Albanian State Announcements

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Today marked a very special day in our nation, when Crown Prince Zamir signed his name on the declaration of Albanian independence, officially separating the state from the Athenian Federation. While there are plans to hold a coronation ceremony within the month, His Royal Highness was quick to stress the importance of public elections to populate the people's assembly, as a matter of the utmost importance to the nation. To quote,

"Establishing strong, functioning government should be the primary goal of our people at this time. Any attempt to overextend before we have the correct systems in place will undoubtedly be more trouble than it is worth."

A national holiday was declared in commemoration, and the nation has virtually ground to a standstill, with only vital services continuing to operate. Surprisingly, there have been very few reports of injuries thus far.


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[i]Vlora, Southern Albania[/i]
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The independence of Albania presented many opportunities, not in the least to the perpetual criminal element. The organisation of state security units had been severely compromised, as native Albanians had to be brought in to fill roles vacated by Athenian staff, thus, nobody took any special notice when a small container ship tied up at the port. The cargo manifest was all in order, and there were not enough personnel on hand to conduct a thorough check on the cargo. So when, five hours later, a particular container rolled out the gate on the back of a truck, no one was any the wiser that it was the opening move in a drug war that would shake the new nation to the core.

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It had taken some time, but finally, Albania had a sitting Legislature. 140 duly elected representatives of the people, taking their places in the running of the nation. In general, it was weighted to the right of centre, but this was primarily due to the tough stance on crime that had become prevalent in the last few months, since heroin had become a major issue on city streets. It was at times like these the high proportion of Muslims in the nation was advantageous, as it gave the dealers a much smaller client base to target. That did not, however, stop them trying. Albania's slowly growing independent police force had already discovered organised crime links to some large corporations, including some disturbing data implying a connection to companies holding new military contracts for the Albanian Joint Defence Force. It was imperative that action be taken, before the situation spiralled out of control. The newly crowned King Zamir I, along with his appointed cabinet, issued a directive to facilitate police powers when dealing with the organised crime network. That any and all measures should be taken to apprehend or eliminate a suspect. Here, the law of unintended consequences came into play, although it would take an inquest in many months time to rightly determine how little oversight there was into the nations workings.

[i]Durras, Adriatic Coast[/i]
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Officer Elezi was having a quiet night, only one disturbance outside a nightclub, in which a drunk had to be hauled back to the station-house. Such a night was a blessing, and he was moving on autopilot, occupying his mind with thoughts of dousing the drunk with cold water before he clocked off in the morning. So it was purely by accident, then, when he rounded the next corner and interrupted two men in the middle of a deal. An old car had its boot popped, and Elezi could see it filled with something wrapped tightly in cellophane. A more wary officer would have backed off, maybe ignored them, or called for backup, but Elezi took another tack.

Without thinking, he approached the car. "Hey, you, what are you doing? Police." He identified himself as he approached, doing it by the book.

He barely had time to be surprised when they drew their weapons. All in all, more than 60 small calibre rounds struck his central mass. He was dead before he hit the ground. The gangsters left swiftly, the only signs of their passing being a cloud of noxious exhaust, skid-marks, and the brass cartridges peppering the street near the dead police officer. Elezi wouldn't be found until well into the next morning. None of the residents wanted to be tagged as the informer, else they would quickly end up like the officer, a hunk of meat on a cold stone slab down-town.

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The murders of several officers of the peace, and the growing level of violence in Albanian cities was enough to push the government into action. Whilst the parliament was slow to respond, once it began to roll, momentum alone would carry it to the inevitable conclusion.

The Draft Order

*classified*

All able adults between the ages of 18 and 36 were to report, on a roster based request, to their nearest Defence Force secure area for preliminary evaluation. From, there, the potential candidate would undergo a series of tests, ranging from basic medical, through psychological, to physical strength and endurance. Some would be dismissed on medical grounds, more still given the requirement of two years military service. This could be delayed for up to four years, or, through special dispensation, reneged altogether. A very small number would be offered the chance to join the elite of the Albanian Armed Forces, a paramilitary style organisation, operating by the code of guerilla warfare, performing those tasks that could not be conducted by the regular police, for lack of training, nor by the army, for want of excessive force. They would strike from the shadows, complete the jobs that needed to be done, before once again retreating to the hills, forests, and valleys, until called upon. The training for such a unit would take many months, and the logistical requirements would be immense, but it was an institution necessary for state security, especially with the sudden growth of organised crime, and the rising tensions in European politics. It paid to be prepared for the worst, no matter how slim the chance.