Riots in Centralis

[GeneralTacticus]

[Live from ABC offices in Terribi, ABC Anchor Rick Baxton]

...Breaking news tonight: most of the major cities of Centralis were rocked today by rioters protesting against rising inflation and excessive tax rates. According to police soruces, the ritos began as peaceful rallies demanding a comprehensive reform of the welfare state and taxation structures, but rapidly turned violent as frustration boiled over among members of the growing class of the poor and unemployed, driving them to attack shops and the homes of wealthier citizens. Police eventually dispersed the rioters at around 7:00 PM with tear gas and water cannons, but many of the groups involved have vowed to return by tommorow and continue the demonstrations.

More news as the situation develops.

[Archaic]

[Live from ABC offices in Terribi, ABC Anchor Rick Baxton]

In relation to the previous story, Alecrast today has announced its intention to finally establish the long planned undersea colonies in reaction to the rapidly growing problems in both population and food. With the first of these colonies to be partly corporate owned by Alecrast's two remaining agriculture firms, being built around existing deep sea seaweed farms owned by the two corperations, these colonies are expected to be not only self sufficient in food production, but primary producers for the food needs of the Alecrast mainland, this having been made possible thanks to developments in hydroponic technology pioneered by the two firms in recent months. Faced with this potential of losing significant marketshare in the Alecrast produce market, shares in several Centralis firms listed locally on the Alecrast stockmarket fell dramatically overnight, and there have been rumours of potential large scale layoffs should this scenario eventuate.

[Mr. President]

[Live from the Voice of the West satellite news channel, an ABC affiliate]

Dakmoristan, which had currently been comparatively unaffected by the economic problems in other Treaty of Fonseca nations, notably the violence in Centralis and Karakas' still-struggling private sector, has been pinpointed by analysts as the next likely nation to feel the pinch.

The Senate today approved a controversial law that would allow the government to monitor and censure internet activity designated illegal by the Department of Internal Security. Hailed as a major step in the struggle against terrorism, civil libertarians have condemned the move.

The Information Technology industry is likely to suffer, as Dakmoristan's major high-tech output is in internet hardware and software, and its e-commerce sector had been the largest in the West. Already, several small firms have been closed under the Internal Security Act for what a government source called "suspicious transactions", including the sale of large amounts of fertilizer, blasting caps, and military surplus items. Representatives of the firms, most of whose staff are now in prison, insist that the sales were to legitimate business interests.

The region will be paying attention, to see what long-term effects will surface.

[GeneralTacticus]

[Live from ABC offices in Terribi, ABC Anchor Rick Baxton]

"Tensions continue to build in Centralis as mass rioting enters it's second day. Share values in many companies affected by the unrest have dropped markedly, and the international currency markets are acting extremely jittery.

"Anyway, in an effort to help citizens around the region understand the mounting crisis, we contacted political analyst Nelson Linneman, from the University of Centralis, who graciously agreed to appear tonight for an interview."

*The screen splits to show Baxton standing in front of a giant ABC logo and Professor Linneman sitting at a desk in his office*

Baxton: Good Evening Professor Linneman. It's a pleasure to finally talk to you.

Linneman: And the same to you, Mr. Baxton.

B: So, Mr. Linneman, can you give me your assessment of these current unstable conditions in Centralis? What do you think is the main factor behind all of this?

L: Undoubtedly the most fundamental cause of all this is poverty. For many years, the combination of economic policies followed in Centralis have resulted in the impoverishment of a large and growing sector of the Centralian population. What we're seeing now is the result of the final exhaustion of patience among that sector.

B: Which economic policies would these be exactly? To my knowledge, Centralis had been implimenting policies very similar to the other Marmo block nations, and we've yet to see in recent times any similar widespread poverty situation in those nations.

L: Well, there's the insanely high income tax rates - over 60%, when last I checked - which hasn't done a great deal for the poor, the recent high inflation rates, which have priced many essential goods out of the reach of the poorest citizens, and the steady decline in the quality of government services. The other Marmo bloc nations have avoided similar situations through far lower tax rates, better and cheaper government and private services, and price subsidies for the poor on many essential goods.

B: Wouldn't those high tax rates however allow the government to provide more in the way of social security and other wage replacement schemes? I'm no economist, though I'm assured by our financial editor that it's preferable to not have such a large publically run and funded "social security net" if at all possible, but it'd certainly be better than this situation, wouldn't it?

L: Well, yes, you'd think so - however, as I said, the quality of government-provided services has been in steady decline for quite a while now, and a lot of the tax money that's collected just goes to pay the bureaucrats who collect and spend it, rather being usefully employed. In addition, most of the government services which actually do their jobs properly are located in the richer areas, rather than the poorer ones.

B: Ahhh, I think I understand now. So why is the government such a bureaucracy? Not that Alecrast's government itself hasn't come under fire for its steadily increasingly sized government, but what's prompted Centralis' to blow out so much?

L: I have to say, I don't really know. Centralis has always had a very large government in comparison to many of it's neighbours, but recently it's gotten completely out of control. There have been some efforts to streamline things, but they have been unable to halt the gradual increase in government size.

B: Why do you think those efforts failed?

L: They just didn't go far enough.

B: I see. So then....what do you think needs to be done about this whole situation? Is there any "quick fix" to it?

L: I doubt it. What is needed is a very comprehensive reform program, including measures to massively downsize government bureacracy, lower taxes, cut down on inflation, and provide employment to those without work (thus reducing the need for social security), but no elected government would ever dare to do so until the country was on the verge of collapse, because the political fallout would be astronomical.

B:I can only imagine. Though, one would have to wonder if the country was already on that verge at this very moment.

L: If the rioting continues for too long, then yes, the country is going to slide into anarchy... but whether or not the government and it's supporters are going to recognize that remains to be seen.

B: I'm sure they wouldn't be given much of an opportunity to not recognise it, all things considered. Afterall, if this continues for any longer, I'm sure the Marmo and Fonseca nations would start to get rather worried and place their own pressure on the government.

L: Indeed they will, and I certainly hope they listen before it's too late.

B: We can only hope. Well, my producer is frantically waving his arms to signal that we're out of time, so I'm afraid we're going to have to leave it there for tonight Professor. Would you mind overmuch if we continued this conversation over the next few nights, as the situation develops? It's rare that we're able to talk to someone who can give us so much insight into the complex issues surrounding events like these.

L: Certainly. It's been a pleasure talking with you, Mr. Baxton.

B: And with you Professor Linneman.

"Well, that concludes our report on the situation in Centralis. Next, the financial report..."

[GeneralTacticus]

[Live from ABC offices in Terribi, ABC Anchor Rick Baxton]

"With the mass riots in Centralis now into their fourth day, a new element has been introduced into the crisis with the Communist Party of Centralis proclaiming a 'general uprising' and calling upon 'all loyal workers' to rise up and overthrow capitalism, the 'corrupt and exploitative system of Alecrastian rule'.

"As far as other news on the Centralis crisis goes - shops and homes continue to be burned and looted, and police appear unable to put a halt to the violence, but that's no longer new. Anyway, over to Professor Linneman. Professor, do you have anything you'd like to say about these new developments?"

"Well, Rick, I have to say, I find the CPC's blustering really rather amusing, actually - they appear to employ the same speech-writers as the Sheepstans, as they've been claiming for the past decade or so that they're the largest political party in Centralis, with over 70 million members, and their latest statement claims that this has risen to over 100 million - this in spite of the fact that independent censi have suggested that 5 million members would be a rather high estimate, and that their membership has actually dropped] recently.

So, anyway, just to sum all that up: I'm not especially worried about the communists. They may be able to stir up further trouble through terrorism, but given conditions in Centralis right now, that's the least of everyone's worries."

"Okay, Professor Linneman, thanks for that. Anything else you'd like to add?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, on a rather less positive note. I'm getting increasingly worried about the continuation of these riots - they're growing by the day, they're getting ever more violent, and the government does not appear to have made any real policy changes since this all blew up to try to resolve matters. If they can't find a way to let off the pressure soon, the country is going to explode."

"A sobering thought, to say the least. Anyway, once again, I'm afraid we've exhausted our timeslot, but we'll be calling you tommorow night for further analyses..."

[GeneralTacticus]

"...calling you tommorow night for further..."

*click*

"Hah. Let them think that. They'll be getting a rude shock over the next few days..."

There was some chuckling around the darkened room, which swiftly fell silent as the figure seated at the end of the table leaned forward.

"I presume we are ready to give them that shock? We've tried before, and failed dismally..."

"Yes, Comrade Chairman. Previously we'd been depending on a popular uprising to assist us, but although that would be helpful, our new plan doesn't require that. All we need is a small core of loyal warriors and some guns, and we have both."

"Good, good... and have we had any success obtaining foreign help?"

"Not much so far, although the Democratic Republic of Upper Arandia expressed some interest, as did the People's Republic of Marxist Chimerica. We may be able to acquire some extra weapons and cash from them, though they haven't got a great deal to give."

"And the Mt. Gravatt nations?"

"Not a word from them. We sent them another message a little while ago, requesting an answer; here it is..."

Comrade Althani passed a slip of paper down to the Chairman. It read:

To our dear comrades in Sheepsta,

A few days ago we sent you the following mesage:

"To our dear comrades in Sheepsta,

You have probably heard about the recent disturbances in our country. We have long been predicting a crisis such as this, and it is gratifying to be proven correct, but if we are to take advantage of events to free our country from the capitalist yoke, we need help. We have a plan already worked out; all we need is some money (preferably in common international currency, like menelmacari credits) to grease the wheels, and arms to help us fight.

Signed, the Communist Party of Centralis"

We are still awaiting a response. Time is critical, as the crisis cannot be expected to drag on forever and we need to act before circumstances change.

Sincerely, the Communist Party of Centralis

The Chairman read it, then nodded.

"That seems satisfactory. Now all we have to do is wait..."

[Mr. President]

The man in the blue suit tossed a photograph on to the General's desk.

"And this would be who?"

"That would be," the man in the blue suit replied, "a Communist Party of Centralis agent. An ambassador, if you like. He's been sighted across the region in the last year, from Karakas to Kyren to the Outer Islands. Centralis intelligence requested an all points bulletin after he was implicated in planned attacks on Centralian marines and diplomats in Elethar."

"Yes, I remember," said the General. "He fell out of sight for a while. What happened to him?" he asked, picking up the photograph.

"This happened to him, sir," the man in the blue suit said. "Recognize the man behind the desk?"

The General recognized him. It was the Chancellor of the State of Damcyan, one of the Incorporated States of Greater Silvera, Dakmoristan's neighbor. Relations between the two went up and down. Right now, they were down.

The man in the blue suit leaned on the General's desk. "We have to release this picture, sir," he said vehemently. "Print it in the newspapers."

Idealism of youth, thought the General. "If we print it," he said quietly, "the best we can hope for is a diplomatic crisis. The radicals in Silvera could provoke something even worse." It was an open secret that at least two and possibly all five of the members of Silvera's ruling council were sympathizers of the Aerathi Unification Party, a political group that advocated Silvera's annexation of the historical lands of Aerath . . . two-thirds of which were held by Dakmoristan.

In fact, the current dispute had been in some sense precipitated by the AUP, as they had drummed up outrage in Silvera over Dakmoristani plans to build a new hydroelectric power plant in the Mountains of the Moon. It would involve diverting one of the tributaries of Silvera's largest river.

"Besides," the General continued, "this proves nothing. So they met. So what? This ambassador met with Kyren parliamentarians, too. But I'll grant, it makes sense in the context of the river dispute . . ."

Silence fell over the office. Then the General said, "The Praetor needs to know. We have to wait, for now, but we're ready to take action if anything happens."

The man in the blue suit nodded, turning to leave. "One more thing."

"Yes, General?"

"Call the Fire Island checkpoint," said the General. "Tell them to search every car entering the country from Acre."

[GeneralTacticus]

/me is glad he doesn't believe in God.

[GeneralTacticus]

Arevalo Arrayende, President of the Republic of Centralis for close to seventeen years, now, sat in his office watching the rest of the Executive Council filing in and, for the umpteenth time over the past week, wished he could be someone else. When the Council members finished filing in and sat down, they sat in silence for a few minutes, staring blankly into space. This was the second meeting in as many hours and few in the room had got more than a few hours sleep over the past four days.

Eventually someone mustered enough energy to do something, and Angelique Hollmann, Minsiter for Defence, opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, everyone, I assume you've all seen the altest reports, so I won't bore you with a detailed recital. Suffice to say that the riots aren't dying down as we hoped, but intensifying; that the stock market has lost 41% of it's pre-crisis value; that the currency has slid 38%; and that the police remain unable to halt the violence. In this situation, I really don't see what more can be done while remaining within the bounds of the law."

As she said this, Hollmann continued staring fixedly at the table, speaking in a low monotone; when she finished, there was silence once again.

Finally, after at least five minutes of dead silence, Minister for Internal Affairs Domingo Sebron raised his head and wet his lips.

"I think the key word there, Minister is within the bounds of the law. If we don't take some kind of action, the country is going to come apart at the seams. Under the circumstances, can we really afford to be too limited in the methods we use?"

No-one disagreed, although there were a few frowns, so he went on.

"What choice have we? Something has to be done. If we're to save this country from destruction, we need to pull out all the stops. The Executive Council has it within it's power to issue emergency orders for the use of miltiary force - and it's high time we did. Send the army into the streets. Authorize the police to use live ammunition. Do this and the riots will be over by sunset."

There was silence once again while the room digested this. It was Arrayende who replied.

"As much as I don't want to, I have to agree with you, Minister. Something does have to be done, and as Minister Hollmann said, we've exhausted all our current options.

"If the rioters aren't dispersed by sunset, I motion that we do as Sebron has suggested. Anyone disagree?"

No-one did, a few shaking their heads, the rest just starting numbly into space.

"All right, then. Sebron, Hollmann, inform your respective departments of this order. Everyone, we really need to get some sleep, or we'll never get through this. The deadline for the use of force expires in eight hours, and I want us all using those to recuperate a bit. The reports can wait."

Again there was a pause as the message permeated fatigue-fogged brains; then, one by one, the Council stood and filed out again, leaving Arrayende alone with his own exhaustion and his fear.

'Have I just authorized murder against my own people?' he wondered, as his eyes drifted shut. But he never got an answer to that question, because seconds later, his eyes closed of their own accord and he fell into darkness.

[Squeblish Nef?]

The Assimilation Corp Administrative Board officially condemns the pinko creeps opposing our magnificent neighbour, Centralis.
We therefore pledge to you 1,000 highly trained, heavily armed psychopaths.
Go gettem, boy! We're counting on you!

[GeneralTacticus]

...we'll be generous and ignore that comment, in the interests of global peace.

- President Arrayende

[Squeblish Nef?]

[High Prince Aftanun raises an eyebrow.]
"The man's just as bad as those commies! Are you sure we want him in power?"
[Head Warlord of Gnollheim, Aethnorl Firebelly scratches his scarred chest.]
"Look, kid, I'm in charge of this stuff. Your father said so, which means it's for your own good. Arrayende stays, and that's final!"
"Whatever."
[Aftanun pours himself another glass, leans back and sighs.]

[Archaic]

A heated debate in the grand council chamber, raging between the Monarch and his ministers, is broken by the arrival of a man, or woman, it's hard to tell, clad in black from head to toe, dropping directly down from the beams in the majestic hall almost twenty metres up, landing on the large rectangular oak table in a kneeling position, directly in front of Alecrast's Monarch for the past 18 years, Mukashi Archaic of Flaim.

"My liege, a report from your man in Centralis's central council."

"It's about time. The message?"

"Within hours sire, Centralis plans to introduce martial law."

The Monarch sighs, as do several others on the council, with the room turning into a sea of frowns as they digest the news. Nelson Wetherington, the Minister for Defence, is the first to speak.

"Well...so it turns into another Bulbagarden, or Chimerica. What's the problem with that? We decry the loss of political rights, and cease our protests when those libertarians in the Centralis government keep on giving everyone the person freedoms they've always had."

"I hardly consider shooting upon rioting citizens to be giving people personal freedoms Minister, especially when those citizens seem to have some legitimate grievances. We cannot allow Centralis to remain in such a situation for long. We need a strong, and democratic ally."

"Then we send over some peacekeepers and monitors, and start putting pressure on the Centralis government. We promise to allow meat eating again now that there's no more contamination worries, and give them preferential access to our markets for meat, and they'll fall at our feet to do anything we need of them. Aren't I right Genji?"

"Perhaps", spoke up the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "It's true that Centralis's economy depends greatly on agriculture trade with Alecrast. If we can give them a guarentee that our economy would open more to their imports, and that the hydroponic stations wouldn't destroy Centralis jobs like many fear, then they would certainly be most thankful."

"I don't feel comfortable practically bribing them gentlemen."

"But wouldn't it be better than the alternative sire?"

".....I have to concede that." The monarch looked up at the Yokuza member still kneeling in front of him. "Send a formal envoy over to them to talk to the government in person."

"Hai!"

"And...make sure he's accompanied by an honour guard. And by a small group of hangers on. Equip them all with anti terrorist gear. I don't want anyone dying if we get caught up in what's brewing over there."

With a final "Hai!", the Yokuza jumped up into the rafters, and vanished.

"Nelson, send some of the Knights of Flaim to guard the link tunnels. Including the secret ones. We can't risk them being severed."

"You think it's that bad sir?"

"I hope not old friend....I hope not...."

[Jack_www]

Meanwhile in the Presidential Palace in the captial of Jackson the President meat with his top advisors.

National Security Advisor was first to speak, "Mr. President the situation in Centrails is quickly turing to the worse every day. I fear we may face a communist take over of that country. I also might remind you that they are not far from Jackson and poscess and formible army. The government now though is going to start cracking down on the roiters, but it may make things worse and give the communist rebels more support in the end of it."

The President spoke, " We can no longer let communism speard to country after country in Apolyton. Our eneimies may use this as a way to weaken our region and we may soon be surrounded by hostile nations soon. Any plans on trying to stop the communist rebels in Centrails?"

The head of the Joint Cheifs of Staff answered, "One major action we can take to help Centrails government is to impose a blockade of Sheepsta. We have intelligence indicating that they are trying to get Sheepsta to support their rebellion and supply them with arms and money. Cutting off that soruce of support would be a major blow to the communist. We may also consider moving a carrier battle group into the region and ask if the Centrails government needs support in any way, and we do have forces that we can send in on the ground to help fight the rebels, if they agree and you can get the public to support that move."

The President spoke, " I thnk that ia a good plan, send our two nearest battle groups to Centrail's waters, and I want a blockade of Sheepstan waters to be done as soon as possible. You have athority to use what ever forces you need in the operation. I will also ask the Centrail goverment what support they are willing to accept to put down the communist rebellion."

--------------------------------------------------------------

To Centrail:
From the United States of Jackson:
We would offer any support your nation needs to rebuild you country and stop the massive riots and rebellions that are spreading in your country. THe USJ is behind your government and is commited to stop the spread of communism in APolyton.

[Urban Ranger]

The Dominion of Noosland calls on the rioters in Centralis to go home peacefully, and the leaders of the movement to start a dialogue with the government. Noosland is ready to send in peacekeepers to restore order to the large cities.