04-07-2022, 04:44 AM
Temporary Aurian Governmental Complex, Central Geminus
March 14th, 2022
The Royal Office in the "Temporary Aurian Governmental Complex" was little bigger than that of a standard middle manager. An old desk, some cabinets, off-white walls, and a thin layer of gray carpet that did little to cushion the feet. Sophie sat behind the desk, which was slightly too tall for her comfort, and silently pondered her current situation, trying to work up the courage to do what she had to.
Shuellian Mercenaries. God damn Shuellian Mercenaries. If someone told me a year ago I'd be inviting Shuellian Mercenaries into Auria, I'd have sent them to a psychiatrist. She took a couple steady breaths, before picking up the older phone and dialing the number that the Lauchenoirian Government had provided. Please, Angels, don't fail me now.
In a call center nestled somewhere in Shuell, a phone rings. A man with a dry, monotone voice answers - some unimportant bureaucrat in the grand scheme of things. "You're speaking with a representative of the Kruger-Meszaros Corporation, established in 1549. For over 400 years, we've provided the best money can buy." An advert, clearly.
The man pauses, fumbling with what sounds like paperwork. "Ah, my apologies. I see hear that you were referred to us by another client. We were informed that someone with this number would be calling with a larger contract for us. How can we help?"
"I am Queen Sophie Laurent of Auria, calling as a representative of the Aurian Government. We are interested in hiring the services of Kruger-Meszaros, for evident geopolitical reasons." Sophie spoke with her neutral business tone, not wanting to make any impression of snobbery or unprofessionalism. "Would you be able to assist me in this regard? To my knowledge, the Aurian government has never contracted... Help of this kind before, and so I am currently unaware of the hiring process."
"The Aurian Government in Exile, I presume? You'll be pleased to know that Kruger-Meszaros is no stranger to government contracts in both the security and defense fields. Are you interested in purchasing small arms, security forces, armored vehicles, or aircraft today?"
"We'd be interested in several kinds of arms and vehicles, as well as potentially contracting your security forces. Our citizens back home are rising up against their oppressors, and while they have fought nobly thus far, without weapons, they will be quickly overrun. If it would be possible, we would also be interested in contracting KM's reputable security forces, in order to train our resistance members how to use their new arms... And potentially fight alongside them, depending on the circumstances. Would that be something Kruger-Meszaros could agree to?" The Aurian Queen briefly held her breath, awaiting a response.
The man pulls away from the phone, with muffled shouting heard in the background. "An extensive contract. You clearly know how to pick the best of the best. Kruger-Meszaros will be more than able to provide both the equipment required and the advisors - the combat package is complementary in this situation. Do note that anything other than small arms will cost extra, of course, as everything provided will be produced in-house. Is this acceptable?"
Sophie internally sighed, pursing her lips. "Of course. Would there be any possibility of a negotiation to reduce cost? Say, an agreement to contract KM as a supplier of arms in the future? Once the true Aurian Government is restored, we will need to rebuild our military, mostly from the ground up. That poses an opportunity for both of our organizations, does it not?
“I’m afraid I’m not in a position to say if that will work - but I’ll certainly pass it on to my superiors. Would the Aurian government be willing to accept an exclusive deal with the Kruger-Meszaros Corporation? Let’s say… over half of any military equipment purchased would have to be produced by our company. We’d be willing to throw in a loyalty discount for a 10-year contract.”
Sophie thought for a moment. "Well, I would have to negotiate the specifics and present it to Prime Minister Arquette and Parliament. I'm not sure what percentage we'd be willing to agree to, but this contract would likely be subject to further negotiation anyway, so I will work quickly and find an acceptable amount. But rest assured, as we rebuild, Kruger-Meszaros will make a large profit from our patronage." She leaned back in her small chair. "How quickly would Kruger-Meszaros like, or be able to, deploy? We have a very tenuous situation here, and if we move too slowly, we may lose any chance of success. And as that would be quite detrimental to both of our interests, anything we can do as soon as possible would be ideal."
"We'll need two weeks to prepare the initial deployment. Further reinforcements will arrive once we have the means to do so. We'll need to establish contact with rebel forces beforehand, of course - would you be able to provide them? Best to prevent any friendly fire incidents."
"Of course. We have contact with them through old military channels at a rebel held base outside Côte-Verte, and we would be more than happy to act as a liaison." The Queen blinked a few times, overcome with an odd mixture of hope, anxiety, and relief. "Thank you very much for your time. I will make a few calls to negotiate with the rest of the Aurian Government, and then call back with some additional details on payment. Would you like me to call this number when I do?"
"Yes, that would be advised. After payment details are finalized, you'll be connected with the relevant security coordinators to prepare for our arrival. Will that be all for now?"
"Yes, I believe so. Thank you again." Sophie stood up immediately after the call was disconnected, stretching out to get rid of her excess energy. "Thank you, Angelei!" The Aurian Queen whispered to herself, hands folded in an appreciative prayer, before sitting back down and grabbing her phone. The work's not done yet.
April 6th, 2022
A small troopship slips through the blockade surrounding Auria, carrying about a hundred men and at least twice as many guns. They had studied the landscape for weeks, using tourist maps and old guidebooks to figure out a landing zone. There was no real risk of being caught, with the Lauchenoirians turning a blind eye to their arrival- but it was paramount to maintain pretenses for the time being.
The soldiers inside buckle their seatbelts as the transport comes to a rough stop, beaching itself on a stretch of abandoned coastline. Officers bark out orders to their men as they haul crates full of arms and ammunition onto the shore. Over the radio, a woman reads off a series of numbers - one of many broadcasted in the last week. To the untrained ear, the numbers meant nothing. To the rebels fighting in Auria, however, it was a sign: their salvation had arrived.
A line of uniformed Aurians stood on the coarse, desolate beach, hearing the occasional explosion of an artillery shell in the far-off distance. The struggle to maintain defensive fortifications had been intensified by constant bombardment, the Xiomeran mercenaries attempting to crush any defense the resistance may have. Who would have guessed that mercenaries would also help save the Aurian resistance?
Former Major Julian Dauchez stood at the front of the line, quickly advancing to the landing transports as they began unloading. "Welcome. I'm Major... Eh, Commander Dauchez". His English was decently accented, but understandable. At least, so he hoped. He gestured for his soldiers to join the crate-hauling Shuellians, before turning to the nearest mercenary. "Where is your commanding officer, and could I speak with them, soldier?"
The soldier jerks his head in the direction of a vaguely important-looking man wearing a grey slouch hat. "Captain Hopfer. There."
The captain, noticing their arrival on the beach, leisurely walks over and salutes. "I assume you're the one in charge of these men?" He asks, noticing the chevrons on Dauchez's uniform. "Good to see someone here has some experience. Captain Siegfried Hopfer, Kruger-Meszaros. What's the situation like here?"
"Not good. Those damn bastards have reduced a number of our defensive fortifications to rubble, and we are running short on supplies. Your arrival is... What is the phrase?" It's Ēzdavēga in Eirian." He thought for a moment. "Opportune. Your arrival is opportune." He examined the passing crates and munitions with approval. "What all were you able to bring on this first round?"`
Hopfer shakes his head. "Could be better. Could be much worse." He gestures at the crates behind him being set up on the beach. "We couldn't get as much as we wanted - any larger and we risked getting detected early. No ground vehicles, no heavy explosives. Those'll be later waves. Right now we're bringing you KM's best - guns, and lots of them. We've got a couple crates worth of lighter explosives, too. Portable things - grenades. Anti-tank, air. So on." The captain spoke laconically - simple words, things that could be learned in phrasebooks.
Dauchez nodded. "Thank you, Captain. My soldiers will get these distributed right away." He pursed his lips. "We have around five hundred loyal soldiers, and a couple hundred more loyal partisans holding down the base. Côte-Verte is currently held by additional partisans, but their hold is tenuous at best, and the only reason that they remain controlling the town is because the Mercenaries and Garda leaders are more interested in retaking the base. We must move immediately, or we risk being forced back to the city in a street-by-street battle."
"We have two platoons worth of men - about a hundred strong. Do you have contact with the base? How many are attacking? Any armored? We can send a platoon to reinforce the city, and the other to relieve them alongside your soldiers."
"None are attempting to push us out of the base outright, however we are under intense shelling campaigns, and some of our forces met resistance attempting to secure a nearby field outside of the base. They seem to be softening us up for the kill." Dauchez's tone turned stoic and firm, almost vicious. "Thank you. My soldiers have rarely had time to rest, and could use some relief."
A soldier rushed up to Dauchez, quickly standing at attention to show her respect for Dauchez and the Shuellian Captain. "Sir, we received a transmission on an older frequency. It repeats a single phrase over and over, likely pre-recorded. It says 'Tap breilsei ut soilsei, stavem unicaj.'"
Dauchez's eyebrows raised, and he glanced back at the Shuellian officer to translate. "It means 'Like brothers and sisters, we stand united." He paused, the meaning of the phrase hitting him. "I believe the Eirians are on their way. We may have some additional help soon."
The captain nodded, before frowning. He gazed at the assortment of weapons held by the rebels, shaking his head. “Pa’s hunting rifle might kill in the right hands, but I think our KR-10s might do you a little better in the field. Tell your soldiers to swap their arms when they have the chance - they’ll be in the green crates.”
He speaks into the radio at his side, before looking at Dauchez. “We weren’t informed about this. Can you establish contact without revealing yourselves? See if we can coordinate a relief attack, quickly.”
"I can certainly try. It has certainly been a struggle finding secure channels, but once the Eirians are here, we can use safer methods of communication than cycling older codes." Dauchez gave a quick command to a nearby lower officer in fast-paced Aurian. "Pandiet leis autsei izat leis ērosei danz leis kastei velts." He gave a quick nod to the Captain before picking up a rifle himself, examining it briefly. "Well, shall we get to work?"
March 14th, 2022
The Royal Office in the "Temporary Aurian Governmental Complex" was little bigger than that of a standard middle manager. An old desk, some cabinets, off-white walls, and a thin layer of gray carpet that did little to cushion the feet. Sophie sat behind the desk, which was slightly too tall for her comfort, and silently pondered her current situation, trying to work up the courage to do what she had to.
Shuellian Mercenaries. God damn Shuellian Mercenaries. If someone told me a year ago I'd be inviting Shuellian Mercenaries into Auria, I'd have sent them to a psychiatrist. She took a couple steady breaths, before picking up the older phone and dialing the number that the Lauchenoirian Government had provided. Please, Angels, don't fail me now.
In a call center nestled somewhere in Shuell, a phone rings. A man with a dry, monotone voice answers - some unimportant bureaucrat in the grand scheme of things. "You're speaking with a representative of the Kruger-Meszaros Corporation, established in 1549. For over 400 years, we've provided the best money can buy." An advert, clearly.
The man pauses, fumbling with what sounds like paperwork. "Ah, my apologies. I see hear that you were referred to us by another client. We were informed that someone with this number would be calling with a larger contract for us. How can we help?"
"I am Queen Sophie Laurent of Auria, calling as a representative of the Aurian Government. We are interested in hiring the services of Kruger-Meszaros, for evident geopolitical reasons." Sophie spoke with her neutral business tone, not wanting to make any impression of snobbery or unprofessionalism. "Would you be able to assist me in this regard? To my knowledge, the Aurian government has never contracted... Help of this kind before, and so I am currently unaware of the hiring process."
"The Aurian Government in Exile, I presume? You'll be pleased to know that Kruger-Meszaros is no stranger to government contracts in both the security and defense fields. Are you interested in purchasing small arms, security forces, armored vehicles, or aircraft today?"
"We'd be interested in several kinds of arms and vehicles, as well as potentially contracting your security forces. Our citizens back home are rising up against their oppressors, and while they have fought nobly thus far, without weapons, they will be quickly overrun. If it would be possible, we would also be interested in contracting KM's reputable security forces, in order to train our resistance members how to use their new arms... And potentially fight alongside them, depending on the circumstances. Would that be something Kruger-Meszaros could agree to?" The Aurian Queen briefly held her breath, awaiting a response.
The man pulls away from the phone, with muffled shouting heard in the background. "An extensive contract. You clearly know how to pick the best of the best. Kruger-Meszaros will be more than able to provide both the equipment required and the advisors - the combat package is complementary in this situation. Do note that anything other than small arms will cost extra, of course, as everything provided will be produced in-house. Is this acceptable?"
Sophie internally sighed, pursing her lips. "Of course. Would there be any possibility of a negotiation to reduce cost? Say, an agreement to contract KM as a supplier of arms in the future? Once the true Aurian Government is restored, we will need to rebuild our military, mostly from the ground up. That poses an opportunity for both of our organizations, does it not?
“I’m afraid I’m not in a position to say if that will work - but I’ll certainly pass it on to my superiors. Would the Aurian government be willing to accept an exclusive deal with the Kruger-Meszaros Corporation? Let’s say… over half of any military equipment purchased would have to be produced by our company. We’d be willing to throw in a loyalty discount for a 10-year contract.”
Sophie thought for a moment. "Well, I would have to negotiate the specifics and present it to Prime Minister Arquette and Parliament. I'm not sure what percentage we'd be willing to agree to, but this contract would likely be subject to further negotiation anyway, so I will work quickly and find an acceptable amount. But rest assured, as we rebuild, Kruger-Meszaros will make a large profit from our patronage." She leaned back in her small chair. "How quickly would Kruger-Meszaros like, or be able to, deploy? We have a very tenuous situation here, and if we move too slowly, we may lose any chance of success. And as that would be quite detrimental to both of our interests, anything we can do as soon as possible would be ideal."
"We'll need two weeks to prepare the initial deployment. Further reinforcements will arrive once we have the means to do so. We'll need to establish contact with rebel forces beforehand, of course - would you be able to provide them? Best to prevent any friendly fire incidents."
"Of course. We have contact with them through old military channels at a rebel held base outside Côte-Verte, and we would be more than happy to act as a liaison." The Queen blinked a few times, overcome with an odd mixture of hope, anxiety, and relief. "Thank you very much for your time. I will make a few calls to negotiate with the rest of the Aurian Government, and then call back with some additional details on payment. Would you like me to call this number when I do?"
"Yes, that would be advised. After payment details are finalized, you'll be connected with the relevant security coordinators to prepare for our arrival. Will that be all for now?"
"Yes, I believe so. Thank you again." Sophie stood up immediately after the call was disconnected, stretching out to get rid of her excess energy. "Thank you, Angelei!" The Aurian Queen whispered to herself, hands folded in an appreciative prayer, before sitting back down and grabbing her phone. The work's not done yet.
April 6th, 2022
A small troopship slips through the blockade surrounding Auria, carrying about a hundred men and at least twice as many guns. They had studied the landscape for weeks, using tourist maps and old guidebooks to figure out a landing zone. There was no real risk of being caught, with the Lauchenoirians turning a blind eye to their arrival- but it was paramount to maintain pretenses for the time being.
The soldiers inside buckle their seatbelts as the transport comes to a rough stop, beaching itself on a stretch of abandoned coastline. Officers bark out orders to their men as they haul crates full of arms and ammunition onto the shore. Over the radio, a woman reads off a series of numbers - one of many broadcasted in the last week. To the untrained ear, the numbers meant nothing. To the rebels fighting in Auria, however, it was a sign: their salvation had arrived.
A line of uniformed Aurians stood on the coarse, desolate beach, hearing the occasional explosion of an artillery shell in the far-off distance. The struggle to maintain defensive fortifications had been intensified by constant bombardment, the Xiomeran mercenaries attempting to crush any defense the resistance may have. Who would have guessed that mercenaries would also help save the Aurian resistance?
Former Major Julian Dauchez stood at the front of the line, quickly advancing to the landing transports as they began unloading. "Welcome. I'm Major... Eh, Commander Dauchez". His English was decently accented, but understandable. At least, so he hoped. He gestured for his soldiers to join the crate-hauling Shuellians, before turning to the nearest mercenary. "Where is your commanding officer, and could I speak with them, soldier?"
The soldier jerks his head in the direction of a vaguely important-looking man wearing a grey slouch hat. "Captain Hopfer. There."
The captain, noticing their arrival on the beach, leisurely walks over and salutes. "I assume you're the one in charge of these men?" He asks, noticing the chevrons on Dauchez's uniform. "Good to see someone here has some experience. Captain Siegfried Hopfer, Kruger-Meszaros. What's the situation like here?"
"Not good. Those damn bastards have reduced a number of our defensive fortifications to rubble, and we are running short on supplies. Your arrival is... What is the phrase?" It's Ēzdavēga in Eirian." He thought for a moment. "Opportune. Your arrival is opportune." He examined the passing crates and munitions with approval. "What all were you able to bring on this first round?"`
Hopfer shakes his head. "Could be better. Could be much worse." He gestures at the crates behind him being set up on the beach. "We couldn't get as much as we wanted - any larger and we risked getting detected early. No ground vehicles, no heavy explosives. Those'll be later waves. Right now we're bringing you KM's best - guns, and lots of them. We've got a couple crates worth of lighter explosives, too. Portable things - grenades. Anti-tank, air. So on." The captain spoke laconically - simple words, things that could be learned in phrasebooks.
Dauchez nodded. "Thank you, Captain. My soldiers will get these distributed right away." He pursed his lips. "We have around five hundred loyal soldiers, and a couple hundred more loyal partisans holding down the base. Côte-Verte is currently held by additional partisans, but their hold is tenuous at best, and the only reason that they remain controlling the town is because the Mercenaries and Garda leaders are more interested in retaking the base. We must move immediately, or we risk being forced back to the city in a street-by-street battle."
"We have two platoons worth of men - about a hundred strong. Do you have contact with the base? How many are attacking? Any armored? We can send a platoon to reinforce the city, and the other to relieve them alongside your soldiers."
"None are attempting to push us out of the base outright, however we are under intense shelling campaigns, and some of our forces met resistance attempting to secure a nearby field outside of the base. They seem to be softening us up for the kill." Dauchez's tone turned stoic and firm, almost vicious. "Thank you. My soldiers have rarely had time to rest, and could use some relief."
A soldier rushed up to Dauchez, quickly standing at attention to show her respect for Dauchez and the Shuellian Captain. "Sir, we received a transmission on an older frequency. It repeats a single phrase over and over, likely pre-recorded. It says 'Tap breilsei ut soilsei, stavem unicaj.'"
Dauchez's eyebrows raised, and he glanced back at the Shuellian officer to translate. "It means 'Like brothers and sisters, we stand united." He paused, the meaning of the phrase hitting him. "I believe the Eirians are on their way. We may have some additional help soon."
The captain nodded, before frowning. He gazed at the assortment of weapons held by the rebels, shaking his head. “Pa’s hunting rifle might kill in the right hands, but I think our KR-10s might do you a little better in the field. Tell your soldiers to swap their arms when they have the chance - they’ll be in the green crates.”
He speaks into the radio at his side, before looking at Dauchez. “We weren’t informed about this. Can you establish contact without revealing yourselves? See if we can coordinate a relief attack, quickly.”
"I can certainly try. It has certainly been a struggle finding secure channels, but once the Eirians are here, we can use safer methods of communication than cycling older codes." Dauchez gave a quick command to a nearby lower officer in fast-paced Aurian. "Pandiet leis autsei izat leis ērosei danz leis kastei velts." He gave a quick nod to the Captain before picking up a rifle himself, examining it briefly. "Well, shall we get to work?"
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