Cyrantian Loneliness

[Domingo the Honored]

High Chancellor of Internal Affairs Maksim Bazhenov paced around his office at the Chancellor's Building in Xavier worriedly. He was a man who believed thoroughly that a nation could not survive on its own unless it was extremely powerful. He had been very pleased to sign the treaty with the United Socialist Republic of Siberia and Austria, as their presences gave a sense of security and brotherhood to him and the nation. With their dissolution and the collapse of Blue Heaven and the Magadan Oblast, two economic allies, the Chancellery had only one ally left. Its oldest and most important economic ally, the Khaganate of Marscurian Siberia, was unlikely to dissolve or fall any time soon. Still, they were not interested in military relations, and the fact that they were vassals of the United Federation of the East had always bothered Maksim.

The Chancellery had been in a diplomatic drought as of late, and it was not for lack of effort. The UFE had sold some of their land but refused to enter into a treaty-based relationship. Vaule was largely unresponsive due to their internal issues and already solidified treaty base. The nation of Wargadde in Africa fell during negotiations of a treaty. These unfortunate events just heightened the nervousness Maksim already felt because of a lack of allies. He had tried to convince the Grand Chancellor of the State and the High Chancellor of Foreign Affairs to approach new diplomatic partners many times. They never seemed to do anything about it, and they always had a reason to avoid diplomacy. The most recent event taking up all their time was babbling on with the Vaulians about who got to keep the old Magadan Oblast.

Maksim felt that this unwillingness to fight the treaty isolation being felt by Cyrantia was just the most recent exemplification of the weakness of the two leading Chancellors. The nation he loved was in his mind a sitting duck, and the only men capable of fixing the situation instead chose to ignore it. Bazhenov had to do something about it, and soon. He knew he needed to simply usurp the two men, but his problem was how to go about it. A civil war or assassinations would surely harm the nation, and it would be much more preferable to lead a bloodless rebellion. He felt that if he could guarantee the support of the rest of the Cabinet and the military, his targets would simply give in, along with their followers. If he had any chance to orchestrate this peaceful revolution, it was now. Not one, but both of the men he hoped to remove were out-of-country with no support, and were in no position to take back the nation if Maksim succeeded. Now was the time for action, and Maksim made his first move. He called his colleague, friend and fellow cabinet member, High Chancellor of Defense Mikhail Zherdev.

"Mikhail, I need you to come down to my office, alone. We need to have a discussion about rather private matters."
"[i]This is a secure line, Maksim. I'm a busy man, can't we do this over the phone?[/i]"
"This needs to be in person. Get down here."
"[i]Fine.[/i]"

[Domingo the Honored]

Mikhail went up a floor in the building and walked down a hall to Maksim's office. He entered looking slightly annoyed. Zherdev was always one of those men with plenty of petty and meaningless tasks to do that he just had to get accomplished. He took a quick seat and began.

[i]"What is it, Maksim? I don't have time for..."[/i]
"I'm going to try and overthrow Aleksandrov and Garin, Mikhail. You are one of my oldest and most powerful friends. I need to know whether you're with me or against me."

Mikhail felt shocked. Maksim had long been a friend, and he knew him very well, but had always pegged him as something of a weakling. To hear him planning a rebellion was the last thing Mikhail had expected. Out of his shock, though, came a happiness. He had been planning to try and overthrow the government for ages, but had not had an opportunity. Zherdev was not an adored public figure, and he knew he could not gain the trust and support of the public, but Bazhenov was. He could be the answer to the one constant problem all Mikhail's plans had faced. He knew he had to agree to help.

"Mikhail, I need your answer now. Sides will form in this conflict and I must know your position."
"[i]Yes, Maksim. I will help you, but I fear I am not the only one who you will need to approach for assistance.[/i]"
"I agree, but it's wonderful you're along! Can you gather the troops, gain their support, and declare Aleksandrov and Garin in exile?"
"[i]That's just it, Maksim. I cannot. The military will not listen to me, they do not view me as their supreme leader. We will have to ask someone else.[/i]"
"If you are not their leader, then who?"
"[i]Who else? Our glorious General.[/i]"

The one and only General of the Cyrantian military may have been the only woman Zherdev ever feared or felt inferior to. Though he was technically the leader of the military, she was the one in practice. If a rebellion started and she called them to arms against the government, the troops would follow her. That was not something Mikhail could claim to do. He didn't like to deal with her and tried to avoid her presence unless absolutely necessary, but this special circumstance required it without question. Mikhail placed a call to her headquarters, summoning her to their presence immediately.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Fort Karin occupied a small outlook in a cove of the Sea of Okhotsk. Life was good here, the crisp cold Siberian weather kept people on their toes and with the aggressor nations of Eastern Siberia falling back into anarchy there wasn't much to worry about from a military perspective. For General Aleksandra Revnika this was cause for joy, Cyrantia had never been involved in a larger global conflict, aside from the possibility of intervening in France though she was upset Cyrantia had missed the chance. For as much as she loved peace it bothered her that the army that she had trained since being awarded a General's commission was left untried. There was not after all much of a military ladder in the new Siberian country and her post as General of the Cyrantian army was one that came under constant scrutiny from the other men around her. Aleksandra had been a colonel only a year ago, but when the problems in France arose and a more centralized command was required, soldiers flocked to her. She was charismatic, strong, and cheerful, but she was also untrained and lacked the ground experience people thought should be found in a good commander.

Walking down the empty white halls of the fort, the General could hear the sounds of drill masters yelling commands. Looking out the window towards the parade grounds, she smiled and twisted her black hair into a ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. Her bright green eyes, flickering in the bright Siberian sunlight as she continued on her walk through the fort.

"General Revnika?" Said a Cyrantian soldier as he walked up to her with a salute. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you have a call in your office from Minister Zherdev. He says it is very important."

"Oh? Well, of course, I'll be right there." She jogged down to her office with the soldier and closed the door behind her as she sat down and rocked back in the large leather chair. The Cyrantian flag hung behind her while her cluttered desk was filled to the point of collapsing with troop reports, picture frames of her family and friends, and small odds and ends that she amused herself with on the blizzarding days. "Minister Zherdev?" Aleksandra said, picking up the phone. "Sir? Is there a problem?"

[Domingo the Honored]

Mikhail smiled when General Revnika came to the telephone. She had a marvelous voice and had he not had such a massive inferiority complex, he almost certainly would've talked to her at any chance he got. It was those little moments Aleksandra gave that made Zherdev almost forget she was easily just as powerful in the nation as he was. He always did end up remembering, however, and the smile faded away as he got down to business.

"[i]Not just yet, General, but we fear there may be in the near future. It somewhat depends on what choices you make in the coming few minutes.[/i]"

Mikhail almost wanted to chuckle. He never quite got over just how diplomatically indifferent he sounded at nearly all times as a politician. It somewhat depended on her was another example of his too-often understated phrases. That was a lie, it almost completely depended on her. The choice she would make would either guarantee or deny them much of the Cyrantian military's support.

"[i]Aleksandra, there is going to be a little... reorganization of the Cyrantian government. This reorganization will be spearheaded by myself and the High Chancellor of Internal Affairs, Maksim Bazhenov, who I'm sure you're familiar with. With this adjustment, we hope to remove Sergei Aleksandrov and Dmitry Garin from the Cabinet. The Chancellors are currently out-of-country in the Serene Republic of Vaule, and we do not anticipate they will offer much resistance to our cause. However, we feel it may be prudent to ask you for your support in this matter.[/i]"

He did not explicitly mention that he also desired the support of the military along with hers personally, but he knew she would understand what he was asking perfectly. She had always been very intelligent and capable of seeing through diplomatic ambiguities and ruses. He wondered sometimes why she had decided to go into the military. She was unbelievably well-suited for politics. He even believed she'd be a fine Grand Chancellor of the State.

"[i]We ask for your decision, General, as there is no time to waste. Aleksandrov and Garin will not be away forever. We are acting now, and yours is a key part in this readjustment of positions.[/i]"

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Aleksandra felt her hands begin to melt and her heart begin to race as Zherdev spoke to her. Treason? They were speaking of treason and she was being called to act against her country and her government. No, there were better ways, she thought to herself as his voice droned over the phone. They lived in a democracy or at least a nation that had trappings of democracy, what had the current government done to warrant a coup?

"Zherdev? This is treason you are talking about is it not?" The General said, speaking in a whisper. "I have to ask, what warrants such heavy action? Couldn't this be done in the capital? Politically? Democratically? All of our neighbors have collapsed from internal strife and reorganization, would you really want to subject Cyrantia to the same problems?"

[Domingo the Honored]

There it was, the word both men had been anticipating but had not yet heard - treason. They did not feel treasonous to the nation, attempting to simply remove two of the seven highest men in Cyrantia. Still, the word being brought to light gave a new realization to them about what they were up to. And what they were attempting to do was coup the government, or at least part of it.

"[i]I suppose some may call it treason, General, but that is not the word we would use. Our actions are brought on by those of the two men we wish to see removed. They are underachieving weaklings, unable and unwilling to even attempt to face the problems Cyrantia encounters. When our allies collapse, they will not find new ones, though it is their responsibility. When there are internal issues, they defer them to the rest of us. In particular they look to Maksim, who not only had dealt with the constant interior problems but also diplomacy. He is the High Chancellor of Internal Affairs, yet he was relied on for foreign matters. Now that is being denied to him as we become more and more isolated on the world stage.[/i]"

Zherdev looked towards Bazhenov and nodded. At least part of what he said was the truth. Duties that should have belonged solely to their two targets were indeed given to Maksim, but always with reason. Part of the issue was the fact that he seemed very talented with Foreign Affairs, and the Grand Chancellor trusted him with those duties. Mikhail wasn't eager for the General to know that, of course, and he continued with his part-truth.

"[i]It is true there is an impeachment process, but it would never work. The guidelines of the process explain it is to be used when a gross abuse of power is present, not when gross negligence occurs. People are too entranced with the two men, though they don't give the slightest care about the nation, for a vote to ever get rid of them. There is no way to do this politically or with democratic process, but if we succeed in a peaceful and smooth transition as we hope, there will be no need to face any internal strife. So we ask you again, will you support us in our cause as we oust the greatest two enemies to the nation?[/i]"

Edited December 22, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"The two greatest enemies to the nation?"

Aleksandra spoke into the phone, but at the same time, ran over the words in her head. There were of course truths to what Zherdev was saying. Cyrantia had fallen into a stagnation since the greater Siberian collapse; the French expedition had failed and there was no real talk of political movement throughout the country, but did that call for a coup of the government? She ran her free hand across her raven hair and tried to focus her thoughts. Obviously Zherdev and whomever else was involved in this conspiracy had been planning it out for a long time and if she put her support behind it, the coup could very well be bloodless. However, Aleksandra had her doubts to what the ambitions were of these, dare she say it, traitors.

She felt trapped because Zherdev was waiting for a direct answer on the other line and whatever answer she gave, Aleksandra would be an enemy of a party within the Cyrantian state. It shouldn't be this hard, she thought to herself as the seconds rolled by. On one side, Zherdev and his followers were traitors, but they were high Chancellors within the government and that made them a force to be reckoned with, perhaps even to the point where Aleksandrov and Garin were the leaches who needed to be cast off.

"Minister Zherdev," Aleksandra spoke into the phone. "Sir, I'm afraid I just cannot give you an answer like that right now. I need time to think."

[Domingo the Honored]

Zherdev frowned, and Bazhenov knew the answer was not an immediate pledge of support. Mikhail had hoped he could initiate his actions immediately by bringing over General Revnika. Such a luxury had just been denied to him. This usurpation would not be as swift and easy as he had initially thought. Still, the answer had not been no, and he hoped that by giving her more time to consider his words she would come over. Of course, he did fear what she was capable of, had she decided against them and simply not said so.

"[i]Fine, General. Take time, gather your thoughts, and prepare. But be cautious, Aleksandra. I'd urge you to not act on this phone call in such a way that it would call for action against you. That would be a... shame.[/i]"

Mikhail hung up, feeling rather defeated. Their near-guarantee of victory had eluded them, and now it rested with the one woman he felt most uncomfortable around. This had certainly not played its first stages out like he had wanted.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Yes, I understand Minister."

She said hanging up the phone with a great sigh and ran her hands over her eyes. Zherdev would be waiting for an answer now and it was an answer she couldn't give, probably ever. Pushing out the chair, Aleksandra walked over towards her window and stared out at the sea. If the nation had a civil war, Cyrantia would collapse just as the other Siberian powers had in the past two years, so that she figured would be her primary objective, to keep the nation from collapse. Her second problem came from the fact that Zherdev had various good points, Aleksandrov and Garin had not been the leaders they promised themselves to be, but at the same time, they were in Vaule right now presumably working out an alliance. If the Chancellors were going to cause internal strife, that was fine, they could do it on their own terms and they could do it democratically and she could monitor to make sure that the people were protected and represented.

"Borya!" She called out as one of the staff sergeants ran into the room.

"General Revnika?"

"I'd like you to notify all commanders that the military will begin policing actions in the capital and all major cities to defend against possible insurgency and the collapse of the government and nation."

Borya ruffled his eyebrows in confusion. "General? What's wrong, are we under attack? From inside?"

"No, but we are going to prevent an attack from happening."

---

Later that night, Aleksandra posted a message to Zherdev's office with her final answer. After it was sent, she leaned back in her chair and took out her dog tags from underneath her shirt. "So this is what it feels like to throw muscle around." She sighed and shook her head. "I figured I'd be fighting foreign soldiers, not my own people."

[code]

Minister Zherdev,

I have thought nearly all day about our conversation earlier
and I believe that while you make strong points about
how the government is being run, I cannot allow a coup
to happen in this country. As such I have ordered the
military to begin policing actions throughout Cyrantia
and will call both Aleksandrov and Garin back to
the capital to stand for a vote of No-Confidence
from the people. We cannot and I will not risk
a civil war. I understand you are impatient
but the solidarity of the Cyrantian people must come
first. There will be an impeachment trial and an
election if the people desire it. But at this point
we must work together to do the will of the people.

Do not set yourself against me. I will protect this
nation at all costs, even if it means purging
Chancellors who can no longer to what is best for
the people.

-Aleksandra Revnika
[/code]

[Domingo the Honored]

Zherdev and Bazhenov had stayed together in Maksim's office nearly the entire day. They had discussed and planned, but more than anything, they had hoped. Late in the day they received a correspondence from the General via one of the secretaries. Mikhail took it, unsealed the message, and read it to himself. With each sentence he grew more and more displeased and worried.

"[i]Holy !@#$.[/i]"
"What is it, Mikhail? What does it say?"
"[i]Not only is she not helping us, she's working against us and putting up threats.[/i]"
"Let me read it."

Maksim took the letter and read it. He wasn't nearly as troubled as Zherdev was by it, and despite the open threat and declaration of nationwide martial law, it seemed fairly beneficial. She was attempting to do what they were trying in a different form, and if it achieved the same thing it didn't matter to him how it was done. It occurred to Bazhenov for the first time that he and Mikhail might be on separate agendas. He simply desired Aleksandrov and Garin gone, and replacements for them. It was clear that Zherdev wanted more than that, and didn't want to go on as High Chancellor of Defense.

"Mikhail, if we succeeded in our plans our way, then what would happen afterwards?"
"[i]What do you mean, Maksim?[/i]"
"I mean, how would we replace the Chancellors? What would occur?"
"[i]Well, I would take over as Grand Chancellor of the State, and you could... Well, you could do what you wished.[/i]"

And there it was, the full and honest truth, so obvious even a man as naive as Bazhenov could see it. Zherdev had been planning this coup for some time, but his opportunity had not presented itself until now. He didn't want Aleksandrov and Garin gone for the greater good, he wanted them out of the picture so power would be his for the taking. Whether or not he'd even be Grand Chancellor of the State was ambiguous. Maksim thought he wouldn't feel shocked if he simply declared himself Dictator for Life. Bazhenov didn't begin this affair to allow Mikhail to make himself ruler to the detriment of anyone in his way, and he wasn't going to let it happen. He still wanted the Chancellors impeached or removed, but it seemed to him that Zherdev was the greatest of evils here.

"Mikhail, it's time for you to leave. Our business has concluded for today."

Zherdev left fairly casually without saying anything. Maksim hoped he had taken no notice of his suspicions. If he could keep Mikhail as his partner, his chances of saving Cyrantia from him were all the better. He had to string him along for as long as he could, and he knew what he had to do. He went to the phone and called Aleksandra, hoping she'd receive him despite his involvement and the late hour.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Late in the night, probably around three in the morning Aleksandra tiredly opened her eyes listening to the phone ring on her night stand. She was surprised the first call came this late and anticipated most politicians to ask for her head the moment her order was enacted. Reaching over and feeling around for her phone, she flicked it open and put it to her ear. Hearing Zherdev's voice on the other end however, perked her attention as she sat up in bed.

"Minister, good evening, I assume you're calling about my recent movement?" She said and couldn't help but smirk as she spoke.

[Domingo the Honored]

Maksim had always known he sounded a bit like Mikhail, and this was no exception. From the tone in her voice and her choice of words she sounded as if she thought she was talking with him rather than Bazhenov. The first few times people got them confused over the phone he had shrugged it off, but a situation this dire really drew his attention to it. He never much thought he and Zherdev had similar voices, but supposed that was up to the listener rather than the speaker.

"Ms. Revnika, I fear you may have your ministers confused. This is Maksim Bazhenov, High Chancellor of Internal Affairs, not Mikhail Zherdev. Forgive me if you knew that already, but people do mistake us often enough for it to be mentioned. I am indeed calling regarding your actions, but I believe it's for a different reason than you think. It shames me to say, but I believe this plan of mine to coup Aleksandrov and Garin was a rash decision and a total mistake. I believe they are very weak leaders but democratic process and the will of the people must forever triumph. It was not necessary for me to attempt to overthrow them, I should have turned to the nation to make that decision."

Bazhenov sighed deeply aloud. He felt very shameful as it was and had already said so. Expressing it to this woman, who clearly cared just as much about the nation as he, would cause no harm.

"Perhaps had it just been I who made this mistake, it could be rectified with no incident. However, I have made the fatal error of involving Mikhail Zherdev, the High Chancellor of Defense, who I'm sure you've become quite acquainted with. General, I am sorrowful and repentant concerning my recent plans and actions, which you must understand were intended for the greater good of the nation. He is not, Madame General, not even slightly. Mikhail and I have been friends for a long time, and I know a lot about him. He is nothing short of brilliant, but he is also nearly evil, a possible sociopath. If he wants something, he will stop at nothing to get it."

Maksim felt like tearing up, talking in such a way about his old friend. It was necessary, though, and he regained his composure. If he was going to undo the terrible damage he'd instigated, it must be done.

"What I am getting at is that Zherdev wants to be the leader of the nation. That's all he wants, what he's been planning to try far longer than this rebellion I started. It's not for the greater good or for his love of the nation, it's a lust for power and a hatred of insignificance and inferiority. Madame, I will stop opposing you and trying to take down the government, but he will continue this revolution until he is dead, driven out, or victorious. He must be stopped. I beg your forgiveness and willingness to accept my help. Please, as a fellow high-ranking official and lover of this nation, let me rectify my errors."

It was then that Maksim began to cry. He wept for himself, about his many mistakes, for the nation, and how those mistakes would harm it. He cried for Mikhail, his great friend, whose fate was now in question, and even for Aleksandra, who was dealing with him. He could not stop himself for a solid minute, and finally regained some measure of calm. He knew she was still at the other end of the line and simply waited for her.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Aleksandra sat up and held the phone close to her ear as her raven hair fell off her shoulder and ran her left hand across her cheek. "Minister Bazhenov, Minister Bazhenov." She repeated trying to calm him down, hearing the sobs coming across the phone. "Sir, please, there's no need to cry. You understand that your action was wrong and you've come to terms with that. There's nothing to be sorry about, everyone questions their loyalty to the country once in awhile, this was just your turn." However for all her kind words, there was a much larger monster on the prowl now and one that could threaten to tear the nation apart unless Aleksandra reacted quickly, very quickly.

She jumped out of bed and grabbed her coat from out of the closet as the threw it over her shoulders. "Minister, I need to know two things and I need your trust with this. Are you willing to take this confession to a grand jury or a tribunal to convict Mikhail and do you have any other evidence that he was planning this revolt? And two, I need to know where he is, I'm going to try and end this before the revolution gets off the ground and then we can have our elections in peace without having to worry about the interference of the country exploding on itself." Aleksandra chuckled trying to make Bazhenov laugh, anything to put him in better spirits.

"But everything is going to be okay, Excellency. I just need to make sure this potential rebellion is crushed before it has a chance to spread and we can save our people's lives and their dignity."

[Domingo the Honored]

Maksim felt no better or more assured, but he thanked her sincerely for her kind words. It was an unfortunate rarity to find someone so forgiving and strong in times of weakness. He appreciated her presence in this terrible situation.

"I will help you in any legal matters to bring him to justice, and I trust you. I only ask that you allow me, to the best of your ability, to avoid penalty or punishment. I simply want to return and attend to my duties as if this had never happened, whenever this mess concludes. As for evidence, grab a copy of one of the older Cyrantian tribunes. Every citizen and paper in this nation speculated and believed that he was planning something. As for direct, physical evidence, you and I should search his office. It's where he keeps much of what he's been up to."

Bazhenov chuckled genuinely at her little hyperbolic joke. Laughter always made him calm down and he enjoyed that kind of humor.

"Where he is, I don't know. I suppose he may be in his office or somewhere else in the Chancellor's Building in Xavier, where I am. He also maintains at least two homes in the nation. One is in the center of Xavier, and the other is in the countryside very near where your station lies. I believe he'll be at one of those three places, but realistically he could be anywhere. He's wealthy, high-ranking, well-connected, and has a reason to be hiding or on the run. We can only hope he hasn't crossed one of the borders. All I can tell you is that wherever he may be I will aid you in finding and bringing him to justice. We will save this nation from him and his actions."

Edited December 23, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"All right, Maksim, what I want you to do is go down into his office and see if he's there. If he's not, go through his files and pull out what you can. I'm going to call a few of my junior commanders to surround his houses and the country and in the city. That way, if Zherdev is at one of those places, we can cut him off before any real damage occurs. That said Maksim, I'm going to drive up to the capital now. It should only take a few hours if the weather holds up and we can discuss how to incarcerate him. If Zherdev isn't at any of those locations though," Aleksandra sighed, "Then we're going to have to prepare for the worst and I will send a letter to the High Chancellor not to return to the country until it's safe. But I'm going to go, Maksim, stay safe and I'll be right there."

The General hung up the phone and threw on her military jacket, pants and boots. Her eyes were still watery from just waking up and without the morning shower she knew the drive to the capital would take forever, but there wasn't time and after sending out an order to her police divisions throughout the country to move against the Zherdev Compounds she jumped into her car. Aleksandra was armed with her pistol and her hair was messy under her Cyrantian beret as the darkened roads of the countryside ran forever in front of her. "I just hope I'm not too late." She said and slammed on the gas pedal and the darkness of the Cyrantian blew past her car.

Meanwhile, the first of Aleksandra's junior officers had gotten their orders from Fort Karin. Mikhail Zherdev was deemed a traitor to the state and a dangerous individual who should be captured with all haste and held until General Revinka could arrive to assess the situation. Whether they would find the Minister was up to the fact if Zherdev had gotten wind of Aleksandra's plans before the soldiers had been dispatched.

[Domingo the Honored]

Maksim listened to her end the conversation, acknowledging her instructions with an occasional "yes" or "okay". She hung up and so did he, with a lump in his throat. He had no reason to believe that Mikhail would flee the country, as he had no reason to think that his partner had turned on him. Still, Zherdev had always been so perceptive and intelligent it almost made Maksim fear him, even though they were friends. He had a terrible feeling that Mikhail had seen through his realization and had now left, but he had to check. Besides, he was going to go through his office for incriminating documents no matter what happened.

Bazhenov walked downstairs a floor to Mikhail's office. It was large and had a very open view of the city streets, and though Maksim's was quite similar, he had always wished their offices were switched. It was dark inside and Maksim flipped on the light, and walked to the only place that would have anything in it - the desk sitting centered before the window. There was a mess of papers sitting on top of it and the drawers were less than organized, and had Bazhenov not known his friend was a terribly disorganized man, he would have assumed he had taken his important documents and fled. To Maksim, it just looked like Mikhail's normal arrangement, and he began to go through it. He was deep in the pile when he heard Zherdev's voice, speaking more coldly than he had ever done in the presence of a dignitary. "Looking for something, Maksim?"

Bazhenov looked up and saw Mikhail sitting in a chair in a tucked away corner of the office. Though he had been partially concealed by some of the furniture when Maksim entered, Bazhenov felt quite stupid for failing to notice him before rummaging through his things and revealing his intentions. As intimidating as Mikhail was just by himself when he was displeased, he was not the scariest thing looking in Maksim's direction. It was instead the Makarov PM service pistol he held in his hand. Maksim began to plead and explain himself, but Mikhail gestured for him to quiet. "Maksim, I will not shoot you, so do not make yourself look any more foolish by reverting to pleas for your life. Here's what's going to happen - you will sit down in my chair and wait one hour. In that time I will leave this building and go where I am planning. If you do anything to compromise my safe exit, you can count on meeting several armed men who are [i]severely[/i] less merciful than me in the near future. Now go, take a seat, and wait it out."

Maksim did what he was told and sat down in the thankfully comfortable leather chair. Mikhail returned his pistol to his belt and walked out the door, looking calm and normal as ever. Bazhenov waited several moments and picked up the phone to place a call. He realized General Revnika had left Fort Karin and could not be reached, and cursed to himself softly. He didn't feel any better when he saw that it didn't matter, because the line of the phone had been cut. Maksim knew Mikhail did not make idle threats and would make good on his if he had to, and so he sat back. He felt very much like a youngster in time-out, but there really wasn't much to do but wait for General Revnika's arrival.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Domingo the Honored

[Sarah Tintagyl]

The tires screeched against the road as Aleksandra thundered down the empty roads of the Cyrantian countryside towards the capital and where Maksim was waiting for her, by this time her orders had been dispatched to other regional commanders to surround the Zherdev estates and to close the borders of the country. She hoped that even if Zherdev was at large somewhere within Cyrantia, he wouldn't be able to escape the country nor would he be able to create any large amount of instability while she monitored the emergency elections. Unfortunately it was an hour drive, even at lightning speed to the capital and then navigating through traffic, even with military lights flashing added other priceless minutes onto her time. Finally, when Aleksandra pulled up to the darkened council building, she pulled her pistol out from her holster and gripped it tightly with both hands. If Zherdev, he would have one chance to surrender and then it was shoot to kill.

Pushing open the doors, her footsteps echoed as she walked across the floor. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

There was no answer and the General continued her walk up towards Zherdev's office and upon opening the door, found Maksim sitting alone in the office. "Maksim? What are you doing here by yourself? What happened?"

[Domingo the Honored]

Maksim heard the General enter, short of the hour Mikhail had instructed him to wait by several minutes. He didn't say anything when she walked in to avoid startling her. Given the circumstances, he knew she'd be armed, and a rash shot would not be his friend from an accomplished gun-user. When she addressed him he looked up and smiled in embarrassment.

"Hello, Aleksandra. The story of my coming to be sitting here alone is nothing short of a complete mistake on my part. I made a serious error and as a result Mikhail got out of this building safe and with the knowledge of my betrayal of him. In a nutshell, I came in to look for documents. The lights were off and I'd assumed he'd already fled, so I just began rifling through his things. Turns out he was hiding in a corner with his pistol, presumably waiting for me, and he saw that I had turned on him. He told me to sit down and wait an hour so he could leave. He did nothing to keep me in here directly but he said if I tried to stop or interrupt his exit he'd have me killed."

Bazhenov gathered together a few sheets of paper he had gathered as well as the office phone. He laid it out on top of the desk, which he had cleared, for the General to see. Though he had been forced to remain in the room for the last hour, he hadn't refrained from doing what he was asked. Not much was left there to be found, but anything even remotely relevant he had scavenged.

"Mikhail had been suspicious of me and was ready for the search. He removed or destroyed most important documents, leaving only a few slight traces, which I have dug up here. He also was prepared for his fleeing. He had cut the cord of his phone prior to my arrival. In any case, most of the evidence that was present here is gone and he took care of the other points, as well. I'm afraid I'm a bit shaken up by the last hour or two, so I'll have to ask you how you care to proceed. Any ideas?"

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Ah, damn." The General cursed under her breath and holstered her pistol. "I was hoping that we'd be able to catch him here before he could make it out to the country. But he won't go far, I've ordered the borders be shut down and nothing will be taking off for a long time. He's trapped in Cyrantia, the only problem is that we have quite the expansive country, so a manhunt might take longer than either of us want. But we should get go, I have a few regiments coming into the capital as we speak and I'll do what I can to assume control of the country until this potential threat is destroyed and we can proper elections. Both of you have good points about governments, but not so much in the way things should be implement." Aleksandra said with a laugh.

"We have a country to restore."

[Domingo the Honored]

Maksim nodded at Aleksandra in agreement as she spoke, and was about to reply but was interrupted. A Cyrantian non-commissioned officer in fully military uniform entered and saluted the General. He also gave a small respectful nod in the High Chancellor's direction. He began a situational report to them both.

"General Revnika, the residences of Mikhail Zherdev have all been entered and searched. He was not found, and has left us no clues to his location. As far as we can gather he may be anywhere. Our men are beginning to conduct large-scale searches as we speak."

The soldier saluted once more and walked out of the room. Maksim frowned and thought to himself. He had been almost sure that with a closed-border policy Mikhail would have taken refuge in one of his homes. Still, he felt that he should've known Zherdev would've avoided going back to a place as obvious as his own house. But if he wasn't in one of his homes, he could only be one other place that Bazhenov knew of, and if not, then he could be anywhere at all. Maksim turned to the General, who also looked clearly displeased with the report.

"[i]Aleksandra, I have one more idea besides his homes. He used to own a small restaurant at the edge of Xavier when he was younger. The area isn't nearly as busy as this part of the city, and he closed it because of the lack of profitability. Last I knew he still owned the building, and I've heard rumors of people being seen entering and exiting even though it's been shut down for several years. I have a hunch he might be hiding out there, thinking I don't know about the place. It may just be trespassers or mistaken reports, but it's probably best we go see for ourselves. If he isn't there then I have no idea at all where he could be. Don't bring any of your troops. I'd prefer it if the citizens were kept as much in the dark about this as is possible. Seeing a unit of armed soldiers enter an old, closed building for no particular reason wouldn't be good.[/i]"

Maksim chuckled at the thought but regained his seriousness quickly. He gestured for Aleksandra to come along and they left the room together. The building was crawling with soldiers that seemed to be doing very little except for turning it inside out. Bazhenov and Revnika went down to the ground level and went outside. He walked her to a government escort car disguised as an average civilian vehicle. He took the driver's seat, and they drove off, beginning the fairly routine ride to the edge of the city.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Domingo the Honored