The North PacificBoard

“Our resources are stretched very thinly, Admiral. Jenovah— the commonwealth. It’s all crashing down, unraveling like a knot, Hertzog. I need this to work” Madame Nolwazi answered with a cold tone, impatiently tapping her foot and carefully examining the map. Lydennekal had declared itself an autonomous state (or “free state”, as they are known) months prior to the operation, essentially breaking away from Jenovah in all but name. Madame Nolwazi was the unrivaled leader of this new state; her party winning major victories across the colony on the local and state level in elections, referendums and polls. A strongman leader who was influential with the speeches that she gave during rallies, Madame Nolwazi took control of the military of Lydennekal with popular support and greatly reduced the power and influence of the Mainland in the colony within a span of two months; the Mainland had recognized her reign over Lydennekal as legitimate, backing down from a possible armed conflict when the use of nukes was threatened by both parties. A difficult political situation soon formed in Jenovah, as the issue of two systems and one nation became prevalent with the rise of Madame Nolwazi.

Johan N. Hertzog slowly nodded at the comment, placing his finger on the map and explaining: “The VOC Lebokal aircraft carrier is being escorted by two destroyers and a single cruiser with an attack submarine and supply vessel following closely in formation. A squadron of fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft is flying overhead, keeping a tight bubble around the fleet. It will be a difficult and costly assault as our supply lines are long and run through turbulent waters— might as well call it a suicide, with all due respect. SYBIL was shut down, Madame Nolwazi. It’s as if we are entering this blind. All of our intelligence assets have been crippled beyond further use.”

“Is invasion of the Mainland a possibility at this time?” A voice at the table said, raising their hand above their head as they spoke. Ludvig Adelsköld was his name and he was the senior advisor to Madame Nolwazi; an intelligent man who had served as the campaign manager for her election and has worked with her administration ever since it was established. Ludwig has been present in the political career of Madame Nolwazi for a very long time, dating back to when they were rivals in the local government of a neighborhood in Belport. He was wearing a simple, collared shirt with a pen sticking out from the pocket. His brown hair had several streaks of gray scattered throughout, much like the color of his eyes. Johan N. Hertzog twisted around to face Ludwig with a look of outrage and bewilderment, slamming his fist down on the oval table. Madame Nolwazi gracefully gestured at Johan to quiet down, slowly making her way to Adelsköld’s side; she faced a crooked painting on the wall of the room, fidgeting with the folding fan in her hands.

“It’s a valid idea, however it would ultimately result in a failure. Lydennekal does not have the manpower to launch an invasion on the rest of the Commonwealth and Mainland of Jenovah, especially since Jenovah still has a foothold on the doorstep of our nation in the South with multiple states which chose to sympathize with their oppressors. And if Lydennekal successfully occupied the Mainland, the threat of nuclear retaliation would be too high of a risk to take. If we are able to successfully annex the territories in Tor Dutnua Thennts and drive out their allies, it will open up a pathway to exploit the land for resources.” Madame Nolwazi said, walking away from Adelsköld and sitting down in her seat at the head of the table; she uncovered a small tablet built into the table, switching on an aerial display of the fleet which labeled each vessel and provided live information with a short delay. Johan N. Hertzog leaned in to look at the tablet, reading through the words which were written on the display. “I think that our most ideal option would be to proceed with the current operation and to hire whatever private military corporations that we can. It’s a risk that we need to take. Any objections?”

————————

Neo-Supple Lund and the Confederation of Independent Colonies intervening in this conflict meant horrible news for Jenovah and allies, as what was perceived to be a risk-free operation in an unstable nation with an inept military would soon turn into an expensive and grueling conflict which was expected to last many years into the future and cripple the economy. Jenovah was not prepared for a war on this scale, as they were still recovering from previous insurgencies in the colonies and an impending war with Avuron over the death of diplomats which prompted increased Jenovachi military presence in the region. An extensive campaign was led in the nation which attempted to generate as much nationalism and sympathy for the army in the nation and to justify a large-scale war at this time of hardship. It targeted the younger population of Jenovah, who were encouraged to enlist in the military which had benefited from a large budget increase. Onboard the VOC Lebokal, an aircraft carrier made in 1972 which was renovated and deployed in the frontline after decades of inactivity, new drones would be used in combat for the first time. 210 kilometers from the VOC Lebokal, a smaller fleet consisting of a nuclear battlecruiser, amphibious assault carriers, several destroyers, corvettes, attack submarines and landing craft maneuvered through the stormy nature of the waters as waves rocked the ships back and forth and tested the durability of these old vessels.

“Our resources are stretched very thinly, Admiral. Jenovah— the commonwealth. It’s all crashing down, unraveling like a knot, Hertzog. I need this to work” Madame Nolwazi answered with a cold tone, impatiently tapping her foot and carefully examining the map. Lydennekal had declared itself an autonomous state (or “free state”, as they are known) months prior to the operation, essentially breaking away from Jenovah in all but name. Madame Nolwazi was the unrivaled leader of this new state; her party winning major victories across the colony on the local and state level in elections, referendums and polls. A strongman leader who was influential with the speeches that she gave during rallies, Madame Nolwazi took control of the military of Lydennekal with popular support and greatly reduced the power and influence of the Mainland in the colony within a span of two months; the Mainland had recognized her reign over Lydennekal as legitimate, backing down from a possible armed conflict when the use of nukes was threatened by both parties. A difficult political situation soon formed in Jenovah, as the issue of two systems and one nation became prevalent with the rise of Madame Nolwazi.

Johan N. Hertzog slowly nodded at the comment, placing his finger on the map and explaining: “The VOC Lebokal aircraft carrier is being escorted by two destroyers and a single cruiser with an attack submarine and supply vessel following closely in formation. A squadron of fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft is flying overhead, keeping a tight bubble around the fleet. It will be a difficult and costly assault as our supply lines are long and run through turbulent waters— might as well call it a suicide, with all due respect. SYBIL was shut down, Madame Nolwazi. It’s as if we are entering this blind. All of our intelligence assets have been crippled beyond further use.”

“Is invasion of the Mainland a possibility at this time?” A voice at the table said, raising their hand above their head as they spoke. Ludvig Adelsköld was his name and he was the senior advisor to Madame Nolwazi; an intelligent man who had served as the campaign manager for her election and has worked with her administration ever since it was established. Ludwig has been present in the political career of Madame Nolwazi for a very long time, dating back to when they were rivals in the local government of a neighborhood in Belport. He was wearing a simple, collared shirt with a pen sticking out from the pocket. His brown hair had several streaks of gray scattered throughout, much like the color of his eyes. Johan N. Hertzog twisted around to face Ludwig with a look of outrage and bewilderment, slamming his fist down on the oval table. Madame Nolwazi gracefully gestured at Johan to quiet down, slowly making her way to Adelsköld’s side; she faced a crooked painting on the wall of the room, fidgeting with the folding fan in her hands.

“It’s a valid idea, however it would ultimately result in a failure. Lydennekal does not have the manpower to launch an invasion on the rest of the Commonwealth and Mainland of Jenovah, especially since Jenovah still has a foothold on the doorstep of our nation in the South with multiple states which chose to sympathize with their oppressors. And if Lydennekal successfully occupied the Mainland, the threat of nuclear retaliation would be too high of a risk to take. If we are able to successfully annex the territories in Tor Dutnua Thennts and drive out their allies, it will open up a pathway to exploit the land for resources.” Madame Nolwazi said, walking away from Adelsköld and sitting down in her seat at the head of the table; she uncovered a small tablet built into the table, switching on an aerial display of the fleet which labeled each vessel and provided live information with a short delay. Johan N. Hertzog leaned in to look at the tablet, reading through the words which were written on the display. “I think that our most ideal option would be to proceed with the current operation and to hire whatever private military corporations that we can. It’s a risk that we need to take. Any objections?”

————————

Neo-Supple Lund and the Confederation of Independent Colonies intervening in this conflict meant horrible news for Jenovah and allies, as what was perceived to be a risk-free operation in an unstable nation with an inept military would soon turn into an expensive and grueling conflict which was expected to last many years into the future and cripple the economy. Jenovah was not prepared for a war on this scale, as they were still recovering from previous insurgencies in the colonies and an impending war with Avuron over the death of diplomats which prompted increased Jenovachi military presence in the region. An extensive campaign was led in the nation which attempted to generate as much nationalism and sympathy for the army in the nation and to justify a large-scale war at this time of hardship. It targeted the younger population of Jenovah, who were encouraged to enlist in the military which had benefited from a large budget increase. Onboard the VOC Lebokal, an aircraft carrier made in 1972 which was renovated and deployed in the frontline after decades of inactivity, new drones would be used in combat for the first time. 210 kilometers from the VOC Lebokal, a smaller fleet consisting of a nuclear battlecruiser, amphibious assault carriers, several destroyers, corvettes, attack submarines and landing craft maneuvered through the stormy nature of the waters as waves rocked the ships back and forth and tested the durability of these old vessels.