Ned the Great

OOC: Got it B) . IC: *Throughout the Republic of Nedland. 3:00 PM. July 2nd, 2009.* Nedland News Reporting to you for more than twenty years! Matteo Cartez, the anchor of Nedland News, is sitting down at a table next to his co-host, Morgan Bellamy. Cartez: "Greetings people of Nedland! We have some very important news for you today!" Bellamy: "Yes, that's right. An assasination attempt was made upon President Edward Bartowski late last night!" Cartez: "President Bartowski was apparently walking on the beach near his hacienda and enjoying the sunset when someone attacked him. After a battle in which Ned defended himself against the aggressor, who used a sawed-off shotgun and throwing knives against Ned, secret service agents arrived on the scene to save Ned. However, the would-be assasin escaped from the hacienda's grounds before they could be captured." Bellamy: "As the government hasn't released any more information regarding this yet, we'll have to wait for further news. Now, in unrelated news, the American singer known as Katy Perry has arrived in Nedland. She will be performing at the Nedland Theme Park outside of Nedopolis." Footage of Katy Perry arriving in Nedland is shown. Cartez: "It is expected that she will sing her hit songs, Hot N Cold and I Kissed A Girl, as well as some of her less famous songs." Bellamy: "Finally, the Nedite withdrawal from Afghanistan continues. According to our sources, about one thousand troops returned home to Nedland today." Footage of soldiers arriving home from Afghanistan is shown. Cartez: "Yes, the war is really winding down now. The Nedite initiatives to help the people of that nation after the destruction caused by the invasion are successful so far. The Communist Party's government continues to be reinforced, and the Islamist militants that have taken up arms against the government are finally believed to be supressed." Bellamy: "The troop withdrawal will finish next week." Cartez: "Well, that's all the news we have today. Tune in later to see more. Up next, we have CSI: Nedopolis. And, always remember, Nedland Prevails!" Nedland News

*President Ned's Hacienda, Suburbs of Nedopolis, Republic of Nedland. 7:30 PM, July 1st, 2009.* Despite searching for the last two days, Ned and his bodyguard had not found the reason why someone had impersonated the delivery man. Deciding to let it slide, Ned gave the real delivery man $100 for his troubles. Ned then returned to his work. But now, Ned was getting tired. The various bills he was trying to pass in congress were not making any progress, and Ned didn't think that they ever would. In particular, the bill that reversed the Nedite ban on concealed weapons for the general population was causing a large controversy, with the majority of the members of Ned's own party opposing the bill. Meanwhile, the internet controversy over the paparazzi's photos continued. In the meantime, Micheal Medved (a Conservative radio host from mainland North America) had visited Nedland for the past two days, denouncing Ned as a "Stalinist" and a "sexual predator." These insults sunk into Ned like bullets. Ned decided to take a simple break from his routine once again. He called up Heather on his phone. "Heather, would you please accompany me for a walk on the beach near the hacienda?" Ned asked. "Oh, sure Ned! I'll be right there!" Heather replied. A few minutes later, Ned and Heather walked out onto the beach. They had walked to the beach, due to it being a short distance away, rather than driven. In addition, they had not alerted any of Ned's staff and snuck out of the hacienda silently so that they could avoid potential paparazzi informants. Luckily, Ned had brought his Desert Eagle handgun with him, just in case. It was hidden inside of his shirt, as concealed weapons weren't banned for government officials. As they walked out onto the beach, Heather tripped over a branch of driftwood with a shout. Ned quickly lifted her up, and they shared a kiss before walking further along the beach and watching the sunset. Soon, they came upon a sand dune, where they sat. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ned said as he watched the sun. "Yes," Heather said, "It's times like these that make you happy to be alive." Ned felt sad about this, as things in his life did not seem to be going so well for him. He wondered if he ever would share Heather's feeling of loving life. As Ned thought about this, a swishing noise came from the bushes in the jungle area near the beach. Ned grabbed Heather and pulled her down behind the dune with him. "Wha-" Heather said before Ned clamped his hand over her mouth. "Paparazzi," he whispered. They sat there for a few moments, but then a large shadow fell down upon them from the top of the dune. The paparazzi had found them again! Ned cringed and waited for the click and flash of light, but nothing happened. "Well, well, well... We meet again, President Ned. Oh, and it seems these stories about you taking this w***e as your mistress are true," said a voice. Ned looked up and recognized the woman whom he would have given his life for half a year ago. "What the!" he shouted, "Emily, you've returned!" Heather gaped up at her as well. "Yes, I have returned, Ned. Nice to see you again," Emily Buchala (also known as E) said as she looked down upon Ned, "Unfortunately this reunion has to be cut short because you two have a date in Hell!" She pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and pointed it at Ned. "What!" Ned shouted, "Why are you doing this to me? I thought I told you about a year ago! I wasn't the one stalking you!" "It's buisiness," E replied, "I'm a mercenary now. Plus, you've offended me by taking this skank as your b****!" Heather remained silent and stared wide-eyed up at E. "What's that," E said to Heather, "You didn't think I'd remember that grave insult you gave me? Well, Heather McAdams, your prediction was wrong. Now, you can die along with my target!" E pointed the gun at Ned, but then changed her mind. "Actually, I think I'll play with my prey before I slay it!" She declared. As all of this was going on, Ned was beggining to think of a plan... E put Ned and Heather up against the trunks of two coconut trees. She then pulled out twe knives and threw them at the trunks, just above Ned and Heather's heads. "E, why did you leave me after the ball?" Ned asked as he stood against the tree trunk. He cringed when the knife hit the trunk above his head. "Because," E replied, readying another batch of knives, "I never really had feelings for you. I manipulated your feelings for me so I could escape, as Tiara Mattson (OOC: The person who E had worked with before to try to over throw Ned.) was obviously just going to kill me when she was through with her plan to take over. I needed to do that or else I would have died." She threw the knives, this time between Ned and Heather's legs. Ned nodded when he heard this; he had expected this answer. "Also, what do you have against Heather?" Ned asked, "She's not part of your mercenary contract, is she? Why don't you just let her go?" "Because she's committed a crime against me that I will not forgive," E said. "What did she do?" Ned asked. "That's a private matter," E replied as she threw several more daggers next to Ned and Heather's arms. "Well, I'm going to die anyway, so why not just tell me?" E stopped for a moment to consider this. "Tell you what," she said, "I'll offer you an alternative: If you run away without hearing the story and let me kill this b****, then I'll drop my contract. I don't care about the money so much as getting my revenge on her. However, if you want to hear the story and you truly love your sl** of a girlfriend, then I'll let you stay and die with her. I can just promise you that after you hear the story, you won't love her anymore." Ned was tempted to run away, but he wanted to hear the story, and he didn't want to abandon Heather, as E had done to him. Besides, he still had a plan. "I'll stay," Ned said. E smiled. "Okay," E said, "I'll tell you then," Ned turned and looked at Heather. Her face was frozen into a mixture of admiration (about Ned's staying with her) and horror (about E's impending revelation and her death). Ned turned back towards E. "Like you may know already, Heather used to live in Arizona. In fact, we attended college together. In college, Heather and I were best friends. We were always doing things together and hanging out. If we had been any closer, we would've been lesbian. There were no secrets between us, because we each knew that the other wouldn't tell," E said, "Isn't that right, Heather?" Heather nodded. "Anyway," E continued, "although we were friends, there were some differences between us. For one, Heather was always the hot, popular girl. I was the nerd. Heather was my only friend. As a result, I felt very left out when Heather and her other friends went off without me. This feeling of resentment I had as a student was one of the reasons I was willing to embrace the reactionary populist movement of Tiara Mattson. It made me feel as if I did have friends,' she paused for a moment to catch her breath, "Anyway, all of this popularity eventually got to Heather's head. One day, Heather told me that her millions of other friends didn't like that she had a best friend who was unpopular. As a result, Heather dumped me." Ned, as a nerd who had feelings similar to E growing up, could not believe what he was hearing. "What!" he shouted, "Is this true, Heather?" Heather nodded again, trying to hold back tears. Ned just stared, unable to say anything. "I called her hundreds of times," E said, "But she never answered. She avoided me, and moved to a different dorm. This hurt my feelings so badly, that I announced to my family that I was moving to Nedland as soon as I got out of college. In Nedland, I hoped to start a new life, free from the stress and sadness of my college life. There, I met Sally Keithlehr, my new best friend, and I campaigned for you, Ned. But, one thing led to another and I eventually joined Tiara Mattson's movement after I thought you were stalking me, which led to the fight at the Ball, and then me becoming a mercenary and meeting you right here," E finished her story with a sigh, "Alright, you know my story now. Now it's time for you to die." It was at that moment that Ned whipped his Desert Eagle out of his shirt and fired at E. E dived out of the way just in time and hurled two knives at Ned. Ned ducked behind another tree and fired again. In the meantime, Heather jumped off of the tree and ran towards E. E whipped out her sawed-off shotgun and fired at Heather. Heather ducked into the sand to avoid the shot, while Ned fired yet again. His next shot just barely missed, but E spun her shotgun towards Ned and fired, missing him but hitting the tree. "Wow," thought Ned, "Our practice must be off." He then looked at his Desert Eagle and said, "Thank science for the Second Amendment! (The Nedite laws are inspired by the US ones.)" When Ned looked up again, E was aiming at Heather again, but was distracted by the arrival of two geeps full of Nedite secret service agents on the scene. The agents rushed out, pointing the guns at E. E whipped out another gun from her pocket. Ned thought she was going to shoot at the agents at first, but instead she fired it into the forest. A string with a hook on the end came out of the end of the gun, and E swung into the forest. A large amount of the agents rushed after her, but Captain Chavez (who was among the agents) walked up to Ned. "Are you alright, Mr. President?" He asked. "Yes, Chavez," Ned said, "How did you know I was in danger here?" "We heard the gunshots in the hacienda," Chavez replied, "Who was that?" "A ghost from my past," Ned replied grimly. He then turned to look at where Heather was, only to see her running back up towards the hacienda...

*President Ned's Hacienda, Suburbs of Nedopolis, Republic of Nedland. 10:00 PM, June 25th, 2009.* Ned put the phone down, surprised by Davies' sudden hang up. Tossing the matter aside, Ned decided that he might as well get some work done... *President Ned's Hacienda, Suburbs of Nedopolis, Republic of Nedland. 4:40 PM, June 28th, 2009.* President Ned sat in his office. It had been a long weekend, but at least he had gotten some paperwork done. He turned aside and stared out the window. He seemed to recall that an important event had happened today... Oh yes! It was the 50th Anniversary of when the Stonewall Riots (riots in New York which marked the first time LGBT people had ever fought for their rights publically) had happened in the US. Ned called Heather up on his phone. "Heather, can you write a message to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual Association of Nedland (the largest Nedite LGBT civil rights group) to congratulate them on this occasion? I'll narrate," Ned said. "Sure, Mr. President, but before we do that, somebody is here for you. He says that he was hired to bring Japanese food to your office." "What! Who ordered Japanese food?" "I don't know, sir. The guards at the front said they let him in because he has an authorization from Rowan." "Oh, Rowan's probably playing a trick on us again..." Ned sighed. "He's showing his authorization now," Heather said, "I'm letting him in." Ned immediately called up Rowan. "Rowan, did you call somebody for Japanese food?" he asked. "Yeah, sorry Ned! I was thinking that you've been working all weekend, I might as well order Japanese food for you so that you can eat while working. I didn't want to interrupt anyone from working, so I didn't tell anyone to go fetch the food and just asked for an order. They were pretty surprised when I told them to bring it here!" Rowan said. "Well, the guy's right here now," Ned replied, "Thanks Rowan!" "Don't mention it, Ned. Now, I have to get back to work," Ned and Rowan said goodbye and then Ned looked up at the man who walked in. "Hello, Mr. President! I have a Japanese food delivery!" the Japanese delivery man said. "Oh, thanks!" Ned said, "You can put it over there." The man walked forward to put the food on Ned's desk, when he suddenly tripped over the phone cord that was on the floor. "Whoa!" Ned said. He stepped forward to help the guy up. As the man stood up, Ned also picked up the food. "Oh, sorry!" Ned said as he set the food on his desk, "I've got to get a wireless phone. Now, anyway, thank you.” “You're welcome, Mr. President. Now, I must go.” After the man left, Ned decided to wait a few minutes on eating and get the Stonewall Riots commemoration letter done. However, before he could call Heather, the phone rang. Ned picked it up. “Mr. President, there's a strange half-naked, tied-up man out in front of the hacienda. He says he was hired to bring you Japanese food, but he doesn't have any on him!” Captain Chavez, the chief of the presidential bodyguard, said. “What!” Ned shouted, “There was just a delivery man in here!” As this was happening, Yoneda Civic slipped off the delivery man uniform he had stolen from the real delivery man and slipped out of the hacienda undetected...

OOC: lol . IC: "Hello, General Davies. I was wondering if you and/or your assistants would like to accompany me to the Katy Perry concert at the Nedland theme park (located in the suburbs of Nedopolis) on the 4th of July next week? My Vice President, Rowan, and my, err, secretary, Heather, and my bodyguards will be there also. It should be a fun time to relax," President Ned said on the phone.

*Lower Stratosphere above the Middle East. 12:00 AM. June 22nd/23rd, 2009.* "Just remember that we'll still need you if she fails," Robertson said. He then turned around and walked up the deck of the plane. The plane arrived at Nedopolis International Airport the next morning, and everyone got out. E, however, headed off in a different direction with Yoneda. *President Ned's Hacienda, Suburbs of Nedopolis, Republic of Nedland. 9:45 PM, June 25th, 2009.* President Ned had just gotten back from jogging around his hacienda's grounds. It was a nice day out, although it was very hot. Ned slumped down in his armchair in his office. He had a lot to think about. Ever since the paparazzi had broken in, he had strengthened security at the hacienda. However, the damage was already done. He (and Heather) had been publically embarassed in front of the entire country. The one thing that was good out of this was that it was diverting attention from the War in Afghanistan, which had turned out to be a disgrace to Nedland. "Perhaps I'm not the leader I thought I was..." Ned thought to himself. As Ned contemplated this, he decided that he should do something to get his mind off of these troubles. He called up Vice President Rowan on his desktop phone. "Hi Rowan," he said, "When Katy Perry comes to town next week, would you like to accompany me to her concert?" "Oh, sure Ned!" Rowan said, "That'll be a welcome break from all of this!" After a few more words to each other, Rowan hung up, and Ned thought about calling Heather also. This might be a scandalous thing to do, but he decided to do it anyway. After calling up Heather and asking her the same thing (Heather agreed) Ned called Captain Chavez of his security and informed him of the plan. Finally, Ned thought of calling General Davies of Promised Land. He picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, this is President Ned of Nedland. May I speak to General Davies..."

"Great!" Robertson grinned. Soon the cars arrived back in the airport, where everyone got aboard the plane. Aboard the plane, E approached Robertson. "Excuse me, Mr. Robertson, but I thought that perhaps the plan would go better if Yoneda and I were to try to take out Ned first. That way, it might save many lives. As you already know, I'm an exellent assassin, so I might be able to take out Ned without attracting worldwide criticism as the plan's original form would have done." "I'm not so sure,"Robertson replied, "I guess that we can try it. I wasn't planning to launch the main plan yet, anyway. But, I'll have you know that I am giving you two chances to eliminate Ned. If those don't work, then the main plan will be put into action. Got it?" "Got it," E replied "Alright, I'll go inform Orlov of the change of plan." "Okay. Also, it's alright if I take out Heather also, right?" E asked. "Just as long as Ned is out of the way..." Robertson said as he walked away. E getting aboard the plane. Robertson walked through several cabins to the area where Orlov was and relayed the change of plan to him.

"Alright," Robertson said as he turned back to Orlov and Strider, "We're done here. Let's get back to the plane." "Do you mind if Yoneda and I ride with you on your plane?" E asked as they walked out of the building. "Certainly," Robertson replied, "You can ride with us." "Alright, great!" E said. She got into her car, while Robertson and the others got back into the car with Yoneda. They drove back to Hiroshima Airport. Along the way, Robertson turned to Orlov. "Have you given my plan any more thought yet?" he asked, "Will you accompany us back to Nedland?"

As they walked into the Warriors At Arms building, Robertson turned to the guard. "Now, what's your name," he said, "Oh, it's Strider, isn't it? Now, about what you said about Nuclear Weapons earlier, another reason we must use them is to prevent those villans who own them from using them to attack the virtuous peoples of this Planet Bob. But, even if there were no villanous leaders who owned nukes, we would still need them because the peoples of this world are in general greedy and violent. Nuclear weapons are an effective deterrent." He then walked up to the woman in the room. "Greetings, you must be Codename E," Robertson extended his hand, "I am Jerry Robertson, Pastor of the 1st Baptist Church of Nedopolis and a former senator." The woman stopped exercising and turned to him. "Well, hello Mr. Robertson," she shook his hand back, "What brings you to Warriors At Arms?" "Well, I am in need of some mercenaries... How much do you demand?" "Well, if you want to hire me, you'll need at least one million dollars," E replied. "I've got that money," Robertson said. "Alright, good. What's the job?" E asked. When Robertson was done explaining to her, she stepped back. "I can't do that! Although I may not like Ned very much, I would never do what you're saying!" she shouted. "I think you'll change your mind when you see this," Robertson said. He pulled out a dvd. "Do you have a dvd player in here?" he asked. E guestured to a nearby television, and Robertson put the dvd into the dvd player. The video showed the Nedland News report from June 18th. "It is to my understanding that you have a history with this McAdams girl, correct?" Robertson said. E's look changed. "Correct," she said, "Now I'll do it. But, I'll do it my way, E's way!" "Just as long as the mission is completed..." Robertson said, shaking her hand.

After everyone had gotten in, the car took off from the airport. While heading through the streets of Hiroshima, they passed beside Peace Park, which was the area in the city where the first Atomic Bomb had landed during World War II. Yoneda pointed this out as they drove. "It is said that perhaps three hundred thousand people died when that bomb landed..." he said, "That bomb that changed the world." "Yes, it is a pity that so many died," Robertson said, "But it is in my belief that if we didn't have weapons like that to scare the corrupt peoples of this world, then there would be total anarchy. Such is the state of human mentality, twisted and evil..." The Peace Park Dome. The car finally drove up to a building which was marked with the logo for Warriors At Arms, a mercenary company. Yoneda, Robertson and Robertson's guards got out and headed into the building. Yoneda walked in front of them and led them into a room. The room had weight equipment in it, and a young woman was doing pushups on a mat in the middle of the room...

*Hiroshima Airport, Hiroshima, Japan (Hanseatic Commonwealth). 7:30 PM. June 22nd, 2009.* After making a stop in Promised Land for part of the weekend, the private jet of Jerry Robertson touched down in Hiroshima Airport. Robertson and some of his guards walked off the plane. A Japanese man soon came up to them. "Are you Robertson?" the man asked in broken english. "Yes," Robertson replied, shaking the man's hand, "I trust that you were sent by E to bring me to her." "I was," the man replied, "I am Yoneda Civic, pleased to meet you!" "Pleased to meet you too..." Robertson replied, "Now, let's go." He beckoned for Orlov to follow him and his guards into Yoneda's car. *Nordic National Warriors Hideout, Churchill, Republic of Nedland. 7:30 PM. June 22nd, 2009.* Todd Willard put down his phone. Apparently Robertson had contacted some new allies overseas. It would probably help a lot. He turned to the other members of his gang, who were lounging around the clubhouse. "Everyone, get off your a**es and let's start planning for the break-in!" he shouted. The other members walked forward up to the table in the center of the hideout, where they gathered around Todd. "Alright, here's what we'll do..." Todd plotted, "There are guards here, here, and here," he pointed to positions on the large map he layed out on the table in front of him, "I'll take a group over here and distract the guards, while Hill's group sneaks up to the electric fence here. It is at that moment that Robertson will take out power for the complex, so Hill can just climb the fence with her group. Once in, she should proceed to the office and locate prisoner records. Finally, they should head to Marston's cell, brake him out, and exfiltrate the facility. If necessary, we should shoot to kill. Any questions?"

President Ned of Nedland endorses Mr. Naranbatariin Ivaanjav of POW in this election.

"According to my intel, the person is currently in the city of Hiroshima, in Japan (in the Hanseatic Commonwealth). We can stop in Promised Land on the way there if it will help with your alibi," Robertson replied.

"Certainly," Robertson replied, "I can give you my number right now." Robertson wrote down the number and gave it to Orlov. "Now, before you go, there's one last thing I want to talk to you about. Like I mentioned before, there's someone who could be a valuable ally to have against Ned. Would you mind accompanying me in my private jet to a meeting with this person? If you can't give me an answer to this either, then please give me a call later..."

"Well," Robertson said, "I'm sure you've probably heard about how President Ned defeated me and my party in the 2008 Election. This defeat sent my party, the Family Values Party, spiralling into ruin, and has given Ned a virtual dictatorship over Nedland. Ned is throwing the economy into shambles with his socialist reforms, and his thugs persecute believers in the streets. In addition, I've found out through my other sources that he imprisoned a political rival, James Marston, without trial. Therefore, it is my humble opinion that Ned will have to go. You are in a leadership position in Promised Land, so you may be able to help me..." Robertson spent the next few minutes explaining his plan to Orlov. OOC: The plan is the same as we discussed earlier.

At the other end of the alley, a figure dressed in a black cloak walked out of the shadows. The figure was accompanied by two men in tuxedos who were holding M16's. "Ahh, General Orlov, I see that you answered my call. I was getting a bit doubtful for a moment that you wouldn't show up..." the figure said. He then moved forward up towards the end of the alley, where Orlov was standing. As he walked forward, Orlov could make him out. The figure was a man in his late 50's with gray hair and peircing blue eyes. "I am the Reverend Jerry Robertson, the Pastor of the 1st Baptist Church of the city of Nedopolis. I have learned from one of your servants whom I met earlier today that you oppose this treaty. If this is true, then I am willing to offer you a deal. But, before I make the deal, you must swear never to speak of this conversation to anyone not involved, alright?"

"Alright, great. I'll meet you in, say two hours?" the mysterious voice replied, "And I'll introduce myself formally at the meeting."

"Hello, General Orlov. You can thank one of your servants for giving me this number. Now, I have a proposition for you, if you'll be so kind as to meet me in the alleyway located at Sparta and Nails Boulevard in Nedopolis..." the mysterious voice on the phone said.

Nedland, as a new member of the GPI, congratulates those who received the medals.

*Promised Land Destroyer, Gulf of Honduras. 4:00 PM. June 19th, 2009.* The cell phone of General Orlov started to ring...

OOC: Got it . IC: *Throughout the Republic of Nedland. 3:00 PM. June 18th, 2009.* Nedland News Reporting to you for more than twenty years! Matteo Cartez, the anchor of Nedland News, is sitting down at a table next to his co-host, Morgan Bellamy. Cartez: "Greetings people of Nedland! I think you'll find today's news to be more interesting than usual!" Bellamy: "Yes, today we finally have the news on the conclusion of the negotiations between Nedland and Promised Land, but also a bit of a scandal as well! Why don't you start us off, Matt?" Cartez: "Alright. President Ned announced earlier today that Nedland has entered into a treaty known as the Global Peace Initiative. This treaty aims to preserve the peace on Planet Bob and to resist aggression by foreign powers. Promised Land is also a member of this alliance. This is expected to lead to Nedland's leadership being more active in global affairs." Bellamy: "In related news, an additional three thousand troops were pulled out from Tazernostan earlier today. This was as a result of the continued demonstrations against the invasion of Tazernostan going on throughout Nedland. In addition, President Ned and members of his cabinet stated that he didn't want Nedland to look like an aggressive nation to their new allies. The pullout from Tazernostan is expected to continue in the coming weeks." A video is shown of Nedite troops leaving Afghanistan. Cartez: "Finally, pictures have been released on the internet of President Ned in an intimate embrace with Heather McAdams, his secretary! The pictures are believed to be the result of a paparazzi. President Ned has declined to comment on this affair, other than to condemn the blatant violation of his privacy by the paparazzi." Bellamy: "And now it's time for our commercial break! We'll be back to you after these messages. And remember, Nedland prevails!" Nedland News

OOC: Would it be alright then for Nedland and Promised Land to make a joint public announcement of joining the GPI then?

OOC: If it's too much of a hassle to get all of them to post here, you could just post their replies yourself.

*Mid-Atlantic, International Waters. 1:15 PM, June 11th, 2009.* President Ned ordered the quartermaster of his private yaucht to signal to the Promised Land destroyer that the yaucht was returning to Nedland. Afterwards, the yaucht sped off into the sea, soon arriving at the dock in the back of President Ned's hacienda to the north of Nedopolis (It should be noted that Ned's hacienda is privately owned by Ned, unlike the Presidential Palace in Nedopolis, where the ball was held). As Ned walked into the back hall of his office, Heather McAdams (Ned's secretary) rushed forward and caught Ned in a quick embrace. "Err, glad to see you too..." Ned said, staring at Rowan and the bodyguards behind him. Heather blushed, and walked aside. Ned headed into his office. He ordered the guards to leave him. However, Rowan stayed behind. "Ned, are you really going to sign that treaty with Promised Land?" she asked. "Yes, I think I am," Ned replied, "But I'll need to get some domestic issues done first, as well as permission from the other Global Peace Initiative nations before I can sign us into this treaty." "But you shouldn't keep guests waiting," Rowan advised. "Yes," replied Ned, "But it'll probably only take a few days." *President Ned's Hacienda, Suburbs of Nedopolis, Republic of Nedland. 7:23 PM, June 14th, 2009.* As Ned relaxed in a beach chair on the beach next to the main hacienda building, he stared out across the sea. So far, the treaty was going pretty well. Perhaps this would finally get Nedland the recognition it deserves, and Ned would finally prove to himself that he could be a good president. As Ned sat there, Heather walked up to him in a bikini. "Well, Ned, what are you thinking about now," she said, sitting down in a chair next to him. "Just this treaty," he replied, "What if it blows up in my face?" "Don't worry, I'm sure it won't," Heather replied, "You've done pretty well so far as president." "Thanks," Ned grinned, and then he leaned over and kissed her. Heather McAdams Ned and Heather were suddenly startled from their makeout session by a snap and a bright flash. They spun around just in time to see a young man holding a camera dash out from the bushes and run up the beach. OOC: If you can, encourage the fellow Global Peace Initiative users to post their replies to Nedland's joining the treaty on this thread. That will make things much easier.

And so Ned, Rowan, and the crew of the ship joined the Promised Land representatives in a delicious meal of fish. Afterwards, Ned bid farewell to the diplomats.

"Considering that there are likely to be more nations willing to join the Global Peace Initiative, I think that the people of Nedland will be more willing to join that," Ned stated, "So, I will officially sign Nedland into the Global Peace Initiative once I return to Nedland. Now, since we're done with the major desisions, how about if we end these negotiations with a nice meal..." OOC: This meal could symbolize the end of the first round of talks. B)