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As Amyante was dropped off from the Taeunian transports carrying her, her troops and her newfound Hansaic suppoorters to former Yamato, she resisted the urge to take a deep breath. The journey had been long, and it felt good to finally feel solid ground under her feet again, but she still had quite a bit to go if she were to establish herself as the ruler of this nation without it falling apart around her.

For a few seconds, she considered turning around for a small motivating speech, but decided against it. Speeches could wait, the people with her would likely be as tired as she was feeling, and the sooner she'd get them settled the better. Her second in command, Ulrica Rajani, walked up next to her.

"So, where to from here?"

- "Set up a camp for people to rest here, then scout the former capital ahead. This region is in anarchy after all, and i've been shot at too often this month already."

"Got it, ma'm."

Ulrica walked off again, already barking orders to the first couple of soldiers unfortunate enough to be standing closest to her. Within the span of a couple of minutes, the mercenaries were already underway in setting up tents to act as a temporary shelter, with smaller groups scouting the area for raiders. As she did, Amyante frowned as she thought of what she had said just now. Guess she was slipping more into the habit of being their commander, but she could only wonder what it would be like once she ran out of money to pay them. Tired as she was however, this thought slipped away from her before it managed to sink in, and she stiufled a yawn, trying to help the soldiers in setting up camp despite them being much, MUCH better at it.

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The next morning, a particularly well rested Amyante woke up in the.... her command tent. She had slept great, and even though the sleeping bag had been far from comfortable it was still a major improvement over a bunk on a lurching transport ship. After combing her hair, she walked outside, noticing Ulrica talking to a few men. Spotting her, the black haired woman made her way towards her.

"Mornin' Commander. Scouts are back with good news, though the national government fell, the local authorities have so far been able to keep things under control in their respective areas. Some riots here 'n there, but everything's still runnin'."

Stifling a yawn, Amyante replied shortly afterwards.

- "Well then, let's go and meet them, shall we?"

A short drive later, Amyante and a number of armed guards walked up the steps leading to the City Hall of the former Yamato capitol. In her hands she carried a letter from Sarah Tintagyl with the details, basically appointing her as the regent of the area in her name. Though she knew the declaration of independance would follow, they had decided it was better to postpone that part until the Yellow Turbans had been dealt with. The allied troops in the area were allied to the Hansaics after all, not her, and declaring independance now would take away their reason to be there.

A short time later, a broadcast was made on all channels:

- "Citizens of Yamato! I am Amyante Tojimaru, and i have been appointed by your government as the new leader of this country. Knowing you have been subject to a string of unfortunate events, i can understand if you have other things on your mind right now, so i will keep this short. Yes, there was a revolt in the Lu Empire, but the Hansa and their allies are holding the line with ease. You are in no danger, and i'd like you to remain calm in these troubled times as we start rebuilding this country to its former glory again. I am trusting you to keep going to your jobs, and keep the economy running like it always has while we will take care of setting up a governmental structure again. Each of us has a task in this, and all i ask of you is the time to carry out mine. With respect, and kind regards, Amyante Tojimaru... Regent of Yamato."

With a nod, the connection was closed, and Amyante took a deep breath. Improvised speeches were something she would need to get better at, it seemed, as she had been doing that a lot ever since ending up in charge of a 'nation' on Rathlin Island. Still, she hoped there was at least some acceptance of her as a leader, coming out of the blue like that. She really couldn't offer them any more than her best, but she was determined to do just that: Yamato had been quite the expansionistic country according to the documents she had read so far. With a look at a minister that, by the look of him, had hastily arrived ten minutes before she made her speech, she set about to do just that.

- "Sir, i'll be needing financial documents, the amount of money in the treasury, unemployment and inflation figures over the past couple of years... Anything you can get your hands on. And i'll be needing it now. Also, get me a phone and a pot of coffee, i have a few calls to make."

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It had been a few days since she had become the ruler of the country. Though there was quite a bit of unrest amongst the people, things in general were being run in an orderly manner. The fact that following an everyday habit was the easiest course of action for the majority of the population was something she had counted on, and the Yamatojins hadn't let her down in that regard.

More messages were being sent out, this time to the neighbouring countries. The large amount of troop movements would likely not have gone unnoticed, and given that the amount of guards at the borders had increased sharply she felt a small clarification would be in order. She had a basic overview of relations with the countries around them, and was close to making her next announcement public. Switching on the TV, she saw a news reporter start to speak.

"In other news, the former nation of Yamato, protectorate of the Hansaic Commonwealth, has redeclared it's independance today. Renaming itself Zargathia and being led by a monarchy, a transitional government has been formed with a number of ministers from the Yamato government. So far, we have not been able to get recent pictures, but there are suspicions that Queen Tojimaru might be the same one behind the shortlived independance of Rathlin Island as well. Reporters have so far been kept from entering the country, and the official stance on this is that 'the one thing the Yamatojins need most right now is some peace and quiet'. More news as this situation developes."

"As for the weather, mostly sunny wi--"

Amyante had turned the television off, taking a deep breath as she turned around at the other government officials that had started arriving in the past couple of days. It was time to move to Phase Two.

- "Right... Gentlemen, we are now officially a transitional goverment. Come with me, we have work to do."

Meanwhile, troop tyransports could be seen crossing the Hansaic border, the Royal Zargathian Emblem printed on the side. The border guards that stopped them were shown a set of papers, and after a brief phone call were being allowed to pass.

Edited by Amyante
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Several weeks passed, and the first of the damage reports started seeping in. In most cases, there were talks of riots and looters making off with whatever valuables they could get their hands on, sometimes aided by deserting Yamato soldiers, but that soon ended when her own troops arrived on the scene. Reading that a number of people had ended up getting shot made her feel slightly nauseous, but she forced herself to read on, telling herself that Ulrica was doing what was necessary.

She disliked violence herself, and as such had delegated the task of leading the army against the looters to someone with far less moral objections. It still made her feel uneasy, but she had to protect her citizens, those that didn't try to rob the country blind while it was still trying to get up. Troops were stationed in all major cities now, and smaller regiments had reached most of the towns and villages now. While it reminded her of one of those 'Peace through Superior Firepower' badges she had seen somewhere, she just had to tell herself it was all for the best.

She put the report aside, and picked up another from a dishearteningly high pile. Still, there was something good to be found in the size of the stack however, as every form meant another community was recognising her as the leader of a central government again. A lot would be needed to rebuild the nation, to repair what was broken, but she knew she'd get there. She had to. Sarah had given this area of the world to her, trusted her to do a good job being a leader, and it was a trust she would not betray. Another report followed. She read it, and took a relieved sigh as she informed the others of its contents.

- "The armed forces are reporting to have taken posession of all army bases in the country."

...And with it, the military equipment. She sighed in relief. She didn't want to think of what could have happened if some revolutionary group or another would get their hands on tanks and other military hardware...

Edited by Amyante
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  • 2 weeks later...

A few weeks later, Amyante had to admit that things were running more smoothly than she had imagined. Though she had honestly assumed a worst case scenario to break out, that still didn't downgrade the achievement in having the fall of the Yamato government be solved in a matter of a few days. Sure, there were a couple of growing pains in getting settled and into the habit, but reinforcing the borders had done a great job in removing the fear of invasion from the people's minds.

Economically the country was getting up as well, the recent trade agreement between Zargathia and the neighboring PRC being a prime example. After refinement, the oil would be distributed where needed, with 500 barrels being used to build up a national reserve, and another 500 to be divided between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Tenmu Heavy Industries, to support both companies while still retaining a healthy amount of competition between the two rivals. Schooling was getting a firm cut from her budget as well, she knew having highly educated graduates would get more companies to hire locals as opposed to bringing in their own specialists from abroad.

As for militarily, the results were written in the newspaper in front of her. She kept an open house policy to the press, promoting free speech through transparency, and though it admittedly had its downsides it would be serving its purpose in establishing a good working relation between the government and the press. Tossing the newspaper on her desk, the front page article was clear.

Mercenaries in Yamato

Over the past couple of weeks, an increasing amount of rumors emerged that the Gray Wolves, a mercenary band of some reputation, was on the move. Though it was believed that they would be heading to Khmer to participate in the war there, several sightings were made in Yamato itself, assisting the military in restoring order. When asked, Regent Tojimaru made the following official statement.

- "In response to your questions, i can confirm that the Gray Wolves are operating to restore law and order under the government. In return for amnesty and the possibility of renting army material, they have agreed to relocate their headquarters to Yamato, providing us with the troops necessary to protect this country. Rest assured however that we have worked together in the past, and have found them to be honorable. To the looters and common thieves i have only this to say: You cannot win, and you cannot hide. Surrender while you still can, or we will hunt you down and make you stand trial."

Present during the statement was a woman wearing the uniform of an army general, whom has been identified as Yelena Muromets, wanted in a number of countries (former Aotearoa among them) for committing 'mercenary acts', though this recent development would imply that they are now considered 'lawful combatants' to be given the same rights and privileges as any soldier in combat situations, though some questions regarding the application emerge should the Gray Wolves continue their mercenary work outside of Yamato.

Even though they lack the size and funds of Artemis, the access to Yamato's material would also enable the Gray Wolves to operate on a worldwide scale. Daiwa Central News will keep you informed as this situation develops.

Amyante looked at her advisors, and took a deep breath. After the cities and army bases the towns had all been given the green light, and travel was confirmed safe for 80% of the small villages as well, all of the remaining 20% remotely located deep inland. She gave herself a mental nod, and after receiving an update on the situation guessed it would only be a matter of days until all of the country, her country, was safe again.

- "Right... I think it's safe enough to open the borders again. Keep an eye out on who goes in or out and stop people randomly to check for smugglers, and keep the border patrols going strong. Also, put DEFCON down from 2 to 3, we've still got a long way to go, but we're getting there."

Edited by Amyante
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- "So, with everything that's happened, how are the people taking it?"

Amyante looked at the clerk whose name she forgot due to its unpronounceability -- again. She had started making notes, but it was hard for her to grasp the subtleties of pronunciation with her Proxian accent shining through on occasion. She was learning though, and with it came the realization that her staff was as happy about that fact as she was.

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Yamato people have started mass migrating back to Transamur and Greater Micronesia. The good news is that we're filling up with refugees from both the Lu Empire due to the Yellow Turban incident and the former NPR due to the nuclear issue in Beiijing. Also, several other groups of Hansaics that had not joined the Commonwealth have arrived to settle here as well, following the ones that came with you from Rathlin Island. Overall... I'd place a careful estimate that we'll be running even in the end."

- "I see. And what of the elections, are they going to run on time?"

"They will, your Highness. We expect no difficulties, but general Muromets has set up patrols at the voting booths just in case."

- "Very well, that will be all. If there are any further questions we can discuss them tomorrow."

The man bid her farewell, going as far as to bow before leaving. She wanted to stop him at first, then realized that bowing was a form of polite greeting in this part of the world and resisted the urge to slap herself. She had to be more tired than she thought. Stifling a yawn, she opened the hidden door between her office and her living quarters, preparing for a good night's sleep. She felt like she needed it...

Edited by Amyante
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In other news, Zargathia just announced they will continue the plans of former Yamato to redesign the army uniform. Due to some technicalities, modifications had to be made to the original design of it. Upon request, we have received a picture of what it is supposed to look like:

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Official statements name this the uniform for desert combat, with a green camo version for forests and a white camo for arctic battle conditions. Also, the new police uniform was made available to the public as well.

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Unfortunately, the official copies had all relevant info grayed out, and we were unable to determine just what kind of equipment our troops will be getting. When asked about the obvious similarities, this was explained as a step to bring the police forces and the army closer together, and that they would ultimately have access to the same material -- though limitations still apply. When asked about the details of the weapons, Queen Amyante replied with the following.

- "It's a gun. Everything else is classified... No, but seriously, we're still looking at suppliers at this point, and the actual set of equipment is still in a tentative state. We're still in negotiation, but we'll send you an update when it's finalized."

The government's claim is backed up by Queen Amyante leaving for several meetings abroad in the past couple of weeks. Whether a deal has been made thus far remains to be seen, but only time will tell. This is Hong Minh Chi from Daiwa Central News, signing off.

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  • 4 weeks later...
The elections have ended with a surprising victory for SK. Though initially starting out slow they managed to get into the lead around the second day, and strengthen their hold on the third. With them as the winners of the election, Queen Amyante has honored their request that her rule is now absolute, with no democratically elected government beside her. After hearing this news, the Queen gave a press conference in Harbin City Hall.

- "Yeah, i'm feeling... Flattered, mostly. With all respect to the SK, but i felt bad about stalling the elections for so long, and hadn't been counting on this result at all. Still, i would like to ask miss Siu, mr. Shen and mr. McFadden to be my personal political advisers in the time to come."

Effective immediately, Zargathia is now an Enlightened Absolute Monarchy. Upon her request, the constitution will remain in place, although it can still be overridden with Royal permission.

Voting charts

PARTY - CODE - VOTING %

Zargathian Liberals - ZL - 29,41%

Spirit of Kangxi - SK - 47,06%

Green Democrats - GDZ - 23,53%

*Note: Percentages are estimates, please allow an error margin of 2-3%.

Overall, an estimated 85% of the electorate has voted in the elections.

With the result of the elections in, and a number of Mutual Defense Pacts securing our nation to its neighbors, Zargathia seems poised to enter an age of unprecedented prosperity. The former Prime Minister, Ishima Ryu, had announced prior to the elections that he would not be up for reelection, and after formally transferring power to Queen Amyante has left the country to join the other Yamatojins in Transamur and Greater Micronesia. Fleet Admiral Seokma Haewon has laid down her duties for much the same reason, and both requests have been accepted. We hereby wish the Yamatojins well in their new home.

Commodore Sigrún Mäkinen has been promoted as miss Seokma's successor.

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  • 2 weeks later...

...And as the steady stream of treaties with foreign countries seems unending, the Zargathian Army has seen its first share of actual combat. As part of a Yuktobanian and Haruhiist task force to retake land captured by the terrorist group known as the Eagles of Dawn, General Muromets spearheaded a daring plan that took the enemy completely by surprise, fulfilling their objectives AND capturing the enemy commander with the least amount of casualties out of all parties involved. This incredible success has boosted the popularity of the Army to unprecedented levels, with new recruits almost doubling normal levels.

In addition, the theater has been an excellent opportunity to test an experimental model of tank, the RSC-26, which has been confirmed to enter mass production next month.

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The RSC-26 Light Tank

Though lacking the power to stand their ground against other (heavier) tanks in combat, the specifications released show that its main assets are speed and a surprisingly good amount of armor for its class, leading experts to believe that the RSC-26 will mostly see use in a supportive role for mechanized infantry, enhancing their stopping power.

In other news today, Zargathian officials announced the construction of a nuclear power plant to be built on Zargathian soil. Promised Land has agreed to oversee the construction and provide the necessary uranium, while the Queen has reiterated her initial statements that she herself would never order nor permit the development of nuclear weaponry within her borders.

Edited by Amyante
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  • 2 weeks later...

Zargathian Army restructuring

With the recent acquisition of Inner Mongolia after the fall of the Lu Empire, the government announced some organisational restructuring in the army, stating that the Army will be divided into several Divisions that will each have a specific uniform color assigned to them. These colors are as follows:

Green: Main land army.

Blue: Police and security, both MP and civilian.

Brown: Logistics and Administration.

Taupe: Rangers and reconnaissance. Special Forces.

Red: Air force.

White: Navy.

Black: High Command, basically restricted to Major or above regardless of Division.

Exceptions to these rules are made in the event that camos are needed. If so, rank insignia and badges will still be in the Divisions' respective colors.

In addition, Queen Tojimaru has issued a decree that all medical professions will be made a part of the army. Though there are some that feel the army is getting too much power, the following statement was given in response.

- "I have noticed these concerns of the people, and i can assure them there is nothing to be afraid of. Doctors and surgeons need to remain sound in body and mind at all times if they are to provide their patients with good health care. The more complicated operations for example often last several hours, during which the surgeons need to remain focused and accurate. These strongly overlap with the duties of a soldier, and i believe combining the two would benefit both. As with the police, this is mostly an organizational change, and doctors will not be forced to fight on the frontlines, but be put in positions where their expertise is not wasted."

The Medical Divisions currently enlisted in the army have reacted positively to this news, and has announced that they will travel across the country with their subdivision's mascot Linn to answer questions people might have and to spread information to their civilian colleagues on what will change for them.

Edited by Amyante
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  • 2 weeks later...

With the recent increase in demand for rail workers and the traditionally low success chance of rehabilitation of recidivist criminals, the government has recently made a decision where it hopes to kill two birds with one stone. Every day, convicts are marched out of their cells, chained together in eight man teams and transported to the work site. where they will continue construction on the railway system. It is hoped that with this interesting form of Russian Reversal (The Law breaks YOU!) stability and structure will be ingrained into the convicts upon their release into society. Though more traditional rehabilitation programs will continue to exist, this new method is to take a supplemental role for the more severe cases. We asked Queen Tojimaru for a reaction.

- "Well to be honest, people are supposed to not like being in Jail. Taxpayers are the ones paying for their three meals per day as well as the ones left with the damage of their crimes, so it would only make sense that they work off their debt to society in return. If they don't like it, they can file a complaint like anyone else... Outside of working hours, anyway."

This channel's reporter also went to someone currently in a rehabilitation project who was formerly in what is called 'Project R', mr. T. Jones.

"What do I think? Dunno 'bout th' others, but i sure as !@#$@#$ Hell ain't gonna go through that !@#$ again!"

In other news, some changes to the legal system were made. When tried guilty of several crimes, the sentence is now going to be cumulative. For example, murder has a minimum sentence of two years, therefore a person committing five murders will face at least ten years in jail. Parole requests cannot be made until at least the minimum sentence time has been fulfilled. With the new laws effective immediately concerning all trials currently not in progress, it seems the government is shifting more towards the Classical School of criminology, and intends this announcement as both a warning and a deterrent. We will, of course, keep you informed on further progress.

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Official reply from Zargathia:

"The actual sentences are generally higher, the minimum sentence is only used in cases where defendants have strong mitigating circumstances and are considered unlikely to kill again. However, in the end murder is still murder, and two years would be the minimum jail time in such cases. It is just what its name implies: a minimum sentence that can and will not be deviated from. That it makes the Zargathian justice system appear much softer than it actually is is a side effect that is regrettable, yet tolerable."

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  • 3 weeks later...

Announcements

A number of changes were recently announced. Though a number of them had been in the works since the initial formation of Zargathia, other priorities have since then stalled these projects. With a period of relative calm present in Asia, and the Inter-Asian Rail Network providing an unforeseen sense of security to the population, it has been deemed appropriate to finally reveal and process these changes to further define Zargathian identity.

I. Flag

The flag of Zargathia, though unofficially relatively well known, has never been made official. To remedy this, the following image is announced to be our National Flag:

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Also, a more elaborate version has been issued for ceremonial and politically themed events. In most other cases however, the standard version will be used.

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(OOC: Both flags property of The Organization of Imperial Nations. Permission for use was given via Greenland Republic.)

II. Crest

The Zargathian Royal Family has issued a small change to the family crest to show their new connection to the Asian continent. A winged serpent, symbolizing protection (wings) and wisdom (snake) as well as being a reference to the Guardian of the East in Feng Shui in itself.

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(OOC: credits left in pic, visible in full version)

III. Currency

The former currency of Zargathia, the Yen (¥), will start to phase out from official use and be replaced by the Zargathian pound (Ƶ). Exchange rates will be 70 ¥ to Ƶ 1,--, roughly equating to 0,836 Hanseatic Mark apiece.

-----

We will do everything within our power to ensure these transitions happen in an orderly manner, and to celebrate our nation's 2500th day of existence today will be declared a national holiday. We thank you for your time, and will now return to our regularly scheduled broadcasting.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Oil Phase-out Announced!

The government has officially released a statement that it will be adopting a phase-out of fossil fuels from the country. While some analysts had been expecting an announcement of this nature, environmentalist organizations are elated at the nationwide scope of this project, especially since no negotiations on this topic had been in progress. The Queen was present at a press conference, where she made the following statement.

- "Well, after the PRC closed down the Daqing refineries it was getting harder to get enough oil to keep the growing economy running, and at an affordable price as well. Given that the trains were doing fine, we decided to just go for it and solve the problem before our reliance would start becoming a problem. The military will continue to use fossil fuels in a limited form, but other than that we expect a nationwide phase-out to be completed several years from now."

In the plans that were released, new car engines will be developed that will run on electricity, and effectively use the same system currently in use on the Zargathian Railways on a much smaller scale. The result is cleaner, quieter and cheaper traffic that does not rely on fossil fuels. Additionally, the power plants running on fossil fuels are also to be closed down, as the network of solar plants from the UMS, the nuclear plant from Promised Land and Zargathia's own hydroelectric plants are expected to support the power demand two to three times over.

To start off this plan, current gas stations may have some or all of their pumps replaced by electrical versions at a 100% government subsidy over the next five years, though they are encouraged to keep at least some fossil fuel pumps to supply foreign visitors, should they visit the country.

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***Status report on the Power Plant***

All preliminary tests have proved more than satisfactory. The plany may be brought fully online whenever you wish.

***End report***

OOC: I figure we've waited long enough to say that it's complete. Use it whenever you wish. :)

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*** Message to Promised Land ***

"Excellent, right on schedule. The first of the payments will be transferred tomorrow, but we were wondering if the crews would be allowed to stay for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They helped build the plant after all, and it would be an injustice if they would not be able to see it get officially activated."

OOC: Translation - No thread, just two groups of engineers and scientists, an offscreen ceremony and a bigass barbecue to celebrate the opening.

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*** Message to Promised Land ***

"Excellent, right on schedule. The first of the payments will be transferred tomorrow, but we were wondering if the crews would be allowed to stay for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They helped build the plant after all, and it would be an injustice if they would not be able to see it get officially activated."

OOC: Translation - No thread, just two groups of engineers and scientists, an offscreen ceremony and a bigass barbecue to celebrate the opening.

***Message to Zargathia***

I'm sure they would be delighted. If they wish to stay for the opening celebration, they won't be stopped. I almost wish I had been on the crew myself...

~Administrator Richard Anderson

OOC: The 'payment' was actually a joke. It wasn't much, iirc.

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