Vasily Karasov

I have Aluminum and Spices. http://www.cybernations.net/nation_drill_display.asp?Nation_ID=66926

I'd just like to point out that Pacifica will be receiving the Competition Winnings either way. I placed my bet on Germany, Bakamitai on Spain, and Emperor Brutus on the Netherlands. Since no one at all bet on Uruguay, looks like Pacifica is bringing home the gold. Thanks Planet Bob for repaying the tech that we lost during the war.

[i]I agree that I will be known as an unalligned nation upon entering this competition. This means that Batallion is fully authorized to use military force if necessary should I refuse to pay my debts. I agree to follow all the rules stated above and by no means will I attempt to try and loophole through a trivial set of rules. I understand that I may be charged for a maximum of 200 Tech (or 6 Million) according to the winnings above.[/i] [b]My Nation Name:[/b] Novistrana [b]My Nation Ruler: [/b] ASHKETCHUM135 [b]My Alliance: [/b] New Pacific Order [b]Link To My Nation:[/b] [url="http://www.cybernations.net/nation_drill_display.asp?Nation_ID=66926"]Link[/url] [b]FIFA Nation I Support:[/b] Germany (Deutschland) [b]Current Tech Level:[/b] 1,750.12

Karasov's mind immediately darted to his father, assassinated at a pro-democracy rally in Ekaterine in the early 1990s. Pradeux ordered his Internal Security to "eliminate" him due to the threat he posed to his regime. Twenty years later, his father's murderer was offering him a chance to reign along side him. Karasov felt sick to his stomach. He grabbed for his vodka glass and downed the remainder without taking time to enjoy its taste. His mind then turned to Nikolai, who sat alongside him with his jaw to the floor and in worse shape than before. Karasov did not want to betray his friend, who was like the brother he never had, and leave him in the dust. He and Nikolai took up the banner of worker's rights dropped by his father and fought in the coal mines, ammunition factories, and cotton fields. Karasov now was faced with an opportunity to work with the man he and Nikolai both sought to liberate their brethren from for so long. Karasov was light-headed and nauseous. He went to get up to search for more vodka, but his legs felt as if they were constructed of rubber and began to fall... Then that all too familiar voice emerged from behind him and caught him before he fell to the floor. Pradeux's assistant that greeted Karasov at the door shoved a bottle of water into his hand. "I don't think more alcohol will solve the problem." "Th-Thank you, K-." Karasov stopped himself mid-sentence before he divulged too much information. "Thank you, comrade." Once safely outside Pradeux's office, Karasov consulted with Nikolai. Nikolai asked Pradeux for the courtesy of allowing his friend to recover outside and clear his head. "The nerve of this man! To offer me such a lucrative position when he is the one responsible for my father's death!" Karasov marched around the spacious hallway directly outside Pradeux's office. "Vasily, I understand where you are coming from, but I advise you to step into your father's shoes for a moment and imagine what he would tell you to do." Nikolai walked over to Karasov, who was now slumped on the floor resting against a wall. "He would tell me the same thing he said to me on his deathbed that night. 'You must always put country above self, Vasily, that is all you have.'" Karasov cradled his head in his hands. "If it makes your decision any easier, comrade, do not worry about me. I will return to Novistrana and look after the people you sacrificed so much for today to liberate. They will know, as God as my witness, of the great things you did for them and at what expense." Nikolai returned the friendly gesture from earlier and placed his hand on Karasov's shoulder. "I know what I must do then, Nikolai." Karasov stood up and wiped off the tears. "You were always a great friend, Nikolai. I couldn't have asked for anyone better." The two friends shook hands one last time and embraced each other. "This will be a bittersweet victory for the people of Novistrana," said Karasov as he opened the ivory doors into Pradeux's office. "Country Above Self," he reminded himself as he entered.

Karasov waited for Nikolai to take the seat adjacent before he seated himself. "I detest wine," Karasov replied sternly. "It is the drink of the capitalists. They bathe in it while their citizens are forced to drink run-off, or their own urine." One of Pradeux's butlers came towards Karasov to offer him a different refreshment. "Vodka, we will both have some vodka, thank you." The butler bowed and graciously left the office to fetch their drinks. "You speak much of freedom," started Karasov. "You speak of it as if you have been fighting for it all your life, as if you have been lurking in its shadow your entire life, as if you shed blood, tears, and sweat to possess it. You know nothing!" spat Karasov. "That is beyond the point, though," said Karasov as he sat down, something he did not realize had done in his rage. "You and I both have something in common, and that is what has brought the two of us together here," he said in a calm business tone. "We both want to achieve what is best for our people, whatever it takes to do so. I may disagree to my core with your values and ideals, but I am not going to endanger my comrades for some petty grudge." Karasov sat back in his chair and grabbed his glass from the silver tray the butler had brought with him from the mansion's kitchen facilities. Holding the drink to his thirsty lips, he saw that Nikolai was shaking nervously. Karasov extended his right hand and pressed on his friend's shoulder to reassure him that everything would be fine. "Now," Karasov began to say as he set his drink back down. "What is this proposition you have for us today?"

Karasov and Nikolai looked in amazement and curiosity at the grandeur of the lion's den they were entering. Their heavily-armored three-car caravan of window-tinted black Cadillac Escalades, consisting of NSB Agents that flanked the vehicle in the middle carrying Karasov and Nikolai, slowly rolled into the Imperial Palace as Pradeux's men lined the road. They all sported mean scowls on their face standing in attention, their rifles jutting into the steel gray sky above. "So this is how the capitalists pigs indulged with our people's money," snarled Nikolai as he shook his head. "The nerve of this man to bring us into his mansion when he knows this is part of the reason we separated from the Slavs." The caravan pulled around the center piece of the residency, a gold fountain with a colossal marble statue of Pradeux in the middle, hands on his wrist as if examining his massive kingdom. The iron gates came to an eerie close and the Slav soldiers marched to the entrance of the mansion. "Don't worry, Nikolai," said Karasov assuredly as he felt for his pistol inside his coat. "Once we obtain what we came here for, Pradeux will be the least of our problems." Karasov got out of the car once his security detail gave him the all-clear signal, Nikolai on his heels. "Welcome, gentlemen," said a gorgeous tall, blonde young woman sporting the dark grey uniforms of the Slav bureaucracy. Karasov was quick to notice that her short skirt excellently showcased her slender legs. She was carrying a folder in her arms, close to her chest, as if to look important. "Mr. Pradeux has been awaiting your arrival." Two guards, standing motionless in front of the doors that led inside, suddenly and with precise execution opened the doors and returned to their previous states. Nikolai allowed for the NSB Agents to pass him before entering and then followed Karasov, his NSB Agents a few steps behind. As Karasov passed the lovely assistant, he felt the warm breath from her lips shower his ear. "Nice seeing you again, Vasily." He forced himself to avoid staring into her deep blue eyes and to surrender the impression that he had any prior knowledge of her existence. Karasov stepped across the threshold, a sly smile on his figure.

"Comrade! Your reply from that wretch Pradeux has arrived," said Nikolai, his close confidant. "God only knows what he has in store for us," he continued on to say. Karasov grabbed the beige envelope from his comrade's hand and picked up the switchblade that his father had entrusted him with before his death at the hands of Pradeux's men. He slid the sharp object carefully under the wax seal that held the frail container together. Karasov recognized the Seal of the Slavic Federation imprinted into the wax. Putting down the blade, Karasov grabbed a glass of vodka he had set on his desk beforehand and read the letter out loud to Nikolai. "Hmm...I must wonder what this madman wants to see me for," questioned Karasov to himself although Nikolai answered anyways. "You can never be certain with Pradeux," asserted Nikolai. "He could either be setting you up to be assassinated or his senility has taken a severe toll on him and has decided to grant us full independence." Karasov took a swig of the vodka from the glass and set it down harshly on his oakwood desk, some vodka landing back on the letter. "Don't fool yourself, Nikolai. If Pradeux were to attempt to assassinate me, the people of this country would not stop until his entrails are hanging decoratively from the end of their bayonets." Karasov walked around behind his desk and pulled out his Tokarev pistol from one of the drawers. "If Pradeux wants to play hardball, I'm not coming alone." Karasov cocked his gun and walked towards Nikolai. "You, my friend, will be coming along for the ride." Nikolai, shocked look on his boyish face, broke into a smile and opened the door of the office.

[center][img]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h94/COMRADE_BOB/Novistrana/Flag.gif[/img][/center] [center][size="6"][b][font="Verdana"]PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF NOVISTRANA[/font][/b][/size][/center] Comrades! For far too long have my comrades in Novistrana been oppressed, silenced, and abused by the capitalist pigs that have been suckling on the teet of the people's productivity, innovation, and hard work. For far too long have my comrades in Novistrana stood helplessly on the sidelines as their corrupt government misappropriated funds and services to benefit themselves and their cronies while their brothers and sisters died on the streets of disease and starvation. That is why today, May 15th of 2010, our brethren have shaken off the shackles of slavery through whatever means necessary and toppled the fascist regime that called themselves our leaders. Today, we have come together in camaraderie and notified the Slavic Federation of our intent to separate ourselves and to form the People's Republic of Novistrana. That is why I, Vasily Karasov, will serve as the first General Secretary of the Novistranian Communist Party and lead my comrades into a brighter, safer, and more peaceful future. With God as my witness, I shall not fail my countrymen. [b]Nation Name:[/b] People's Republic of Novistrana [b]Capital:[/b] Berezina [b]Leader:[/b] President Vasily Karasov [b]Map:[/b] [url="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h94/COMRADE_BOB/Novistrana/map.jpg"]Link[/url] [center][img]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h94/COMRADE_BOB/Novistrana/go_republic.jpg[/img][/center]

I declare Novistrana for myself.

Aluminum and Spices right here.

Hmm...we shouldn't forget that Cancellation Clauses are 48 Hours. I wouldn't be surprised if some came in shortly.

ALL HAIL TROUBLE o/

Congrats on the promotion, Bilrow! o/

Nuts.

Nuts.

I gotta give you props for the T.I. reference.

Bilrow has been constantly abusing and demeaning me as I mow his lawn and build his summer home. He think that me being Mexican gives him the right to do so.

So is this now "This Week in Old Guard"?

Trying to get the breaking news story, huh Schatt?

I am Colonel Karasov of The Pacific Army and I approve this message. o/ The Pacific Army

"We"? One is the loneliest number there ever was...

Spying is bad, mmkay?

I approve this message. Vasily Karasov -Magistrate of Foreign Affairs

My comrade speaks the truth. Comrade Biff and I are testaments to this.