L’Aurore (Franerre Newspaper)

[Sophie]

The War in the South: What You’re Not Being Told
Riva Rose

Over a year ago, King Dante the II immersed our nation in war on the behalf of the Tafatu people against the forces of the Union of South Touli. Like many of you, I was told that this was not only a just war but a quick one. I am personally guilty of spreading that myth in an article I wrote upon the outbreak of war, and for that, dear reader, I owe you an apology.

Today I have had the pleasure of meeting with Private Basile Touchard and the following is a few excerpts from my interview with him.

“Can you tell me why you reached out to me, Basile?”

“Because the Franneri people need to know what is really happening in the south. Everything they have been told about the war is a farce.”

“Can you expand on that please?”

“Yes. We are told that we’re fighting for justice. For the rights of all toulians, but that’s complete bullshit. We’re fighting for the freedoms of the Tafatu, while our own freedoms back home are trampled to prop up our leaders' incompetent and wasteful war.”

“What do you mean when you say we’re fighting for the freedoms of the Tafatu but not our own?”

“The Tafatu peoples are going to establish a democracy if they are given their freedom from the Union. A freedom our people cannot even dream of as our fat, lecherous king sits on his ass and sends more and more boys to die for someone else’s war.”

“Someone else’s war?”

“The rebellions in the UST are none of our concern. Their success or failure does not affect the Franneri people in the slightest. All getting involved has done is get our boys killed. En masse, might I add.”

“En Masse? Just how bad are losses on the front lines?”

“Bad. Worse than mere words can describe. And much worse than the official accounts.”

“You said you were present at what is now being called the Battle of the Crossroads. I believe the official losses were around a thousand soldiers. Would you say that is accurate?”

“Not even close. We had around twenty thousand soldiers at that battle. Less than half escaped alive.”

“My god. What happened to cause such extraordinary losses?”

“They aren’t extraordinary. They’re normal. Every front is experiencing losses like that. And its all because of our incompetent leaders. From Lieutenant to King. Everything is in service of continuing this bloody war. Once the commander of the Crossroads battle realized we couldn’t win, instead of retreating, he ordered the shelling of his own people. And despite likely over a hundred thousand Franneri people lost, our king continues to call up more and more soldiers.”

“What do you think should be done?”

“I call upon every Franneri man, woman, and child to stop going to work. Stop going to school. Stop the war machine. Bring the economy to its knees and force the king to heed our demands. End. This. War.”

[callmedelta]

War with Kumosenkan Immanent! Inside Leaks From Franerri Government Worker!

Riva Rose

Last night, a Franerri government worker (hereby referred to as 'Jean Dupont' to preserve their anonymity) came to our offices with quite a story to tell. Now, I admittedly have no way of verifying what Jean claims, but given the potential importance of the story and the potential danger posed by the entire nation should Dupont be correct, I have no choice but to publish this interview if for no other reason than to get an official response from His Majesty's government.

Riva: "To start off with, why don't you state exactly who you are, in as much detail as you can give without compromising your identity."

Jean pauses, presumably thinking of exactly how much to tell: "Well, I work at a Franerri government ministry here in Pareau, I don't exactly feel comfortable stating which one." He chuckles softly. "I would like to state a whole lot more, but my superiors and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye, and even if we did I would almost certainly be fired if they found out who I was. Let's just say that it's one of the larger ones, and I've been working here for the past three years and try to leave it at that."

Riva: "So, what exactly is this that you've claimed to have overheard, and how did you come across it?" 

Jean: "I was bringing some papers up to the Minister's office. I had overheard from a coworker that someone was in to see the Minister, but I didn't think too much of it at the time. I would get a look at him later, and I think he was some sort of military man, but I'll get back to that later. As I'm approaching the door to the office, I heard a loud shout come from inside the Minister's office. Now, I said earlier how my superiors and I didn't see eye-to-eye? Well, I thought that learning what might be happening on the other side of that door was worth potentially getting fired over, and so I listened."

Riva: "So what exactly did you overhear from the Minister and this military man?" 

Jean: "First of all, the minister was complaining how he should have been informed a week ago." One week ago, as I'm sure you readers are doubtlessly aware, a Kumo spider was seen making her way to and from the Royal Palace, escorted by armed officers of the Pareau Police Department. Speculation has been rampant regarding the exact nature of this Kumo's purpose, but if what Dupont says is true, then we need speculate no longer. "The second individual said that only a few members of the government knew what was going on - the King, the Foreign Ministry, the armed forces, the Gendarmerie, and the First Chamberman. The rest of the National Chamber was only informed earlier today, according to him, and he was going around informing the rest of the Ministries. They are still trying to keep it under warps, evidently, but the people deserve to know what's going on. The Minister then said that whatever 'it' was, I didn't know at the time, could set the Franerri economy back by a decade. The word 'blockade' was thrown around, and that's when I knew something truly bad was happening." 

Riva: "So, the Minister seems to be worried about some Kumo naval blockade happening on the outset of the war?"

Jean: "If I had to guess so, yeah. The line about a blockade had confused and distracted me for a bit at that point. The military man had said something about weathering a storm, I forget the phrasing, but I do remember the exact words that the Minister said in response. He said, and I quote 'Ask the Elenrians how well weathering a bloody Kumosenkan invasion worked, why don't you?'" Jean paused before continuing. "At that point, it seemed like the military man was getting ready to leave, and so I knocked on the door and entered, which was when I had actually seen the man for the first time. I delivered my papers, but at that point the conversation between the two was over. I had heard everything I needed to." 

You readers will have to forgive me for cutting off the interview at that point. According to Jean, I had all the necessary facts, and with any luck we can work through the night to get this paper printed for the morning, and it's much easier to do that the shorter the interview. But, I will leave off with a question to anyone in the government who happens to read L'Aurore; is what I've written here the truth? I stated earlier that I have no possible way to verify Jean Dupont's story. Should he be false, and I certainly hope that he is, I will retract this story and issue a full apology. But, should Jean Dupont be false, we are faced with another question that still begs an answer. What was a spider doing in Pareau?

[callmedelta]

The King Speaks After Protests Erupt in front of Royal Palace! Interview Inside

Riva Rose

As you readers are doubtlessly aware, in the previous issue of L'Aurore, I printed an interview with one Jean Ducat, a Franerri government worker who claimed to have overheard that the Franerri government was preparing for a war with Kumosenkan, and I am truly astounded by just how fast the Franerri people were able to mobilize to action. I had considered going with my comrades to the National Chamber to protest, but after hearing rumors of protests taking place at the Royal Palace, I knew I had to investigate to see if they were true. And true they were. After only half an hour of peacefully protesting outside the palace, staring down armed members of the Palace Guard, King Dante himself made an appearance, where he declared to the crowd that he would give an interview in both L'Aurore and Héraut Franerri explaining his government's actions - which made it rather convenient for both himself and I that I was on the frontlines, my press hat clearly in view.

Still, we had to wait for the party from Heraut Franerri to arrive. I was instructed by the Royal Guard to wait in an ostentatious waiting room where the chair I sat on alone was worth more than the year's wages of an entire factory of workers. It took the party from Heraut Franerri roughly forty minutes to arrive, a two-man team of a reporter and transcriber with a typewriter, who I would later learn was Mr. Clercio. It seemed like the pair had scarcely arrived when the King joined us. He seemed eager to get his statement out, though I believe it's a coin toss whether that was because he wanted to halt the protests as soon as possible, or whether he simply dreaded needing to give this interview at all.

Clercio: "Thank you for allowing us to interview you, your Highness."

King Dante: "The pleasure is all mine, truly, Mr. Clercio. This may be the most important interview in our nation's history."

Riva: "Perhaps you can forgive my forwardness, your Highness, but I've never been one for idle talk and flattery. Let’s cut to the chase: why the secrecy?"

King Dante: The King chuckled, and neither I nor Mr. Clercio knew quite how to respond. I think the King may have appreciated my directness, or perhaps simply my boldness in doing so. Clercio looked aghast at what I'd done, so I knew it had to be the right decision. "You're certainly cut from the same cloth as Verenes, that's for sure. I have two reasons: the first was to prevent panic. You saw the protests outside. It was that exact thing I wanted to prevent. The second was that I wanted to have a plan prepared for Franerre, one that has not fully materialized yet."

Clercio: "That implies that there is a plan in the works?"

King Dante: "Yes, there are quite a few in fact. The first is simple diplomacy. I have sent diplomats to Kumosenkan with a response to the Empress. First and foremost in the letter is a request to have the dispute arbitrated by the nation of Koi, seeing as they are both neutral in all foreign relations as well as possessing the strength to enforce any agreements made with their control over the Staol trade. Secondly-"

Riva: "If I may interrupt for a moment with a question-"

King Dante: "No, you may not." His demeanor shifted, harsher towards me now. Cercio was smug. "I will finish my statement without interruption, and then you may speak. Now, as I was saying, secondly our own armed forces are still mobilized from the Tafatu Liberation, though they cannot be moved into Elenerre proper due to Kumosenkan’s requirement. Third is diplomatic efforts from our other allies abroad. We have engaged in talks with Gaelia, Marrlan, Ashinara, and Lusatia, though the specifics of the negotiations are ongoing, and so I cannot discuss them at this time, with one exception. We have received an offer from the Kingdom of Lusatia. In exchange for leasing two military bases, one inside the disputed territory, in exchange for a hefty discount on modern Lusatian equipment. Both Verenes and Dufour are in favor of the agreement, though surprisingly, they are the minority and their own parties shot down the vote by a hefty majority. Now you may speak."

Clercio: "Is it safe to assume that you are in favor of the agreement, your Highness?"

King Dante: "Indeed I am. The lives of Franerri citizens and the territorial integrity of Franerre are both of the upmost importance to me. To defend Elenerre would be to sacrifice the former for the latter. To abandon it, the latter for the former. But, this Lusatian deal would perhaps allow Franerre to save both, and that makes it an avenue worth pursuing."

Clercio: "I think it's understandable that people may have concerns about allowing a foreign military on our soil, especially in a long-term agreement like leases on a military base."

King Dante: "The concerns are completely understandable, as you said, but I believe that when given the alternatives, the Lusatians have given us our best opportunity for peace in this brewing conflict."

Riva: "I have…a few questions for you, your Highness, but let’s start at the beginning. You said that in the letter you sent that ‘first and foremost,’ was a request for Koian arbitration. That implies that there are other things stated in that letter. Am I correct?"

King Dante: The King shifted in his seat, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "You are, though I do not believe that they are entirely relevant to this interview."

Riva: What could be contained in that letter that made the King so nervous, I wondered? "Your Highness, you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t quite believe you on that point. The fate of the nation could be at stake with that letter. One would need to be a fool to send meaningless drivel to the most powerful woman in the world."

King Dante: The man sighed. "The remaining content of the letter is mostly an appeal to the Empress to reconsider. She is doubtlessly a wise woman - one does not grow to her station without being one. However, I believe she may be misled by Elenrian advisors, still bitter about the long history of conflict between our nations, most recently over our support for the Greatferns in the Elenrian civil war. The Elenrians with their long memories, however, should be able to remember the Treaty of Nanhaimen which legally ceded the city to Franerre in 1547, yet they remain willfully ignorant of that if I am correct. That, combined with the fact that I would be surprised if she were aware of the realities on the ground in Elenerre, means that the Empress cannot hope to come to an accurate conclusion regarding the disputed territory's status."

Clercio: "How can you be so certain that Kumosenkan wishes to come to an 'accurate conclusion' at all?" I was surprised that Clercio was the one to challenge the King on this point. I had expected him to be much more of a Royal lapdog than the man had already proven himself to be.

King Dante: The King paused at this point, unsure of how to respond. "If the Empress is only seeking a casus belli for war, then it will be blatantly obvious for all to see by her rejection of my letter for arbitration talks. The world will see Kumosenkan as what they would be in that scenario; a bully engaging in imperialism for imperialism's sake. The world will see Franerre for what she is as well: a nation who has done nothing wrong, fighting only to protect the lives and liberty of their citizens." 

Riva: That didn't quite seem to fully satisfy Clercio judging by the look on his face, but he didn't ask for anything further. If he wasn't going to press it, I would, then. "Secondly, let’s say diplomacy fails and this scenario must devolve into war. How committed is the government to the defense of Elenerre?"

King Dante: "That is a question that extends far beyond myself as King. I am only one part of the Franerri government. I require the cooperation of both the National Chamber and the Army. But, this part of the Franerri government is wholly committed, and I have found the Army and National Chamber similarly so. If Kumosenkan rejects the pen, then they shall find Elenerre full of nothing but swords."

Riva: "Lastly, what of the Franerri citizens currently in Elenerre and the surrounding region? The time you have been waiting on news and planning, they could have been evacuated from the territory. Would you have our citizens live under Kumo rule?" 

King Dante: "That supposes we lose."

Riva: "But what if Franerre does?"

King Dante: "We will not stop anyone from leaving the area.” The King paused, as if ready to say something else but decided against. So much for 'protecting the lives of our citizens.'

Riva: "For my last question, you said the Lusatians were interested in two bases. Where is the second?"

King Dante: "Fort Arval, near the city of Desterque."

Riva: "Any particular reason the Lusatians were interested in that base?"

King Dante: "I don't believe I'm at liberty to say, though I can say it's not relevant to the unfolding Elenerre crisis." The diplomatic way of saying that he wouldn't talk.
 
Clercio: "Before this interview concludes, do you have any comments for the citizens out protesting in Pareau?"

King Dante: "Please, go back to your homes and places of work. Your concerns have been heard, but to survive this, the entire nation of Franerre must be united as one. Franerre Gloria." The line seemed rehearsed, or at least so much that it stood out compared to the rest of the interview. I would be surprised if the two didn't work out a way to get that line in the interview before it began. 

The interview ended there, the King saying he would not be taking anymore questions, and that the interview needed to be put to the printers as soon as possible. Of the latter, at least, we're in agreeance. Ultimately, as I write this final section post interview, I believe that the King's Lusatian deal is Franerre's best offer. One can debate the pros and cons of Franerri territorial integrity versus the lives of her citizenry, but I believe that a pair of Lusatian bases is the smallest cost Franerre will pay in this crisis.