[Lauchenoiria]

Jorge Carballo was relatively new to the role of Governor of Costeno Province. His predecessor had been killed during the war at the Second Battle of Summersea by… well, it was disputed who was responsible. Carballo had taken over after the war; since the Chaher administration had suspended provincial rule during the conflict. He had been a Liberal upon his election, but had since defected to the Conservatives in response to what he felt was his party’s unwillingness to stamp out the threat of the Chaherian communists.

He sat just now in his office surrounded by aides and other members of his provincial government as they debated what to do about the Slokais affair. Many centuries ago, Slokais had been a colony of Costeno when it was a country in its own right. There were still some in Slokais who blamed Costenans for the various ills that the archipelago suffered from… and now that terrorism was on the rise in the islands, Costenans were growing concerned.

“I don’t suppose the federal government would be likely to send us support to step up our anti-terrorism measures?” he asked finally of the researcher who had presented the threat analysis to the assembled ministers.

“Unlikely. Lauchenoiria wants nothing to do with Costeno’s ‘imperialist past’ as they term it. As far as the federal government is concerned, because the sovereign state of Costeno no longer exists, there is no legal entity still constituted which is responsible for any consequences of actions taken in that era. The heightened threat of terrorist attacks in Costeno compared to elsewhere globally, since it is linked to this, will fail to be acknowledged at a federal level.”

“Damn. Okay, so what can we do?”

“Liaise with Slokais, exchange information where possible, continue our own anti-terrorist operations and prevention measures. If we want federal funding, I’d suggest overplaying the Warriors of Our Earth threat rather than the United Front threat.”

“Good point, we have multiple terror threats.”

“I hardly think WOE are actually terrorists, surely that was just a way to appease Sh…” his Justice Minister trailed off, suddenly realising he wouldn’t take well to what she was about to say.

“Shuell has been a true friend of Lauchenoiria. They provided aid when we needed it most, they refrained from involvement in the war minimising destruction, they are providing a genuinely good trade deal with our country while we are in a weak negotiating position. I will not hear your allegations, Jimena.”

Jimena Secada, Costenan Justice Minister, shut up. She disagreed strongly with Carballo on the matter of Shuell. He had become a great fan of the country which had helped Costenans after the war… she, on the other hand, was extremely suspicious of their motives. At best, they were trying to make Lauchenoiria indebted to them. At worst, this whole thing was part of a stealth invasion. But Carballo would never listen to her concerns.

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand. If the United Front are planning any terrorist attacks in Costenan territory,” Carballo continued, “we must get out ahead of them. The damage during the war still has not been repaired, we cannot face more violent threats. We should contact the Slokaisian ambassador as well as the federal government and make sure everyone is on the same page as much as possible. We will not be caught unprepared.”

He stood, nodding to the assembled humans, and then walked out of the room. Secada looked after him, biting her lip and sighing. She then exited from the other door, heading to her office. Terrorists were concerning, of course, but she was also concerned that this would be used as yet another excuse for greater authoritarian policies. She wondered how long she could keep working for Carballo in light of his changing views. And she worried that if the United Front did attack, the consequences would be far worse than anyone imagined.