The Hours of Silence

Entry posted by Merlinus March 9, 2010

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From the Throneroom

General Discussions with Councillors

We are pleased to see some semblance of normalcy returning to our beloved nation. The heroes have been honored, and those who can are manning the shovels, spades, and using their bare hands to remove the rubble from the streets of Salerno, our Capital. Numerous reports from the countryside indicate that similar scenarios are being played out in our large metropolitan areas, small towns, hamlets and villages throughout Merlinus. Although much of the government is still inoperable at the moment, we are finding our Ministers fast and hard at the tasks associated with beginning the rebuilding process.

Communications with the Alliance have slowed from the mid-war frenzy of the recent "War of the Reset" (WoR), to a much more routine number of daily dispatches; leaving the rulers to transform their nations once again to a peaceful stance. Communications between nations and TOOL are secure, and we are discussing aid with the Alliance for many of our most urgent needs. National re-building is the first priority, with our technological and infrastructural needs being met as fast as is humanly possible. While we see the damage and hardship of our people, we are grateful to the Alliance for correctly assisting those with much more urgent and severe needs than our own. As the people of Merlinus have performed above and beyond the call, so has the Alliance. Rather quickly, diplomacy is being re-commenced at the Alliance level: first with it's own nations, then with the demands of reparations, and even renewing contact with our Treaty partners. A sense of usualness permeates the upper levels of our Alliance. We are trying to create a like posture here in the kingdom's headquarters. when the subjects see us calm, they presume calm is called for--and are calm.

Meanwhile, we are re-tasking ourselves with the examination and learning of our own governance. Councils are being formed between nation leaders of the Alliance to assist one another with the realities of an after-war world. Newspapers, schools, hospitals, and our business/commercial centers are slowly returning to activity. It will take a very long time to resume normal operations. We are working together to provide one member's weaknesses with another member's strength. We have made plans to travel to Alliance Headquarters as the Commander-In-Chief of Merlinus to discuss and debrief the Alliance Military Commanders on our experiences during the WoR. We anticipate seeing the Alliance leadership, sharing and learning, and growing together. We hope to get updates and, if possible, final numbers on the latest conflict. We will be inspecting Alliance troops, and creating trade and diplomatic missions while there. This will be our first official Alliance visit as Head-of-State, so meetings with all TOOL Hands will be more abbreviated than perhaps will be possible in the future. Still, we do intend to bring matters to the Hands of Commerce, Foreign Affairs, War, and Internal Affairs on this important visit. We hope these heroes do not believe any less of us, as we expect full exposure and accountability from them. We will focus on the future, yet we will not forget the honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice as if only yesterday.

We will look expectantly forward. The longer we can engage our friends, the less the likelihood we will have to engage our adversaries. We grow, and TOOL grows into the future.

So let it be done.