The FSM

Jean strode in to Premier Obama's office followed by a few of his aides. He took a seat at the table opposite Mr. Obama, an aide placed the Steward's leather-bound notebook on the table in front of him before being waved away; they would wait outside until the Steward's business was finished. "Greetings Mr. Obama, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time for this meeting, its my hope to finally start a serious dialog with my neighbor to the North. I feel that as neighbors its high time we start dealing with each other as such, in this modern age even the Alps are no excuse for not talking to each other." The Steward chuckled quietly at his small attempt at humor.

[b]Announcement from the Sicilian Directorate for Foreign Affairs[/b] It has long been the position of Sicily that it does not matter the nationality or ethnicity of the man or woman in charge of a state, only their competence. As the King of Galicia abdicated his throne in the face of an uncontrollable civil war, we see no issue at this time with a new leader being installed. So long as the people of Galicia are respected and treated fairly, we see no reason to protest the new state of affairs in the Dukedom of Galicia. -Hossein Al-Hussein Sicilian Director of Foreign Affairs

[b]Somewhere outside Ajaccio[/b] Jean sat with his cabinet, monitoring the situation in Galicia. From the time he had spent with Therese, this was not something he was entirely expecting, obviously the civil strife she had just been through had caused some kind of change in her. Regardless, he would give her what help he could in her endeavor. He turned to his friend who sat next to him at the conference table. "General Al-Malak, I want you to assemble a small team and head to France to meet with Miss Zelle. If she will have you, you will be staying on to help advise her for the forseeable future. I will need you to keep me informed of the situation over there, I thought I knew Miss Zelle, however now, Im not so sure. Assemble your team, a transport will take you to France in 12 hours." "Very well my Steward, I have the right people in mind." -------------------------------------------------------- [b]12 hours later, A small military transport approaching the South of France[/b] General Said Al-Malak was a man who had the benefit of holding the trust and friendship of the most powerful man in Sicily, unfortunately, this meant that he was the Steward's go-to man for difficult assignments. While he was meant to be overseeing the development of Sicily's defensive developments, he would have to leave that to his very capable and handpicked subordinates while he did the Steward's bidding in France. He listened as the pilot announced their arrival in French airspace, communication had already been sent ahead by the Sicilian Foreign Affairs Staff informing the French of the flight, while he reviewed the dossiers of the two aides he had picked to join him in France. Colonel Silvia Antonetti and Major Paul Benoit had both distinguished themselves as officers in the MedCorps. They both had extensive anti-insurgency training and both had led units with distinction during The Crisis. Together with himself, Said felt the French would be deeply grateful for such a team available to assist them.

"Ah excellent." Jean and Minister Westerwelle made small talk about various topics for the remainder of the journey. OOC: Shall we proceed to the actual meeting Lynneth?

OOC: :3

"Ah, yes, it really is a feat of engineering. Not somewhere you would want to live if you enjoy the open spaces of the outdoors, but I can see how one would be attracted to live in such a building. The technology required must be considerably advanced. The GDR is certainly at the forefront. Where are we headed?"

Sicily welcomes this agreement. Signed, Jean d'Aosta Steward of Sicily

Vienna was certainly a magnificent place, there was no doubting that. The technological prowess of these Germans was something that few could match, perhaps Rebel Army, but certainly not his own nation. The Germans were powerful neighbors, he would be sure to try and keep them on his good side. "Danke, Herr Westerwelle," Jean replied in perfect German. "The flight was good, short, thankfully, since I was only coming from France. This is going to be a long journey though. Tell me, Herr Westerwelle, what is that magnificent structure over there," he said, pointing towards the Vienna Tower in the distance.

With the tour now officially underway, Jean and his entourage made their way back to the Bordeaux Airport where their transports were waiting. They departed late that night, expecting to arrive in the GDR some time the next morning. Jean should have taken the opportunity to sleep but he spent most of the time replaying the time he spent with Therese. He couldnt deny that he had enjoyed their time together immensely, they would have to meet again, and soon. OOC: Note, just for time's sake assume that this whole trip concludes before the fall of the Italian Federation and the French Civil War. Take it away Lynneth.

[b]Private Letterhead of the Steward of Sicily[/b] Dear Alexei, I hope this letter finds you well, unfortunately matters of state have kept me from speaking to you in person of late. I have decided that I agree with what you proposed at our last meeting, sufficient private space is necessary for us to properly see our plans are carried out. I have ordered that the island of Ustica, off the coast of Sicily, be transferred to your ownership. You will be free to do with the island as you please, the years have left the island uninhabited so there will be no problems to development. As always, keep in touch, I am eager to hear of your progress. Depending on my schedule, I will try to meet with you personally in the next few weeks. In the meantime I bid you godspeed. Your cousin, Jean ------------------------------------------- [b]SNBS- YOUR NEWS, YOUR WORLD, YOUR WAY[/b] The Sicilian Directorate for National Affairs announced today that the Sicilian Government has completed negotiations with SNBS parent AI Corp. over the lease of the Island of Ustica. While details of the lease are not yet available a Directorate spokeswoman indicated that the lease gave AI Corp. authority over the entirety of the uninhabited island and would last for 99 years with the option for extension at the end of the term. A spokesman from AI Corp could not be reached to answer questions about what the corporation intends to do with the island.

"Well I will be certain to keep you abreast of any developments. Thank you for being such a gracious host Therese, next time you must come visit me in Sicily," he said with a wink. "Yes, I really should be getting back to the tour, you have been a most gracious host Therese, and I thank you for that," he said, inching closer to Therese. The moonlight turned her hair an angelic silver, he simply couldnt resist. Bending down he took Therese's right hand and kissed it, gently. He looked up and their eyes locked, time seemed to stand still. "It has been a pleasure, madmoiselle. I look forward to [i]closer[/i], more [i]intimate[/i] relations between us."

[quote name='Pikachurin' date='09 May 2010 - 04:14 PM' timestamp='1273436037' post='2292720'] You're allowed to RP anything related to in-game events in the Game-related RP (IC) forum. You're allowed to RP anything you want (as long as its within the forum rules) in the Fantasy RP (IC) forum. There's a limitation, though - if you want to interact with the members of the CNRP community as a nation, you will have to claim land in [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=76516"]here[/url]. If you just want to RP as a character, just ask for permission from a CNRP member owning a nation you want to RP in. [/quote] If he wants to be a member of the CNRP community and make himself accountable to our RP rules then he needs to make a land claim. If, however, JimBob you dont want to deal with our rules and the members of the CNRP community (we can be an intense bunch at times) you are perfectly free to not join our community, in which case you could RP whatever your heart desires (within forum rules) in the Fantasy RP Area. With that said, CNRP is always welcoming of new members and many of us are receptive to new players looking to establish a land claim in CNRP for the first time.

Voodoo, the Fantasy RP Forum is home of CNRP, but it would also be the home of any RP that is not strictly based on one's CN nation. While CNRP is the majority of RP activity in this forum, that doesnt mean we own the place, this forum was set up for all fantasy RP, not just ours.

We are happy to see our ally in the Slavic Federation is willing to work with the larger European community for the sake of the peace, stability and security of the region. We sincerely hope that the signatories of PEPTO will be receptive to the agreement as we feel it would be the best way for the signatories to fulfill their obligations in maintaining peace and tranquility in Europe. Should our ally need it, Sicilian security forces can be made available to assist PEPTO and the Slavic Federation in maintaining stability in the former Khislav-SU. -Hossein Al-Hussein Sicilian Director of Foreign Affairs

Jean nodded as Therese suggested her changes to the document. " That is all perfectly acceptable. I would not be proposing such a document if I did not think it would benefit our relationship. Our friendship is young and growing, and I feel this accurately reflects that fact. As for the Pan-Mediterranean Organization, I do not look to see it turned into a weapon. My goal for a sea of peace and cooperation is just that, something that will further diplomatic, cultural and economic ties between the Mediterranean nations, not something that will allow the Mediterranean to dominate other parts of the world. If you are so inclined, I will be sure to keep you informed of developments with the PMO?"

Jean was relieved when Therese skirted the topic of the Iberian War, they had radically different positions and he would rather not argue the point. "The WEU is not something I fear, rather it is something I simply do not agree with. I welcome any peacefully unifying force in Europe, just as I would welcome a similar organization in Africa, what I do not welcome are forces that seek to ethnically divide as Sicily is an ethnically diverse nation that is just as much North African as it is European. All I require is time, time to see what the WEU stands for, but better relations between France and Sicily would only help me to acquaint myself with the organization. One moment, Ill have my staff send a treaty draft to your government." Jean stood and walked a few paces away, talking quickly into his smartphone. After a few minutes he returned, "Your government should be receiving a treaty draft momentarily." Jean took another sip of champagne,"there is one other thing I would like to discuss with you. I believe the Mediterranean is much more than a body of water, I believe that it has the potential to serve as a bridge between Africa and Europe. I believe it has the potential to be a sea of peace, and nothing would make me happier than to see the peoples of the Mediterranean united for once, rather than divided. I have been in lengthy discussions with my government about establishing a Pan-Mediterranean Organization to develop greater trade, cultural, and diplomatic relationships between the Mediterranean states, and I wanted to see if you would be interested in such a venture." ------------------------------------------------- [b]CLASSIFIED TRANSMISSION TO FRENCH DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM: SICILIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE RE: BORDEAUX AGREEMENT[/b] Article I. Recognizing their shared cultures as neighbors and members of the Mediterranean community, France and Sicily agree to this treaty in the interest of growing peace and development between their two peoples. Article II. France and Sicily agree to refrain from any acts of hostility towards the other, they also agree to refrain from assisting other nations who are in a state of hostility with the other nation. Article III. In the interest of furthering dialog between France and Sicily the following will be adopted: (A) Permanent embassies will be established in both nations (B) A direct, secure, line of communication will be maintained between the leaders of both nations, ready to be used at any time. Article IV. Both nations agree to eliminate barriers to trade between them and between corporations hailing from either nation. Both nations further agree to place no undue restrictions on travel between their nations except in time of emergency or crisis. Both nations also agree to establish a joint Board of Commerce representing the interests of both governments and business communities in order to investigate ways to improve economic cooperation. Article V. This agreement may be canceled after two weeks prior notice (OOC:3 days) is given to the other signatory. Signed for Sicily: [i]Jean d'Aosta, Steward of Sicliy[/i] Signed for France:

Jean accepted the glass and drifted along behind Therese as she spoke, settling down next to her on the guardrail. He nodded slowly as she spoke, he was deep in thought. "Indeed, Therese, indeed. I would like to see our nations expand relations, its why Im here and its the purpose of this multi-state trip Im on. The old Sicily was far too content to rely on its allies to take care of it, we were not proactive. Im on this trip to expand my nation's circle of contacts, and I came here first because I feel the French connection will become one of our most important. I could talk about the shared French heritage but you already know about my French population, so I will be direct." He paused to sip his champagne, he savored it for a moment as he collected his thoughts. "I think we could have a very strong relationship, Therese, because I believe there is a wise and rational government in place here. However, I dont feel I can discuss a formal military agreement with France because I have not yet made up my mind on the WEU. I was no friend of its predecessor, and I am hesitant to become its friend now, but I dont think that precludes beginning formal relations. I think we could both benefit from expanded trade and diplomatic ties, would you agree?"

Personally, I think the rule on militias was put in to serve a purpose, that being to prevent people from saying 80% of their population spontaneously rises up and defeats whoever invades them by sheer weight of numbers. However, I think the rule goes too far in outlawing militias in any size, because lets face it, nations (US and Iran being two examples I can think of) maintain militia forces (Natl Guard in the US, Basij Forces in Iran) which are frequently used in combat. Allowing some of the population to act as a militia or partisan or guerrilla or insurgency force is more reasonable and true to life than saying no one would stand up to defend their country or liberate it from occupation. Looking at it from a RL perspective, alot of the major wars in the past 30-40 years have involved civilians taking up arms in one form or another: -The Viet Cong during the Vietnam War was a guerrilla force, which is a militia -The Iranians relied heavily on militia forces to fight Iraq in the 1980 Iran-Iraq War -The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan is made up entirely of tribal villagers -Iraq has become home to a number of militias since the US occupation, Sadr's Militia in Baghdad is a good example of civilians joining a militia in response to a foreign invasion. I recognize that the militia rule is a rule and that everyone should be required to follow it, but I think its a rule that needs to be changed after this war is over.

Mapmaker, please label the Italian Federation as a Sicilian Protectorate. thanks!

[i]Jean sat reading the communication from President Bazziani. He had just returned from his multi-state trip overseas and this was not the news he had wanted waiting for him. He had taken over ownership of the Peninsula once before, and now it seemed that he had to step in and watch over it again. He had regretted his decision to hand over the majority of the Peninsula many times over the previous few years, there had always existed a degree of strain between the two countries. Dividing the Peninsula was not a viable option, the animosity that developed on both sides of the border because of it was not something he wanted to repeat. Yet the Peninsula was not something Jean desired. The Islands were still in the process of recovering and he was reluctant to have to divert most of his sparse resources to integrating the Peninsula into Sicily. Yet he was not about to see a potentially hostile power move in next door, the Med was stable, and he would prefer to keep it that way.[/i] Very well, Corrado, very well. ---------------------------- [b]Secure Government Facility, Ajaccio, Corsica A few hours later[/b] Jean: Many of you were not around the last time this nation controlled the entirety of the Peninnisula. [i]It has been so long, Jean thought.[/i] I have called you here because, once again, Sicily will be assuming trusteeship of the entirety of the Peninsula. I have just finished reading a communication from President Bazziani of the IF. Following the defection of the Italian Navy and the subsequent nuclear strike he has dissolved the Italian Government and turned the country over me. D. EcDev Monteforte: Sir, I hate to protest, but the size of the Peninsula. Its huge, and with the ongoing recovery Im concerned its going to drain away to many of our resources. Just providing for adequate policing and defence... D. Def L'Silver: I have to concur, my Steward. I dont believe the military has enough manpower to effectively police and defend the Peninsula while still fulfilling its role in defending the Islands. We would be stretched incredibly thin, and with the defense projects only now breaking ground, having troops deployed on the Peninsula would leave us without enough men to defend ourselves. D. FA Al-Hussein: Please Nicolas, there is no one in the Med who is going to attack us. Even if there were, we are allied with three of the largest states in the Euro-Af Region. l'Silver: Fine, fine. If you want to ignore the possibility of a war then be my guest. Policing such a large area is still going to be an issue. SGHQ Chrmn, Adm. Acbari: If I may interject gentlemen, policing is not neccessarily an issue. We seem to be forgetting that the IF had a sizeable military and police force of its own, not to mention there is a large number of Sicilian veterans living in the South who I am sure would be able to help in the effort. General Al-Malak has an outline already drawn up. Please proceed General. C-i-C SDO Branch Gen. Al-Malak: Thank you Admiral. Your Stewardship, similar to the SDO's ongoing MedCorps program, I believe a special quasi-military force established on the peninsula can handle the majority of policing operations, thus allowing the regular military to stay focused on its primary mission of homeland defense. A Peninsula Special Police Force (PSPF) comprised largely of former IF military and special police personnel would be constructed and be tasked with both overseeing the continued administration of local police on the Peninsula and dealing with policing issues which affect the Peninsula as a whole, namely border regulation enforcement, anti-terror and anti-insurgency actions and the like. A reasonable force would be approximately 65,000 to 90,000 enforcement personnel, lightly armed. The PSPF would be run as its own separate agency under the administration and control of the SDO. Jean: I see, thank you Said. I think that the plan for the PSPF is the way we should.... L'Silver: SDO? Who in the hell are you General and why have I never heard of your organization? I hardly think some little outfit like yours General should be overseeing something half as large as the Army. Jean: Director, you do not know about the SDO because you do not need to know. Said is one of this nation's ablest military minds, and you should pay him some respect. The plan for the PSPF will go forward under your supervision Said, I trust you to make the necessary arrangements. Fahima, I would like you to start to work on organizing a trusteeship administration for the Peninsula, I plan on making the transition of ownership a gradual one. --------------------------- [b]ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE SICILIAN DIRECTORATE FOR NATIONAL AFFAIRS[/b] In line with the wishes of the last government of the Italian Federation, the people of the Peninsula, and of Steward d'Aosta; the entirety of the European holdings of the former Italian Federation are hereby placed under the trusteeship of Steward Jean d'Aosta and Sicily. At the Steward's direction, the Peninsula will hereby be administered as the Peninsular Mandate. Gian Monsanto will serve as the first Mandatory Governor of the Peninsula. The first Acts of the Mandatory Governor of the Peninsula are as follows: - The Peninsula is hereby divided into a number of administrative districts as follows: --Piedmont District, encompassing Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta. The Administrative Center will be Turin. --Veneto District, encompassing Veneto, Trentino and Friui. The Administrative Center will be Venice. --Lombardy District, encompassing Lombardy. The Administrative Center will be Milan. --Romagna Distrct, encompassing Emilia-Romagna. The Administrative Center will be Bologna. --Tuscany District, encompassing Tuscany. The Administrative Center will be Florence. --Adriatic District, encompassing Marche, Abruzzom, and Molise. The Administrative Center will be Ancona. --Tyrrhenian District, encompassing Lazio and Umbria. The Administrative Center will be Rome. --Ionian District, encompassing Apulia and Basilicata. The Administrative Center will be Tarento. --Naples District, encompassing Campania. The Administrative Center will be Naples. --Catanzaro District, encompassing Calabria. The Administrative Center will be Catanzaro. - All civil and military employees of the Italian Federation are to return to work with the overall civil administration to be downsized by 40% over the next 6 months. - The Peninsular Special Police Force is hereby established from the remanents of the IF military an National Police. The IF Military will be decomissioned over the next 4 months until a 90,000 person special police force remains.

[quote name='Pravus Ingruo' date='04 May 2010 - 06:08 PM' timestamp='1273010889' post='2286819'] The Italian Federation is gone, absorbed into the Sicilian League. Guam and Midway, please mark as "Rebel Territory". Gracias. [/quote] Confirmed, been nice having you in the neighborhood SMH

Sicily watches this with no interest whatsoever

OOC: I see Therese is quite the busy lady these days

While we're on the subject, lets not bomb downtown DC.... oh wait. *sits and awaits the inevitable nuking*

[b]CLASSIFIED: Sicilian General Headquarters- MedCorps Organizaion and Mission Outline- Security Clearance AAA Issued By: General Said Al-Malak, Commander-in-Chief Sicilian Military: Special Defense Operations (SDO) Branch[/b] Recent examples, namely the ongoing war in Tahoe, as well as numerous examples from recent history, point to the futility of static defenses in the face of superior opponents. When presented with a superior enemy, bunkers, trenches, and defensive fortifications will only assist the enemy in locating, engaging, and ultimately overwhelming our forces. In the face of overwhelming odds it will be only a matter of time before our insignificant military means are overwhelmed, no matter the amount of time and resources which are devoted to constructing the infrastructure of defense. It is for this reason that time and resources must also be devoted to the construction and preparation of the infrastructures necessary for resistance. Ultimate victory against any invader will only come about through a protracted campaign of resistance, struggle, and attrition. The continued cost of pursuing war against the Sicilian state must be raised to such a height that any potential foe will quickly tire of paying it. In all likelihood a potential invader of the islands will hold a significant technological and manpower advantage, thus our strategy for defense and for resistance must be one that does not seek to best our opponents strengths, but to instead take advantage of our opponents weaknesses. In this report the backbone of extended resistance operations, the MedCorps, will be elaborated upon. In further reports the facilities, structures, and plans necessary to adequately prepare the islands for an invasion will be described. While the Sicilian National Armed Forces will be responsible for the conventional defence of the islands, the organization and execution of prolonged resistance operations will fall upon the 20,000 combat personnel of the Mediterranean Corps. Commanded by General Enzo Bargani, the MedCorps is comprised of men and women who are specially selected for their loyalty and devotion to the Sicilian People and their Steward. The MedCorps is trained in both traditional combat tactics, but is also trained to engage in assymetrical warfare. (OOC: Bleh, 4am. Will finish later)