Desperate times

[Greywall]

Aniyah Monsondo knew the risks, the dead heat of a Touli spring wrapped her along with the anxiety of having just crossed the Frannerre border illegally. It was admittingly, something the Tafatu had been doing for a couple decades to leave the Union and migrate into the Frannerre Kingdom. This time she wasn't coming here to escape, she was done running, the time had come to take her people's home back from the corrupted Union that lied and deceived their homeland into joining. Joining and never allowed to leave, as mining companies stripped rich resources from her home to feed a crooked economy in the South. She had sent a letter into the Frannerre government that she would be at a train station in this town she was in, Mount-de-Chien, it was a haven for the Tafatu where the last few decades they fled into Southern Frannerre. 

She went to the spot where she described she would be and wait. She needed this deal to go through, if the Frannerre couldn't help them, getting aid would be difficult. 

[callmedelta]

Field Specialist Vincino Celli of the Franerri Royal Gendarmerie, or for the purposes of this mission, 'Alec,' was waiting at the train station. The train's whistle blew, signaling five minutes before it set out for its ultimate destination of Le Sambert, and more importantly the nearby Fort Marsone. No one else on the platform knew that tonight this train would hold what likely be the most important passenger it ever will. Alec took one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it on the floor, crushing it under his well-shined shoes. He spied Aniyah waiting by the pillar she was instructed to, hefting the bag off the ground and walking towards the woman, tucking his conductor's hat as far as it would go over his face. "Miss?" Alec asked, lifting up the bag in front of her, "Is this your bag?" It had a patch with the flag of the UST sown on it, the designated signal that he was her contact.

[Greywall]

She nodded at Alec, "No doubt about it." After some time passed, she would scan the train platform before proceeding, "I am glad someone was sent here, I was worried no one would come."

[callmedelta]

"Don't worry ma'am," Alec said, "When we were informed you lost your luggage, we knew we should respond as soon as possible. But the train is about to leave, and I think any further conversation should wait for the privacy of your cabin. Follow me." Alec knew that there was little to no risk of any information slipping out at the train station, but that was no reason to be careless. He walked a brisk pace, both due to the train leaving and the wish to continue the conversation. His ultimate destination was the first-class car on the train, which would be completely private and staffed by only two other junior agents who would mainly be acting as lookouts so no wandering ears could hear anything they shouldn't. The pair walked past 'Pierre' as they entered the first-class car, right after which the train began to pull out of the station. "Those two-" Vinicno pointed to 'Pierre' and 'Claire,' who stood at the other end of the car, "Are with me. now we can talk."

[Greywall]

Aniyah was still on edge, as she stepped onto the train she kept her head on a swivel taking everything in. After Alec cleared, they were safe she began, "I am Aniyah Monsondo, I'm a leader of the Tafatu separatist movement just South of the Kingdom. The Union of South Touli is violently suppressing our desires to independent. I've come seeking Frannerre aid."

[callmedelta]

Vincino raised his eyebrows a little bit, and he saw Claire at the other end due so a bit as well. He knew that Aniyah was an important figure in the Tafatu independence movement, but he didn't know she was the leader. That...may not fly over well with some of the people at Marsone, but he knew pragmatism was likely to win in the end. Vincino reached into the dropped bag with the UST patch and retrieved a pen and paper. "If you haven't done anything of the sort, I'd recommend getting a presentation laid out for when we get to Fort Marson. There, you'll be stating your case for why we should help you. The King himself may be in attendance, he may not, I'm not sure. Write down everything you can think of; our reports from the Union have been sparse and contradictory in some places, so we need all of the information we can get. You'll have-" Vincino checked his pocket watch "-two and a half hours before we get to Le Sambert. If you need anything, feel free to ask."

[Greywall]

Aniyah was a bit still overwhelmed if not annoyed, she was a farmer before all of this, her life was just sweating and being burned under the Touli sun making meager pay. Now she was on a train, not the first one, but she could count her train trips on a single hand and on Ouhiri that was rather impressive. "I'm not sure...what you're saying, a presentation? I'm not sure I know how to...do that. I just need Frannerre to help us." She would try to do as advised but given her limited education it would be whatever she could make.

[callmedelta]

Vincino sighed. He'd expected a well-educated leader with solid ideas for a new Tafatu state, or a charismatic firebrand. So far, this Aniyah appeared to be neither. It was a blessing and a curse, though now it was certainly more on the curse side of that spectrum. "Write down all of the reasons Franerre should help the Tafatu. A friendly neighbor to the south, historic ties between us, the repressions committed by the UST central government. Anything and everything you can think of. There's a large chunk of the Franerri government who wants to help, but you still have some fence sitters you need to convince before Franerre can commit herself. I thought it might be easier for you to write it all down, but if you speak better from the heart, speak from the heart."

[Greywall]

Aniyah might have been uneducated to a degree, but she picked on the Frannerre attitude towards her being slightly elitist. She knew how to write in Tafatan but not in the language of her hosts. She would have to verbally make her case as she scribbled down what she wanted to say.

[callmedelta]

It was and a half hours later, just under the cover of the setting sun, when the train rolled to a stop at the Le Sambert station. Aniyah and the trio of agents were rushed to a car, a rare but not unheard of luxury in this rural a location, and arrived at Fort Marson fifteen minutes later. The four then made their way to the innermost part of the fort, where a large conference room sat. Inside was a council of some of the highest members of the Franerri government, each with a nameplate in front of them for convenience's sake at a semi-circular table. King Dante Emil Soliel Della Rosa II sat at the head of the table, flanked by Nori Zelgius and Gauvain Ranulf, the Franerri Chiefs of Staff and Army respectively. Julius Verenes and Isaac Dufour Jr., the First and Second Chambermen of the National Chamber, sat across from each other, the two staring daggers at each other while still somehow remaining civil. Virgil Legault, director of the Franerri Royal Gendarmerie, sat next to Damien Simone, the head of the army's Department of Logistics and Mobilization. Across from him, making up the final two members of the council, was perhaps the oddest sight in the room. Two Ashinarans, one General Kliment Lishenko and one Colonel Maksim Mahno.

[Greywall]

Aniyah walked in with the agents inside the conference room, she looked around seeing the high-ranking officials of the Frannerre government her eyes stilling on the King for a moment then at the Ashinarians who confused her for a moment. "Why are they here?" she whispered to herself, she went where instructed and would await further instructions. Her appearance of a simple farmer would likely not impress anyone in the room, but she spoke for her people, and it had to be enough.

[callmedelta]

There was a few seconds of whispered murmuring between a few of the officials at the conference table before it was quickly cut off as the King cleared his throat. He began to speak in Franerri, before considering that Aniyah and the two Ashinarans probably didn't speak the language. "Given the urgency of this situation," the King began again in Common, "I think it's best if we forgo the titles and honorifics many in this room are due." He scanned the faces of the officials at the table, and seeing no disagreements, continued. "Here are the facts on the ground in the Union of South Touli as the Kingdom of Franerre understands them. Approximately three months ago, the Union began to push for the extraction of large amounts of gold, pushing their workers to their limits and even further beyond that to the point of being worked to death, in addition to the increasing encroachment on tribal lands." The stunned reactions in the room by most of the officials, save the King, de Angelis, and Legault showed that this information evidently wasn't common knowledge. Verenes was especially aghast at the news, while Dufour seemed like the shock on his face was more out of obligation than anything. "Rumors were swirling about what was causing such a surge in extraction, but they were seemingly confirmed approximately three weeks ago when someone in the government let slip the fact that the 16 million ruble loan by the Shahdom of Seleucidinia was defaulted on, and the gold used as collateral was seized by Seleucidinian authorities."

The King paused, letting the words sit with the assembled men, before continuing. "Given the chaos that unfolded in the revelation's wake, the recentness of these events, and the time it takes information to travel from the Union to Franerre, much of the information here is of dubious quality. Hopefully Ms." King Dante drew out the word, flipping through his pages while he quickly searched for Aniyah's name. "Monsondo will be able to illuminate some facts for us. Baraka Okeena has seemingly been able to maintain control of the Union's army, though reports conflict on whether he is intending on attempting to salvage the Union or carve out his own new nation out of whatever he can get control over. What is certain, given the number of reports, is that the Union's army has clashed with either striking miners, Tafatu rebels, other tribal rebels, or some combination of the three. There is some Communist activity in the Northwest of the Union, though that's about all we know about the situation for certain. We haven't been able to get anything concrete about them, with our information ranging from a function communist state already existing in their controlled territories to the communists existing as nothing more than a single band of, quote, ‘uppity miners in the hills.’ So far, we've seen no movement from any of the UST's neighbors, but there is no telling how long that will last. Finally, we do know that the Union's army has clashed with Tafatu militias-" he nodded to Aniyah "-and battles between them have proven inconclusive. What can you tell us about these events, Ms. Monsondo?"

[Greywall]

Aniyah was a bit shaken given how much had traveled North of the border about what was happening, she wasn't aware of the Communist uprising but it was clear how far reaching the ramifications of the situation was currently. She would reply to the Kin saying, "We're not clashing, we're being slaughtered, President Okeena is using brute force to subjugate us back into the mines and fields. What you've heard is true, the UST is working us to death as to why we've only recently learned. We want independence, Tafatu has been punished enough being in this broken nation forced upon us."

[callmedelta]

There was a pause from the assembled council, though whether they were taking in the information or waiting for Aniyah to supply more wasn't unclear. Perhaps it was both, but after a few moments the King continued. "If there's nothing further from Ms. Monsondo, then I'll open the floor to debate."

Just as soon as the words exited the King's mouth, Dufour spoke. "Before anything else, we should determine whether Franerre was the capacity to intervene in a conflict like this. If Franerre is defeated here, not only is that an embarrassment internally and internationally, that's an expenditure of blood, bullets, and money we can't afford to lose for nothing." He glared at Verenes while he said 'money,' before turning his attention to the military officers in the room.

"That depends on exactly how much we devote to the Tafatu's cause," Marshal Zelgius said, "At full mobilization, we could have a few million men to intervene with, but that's is by no means realistic. Even if we wanted to mobilize that many men, it would take time to call them up and train them, time the Tafatu may not have. At Franerre's current strength, we have our best forces manning the Bartels and Galatea lines, which I'm loathe to strip of experienced troops, given the situation. Using our professional cavalry units may be our best option, but they are expensive and limited compared to infantry and conscripts. The UST's terrain also isn't the best suited for cavalry. They still may end up faster than infantry, however. With the chaos in the Union, I don't foresee much more of a response than what units are already in the area. The Army must be stretched thin, and if he devotes more troops to Tafatu that could give any other countries wishing to intervene the chance they need. Do you know anything of how many of the UST's troops are deployed in Tafatu?" Zelgius asked Aniyah.

[Greywall]

Aniyah shook her head, "No, I don't know how many Union soldiers are deployed against us. We have very few weapons and can't do much right now." She was slightly surprised by the speed in which Frannerre was responding to the entire thing, she had come for weapons and supplies, the deployment of their military was astounding to her it would easily free Tafatu the fastest.