The Black Harvest

[Porcu]

Rome is bustling again for the first time in nearly a decade. I should remember for now the streets are full to the brim with a combination of petty thieves, tourists, merchants, government officials, and gypsies. Business is booming again and after a small yet sharp decline in average wage earnings public confidence is once again creeping back up. The Senate's approval rating now quickly approaches 53%. That certainly is something to cheer about...Remember when it was hovering around 7% and some Senators had to disguise themselves as women in order to get to the Roman Forum? I still laugh even now whenever I think about that. Those were certainly crazy times...

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Outside Madrid, Spain

"Sir, anything new come in?"

"Yes...Yes, in fact we have some fresh orders right out of Madrid. You know those fascist subverters? Well, it says here that we can't be having any more of them bombings in the army bases so we've been told to...permanently solve the problem..."

"Sir?"

"These aren't pretty times Captain and you should be smart enough to know that war determines certain things for people and for nations. The Senate is taking so much heat at home for losses here on the front that they're beginning to get desperate...You have until 2300 hours or it'll be your ass..."

"And not yours, sir..."

"That's pretty much the idea, yes."

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So much needless death. That war took from me so much and literally drained me of my belief that the soverign authority of the masses would direct a nation onto the best path. That certainly could not be true given what I had seen and done in Spain during those years of expansion.

Rome had quickly looked to expand her boarders back to its original place once the nation of Sir Metz degenerated into chaos to Rome's West. A hastily drawn plan of attack was presented by several members of the Senate to the Consul and as soon as he had approved the invasion no later than four hours later the guns of Rome's armies opened up upon the towns and people.

Sure there was international appeal for an immediate ceasefire but who in their right mind was going to step directly in the SPQR's path? Economic sanctions wouldn't do jack either, Rome was still one of the world's premier economic powers and due to its already impressive expanse of territory could easily manage on its own. Three weeks was all that was needed to completely destroy any sort of organized resistance by the weak government and to occupy every piece of land from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic. The people themselves were a different story. Radical ideology quickly took hold of various local populations, some diverting their efforts to pushing out the Romans in the name of Marx. Others diverting either efforts in the name of Fascism. Others still for their own personal reasons.

Political instability had suddenly rushed into Rome, as if carried by the angry prayers of those who felt oppressed by the Roman occupiers. A slew of court cases involving some very prominent Senators, businessmen, and local officials sent the nation into a state of angry panic. Corruption, decades of it, was finally being uncovered by the courts and soon even judges of Rome's highest court were found to have taken bribes in exchange for precious and almost holy votes. As the world watched from the outside Rome quickly showed itself to be a rather old and quickly decaying corpse.

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"May the Lord have mercy upon you all!"

Silence

A sigh. "Prepare arms!"

A unison click of guns

"Present arms!"

The familiar yet unsettling sound

Silence

A sigh. "Fire!"

Blood
============================================

A few months ago the headline to The Times read "Consul facing worst approval rating of any Porcuian ruler in history, 40 Senators may face prison", here I'll read more...

"...Compared to King Massimo Maxenius II, who had an estimated approval rating of 12%, Consul Lucius Lardo's own approval rating has managed to tumble to around 4%. Already his house and summer villa in Palermo have both been bombed by unknown suspects, more likely however is that the police simply will not arrest the men responsible. And who can blame them? Although Lardo's trial is still ongoing it is believed he facilitated over 400 bribes of various government officials of all levels, including justices of the Supreme Court.

'Let Him Hang!' and 'Down With The Senate!' read some signs from yesterday's protest in Rome's southern district. Already several political parties including the old Fascist party have tried to mount a comeback but it is doubtful that any sort of organization shall exist clear into next year when the next elections are..."

You think that's bad? Let me see if I can find an article I saved from The Republican...

[Porcu]

Ah! Here it is..."Radicalism on the rise, Fascists take to street with four dead." I'll read a small excerpt...

"According to a new study done by the University of Florence it was found that nearly 38% of all individuals interviewed expressed concerns and ideological beliefs following the Fascist line of thought. Many sited the poor economic conditions of the present time for being the biggest factor in their choice to follow new leadership. The Lira, once one of Hyrule's strongest currencies, has now been rendered almost worthless. It now takes approximately a million Lira to purchase a newspaper or similarly it takes 12 million Lira to purchase a loaf of bread.

Much like bread and circuses ran Rome and kept the population happy same with today's Rome, except without the bread or circuses. Massive food riots have broken out in the streets in all the largest cities: Milan, Turin, Florence, Venice, Naples, Palermo, etc. Stability hangs on a thread throughout the entire country, most protests and massive demonstrations being brutally suppressed by the Senate's police force in one city only for another one to flare up all the way on the other side on the country..."

They were absolutely right. Those months of absolute confusion were hell on earth and I for one was unsure if I would be strong enough to survive. I remember having to live on the streets of Genoa because my military pension was no longer enough to cover my small apartment's rate. With my parents having died years before and with no siblings to turn to I simply had no other alternative at the time. I regret keeping my military uniform. True, it kept me very warm at night and quickly became my most prized possession but because of it I was usually the subject of violent retaliation by the unemployed or simply disgruntled. That uniform was both a blessing and a curse, keeping my hopes alive as I somehow managed through those dark winter nights but also acted as a beacon for violence, its insignia providing the fuel for the anger and hatred.

It was one of those winter nights that I eventually managed to stumble upon a Fascist part meeting in a pub. I had just fallen asleep on the steps of an apartment complex, it providing the only legitimate protection against the raging winds, when a group of drunken adolescents came upon my sorry ass. Unsure at first if I was alive or dead they took bets before someone was courageous enough to come close and poke me a few times on the shoulder.

Wishing to have some fun with the bastards I slowly turned around and showed myself. A few of the adolescents started laughing and swearing but all that stopped as I put on a performance like I had never done before.

"That's pretty funny isn't it?" I asked slowly rising to my feet.

Continued laughing with an occasional nod.

"Well I don't think your parents will find it funny when they have to come down to the station to pick up your sorry asses!" I bellowed, grabbing the first kid I could reach and drawing him close. "You see this uniform! You don't fuck with this uniform!"

I did my best to contain my laughter as the other adolescents scattered like geese before an oncoming attacker and all the while I held on to this one kid. Eventually I let him go but not before I thought I smelled a most unsavory smell. Although I've never been able to verify it I do believe that the young lad had spoiled himself during the whole debacle.

Having noticed the commotion from a far two men had ascended the stairs leading to an underground bar and calmly walked over to me.

"You aren't really Senate police are you?" one asked wishing to get a gaze at my uniform before I resumed my sleeping position.

"Haha! No, no...Army..." I responded wishing for the men to leave me sleep in peace.

"Hey it's freezing out here...Join us for a drink."

"How the fuck you boys have money to drink?"

"We don't...We're part of the reorganized Fascist Party and a meeting is being held right now. The owner fancies we're really the only shot Porcu has left of salvaging anything from this mess..."

I simply laughed out loud, something I probably shouldn't have done considering that the laughter quickly divulged into a coughing fit. I reluctantly picked myself up and made my way across the street only to wonder if the effort needed to descend down the stairs was worth it...

[Canton Rouge]

Paris

"President Dentonnine? Here is your news update on the world," an aide said to the president. He nodded and looked over what the papers had said. The first thing that caught his attention was the situation in the nearby Roman Republic. Apparently, a crisis was erupting in the nation, with widespread violence and rioting occurring throughout the nation, which worried the president, because it could potentially send the western European region into an influx or chaos.

Naturally, President Dentonnine was going to keep an eye on the situation. There was no need for this to spread into Canton Rouge...

OOC: I hope you're alright with this, Porcu. Mainly, my nation will just be observing this from aside, and not get involved in your affairs.

[Dark Archon]

ooc: I hope you don't mind me joining in Porcu.

Emperor Charles Lucian was sitting at his desk when his aide came to him.

"Mein Emperor? It seems that the Roman Republic is falling from violence and food riots. The Fascist Party there seems to be gaining members there."

Emperor Charles Lucian thought for a moment.
"Neo Porcu Fascists? Ah, I see. We shall see where this goes my friend. If the fascists gain power in the Roman Republic, then we shall ally ourselves with them if they would like it. It would be beneficial for them to align themselves with the Reich. Though in our true name, we are known as the Imperials. Samsen, provide the facist party with some supplies of M-16s and MP-5s if they would take it."

"Yes sire."

[Canton Rouge]

Rome

"Audio Log Entry Number Five. The situation here in Rome continues to spiral downhill each and every day as prices increase and people can't cope with the inflation. Everywhere you look, you can see citizens riot over this and asking for a solution. Conversely, you also see the police force of the Senate put down these riots, much to the disgust of the population."

"And yet, the world refuses to do anything to help out. Even my country of Canton Rouge won't send in aid or soldiers to calm down this mess. Apparently, they don't see the justification of interfering with something that is only a Roman problem. For a man who's been assigned to cover this for his government and report back, nobody seems to be doing anything."

"I'm not sure how much longer the situation can go on before Rome descends into anarchy. But for now, I continue my reports, send them back to Canton Rogue, and wait for the moment that I must get out before I become another statistic in this crisis. Erik Velter."

Erik shut off the recorder and looked outside of the abandoned apartment he had took shelter in to see once more, another riot starting up over the increasing food prices. In this situation, as soon as you got money, you basically had to spend it before prices increased further, and it felt like because prices were rising too fast, nobody could afford anything, thus making the populace angry. To Erik, it was a loose powder keg that would soon erupt, but the question was when it would...

[Dark Archon]

Captain Manifred Schoven looked at his computer readout. If he could move his forces south into the Northern Provinces of the Roman Republic then his team could begin to supply and help the Facist Freedom Fighters. He motioned for his team to move forward and begin looking for any hostile targets.

[Robengrad]

The crowd ran forward to the gates again, roaring in defiance of the threats shouted by the members of 3 Para behind them. The British Embassy had been attacked the night before as well, the hungry Romans aware of the foodstocks held there had decided to try and take it for themselves.

Colonel Andrews marshalled his men, readying them should they break through tonight. The ambassador had been airlifted back to Gibraltar and the important documents burnt. It was a sad state of affairs, the longest standing alliance in Hyrule seemed to be falling apart. The crowd was mad with hunger.

Andrews knew he was in a horrible situation, he couldnt open fire to defend what was technicaly British soil until they had actually violated it, or shot at one of his men. Even then it would most likely be a slaughter, civilians attacking professional soldiers traditionally never ends well for the civies.

For one second Andrews thought he saw a gun in the crowd, "Men stand ready!!" he shouted, "Follow the articles of war; if they open fire or step onto our soil you know what to do."

"Sir yes sir!" came the reply, followed by the clicking of the safety's on 22 SA-80a's.

As the crowd ran on a shot rang out, ricocheting off of the embassy. The response was immediate. 16 men in the crowd fell to the first salvo, and the crowds roar changed from one of anger to fear. While most of the crowd turned and ran 50 men continued on, guns raised.

10 minutes later and the firefight was over. 62 Romans lay dead, while 2 of the Paras had been killed.

The 'Special Relationship' was now facing its sternest test since the Robengrad - Porcu conflict in the days of the HTO.........

[Canton Rouge]

Rome

"Audio Log Entry Seven. Desperation has come over the Romans when they attacked the British Embassy earlier today. It only shows that pandemonium and anger has overtaken the Romans, with no end in sight."

"Because of this, any remaining embassies have already evacuated their personnel, taking whatever they can with them. Luckily, our embassy was already cleared out before the crisis got to this level, but it only shows that Romans will do whatever they can to survive."

"This may very well be my last entry. It has gotten so bad here that I must leave before it gets even worse. Erik Velter."

Erik then began packing up what little there was in his apartment, as he did not want to leave behind anything for the fascists to find out. Afterwards, he began walking towards Leonardo da Vinci International. He hoped no one was following him...

[Dark Archon]

Rome

Ivan Kregorich walked in the streets and watched the masses of Roman peoples struggling with the Brits. He then walked into a small shop and greeted the man. After speaking the password he was brought back into the stockroom where he met a man only known as Mario Antowine.

"Hey Mario, what's happening?" Ivan asked, trying to sound as Roman as possible. It didn't work. Ivan, his native country of Sorboldistan prevented it.

"Nothing, Ivan, just a bunch of fools trying to break into my shop. Think we have food or somethin', it's pathetic."

Ivan smiled. "Yeah Mario, they just got done trying to attack the British embassy, like they would've gave some food to the masses. You can't trust those capitalists, you know?"

It was then that Mario looked at Ivan and stared into his cold eyes. "You had something to do with that riot huh?"

Ivan smiled broader. "Of course I did. Though I am a communist and hope for a communist Porcu, I can't miss a chance to cause some ruckus in another country. Our men are working with the PSC to destroy the free nations from within. Soon the world will only be Communist. The Red Terror has yet to begin."

[Porcu]

OOC: I really like where this is going...Keep it up everyone but let me catch up a bit with the smaller plots going on...It'll take more than one post...

IC:

I entered the pub, grateful that the winds outside couldn't penetrate the underground refuge I was entering, and slowly was set off to the side. A very heated discussion was underway when I entered the pub, although sometime passed before I was able to completely piece together the entire argument. The two chaps who had helped me off the streets were kind enough to grab me a half liter of beer, which I enthusiastically gulped down in a matter of seconds.

"Thank you...What do I call you two?"

"I'm Louis" responded the older gentleman "and this is Massimo. We were also in the Army, you know? Artillery, if you can believe it, but that was almost fifteen years ago..."

"Well, I'll remember you two and should I ever be able to drinks will be on me..." I said with a slight chuckle.

All the while the debate raged on between the two men at the front of the bar; one declaring that he was best able to carry on the Fascists, while the other stated he was the best. Best as I could tell the argument had been carrying on for sometime for nearly half the men in the bar were already drunk and the rest were close. The two men's arguments were so stupid and self-centered; one argued that his combat experience would be more useful for guerrilla warfare, the other declaring that his negotiating abilities would assist in bringing in allies when the time came to take power.

"You could drag along a pack of rats if you managed to wave a fresh pack of ribs in front of them!" shouted one, characterized by his large brown mustache and beard.

"Compared to your ability to hide as badly as a elephant in an empty room I'll take my chances with that pack of ribs..." retorted the other, his small round glasses nearly falling off his face as he shouted back.

Suddenly both men were caught off guard by the laughter of someone towards the back of the pub, my laughs. My laughter quickly divulged into another coughing fit and although I was asked to identify myself I couldn't at the present moment. However, once over with I slowly stood and identified myself.

"Captain Lucius Archimedes"

"What the fuck are you laughing for? This is a very serious matter we are discussing here and besides you are not one of the Fascist Party officers, so what are you even doing here?"

"I was generously helped off the street by two gentlemen and I really don't like your attitude so I ask you to lower your voice, there's no need to shout..."

The bearded man gave a look around to the other men present, most astonished that I would dare speak to him that way. Giving me a death stare he said he would only say this once: "Leave."

I simply stood in place. Unlike many of the other men present I had developed quite the tolerance to alcohol during the days on the street where booze was about the only thing one could regularly find in the trash bins of restaurants and rich people. The bearded gentleman hopped down from his seat at the counter and made his way over to me, shoving aside several Fascist Party officers in the process. Standing before me he whispered so that only I would hear,

"You've just made a very big mistake my friend...You've just given me permission to kick your sorry ass out of here..."

"How good are your reflexes?" I responded.

Without a seconds delay I laid two quick jabs to the man's man before punching him in the abdomen. Keeled over, I raised my knee to his face, crushing his nose, and then laid one final push to his already bloodied face, knocking him squarely on the ground. A collective gasp rose from the men in the pub, even during this harsh times such utter domination was hard to find, and in a matter of seconds I had gained the thing that both the bumbling, arguing idiots had tried to get for hours: respect. It was clear to me that the only reason those men were arguing for power was that they were feared, not respected, by the other officers and probably not by the foot soldiers. Making my way to the front of the pub I confronted the other gentleman, who took a moment to fix his glasses which I now took notice were way to large for him.

"So you think you have good negotiating skills?"

A nod.

"Can you speak French? Dutch? German? English?"

A collective shake of the head.

"Then what makes you think you can impress foreign governments into supporting our cause, of which I don't think we even need help?"

A silence.

It seemed as if the problem of who would take over leadership of the Fascist Party had finally been settled.
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"Move out of the way! MOVE!"

The screeching of tires gave way to more gunfire and fresh blood as Colonel Francois Batist of the Senate's Revolutionary Guard made his way to the front of the British Embassy. The rest of the Roman mob had either been surrounded and forced into detention or shot dead.

Colonel Batist's uniform was a seemingly comforting sight, finally someone the British could turn to for help at this point in time.

"Who is in charge here!? I demand an explanation to recent events on behalf of the Senate and People of Rome!"