The Tale of the Red City

[Maelstrom Vortex]

[quote name="Response from the French Navy"]
That's exactly what we are waiting for.. to know their demands. But we cannot allow any cargo that may contain weapons or other materials to enter the country to be used to kill our own people. That is why we are currently disallowing entry. Surely you understand that?
[/quote]

The French Navy.. was almost all coastal defense vessels. No capitol ships. Their PT boats and very light destroyers akin to the Z-class ships of the Germans boats of WW2 were of very little use against surface shipping outside of merchants and equally light warships.. but they tended to be very effective against submarines because of light sonar and the presence of depth charges on board.. as the USRS submarines moved in, they would be watching.

ooc: Pausing for Sarah.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Kaiser Martens]

A random Hethnamarker said,

[i]"Oh, man, not !@#$@#$ commies again..."[/i]

Then he sighed and went about his business.

[Zoot Zoot]

OOC
Just saying, you wouldn't be able to detect those submarines yet, not until it was too late at any rate pal.

ICly.

The submarines would be travelling below the accoustic layer, making detection all but impossible unless the French had laid a highly advanced SOSUS line across the North Sea floor which had been fine tuned over many years to recognise anomolies. As it happens, they had not. The Submarines could engage the French warships from 67 miles away as the Sonar suites on the Subs were of the 2076 variety, giving them excellent tactical awareness, target data and firing solutions long before the French could even contemplate the fact of several really pissed off attack submarines targetting them with anti shipping missiles.

The 2076 is an integrated passive/active search and attack sonar suite with bow, intercept, flank and towed arrays, over 30,000 hydrophones and was the most advanced sonar suite in the world.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

ooc: You could. Except your sonar cannot transit islands. This is one of the few places on Earth where terrain will actually matter to a naval engagement quite significantly if one occurs. Please hold for Sarah from this point.

ic:

The French Naval patrol boats waited patiently. They were skeptical that an advanced enemy navy would want to waste some of their most expensive munitions on what equated to a shallow draft boat with an outboard motor, a couple of torpedoes, and a couple of depth charges.. and they really didn't want a fight if they could avoid one. That said, their engagement range.. was 5 miles. Until the enemy got into that range, it'd be in the court of the other navy as to who fired first. Said navy still had hours to close before they could even be a threat. The missiles on the coastline could reach further with sonar guidance... but they didn't have that right now. The English Islands kind of blocked sonar.. and until the enemy navy got into the Channel, they wouldn't see jack on sonar. When they entered the mouth of the Channel, the French would know they were there.. and so would the shore batteries. The shallow structure on the small boats also made them almost imperceptible against the waves on Radar.

With tensions rising in the North Sea and Channel, Sea Sprites were summoned to run sonar drops at the mouth of both sides of the English Channel.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Paris was not yet in flames as the city divided itself along the Seine, Communist supporters massing to the north while the Monarchists centered their base in the south of the capital. Protests occurred daily at this point and though while there had been small cases of violence, for the most part, the intellectual base that had taken charge of the Revolutionary Party urged strongly for their supporters not to cause harm to those, "despots across the river." This of course was not a guarantee and as the days dragged on. The situation in Paris became more tense as the Estates-General, having relocated to Anjou on account of safety reasons, debated on how to solve the potential secession growing in the north. Monarchist promises were favorable, greater representation for the Communists and Leftists within the Estates-General and thus a greater voice to influence French national and foreign policy. Even Valentin and her subordinates in Paris began to debate amongst themselves whether taking the peaceful offer would be advantageous. Indeed, no one had prepared for a true civil war and the thought that loomed in front of them was serious.

However before any move was taken by the Revolutionaries, the Revolutionary Army began to filter out of the cities slowly and disappearing into the countryside in isolated pockets which were overseen by Party Leaders. Other militia blended into the citizenry of the north and a small minority within the south, among Monarchist circles. The Royalists would of course make several arrests, but it was Valentin's hope that others would rise to the Revolutionary cause when men disappeared from the lines. "Taken away by the black bags of the Crown."

While things in France seemed tense, but nevertheless stable, the pivotal moment came on a bright Parisian afternoon.

Simone walked down the narrow streets of the capital with large men who covered her entire body to her left and right. There had been rumors that the Monarchists had sent agents into Communist-influenced Paris in hopes of killing the Communist leader and thus ending the potential for revolution. This had put the Communists on their guard and made Simone very uncomfortable. She wasn't worried much about the rumors, but the security was unbearable, she couldn't enjoy a cup of tea without five guards making sure it wasn't poisoned and God forbid if she wanted to take some time to collect her thoughts by herself. Such were the stresses of leadership, she thought, as the sounds of cheers echoed in the distance. This would be her fifth rally in ten days and her voice was nearly dead from the various speeches calling for the end of the French Monarchy and total control given to the people. If Delacour could create a total democracy, why couldn't she?

Reports from Jean-Jacques Blondet, the representative of the Revolutionaries in Parliament were only positive. The government was slowly beginning to make concessions to her movement and perhaps with just a bit more aggression, the entire rotten would come down. Simone could only hope.

Coming out of the alley into the square where Revolutionary banners flew proudly along side the Tricolor, Simone was greeted with a loud cheer and the raising of fists. "Vive la Revolution! Vive Valentin! Vive la France!" The people shouted over and over into the air and even as Simone approached the podium with her hands raised, the volume of the crowd refused to lessen.

"It is good to see that our numbers have not dropped Comrades! On the contrary they have only risen since our last meeting and it continues to show that while the Monarchists may goad us with the idea of Constitutional Monarchy and Faux-Democracy, we will not stand for their bluffs. As we speak, the Royalist army is hunting down our fellow Revolutionaries who took up arms against the government who cares nothing for the life blood of France. They call us opportunists. Is demanding our freedom, demanding the return of a philosophy of liberty first created in France, is that opportunism? Comrades, I think they confuse opportunism with liberty. Is it simply opportunity that I desire a leader who represents my views? No, it is my right as a woman and a member of this society.

Courtois and the She-Lizard have evacuated themselves to Brittany and still the King of the Angevins is nowhere to be found. The country is falling to flames and our leaders are absent. There is the responsibility comrades, the responsibility that has vanished as quickly as a strange reptilian disease appears. They call me a liar and a revisionist, but I am not the one who is afraid to show my face in public because the sun may burn my scales. To silence us, we expect action!" She said banging on the podium, "We demand that France co-" Then there was a scream.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMp3DwC_BKg&feature=related"]The Day Paris ran Red.[/url]

Before the shot of the gun had gone off, Simone could see the figure moving through the crowd. He appeared in green and white as he reached the edge of the crowd and the burst of fire and flame that rang out as several shots were fired up at the podium. She felt the impact of the first bullet in her shoulder and the second grazed her neck as she fell to the ground. The third struck her leg and the pain and fire running through her body was almost too much for the woman to handle. Her hands shook and she could hear screaming from the crowd and the storm of guns from the Revolutionary Guards who had been standing near the podium. The assassin was most likely dead at this point, but would she survive the onslaught?

"Get her out of here, for God sakes! Get her out of here!" Someone shouted and Simone moaned as she held her neck, blood running down her hands. It was terribly warm.

She felt her body rushed through the streets, while she nodded off between consciousness and darkness.

"We need a doctor! Grab him!"

...

"You need something to stop the bleeding..."

...

"Out of the city! Out of the city! I don't care what! Steal a car if you have to, we have to save Comrade Valentin!"

---

Meanwhile as Simone was falling between the river of life and death, the streets of Paris transformed into a chaotic mixture of flame and smoke. Minutes after the shooting, word had passed on through circles in the Revolutionary network that Valentin had been shot and that she was not grievously injured, overreacting would be a terrible move. Of course, this was not the case as the commands of Party Leaders started to change the further they were passed through the network. Soon, Revolutionaries began to hear that Valentin had been killed and the Monarchists had declared total war to eliminate the Communist threat in Northern France. As one can imagine, men discovering that their leader has been killed and that they too would be wiped off the face of the map caused severe overreaction. Several Communist sectors took this as the beginning of the end and quietly dropped their weapons, fading back into the Parisian cityscape, however, this was not the case for all of Paris and sectors which were comprised of zealots immediately moved to engage the Monarchists as though war had been declared.

The actions of the zealots spread and soon a distinct battle line was drawn across Paris and the Seine became the border and the cry of war would soon begin to travel to other cities throughout the north where clashes would take place much as they happened in Paris.

---

Simone would wake up a day later, in an army tent overlooking farmland in the Champagne Region. She was badly injured and bandaged on her neck, shoulder, and around her leg, but she was still alive. Throwing on a jacket and putting her graying hair into a loose pony-tail, she stepped out into the fresh air of the countryside. Captain Jules Raymond, wearing a dingy green jacket with a red armband looked back and smiled. "You're awake and better alive. It's been an entire day, Comrade."

"Where am I?"

"Champagne, a good distance away from Troyes, we can't risk the cities right now."

"Why, what's wrong?"

Jules laughed and lit his cigarette. "Haven't you heard Madame? We're at war."

OOC: Consider anything against the Monarchists from foreign players i.e. Zoot needing a spy roll or however that works. I think that answers the matter from before, but if not, let me know.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Vicidalia strongly condemns the use of arms to strengthen the own political position and expresses its hopes for this to stay civil instead of civil war. We advise our French brethren to end the struggle as soon as possible, so that no unecessary French blood has to flow.

[b]Communique to the French government[/b]

"As it seems the protests have grown increasingly violent, we want to show our solidarity to the French people and their legitimate government. Therefor, I have ordered a shipment of oil to be send to help the rightful cause of the monarchy. We will also send a political observer to keep an eye on the situation, as well as a connection between our countries, should France be willing to contact us."

With regards,

[i]Louise Françoise I de Vicidalia[/i]
Grand Princess of Vicidalia

As soon as the communique was out, orders were given to the port authorities in Charlottenbourg to ready a contingent of 5 ships, 4 filled with oil and one loaded with humanitarian aid material, as well as 0.8 tons of gold. Under the flag of the Vicidalian Principal Merchand Navy, the small flotilla started their long voyage to Brest in the evening of the same day.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Evangeline Anovilis

[TheShammySocialist]

[center][size="4"][b]Official Statement from the Kingdom of Sweden[/b][/size]

[IMG]http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa325/VictorDeltaRomeo/200px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Swedensvg.png[/IMG][/center]

"The Kingdom of Sweden condemns any acts of violence against the revolutionary parties, and the Monarchists at this time, while Sweden does observe that it has a Mutual Defense Pact with the [i]current[/i] legitimate government, it strongly urges both parties to stop any fighting and let democratic due process to move forth. Sweden cannot, herself, pledge to protect the legitimate government at this time if revolutionary political action continues to spill over into revolutionary violence, we urge both sides to open up a dialogue, if at all possible, to avert further bloodshed.

The Swedish Government is hereby dispatching two merchant vessels, one to Calais, and one to Cherbourg, with the expressed purpose of providing medical supplies and non-perishable foodstuffs, to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of France. These vessels will fly with the Swedish National Flag, and will have [i]no[/i] armament aboard whatsoever."

[i]Christian Nyquist
Minister of International Affairs and Trade
Leading Foreign Representative of the Swedish Parliament[/i]

[jesbro]

Jesse had mixed feelings at this point. Although he did hate the communists it was not him that sent the assassin after her. In fact they had no idea if someone sent the assassin or if he was working on his own accord. "The leaders from the other nations are telling us to finish this thing as quickly as possible and that is exactly what we are going to do. The French Navy needs to set up a blockade of the northern cities. Right now their survival is dependent on supplies from the other nations that is coming in through the northern ports. Once we cut off that they will starve and they will have no choice but to either surrender or die."

[b](OOC: Yes that is a brutal tactic but it works well.)[/b]

Renard did not agree, "The other nations will not like that. They will condemn brutal tactics like that."

Jesse was angry, "THIS IS WAR! PEOPLE DIE! If the other nations can't handle the truth about that it is their problem. I have already told Damion my plan and he agrees. The only way to end this quickly without blowing them up is to starve them to death and force them to surrender. The tactics may be brutal but they do work, once the blockade is set up this thing will end quickly."

[Zoot Zoot]

The convoy breached the maritime border, twelve miles off the coast of Calais at 18.27pm GMT. The Submarines stayed a safe distance of around twenty kilometers behind the group to provide covering fire should the French warships attack.

A message was sent to the Communist Government alerting them to the imminent arrival of the convoy and the threat from the Royalist French Fleet.

[Centurius]

For the entire time Athens had remained silent however the reports on the assassination were enough to cause an official response.

"The Athenian Federation with sadness has received the news of an assassination attempt on the life of a leading official in the opposition. Should the French government be responsible for this attack we condemn them with the strongest words possible. In addition we no longer feel the opposition enjoys the freedoms they deserve, as such the Athenian and former Monegasque embassies will offer asylum to anyone from either side who feels their security is no longer guaranteed."

As was normal procedure for scenarios like these the normal High Guard detachment would be removed from the embassy with High Guard Razors as a replacement, two UH-1 Erebos would also begin flying diplomatic colors and be dedicated to serve the embassies in Paris. Finally the amount of civilian clerks and diplomats would also be increased to deal with a potential increased amount of asylum requests.

[Markus Wilding]

***Classified***
Plans would be made to insert a pro-Communist element inside the French government. In addition, the FNS [i]Oulu[/i] and [i]Kemi[/i] would steam to international waters off of the coast of France to prepare for possible intervention.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

[quote name='Zoot Zoot' timestamp='1322418695' post='2853863']
The convoy breached the maritime border, twelve miles off the coast of Calais at 18.27pm GMT. The Submarines stayed a safe distance of around twenty kilometers behind the group to provide covering fire should the French warships attack.

A message was sent to the Communist Government alerting them to the imminent arrival of the convoy and the threat from the Royalist French Fleet.
[/quote]

A press feed was broadcast around the world showing the USRS intervention in French sovereign matters. The French Navy chose not to fire a shot.. but to let the actions of the USRS speak for itself on the world stage by having the press corps present.

"The convoy you see behind us has refused to allow us to board and search. We assume they are delivering supplies to fuel the anarchy that is slowly gripping our homeland. The enemy navy has sent several submarines that are now in our national waters. Our navy has decided.. not to fire a shot.. to let the actions of the USRS speak for themselves so that the world will know what kind of a government leads that nation." Then..all of a sudden, the convoy started hitting the mines at the mouth of the bay.

"Unfortunately, they didn't know our harbors and waters are mined since we are at DEFCON 2 .. and those nice submarines are in the baffles of their convoy fleet where sonar doesn't see them. Such a pity." French boats nearby would begin to radio the leading USRS convoy ship and ask if it wanted help navigating clear of the mine field and with recovery.

Sea Sprites, in the mean time, would begin to lay inactive torpedo into the water around the position of the submarines and the convoy.. they are ready to be activated at a moments notice. The Submarines had been spotted as soon as they had closed with the convoy by the coastal sonar network and the sonars being dropped by the Sea Sprites. A fairly precise fix was being held on their position. The French Navy alerted the flag of the convoy, "That's as far as you and your submarines go. We can see you all quite clearly now and we have enough weapons arrayed on this coastline to send you all to the bottom. Turn back. Final warning and fair warning.. also, I'm giving this warning on the international news. The world sees what you're doing. Spare your lives now, turn around. We may not have a very large navy, but we have some of the most advanced detection, sensing, ranging equipment in the world and some of the most advanced weapons for coastal warfare. Our scenarios indicate that despite the quality of your equipment, you will suffer 100% losses if you decide to intrude."

[b]Meanwhile in Paris...[/b]

The Assassin had tried to flee across to the other side of the river on a bridge. He thought the Monarchists side would be safe. Then the guard who had been pursuing him saw something quite interesting as the crowd on the other side surged forward as they neared.. and began to beat the living crap out of the incredibly surprised assassin until he wouldn't resist arrest. They dragged him to the guard by his arms and stated simply in their thick French accents, "We are France, not Africa. This is not how we do things here." Then they returned to their side of the river and continued their counter-protests, which were less against the communists and more against tearing France apart.

[b]In Brittany and the National Press... [/b]

Christine came before the national press. She seemed very distressed. "My people. I love you all so much, communist or not. I hear the allegations against me and my Husband and I pray to God they are not true for my Husband, but I know they are not for me saving.. well.. being whatever it is that I am. I think the doctors called me a Chimera. I do not know what has gripped my Husband. He left me without saying why. I do not know if the weapon used against us.. continues to act against us... or not.. and maybe it has made him delerius, but I do know this. I will not allow us to be the reason this great nation is once again broken. It has been one of the demands of the revolutionaries that my Husband and I leave power. Today, I declare an election in the regions of West France. I have asked those in my regime to voluntarily retire unless an overwhelming majority of their region petitions for them to run for office, in which case they are permitted to run for election. I am resigning all roles I have in government. I am sorry for the pain we have caused you in these past few days, but I will cause no more. My sympathies to miss Simone, who I know is a true patriot for her people. I hope she takes the branch I have extended to her and goes into the body politic where that beautiful voice of hers would be most effective. I thank you all for your time." She stepped away from the podium and her body guards followed her to protect her as she left the stand.

The Monarchists of west France themselves began to turn into the French Democratic Party with this announcement and began putting their full weight into finding representatives to support their various interests.

It's hard to say what Empress Curtois' reaction would be to all of this.

The vast majority of the Aristocratic Representation in the Parliament would heed the requests of their former Queen out of loyalty, love, and remembrance. A few would try to hold on in elections as part of the newly formed party.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Kankou]

The Grand Papua container ship has arrived near the Calais, behind the USRS ships. It started to proceed slowly, planning on this course of action. The Stoßtruppen on board began preparing for action.....

[HHAYD]

Midwest Republic will remain neutral.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

France now stood divided along the Seine between the Democratic South and the Revolutionary North however contrary to what Simone's advisers had believed, the bloodshed did not continue after the first few days since the assassination attempt. When it was discovered the majority of Revolutionaries that their leader was still alive and well in Troyes, the violence in Paris and throughout the makeshift border of the country began to subside. Though while the violence had ended for a time, France was still as tense as ever. With the country divided there were those zealots in the Communist camp who advocated immediate secession following the example of Burgundy and Eastern France in prior eras. However the history of these regimes were dubious at best and the secessionists were quickly quieted by more sympathetic and moderate Revolutionaries, of which Simone was part of herself.

Entering incognito into Troyes, Simone and the rest of the Revolutionary Leadership met in a small cafe near the center of town which they had rented out to stay out of sight from potential assassins. There in front of a television, the Revolutionaries watched as the Queen gave her final address, thereby abolishing the French Monarchy and pleading for immediate elections to keep France from splitting itself apart. The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Courtois also came out with a statement, tying herself to the Plantagenet and that she would step down in the face of intense civil unrest giving France, "a much needed blank slate." They watched as the Estates-General collapsed and the Monarchists became the new center of a French Democratic Party. This put Simone and her compatriots in a narrow bind. They could not in good faith demand that the protesters continue their riots or for the Revolutionary Army to 'attack' something that was doing nothing wrong. Their enemies; the Monarchy and the Courtois Administration had been defeated, but their own power was far from guaranteed.

Late on the night of the Queen's address, Simone sat in the basement of the cafe in Troyes, watching the embers from her cigarette brighten and then fade as she breathed. "Well damn..."

The basement door opened and voices echoed down from the upstairs before she heard footsteps coming down the rickety stairs. "Comrade Valentin? You're sitting in the dark?"

"Is that a problem, Vincent? My cigarette has enough light."

The young man frowned and stood at attention on the edge of the room. "Are you wounds feeling okay?"

"The surgeon said that I'm coming along fairly well, only a few more weeks and I should be in perfect shape again." Simone turned her head, her gray eyes reflected in the light of the embers. "Is that all you came down to ask me? If my wounds are coming along?"

"Well more of why you chose to sit out today's meeting. You aren't thinking of throwing in the towel, are you?"

"No, but I have been thinking of what to do." She kicked out a chair and mentioned for him to sit down. Upon him sitting down, Simone took another long drag of the cigarette and tapped it against the ash tray. "We can't just wage war against an enemy who doesn't want to fight or can't fight. The Revolution has shown that it has every intention of using force if provoked, but I am not going to be responsible for another Reign of Terror." She sighed, "The King and Queen have resigned, Courtois has resigned with them and the entire country is ready to reform itself. The problem with democracy however," Simone smirked to the young man. "If your views aren't the majority, they don't count for !@#$. Aristocrats advocating democratic reform, this world never ceases to amaze me."

Vincent nodded and crossed his hands on his lap. "They'd shut us out of everything, except in the north. We might as well secede at that point."

"Yes, because Burgundy and Eastern France had so much influence outside the boundaries of Lorraine. No, Vincent, if this is going to be done. It has to include the entire country. My goal always revolved around the idea of One France. I will not separate this country." She said and took another long drag. "We'll just have to apply force with voice."

"Mam'selle?"

"It's still a democracy so long we are the only voice that's present, is it not?" Simone leaned forward and smashed out the ash of her cigarette. "Tell Mancion to get me a car. We're returning to Paris tomorrow."

---

Simone arrived in Paris the next afternoon to find the smoke having cleared after the week and several days since the assassination attempt. The city was still divided and the barricades were still erected, yet there was a serene peace to the capital even though she walked with double the security as she had before. She was taken to a small park in the north of the city where a throng of Communist and Revolutionary supporters had gathered waiting to see the return of their leader. When Simone appeared to the crowd cheers erupted loudly and she was nearly killed by the amount of people moshing around her, shaking her hand and kissing her cheek. "I assure you, I'm alive." She told them smiling. "It will take more than a bullet to kill our dreams of freedom and equality."

Pushing her up to the park's fountain where a microphone stood, they had opted away from a podium in fear of what had happened last time, and that Simone had no speech on hand. She turned to the crowd, ran her hand across the white bandage still tapped over her neck and smiled as television cameras began to roll.

"I believe I can say my return to Paris is one of victory and progress. Our enemies last attempt to destroy the revolution by taking my life has failed Comrades and it has only made both myself and those around me stronger, hasn't it? Surely reacting to our final push, the Monarchy has abolished itself in favor of democratic elections. Some of you who see the fires of revolution will cleanse France, I salute you, but I now must ask you to curtail your lust for battle. I will not be responsible for a second Reign of Terror and the death of thousands of Frenchmen. My conscience already weighs heavy with the death we have seen after only these few days, innocent lives can never be lost in vain and if it is possible, no more lives will be lost while I watch over France.

It is for that reason that I accept Christine de Plantagenet's request for peace between our fractionated country. The oppressors have placed over their faces a new mask, democracy as advocated by the aristocracy and bred through the unbalanced philosophy of capitalism. We will take to the polls and we will show our loyalty to France and her principles of Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality. The oppressors know the extent of our force and our willing to use it to defend our beliefs, but France must not divide itself. I know there are those in the West who share my sympathies, who have been ruled under an English-Pretender in addition to ones who have turned themselves into Reptilian creatures. Join your brothers and sisters and together we can make France great once again!"

The cheers went out from the crowd with, "Vive Valentin! Vive la Parti! Vive la France!"

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army was tasked with a new objective; making sure Valentin was victorious at the polls.

[Markus Wilding]

***Classified***
Although the agent sent to Paris had failed in his endeavors, the agent sent to Andorra had succeeded. He would begin planting the seeds of Communism in people's minds in the south, to help support his comrades in the North. He would also advocate an alliance with Finland, and even offered himself as a diplomat due to his fluency in Finnish.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[quote]

The Paris Gazette

Valentin Victorious at the Polls! New Chairwoman says, "Government Reforms are Imminent."
by: Marc Vignon

Paris-

Yesterday at four o'clock in the afternoon the emergency elections requested by the former Queen of the Angevins, Christine de Plantagenet, were closed and tallies were counted. The ballot consisted of four candidates running for the title of Interim President of what would be the Eighth French Republic; Stephen Coustou running for the French Democratic Party, which enjoyed recent support from the former Monarchist faction during the brief internal conflict. Simone Valentin, running for the Revolutionary Socialist Party, deemed the main antagonist in this election the former monarchy and aristocracy. These were the two main contenders while the ancient French, Parti Blanc, ran under the guidance of Claudine Bayol while Parti Vert ran Jacques-Camille Gaucher, a long running ecologist in French politics.

While the election was rumored to be a guaranteed victory for the French Democrats, voter turnout was largely influenced by a massive propaganda campaign put out by the Revolutionaries. In the weeks leading up to the election, posters of Simone Valentin could be found across the south west of France, in an area most believed to be under control of the Former Monarchists. Supporters of the Revolutionaries turned out in droves, wearing easily recognizable brown and green uniforms and red bands symbolizing their solidarity with France and her people. There are opinions that these, "Communist Thugs" directly influenced voter turnout as well as individual votes. Supporters of the French Democratic Party cite that it is impossible that the Revolutionaries won by ninety percent of the vote or above, though while they have cried miscount and demand legal action, no other protests have broken out in the country since the happenings in Paris several weeks ago.

In the Revolutionary Camp however, Simone Valentin took the news of her victory with a solemn respect to her opponents. She told reporters that, "This is not going to be a witch hunt against the Monarchists. When the Revolution began I made my points very clear to both the Monarchy, the Aristocracy, and the people of France. We weathered the storm and have come out stronger for it. I will repeat what my predecessors have said, I respect civil protest, but civil war will be crushed ruthlessly."

Valentin did not speak further of her ambitions in the political arena but said with a large majority of the country accepting Revolutionary Thought, internal change will occur.

[img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01804/Marine-le-Pen_1804573c.jpg[/img]
[i]Simone Valentin and Revolutionary Supporters at a Victory Rally outside of Troyes[/i]
[/quote]

[i]La Assemblee Nationale, Paris[/i]

[b]**Private**[/b]

"Order! Order!" Shouted the speaker over the chattering of voices within the French National Assembly. "We will have order, the first meeting of the Eighth French Republic will begin."

The atmosphere had changed since Simone had seen it last, over two-thirds of the Congress now sat in green and brown military uniforms or with suits and ties and a pin of the Tricolor with a hammer and sickle emblazoned on the front. It was glorious the success the Revolutionaries had gained at the polls, all thanks to the strength of the Revolutionary Army which descended into Western France like a giant wave. Every city from Bordeaux to Toulouse had joined in support of the Communists and now it was time make sure power stayed in the hands of those who deserved it, most notably, Simone herself.

Walking to the podium of the assembly, with a new found strength since her wounds had healed, she smiled at the delegation in front of her and nodded. "I think I can still see the cobwebs from how much the Monarchy used this room." She began with a laugh. "But we are going to change that and my sincerest hopes are that all of you will come to respect my ideals and together we can make France strong again. I have a list of grievances, which must be addressed in the first months of this new regime to show to the people of our Commune that we are serious about reform and we are serious about making France great.

Firstly, the Constitution of France will be reworked to be sustain a State-Command system and mass re-distribution of wealth will be taking place over the next months and years to bring even the most needy people of France back to a degree of sustainability. In order to do that, I ask that the Assembly grant me, as Chairwoman of our State, power to rework this document, our Sacred Constitution as best as I and our Party see fit. Which will bring me to my second point. As a majority has been reached in the last election, to make sure that further civil unrest is kept at a minimum, all other political parties will be declared unofficial and barred from running in subsequent elections. France can only rise so long as there is nothing dividing us and I personal advocate the philosophy of One Party, One People, One France."

"One Party! One People! One France!" Shouted the supporters from the crowd.

"In addition, to Civic Reform, Military Reform and an increased amount of Development of the French Military is a must and I do mean a firm demand that our military be built as quick as possible to rival those other nations around us. We are always under the threat of invasion and must be prepared at all times to defend our Motherland at whatever the cost. This will eventually include a nuclear program, not as a first strike, but as a deterrent to our enemies.

I will also be entering into immediate negotiations with those nations who came to aid the Revolutionary Cause during the period of unrest. These are strong and willing allies of France and will be treated as such, as Athens was one of these allies, I will also be approaching their leadership to negotiate the return of Marseilles to French soil and the possibility of Geneva.

Comrades, we are moving into a new age when France will once again return as the cornerstone of the world, in culture, finance, military strength, and intellectual brilliance. We do not need an aristocracy or a monarchy to achieve fame, it is in our blood. It is in the blood of all Frenchmen.

Vive la Parti!

Vive la Peuple!

Vive la Commune!

Vive la France!"

OOC: Discussed this outcome with Mael.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Maelstrom Vortex]

Stephen Coustou, who though he lost for Prime Minister still retained his parliamentary seat spoke, "Madame Chairwoman, we respect what you are trying to do for the people, but please remember your history is what has laid the ground work for the wealth you are to redistribute and do not belittle it. We made progress as well in our time.. we took France out of the slavery of foreign rule in our own way. If it is to be one party, we shall not stand in your way.. you clearly have the majority. We will work with the majority. A government divided will not stand. We have no desire to keep undue power and will all run as one party if that is what is required. I encourage my fellow French Democrats to agree to allow the amendments barring something that is a blight to the treatment of our citizens and constituents which I strongly doubt is anywhere in the intent of the Chairmwoman. Let the Grand Experiment begin."

Edited November 28, 2011 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Kankou]

Grand Papua recognizes the Commune of France, and hopes to open immediate relations with it. We wish to show our sincerity with a gift aboard our ship which is waiting outside Calais.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[quote name='Kankou' timestamp='1322465484' post='2854640']
Grand Papua recognizes the Commune of France, and hopes to open immediate relations with it. We wish to show our sincerity with a gift aboard our ship which is waiting outside Calais.
[/quote]

The Commune would be happy to begin relations with Grand Papua, in addition you may dock your ship at Calais.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

As the news of a communist victory arrived across the ocean, it hit the aristocracy hard. Not only would it be hard to forge any ties with a Red France, but also, if the movement swepped over, Vicidalias large rural population and workers class could try to repeat the revolution in their own country.

[quote][b]Official Order to the government offices after the Fall of France[/b] (state-intern, therefor unknown to the public)

In the last weeks, we all witnessed how our brothers and sisters in France were overwhelmed by a revolution of the communists, a movement we can only condemn and which is inherently against the aristocracy and the monarchy. Ignoring the order of old, they pressured the queen to abdict and transformed our ancient homeland into a one-party state. Vicidalia cannot risk to share their fate and on this day, it was ordered that:

[i][list]
[*]The Parti Communiste de Vicidalia is to be observed and should we witness any sign of subversive action, it has to be dissolved, if necessary by force. Anyone else caught to spread anti-monarchist propaganda is to be arrested immediatly.
[*]Untill orders state otherwise, there will be no trade between Vicidalia and France. Interaction with the revolution has to be kept minimal.
[*]It has to be made clear that the aristocrats of France are to be treated with respect and they shall not be harmed.
[*]We will have to work towards reaching a navy with blue water capabilities to be able to promote our interests stronger in the future.
[/list][/i]

Signatures

[i]
Louise Françoise I de Vicidalia

Charles II, Margrave de la Tortuga [/i]
Minister of Foreign relations and Trade

[i]Lisette, Comtesse de Nouvelle-Béziers [/i]
Minister of Defense
[i]
Jean Colbert Comte d'Amacure, Herald of the State[/i]
Minister of the Interior and Public Affairs
[/quote]

[b]Communique to France[/b]

Uneasyness and worry fill our hearts when we look upon the situation in your country. Altough we do not fully trust the outcome of the elections, we have to accept facts and these facts do not please us. Radical change has taken place in France, and while Vicidalia was trying to stay neutral in the past, wenow have to condemn this movement. Not only was the ancien regime overthrown, but the communists also did away with democracy and the free market. With the rights of the people curbed politically and economically, we see that despite Mdme. Valentins repeated wish for it to stay civil and free of state terror, the state was given the means to exert said terror. And Mdme Valentin may truly believe in this ideal, but this cannot be proven for all the communists in France and it may be entirely possible that the revolution will eat its children in the end.

To show our discontent with the recent changes, we close our ports to every ship under the command of Comunist France until we are proven that France has a stable government with sufficient respect for the old values again.

With regards,

[i]Louise Françoise I de Vicidalia[/i]
Grand Princess pf Vicidalia

OOC: What a hypocrisy...

[Zoot Zoot]

The United Socialist Republic of Siberia extends full recognition to our red brothers and sisters in France.

[quote][b]Private message to the Red Government[/b]

I am gravely saddened by the attempt on your life Comrade valentine, sly Royalist !@#$%^&*.

If still required, the ships outside Calais can make port and unload their weapons, ammunition and other supplies of a military nature for your budding military. Furthermore I wish to invite you to Kamchatka Oblast, to our grand city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to discuss the extension of our relations to a more official level.

Signed
President Malenkov[/quote]

[Markus Wilding]

***Classified***
Seeing the peaceful revolution, the FNS [i]Oulu[/i] and [i]Kemi[/i] headed back home. The crews were told that it was an exercise.

[quote]TO: French Commune Government
FROM: Finnish Government
SUBJ: Your Revolution

Comrades,

It is with great pleasure I congratulate you on your revolution against the Monarchists. It is always a pleasure to see new Communist and Socialist governments arise.

We in Finland are very interested in assisting the French in any way we can. We will be sending a diplomat to Paris shortly and we hope we will be able to talk soon.

Regards,
Party Boss Sari Paatelainen[/quote]

[TheShammySocialist]

[b]Open Dispatch from the Kingdom of Sweden[/b]

"Given the recent political changes in France, the Kingdom of Sweden recognizes a termination the Franco-Swedish Defense Pact.

We wish the people of France well, and hope that they will be able to enjoy a semblance of political stability with the conclusion of these winds of political change, and be able to flourish under this new government. The French have had to long endure over the many past years being split into several different nations, we hope that this government will be able to erase those memories. The events that cascaded into creating this new government, however, disallow our government from being able to willfully commit to the France-Swedish Defense Pact."

[i]Fredrik Ericsson
Prime Minister of Sweden[/i]

[Triyun]

The United Federation of the East recognizes the new regime and invites it for a visit to Honolulu.

-Grand Vizier Wei Hai