The North PacificBoard

14 men sat around a long, oval table. At the head, sat President D. Khoroshev smoking a cigarette with his feet on the table. His face was completely covered by a shadow, but he spoke in a powerful voice. It was an enormous room, with a second floor where hundreds of aristocrats watched with anticipation. The 14 men seemed very nervous to be around Khoroshev, some sweating out of fear. A single servant walked into the room, giving what appeared to be a martini with vodka to the man. Only quiet chatter among the audience could be heard, but the 14 men completely silent.

"As many of you may know, the Empire of Friently has.." President D. Khoroshev paused, leaning back and blowing cigarette smoke out of his mouth. "..has declared war on the Paradise de Capitalism. As a result, Troyskova has been drawn into a war with the most powerful nation in the world."

The entire hall, even audience, fell completely silent. Khoroshev had coughed, a sign of his long habit of smoking. He took a long sip out of his martini, enjoying the drink's coolness in his mouth. Weary reporters had been recording the entire meeting, tired, as it was nearly 9:32 PM in the evening. Khoroshev put his feet down from the table and looked around the room. It had been nearly 37 seconds since he had last spoken. A tension spread through the room like an electric current through a wire.

"I believe.. we must reach a conclusion with this conflict. It is clear that the Armenian Isles have plans of invading the land as well as the empire." Khoroshev said in a broad voice, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "Troyskova cannot leave this conflict as easily anymore, as we are associated with the capitalist side."

"We have to APPEAL to the nations involved, we have to leave this conflict. Imagine the losses, Mister President!" Artim Olegovich, the Foreign Relations Secretary, yelled out, interrupting Nakura Ambuke.

"This is AN opportunity! Troyskova could finally prove its standing as a real nation.. Sure, the war would be.." Shundlu Mortavich, the Security Counseler had replied, once again interrupting Nakura Ambuke. "expensive but it could.. help us!"

Khoroshev had grown tired, as hours of debate took place. His head was hurting and he finally finished his martini. He was about to light a cigarette when Nakura Ambuke, who was sitting near him, advised him not to. The hundreds of aristocrats on the second floor had grown bored, while some watching with amazement. Nakura Ambuke had beckoned the President to let her speak, but he denied her. After a while, however, he gave in.

"Quiet. Let Nakura Ambuke speak." President Khoroshev said, looking at her straight in the eyes and hissing. "This better be good, Ambuke."

"I believe that our best move would be to.. do something unexpected." She said, while standing up from her seat, projecting her voice, "What if Troyskova joined the invasion of Paradise with the Armenian Isles and the empire? It seems bizarre, however we would be able to appeal our actions. I have studied the 352 page deal that was signed to construct the naval base and nowhere does it say that we are required to defend the pathetic excuse of a nation. You have been doing so because you want to secure the naval base, however what if we occupied the entire city? I believe it would work, as thousands of troops are headed through the deserts south of the Sawtooth Badlands to defend the nation from invasion."

Right after she sat down, chaos ensued. The table had turned into yelling and with people trying to disprove her idea, calling her a "maniac." Khoroshev nodded at her with content, Ambuke sitting with a broad expression on her face. As the yelling continued, Khoroshev had grown tired. Out of a fit of anger, he slammed his fist on the table. The entire room grew silent.

"I believe that Nakura Ambuke has a point; we are not required to defend the nation. It is our choice to join or leave this conflict, however I believe invasion would be a smart move in this situation. We would be able to contribute to the cause, which is to end the communist genocide, and we could possibly gain land out of it," President D. Khoroshev continued. "The logistics team will discuss this." Applause came from the audience, with the table filled with unhappy faces. Khoroshev looked at Nakura Ambuke with a look of satisfaction.