Milintica Decides 2024: A play in four parts (open RP)
#1

Act I: Setting the Stage

Peoples' Electoral Commission headquarters
Huānoch, Milintica
September 2nd

Wera Hauraki, Chairman of the Peoples' Electoral Committee, smiled to himself as the cameras shut off. He had just made the announcement to the nation that Neina Arana had won the Milintican presidential elections.

The camera crew from Milintican Peoples' Broadcasting soon finished taking down their equipment and left the Chairman's office, leaving Hauraki alone with his thoughts. The Chairman paused for a moment, then took a small badge from his pocket. He looked at its surface, the lights of his office making the badge shine brightly. The golden star with the rifle, sword and farm tool inlaid into it, surrounded by ruby red, had been his cap badge from his time, decades ago, in the Peoples' Army. It had been the symbol on the Milintican flag for over 90 years, before President Matōchmizalo had changed the national flag and symbols.

Hauraki rather liked the old symbols better.

He smiled once more, before returning the badge to his pocket.

---

Haven House
Huānoch, Milintica
September 2nd

President Matōchmizalo slammed his fist onto his office desk. More than one person in the room flinched at the sound. "How did this happen?" The President shook his head angrily. "Just a few weeks ago, we had a ten point lead in the polls. None of this makes sense. Someone explain to me how Neina-fucking-Arana just won this election!"

Wiremu Witika, the President's campaign manager, grimaced. "She didn't. She couldn't have. I don't understand these results either. They must be rigged. There is no other explanation. We were winning just days ago."

Prime Minister Tupai Tapihana sighed. "That's a very serious charge. We can't accuse Arana or the MCP of rigging this election without evidence."

"But it would have been all too easy to fudge the numbers," Witika stubbornly insisted. "Only 22,843 votes put Arana on top. That's a small enough number to arrange."

"If we do manage to get this result overturned, the first thing we need to do is destroy the Greens and the Progressives." Huia Tahiwi, the First Lady, snapped. "If either of their candidates had just dropped out and endorsed Matōchmizalo as we asked, this election would have been sealed for us."

"That is definitely a plan for later," Matōchmizalo said grimly. "But for now, we need to figure out how to head this madness off." He turned to Hakiri Maurea, Milintica's Attorney General. "I need you to get with Wiremu and our legal team to figure out exactly how to play this with the Supreme Tribunal. Get the NDIP and the National Police on this too. If there is even a shred of proof that Arana rigged this, I want it found yesterday."

"Even if they don't find proof, just make some up!" Witika gesticulated wildly. Tapihana glared at the campaign manager, his brow furrowed. "I will not participate in any trickery like that!"

"Damnit, Tupai, now is not the time to play nice!" Tahiwi pointed her finger at Tapihana. "We cannot let Arana become President! She will destroy this country! Now is the time to do whatever it takes to keep her from ever sitting in this office! Put a bullet in her brain if we have to, even. But she cannot take power. She simply cannot."

Tapihana's face reddened as he stood up. "You are crossing a line, madam First Lady. Do you want to become what you hate most?"

"Sit down, Tupai. Please,"  Matōchmizalo said. Tapihana sat down after a moment of hesitation, still glaring at Witika and Tahiwi.

"We don't need to ponder such dramatic solutions...just yet, anyway. But we do need to keep Neina from taking power. She will destroy Milintica, truly. But we can prevent that." The President turned to the one person in the room who hadn't yet spoken.

Teuitzi, the Supreme General of the Peoples' Army, sighed. "You're not seriously asking me to launch a coup on your behalf, are you, sir?"

"It would not be a coup. Neina Arana is not President right now. I am." Matōchmizalo looked at Teuitzi expectantly. "You swore an oath to protect Milintica from any enemies, including domestic ones. Neina Arana is a domestic enemy of this state. Will you do your job?"

"It is not my job to overturn an election. Nor is it the role of the Peoples' Army to do so. Your order to do so, if given, would be an illegal order and I would be honor bound to refuse it," Teuitzi replied firmly.

"Then resign! Either that, or we discharge you and find someone who will!" Tahiwi glared daggers at the General, who returned the glare blandly. "If you believe any of the officers below me would go along with that, madam First Lady, or that the soldiers under their command would obey, you are welcome to try."

"Enough, enough," Matōchmizalo said wearily. "It would appear that the only option, then, is to rely on the case that we present to the Supreme Tribunal and hope that it succeeds. But either way, I am not stepping down. I am not handing the most powerful position in this country to Arana. If that means your soldiers end up having to come drag me out of this office in a month, General, so be it. But I hope you can live with that decision, and what it may mean to Milintica's future."

---

Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli
Chuaztlapoc, Huenya
September 3rd

President Xiadani steepled her fingers as she looked at her Cabinet. "This is obviously an unacceptable outcome. Options?"

Secretary of State Huitzilhuani went first. "Our election observers are still in Milintica, and trying to determine if Arana did actually win the election. But their electoral committee is refusing to cooperate with the observers. Their Chairman, Hauraki, has barred us from all PEC offices. The MCP is likewise refusing us access to their offices."

"I do believe I said that any hindering of our observers would merit a response," Xiadani said coolly. "Send a letter to the Electoral Committee and to the MCP headquarters as well. Inform them that the Huenyan Federation, which is still currently an ally of Milintica, requests cooperation in our observations. If that cooperation is not forthcoming, make sure they are aware that we reserve the right to investigate this election by any means necessary, whether or not they cooperate."

Xiadani turned to the Secretaries of Trade and Defense next. "Inform all relevant Milintican parties that any trade and defense cooperation between Milintica and Huenya is contingent on the Milintican state remaining in the UCS, and also contingent on existing agreements between our states being honored regardless of who is President or what party is running their country. If those expectations are not met, make sure they are fully aware that Huenya will no longer feel bound to fulfill our commitments to Milintica. Especially the commitment that we would defend Milintica if someone like, say, Calhualyana decides to make Milintica her summer home."

The President then turned to Huenya's High General. "I assume you are already formulating plans for a more...robust response should one be needed."

Texōccoatl grinned at her statement. "Oh, yeah. I would not put it past Arana, if she does take power, to take her anger at us for not supporting her out on any Huenyans who may be still in Milintica once the transition occurs. If she does go there, our soldiers will be ready to respond. It would probably be wise to update our current travel advisory to discourage travel to Milintica and encourage any Huenyan nationals there to come home," he added to Huitzilhuani, who nodded. Texōccoatl looked over at Trade Secretary Yaochtzin. "If Arana tries anything typically communist like seizing or nationalizing Huenyan assets or property in Milintica, we'll be ready to deal with that as well."

"We will need to have a chat with the Eirians before doing anything too forceful," Xiadani said after a moment. "If Milintica does leave the UCS, our two countries will be all that's left. We also really need to see if Manabí Rive wants to revive their bid for UCS membership, and to hell with the Empire if it bothers them." The President tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. "I really don't want to have to become hostile towards the Milinticans. The descendants of Huenyans there are our kin, after all. And the Paora surely didn't ask for this either. But if Arana does manage to become president there....nothing is off the table."

---

Palace of Flowers
Tlālacuetztla, Xiomera
September 3rd

After the results of the Milintican elections were announced, Empress Calhualyana was having a leisurely meeting with her Prime Minister and the director of Imperial Intelligence in her favorite gardens. "Our operations to influence the Milintican elections appear to have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams," Director Telchiuhtli said. "I thought it would be tougher to get someone as unlikeable and nutty as Neina Arana elected. But the hardcore wing of the MPP was already primed to switch allegiances to the MCP once Matōchmizalo went with his reforms. Arana and her supporters proved very suggestible in the end."

"It is always pleasant to bring disruption and chaos to our enemies," the Empress replied as she sipped a glass of tepiātl. "Matōchmizalo won't concede. Arana will probably use force to get him out. The MPP and MCP will remain at each others' throats. And Arana is highly likely to continue to be suggestible, and blunder herself into a perfect casus belli for us to end the pesky annoyance that is Milintica once and for all. I so love useful idiots. Whether you're an intelligence agent or an Empress, they do make your job easier," Calhualyana mused, earning a laugh from Telchiuhtli.

"When Arana pulls the trigger over Chenalco, I think I'll build some nice condos on the beach in Huānoch once we take over," Prime Minister Toquihu grinned. "The Milinticans never figured out how to make their little islands turn a profit. A Xiomeran is the ideal person to show them how it's done."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," the Empress chided gently. "We need to make sure Arana gets installed as president first and that Matōchmizalo doesn't find some way to keep her from taking power. We also need to keep the temperature up between the MCP and MPP. Some deepfakes on social media about horrible things that the MPP and MCP are doing to each other's activists should keep the pot stirred nicely. Along with our ongoing 'helpful information' about the election being 'stolen', of course."

Telchiuhtli nodded, sipping his own glass. "Imperial Intelligence is more than capable of keeping things hot in Milintica. We'll even enjoy it."

The three of them clinked their glasses, enjoying the Xiomeran sun.

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#2

<b>Presidential House</b>
<b>New Liverpool, Slokais Islands</b>

Ezequiel Limbaco entered the Office of the President, and the President herself was currently looking at a briefing.
"Madame, here is Mr. Limbaco from the HPGI," said the secretary
"Thank you, Valeria" President Weasley said.

The Presidential Secretary for International Affairs, Lonzo Lamb, and his parliamentary counterpart, Foreign Minister Alexandra Ahmad, were also in the room. This wasn't the first meeting of the day for the part-time UNL professor as his oversight of the Milinctan Election for the HPGI was suddenly a key political tool. The Howard Prince-Gonzalez Institution had picked him to virtually oversee the team of observers currently in the country.

"What's the likelihood, Arana won this legitimately" Secretary Lamb asked. Lamb was a laughing stock of the foreign affairs community and had only been given the job for his campaign donations.
"I can't give a number on such an allegation, however, there are several irregularities surrounding this election"
"Englighten, us Mr Limbaco" President Weasley asked
"Well, there was pre-election violence between the MPP and MCP, and our people have been barred from viewing the Electoral Commission's results"
"So we can't confirm, anything," Secretary Lamb said.
"That's right, although it would be a political statement to flat-out deny the Election so early"
"The MPP is not our ally anyway we have no right to defend them, Madame President, I believe this is a waste of time" Secretary Lamb proclaimed
"Than dios" Minister Ahmad exclaimed under her breath
"I don't believe so, Mr Lamb. We have to protect democracy. Mr Limbarco what do you recommend"
"Limbaco" Minister Ahmad said
After a pause, Mr Limbaco continued "I would recommend sending a message to the Electrical Commission calling for transparency and possibly a private call with President Matōchmizalo"
"Somebody should grab a pen I can't spell that name" President Weasley joked.
"Right, well I'll continue to talk with the observers in Milincta," Mr Limbaco said as he stood up
"I'll be joining him," Minister Ahmad said, her eyes expressing tiredness with the President's antics.

When the two of them reached the long hallway that connected the Presidential House and Parliament, Minister Ahmad finally spoke
"I hate that woman," she said
"I'm not supposed to be political but I can't find any reason to disagree," Mr Limbaco said
"She's not just an old woman who can't take anything seriously, she's surrounded by the highest class of idiots"
The pair passed the portraits of Presidents and Prime Minster which marked the boundary between the Presidential and Parliamentary governments. As they passed the portrait of President Weasley's first term, Mr Limbaco commented
"She wasn't always that uninformed, she used to be a political mastermind. 90s politics was her era"
"Well, our time comes eventually and her's is long gone," Minister Ahmad said.

<t>The Federation of Slokais Islands- fighting for freedom and democracy</t>
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#3

2024/09/03 07:08; Hwagang CR, Emiline Pierre Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Building, Room 220


The Ministry of Caxcanan Affairs was perennially understaffed, Huenyan language education in Haesan was never really up to the standard that it ought to be, which meant that in a room of 10 MCA staffers, about 8 of them were Eiria or Auria specialists.  The remainder were nearly all on the Xiomera/Huenya beat, which meant the entire team of Southern Caxcana experts in the MFA neatly fit in a little two-desk office tucked away in a nondescript hallway in a nondescript office building on the left bank of the National Canal.  Of those fated to labor in Room 220, Jihun was a specialist in Doatia, and well, Haerin drew the wrong flag at diplomat assignment.  So when the news of Neina Arana's election finally reached Haesan, it was first received by a mom more stressed by her toddler's inability to fall asleep than geopolitics.  Well, in that moment at least.  She would have larger problems soon enough.

Her short night of sleep was cut shorter as a memo needed to be drafted, to pass on to her boss, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Caxcanan Affairs, who would pass it on to his boss, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who would send the relevant info to brief the President and PM.  As she swiped her card at the entrance of the Neoclassical stone building, the time read a very optimistic 5:28 am, and she started sifting through the briefs compiled by HSIS, the MFA, and the HPGI about the elections.  Once she had a handle on the situation she fired off a brief overview memo with the rough* outline of:

This is a historic event for Milintica.  Obvs.
 1. Arana's election poses a critical threat to Milintica's stability.
    a. We cannot afford to be involved with this.
    b. Even if she gets nukes like she's wanted to, we cannot afford to get involved with this.
 2. This is bad for us.
    a. We are not historically friendly with Communist nations or parties.
    b. We should probably recall our diplomats before she calls us a capitalist devil and gets rid of them first.
 3. The UCS is dead, RIP.
    a. It was nice while it lasted.
(*creative liberties have been taken by the storyteller.  Kim Hae-rin is a graduate of a very prestigious university (Albarine U!  Go Mariners!) and knows how to write a memo)

And with her very eloquent, diplomatic, and definitely not coffee-sustained memo sent out into the world at 7:08 am HST, poor Haerin had no idea the mess that she had just created for herself.  And well, potentially the whole of the IDU.

2024/09/03 08:00 sharp; Hwagang CR, Emiline Pierre Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Building, Room 200

In the second floor bullpen of the Pierre, every weekday morning crisply at the toll of 8:00, the Ministry of Caxcanan affairs meets to discuss the most critical matters of national importance relating to the Caxcanan continent.  Those thirty minutes were functionally its raison d'etre, to use a Northern term.  But for the ten minutes before the meeting, the room was the intellectual battleground for two dozen of the most educated diplomats to wage war about their superior conceptions of the "Xiomeran mindset".  But on that particular Tuesday, the room was abuzz about the chaos of Milintica, a chaos where the only person in the room who actually knew what was going on was leaning against a column for support, nursing a vanilla latte, and fighting the urge of every cell in her body to fall asleep.  However, those who were blessed with divine knowledge of "the lightness of Eirian political balancing" were dead focused on memo point #3. 

So when the meeting is actually called to order, the discussion goes like:
"The UCS is dead to rights, and Eiria is left adrift.  Relations haven't been the best between us, but maybe there's something we can do?"
"It is the Eirian mindset to turn to others in moments of duress.  Can we move first?"
"But what about Laeral, they're so good at working diplomacy behind the scenes!"
"Ah, Laeral's like a boulder, slow to get started, impossible to stop once they've started moving, but it's impossible to change their direction either.  We'll be fine."
"So who can we round up?"
All while the only person in the room who actually had an incentive to care about the, like, actual survival of the Milintican state, could barely summon enough energy to get a word in edgewise.  So when Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Ji-hwan received a memo from the Ministry of Caxcanan Affairs, it looked a bit like this:

1. The Union of Caxcanan states is surely dead now.
  a. This is a huge opportunity for us!!!
  b. Eiria is super desperate right now. (probably)
  c. Xiomera will be shaking in their boots at the intellectual might of the Haesanite diplomatic corps!
  d. There are some other concerns:
      i. Arana might get nukes (but they can't hit us!)
     ii. We might want to get diplomats out (but we did that in Roucourt not too long ago!)
     iii. Did we mention that huge opportunity earlier???

2024/09/03 08:57; Hwagang CR, Seo Ju-yeon Executive Office Building, Room 104

The President needs to be briefed every day, and in Room 104 of the stately SJY building, the bigshots gathered to figure out how to do it to the greatest extent possible.  Five of the heavyweights of Haesanite policy: Defence Minister Lee, Home Minister Moon, Director of National Security Seo, Director of Secret Intelligence Avery, and of course Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho, duked it out to see whose perspective would rule the day.   Of course, near the top of the agenda was the absolute bombshell out of Milintica, and, as always, the quintet disagreed vehemently.

Lee and Avery were very hyper-focused on the defense implications and Xiomeran expansion, while the more inward focused Moon and Seo were adamant that Haesan should protect its domestic interests and ignore the rumblings in a small nation far from the homeland.  As a result, Cho was quite pleased when he was able to coerce the room into agreement with the simple statement: "This crisis presents itself as a unique opportunity, and the reason why is due to the imminent collapse of the Union of Caxcanan States."

The rest of the logic followed beautifully, and well, the madness had reached the very pinnacle of government.

2024/09/03 09:30; Hwagang CR, Dalseongjeon, Briefing Room Twilight

Kim I-seul usually enjoyed her daily briefings, they were a break from the miserable vortex of bad politics which otherwise surrounded her on a daily basis, but she liked them even more when there was the possibility of something interesting resulting from it.  And when she heard the proposed response to the events in Milintica, she instinctively understood that there indeed was an opportunity.  Her only question was: "Will we have the funds earmarked to get this accomplished?"  Her Chief of Staff simply responded: "We'll contact Sabrina."

2024/09/03 09:18 (WHT); Suyang, Sunseong-gu, outside the Reformist Celestine Temple of Gongbaek-dong

It was a pleasant morning for the Prime Minister, she always relished the chance to get out and interact with constituents, and this outing inspecting newly installed heat relief infrastructure in northwest Suyang was definitely one of those gratifying experiences, in seeing a community's resilience after a tragedy.  Between stops on her tour, an aide pulled her over quickly and whispered, "Iseul was wondering if you'd be able to find the budget to support this initiative," and gestured towards her Seollim Slate 3 tablet.  She put her hand towards her head reflexively, shook her head a bit, and then responded, "Tell her I think we can get that done.  But stars above, just what is she up to?"

2024/09/03 12:15; Various

Three couriers set out just past the toll of midday, their destinations being strictly Eirian in nature: the Hwagang Embassy, the Suyang Consulate, and the Chancellor's Manor in Geminus.  The three carried identical letters on official Haesanite government stationary, all containing the following missive:

Regarding the Unfolding Situation in Milintica

Given that Neina Arana has promised to withdraw from the Union of Caxcanan States, a move which would only leave the Union with two members and would functionally render it a fairly standard bilateral agreement, the Commonwealth of Haesan urges the Democratic Republic of Eiria to adopt a different approach.  Recent Xiomeran foreign policy blunders have led to a shift in public sentiment across the Eastern Hesperidan region, an area whose economic and geopolitical significance needs no explanation.  As such, Haesan proposes the formation of the Promethean Sea Council, an international organization in the greater Promethean Sea region whose stated goal is to promote democracy, maritime security, and economic prosperity in the broader region and whose implicit goal is to counter Xiomeran expansionism and aggression.

The letter continued with details of the organization's administration, of a Suyang headquarters and a startup cost funded by Haesan for the benefit of the broader regional community.  It outlined the proposed plans of recruitment and potential expansion, of course, beginning with the Federation of Huenya.  It outlined rules of procedure and contribution rules and punishments for non-compliance.  A twisting labyrinth of rules and procedures outlined the following: an organization that can can ignore the Arana firestorm without risk.  The only thing the letter seemed to lack was a response.

For once in a decade, some audacious policy had finally emerged from the ever dense and self-interested web of Haesanite bureaucracy.  But behind saccharine promises, what strings lay hidden in the background?  Or was it truly just an offer of goodwill, to try and put a mutual foe in its place?  The truth lies buried the reams of paperwork, and of anyone, maybe only Haerin in her caffeine induced haze knows the real answer.
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#4

Act II: Waiting in the Wings

Milintican Communist Party headquarters
Huānoch, Milintica

Neina Arana tsked slightly to herself as she looked over several sets of papers. Finally, she raised her head and turned to Ikei Rakena, her incoming Minister of State. "Summarize the situation for me, please."

Rakena sighed. "So far, no one except Khoga and his followers in Taragai have extended any official recognition or acknowledgement to our government. As for unofficial actions, the Slokaisians have made some murmurs about 'transparency'. The Eirians and the nations in Hesperida will most likely make their own murmurs about us, but do nothing, as they usually do. We may get more stringent pushback from the Lauchenoirians, given their blatant worship of capitalist jackboots. But the most notable reaction has been from Huenya. The administration of President Xiadani has been, frankly, very hostile. They have 'declined' meeting with us as they continue to 'investigate' the election results. It's been said without being said by the Huenyans that they greatly prefer dealing with Matōchmizalo."

"Xiadani is an idiot," Arana said flatly. "I've heard some of her remarks about me, and about the election. She likes to talk big for someone whose own capital came within a hair's width of falling to insurgents around this time last year," Arana sneered as the members of her incoming Cabinet laughed. "I could care less what the Huenyan government thinks - they're no threat. As for the Lauchenoirians, they haven't given me a reason to be scared of them yet, and I can't say I see that changing. The Eirians typically don't respond until someone has already punched them in the nose, and the nations in Hesperida don't do anything ever out of fear of disrupting their precious greedy trade. Sounds like we can expect more of the same that always happens from most of the world - nothing."

"If the Huenyans continue to be pushy, we should expel their 'election observers' as soon as we take power." Coszcayah, the incoming Minister of Justice, grimaced in irritation. "Their attempts to interfere in the transition to our administration are becoming quite blatant. Speaking of the transition though, my sources are indicating to me that the Supreme Tribunal will be making a decision by the end of this week about Matōchmizalo's silly little court case."

"By the end of this week? Inauguration Day is barely two weeks away!" Arana shook her head. "See if we can light a fire under the justices, please. This is not the time for them to engage in their usual leisurely deliberations."

"I am honestly concerned about what happens after they make their decision. Matōchmizalo has said repeatedly now that he will not agree to hand off power, even if the Tribunal decides against him." Mazayotl, the incoming Prime Minister and Arana's running mate, tapped his own set of papers pensively. "We have to thread the needle carefully if  Matōchmizalo refuses to leave peacefully. If we respond too harshly, that could trigger an uprising from the remaining MPP supporters. It could also spark a backlash from the international community."

"Screw Matōchmizalo and the MPP," Arana snapped. "If Matōchmizalo refuses to step down, once his term is officially over by law, I will have the Army drag him out of Haven House by his scrawny little neck and charge him with treason for attempting to overthrow the government. If his supporters resist with force, we'll ban the MPP and run them out of office and off the streets. I really hope they give us the excuse."

Some of Arana's Cabinet members looked uncertainly at each other at that. Even for the newly energized and radicalized MCP, banning what was still the second largest political party in the country and its historic leader was a tall order. Arana adopted a patient expression as she looked at them. "Don't look so shocked. Remember history. What I just outlined is exactly what the MPP itself did from 1917 to 1928, which made the MPP the dominant movement in this country in the first place. If the counter-revolutionary shadow of itself that the MPP has become needs a history lesson, we can give it to them. The irony of that would be a little bit delicious, to be honest."

"Our timeframe would need to be a bit more accelerated," Coszcayah pointed out. "We wouldn't have eleven years to pull that off."

"We can do that," Arana replied. "But for now, we keep going forward as we have. We make sure we're in position on day one to stomp on any opposition here at home, while fending off any unwanted outside interference. And most of all, we make sure Hauraki continues to stonewall anyone poking around the election results until then. Because after October 3rd, it won't matter anymore."

---

Even as Arana and her incoming Cabinet discussed things, however, the wonderful twin strands of life known as "unexpected actions" and "unintended consequences" worked their magic, as they often do.

Nelpin and Itopan, two low-level diplomatic staff with the Huenyan State Department, had arrived in the city of Aropaonui in northern Milintica. Aropaonui was a rural village that was quite a bit off the beaten path. It still managed to attract a fair number of foreign visitors, however, due to its scenic beauty on the coastline and its chances to experience native Paora culture. Visitors usually loved the town's exotic-sounding name, without at all being aware that Aropaonui meant "bashed kidney fat" in the Paora language. The locals conveniently forgot to mention that to visitors, most days.

The destination for the two Huenyan diplomats was Aropanui's town square. The Huenyans had received a report from some locals that there had been issues with trying to cast their vote. They had accused the town's mayor, Ori Hariwana, of ordering local police chief Iria Pihopa to monitor who was voting. Pihopa had challenged known MPP activists trying to vote. The police chief worked with election judge Ha Amu Rata to reject several voters on various technicalities, the reports claimed. The locals suspected that Hariwana and Pihopa, both MCP loyalists, had deliberately tied to block MPP votes. They also had expressed concern that the ballots themselves, which were in the custody of Pihopa and Rata for several hours after voting ended, could have been compromised.

Nelpin and Itopan arrived at the town square and met Raione Hamuera, the person who had filed the initial complaint. The two Huenyans began interviewing Hamuera and several other local residents about what had taken place on Election Day. As they did so, a man watching them from across the square quietly walked off.

Twenty minutes later, three police cars drove into the square, parking near where the Huenyans were talking with the locals. Pihopa stepped out of one of the vehicles, flanked by four more officers. They walked up to the group, and Pihopa brusquely demanded to know what the Huenyans were doing. Nelpin presented their diplomatic credentials to Pihopa. "We are here interviewing local residents about the election. We are election observers registered with the Milintican government," Itopan said.

Pihopa snorted. "You're not registered with anyone here."

"We are registered with the Milintican State Department in Huānoch. We are diplomats protected by international law," Itopan replied.

"I don't care," Pihopa replied bluntly. "You're not welcome here. Get back in your car and get out of here." The police chief then turned to the locals who the Huenyans had been interviewing. "You are engaging in an unlawful assembly. Get out of here now before I arrest you all."

"You can't do that!" Nelpan shouted as she stood up. "These people are violating no Milintican law -"

"You think you know the laws here better than I do, Huenyan?" Pihopa snarled. "Last chance. Get out of my face and leave or you're going in handcuffs."

"You. Wouldn't. Dare." Nelpan glared at the police chief. "We are official diplomats. It would be an international incident and way out of your pay grade."

Pihopa looked down at Nelpan, face twisted in slight amazement, before his expression darkened. Without another word, he grabbed a can of pepper spray from his belt and sprayed Nelpan and Itopan both in the face. As the two Huenyans both coughed and sputtered in pain, Pihopa yanked Nelpan around and began handcuffing her. Another officer quickly did the same to Itopan.

"You are both under arrest for trespassing, refusing a lawful order to disperse, and resisting arrest," Pihopa snapped. "As for the rest of you, leave now. This is your last warning."

As the small group of locals grumbled and stepped back, Nelpan and Itopan were marched to one of the nearby police vehicles and thrown roughly inside.

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#5

Geminus, Eiria

In the primary brieifing room of the Chancellor's Manor, a flurry of advisors hovered energetically around the long oak table as Chancellor Stendē flipped through page after page of intelligence reports. After a brief period of silence, she looked up from the papers, less than amused. "Do you all actually have any idea what is going on in Milintica?"

Anders Sarano-Sulet, a younger civil servant who was currently serving as the Chief Officer of the Ministry of Diplomacy's Office of Caxcanan Affairs, spoke up first. "There are definitely blatant signs of interference, from a large variety of parties. Domestic interests, including both the MCP and MPP, seemed to have made every effort to sway the results, although only time will tell just how legal these efforts were."

Kaira Daukava, an analyst from the EICA's Office of Caxcanan Operations, jumped in swiftly. "Our agents have also noticed several instances of irregular activities leading up to the election, particularly on certain social media accounts. We suspect that those accounts may have been influenced or operated by Xiomeran agents attempting to change the course of the election."

The Chancellor's sour mood didn't quite improve. "You suspect? And just how much hard evidence does the EICA have to back up those suspicions?" After a moment of Daukava's silence, Stendē's brow furrowed. "We need to double our efforts in Milintica if we haven't already. Get more agents in position immediately, and let those already there know that they will work overtime for a while. We need to be doing everything we can to find out the truth behind these results. Short of risking the lives of our operatives, of course.

Minister of Diplomacy (And former LIDUN Secretary-General) Charles Danton cleared his throat, being one of the few advisors in the room to have the guts to do so. "If I could, Kurena, there is something else behind these results. It will take significant time to uncover solid evidence about what happened here. I do agree that we should put more agents in the field. In fact, we likely should have had more in Milintica in the first place." Although Danton's tone was polite and neutral, the words were like pointed spears towards Daukava and the EICA's Director, Oliver Karklins.

Stendē held up her hand, hoping to stop the subsequent inter-agency bickering before it started. "Regardless, we must move quickly. We will not have much time before the situation in Milintica heats up, and Angels help us if we are unprepared for it when it does."

The door across from the Chancellor swung open, revealing Stendē's ever-diligent Chief of Staff, who had temporarily stepped out of the meeting. He pointed to the corded phone on the table. "Chancellor, President Xiadani is calling for you." He nodded to the advisors, who all filed out quickly, leaving just Riekstins and the Chancellor in the room as the latter picked up the phone.

"Madam President, good morning. I am glad that you called. It would be nice to have someone to discuss the... elephant in Caxcana with."

"Indeed, and thank you for taking my call, madam Chancellor," Xiadani replied. "I hope you are doing well - or as well as can be, given the circumstances. The situation in Milintica has become very concerning to us, as I am sure it is to you. I felt it would be wise to discuss what our response may be to the situation."

"I am doing well, thank you for your kind words. I would love to formulate a plan of action. However, I am not sure just how much we can do right now, given the unclear circumstances around this election. We do have some intelligence regarding the election..." Stendē glanced back down at the papers on the table. "...But what we do have is largely devoid of specifics, I am sorry to report. What we can conclude is that the legitimacy of this election is sketchy at best, and even with our best efforts, we were denied any sort of ability to supervise the process. And given the current tension in the nation, I wouldn't be surprised if this current political limbo ends in public unrest- or worse."

"Our efforts to observe the election are being blocked as well. That only adds to my suspicions that there is something fraudulent about this election. But we sadly have as little to go on as you do at the moment." Xiadani looked at her own notes before continuing. "While we try to get to the bottom of this election, it might be wise to focus on the very real possibility that Neina Arana is going to be the next leader of Milintica. She has already threatened to withdraw Milintica from the UCS, and also wants nuclear weapons. This is a very dangerous scenario, both for Milintica and for us. We may need to begin considering ways to try to keep Milintica on our side under her leadership...or containing her and the Milinticans, if she decides otherwise."

The Chancellor grimaced. "Arana's foreign policy is the stuff of any rational democrat's nightmares. I agree, we need a plan to deal with whatever she may do while in office, however, I'm not sure how exactly we can keep her 'contained,' so to speak. From how I see it, her isolationist policies would put Milintica at odds with the world once again, and as such would diminish whatever influence she would have left, effectively containing her power within the borders of her nation. I, frankly, do not see how she can even suggest acquiring nuclear missiles from any nation when she frequently rebukes even her nation's staunchest allies. Does she plan to use Milintica's UCS membership as a bargaining chip or hostage to get whatever she wants?" The Eirian leader adjusted her glasses. "Frankly, I feel that the only way Arana could ever have an impact internationally would be by withdrawing from the UCS and/or starting a war." She sighed. "We must hope that the coalition government that forms is more reasonable than their head of state."

”There is little chance of that, unfortunately. Arana will be relying on even more extreme fringe parties in the Assembly to maintain power. Groups like the Paora Alliance and the Isolationists.” Xiadani shook her head at the thought. “The extremists have gained ascendancy in Milintica. And I would not be surprised if she does use UCS membership as leverage for her goals. On that subject, maybe we should see if we can dilute that threat a bit. Perhaps the Manabí can be convinced to revive their membership bid. That would give us at least something as a form of counter-leverage.”

"That would be sensible. And given the current regional climate, I doubt that it would take much to convince them to apply again." The Chancellor glanced over at the wall, a thought occurring to her. "Then again, we would still need Milintica's vote for their admittance if Arana does not choose to withdraw from the Union, or if we do not find a way to reduce or remove her power to do so." She sighed. "But there is no precedent for removing a UCS member, especially one who was an original signatory of the treaty. I hate how unpredictable this entire situation is, honestly. For the time being, this looks to bring nothing but chaos and conflict."

”That is unfortunately true. As far as Manabí Rive goes, though, we still have a month before Arana would assume power. If we can get them to reapply and fast track it, Matōchmizalo can still approve it now and get it passed before the new Assembly takes over. Once the Manabí are in, Arana will just have to cope with their membership because she won’t be able to do anything about it,” Xiadani said. “As far as the overall situation goes, you’re right. We may just have to put up guardrails to try to keep Arana from going too far insane. We definitely need to get other countries to back us on that.” Xiadani paused. “We also have to ensure that she does not provoke Xiomera into an excuse to take action against her. Her threat to gain nukes and her belligerence about the islands that Xiomera still occupies are undoubtedly seen as an opportunity by Tlālacuetztla.”

"Almost everything any of us do could be seen as provocation to the Xiomerans, so we have a difficult job there," Stendē joked without any note of humor in her voice. "As for the nuclear threat, I still don't see what Arana intends to accomplish there. Milintica's nuclear program was abandoned long ago, so it will take significant time to rebuild whatever progress they had, especially without help from foreign powers. However, I do agree that her posturing around the Chelnaco Islands is likely to start a conflict, one that we are caught in the crossfire of. But we really afford to intervene if it comes to a war? Our military is just recovering from the Aurian Civil War, not to mention the fact that domestic support for a new conflict involving Milintica would be abysmal." She and Riekstins exchanged a look. "We could blockade the islands if war broke out, however even that could throw us into a full conflict."

”Those are all valid points, and Huenya is also in no position to fight a prolonged war right now,” Xiadani agreed. “We may need to consider the possibility of intervening in Milintica if Arana seems about to start a war with the Xiomerans. We can’t let the Empire gain yet another foothold abroad.”

The Eirian leader was silent for a few moments. "I do agree that we may have no choice but to intervene. We are currently working now to get a better view into how exactly the election unfolded. In the meantime, we may want to begin preparations for political violence and unrest across the nation. It's not like the MPP is going to go away without a fight, and we can't have anything happening that would make Arana or her supporters look like martyrs." Stendē's eyes locked on the wall in front of her. "If I could ask, what did you have in mind for interference, Madam President?"

”We can’t do anything too overt unless absolutely necessary. That would be handing a propaganda victory to Calhualyana and not helping our cause. For now, we should probably call for both sides to allow for free and independent review of the election results by the international community. If either the MPP or MCP resist such calls, we’ll know who is likely to have rigged the results.” Xiadani paused. “If things really go bad and Arana does take power, we can’t let her hold the UCS hostage or possibly enable a Xiomeran occupation. If it appears such an outcome is imminent….Huenya is planning to stage a military intervention to depose Arana and ensure Xiomera cannot occupy Milintica.” Xiadani paused again, waiting for Stendē’s response.

The Chancellor's eyes darted back to her Chief of Staff. "I hope it does not have to come to that. Deposing what could be a democratically-elected government is not exactly ideal, even if it does safe the nation from a worse fate." The irony of the whole situation might've made her laugh under different circumstances. "If it looks like a Xiomeran invasion is imminent, our forces would intervene alongside yours. Until then, if Arana does stay in power, we must find ways to undermine her rule domestically. She does not exactly have a large mandate, so finding weaknesses will not be difficult. The problem will be exploiting said weaknesses without causing large-scale domestic strife in Milintica."

"Agreed...we will need to find ways to turn her own supporters against her as well if we are to have success with undermining her rule. That will be a tall order, since many of them share her ideal of returning Milintica to the days of one-party rule and hardcore communism." Xiadani thought for a moment. "What may work well in that regard is taking measures to ensure that Arana, and by extension Milintica, are isolated during her tenure. If people see Milintica's diplomatic and economic gains over the past few years being reversed, that may turn enough people against Arana."

"Of course. That will not even be difficult to do, given Arana's isolationist tendencies and disdain towards the very measures that have revived the Milintican economy. The real trick will be to convince her dogmatic followers that the blame is on their leader and not us. After all, that seems to be the main solution that Arana employs whenever Milintica encounters a problem: Blame her capitalist allies."

”She will doubtlessly fall on that trope again as well. We will have to do everything we can to get past her spin on the situation. Huenya has gained experience at that dealing with Xiomera. We shall have to do the same with Arana.”

"And that is where we can use Arana's shaky mandate to our advantage. Given how divided the country is, it may be best to diversify our means of delivering propaganda. It will be hard for her and her staff to deal with a media blitz on top of a contested election." Stendē said, hoping that her statement would prove true.

”We can certainly hope so, and to work to that effect. That is probably our best plan for now, along with continuing our investigations to determine if the election was valid.” Xiadani looked at another document. “Our election observers should be able to present their initial report soon.”

"While yours do that, our observers on the ground will attempt to futher investigate any forces that may have manipulated the final election result. Even if this election was called in Matōchmizalo's favor from the beginning, it would still smell of illegitimacy. I hope we can discover the truth behind these results before the situation becomes drastic."

"As do I, and quickly at that. Something tells me that President-Elect Arana will not hesitate to move quickly to consolidate her power." Xiadani's lips twitched as she said "Arana" as if she had just tasted something sour unexpectedly.

"Correct, however the outgoing administration will not make that easy for her. We have not yet seen just how chaotic this situation will get. This will not be pretty," the Eirian leader said, dreading the days ahead.

”True. Matōchmizalo does not seem inclined to just hand off power, and I can’t say I blame him. Whatever does happen, we will need to be prepared.” Xiadani looked at another note on her desk. “We should also consider the possibility of roping other nations into our discussions about how to handle Arana. Perhaps some contacts with nations like Haesan, Laeral or Greater Acadia. We could also talk to the Lauchenoirians but given their stance on communists, that could be more complicated.”

"Absolutely. Our existing intelligence sharing agreements with those nations with regards to Auria should hopefully give us some leverage to request that we all share our intelligence on Milintica as well. Plus, we have recently received a cable that was allegedly from the Haesanites about a possible new agreement for military cooperation. Although we still are verifying the authenticity and details of that offer, it could add yet another advantage for us." The Chancellor mulled a thought over. "I am not sure that we should include the Lauchenoirians yet. If they interfere with the situation on their own, we should reach out. For now, I fear that it would just cause more diplomatic incidents, which we really do not need right now."

”That is a very valid risk. The current Lauchenoirian leadership are no fans of Arana, to be sure, and the feeling appears to be mutual. I think we will do well as you have outlined.” Xiadani gave Stendē a pleasant smile. “Are there any other concerns you would like to discuss?”

"I don't think so, with what little information we have. Thank you very much for your constant wisdom and support, Madam President. You serve your country and Caxcana well." Stendē's tone sounded sincerely grateful, if not a touch stressed. "We will be in contact if we discover anything."

”Thank you very much,” Xiadani replied. “I greatly appreciate both your steadfast support and that of Eiria as well. We will get this all sorted out. Have a good day, madam Chancellor.”

The phone was placed on its receiver once again, leaving Stendē and her top aide in silence as they ruminated over the call and the future of Caxcanan democracy.

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#6

A flurry of diplomacy always brought with it the promise of change, or at the very least, the promise of crisis management.  As the flow of ideas kept pace with the flow of laekju and besae, some vague figment of a plan began to take shape.  Of course, no good diplomatic process is without its disagreements...

~Somewhere in the MFA Office Building~
(The officials in the following exchange have been quoted with their names removed to protect their privacy.)

"What do you mean they want to keep the UCS?!"
"They think it'll become some sort of 'political or monetary union' or something.  They're envisioning a level of integration on a scale that's never been done before."
"A political union?!  They think they can Eirianize Huenya enough to make them move in lockstep?  They think they can ever take the fire out of the Huenyan people and turn them into genteel, cultured little Eirians?  Never gonna happen."
"Well, that's what they sa-"
"And a MONETARY UNION?!  *bwahaha* They must really hate the strength of the Lunen!"
"Look, I'm just relaying what they tol-"
"They must have gone clinically insane!  Their marbles are spilled all over the streets of Serenity and are rolling into the Nereus Sea as we speak!
"Trust me, I get it.  I've told them.  I've tried.  We think they're crazy, and we're right about that, but they think they're political geniuses.  And we can't help it if they're wrong as long as they are 100% certain that they are wrong.  Wait, that didn't come out right.  Have a 100% belief that they're certain.  That's better."

So, as per usual whenever these two countries try to do almost anything, there was a lot of confusion on the Eirian side as to what in the name of the Unity their counterparts were thinking, and on the Haesanite side there was the typical high volume screeching into hotel room pillows at the acute (perceived? actual?!) idiocy of those across the table from them.  Eventually, but definitely not inevitably, an agreement was cobbled together.  It looked roughly like this:

  1. There shalt be a glorious intercontinental defence agency!
    a. Get wrecked Xiomera!
    b. Nations will have to pay a share of their GDP to a pooled defence budget, that we use for mutual training/defence capacity.

    c. There won't be intelligence sharing unless nations want to contribute on their own.  Not when Laeral exists.
  2. The UCS will be allowed to continue existing without Milintica, I guess.
    a. Member nations have to contribute to the PSC before any other defense pact.  This is the most important multinational defence pact ever, so we have to take ourselves way too seriously.
    b. Orders from the PSC will supercede that of any other international defense obligation, but states can act alone on matters that do not involve the PSC (glances at Soeyan Province the Littoral Marches on the nearest map). 

  3. No one will hear of this unless Milintica leaves the UCS.  If that happens then we use this to play the JUNO reverse of fortune card on Neina Arana.

The Eirians were fairly pleased with this little arrangement, and the Haesanite diplomats were fairly happy too, but if they were to be genuinely happy about any outcome of a negotiation they would not have truly been Haesanite diplomats.  The Eirians sent this over to the Huenyans, and the three nations were all in agreement, no matter what happened in Milintica, there would be problems for Xiomera.

The tense rubber band of classified information suddenly snapped back, sending shockwaves through the MFA, and soon everyone knew that something big was underway.  The negotiators from Geminus sat down and briefed the returning diplomats from Milintica about the plan.  They nodded in agreement, supportive of the plan, but adamant that someone needed to be there to oversee the implementation, and if needed, give the Milintican government the little push it needed to sabotage itself and bringing this prosperous new era of international cooperation into being.  Someone who was a friendly face, familiar with the culture, but fresh enough to make an impact.  The Minister of Caxcanan Affairs knew exactly who she would choose for the job.

2024/09/17 13:17; Hwagang CR, Emiline Pierre Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Building, Room 220
Somehow, in what seemed like the tiniest office in the entire building, basically all relevant international affairs were being processed.  Haerin stood over Jihun's shoulder, proofreading his memo on the no-confidence motion for Chancellor Ricardo, when out of nowhere, her boss walked through the door.  As Jihun snapped to attention, Yeeun began to speak.  Lee Ye-eun is a very direct woman, and she wasn't going to waste time on pleasantries.

"At ease, you two.  I see you are both working diligently on the flurry of news out of Doatia, but Haerin, there is an urgent matter that requires your attention."
"It looks like the news feed from Milintica has died down a bit, what do you need from me?"
"The diplomatic staff has decided that it would be prudent to staff our now nearly vacant embassy with someone capable and familiar with Milintican culture."
Haerin's face darkened as she realized exactly what would be asked of her.
"As such, I thought that you would be the most appropriate person for the job.  This is a rare opportunity that will provide you a lot of flexibility and will no doubt attract the attention of many high up in our ministry.  As you are no doubt aware, you will receive crisis pay for this, and given the current situation, it is currently prohibited to bring family members with you out of risk for their safety."
Haerin sighed the deep sigh of someone who had lost the battle before it had begun.  "Given my family situation, this is a particularly difficult assignment for me at the moment.  Would it be possible to decline?  I know there are other capable diplomats in this ministry."
Yeeun answered calmly, in a well-practiced tone, "You can decline, but we all would wish you the best of luck at the next annual review."
She took a few steps forward and handed a fan of papers to Haerin, who tentatively accepted them.
"These are the essentials, the highest priority are the diplomatic forms, which we'll need you to fill out by the end of the day.  Your train ticket to Suyang is also in there, along with your flight registration, you'll leave from Hanyeong to Geminus at 3 p.m. tomorrow."
Yeeun turned on her heels and began to exit the office, just stopping to pause for one last statement.
"If you have any questions, you know where to find me.  Otherwise, we'll be in touch when you reach Huānoch. Oh, and good luck, Haerin.  We'll all be supporting you."

The office door clicked shut.
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#7

“Intriguing,” Javier Flynn said, taking a sip of his beer while reading the invitation from Neina Arana. “I expect Averforth and Pavía are on the verge of having a pair of strokes right about now. Pity about Pavía, really; she’s not a bad looker.”

The True Communist Movement’s twenty-something Headquarters Intern (read: lackey), Moreno Vigo, wisely remained silent. He had only been doing the job for five weeks, but he had already become well-acquainted with Flynn’s proclivities. There was a reason the NCM’s HR person preferred to hire male interns. He would not want to be Neina Arana, if Flynn did decide to attend this conference.

“Do you think our government would try to stop us going?” asked Rico Olguín, an eighty-year-old staunch Communist sitting in the corner, before devolving into a coughing fit.

“Not if they do not want to look like hypocrites,” Flynn mused, tapping on his beer while continuing to peruse the invitation. “And I see that Agramunt hasn’t been invited. Good; that alone tells us much about Arana. She is a surprisingly good leader. Like I thought Charissa was. Ah, if only she had been real.”

Flynn was well-known for having had an affair with “Charissa Clarke”, the former wartime Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria who had been revealed to be an Aurora; a member of a Kerlian sleeper agent programme. Her true name was not Charissa Clarke; who did not in fact exist. That hadn’t stopped Flynn from daydreaming about what could have been, if the fake persona she had adopted had been real.

“You going?” asked Julia Sastre, the only woman in the room, a muscly thirty-something with a large hammer-and-sickle tattoo on her arm, and a scar on her face from something that happened in the Civil War. Flynn did not bother her any longer; the only time he tried, she’d had him pinned on the ground before anyone could blink. Plus, she carried at least one knife, probably four.

“Yes, yes I think I will,” Flynn chuckled softly.

*

“… which is why we need to sanction Milintica immediately!” Pavía stated loudly, slapping her hand on the table in front of her to embellish her point.

The rest of the Lauchenoirian cabinet sat around waiting for her to finish. They had heard this speech before. They’d heard it every day since the election Neina Arana had allegedly won. Pavía’s position had consistently been that the election was a fix, that there was no way she organically gained that much support; and everything that had happened since had only cemented that view.

“We simply do not have proof that the election was illegitimate,” said the Economy and Finance Secretary, Eric Terrazas, a Conservative who had been urging caution.

“We’re working on that,” piped up the Secretary for Defence, Ruben Bernat, another Conservative.

“Yes, I am well aware you are attempting to source some proof that may or may not exist, and spending more than you should be on such a matter,” snapped Terrazas.

“Calm,” the Prime Minister, Thomas Averforth, urged. They settled down. One could say much about Averforth, but he had a very calming voice. In a one-on-one conversation, he always sounded perfectly reasonable. It was only after, when you got home, that you realised he had somehow talked you into nodding along for policies you would never truly support in reality.

“We are all very passionate about this issue,” he spoke, much more softly than the others, but somehow still at the same volume. “It is normal for that to raise our tempers. But we must consider both sides. Sandra, I know that you are in favour of taking action against Milintica, but it is not time for that yet. Eric, the amount of spending on election investigation is a drop in the ocean of the budget for that area. I know that we are fiscal conservatives, but we are not anarchists or libertarians. We still believe in the existence of government, and thus some things will need to be funded.”

“If it’s not time yet, what do we do?” Pavía asked.

“We simply wait and see. So far, she has been all talk. There is nothing – no, not even this conference – she has done as of yet which has actually caused measurable harm to anyone; except perhaps your blood pressure, Sandra. The Eirians and Huenyans are also watching, and if she attempts to make good on some of these threats of hers – for that is what her talk of interventions and exporting communism are – then it will be time to act. For now, let us move on to our next agenda item.”

LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax
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#8

Huānoch, Milintica
October 1st, 2024, 7:17 AM

In the early hours of the morning, four couriers delivered four boxes to important locations in Huānoch. The first arrived at the office of Chief Justice Tlazohtlaloni of the Supreme Tribunal, whereas the second was brought to the Speaker of the Representative Assembly. Finally, the last two boxes made their way to Haven House and the Milintican Communist Party's headquarters respectively. All four boxes were filled with identical files, photos, and memos, and all had the same chilling note written on the top in both Paora and Huenyan.

Tell the truth and fix this, or we will.

---
At the Chief Justice's office, Tlazohtlaloni slumped in his chair with a sigh. The contents of the box were laid out in front of him on his desk. Tlazohtlaloni had looked them over repeatedly. He knew fully well what they said. And what they meant.

After a moment of contemplation, Tlazohtlaloni stood up, his back creaking with age as he did so. He placed the contents of the box back inside of it with slow and deliberate movements. The Chief Justice carried the box over to a corner of the office. The offices of the Supreme Tribunal were old enough that they had fireplaces as a standard feature of many offices, before the advent of central heat and air. The fireplaces, thankfully, had been modernized a bit. After a press of a button on the mantel, the fire sprang to life. With a grunt of effort, Tlazohtlaloni tossed the box inside the fireplace. He watched for a moment as the flames danced over the box, before returning to his chair.

---
At the office of the Speaker of the Assembly, Rera Timoti fell back into his own chair with a sharp exhalation. What he had just looked at had the potential to change everything as far as the recent elections. It also had the potential to give his foes plenty of rope to hang him with, if he wasn't careful. After a moment of thought, he pressed a button on his desk intercom. "Hine, connect me with Commissioner Kingi," he told his secretary.

As the call was patched through to National Police Commissioner Poroka Kingi, the Speaker's secretary Hine Akarana pressed a second button on the phone. She listened calmly to the call in silence, texting someone as she did so.

---
At Haven House, the box intended for President Matōchmizalo took an unexpected detour. Techual, the President's Chief of Staff, looked through the contents of the box with a raised eyebrow. When he was done, he placed the box inside of the safe in his office, locked the safe, then locked the hidden door that covered the safe. Techual then began sending a text of his own.

----
At the Milintican Communist Party headquarters, Neina Arana clenched her fists around one of the flaps of the box. The contents of the box had been scattered in an unruly array over her desk. The incoming President of Milintica looked up at Huaxō, the Party's head of security and her planned replacement for Police Commissioner Kingi. "It looks like we may need to accelerate our timetable," Arana said with a frustrated tone to her voice. "The second the inauguration is completed, get to the National Police HQ and get rid of Kingi. Once you are in place, watch the police closely and be ready to get rid of any officers who prove...overly inquisitive. I also want officers in place at the Assembly. If the MPP legislators still left in the Assembly try to cause a problem, we need to deal with them." Huaxō nodded in response, beginning to take notes.

Arana then turned to Ngaire Arepata, her planned replacement for the head of NDIP, Milintica's intelligence service. "You are to do the same thing. The second the inauguration is done, make sure Taneti is out of the way," she said, naming current NDIP head Maka Taneti. "After that, I want you to clean house and get rid of any NDIP operatives with MPP sympathies. And then, track down whoever the hell sent this to me. They know entirely too much for my liking."

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#9

Act III: Exit, stage left(ist)

Haven House
Huānoch, Milintica
October 1st, 9:00am

President Matōchmizalo sighed as he placed a final set of papers in his briefcase. He stood up, eyeing the small office that had been his for the past four years.

Haven House was small and not especially grand, by the standards of official residences around the IDU. But it was, if nothing else, an excellent microcosm of Milintica. The presidental residence consisted of a mix of Paora and Huenyan architectural influences and decor from its original construction in 1813 combined with a significant flavor of Institutional Socialist Architecture™ from subsequent additions and modernizations. It was definitely unique to its place, and it was also quite homey for an official residence.

But it was no longer his home. The President-for-the-next-hour-anyway sighed again, before handing the briefcase off to Wiremu Witika and walking down the hallway to the central staircase. Walking slowly down the stairs with his wife Huia, Matōchmizalo looked around the building as if engraving it into his memory.

Arriving at the entrance of the building, Matōchmizalo walked out of the front doors to a small army of reporters. Normally, the outgoing President would be at the inauguration ceremony at the Representative Assembly building, handing the reins to his or her successor in a spirit of cooperation.

These were not normal times, even by Milintican standards.

The reporters gathered outside waited patiently for his outgoing remarks. They didn't need to wait long; Matōchmizalo knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"Today, Inauguration Day, would normally be a day of celebration for Milinticans. It would normally symbolize the peaceful transition of power from one elected leader to another, in honor of our laws and traditions and the will of the Milintican people expressed by their vote. Normally, as outgoing president, I would be there to participate in that sacred tradition. But there was nothing normal about this election, and there is nothing normal about the person who is now becoming president in my place."

Matōchmizalo's expression grew severe. "Neina Arana does not deserve to sit in this house. She does not deserve to lead the Milintican people or our great nation. More than that, she is dangerous. Dangerous to our neighbors, dangerous to the world, and most of all dangerous to the Milintican people. I cannot celebrate her seizure of power under dubious electoral circumstances, nor can I celebrate when I am well aware of what her taking power means to us and to the world."

"I call upon my comrades in the Peoples' Party to join me in opposition, and to join me in resisting every single initiative, decision and effort that this dangerous and illegitimate tyrant in the making would undertake. I call upon all MPP members, and indeed all Milinticans, to resist her regressive and aggressive ideas with every fiber of our being. We may have lost this election fight - maybe - but we have not lost the greater war. We must continue to demand accountability and transparency in regards to the questionable results of this election. We must continue to resist, and to work towards the day when Milintica will be restored to sane and responsible leadership that actually moves the country forward once more."

With that brief and blunt statement, Matōchmizalo completed his last official act of office and got into a nearby SUV. Surprisingly (or perhaps unsuprisingly), Milintican National Television developed "technical difficulties" in the middle of Matōchmizalo's speech. But thanks to the fact that most Milinticans had access to phones with cameras and the internet, his words would still get out to Milinticans.

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#10

Act IV: Finale

Representative Assembly chambers
Huānoch, Milintica
October 1st, 10:00am

In contrast to the brief and somber speech at Haven House an hour earlier, the Inauguration Day ceremonies at the Representative Assembly chambers were triumphant and loud. Along the broad and green Great Mall of the People leading from Haven House to the Chambers building, thousands of people waving Milintican flags were gathered under the watchful eye of soldiers and National Police. The authorities were under strict instructions not to let any MPP spoilsports ruin Neina Arana's big day, and they were making sure to comply. Only MCP loyalists were present to cheer on their standard bearer as she took the oath of office and assumed power. It was also worth noting that they were waving the old Milintican flag dating back to the 1917 revolution, not the new flag that Matōchmizalo had instituted. Everything old was new again in Milintica. Neina Arana was not promising a brave new era. She was promising a brave return to the old Milintica, and the symbols of the country were the first sign of change.

At precisely 10:00 am Milintican time, a military band struck up the national anthem, accompanied by Huānoch schoolchildren singing the lyrics. The choir was dressed in identical red jumpsuits with red berets bearing the original Milintican flag. When the anthem was finished, Chief Justice Tlazohtlaloni stepped forward. "Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and remain standing as I administer the oath of office." He made a gesture to Arana, who stepped to the podium with a broad smile. Placing her hand on a copy of the Milintican constitution, she recited the oath of office in a firm voice. When she was done, Tlazohtlaloni nodded. "Ladies and gentlemen, the 43rd President of the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Milintica, Neina Arana." The Chief Justice shook hands with Arana and stepped back to let her approach the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Milinticans, thank you for being here today," Arana said. "First of all, I want to thank all Milinticans who voted in this most recent election and participated in our democratic process. Your voices were heard loud and clear in this election. And what was heard, in Milintica and around the world, is that the people of Milintica wanted a return to our original traditions and values. The people of Milintica, very clearly, rejected the false reforms, the diluting of socialist values, and the embracing of capitalist foreign powers that the previous president tried to impose upon us. When asked if they wanted to follow the lead of the former president Matōchmizalo and abandon the values of our great revolution of 1917, our people said no with a very firm voice. That is why I am here today - to restore, protect and defend that revolution and its values."

As the crowd cheered, Arana continued. "Domestically, we will return to a political and economic system in which the values of the revolution are honored. We will end the capitalist flirtations and agreements made by the previous government, and insist that anyone who trades with Milintica respect and follow similar values as our own. We will restore the primacy of workers' collectives and cooperatives, review the ownership of private property and enterprises by both Milinticans and foreigners alike, and return our economy to one where the needs of the people prevail, not the profit motive."

"Internationally, we will also return to the better Milintica that was not afraid to advocate for socialist values around the world. We will support fellow socialist governments and movements around the world, both in word and in deed. We will no longer sit passively on the sidelines - we will act, when and where it is needed, to ensure that a red wave rises. Whether that requires words or weapons, Milintica will not shrink from what must be done. We will also address the theft of our sovereign lands by Xiomera once and for all. Every inch of Milintican soil is ours, and we will reclaim it by whatever means is necessary. Also, we will reconsider any and all agreements or alliances made by the previous government. If they are not compatible with our values, or disregard our beliefs, our involvement with them must and will end. Milintica will instead form alliances and sign agreements with those that do respect our values and way of life."

"And to both those agitators within our own nation, and those from outside Milintica who would support them, I have this to say: your influence over our politics, our economy and our society is over. Milintica is a free, sovereign and socialist nation, and we will push back with every measure of our strength against your efforts to destroy the legacy of our revolution. Milintica only wishes to be a friend to the world. But we will not tolerate being pushed around any longer, nor will we tolerate any insidious efforts to undermine our system any longer. For nations that wish to deal with us respectfully, as equals, our arms are open to you. But for nations who are opposed to, or poisonous to, our way of life, you will not find entry here. Not on my watch, or that of the MCP."

As her followers cheered, Arana continued. "People of Milintica, the days of forced change and retreat from our revolutionary values are over. The day of resurrection and revival of the peoples' power is here. Together, we will make Milintica greater than ever before, and we will ensure the world never takes us for granted again. Thank you so much for electing me and for your support. Let the revolution advance ever forward, evermore!"

The ceremony concluded with a military parade in front of the podium where the officials were gathered. As the parade proceeded by, Arana gave a salute. Her eyes glinted in the sunlight.

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