08-29-2023, 08:04 PM
Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez was furious. The audacity of the Xiomerans was truly beyond the pale. Sure, CSSC were mercenaries supposedly independent of the government, but nobody in Lauchenoiria believed that for a second. She doubted that mercenaries would have had any motivation to torture a Lauchenoirian citizen into talking nonsense about a Canal Zone plot in the first place. Calhualyana, on the other hand, most certainly did.
She was dead. Supposedly died of unfortunate “natural causes” while in custody in Auria. They’d given back the body, which Alvarez had immediately ordered an autopsy on. Indeed, she had ordered several different autopsies. Whatever the true cause of death was, it was bound to be well-hidden if they’d handed back the body. She needed several people searching. It was too convenient to be natural.
The other former prisoners of war had reported severe mistreatment. They had been subjected to sleep deprivation, beaten, and much worse. The autopsy so far had found clear evidence of mistreatment prior to death, undoubtedly how they’d forced her to make those absurd Canal Zone statements. Alvarez was incensed. This was not just a violation of all international norms regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. It was cruelty for cruelty’s sake; and probably a message.
Alvarez hated Calhualyana. And she kind of hated herself, for her reaction during the initial coup in Xiomera. She had been blinded by her hatred of Yauhmi, and it had led her to make poor decisions, the consequences of which were still unfolding. The Prime Minister was scared. Huenya was under attack. Eiria was under attack. It was only a matter of time before Calhualyana turned her attentions to Lauchenoiria, and Alvarez did not know what would happen.
Xiomera had already proved that they could snatch Lauchenoirians off the streets of Lauchenoiria, and nobody would do anything about it. The few condemnations of the kidnapping of Irene Ramos and Clay Moss had focused on the forced tattooing, rather than saying anything about the actual kidnapping. The world still seemed determined to punish Lauchenoiria for their civil war. As if they’d deliberately started the plague of them that seemed to be spreading across the world.
Something would happen, Alvarez was sure of it. Unbelievable Canal Zone rumours were hardly going to be the end of it. Nor would the systematic torture of every single Lauchenoirian prisoner of war in Auria. Calhualyana was clearly just warming up. The thought made Alvarez shiver. And the whole Aurian operation, for which her actions had angered Calhualyana in the first place, had been an absolute disaster.
It had shattered her coalition in government, leaving them hanging on by a thread. Only the determination of every party for Lauchenoiria to be seen as stable had staved off a vote of no confidence. It had cost almost four times the initial budget estimate. And they were still there, bogged down in a foreign war that was splitting into more and more factions with every passing minute. No, this not what she had planned.
Lauchenoiria had to get out of Auria, and soon. If she didn’t do it, then whatever happened after the election in April would undoubtedly force it. Their goal had been to show those behind the coup that it was an unacceptable way to try and seize power and change the government. Well, prolonged civil war had certainly done so; at least she hoped. One of the main plotters was dead, and three others were now the leaders of three different factions, at odds with each other. They had shattered apart. Surely none of them, and nobody watching, would find a coup an attractive proposition?
By that standard, mission accomplished. But it didn’t feel that way. This was the worst possible option for discouraging coups. The better option would have been to have managed to seize Lumiere and arrest Andrew, Berenstein, Michelin, Gerand and Lautrec while it was still 2021, put them on trial and swiftly resolve the situation. Instead, they got a multi-faction multi-year civil war – exactly what Lauchenoiria had been hoping to avoid.
“We have to get out of Auria,” Alvarez said aloud to nobody. “And soon.”
She was dead. Supposedly died of unfortunate “natural causes” while in custody in Auria. They’d given back the body, which Alvarez had immediately ordered an autopsy on. Indeed, she had ordered several different autopsies. Whatever the true cause of death was, it was bound to be well-hidden if they’d handed back the body. She needed several people searching. It was too convenient to be natural.
The other former prisoners of war had reported severe mistreatment. They had been subjected to sleep deprivation, beaten, and much worse. The autopsy so far had found clear evidence of mistreatment prior to death, undoubtedly how they’d forced her to make those absurd Canal Zone statements. Alvarez was incensed. This was not just a violation of all international norms regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. It was cruelty for cruelty’s sake; and probably a message.
Alvarez hated Calhualyana. And she kind of hated herself, for her reaction during the initial coup in Xiomera. She had been blinded by her hatred of Yauhmi, and it had led her to make poor decisions, the consequences of which were still unfolding. The Prime Minister was scared. Huenya was under attack. Eiria was under attack. It was only a matter of time before Calhualyana turned her attentions to Lauchenoiria, and Alvarez did not know what would happen.
Xiomera had already proved that they could snatch Lauchenoirians off the streets of Lauchenoiria, and nobody would do anything about it. The few condemnations of the kidnapping of Irene Ramos and Clay Moss had focused on the forced tattooing, rather than saying anything about the actual kidnapping. The world still seemed determined to punish Lauchenoiria for their civil war. As if they’d deliberately started the plague of them that seemed to be spreading across the world.
Something would happen, Alvarez was sure of it. Unbelievable Canal Zone rumours were hardly going to be the end of it. Nor would the systematic torture of every single Lauchenoirian prisoner of war in Auria. Calhualyana was clearly just warming up. The thought made Alvarez shiver. And the whole Aurian operation, for which her actions had angered Calhualyana in the first place, had been an absolute disaster.
It had shattered her coalition in government, leaving them hanging on by a thread. Only the determination of every party for Lauchenoiria to be seen as stable had staved off a vote of no confidence. It had cost almost four times the initial budget estimate. And they were still there, bogged down in a foreign war that was splitting into more and more factions with every passing minute. No, this not what she had planned.
Lauchenoiria had to get out of Auria, and soon. If she didn’t do it, then whatever happened after the election in April would undoubtedly force it. Their goal had been to show those behind the coup that it was an unacceptable way to try and seize power and change the government. Well, prolonged civil war had certainly done so; at least she hoped. One of the main plotters was dead, and three others were now the leaders of three different factions, at odds with each other. They had shattered apart. Surely none of them, and nobody watching, would find a coup an attractive proposition?
By that standard, mission accomplished. But it didn’t feel that way. This was the worst possible option for discouraging coups. The better option would have been to have managed to seize Lumiere and arrest Andrew, Berenstein, Michelin, Gerand and Lautrec while it was still 2021, put them on trial and swiftly resolve the situation. Instead, they got a multi-faction multi-year civil war – exactly what Lauchenoiria had been hoping to avoid.
“We have to get out of Auria,” Alvarez said aloud to nobody. “And soon.”
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