One fish, two fish....whose fish?, Please see OOC thread for questions

Palace of Eternal Glory, Vyviau

The sun streamed through the trees surrounding the Parade Ground, dappling the shoulders of the soldiers marching and standing at attention and highlighting the red, blue, white and black of their different uniforms in a beautiful display. The color of the sun rays reminded the Emperor of a particularly fine wine, such as that held by the fine crystal glass he was holding. He took a thoughtful sip, then set the glass down to offer a salute to the soldiers marching by, and accepting their salute in return.

As the last of the soldiers marched by, the Emperor sat down, waiting for the next wave of the review. Next to him, the Lord Marshal sighed. "All these impressive soldiers we have...the best anywhere in Lavinium. We really should be putting them to use somewhere," Ithloriann said.

Andellaias simply chuckled. "Are you sorry that we did not go to war with the Commonwealth after all? Over mere fish?"

"Someone needs to put them in their place. The Commonwealth is not the superpower of this region. Not anymore. They need to learn that once and for all," Ithloriann replied. "Besides, you know as well as I do that soldiers with no war to fight grow restless. They need a diversion."

"And I will provide them one, should the destination be willing," Andellaias replied. "However, we both know that an all out war is not desirable at this time. I will find a place for our eager eagles to sharpen their talons," the Emperor mused.

"And what of the insult to our honor by the Commonwealth and the Santosans? Their presumption to tell us where we can and cannot ply the oceans?" Ithloriann pressed.

Andellaias chuckled. "I see the soldiers down there are not the only eager ones. I shall have to find a way to work that energy out of you. But never fear, I intend to address that matter as well. There is no regional law, yet, telling us where we can and cannot fish. But there will be, eventually. Therefore, the answer is simple, and it is the same as we employed with our resource harvesters: get as much as we can, while we can."

Ithloriann grinned, both at Andellaias' implied flirtation and his plan. "So....I take it we are not done with the oceans just yet?"

The Emperor simply smiled, turning to salute as the next wave of soldiers marched by.

---

Ports of Mygnard, Peran and Mithlan

Even as Andellaias was saluting and enjoying his wine, the busy shipyards and ports of the western Empire were putting his plan into place.

Around the clock, they were tasked with churning out a veritable flotilla of the most powerful fishing vessels that the Empire could produce. The vessels were the most advanced that any nation in Lavinium had in its fishing fleets, and the Empire intended to put them to good use.

Soon, massive convoys of the vessels were departing for destinations throughout Lavinium. Their instructions were simple: harvest the resources of the ocean, and stop for nothing. The resource harvesters on land had not stopped, even as a trial about their practices was going on. Their oceangoing cousins would not stop either.

The first Valadian fishing vessels would be sighted near the Twin Capes, the two peninsulae jutting out from Tibet and Zalkathar, just north of Arx. A group of five fishing vessels calmly did their work, the fact that they were violating Tibetan waters bothering them not in the least.

These vessels were actually not part of the mission Andellaias' advisors had ironically called "Operation Proving Our Point," but were a separate set of fishing vessels from Hillichan. The Hillichanese were a rustic people, quite dissimilar to the Valadians; in their usual somewhat mocking manner, they had termed the two peninsulae "Catai's Nipples," rather than their official and more tourism board-friendly name.

The five vessels proceeded north, gathering a prize catch as they drifted towards Zalkatharian waters.

---

The next group of Valadian fishing vessels would appear in the Strait of Trellwan, quite deliberately cruising the waters near Ulaangom and The Hub. These vessels were part of the Emperor's dispatched fleet, and were crewed by Valadians. It was a deliberate finger in the collective eye of the Commonwealth, to send a fishing fleet so close to its capital.

---

Another fleet of Valadian fishing ships would soon be sighted in the Western Strait, gathering fish on a quick jaunt through Santosan waters on its way to Valadia's colony on the continent of AlkebuLan.

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on May 30 2012, 04:45 AM

With a surprising lack of hindrance, the fishing vessels that had entered Santosan and Tibetan waters found themselves back in Valadian waters, their holds full of fish and other delicacies of the ocean. At Valadian colonies and home ports, the fish were unloaded, and quickly distributed by fast transports throughout the Empire. Soon, in markets throughout Valadia, markets were openly selling fish clearly labeled as being from the "crystal clear and pristine waters of Tibet" and the "exotic and distant waters of Santosa". Valadian media outlets were also triumphant, declaring that the Empire had shown that it would not be "denied the bounty of the oceans", and that this was just the beginning.

Another series of fishing fleets were sent out from Valadian ports, to earn more riches and harvest more fish for the tables of the Empire. A new destination would be added to the list of locales: the waters of rebel-held Greenland. The rebels had criticized the Empire; such effrontery would not be tolerated without a response. The fishing expeditions were as much to prove Valadia could not be dictated to, or angered, without consequence, as they were about fish. The calculating planners in Vyviau had another reason for targeting rebel Greenlandic waters: with their civil war distracting them, it was reasoned, the rebels wouldn't be able to stop the fishing vessels anyway.

While other nations pondered how to prevent the Valadians from pillaging their waters without starting a war, the Commonwealth, in its usual fashion, decided to act rather than pondering that tricky point too much. The sight of Valadian fishing vessels sailing by the Hub openly mocking the Commonwealth's EEZ claims was simply too much.

The Commonwealth response, however, was a simple one; instead of arresting anyone, or blowing up any ships, it was decided to match annoyance with annoyance.


---

Ocean near Shilüüstei, Altan Ulus

"There they are, Captain," the ship's XO, Il'yas Bakhytzhan, said. His sober expression, as he regarded the radar screen, and his calm voice gave no indication of his inner feelings, which could be summed up as that of a wolf about to pounce.

The ship's captain, Kuanysh Meirzjan, eyed his XO with silent approval. Such composure and restraint was what was expected of an Altan Ulus sailor. "Begin our approach," the captain said, his own feelings quite similar to his XO's.

The ship Meirzjan commanded, the Tikhtamysh, was an Altan Ulus coast guard vessel. It was a swift, fast cutter, among the fastest ships the Commonwealth could produce. Its speed and maneuverability made up for its lack of armor and firepower, to a degree. At a signal from Bakhytzhan, the ship's communications officer radioed the trespassing Valadian fleet.

The message was ignored, so it was repeated twice more. At the third iteration of the warning, a response was finally received: the Valadian national anthem, played at a volume that made the communications officer shout a particularly vile curse in Altani-Mongol concerning Valadian ancestry and throw his headset down.

Empire Forever, eh? Not in these waters, Meirzjan thought with a flare of Altani pride. No hint of his anger showed, but for the fire in his dark eyes. His crew, however, knew that fire well. No smiles were needed to express their sudden pleasure, as their captain gave the order.

"Nets."

---

With a sudden surge of its powerful engines, the Tikhtamysh bolted forward like a pony on the open steppes of the Altan Ulus. It sliced through the water, on a course diagonal to the Valadian ships passing it. At another signal from Meirzjan, two hissing lines shot out from the rear of the Tikhtamysh. Altani sailors were among the best in Lavinium, and their approach was perfectly timed. As the the Tikhtamysh crossed the path of the rear Valadian ship, the cutter lived up to its name. The two net cutters it had deployed neatly sliced through the wires attaching the fishing nets to the Valadian ship.

Before the Valadians could react, the Tikhtamysh was already swinging around, darting across the path of the next fishing ship in line. Soon, another net was neatly sliced away from its vessel.

The Valadian ships were fast and manueverable for fishing trawlers, which is to say that they were as fast and maneuverable as a cow compared to the gazelle that was the Tikhtamysh. Despite their best efforts, one by one, the Tikhtamysh cut their nets. There would be no Altan Ulus fish joining the Santosan and Tibetan fish at the Valadian markets today.

As the Tikhtamysh passed the lead Valadian vessel at close range, the sound of cursing Valadian fishermen could be clearly heard. A barrage of garbage and loose items soon bounced off the sleek side of the Altan Ulus cutter, thrown by angry Valadian fishermen.

"They seem upset, sir," Bakhytzhan said calmly.

"Indeed, XO," Meirzjan replied. "Must be the heat. Let's cool them off."

The Tikhtamysh mounted a powerful water cannon at its stern; as the ship passed the Valadian vessel, it blasted the deck of the fishing ship, along with any fishermen still trying to toss anything at the Altan Ulus vessel.

Bereft of nets, and now thoroughly soaked, the Valadian vessels hastily retreated. The Tikhtamysh gave them one last sendoff: the Commonwealth anthem, played at top volume through the ship's loudspeakers.

To say that the Greenlandic rebels possessed a navy would be much too generous. To date the war had yet to really expand its scope towards the sea at all; the rebels patrolled the waters nominally within their sphere with a mismatched collection of whatever warships they had manage to capture while sitting in port. The typical crew consisted of a mixture of those seamen who had conveniently decided to switch sides in order to avoid captivity, and very eager but completely untrained rebel volunteers. They were nowhere near ready to try and bring the fight against the experienced and well-funded forces of the Federal government; but they had enthusiasm, and they were itching for action.

"We just got a report from the coast guard captain," a technician reported, pressing the headphone deeper into his ear. "I guess there've been reports about unknown vessels in the area. A couple local fishermen had a visual on a group of foreign trawlers about ten minutes ago."

The captain frowned and bit at the end of the cigarette he had stuffed in his mouth. In truly 'rebellious' fashion, few traditional rules and procedures were enforced. "One of those Valadian fleets?"

"Possibly, no way of knowing for sure unless we check it out."

The captain nodded and thought to himself for a moment. The Ulrik was only a single destroyer - and one on the older side at that - but it was the only friendly vessel in the area, and almost certainly capable of taking on a few civilian fishing boats. "Bring us to their last known coordinates," he barked as he turned for his chair. "And get a warning message looping on our radio."

The Ulrik made a hard turn and headed in the direction of the Valadian trespassers, circulating a terse warning message in Norse and English on several channels.

Greenlandic waters (rebel-controlled)

Calardwine Vediovernacus, the owner-captain of the fishing fleet in question, was the rarest of Valadians: one who liked to do the hard work of earning his wealth for himself, rather than making others do it for him. Vediovernacus was ethnic Valadian, but not anyone of great significance: he was a relatively prosperous merchant, who had parlayed his success into a well-paying position with the Imperial Resource Consortium, harvesting what other lands had for the good of the Empire.

Even though he wasn't particularly important, in the grand scheme of things, as an ethnic Valadian, he still saw himself as being head-and-shoulders above other Lavinians. In that sense, Vediovernacus was quite typical of Valadians. So, when his ship received the order from the Ulrik, he responded accordingly.

Vediovernacus, like many Valadians, was an arrogant and disdainful man. But like many Valadians, Vediovernacus was also not stupid. Even as he was speaking, his fleet was beginning to proceed on a leisurely path back to the relative safety of international waters - with nets in tow, scooping up fish along the way.

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on Jun 4 2012, 01:40 PM

For a moment or two, the captain of the Ulrik thought long and hard about simply blasting the foreign intruders out of the water; certainly it would be a fitting slap to the face for a nation that fancied itself to be untouchable and infallible. Deep down he knew, however, that a show of force here would not really accomplish anything. The Valadian empire would lose a tiny fragment of their fishing fleet - while the Greenlandic rebels would run the risk of bringing a military juggernaut down on their heads.

Would be just like Epapter, having foreigners fight his war for him, the captain smirked as he scratched at the stubble on his chin. The notion comforted his wounded pride even as he turned to deliver his begrudged order. "Hold fire - let them go. I don't think his Holiness would appreciate the Arthain knocking on his door anytime soon," he added grimly.

So the Valadian trawlers sailed from rebel waters unmolested, their payload trailing behind them like victory banners. A nation of some of the most prolific fishermen in the world had watched helpless as foreigners stole their game; but the rebels were determined to learn something from the embarrassment. Within a week, a more regular patrol system had been established, and several old civil war frigates were put to work mining some of the more vulnerable areas.

Two weeks later, rebel Greenlandic waters

With the success of their previous mission, Vediovernacus and his fleet were back again. The tame response they had received the first time had convinced them that the rebels had no stomach to take on the Empire...in other words, it was open season on the Southern Sea.

Vediovernacus couldn't help but feel a bit smug. We own these waters, he thought, leaning back in his captain's chair and taking a long drink from a bottle of ale.

Fish weren't the only thing floating underneath the Valadian harvester fleet, however. The rebels had mined the waters, and fishing fleets don't typically have military minesweepers accompanying them. Vediovernacus had just unwittingly steered his fleet into trouble.

As his ship neared the first of the mines in its path, the magnetometer of the advanced influence mine detected its approach. That was all it needed.

The resulting explosion sent Vediovernacus flying out of his chair; his bridge crew were likewise tossed like bowling pins. Alarms began to go off throughout the ship, as emergency lighting cast its red glow over the suddenly stricken vessel.

"What in cursed Arreyne's name just happened?" Vediovernacus shouted, leaping from the deck and grabbing the nearest crewman. "We may have just hit a mine, or some other kind of explosive," the crewman replied. "We have to get off the ship, sir. We won't stay afloat for long."

Vediovernacus bolted to the nearest door, running outside as his bridge crew followed. The damage was immediately evident; smoke pouring from the ship's starboard side, around a gaping hole that was already taking on a tremendous onrush of water.

Snarling, Vediovernacus ran back onto the bridge, first ordering the rest of his fleet to stay back; he could ill-afford to lose any more ships. He then ordered his crew to abandon ship.

As several small boats packed with crew fled from the rapidly sinking fishing vessel, Vediovernacus stood at the bow of one of them, eyeing the waters grimly. Someone is going to pay for this, he thought.

---

Strait of Trellwan, near Sharyngol

While Vediovernacus cursed and fumed, another Valadian fishing captain was trying her luck in a similarly challenging location - this time, Altani waters.

Kermariel Markarius, the captain in command of Oceanic Harvester Fleet 349, eyed the Altani coastline carefully. While her crew were busy fishing, she was waiting.

Soon enough, the Altan Ulus coast guard vessels she was expecting appeared, two of them aiming to cross her path of travel and sever her nets. These Altani are so amusingly predictable, Markarius thought. This time, however, the Valadian fleet was prepared.

As the Altan Ulus coast guard cutters approached, a set of equally swift speedboats that had been traveling with Markarius' fleet moved to intercept them. They cut across the path of the Altan Ulus ships, forcing them to move to avoid them. It was a rapidly escalating game of cat and mouse, the Valadian speedboats forcing the Altan Ulus ships away from the fishing vessels each time. All the while, Markarius' ships continued to gather fish.

A sudden loud crash galvanized Markarius' attention. As she looked up, she saw that one of the Altan Ulus coast guard cutters had just rammed one of her speedboats. Dodging through the gap created, another Altan Ulus cutter sped forward, ramming one of her fishing boats.

Did those crazy sons of bitches really just ram my ships? Markarius thought, stunned. She knew the Altan Ulus could be aggressive, but not that aggressive.

A sudden stream of angry Altani-Mongol burst over the radio; having no patience to try to decipher the mongrel tongue of sheepherders, Markarius ignored it. "If they want to play this game, very well!" she shouted, now furious herself. "Knock a hole in those damned ships!" she ordered one of her other captains over the radio.

Two of her speedboats obliged; catching one of the Altan Ulus coast guard ships between them, the two Valadian ships slammed into both sides of the Altan Ulus vessel at high speed. The coast guard vessel, now heavily damaged, attempted to reverse course and escape. The other coast guard vessel tried to cover its escape, but now found itself the target of the Valadian ships' ramming.

A sudden loud explosion caught everyone's attention. A sleek, menacing Commonwealth cruiser was rapidly approaching, from Sharyngol. It had just fired a warning shot across the bow of the Valadian speedboats.

While Markarius didn't understand Altani-Mongol, the Commonwealth cruiser was speaking a language she understood very well. As the cruiser aimed its forward gun directly at her ship, Markarius finally, reluctantly, gave the order to withdraw. She had no way of taking on a true warship.

As her fleet limped back to international waters, Markarius was thinking the same thing as Vediovernacus: Someone will pay for this.

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on Jun 10 2012, 05:13 AM

The Commonwealth didn't like having its resources stolen. Much like their Valadian counterparts, it was decided that someone needed to pay for that theft - and no one would be better to give the bill than Valadia. Besides, turnabout is always fair play.

---

85 nm due east of New Osvanona, Valadian colony

Six Altan Ulus and Akamian fishing trawlers calmly sailed through the crystal-clear, icy waters of the Northern Sea. Northern Sea fish was prized in the mainland Commonwealth, as it offered a different flavor profile and variety from the fish caught in the warmer waters around the Horseshoe.

These fishermen were hoping to cash in on the current craze in the Altan Ulus and Akamia for Northern-caught salmon, cod, halibut and sablefish. They were, also, hoping to make a point.

As they began hauling in net after net full of their valuable catch, a message began to sound on the radios of the fishing vessels. The lead captain of the fleet, Gadi al-Jahani, listened to the message. It was a looping recording, in several rather poorly spoken versions of different regional languages, warning that the vessels had intruded into the waters of the New Osvanona colony.

al-Jahani sent a terse message back to New Osvanona, speaking in a broken Valadian that was not much better than the mangled Akamian Arabic of the recording.

Tower of Governance, Norothel, New Osvanona

The top floor of the Tower of Governance, the colonial administrative center of New Osvanona, was a penthouse lined with beautiful, curving wraparound glass windows and balconies. The penthouse had a 360 degree view of the area around Norothel, the colonial capital, and gave its occupants the impression of being above everything, omnipotent, masters of all they surveyed.

Lord Teutousius, the colonial governor of New Osvanona, was not feeling particularly omnipotent or masterful at the moment. He had just been delivered the news, as it was happening, of the Commonwealth fishing fleet that was intruding in colonial waters. The impudent message from the fishing fleet had been capped with a garbled insult which either suggested that the Valadians do something anatomically impossible to themselves with a fishing pole, or introduce their private parts to the claws of a lobster. The communications officers who had received the message couldn't tell exactly, given the bad transmission and the equally bad Valadian speech of the messenger. But the intent was clear.

Lord Teutousius coolly crumpled the message in his hand. "Perhaps this impudent grubber of fish from the water would like to deliver this message to me in person, if he dares. Dispatch a team to these vessels and detain their captains," the Governor ordered.

A fleet of fast naval cutters was soon speeding towards the Commonwealth fishing fleet, to execute the Governor's orders.

---

Keissen, capital of New Gibalta colony, western Lavinium

While Teutosius sent his minions off to arrest the fishermen who had dared to insult him, another colonial governor was launching the next wave of Valadia's onslaught on the fish of Lavinium.

Lady Ethsinell, the Governess of New Gibalta, had just christened a new set of fishing vessels in the traditional Valadian fashion - pouring crystal clear water from Egelgundur Bay in Valadia, laced with gold flakes and "stone snow", a ground-up mixture of gems, stones and crystals, over the bow of the ships. With the ships properly launched, they would now depart on a quest to see what bounty could be brought back from the Coo'men Sea. The ships would sail from New Gibalta on a round trip up the coast of the Continent of AlkebuLan, fishing as they traveled, until they returned home. It was projected that their course would take them past the Tishaian Commonwealth, Alohria and Lyzantium. The Valadians were not particularly concerned with any objections this might raise.

The ships were soon proceeding on their northerly course, full speed ahead.

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on Jun 17 2012, 04:52 AM

OOC: Would the fishing vessels enter Alohrian territorial waters?

East of New Osvanona

Gadi al-Jahani smiled with satisfaction. His vessels were having a good day; their holds were full nearly to bursting with some of the most valuable fish that could be delivered to the markets of the Commonwealth. They would make a very nice profit indeed.

The men and women of his ships' crews were boisterously going about their work, eager to finish their labors and get home so they could get their share of the Credits that the day's haul would bring. Their shouts and laughter carried clearly over the sound of the ocean waves and the occasional seagull.

Over the noise, a slight hum could be heard. al-Jahani strained to listen; the sound was definitely not part of the ocean's repertoire. The hum grew louder, although it was still barely audible. al-Jahani looked at his ship's radar, and saw what was causing the noise. He grabbed a pair of binoculars and rushed to look outside. A small flotilla of ships, painted in a gray hue very similar to the waters of the Northern Sea, was heading straight toward them. At that moment, a voice broke over the radio, not the same recording al-Jahani had ignored, but a live person. In a steel-cold drawl that grated against the warm accents of the Akamian Arabic and Altani-Mongol it was speaking, the voice warned the fishing vessels to stop and prepare to be boarded.

al-Jahani cursed; he hadn't expected the Valadians to call his bluff. There was only one thing left to do. He called his crew to him. "I am going to distract those Valadian bastards so the rest of our ships can escape. It will mean capture at best, perhaps worse. Anyone who wishes to leave the ship now can do so, before they get here," he said.

No one moved. After a moment, one of the other fishermen, a burly Altan Ulus man named Kemhebek, simply shrugged. "We're not going to run while you get captured," he said.

al-Jahani simply smiled. "If you are sure, very well," was all he said.

His crew quickly moved to their positions, and al-Jahani radioed the other vessels in his fleet to get out of the area as fast as they could. Even at top speed, the ungainly, slow fishing trawlers could never outrun an Imperial warship......unless something made the Valadians stop.

As the other vessels fled, al-Jahani turned his own vessel in the opposite direction, aiming it right at the approaching Valadians. As the Valadians neared, al-Jahani slowed the fishing trawler, almost taunting the Imperial warships with his approach. Valadians weren't used to their prey turning and confronting them, and it worked as al-Jahani had hoped. The novelty of it caused the Valadian ships to surround his vessel. As the Imperial warships formed a circle of steel around his one ship, al-Jahani breathed a sigh of relief, watching the other fishing vessels leave the area.

Within minutes, speedboats were approaching his vessel, launched from the largest Valadian warship. It pulled alongside, and soldiers clad in blue-gray camouflage began boarding the fishing vessel, weapons drawn. As his crew assembled on the deck, al-Jahani noticed the Valadian seals and shark-head insignias on their uniforms. Naval assault soldiers, the equivalent of the old Confederate Marines, before the Commonwealth changed its name and unified its branches of service.

Kemhebek and the other crew members had gathered a motley assortment of weapons, but al-Jahani was having none of that. "Put them down, it'll be a damned slaughter," he snapped, to discourage any delusions of charging into battle among his crew. With clear reluctance, his crew complied.

"Very wise, Captain," a smooth voice purred; al-Jahani turned around. A tall, fair-skinned woman was approaching him, clad in the same uniform as the other Valadian soldiers. Even through his anger, al-Jahani couldn't help but be stunned for a moment; like many Valadians, the woman's beauty was almost flawless, and combined with the rather form-fitting uniform she wore, it all had quite the distracting effect.

"I am correct, you are the captain of this vessel?" the woman said coolly in Akamian Arabic. al-Jahani nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. "Good. On the orders of the Governor of New Osvanona, on behalf of the Emperor, long may he reign, you and your crew are hereby placed under arrest, your vessel to be confiscated," the Valadian said, a slightly mocking tone to her voice.

At the word arrest, al-Jahani managed to regain his senses. "On what authority?" he snapped. "You Valadians don't recognize maritime law. What right do you have to claim these as your waters?"

The Valadian commander simply shook her head, as if al-Jahani was a small child to whom explanations were not owed. Without a word, her soldiers began handcuffing the fishermen and frog-marching them aboard the Valadian ships.

As al-Jahani was taken from his ship, he turned and shouted at the Valadian commander. "The Commonwealth won't stand for this!"

The Valadian laughed, as if al-Jahani had just told the funniest joke she had ever heard. "Your Commonwealth is not here, my dear scruffy fisherman. Now is it?"

(OOC: Yes. )

---

Coo'men Sea, 105 nm from Cape Ruby

It was proving to be a pleasant cruise so far for Agillaus Haravien, the captain in charge of Oceanic Harvester Fleet 1048. The ship had left New Gibalta and taken a quick jaunt through Tehuacano waters, much to the annoyance of the Tehuacano coast guard, which had been utterly inept in its efforts to stop them. The appearance of Tehuacan's President, Mayra Aruquipa, on Tehuacano state television pleading in her earnest voice for Valadia to respect Tehuacan's sovereignty and borders had been the subject of much amusement and imitation amongst the crew of Haravien's ship. Then again, almost everything about Tehuacan amused the Valadians; it was barely a real country in their eyes.

Haravien's fleet had dropped off its catch in La Plata and New Gibalta, earning themselves a nice profit for exceeding the quota assigned to them by the government. Now, they were heading north, to see what the Coo'men Sea had to offer them. The Valadian fleet had proceeded quickly through Tishaian waters, and was now proceeding due north past Alohria. While well outside what "international law" considered Alohria's territorial waters, they were most definintely inside Alohria's Exclusive Economic Zone. No one aboard the Valadian vessels cared; their plan was to fish quickly, fill up their holds, and head home, hopefully no one the wiser.

The Hub

Upon the news that the captain and crew of a Commonwealth fishing vessel had been detained by Valadian naval forces, the typically frenetic pace of activity in the Commonwealth capital was supercharged.

Chief Councillor Eranik Zurabian had planned to attend the inauguration of the Alohrian Navy, but the new diplomatic crisis meant that she wasn't going anywhere. Instead, Samira Shirazi would be sent to Alohria.

As Zurabian entered the Sovereignty Council chambers, there was already a raucous discussion taking place. Most of the Commonwealth leaders, being thousands of miles away from Lavinium, were participating via teleconference. The three leaders of the largest mainland states (and, even with the changing demographics of the Commonwealth, still the most important members,) were there in person. This was a rare event that underscored the gravity of the situation.

Sultan Ishaq of Akamia, his face grim, was speaking in a whisper to the two leaders of the Altan Ulus as Zurabian entered. Seeing her arrival, Ishaq stood out of respect. The Khan of the Altan Ulus, Arslan, and his wife Minghan, stood as well, returning to their seats once Zurabian sat down.

The faces of the three leaders gave Zurabian a sense of foreboding. The Altan Ulus leaders, Arslan and Minghan, controlled what tended to be the most volatile member of the Commonwealth, the people who had made the name "Altani" infamous for a number of reasons. Zurabian knew they would want to take decisive action that would make Valadia never want to tangle with the Commonwealth again. The Sultan, Ishaq, shared the same expression, however. Ishaq was one of the more patient leaders in the Commonwealth, and if he was angry, that did not bode well.

"I am aware of the situation, ladies and gentlemen, and I can understand why it would upset you all," Zurabian said carefully. "Before we make a decision, however, we must consider the ramifications - "

"What is there to consider? The Valadians have taken our people captive, and Ishaq's. They have gone too far. They must be told to relinquish them at once, and if they do not, we must go into New Osvanona and free them ourselves," Minghan snapped, her expression dark.

Not for the first time, Zurabian wondered how the Altan Ulus had survived their warlike impulses long enough to not be obliterated from the face of the planet. She was prepared to moderate them yet again. What happened next, however, she was not prepared for.

"I agree. Valadia has gone too far this time. We must put them in their place once for all, and establish boundaries by which they must live by," Ishaq said gravely. "If that means we must force them to free our people, so be it."

Zurabian knew she had to proceed carefully at that point. Ishaq and our people are the ones who are a moderating influence. If he gives in to war madness, all is lost, the Chief Councillor thought. "I agree, we must get Valadia to concede. But we must do so in a way that avoids war, if at all possible. If we get into a war with Valadia, this will drag our allies into it, and harm the entire region. We must not consider only ourselves here, or our grievances with the Valadians," Zurabian said calmly. "We have greater responsibilities."

After a moment, Ishaq nodded, grudgingly showing agreement. The other Sovereignty Council members, especially Arslan and Minghan, took a good deal more convincing. In the end, as always, a consensus was reached.

Zurabian issued the following statement to the media:

To underscore Zurabian's point, the 1st and 2nd Commonwealth fleets were soon on their way to the narrow strait between the Bay of Kings and the Northern Sea, just south of Glomeland. If Zurabian's words didn't convince the Valadians, it was believed, parking two full battle fleets within striking distance of New Osvanona would be a more effective argument.

Coo'men Sea, in the Alohrian Exclusive Economic Zone off the coast of Cape Ruby

The small fishing fleet of Geribald Incorporated, a family owned fishing operation sat in the waters of the Coo'men sea. The fleet was composed of a few ragtag ships, most of them covered to varying degrees in barnacles. In the largest, and shiniest, boat was Jedediah Geribald, the second generation head of Geribald Inc. The obese, middle-aged man was leaned back in a chair in the captain's quarters sleeping with a copy of a fishing magazine opened across his stomach. To his side were a few empty bags of Jay's Potato Chips and about three empty bottles of beer.

"Jed! There's another fishin' fleet on the horizon up yonder! They just cast our their nets!" yelled Jedediah's nephew Billy Bob, startling the sleeping uncle.

"What in tarnation! This is my sleepin' time, and what I tell ya about calling my Jed? I go by cap'n on this boat!" replied the clearly agitated and recently awoken Jedediah.

"But Je--I mean Cap'n--there's a good sight of 'em and they don't look like no ships I've ever saw."

Jedediah grumbled as he lumbered up the stairs out of his quarters onto the deck of the SS Anna Marie and looked out onto the ocean. Sure enough, there was a sharp looking fishing fleet on the horizon that was taking in a rather nice catch. Jedediah's small "fleet," on the other hand, had barely taken in anything that morning.

"Dammit, we were here first," said the portly Jedediah. "What kinda sons of--wait a minute! Those ain't Alohrian ships, those are Valadyun fishin' vessels. I saw 'em on the news the other night. They've been fishin' without permission over at the Commonwealth and at Tee-wakin or whatever it's called."

"What do we do Jed?" replied the now visibly upset Billy-Bob.

"We call the Coast Guard, that'll be what we do."

Jedediah again lumbered over to the ship's radio, fiddled with the controls, yelled at Jedediah to help him work the new-fangled device, and proceeded to contact the Cape Ruby Coast Guard station.

"Yes, this is the Cape Ruby Coast Guard Base, are you in need of assistance?" asked a polite sounding young lady on the other end of the radio.

"This is Cap'n Jedediah Geribald of the SS Anna Marie. My fishin' fleet has come across a Valadyun fishin' fleet that is suspected of poachin' fish in Alohrian waters."

"The Coast Guard is well aware of the Valadian presence in Alohrian waters and has been for some time. We have deemed it necessary to ignore the Valadian incursions into the Alohrian Exclusive Economic Zone, as this may very well prove itself to be an isolated incident."

"What! Yer just gonna let them darned Valadyun scumbags take our fish? Next thing you know they'll be rapin' our women and shootin' our men in the head!"

"Captain Geribald, I believe that this conversation has reached its end. Over and out."

Jedediah looked at the radio, his face red with anger. He changed the wavelength on the radio and sent a message out to all three ships in his fleet to cease fishing and plow straight ahead and at full speed toward the Valadian fleet.

"If our own guvment won't protect this cuntry, I'll sure do my best to protect 'er," said Jedediah as his ships sailed ever nearer to the Valadian vessels. Without even as much as a warning, Geribald Inc.'s three fishing boats pulled up beside three Valadian ships and dropped their own nets right on top of the Valadian's fishing nets, entangling them together, thus making them useless for fishing.

Jedediah waddled to the edge of the deck and gave the visibly agitated sailors on board the Valadian ship a special one fingered salute.

Just as the ragtag Geribald fleet had noticed Haravien's fleet, the Valadians had noticed them as well. Initially, the presence of Alohrian rivals was the subject of amusement.

"What are those things? Targets for naval weapons practice?" Lucane Alariel, Haravien's second-in-command, said while eyeing the Geribald fleet. "I'm surprised those horrid little vessels can even float."

"The pride of the Alohrian fleet," Haravien said with bemusement, to chuckles from his bridge crew. "Ignore them, and proceed with operations. Our holds will be full and we'll be away from this benighted place soon enough."

As the Geribald fleet approached, however, amusement gave way to irritation. "What are those fools doing?" Haravien murmured as the ships grew closer.

"Perhaps they want to talk to us - I can't imagine those barnacle habitats have functioning radios," Alariel mused.

"Fine, let them approach, but if they think we're leaving, they're as damaged as their ships are," Haravien said with a dismissive wave of his hand in the general direction of the approaching Alohrians.

When the intent of Geribald and his fishermen became clear, however, Haravien jumped out of his captain's chair. "Get our nets out of the water!" he shouted, rushing to the side of the ship. It was already too late.

Haravien's eyes narrowed as he looked over the side of his ship at the tangled mess the nets had become. Then he looked up, to see a balding, obese and thoroughly disreputable-looking Alohrian making a rude gesture at him.

Valadians, to whom the written and spoken word are among the highest arts, consider obscenity to be a low form of language practiced by low people. Hand gestures to connote obscenity are held in even less regard by the typical Valadian. To a Valadian, it just shows that the person making the gesture lacks the intelligence to even convey his obscene remark in words, much less make an intelligent riposte. Combined with the already low opinion many Valadians had of Alohrians, the sight of this utterly common man making his simian gesture of defiance towards Haravien was enough to send him over the edge into all-out fury. The Alohrian captain couldn't have had a more infuriating effect on Haravien if he had set an Imperial flag on fire and then urinated on it to put the fire out.

Being Valadian, however, Haravien would not shout obscenities in response. Not immediately, anyway. Instead, Haravien made a single gesture towards a high-pressure hose used to clean the ship's decks. One of his crew quickly brought the hose to Haravien. Without a word, Haravien blasted Geribald with the full force of the water.

(OOC: the hose would have about as much effect as a water cannon used to disperse riots - it wouldn't hurt Geribald, but it would probably knock him down and it certainly wouldn't be a pleasant experience.)

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on Jun 25 2012, 11:52 PM

The ill-fated attempt by a lone Valadian cutter to crab outside of both the crabbing season and well within Zalkatharian waters had proven to be an ill-fated endeavor. As the skipper of the cutter had returned hoping to reap Zalkathar's rich resources, he found something very unexpected and surely, undesired....

Every pot in its 3 strings of pots had all been lifted, the crab dumped, and all, -all- of them had been welded shut. As if this was not enough of an insult, every single one had also been filled with various bits of rubbish, garbage and debris. One pot contained nothing but rusted chains, another contained what must have been fifty pounds of rotted bunker, and another contained a complete quad ATV. Furthermore, as they tried to covertly lift the last of the pots onto the deck at three in the morning, something abruptly clanged against the crane... and what the skipper would find was a very nasty surprise. A twelve foot pipe had been placed over the rope, preventing the crew from hauling the 3-ton metal pot onto deck. Furthermore, somebody had gone out of their way to cover the pipe with barbed wire, preventing any attempt to remove it by hand.

When, after several hours of being forced to anchor and weather a storm with the fear of a three-ton weight punching a hole into the side of the cutter, the Valadians finally managed to haul it on deck, only to find yet another surprise within. Inside was the accumulation of perhaps months of garbage, and 3 crates of human urine. And since they couldn't simply leave the pots there being as expensive as they were, what likely would peeve the skipper and crew even more was the cheeky message found sealed within a plastic bag:

"The fine fishermen of the city of Port Viktor and the other fisherman of Zalkathar's half of Catai's Nipples hope that the men of Valadia enjoy the bounty of Zalkathar. You deserve it!"

((I'm aware this isn't very original and partly inspired by Deadliest Catch, but this i the kind of thing Fishermen do when they're pissed; it isn't always the story of beer muscles. Alt, let me know if you're okay with this.))

This post has been edited by Zalkathar on Jun 27 2012, 11:58 AM

(OOC: Oh, it's perfect. )

Jedediah Geribal lay sprawled out on the deck of his ship. The spray of water had knocked him down and bruised him (mostly his pride). One of the fishermen helped helped Jedediah up from the deck and Jedediah proceeded to let out a string of curses that could only be described as a mile long.

After he was done, Jedediah had a sudden realization of the weight of the situation he was in. He turned around and told everyone to, "cut the lines and go back to port! I think we done sparked some sorta intranasheenul inseedent or sumtin!"

The message was relayed to all the boats and, one by one, all three of them pulled away and sped, as fast as their worn out engines could carry them, back to Cape Ruby. Jedediah was extremely embarrassed, and spent most of his time thinking about the smirk on "that Valadyun's" face on the way to Cap Ruby.

***

Little did Jedediah know, Billy Bob had caught the whole scene of Jedediah tangling the lines and getting sprayed by the water hose on his new smart phone (which he barely knew how to use). When Billy Bob got back home, he uploaded the video on the internet and it began to rack up an exceedingly large number of views. Jedediah was quickly to become the laughingstock of the Alohrian internet.

When President Dundefeller got news of the video, however, he was not amused:

Presidential Palace, Libertia, Gavonshire

"Sir, I believe there has been an unreported incident involving Valadian fishing vessels in our EEZ and some Alohrian fishermen some miles off Cape Ruby," said an aide to a busy looking Charles Richard Dundefeller at his desk.

Dundefeller let off a curse at being disturbed, as he was known to do, and replied, "What do you mean an 'incident?'"

"I think you need to see for yourself sir," replied the aide as he pulled up the video on a tablet computer and showed it to the the President.

The President looked rather tired after watching the video and said, "Wait until the press sees it, then we'll issue a statement."

"Sir," replied the aide, "they already have."

Then there was another curse and Dundefeller exclaimed, "Those damned socialists at the Telegraph are gonna have a field day with this, and there's no telling what the Valadians will do. We've already pissed them off as it is with our tariffs. I stood to make a lot of money with Valadian trade, you know. But if I hadn't signed that bill those idiot warmongers would've crucified me."

"Yes sir, I know."

Valadians pride themselves on their elegance, and strive very hard not to be baited into sinking to the level of those they consider beneath them. Not everyone in Valadia, however, is Valadian.

When the vessel identified simply as Independent Oceanic Harvesting Vessel 23648 returned to its home port, with the ruined and unpleasant pots aboard, the agents of the Imperial Resource Consortium in Osvanona decided to engage in one of the most ancient and time-honored responses: petty revenge.

As part of the settlement of the earlier court case against Valadia, the IRC was busily dismantling the Imperial harvesting camps, sites and facilities that had sprouted up throughout Catai like a bad rash. This process created trash. A lot of trash.

Normally, the trash would be flown back to Valadia for recycling, reprocessing, and reuse if possible. Valadians try to get everything they can out of something. However, in this case, there was a different plan in mind.

A convoy of planes that was carrying its dismantled cargo back to Valadia was ordered to detour slightly; it passed over Tibet, identifying itself as a group of civilian unarmed cargo planes so as not to alarm the Tibetan authorities. This was, technically, true.

The planes were soon through Tibet and flying in international airspace near the Twin Capes. Without informing any flight towers of their plan, the planes suddenly crossed into Zalkatharian airspace in the general vicinity of Port Viktor. They then released their cargo - metric tons of garbage and deconstruction waste, dropped at a perfect point to catch the prevailing currents and float into the port. The planes then flew back into international airspace, convinced their riposte would be well-received. Amidst the garbage would be a small floating buoy, with the note from the fine fishermen of Port Viktor attached to it.

This post has been edited by Valadia Prime on Jun 29 2012, 12:39 AM

Palace of Eternal Glory, Vyviau

The Emperor of Valadia, arguably the most powerful head of state in all of Lavinium, was engaging in a pastime that was popular among the powerful and the lowly alike: sitting in front of a television, channel surfing.

Unlike most, however, Andellaias was not doing so for recreation. The huge flatscreen television that covered one wall of his private office was tuned to news stations. Every news channel in Lavinium, and many from outside the region, could be accessed. As Andellaias watched, with a carefully controlled expression on his face, the news shows marched by in quick succession.

A broadcast from Televisora Nacional de Tehuacan, the Tehuacano state television channel, showing President Aruquipa's reaction to a video of Valadian fishing vessels in Tehuacano waters.

A news segment from Alohria, showing a video clip from the internet of the meeting between Haravien's and Geribald's fleet, followed by an interview with Geribald angrily denouncing both Valadia and his own government for not protecting Alohrian waters.

A broadcast from the Commonwealth's NDRGroup, showing protests in Akamian and Altani coastal cities of Valadian fishermen being burned in effigy.

Another broadcast from the Commonwealth, this one showing Commonwealth naval vessels mobilizing to cordon off their waters.

A news segment from a Valadian network, showing an internet video of Greenlandic rebels blaming Valadia for the explosion that sunk a Valadian fishing vessel in Greenlandic waters.

As a broadcast from Zalkathar appeared, Andellaias stopped flicking through the channels. A news crew was in Port Viktor, where a large crowd of fishermen and locals were raging over the Osvanians' stunt. As shots of the fouled harbor and waters were displayed, the crowd could be angrily heard shouting unkind comments about Valadian ancestry and sexual preferences, and calls for a retaliatory response. A somber-looking reporter droned on, but the Emperor found he could not quite focus on what she was saying; he found himself quite perplexed.

"Who....exactly....ordered that?" Andellaias finally said. His advisors could not speak. The Emperor's voice promised pain and retribution in its soft tones.

"I believe I asked a question," the Emperor said smoothly, rising from his chair with the agility of a panther about to pounce. "Who thought that dumping tons of garbage on a Zalkatharian city was a good idea?"

Lord Maian, his eyes wide, finally stammered out a response. "I believe, your Majesty, that the IRC office in Osvanona ordered it," he said faintly.

"I see," Andellaias said softly. "The Imperial Resource Consortium is under your ministry, is it not?"

Lord Maian nodded, and prepared to offer an explanation. He found, however, that he could not do so. With movements as swift as a tiger, the Emperor had advanced on the young Trade Minister, wrapping a strong hand around his throat. Lord Maian found the hand cutting off his air to be quite the impediment to offering any further explanations. As his eyes began to bulge, the Emperor lifted him bodily into the air.

"So someone under your command found it acceptable to take such a provocative measure without my permission. I am hoping, once I let go, that you can offer an acceptable reason for such presumption. I would truly hate to have to kill you today," Andellaias said, his voice still soft. With a sudden gesture, the Emperor let go, dropping Lord Maian to the ground like a rag doll.

The sound of the Trade Minister attempting to regain his breath was the only sound in the room for several moments; no one else dared make any noise that might draw the Emperor's attention. "There was a fishing vessel that the Osvanian office of the IRC dispatched to the Sea of Catai," Lord Maian coughed out finally. "It found that the Zalkatharians had ruined a set of fishing traps, and filled them with garbage. The Osvanians....ordered some of our crews dismantling our operations on Catai to drop off their refuse at Port Viktor," he said, rubbing his neck.

"And you did not think to mention this to me until now?" Andellaias said.

"I was....going to inform you upon my arrival, but you were occupied, your Majesty," Lord Maian replied, his voice hoarse. "I did not have the chance..."

"Enough," Andellaias said abruptly, cutting the Trade Minister off. "You are useful and amusing to me, Maian, so I will allow you to live. I expect you, however, to exert some control and authority over your subordinates. Any true leader of the Imperial Order is capable of such command," the Emperor said. "You shall exert your authority by eliminating everyone in the IRC office in Osvanona. By your own hand. Perhaps this will communicate sufficiently to the Osvanians that I do not appreciate their initiative," the Emperor added dryly.

Lord Maian nodded, inwardly dreading the command he was given but knowing that it would be his own head on the line if he did not follow it.

Andelleias walked back to his chair, seating himself with a sigh. His eyes flickered with the light of the television as he resumed flipping through channels. "We may be....nearing the end of usefulness of this particular operation," he mused finally. "That damnable Senate legislation is likely to pass anyway, and we might have to begin seeking more friendly shores," the Emperor said. "Continue operations for now, but be prepared to end them quickly and withdraw our vessels should it be needed."

"What of the Zalkatharians? And the Commonwealth? They are still demanding the release of their fishermen. Should we respond?" Ithloriann asked, grinning openly with amusement at the distress Lord Maian was still suffering.

"I am sure that we will hear from both Zalkathar and the Commonwealth soon enough....not to mention the Alohrians," Andellaias said dismissively as the video of Geribald being blasted off his feet with the water cannon appeared yet again on his television. "Let them come to us. Until then, we shall do nothing more."

In the end, what would come to be known as the War for Ocean Freedom in Valadia, and by various less complimentary names in other lands (the Patriotic Repelling of Valadian Thieves in Tehuacan, and the Conflict for Protection of International Waters in the Commonwealth being just two examples,) would end not with a bang, but with a whimper. Or, more precisely, a whisper; the sound of Valadian fishing vessels quietly returning home, to clearly international waters, or to waters outside the region where the harvester fleets could operate without the pesky LTO or the Senate to annoy them.

Some would argue that the war, such as it proved to be, was a defeat for Valadia. After all, the Eternal Empire had invested millions into a large fishing fleet, only to be forced to back down by the Senate.

As the number-crunchers, pencil-pushers, paper-shufflers and other bureaucrats with the Imperial Resource Consortium totaled up the final profits, though, it would prove to be otherwise. In their missions, the fleets of the IRC had harvested a stunning 20 million tons of fish. Even after the cost of the mission was deducted from that, the sum profit to the Eternal Empire was a tidy 13 billion Imperial Crowns.

As headlines throughout the region trumpeted how the almighty Eternal Empire was forced to back down, the rulers of Valadia put on their best angry faces, shook their fists, railed and complained....while laughing all the way to the bank in private.

And contemplated their next plan.