his family safe, within reason of course. I need you to understand though, that if the worst does happen and the Stedorians manage to stoke a revolution that the Gadutean government can't contain, our people aren't there to suppress it. Your mission will be to work with Captain MacRae to get the President and his officials out alive, and after them as many people as you can who'd be harmed in a regime change."

The now four strong SF-13 glanced at each other before Maura looked at Aidan, "We'll get it done sir."

 

 

[Stedoria]

March 22, 2023 (22.03.2023)

Isenhour had readily accepted the Seylosian Dolch Surface Group into Gadutea's ports; Isenhour has undoubtedly hoped that basing rights for the Argic Defence Coalition would not only deter the Stedorian government from making moves against Gadutea throughout the course of the Dolch War, but also following the war's conclusion through Gadutea's portrayal as suitable for foreign military bases. He has also, just as enthusiastically, accepted a small contingent of Seylosian special forces, the SF-13, to act as a bodyguard force for the state-president himself. Since his election, Isenhour had not fully trusted Gadutea's security forces as loyal to democratic institutions, something caused by years of political cronyism in the security forces by the previous Gemotamist-led administration.

Isenhour had made sure to keep the knowledge of Seylosian special forces acting as a guard force for him to a minimum; their presence alone had already displeased some high ranking officers of the security forces as a failure of trust in them by Isenhour. Furthermore, if such news were to be broken to the Gadutean public, Gemotamists political figures would undoubtedly use this as an opportunity to feed a populist rhetoric of Isenhour selling out to foreigners. Despite the secret nature of this guard force, this hadn't stopped rumours from spreading with the arrival of the Dolch Surface Group; there had already been minor accusations of Isenhour selling out and being protected by foreigners, but without any sufficient proof to back this up other than pure speculation, these accusations had gone largely ignored by the Gadutean public.

Just as with the assassination attempt against Isenhour, things had remained relatively calm, both politically and socially, after Gadutea's entry into the war and the arrival of the Dolch Surface Group. Again, Isenhour and his cabinet had expected some sabre-rattling at the hands of the Gemotamists, but following the absence of this, they had chalked it to the Stedorian-led branch of the party ordering the Gadutean Gemotamists to not make trouble. However, this didn't mean Isenhour's fears were alleviated: he had warned SF-13 to expect much political chaos and violent rhetoric by the Gemotamists, as had been the case during their time in power. With this failing to materialise, he feared that SF-13 might not take his fears or warnings seriously due to his incorrect predictions; he hadn't pressed SF-13 on this, though, so he was unsure of SF-13's thoughts on him. 

Päskar-on-Morthal, 14:20

Kolaus Tavyidacil glanced again around the multi-storey parking lot, carefully observing as to if anyone was coming. Upon seeing the lot still absent of people, he once again crawled under the car, continuing to work on the arming process. His Stedorian background following the revolution undoubtedly contributed to his nervousness. Stedorians are nosy people, while this may not have been too significant during the time of the monarchy, this was amplified following the revolution. Working in the Committee of Public Safety since its founding, he already knew of the massive amounts of unofficial informers the Committee had in the Stedorian public. As such, while he could likely pass off what he was doing in Gadutea as fixing his car, he knew this wouldn't work in Stedoria. Though he could tell a Stedorian he was fixing his car, they would check to see that he was fixing his car, that is, if they would even ask you in the first place, instead of just snooping around.

He'd already planted the detonator in the car's engine; he was sure that as soon as the car was turned on, the bomb would do its job. Rather conveniently for the Committee and its plan, the bomb's target, Valentin Blücher, leader of Gadutea's Gemotamist party, favoured driving himself to and from events. Though he naturally kept guards around him being the former state-president, political assassinations in Gadutea were rare, if any occurred at all; Blücher's guards wouldn't be worrying about the threat of bombs, instead only for the occasional heckler.

Kolaus thought to himself the implications of the bombing; he'd been informed on the plan's target, which the Committee initially was hesitant to do, knowing Blücher's important role in Gemotamism. Kolaus was a committed Gemotamist, thus the assassination of Blücher was difficult for him to participate in it. However, despite his commitment to his ideology, he understood the rationale for the assassination, and he knew that it would, in the end, help the Stedorian government in taking back Gadutea, which it had owned for much of its history. Despite this internal debate he faced in the morality of his actions, he knew what one of the strongest motivators to carry out the assassination was: fear. While he naturally would be rewarded for the assassination, he knew that if he had refused, he would not only lose his position in the Committee, but also become a kondanäb in Stedoria, a condemned person, societally and politically blacklisted from government jobs, benefits, and education. This was a common punishment for those against the Stedorian government, especially opposition figures, instead of simply having them arrested. While not an officially recognised status nor punishment by the Stedorian government, it had de facto become an open secret within Stedoria.

Kolaus also knew of the plan's future following the assassination. He knew that following Blücher's assassination, Gemotamist and aligned propaganda outlets would quickly start spreading a rumour that the assassination had been conducted by Seylosian elements within Gadutea. It was no secret that Stedoria and Seylos had tense relations, thus capitalising on this as crucial. Political violence would likely start soon after, after which Kolaus had not been told of plans after that. He believed that no matter if Isenhour responded violently or peacefully in the upcoming chaos, he'd likely be removed by Gadutea's security forces under the pretence of restoring order.

As he finally finished the wiring under the car, he once again glanced around. Seeing nobody once again, he got up. He had been instructed to find a suitable location to observe the bomb to ensure that Blücher was successfully assassinated. However, he could already feel the guilt from his internal thoughts. He started walking away, back to his vehicle, to leave the car park. This is something that he didn't want to see, no matter how much he was told of the necessity of it. As long as he believed in a better wurld, one for the Gemotamists, he could do this.

[Stedoria]

24.03.2023
GADUTEAN GEMOTAMIST OPPOSITION LEADER ASSASSINATED IN TERROR ATTACK

The small island nation of Gadutea was shook yesterday by a deadly car bombing, in which the country's former State-President, Valentin Blücher, was killed. The assassination comes at a time of political strife on the island, in which Gemotamists have dealt with grow repression at the hands of the State-President Isenhour's liberal-conservative coalition administration, elected last year in a highly polarised and controversial election. This was not the island's first assassination; months ago, during Isenhour's inaguration, a daring bomb attack had been conducted against Isenhour. Though the attack failed and Isenhour's suffered minor injuries, several lawmakers were killed. As of yet, the perpetraitors of the bombing against Isenhour have not been found, with authorities unsure if the bombing had been conducted by anti-Gemotamist extremists, Gemotamists, or foreign agents. Blücher's succesful assassination will undoubtedly flair growing tensions that have been exacerbated by Isenhour's administration.

Blücher had been Gadutea's leading figure in Gemotamist politics, and equally, a leading figure in the history of the wider pan-Dolchic Gemotam Party. Following the collapse of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces, a Stedorian Gemotamist military government, Stedoria had spiralled into civil war. Though the anti-Gemotamists were successful in defeating the Gemotamist rebels, much of the party's leadership fled to Gadutea, resulting in Blücher taking a guiding position in the party. Blücher had already been active in the Gadutean branch of the Gemotam Party prior to the fall of the military government in Stedoria, thus his experience in Gadutean politics allowed him to easily be chosen as the party's interim leader during the imprisonment of Chief Consul Tamäj Köseg by Stedorian royalist authorities. Following the Stedorian Revolution and election of Tamäj Köseg as Chief Consul, Blücher officially stepped down as interim leader of the Gemotam Party before being elected as State-President of Gadutea in 2014. Blücher's administration was marked with significant developments in Gadutean-Stedorian relations, along with heavy Stedorian investment in the Gadutean economy, and a decrease in wealth disparities on the island.

Following the terrorist attack, Chief Consul Köseg was quick to react to Blücher's death, citing it as a significant loss for the Gemotamist movement throughout the wurld. Chief Consul Köseg also criticised the Isenhour government for allowing such an attack to occur in the first place, accusing the island's president of failing to keep the Gadutean population safe and failing to properly combat terrorism. With this, it is clear that Chief Consil Köseg and the Gemotam Party hold Isenhour indirectly responsible for Blücher's death by allowing for political violence to continue in Gadutea with no serious action to combat it, instead focusing more on the Dolch War in Argis.

"Valentin Blücher's assassination is a great blow to the Gemotam Movement in Gadutea and the wurld. His assassination shows the failure of Isenhour's government to gaurantee safety in Gadutea and to combat terrorism."

So far, it is unknown who the perpetraitors of the assassination are. The Gadutean police have announced an investigation into the assassination, and have stated that while it is highly likely that the attack was politically motivated, they will not make any assumptions as to who the perpetraitors may have been. Much of the Gemotam Party's supporters have been quick to blame Isenhour-supporting anti-Gemotamist extremists for being responsible, citing the growing political chaos in Gadutea and the growing persecution of Gemotamists following Isenhour's election. Others within the island's Gemotamist movement have blamed the recent arrival of Seylosian forces to the island, with the Seylosian Navy having been granted permission to use Gadutean ports by the Gadutean government, with some believing this is the first step of Isenhour stripping Gadutea of its sovereignty. Isenhour himself has remained quiet following the assasination save for condemning it as an act of terrorism. However, his failure to be more vocal in his political rival's assassination may indicate potential sympathies to the terrorists responsible for Blücher's assassination.

Protest rallies led by the island's Gemotamists have already started throught many towns, including the capital, Päskar-on-Morthal, where so far, protests have remained generally peaceful. However, many political analyst suspect that as time goes on, riots are likely to develop, having been fueled by anger at Blücher's death after the period of political "mourning" ends. Gadutean riot police have already been mobilised on standby should violence break out. Gemotamists have criticised this decision as inflammatory, and have said that the mobilisation of riot police makes it more likely for violence to break out in the first place. Undoubtedly, the island faces significant political challenged following the death of Blücher. Isenhour's response to the the protests and likely ensuing riots will likely shape how Isenhour, and more broadly the island of Gadutea, will be goverened in the future.

Edited April 11 by Stedoria (see edit history)

[Stedoria]

30.04.2023
50+ KILLED IN GEMOTAMIST-BACKED RIOTS: MARTIAL LAW DECLARED

Breaking news has emerged within the past day from official government sources of State-President Isenhour. In a nationally broadcasted speech, both on radio and television stations throughout the island, State-President Isenhour has announced the official declaration of martial law throughout the entire territory of the Free State of Gadutea, to be effective at 00:00 tomorrow, on May 1st. Policing duties will be supported by the Gadutean Security Force in order to ensure that order is maintained throughout the country in the face of deadly and escalating riots. State-President Isenhour did not specify the length of the period of martial law; it is believed, however, that the period of martial law will last until the end of hostilities between the Argic Defence Coalition and hostile forces of Dolchland. This is the first time in the country's history that martial law has been declared.

The declaration of martial law comes as violent riots have severely escalated. Protests had initially started at the start of April in response to the assassination of former Gemotamist State-President Valentin Blücher. Whilst initially peaceful, they spiralled into increasingly devastating riots after the initial death of a first protester, a 19-year-old student, on April 21st. The exact manner of death of the protester still remains unknown, with state authorities remaining silent on the issue, and protesters blaming either corrupt security forces paid by State-President Isenhour, or spreading conspiracy theories of Seylosian forces being used to quell the protests. Following the growing violence, multiple deaths having been occurring virtually during every day of riots after this event. Authorities have not released official statistics into how many deaths there have been so far. Gemotamist-backed sources has claimed up to 100 have already been killed in the protests; meanwhile, independent monitors of the riots have concluded that between 50 and 60 people have been killed in the protests. Many instances of death have occurred due to protesters' violent actions against the police. 

The imposition of martial law allows for the suspension of specific civil liberties granted to Gadutean citizens. Such suspensions include restrictions of movement freedoms by Gadutean citizens, the allowance for arresting individuals without habeas corpus, restrictions, and censorship of media outlets responsible for the peddling of misinformation, among various other suspensions. While this will undoubtedly cause controversy among much of the Gadutean public, State-President Isenhour, his cabinet, and various officials associated with the Isenhour government have all stressed that the island's citizens, and foreigners residing on the island, will have their rights respected in as many instances as possible whilst, at the same time, ensure that order is restored to the island. Official sources have also claimed the Security Forces have been briefed and instructed on the appropriate treatment of Gadutean citizens whilst respecting rights granted to them. Overall, it is important to note that the daily schedules of Gaduteans uninvolved in riots and chaos will only be minimally affected.

The Gadutean public's reaction to Isenhour's declaration has been mixed, and has been largely divided among political lines, only furthering political polarisation throughout the island. Liberal and conservative leaning citizens, organisations, and political parties have expressed their support for the declaration of martial law, expressing their desire for the return to normality of Gadutean society. Far-left, far-right, and Gemotamist supporting citizens, organisations, and political parties have expressed their strong opposition to the move, and have expressed deep criticism of State-President Isenhour's actions, citing potential violations of human rights of Gadutean citizens. Regardless of the outcome of the imposition of martial law, State-President Isenhour's decision will undoubtedly have long-lasting political implications.

Experts' reactions to the situation have also remained mixed. Some experts have noted that the imposition of martial law shows State-President Isenhour's unwillingness to negotiate nor sympathise with Gadutean political opposition figures. As a result, this may embolden protesters, rioters, and other dissatisfied individuals to continue or heighten their violent actions against the government, causing further damage and deaths. Others have lauded Isenhour's decisions, citing that the continuation of riots in a period of war and heightened military action will hinder the efforts of Gadutea and the Argic Defence Coalition in dealing with Dolchland's aggression; thus, they note it is imperative that order quickly be restored in order to ensure that military action against Dolchland can continue. They have also praised the decision of martial law, noting that it makes Isenhour's stance on violence as a political solution clear: that violence will be met with zero tolerance in a functioning liberal-democracy.

Edited April 30 by Orioni
spelling (see edit history)