Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 [b]**Classified to Her Highness, from Fleet Admiral Ernst Nyjord, Brisbane Naval Headquarters**[/b] Your Majesty, I hope that this missive finds you in good health and I am pleased to report that the construction for the First and Second Hanseatic-Built Battle Fleets for the Royal Navy have been completed. The ships are as follows: 1st Battle Fleet (Australia) - Admiral Andrew Kent (Brisbane Headquartered) -Carrier: HMS Alice -Carrier: HMS Knave of Hearts -Submarine: HMS Anubis -Submarine: HMS Osiris -Destroyer: HMS Brisbane -Destroyer: HMS Apophis -Frigate: HMS Scylla -Frigate: HMS Slogra -Cruiser: HMS Nemesis -Battleship: HMS Sarah Tintagyl -Battleship: HMS Larsa Solidor 2nd Battle Fleet (Polynesia) - Admiral Elizabeth Daye (Arue Headquartered) -Carrier: HMS Mad Hatter -Carrier: HMS White Queen -Submarine: HMS Iris -Submarine: HMS Ra -Destroyer: HMS Helsinki -Frigate: HMS Talos -Frigate: HMS Zephyr -Cruiser: HMS Athena -Cruiser: HMS Demeter -Battleship: HMS Hannah Asgeirsson -Battleship: HMS David Atkinson Due to Your Majesty's building program, over the next three years, engineers anticipate to have the fleets expanded to cover a much larger area, including the possibilities of a fully overseas fleet, and a fleet stationed in New Guinea. I am waiting for the reports from Admiral Hunt for the entire total of the Royal Navy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitex Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 ***Private*** Dear Queen of Australia, The CAN has recieved a message from Cybil de Blanc, Cyneriice Northan's former queen, saying that she is currently in a mental institution in Australia due to her "experiencing disturbing thoughts and nightmarish spells" due to what the Eggman and Australian terrorists put her through. Is there anyway you can verify this? Thank you very much, John Shiznay (Former president of the now-defunct Troina) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 [quote] [i]Mr. Shiznay, While I do know that Cybil de Blanc is currently in Australia after the terror attack, neither myself or Australian authorities have been able to find her. However, I realize just how dire the situation in Northan is and I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that the Northanic Queen is located, found, and treated for any 'mental problems' she may be having by my personal physician. The concern of the Arctic Nations is endearing and Australia will try as quickly as possible to return the Queen to her homeland. Northan has always been considered an ally of Australia, we would be harming ourselves to allow anything to happen to the young Queen. Sincerely, HRH Hannah Asgeirsson[/i] [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitex Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 ***Private*** Thank you your Majesty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 (edited) [b]**Classified to Lord Adm. Dylan Hunt and Lord Adm. Ernst Nyjord**[/b] Gentlemen, While I have been dramatically impressed at just how quick the naval building program has taken hold in the Eastern Duchies as well as how quickly the Western Duchies have recovered from the recent economic recession to begin their naval programs anew, I must ask that further advances are taken to ensure Australian supremacy on the sea. The Cocos-Keeling Islands, also known as Nieu-Hansa is Australia's eastern most possession besides the penal colonies in Antarctica. Though the islands are small, there is the prospect that a small naval base could be created here. I realize that this is part of the Indian Ocean, however, in the coming plans to separate Oceania from Asian politics, I have every intention of including this Australian possession as part of that claim. The creation of this base will also allow Australia to take away the Kingdom of Cochin's role as the sole naval power in the Indian Ocean, God forbid that either Rebel Army or Novak wake up for a moment to say something other than stay out of Africa or reclaim protectorates. The construction of the Nieu-Hansa Forward Base should begin immediately and will be the priority of the Admiralty concerning the Western Duchies, unfortunately, I must continue to place as much funding as possible into Brisbane shipyards in hopes that the Royal Navy will reach its maximum strength by the end of this year by the middle of next year. Though I have been told those demands are near impossible. Nevertheless, I would like an estimate of how long our engineers believe it will take to finish the Nieu-Hansa construction. If you feel the time table is too long, use everything in your power to rush the engineers to create the base ahead of schedule, I would like to be able to station at least a small task force on the islands in a few months. ~Hannah --- [center][img]http://www.australianpolitics.com/images/auscrest.gif[/img][/center] [i][center]A Proclamation by order of Her Majesty Hannah I[/center][/i] My Subjects, With signs of unrest within the Queendom's borders finally seemingly quelled, I must make an apology to the people of the Western Duchies as well as the people of Tasmania. I believe that the recent economic success and the vast mishandling of wealth by this government and the hording of funds going into the Eastern Duchies in addition to what had already started as religious strife caused much of the recent unrest and this government is to blame. Along with the recent economic reforms that have been implemented across the country, I have also taken it upon myself to do as much as possible to cut the massive bureaucracy that has developed during which time this government was largely ineffective. My promise to you my subjects is such, that the bureaucratic monster that had taken control of the Crown will never occur again so long as I am seated upon this throne. However, concerning the economic reforms, I am pleased to report that the Western Duchies have begun to show signs of full economic recovery. At the moment, the Queendom is in full economic swing, large naval building programs and engineering projects are taking place in Brisbane and Polynesia, infrastructure repair and public works projects have revitalized the West, while Southern construction firms, experts in underground engineering have contributed greatly to the building of the civilian bunker systems, underground industrial networks, and beyond. My worry of the protection of the civilian population of this Queendom has been eased and the economic projects have brought prosperity to the nation as a whole. Due to the increased economic prosperity, it has given me the chance to look beyond the administration of this nation's economy and military and in the hopes of bringing social ease and a feeling of over all achievement to all persons of the Queendom, Parliament has been asked to pass a series of education reforms to centralize Australian education across the board. I realize after hearing reports from representatives across the country, that there is no national curriculum and while I do not believe it is right for a government to say what should and should not be learned and taught to our children, in this diverse society we live in, some reform must be made to bring Australian society closer together, instead of further apart. These reforms deal mainly with the Social Sciences and the Humanities and as such, the history curriculum should include the cultural histories of the Hanseatics, the Promised Landers and the Tasmanians, it is this government's belief that only by understanding each other and understanding the journeys that each people took on their travels to arrive in Australia. While I will leave it to local school boards to reflect where and at what time these subjects should be taught, a student should move onto the university level with knowledge of the three histories. The Second reform, will deal with language, Australia is home to a majority of English speakers that make up well over sixty-five percent of the population, the rest of the population, that being mainly Hanseatic, Southern Welsh immigrants and so forth speak Finnish and Welsh. As such, the reform will make it mandatory for students to be bilingual in Finnish and English and if the school allows, an elective in Welsh. These being the beginning of education and social reforms I hope that the country continues to come together and that the flames of the past are forever extinguished. Long Live Australia. --- The reforms that Hannah placed within the schools immediately had a positive reaction throughout the Eastern Duchies. Along with a deeper appreciate for the entire countries various histories and languages, students from both the intermediate level and the university level began to dig deeper into the classics, the classical literature that had formed the basis of the Greek and Roman studies. The Eastern students were quick to see just how much like antiquity modern Australian thought had become. The power of the state when the population became unruly as it had down during the Burning Riots, the philosophies of peace and tranquility that Tintagyl had inspired, as well as the Draconian laws that Hannah had put in place. While Australia was most definitely not the epitome of democratic thought, it was vastly ahead of the rest of the world in the cause of human rights, idealism, and humanitarianism. In Brisbane, throughout the theaters and conservatories, the great Greek Dramas were played out on stage, the latest fashions began to resemble the mixture between modern wear and antiquity, and professors and philosophers began to attribute the name, of the Greek Revival to the sweeping ideals through Australia...eventually reaching Lillia Palace as well... "Your Majesty, you really must hold still, I understand that this is a hard position to keep, but the painting won't turn out right otherwise." Hannah sighed and straightened up her back, standing tall again for the painter in front of her, and the fan that was blowing on her, in an attempt to make her look a bit more...heroic. "You said the word was 'heroic' right?" "Hannah for God sakes you're supposed to look like Athena here." Valeria ran her hands through her hair. "Yes, but the metal corset is a bit much don't you think." "Its a golden breastplate." "Your Majesty! Please! Please stop moving!" "Honestly though Your Highness." The Lillian Commander walked behind the painter. "It's a pretty good likeness of you, I think this will fit the times quite well." Hannah tried to stay still as best as possible, though it was quite hard with the iron shield and spear in her hands weighing her down. "Though I never realized the big push for Athena." "Well its not like we're worshiping gods, its just a likeness rendition and I happen to like Athena." Valeria chuckled. "You say that now, people love civic divinity, just give them time." "Your Highness." The painter dabbed the canvas one last time and turned the picture around, to reveal Hannah's portrait :[url="http://clicks.robertgenn.com/html/crahm18042003.jpg"]Αθηνά αναγεννημÎνη - Athena Reborn[/url]. "What do you think?" Hannah stared at the complexion and nodded. "Heroic." She turned back to Anthony and smiled. "And what does the Grand Duke think? Will Australia appreciate this portrait of the Queen?" Edited March 14, 2010 by Sarah Tintagyl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 15, 2010 Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 (edited) [b]***Classified***[/b] "Are you sure about this, Admiral?" The man glared at his aide. "Yes, Ensign, I am. And I understand the reasoning behind it. You have a problem with that?" "No sir..." The man went rigid. "Good man. Now, please convey these orders to Captain Chegwidden ASAP. Am I clear?" "Yes, SIR!" The captain in question would immediately deploy, along with her frigate, to assess the likely locations of such a base, and would be followed by such materials as building the base would require. [b]To the Queen (Still Classified)[/b] To the best of my knowledge, there are few to no previous facilities of such a nature in Nieu-Hansa, so on the one hand, we have nothing to work with, there are no facilities that have to be torn down or modified. On the whole I expect a fully-operational base of the caliber you request can be established within the time frame of a single year. Might I suggest, also, that should there be any aspects of the R&D you wish to keep secret even from those with high security clearance, this base double as cover for such things? I also assume you wish us, once the base is established, to add expand the SOSUS network around it? Such modifications to your plan might extened the deadline, but in the end could prove very much worth it. ~Admiral Dylan Hunt -------- "Finnish? Well, I suppose that's as good a secondary language as any," one student stated to her fellows. "Yeah...I always wanted to know what our Hanseatic bretheren were saying when they visit..." -------- Anthony, though he had taken pains to educate himself on such subjects as culture and mythology, was a little annoyed at the interference this made with his schedule. He couldn't exactly do his work properly when he was being bothered every five minutes. He looked up from something he was writing, studying the portrait in question. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes, I think it will be perfectly inspirational," he commented. Edited March 15, 2010 by Subtleknifewielder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Vortex Posted March 15, 2010 Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 The Tasmanian economy was booming.. with so much underground construction going on with their acute expertise being put to use the island was seeing the most prosperity it had since the days of the Dragon Empire. The people were quite pleased they had such a massive outlet for their creativity and the level of craftsmanship taken in the design of the bunkers for their fellow Australians almost proved lavish for the fees they were being paid. It was a natural thing for Tasmanians to want to show off their skills, and as usual, they did so in stride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 [b]**Classified to Marshal George Hammond**[/b] Marshal, The constant need of state defense is trying on all of us, in the past years we have installed working radar and SOSUS networks, the AIRS network, and countless civilian bunkers to prevent our cities from being taken from us, as in the past they have been subject too. Australia, in itself is nigh impossible to actually invade and even more so to occupy and subjugate, our people have lived with freedom of spirit for tens of hundreds of years however in case a war would eventually reach our shores we must continue to prepare. Therefore, I am asking for an immediate report on the status of our shore defenses and what can be done to improve them further as well as the status of Australia's preparedness for EMP-attacks. Something I have learned in watching the recent war in Nod, was their inability to defend against EMP attacks, we cannot have this problem. Therefore, if there is a lack of EMP-protection in the Queendom, I know that projects must begin in the Duchy of Brisbane and the Duchy of the Pacific Islands, they must begin immediately. I would like a timeline of how long before the projects will be completed and after that we may also ask for foreign aid to finish these projects faster than initially anticipated. ~Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margrave Posted March 15, 2010 Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 Luis paced fretfully about his room, waiting for the meeting he'd requested from his Queen. He'd become something of a shadow in the Queendom, working in obscure areas and doing work not usually passing within the view of the regular public. It had become tiring, the dirty work of the empire...and it had kept him from being where he needed to be. News of Sarah's retirement stung, and he had not the heart to visit her and insist upon renewing their friendship. Thankless work except from the same faces who had seen too much, same as he had...and yet, when he was so out of touch with the regular day to day of court, why try to shine for it in the first place. His eyes had lost their luster, and it even seemed his white hair had lost its sheen, an unspeakable tragedy compared to his dandified nature in much earlier times. Perhaps it was time for him to quit; his last legitimate authority as Keeper had left when he dismissed the Marchar Forces, and now he had become a secret-keeper and a monitor, poking his head in...well, that would change. He sighed, brushed his hands through his still long locks, and sat disconsolately in his easy chair to wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 "Sir de Luit?" The door to his office opened, as the soft face of the new Lillian Commander, Fleur Valois walked in and bowed. "Her Majesty is ready for you now in the throne room. If you would be so kind as to follow me." Fleur's presence alone was enough to show something, the times were changing and the generation of the past years were slowly fading away. Sarah had been replaced by her General, a Lillian Commander soon would sit in the seat of the Duchess of Brisbane, whilst a girl who had only been six years old when the Finns had left the Hansa in Europe was the new Commander of the Lillians. She did not know De Luit, she had heard of him, that he was the patriarch of the Lillians, but besides that, she knew little about the man and as they reached the doors of the throne room she smiled and bowed her head. "It is a pleasure to talk to you always Milord. Take care." With that, the Guards near the door opened into the throne room, as Fleur walked away, her rapier bouncing at her side. Luis was led in to the throne room, where Hannah sat on her throne looking down at him with crossed hands. Her white robes, Greek in nature flowing below her sandaled feet. "You asked for an audience Luis? What is this about?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 15, 2010 Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 (edited) [b]***Classified to the Queen***[/b] While the cost of such efforts will be enormous, you are correct--in the event of such an attack, the cost would prove higher than this would ever be. Fortunately, such defenses have already been built into facilities deemd most ctical in time of war--command HQ's and early warning systems such as our RADAR installations. However, little else, including our mechanized forces, have been graced with such protection. To fully phase out the old and re-impliment them along these lines would be a minimum of two years, much less than the time it would have taken had we waited for current projects to be completed. Our shore defenses are nearly as thorough as possible, though I would recommend moderately increasing AA and missile defense systems, as any potential invasion must have naval superiority to land, and to achieve that they must also have air superiority. Such improvements, in my estimation, should take no longer than a year at most. Captain Chegwidden of the HMS Cyclops (only recently re-commissioned after the recent economic recession) has located a prime site for the base in Nieu-Hansa. The time frame for each of these projects is not cumulative if the manpower and resources are allocated carefully. ~[i]Marshal George Hammond[/i] Edited March 15, 2010 by Subtleknifewielder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) [center][img]http://www.australianpolitics.com/images/auscrest.gif[/img][/center] [center][i]A Royal Broadcast from the steps of Lillia Palace, by order of Her Majesty Hannah I[/i][/center] [center][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwziS2aE6Ww&feature=related"]**Cue Royal Anthem**[/url][/center] My Subjects, Today I stand before you to deliver what may be the hardest speech that I have ever given in my life and perhaps the hardest I will ever give so long as I reign as your monarch. No, I have not come to offer a resignation, I have not come to say that the Queen is in danger of collapse, today, for the people of the Hansa, of Promised Land, and of Tasmania, albeit to a lesser degree, we witness the resignation and retirement of a leader who has reigned over all of our hearts in some way. Today, the Duchess of Brisbane, Her Grace, Sarah Tintagyl has announced her permanent retirement from the political world. While I realize that Lady Tintagyl only held power over the people of the Hanseatic Commonwealth, her policies, her leadership skills, her bravery, and her courage have effected each one of us in certain ways, I today am losing the greatest friend, a mother when I had none, that I have ever had in my life. But it is with great pleasure that I now step down from this screen and allow the Duchess to address the nation that she has loved all her life and that she undoubtedly will continue to love long into her future years. ---- [i]With bright and teary eyes Hannah turns and steps down from the podium to allow the Duchess to rise and stand.[/i] --- Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of Australia, For many of you, I can call you my children, that is how strong I believe our bonds have become since our journey. First, if I may, address the people of the Duchy of Brisbane, my constituency, my Hanseatic people, my sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. Our journey began long ago across the Asian and European continents, there we were nothing but refugees struggling to create something in this world that we call our home. At yet when darkness seemed to envelop us, what were we able to do? We were able to overcome the most impossible odds and here on the banks of the Pacific Ocean, on the River Brisbane, we created one of the greatest cultures that the world has ever seen. Our policies based in humanitarianism, freedom, liberty, and progress have overtaken the world. We have seen the rise of parties across Earth, calling themselves Tintagylists, Hanseatic, they fight for the same things we fought for, an end to hegemony and the birth of a world created in individualism and human rights. From this journey, we as a people created some of the greatest organizations the world can attest to. It was you my people who created the White Cross, expanding a nation that spun all of the Western Pacific rim, and even in our weakness we were naught defeated by any great empire and instead allowed the creation of liberal countries across Asia and the Pacific. However, my work has come to an end. I am no longer the woman that I was twenty years ago and it is time for another to take over the representation of you my people, Brisbane, however, while I have grown old and worn, there is no sign that this has happened to you my people. No what I see in front of me is the greatest testimony of free thought and diversity ever conceived on Earth. Today, a society exists where Finn, where Promised Lander, where Dragonite may join hands together in celebration of their diversity and they can through the gauntlet of humanism into the face of oppression that exists across the world. Australia, never give up the cause of human liberty, never allow any other country to demean your accomplishments, to persecute you for your beliefs. I do know not much about the philosophy that bears my name, but I do know this. That what made the Hansa strong will be the same thing that makes Australia eternal, through diversity we find strength, from those who are different from us, they hoist us up and give us our power. Let Purism always know that Australia stands as a bulwark to its oppression and that we are unrelenting in our beliefs. I know, Australia, that you will never disappoint me and I will love you eternally and therefore I have chosen as my successor someone who shares this love. The Commander, now Former Commander of the Lillian Guard, Valeria Sangral. ---- Valeria stands up from her own seat and takes her place next to Sarah. ---- "Valeria Sangral." The Duchess nods. "As chosen by both myself, the Duchess of Brisbane, and Her Royal Highness, Hannah the First, do you swear to solemnly protect the people of your Duchy at what ever the cost to your own life?" "I do." "Do you swear to honor the position of Duchess until you are either dead, incapable of leading, or resign your position to another?" "I do." "Do you swear to honor your loyalty to Her Highness, Hannah the First, Queen and Sovereign of the Australian People?" "I do." "Do you swear to promote peace, prosperity, and free thought throughout your Duchy and across Australia as is your duty to the Australian People?" "I do." "Then by the power vested in my by Her Majesty, the People of Brisbane, and the People of Australia. I, Sarah Tintagyl, renounce my position as Duchess and proclaim with this ruby ring, a symbol of the Hansa, Valeria Sangral as the one true Duchess of Brisbane." ---- As the crowd cheers, Sarah slips the ring onto the Lillian's finger as she then walks up to the podium bowing to the crowd and the cameras in front of her. ---- I realize good people of Australia and of my Duchy, that this speech may be under par, it is after all the first speech that I have ever given to a crowd larger than one thousand girl who I have spent my life with training and being trained as well. However, I realize something that many soldiers often do during their duties that there is a greater family that we serve, who we may not always see in front of us. That my friends, is you. All my life, I have dedicated myself to serving, first the people of the Hansa and now the citizens of Australia and Her Majesty. It was not easy taking this job, moving on from a life that I had gotten comfortable with. Moving to a place where I know the politicians of today are ready to pounce with razor claws. Though at the same time, I believe that the sounds of bullets in a trench are much more deafening than the sounds of angry voices across a carpeted hall, but I will get back to my girls on that later. No, I have a duty to all of you to defend you and I accept that duty with courage and bravery, just as I had accepted the post as Commander of the Lillian Guards. Together, I hope to realize the dreams and ambitions that Lady Tintagyl has left me with, a duty to humanism, to freedom, and to liberty and my hope is that, together, the Duchies can move away from the Burning Riots and from doing so, create an Australia that will never fall. Thank You. Edited March 16, 2010 by Sarah Tintagyl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 While the People of the West had never truly been ruled by the former Duchess, as Lady Protector of the Commonwealth she had touched their hearts in a way few outside their nation ever had. Her strength, chaarisma, and above, all, devotion to peace and humanitarian efforts had won them and their leaders to her cause time and time again. And so, it should have come as no surprise when a certain proposal was put forth--to establish an official holiday honoring the sweat, blood, and tears Sarah Tintagyl had put into the creation of her legacy. What was surprising, however, to those who had been present during the governmental meetings before the riots, was the person who put it forward...Daniel Jackson of Adalaide. ---- In Darwin, Wallace was watching the news replay the speech again for the benefit of those who had been unable to view it live. At the conclusion of Valeria Sangral's acceptance speech, he clicked the remote, killing the power to his television. He got up, as he usually did after watching the news, to feed his cat, but then he took a step toward the kitchen. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, with no memory of how he ended up there. He tried feebly to put his arms under himself to get off the floor, but he couldn't muster the strength. And then he noticed all feeling was rapidly fading from his body. Which was just as well, as he saw in the corner of his vision that his leg was stuck out at an odd angle... [i]'So this is what dieing feels like.'[/i] He managed a grim smile before his consciousness faded... ---- That same night... "Your Majesty, if Wallace believes he is fading health-wise, then I trust he is not lying. He does not joke about such matters. As for a replacement for him, might I suggest Theodore Jameson, the former head of the Diplomatic Corps? Such would, incidently, also make you even more popular with the Aborigines, considering his own ancestry..." Such was Anthony's reccomendation to the Queen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Vortex Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) With the assistance of the Queendom, the Emperor's Guard of Tasmania had quietly and secretly repaired much of its old equipment from the days of the Dragon Empire. The divisions began to rotate out on training exercises practicing unloading from their transport submarines near the beaches.. mounting training amphibious landings from offshore and underwater using their Sea-Tyrant MBT's and Water Dog landing vehicles. The Sea-Crawler division also re-activated and re-deployed the local Tasmanian defense grid in line with the Queendom's military command parameters. The armies of the Kingdom of Dreams, the Emperor's personal Guard was alive again. [img]http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/91296734.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921CC759DF4EBAC47D0FB8CD3CB9AB085F4A26121F124F3426FF41EB1D8FA6C9C6BE30A760B0D811297[/img] Edited March 17, 2010 by Maelstrom Vortex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margrave Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 [quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' date='15 March 2010 - 08:53 PM' timestamp='1268686734' post='2226541'] "Sir de Luit?" The door to his office opened, as the soft face of the new Lillian Commander, Fleur Valois walked in and bowed. "Her Majesty is ready for you now in the throne room. If you would be so kind as to follow me." Fleur's presence alone was enough to show something, the times were changing and the generation of the past years were slowly fading away. Sarah had been replaced by her General, a Lillian Commander soon would sit in the seat of the Duchess of Brisbane, whilst a girl who had only been six years old when the Finns had left the Hansa in Europe was the new Commander of the Lillians. She did not know De Luit, she had heard of him, that he was the patriarch of the Lillians, but besides that, she knew little about the man and as they reached the doors of the throne room she smiled and bowed her head. "It is a pleasure to talk to you always Milord. Take care." With that, the Guards near the door opened into the throne room, as Fleur walked away, her rapier bouncing at her side. Luis was led in to the throne room, where Hannah sat on her throne looking down at him with crossed hands. Her white robes, Greek in nature flowing below her sandaled feet. "You asked for an audience Luis? What is this about?" [/quote] *In Private Audience With the Queen* Where as the Queen was beauty personified, the once-dandified Luis appeared now in very simple, stark clothing; a white, collared button up shirt, a pair of semi-formal black slacks, with a simple black-and-silver belt, with black dress shoes. As his arms moved, his short-sleeves pulled up, revealing long, twisting scars, bullet wounds...the back of his hands had faint burn scars. His usually long hair had been cut, his facial hair gone. He looked young, like he always had, but more importantly, he did not look like a noble...save for the simple, unadorned silver circlet he wore, it's one design that of twin silver oak leaves that met in the center of his forehead. It was a rather dramatic change; indeed, it was the first time he had ever entered the Queen's presence unarmed, and some might have noticed that none of his military accoutriements or aides had accompanied him, not even the Marchar Guards of storied lore. He did not bow as he entered, but simply strode forth with quiet determination and stopped a few paces before the throne. "Hannah." He cleared his throat, dropping his dramatic speaking style for plain, simple language. "I am a citizen of this country. I have loved this country, I have loved its people, and I have loved its leaders. I bear the scars to prove it. I have had honors heaped on my head, been called a great warrior and a prince. I have stood when others slept and run against the guns when others ran away. All these things you know. "Hannah, I will state it right out; I tire. I have everything a man who loves power could ask for, and it is ashes in my mouth. In the darkness, I have no comfort, in the light, no one to share the sun with. Those that I have loved I have loved completely, given everything for them...and been denied. Again and again I have given, and always been denied. I sleep alone with the supposed majesty of my deeds and the "wonder" of my accomplishments. I have sought the aid of friends, loved ones, even goddesses, and all have dissapointed me. I come now with my request, and it is the only thing I desire over all titles and fame. I want Love, Hannah. I have done everything in the name of Love, and while my blood and tears fed the nation, while my love flowed always outward, I have never recieved any in return. I would turn from all the good things of life to have it; it is the last and only thing that can satisfy me. And so, without circumstance, without gaudy apparel or swords or guards, I come to you. If it is in your power, give this thing to me; for without it, I shall wither, and either die in misery or live in perpetual, glorious woe. My heart-sickness has taken all pleasure, all ambition, all hope from my heart, so that all that I still dream of doing falls a far second to this; finding the one my heart truly desires." He cleared his throat again. "I am still that prettified courtier and that soldier, that knight. Having striven for the stars, and failed to obtain them, I still have a big ego that isn't easily sated. A lesser bride would drive me mad, and so let me say that the one I seek would have to be my true equal, no lesser courtier or nameless knight. It is my pride that keeps me from settling for less, from accepting dim lights instead of burning stars, but I will not reject it. It is who I am. "So...if you will grant this request and aid me in this, then well and good. But if it cannot be done...then I, who have been through all of this, will leave, because I am wanted, not needed, and I would have no fear of the nation. I cannot bear these pains alone anymore, Hannah. I am surrounded by people, yet I am alone, because no one walks the path with me. It haunts me daily." He shook his head slightly. "I open up the entire center of my pain to you. The next words you choose, even the tone, will either be the first part of my healing or the knife that ends the life of duty I have lived.If I have ever hoped or trusted in you, it is now. This is my request." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 With the Revival in full swing as Luis entered into the throne room, Hannah with a chamberlain at her side, a bowl of fruit, grapes, pomegranates, and other citrus to her left, whilst she held a large cup of red wine. Her chest, torso, and legs covered in the white garments of a queen of antiquity, the beauty, wisdom, and back sass, of one as well. In truth, Hannah had never truly seen what Sarah saw in the Marchar knight and Sarah talked at length about Luis' accomplishments, that he had been the one that had given her the Commonwealth, that he had fueled her desire for Empire, and that he had been with her every step of the way to make sure that she stayed safe, healthy, strong. However, for Hannah and Luis, the two had met earlier in life, first in Valkurheim and then in China where Hannah had been equaled to him in military command, something she had never quite gotten over. But more so than that, their personalities were, drastically different. Hannah was loud, outspoken, direct, and for lack of a better term, a !@#$%*, more so than Sarah could ever have managed. Given those personality traits, she saw a a pattern to Luis and in all honesty, she despised when he came to visit her personally. One, it was many him giving her some sob story, maybe that the Marchar weren't being represented enough, but when she offered him the Dukedom of Polynesia, he turned it down, Chancellor, he turned it down, and now he had come to her begging her to find him a wife? Needless to say, the smile that crossed the Queen's face was anything but one of concern and the willingness to help. "Luis honestly." She said plucking a grape from out of the bowl and tossing it into her mouth. "You really have to start reading Shakespeare, I swear every time you come in here I feel like I should have my own soliloquy prepared for you." Resting her hand on her face, she tapped her cheek and looked at him with that same grin. "So what you're telling me, is that everything that I have ever offered you in the past, in the history of this Queendom, is not good enough for you and instead of playing ruler, you want me to play matchmaker." Hannah chuckled taking a sip of wine. "Because I know all too well, that this 'love' you're talking about is not love of a country, which may I add you already have, but I guess just letting love come naturally isn't good enough for the famed Marchar Knight. She stood up and walked down from the throne, the trail of her garments and her cape flowing behind her. "And not only are you asking me to find you a bride, but because of your ego, you need a bride of your liking, of your choosing and God only knows how many people in this Queendom are not eligible for your love." She smiled again. "I know who your heart is still set on and I would get those thoughts out of your head. Not every woman is some goddess waiting to be found and some crystal spring, we don't live in Wagner's Operas or Greek and Roman legends, the girl that you probably want is sleeping in in her bed right now barely able to get up when her alarm goes off. Honestly, the way you talk you want some angel, not a girl. Also." She had begun to circle around him. "Your ultimatum humors me, so unless I find you a bride, you are going to leave the country, and why should that be on the shoulders of a ruler? I don't believe anywhere in the law codes I am responsible for a man's marriage. So I'm telling you outright, you walk alone because you chose to walk alone. Because life didn't turn out just the way you wanted you sit in the dark and that has always perturbed me." Finally standing in front of him, Hannah's piercing green eyes met his own. "So according to your own words, I probably stabbed you with the proverbial knife so much right there that you might die in front of me. Nevertheless, given that Valeria's appointment to Duchess of Brisbane is considerably new and the Hanseatic aristocracy needs to have something to entertain themselves daily. I'm sure she will hold a ball in a few days. I plan on attending, with His Highness and the Grand Duke and you are coming along, whether you want to or not. You can find your bride there, though I should tell you, most women do not like to be labeled as a bride right after meeting, this isn't the middle ages, arranged marriages are dead." Walking back up to her throne Hannah sat and pulled a pomegranate from the bowl. "I am not going to find you a wife, you can do that on your own and so if that wasn't the answer you wanted to hear then the door is behind you. I'm not a sorceress, I can't make girls appear out of thin air. Though, I will be watching this little escapade of your with a great deal of interest." She chuckled. "Almost as much as I enjoyed kicking your $@! in dice in China. But like you said, you wanted my voice as you go and you most definitely are going to get it now." She took a deep bite of the fruit, the red juice running down her lips. "Is that all Sir de Luit?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margrave Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) OOC: Bad writing, BAAAAAD writing, and not something I'm willing to see entered into the continuity. This much hate and discontent is simply not what I want to write, and I won't see things go this awry. I'll consider a different response, but for the moment....this is revoked. Subtle, you should edit to reflect. I might cank this whole request thing and just start over, I don't know. Edited March 17, 2010 by Margrave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 He could see where this was going, and it would not due to let things continue on this course. The Grand Duke, Anthony Harlem, stepped forward from the side, where he had remained all but unnoticed. Hopefully his interjection to Luis would give Hannah enough time to calm herself, at least from any physical violence she might inflict. "While the Queen may be harsh in her words, she speaks nothing less than the logical truth," he stated bluntly. "You come in and, not ask, no less, but [i]demand[/i], that she provide a wife of noble blood for your years of service. I say now," he continued with narrowed eyes, "no one [i]forced[/i] you to serve the state...you did so willingly, of your own free will, knowing full well the consequences of your every action." "You also yourself admit the reason you have yet to find someone to share your life with is because of your pride, your ego. I myself have learned life's harsh lesson concerning that--if one does not set aside their overbearing pride, their absolute [i]vanity[/i]," he deliberately emphasized that word, spitting it out as one would a curse, "they will forever find themselves alone, in a [i]world of their own making[/i]." He had set out to to simply buy the Queen time, but now he himself was glaring at Sarah's old bodyguard. "Consider this...which do you value more, your pride--or sharing your life with someone who is willing to do so? It is clear you cannot have both." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 [center][img]http://www.australianpolitics.com/images/auscrest.gif[/img][/center] [i][center]A Proclamation by order of Her Majesty Hannah I[/center][/i] My Subjects, Days ago, the venerable Duke of Darwin, Benjamin Wallace was proclaimed dead from heart failure whilst in his residence, his loyalty and dedication to the people of Promised Land as well as his time spent forth in serving the Crown will be forever missed by myself. As such a statue in his honor, serving the people of Darwin will be erected at Darwin Park. I am ashamed to say that I never got to know His Grace was well as I would have liked, however in realizing that this government must not be allowed to suffer from the inactivity that had gripped it in the past, a new Duke has already been appointed by the Crown. Theodore Jameson, a member of the diplomatic corps, a loyal servant of this Queendom, and one of the most intelligent men I have been graced to me, will take the reigns as the new Duke of Darwin as of today. He will be sworn in at Lillia Palace and given the Ducal Ring so that there will be no possible way to disturb the movement of our government. In the talk of lighter and more jovial subjects. My people, Australia's history in the world from ancient times to the present day has been one of progression and advancement and never more do I see this now than at the present time. All around the world, I can see the collapse of humanitarian thought, the denial of liberal rights, powerful hegemons keeping weak nations under their thumbs, barely allowing such nations to breathe let alone function as a working part of the world. Yet, we strive here in the Queendom as best as possible to live up to the philosophies and ideologies that had blessed our lands before the unification. When I still served as a military officer in the Hanseatic military, I can still recall the goals of the Lady Protector, of what was supposed to come from Brisbane and the Hansa once we have arrived in Australia. We were to create the cultural center of the Pacific, the cultural center of the world and I believe without a doubt in the world that we have succeeded. However, what use is it, if only one single city of our great land is able to boast such an accomplishment and it is an accomplishment that has since faded. My subjects, what does it take for a nation to become great? A massive military, breakthrough studies of a technological nature. I believe it is something that can only be judged by the people that live in the nation and that they remember from the nation. Something that makes them envied throughout the world and while foreigners may not admit it, we know our strengths and weaknesses. The Crown has spend billions of dollars in arranging the continual defense of our people, however this government, this Crown, is responsible for so much more than just the defense of the Australia people. It is our prerogative to foster and develop the minds of our people, through education, through the arts, and through spiritual enlightenment. Therefore, I am proud to announce and I realize that this will come as a shock to most in the government, but I will be donating one hundred million dollars from my personal treasury to a new development project that I am pleased to announce, will never end. Lady Tintagyl wished to create the cultural center of the Pacific in Brisbane and I say, we can do so much more than that. We are one of the most diverse countries on Earth and our culture is something to take pride in, together we can separate Australia, cities as Darwin, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth, and Adelaide, beyond the comparisons of the past. We will not be compared to Paris, or London, or Athens, we will be the new Athens, the new Paris, the rise of a new cultural center that will spread across all of Oceania in time. The land is set aside and the Australian Cultural Development Program, will be the jewel of this Queendom. The construction of libraries, schools, universities, theaters, music halls, conservatories, sports arenas, churches, temples, and other places of worship across the country. With this construction, I can only hope that our minds are fostered and this Revival of a culture that took such pride in their education, in their philosophic studies will be used to instill our own growth of wisdom. Together, we as a people can make the eternal journey to understanding and enlightenment. Long Live Australia. --- And almost immediately, the construction began. Hannah's first donation from her personal funds caused a surge of donations of wealthy entrepreneurs in the Eastern Duchies to launch the projects and with vast sums of money coming in, as well as the upkeep plan once the buildings and complexes had been completed. However, Royal construction did not only occur in the Duchy of Brisbane, New Guinea or on the Polynesian Islands, but everywhere. The plan was to have a large university in every city in the Queendom, music halls and conservatories, as well as theaters, to create a new class of artists, thinkers, and scientists. Even in Hobart, many of the Hanseatic citizens living on the surface of the island, began to rebuild the small city on the surface. So the country, from Perth to Arue, had gone through the pangs of a rebirth through the Burning Riots and now it was time to make Australia the beautiful and thriving nation that she was destined to become. The vibrancy of life returned to the cities as new bustling cultural centers were planned and built. Hannah could only hope that the sun that had graced Sarah's empire, bringing it to life, would to the same to her cities and towns. Needless to say, Athens would be proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 The loss of yet another member to the council of Duchies, this one to death, delivered a shock to the collective systems of the nation. Not only that, but several members of the Council itself was shaken at the clear reminder of their own mortality. It was thanks to the quick thinking of the Grand Duke and the Queen that the shock was not any worse. The deceased, had he been aware of the happenings after his death, would have privately felt honored at the statue being commissioned in honor of himself. Jameson himself was still recoviring from shock as he was ushered to the palace and informed of his appointment--and though the public ceremony swearing him in would take place later that day, he was already officially a member of the council as per the Queen's announcement. ---- Hannah's anticipation of the reaction her personal donation to the new project was proved to be fairly accurate, as something akin to a collective gasp was issued from parliament and the Council. Some of the wealthier members, among them Davies, and Anthony himself, were prompted to follow her example and put forth funds to contribute to this endeavor. It was also discovered, in Wallace's personal papers, that he had willed three-quarters of his personal assets to the state, leaving just enough for his daughter and any progeny she might have to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. The Australian Cultural Development Program was looked upon with quite a variety of opinions. Some, predictably enough, said it was overly ostentatious or egotistical. A few were undecided, or unsure what to think. Some pointed out, logically enough, that one can take pride in their culture and origins without being too overbearing--that tastefulness didn't necessarily exclude functionality. This last group, from the long co-mingling of the cultures between themselves and the Hanseatics, was rapidly increasing in strength and voice, especially those caught up int he fervor of the Queen's speech. As such, construction may have started off more slowly in the West, but it quickly gathered momentum equal to that of the East. As a natural consequence, and combined with the major spending on the military projects, this injected a huge boost into the economy--consumer spending began to grow by leaps and bounds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 [i]Lillia Palace 2:00 A.M[/i] The Queen's personal chambers was a large portion of Lillia Palace that the entire East Wing had been dedicated to, opposite of the political offices in the West Wing. Here, Hannah was able to unwind from the pressures of the day with her husband and her children, it was rare to be bothered by politicians unless it was of an extreme urgency and it seemed that finally she had found a sliver of peace and quiet in her day, even if it was two in the morning, to reflect upon more personal issues. That being the future of her religious nature. Since she had returned from Athens, her affinity to the goddess Athena had only gained in strength and over the days, far in the back of the east wing, through one of the galleries, and then beyond a door that let to a small drawing room and then beyond that a bare room, or what had been a bare room, stood where Hannah secretly journeyed every night for her prayer to the goddess. Walking from her bedroom where David was quietly snoring, she moved down the dark halls of the palace with a mystic majesty. A flowing white robe the only thing covering her body, while her white hair hung far down her body, her hands clasped in reverence. It was a ritual she did every night, she would walk from her room down to her gardens, from her she would collect an urn of water from the fountain, walk back up into the palace and to the room that she had created to enshrine the goddess in. However the mysticism aside, while it might seem weird or odd if anyone happened to see her on the path, Hannah herself had a perfect explanation for her change in religion. All her life, she had been totting the line of Christianity and she had been lost. People around her had seen miracles of life, but were those the doings of the Christian God? Or were they just the miracles of life itself? Her parents had been deeply religious, but she never found a strong affinity to Christianity, it was there and she had been brought up in it, whilst most of the doctrine she didn't believe in, or found much too strict. There were sermons that made it appear true, but what was true and what wasn't true, all in all, it wasn't something that she concerned herself with and religion for her, seemed to just fall away. However, what had begun happening, almost as a strange occurrence was a pull of affinity to Athena that she had never even considered before. It had started as a light passing, that a Goddess of Wisdom made sense for her, she represented her ideals, of wisdom, of bravery, of civilization. But slowly as time went on, she had begun to change, she began to look to Athena for wisdom, for guidance, for strength, and she began to feel closer to the Goddess than she had ever done to her traditions that she had been accustomed to as she grew up. This was her path now. Entering into the room, she lit the candles that surrounded the statue of the deity and then in a small bowl of water at the statue's feet poured the water from the spring, whilst she opened the windows of the shrine letting in the fresh night air. "Athena." She bowed her head as she knelt on the ground. Her hair cascading over her face. "You continue to lead me as you have always done. I live as your eternal servant to inspire your wisdom to my people, to inspire your bravery to my soldiers, and to bring the love of civilization across the seas and deserts of the world. This is my sacrifice to you, I come not with blood or gifts, but the gift that I am living mind, body, and soul according to your ideals. That I will always strive for wisdom and understanding in this world and that is my sacrifice that I offer to you, Goddess of Wisdom. I ask that you continue to lead me down that path that you have set aside for me, that you have given me so that I may come to honor you Athena." She let her hand soak in the water and then ran it down the Goddess' face and then her own. "With your wisdom, with your bravery, with your strength, I can live up to the ideas that you have lived by for all eternity and beyond. Hold me in your Graces Athena, hold me so that I may grow. Hold me so that I may live." This she prayed. Long into the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitex Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote] ***Private to the Queen of Australia or the next in command*** [i]To Whom It May Concern[/i] I would like to humbly inquire if I may retire in your nation's great lands. Sincerely, Rusa MacNell (Former SecDef of the now-defunct Troina [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Such a letter was not passed on to the Queen or anyone in higher level government, but instead was filled directly to the Immigration Ministry of the Queendom. [quote] [i]Mr. MacNell, Your letter to Her Majesty was received and you need only to arrive at one of the immigration bureaus in any of the Duchy capitals, to proceed in filling out an application process for citizen and subjectship. Hans Vitoronen, Supervisor, Australian Immigration Department[/i] [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitex Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote] Thank you. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtleknifewielder Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 [b]***Classified to the Queen***[/b] Not much to report at the present time. Everything is proceeding on schedule--EMP protection is now built into a quarter of our structures, and we have truly begun phasing out, full scale, unprotected vehicles in favor of those with said protection. The improvements to shore defenses are actually a bit ahead of schedule...the extra missile and AA defenses are nearly half-done. And the base you asked us to build...the foundations and underground levels are complete, though masked by work above-ground which is only now beginning in earnest. ***Marshal George Hammond*** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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