Exile Lounge - In character transition thread (E3 -> E4)

[jacob-Lundgren]

Incognito Amric waits at the dock. He had just finished his internet edition of the Eutopian Today and was certain the moment Levarge saw it the order for his arrest would be going out to FLEA, LIRA, the military, and everyone else to arrest him or make him disappear. Somewhat nervous, but determined, he waited for the signal.

He had no intention of going quietly in to the night. He would trumpet the truth from the rooftops if he had to. Levarge wasn't going to keep him quiet. De Fourgeres couldn't do it, and he wouldn't give Levarge the opportunity.

*One of Lundgren corps. security wing personnel pulls up in a speed boat at the edge of the dock and blows the boats horn.*


*shouting at first* "Amric?!! Mr. Al'Aeshir I believe it is, Michael told me to come by this dock at this hour every night and here I am, I am guessing you wish to go meet him? Best get in fast so we don't attract any unwanted attention. Its not too long of a trip but we have to be in international waters just in case."

 

[Voshkod]

Within the first few weeks of the coup, observers within Eutopia report that Levarge has secured general control over the country. The people of the republic seem tired, worn-down, and not too likely to resist. The calls for general strikes are only heeded on the fringes, as people still have to put food on the table for the children. The curfew is being strongly enforced, with violators finding themselves in jail for a few days.

There has been very little violence. In the first few days, some rioters were killed, and a few looters were shot without trial, but the arrival of Gorgons and Hydras has pacified the population quite well.

In the WET, "Queen" Maria has gone underground, and has begun to issue a series of missives calling for passive resistence to Levarge. Others have taken up arms in the rugged mountains of the WET. While the military controls the cities and towns, the countryside has become risky for men in uniform.

The European Community has cut most tied to the country, condemning Levarge. The United States has been silent on the matter for the most part, only saying that it was "examining the situation."

Most of the politicians that were put in house arrest have been released, with vague promises to behave. "Exiles" have been invited home, under the same conditions, but they must present themselves at a border crossing to receive a visa. Press restrictions have begun to be lifted now that the immediate chaos is over, which also bespeaks of the General's confidence in his position.

What is clear at this point is that the people are not too likely - now, at least - to rise up to throw the General out.

 

[unmerged(22430)]

I encourage everyone who is willing to resist leverage to come to Tilipia

 

[Voshkod]

A large yacht approaches Lundgren's yacht on the high seas. Standing on the prow is a well-tanned Nikolai Volkov, wearing mirror-shades and a Hawaiian shirt. He cups his hands over his mouth and shouts across the water, "Ahoy there! Permission to come aboard?"

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

A large yacht approaches Lundgren's yacht on the high seas. Standing on the prow is a well-tanned Nikolai Volkov, wearing mirror-shades and a Hawaiian shirt. He cups his hands over his mouth and shouts across the water, "Ahoy there! Permission to come aboard?"

"Who are you? Having some trouble or something?"

 

[Amric]

*One of Lundgren corps. security wing personnel pulls up in a speed boat at the edge of the dock and blows the boats horn.*


*shouting at first* "Amric?!! Mr. Al'Aeshir I believe it is, Michael told me to come by this dock at this hour every night and here I am, I am guessing you wish to go meet him? Best get in fast so we don't attract any unwanted attention. Its not too long of a trip but we have to be in international waters just in case."

"Sounds reasonable," Amric steps aboard," Let's get moving, shall we?"

 

[Voshkod]

"Who are you? Having some trouble or something?"

"Trouble? No, no trouble here, Mr. Lundgren. Nikolai Volkov is the name. I fear I am just another poor victim of the Eutopian coup, like so many others. I'm hoping I can help out in the fight against Levarge and, when I saw your boat, I thought I should stop and see how you were doing. Such an important Eutopian as yourself, adrift at sea like this." The man's smile, when the sun hits it, is almost blinding.

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

"Trouble? No, no trouble here, Mr. Lundgren. Nikolai Volkov is the name. I fear I am just another poor victim of the Eutopian coup, like so many others. I'm hoping I can help out in the fight against Levarge and, when I saw your boat, I thought I should stop and see how you were doing. Such an important Eutopian as yourself, adrift at sea like this." The man's smile, when the sun hits it, is almost blinding.

"I suppose you can come on over, I hope you don't get too offended if I limit it to just yourself?"

_________________________________________

"Sounds reasonable," Amric steps aboard," Let's get moving, shall we?"

*The Lundgren Corp. Employee carriers out his mission*

"Its not too long a trip, we will be moving a bit fast so buckle up. Its a safe boat though so no worries."

(with that mr. driver fads into obvlivion )

 

[unmerged(10397)]

As O'Floinn hangs up and pockets his phone, he looks across the water to Volkov.

"Nikolai? Last time I talked to you, things ended a bit early. How'd that situation turn out?"

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

As O'Floinn hangs up and pockets his phone, he looks across the water to Volkov.

"Nikolai? Last time I talked to you, things ended a bit early. How'd that situation turn out?"

"Glad you know this guy O'Floinn, I am drawing a blank??"

( o o )

 

[Sterkarm]

In Transit to Fort Au Francais, St. Esprit

Once more into the breach, my friends, thought Forbes as his plane hurtled through the clouds above the Atlantic. He was sitting in the cabin, while his equipment that would be required for the "operations" soon to come was in the cargo bay. It had been a long trip already, and the plane was now making its intial descent. Eutopia... why the hell am I coming back here? Rotten hell-hole of an island. Ah well, I can't let my investment rot away.

 

[HJ Tulp]

After the press conference Admiral Tulp sets up a relatively secure tv-telephone meeting with a couple of high ranking naval officers.

They are:

Colonel Thomas Housting, Commander of the Eutopian Marine Regiment

Rear Admiral Pierre Dumont, Naval Quartermaster

Rear Admiral William Terry, Commander Atlantic Patrol Fleet North

Rear Admiral Jean-Picard Luc, Commander Atlantic Patrol Fleet South

Commodore John Bush, Commander of the Submarine Fleet

Commodore Juan Butistatta, Commander Naval Aviation.

After all the officer have checked in and the regular exchange of greetings and salutes have been made Admiral Tulp starts to speak.

"Gentlemen, I am sure you have all seen my statement regarding the Navy in this crisis. First I want to know how you stand in this, if one of the exiled politicians orders me or General Levarge to be arrested, will one of you do that? This has no reprecussion, I just want to know it. Secondly there are some orders I give to ensure that the Navy can do what it has to do.

Brigadier Housting, I am sorry but there are some drastic changes that we have to make in the Marine Regiment, this is only temporarily, it will be changed back when this mess is over. We cannot maintain the Regiment as a whole as fighting force. I need you to get your best men, 10 or so, and train them as a SpecOps Unit, we may need it. Then I want 100 other men to be a Quick Respons Force. They must be ready to jump in choppers and CASAs within 10 minutes or so. Furthermore, I need your drill sergeants to train all naval personel that is not on an active ship or absolutely neccesary for the administrative part. Train them into combat troops, they don't have to be as good as your Marines but they should know how to use their weapons and they should be organised into combat teams. I want you to see together with Rear Admiral Dumont here if you have enough arms to arm the men, if not then let me know so that I can contact General Levarge to see if he can help us. The rest of your Marines will be stationed on vessels to conduct the searches on civilian vessels entering our Territorial Waters.

Rear Admiral Dumont, besides the task I have given you together with Colonel Housting I want you, together with the Commanders of the Patrol Fleets, to give me a fleet I can use. If you have to cannibalise half the fleet, I'm sorry but it is neccesary, I only want vessels that can be used.

Commanders of the Patrol Fleets, you have heard what I told Rear Admiral Dumont, after the vessels are ready and the Marines have come aboard you are to conduct patrols on the border of our Territorial Waters. Every vessel entering it is to be searched for weapons. If the vessel hasn't requested permission to enter our territorial waters they are to be seized and taken to NLC. You may decide for yourself how much force is to be used.

Commodore Bush, I know your fleet has seriously decayed and that you have been ordered not to set sail because it is doubtable if you could ever return. I want you to do everything humanly possible to repair one submarine, equip it with your best, most trustable crew. It is vital.

Commodore Butistatta, I would like to know the state of your CASAs, I assume they are in pretty good state considering the fact that with so many of them flying around the world it must be relatively easy to get their spare parts? I want one CASA to be standby 24/7. The other CASAs are to conduct patrol operations along our shores and waters. Also, I want you to send of your men incognito to EC, they are to rent 4 trucks and look for a part of highway that is long en wide enough for a CASA to land and take off. If they have found it they are to stay close to it and stay stand-by.

Any questions gentlemen?"

 

[Estonianzulu]

"Thank you general" Cain shakes the generals hand and makes his way out of the building. He had feared Levarge would not be this reasonable. First he had to contact his family, see that they were ok.

Then, the real work began. He still had some contacts from his younger days with the red cross, and he, as a former minister could get some attention from medical services. This looked like it was going to get messy, and fast.

 

[Voshkod]

As O'Floinn hangs up and pockets his phone, he looks across the water to Volkov.

"Nikolai? Last time I talked to you, things ended a bit early. How'd that situation turn out?"

Volkov's Zodiac boat comes alongside Lundgren's yacht. "Ah, President O'Floinn! I was worried about you. I understand you had to make your exit from the Diamond Office in much the same manner that I was forced to leave The Bluff in the Caymans. That situation, as you can see, turned out acceptably for me. A rival group of business - pretending to be British police, if you can believe that - trying to put me out of business. Well, no gain without risk." He offers his hand to Lundgren. "So, my friends, how can OSI help the exiles of Eutopia?"

 

[Josephus I]

Jim Sykes' college graduation was certainly not what was intended. His parents were very proud, of course, that he got his journalism degree. But the recent...what was the foreign press calling it...coup, put a bit of a damper. The curfews, not to mention the fact that many of his graduating classmates...mostly the liberals...had fled, made this event rather dour.

His father, for instance, was worried. A strong supporter of the De Fourgeres government, he vocally criticized the Levarge coup at every opportunity. And his mother, well.....she cried when she heard that Josephus had died.

When his friends and family had left, Jim remained alone in his apartment in Eutopia City. The streets were eerily quiet. On occasion an APC rumbled up the street. He turned on his stereo, putting on the newest Coldplay CD.

He reflected. Truthfully, Jim supported the Levarge "coup." He'd often argued violently with his friends at the campus pub that Eutopia was ungovernable. The elder statesmen rehashed the same old quibbles; and De Fourgeres, whom he'd voted for, ended up being a crazy coot intent on starting wars.

The socialists, whom many of his friends supported, were running out of steam and ideas. Even the most ardent liberals in his company shed few tears when their "Great Leader" died. Sergei may well go down in the history books, they said, but his last 10 years or so were highly unproductive. And there seemed no one with new ideas to replace him.

And the so-called moderates...well they were responsible for this mess weren't they? Parceling off land to the Americans and starting war with Cuba. He had little respect for politicians who would be happy if Eutopia became another US state.

Looking out the window, Jim saw two soldiers dragging a protesting man into a military police vehicle. Maybe some law and order is what we do need, he thought. The liberals and pinkos have had their chance. They failed.

He poured himself a vodka and raised it in the air. "To Levarge," he toasted and drank it down.

Jim Sykes

New character approved - Voshkod

 

[unmerged(10397)]

O'Floinn sighs and shrugs off Volkov's question.

"Can't say what we need until we know what we want. Resisting Levarge is complex. Even if we somehow ousted him, we'd quickly lose control of the country, having no trustworthy military or police forces in place. We could ship in weapons and let 'the people' take over, but what the odds one charismatic leader doesn't see the nation leaderless and claim it for himself? Even if the resistance calmly laid down their arms and looked to restore a proper civilian government after the conflict ended, Eutopia would be devestated.

The radicals may kick and scream all they want, it doesn't change the physical realities we have to deal with. I think before we take any steps against him, we should get in contact with Levarge. Even if he refuses to say anything helpful, we'll learn something of his intentions through his attitude."

 

[unmerged(33865)]

Fort-aux-Français, St. Esprit

Loic gets word of Talbott's endorsement of O'Floinn. He drafts a press release.

I had always desired John O'Floinn to serve the rest of my full term and hopefully all of the next as well. I only appointed PG Talbott after I learned that the tanks were already underway to remove the legitmate government of the United Provinces of Eutopia. I had hoped by appointing someone who had opposed the war and was of the same party as the usurping general, that he would take advantage of the opportunity to initiate some necessary changes, such as those recommended by the consultants my adminstration engaged, while respecting the constitution. Once the usurper rejected this opportunity and went ahead with the illegal, the reason for appointing PG Talbott had evaporated, so I am glad that former President Talbott has recognized this and endorsed John O'Floinn as acting President. I too support that endorsement.

From a personal and business standpoint, I intend to take up residence in St. Esprit, with an intention to apply for citizenship here. I believe that will help the United Provinces of Eutopia get through the transition it currently faces more quickly.

 

[Amric]

Amric peers intently as the speed boat gets closer and closer to the Lundgren yacht. There is another boat there as well.

Who the hell is that? Can't be the navy...

"Ahoy the yacht! Permission to come aboard?"

 

[jacob-Lundgren]

"Hey out there! Bringing us a guest ehh Tim?"

(tim is the happy go lucky security officer guiding the boat )

"Well John it seems we have another visitor."

 

[Amric]

Amric climbs aboard swiftly, shaking hands with Michael.

"Nice boat. Who's that in the other one? John! Good to see you!"

Amric seems to be a bundle of whirlwind energy.