History of Transvaal (Volume III)



THE HISTORY OF TRANSVAAL - Volume III (October 2008 to August 2009)

Published by the Department of Education, Republic of Transvaal, Pretoria, 2008

Volume III is preceded by History of Transvaal (Volume II)

= Colonial War in South America =

OCTOBER 4, 2008 Three battalions of FPLP guerillas launched attacks at two undefended settlements in northern Paraguay today, triggering what the Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay is calling the start of "the people's war of liberation" against the Transvaler colonial authorities.

Transvaler ground troops under the command of Governor-Colonel Annetjie van Matteus currently consist of ten battalions amounting to 5000 soldiers dispersed in Central and Southern Boereguay while rebel forces also consist of similar-sized numbers based in the borderlands of Agmar, Dell Land, and unoccupied Brazil.

While Governor van Matteus is calling the guerillas "a horde of bloodthirsty, baby-eating communists and mongols" the FPLP does not seem to currently exhibit any sort of cohesive ideology apart from a unified dislike of the Transvaler occupation.

The Colonial Government of Transvaler Suid-Amerika has proven hugely unpopular with the vast majority of the Paraguayan populance as Van Matteus has done nothing but alienate any semblance of potential support by chronic maltreatment of the local population - especially towards the indiginous Guaraní which make up the bulk of the country's people.

While the use of Spanish has been discouraged in favour of making the population use English or Afrikaans - the use of the Guaraní langauge, spoken by at least 80% of the people, has been met with abuse and violence on the part of the colonial authorities.

OCTOBER 5, 2008

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSVALER SUID-AMERIKA: With a popular rebellion on her hands in Boereguay, Governor Annetjie van Matteus now has to contend with a group of 500 white supremacists entering the conflict lead by former Verwoerd Front founder Uys Rooyan de Ruijters

Calling themselves the Witbrandwag (White Sentinel) or WBW, De Ruijters's posse seized the town of Pozo Colorado and proclaimed an Afrikaner separatist state in Paraguay - although the WBW only has a zone of control over a 100km radius around their base of operations.

Van Matteus has stated that no opposition to her authority as Boereguayan Colonial Governor will be tolerated and the Witbrangwag will be dealt with in due course once the situation against the FPLP has stabilised.

A known troublemaker in Transvaal, Uys Rooyan de Ruijters has a very long history of supporting the extreme right in the Federal Republic as well as twice committing treasonous acts against the state to overthrow it and replace it with an apartheid regime.

A former interior minister of Transvaal - including service under Van Matteus when she was Transvaler prime minister - de Ruijters had close ties with the Dark Hand and was involved in a failed assassination plot against Emperor Justinian of Slavorussia.

A staunch supporter of segregation and white supremacy, he later he sided with the neo-nazi Volkstater movement and Hugel von Hasso's plot to overthrow the National Party regime by opening Transvaal up to invasion by GOONS during the Unjust War.

De Ruijters later faced treason charges but ended up being exonerated and released from prison when Prime Minister Hertzog decreed a mass amnesty prior to the formation of the Federal Republic last December. He regrouped the far right and assorted white supremacist organisations in Transvaal under the Verwoerd Front banner and ran in the May 1 elections.

After he was implicated in late July of blowing up a munitions factory in Bloemfontein which caused a toxic leak killing 1,351 people, De Ruijters was dumped by the Verwoerd Front as being too much a liability to their attempts at getting elected through the ballot box.

He then went underground and his whereabouts were unknown until today.

OCTOBER 6, 2008 NEWS FROM THE PARAGUAYAN FRONT

Three FPLP guerilla battalions operating in Northern Paraguay converged on the undefended town of Maríscal Estigarribia and occupied it today. Governor Annetjie van Matteus dismissed the significance of the recent FPLP gain, stating that “the terrorists have yet to encounter any sort of opposition. Once they do however, we shall mow them down without any remorse”.

Meanwhile, the recent and sudden emergence of the Witbrandwag commandos under Uys Rooyan de Ruijters has forced the Colonial Administration to divert a battalion based at Concepcion to make its way towards Pozo Colorado. De Ruijters has called upon Governor van Matteus to leave the WBW domain alone and focus rather on the FPLP threat.

The Colonial administration however is saying it is responding to investigate some scattered rumours of a massacre at Pozo Colorado.

OCTOBER 7, 2008 MASSACRE AT POZO COLORADO

We are only just receiving the details of a horrible tragedy at Pozo Colorado. Transvaler Koloniaalkorps troops are reporting that Witbrandwag commandos have massacred most of the native Guaraní Indian population in the town. The commandos have since departed town and have headed north towards Maríscal Estigarribia to engage FPLP guerillas – but before their departure they tortured and shot any natives they could find.

“This [de Ruijter] man, their leader, he now has blood on his hands. I want revenge!” screamed Pedro Gonzales as he buried his wife. Many of those killed were grisly mutilated beforehand. “These soldiers came and round up some people. Then they cut out their tongues because they cannot speak their language” explained Gonzales.

After entering the town to investigate, the Koloniaalkorps then beat a hasty retreat for the outskirts of town as the survivors began attacking them with whatever weapons they could find. Their commanding officer decided against provoking the enraged townspeople any further.

“We do not want these people here. Go home and don’t come back!” said Gonzales.

STATEMENT FROM JOELISCOB OF AGMAR: Agmar will increase our border troops in the south to prevent any terrorists from entering our country. We also offer any help if needed.

REPLY FROM GOVERNOR VAN MATTEUS: The three FPLP units in northern Paraguay staged their initial operations from the borderlands of Agmar. We understand that the wilds of the Gran Chaco are difficult to patrol but whatever you can do to close off your border is appreciated. We do not know if they are still recieving supplies via Agmar or from local sources.

OCTOBER 8, 2008 BATTLE OF MARÍSCAL ESTIGARRIBIA

Two battalions of FPLP guerillas under the command of Commandante Luis Garcia ambushed the Witbrandwag Kommando at Maríscal Estigarribia today. Although outnumbered two-to-one, the commandoes proved to be better, heavier armed force and subsequently dug in when the FPLP launched their counterattacks.

OCTOBER 9, 2008

WIDESPREAD ILLEGAL STRIKES BREAK OUT

Southern Africa is the latest region to be hit hard by the downturn in the global economy as the Federal Government of Transvaal today announced it would not be paying wages in the face of wildcat strikes breaking out.

A recent, sudden loss of marble and lead has resulted in infrastructure costs skyrocketing by 20% and the government unwilling to pay its bills until new trade agreements have been signed. This has in turn caused frustrated workers to walk off the job in wildcat strikes.

The automotive, construction, microchip, and environmental sectors have all been shut down by job action. In the education sector, all university teachers have suspended classes and walked off the job in support of the strikers.

In response to the labour unrest, Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog has stated the Federal Government is doing all it can to find new trading partners but the people must remain patient.

NO CONFIDENCE IN HERTZOG?

Two ministers in the Federal Government have demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Jakob M Hertzog if the economy crisis in Transvaal is not dealt with soon.

Ministers Marthinus Hoffmeyr (Finance, Trade & Education) and Herrman Steyn (Labour) have give the prime minister until October 12 to get the economy back on track and the strikes ended or they shall put Hertzog’s job on the line in a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

Should Mr. Hertzog lose the vote, he would be obligated to resign and a new prime minister would be named to finish out the rest of his term which ends on November 30.

Deputy Prime Minister Willem Coetzee has voiced his continued support of the prime minister and stated that out of principle he would not step in as Hertzog's replacement; under Transvaal law that would normally be the case should the prime minister resign, become incapacitated, or die in office.

STRIKES END AS GOVERNMENT PAYS WORKERS

The Ministry of Finance began handing out pay cheques this afternoon after the Federal Government announced a new trade agreement had been signed. Transvaal has agreed to pay $3,000,000 rand to the nation of Germanopolis in exchange for lead and marble with additional $3,000,000 bonuses every 200 days.

"This is our standard trade agreement we offer" explained Finance Minister Marthinus Hoffmeyr."Since the start of this calender year, Transvaal has paid out over $15,000,000 rand to establish and maintain foreign trading agreements."

Hoffmeyr then announced that in light of the trade agreement, he would be retracting his no confidence vote against Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog.

OCTOBER 10, 2008 BATTLE OF MARÍSCAL ESTIGARRIBIA RAGES ON

The bloodied, house-to-house fighting for the town of Maríscal Estigarriba is now in its third day as FPLP guerillas under Commandante Luis Garcia continued to lay siege to the embattled Witbrandwag commandos of Uys Rooyan de Ruijters trapped in the town.

The commandos succeeded in capturing the small town early this morning only to find the noose around them slowly tightening during the afternoon as two additional FPLP battalions moved in to outflank their rear.

The fighting between both sides has been savage as no mercy has been given towards the wounded or captured.

Meanwhile the rest of the territory remains at an uneasy peace as both FPLP forces and Transvaler Koloniaalkorps are in an apparent stand-off, seemingly waiting for the other side to make the first move.

HERTZOG FACES VOTE ON SOUTH AMERICAN WAR

Having faced down the threat yesterday of a vote of no confidence regarding the state of the economy, Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog has now been served notice that Boereguayan Governor Annetjie van Matteus will launch a no confidence vote on Sunday regarding the ongoing conflict in Boereguay.

Van Matteus and her supporters in the National Assembly have backed Hertzog since the last elections - however she will now pull that support on October 12 and try to bring the government down after she stated on national radio that:

''“Hertzog and Cruywagen have left me hanging dry here in South America. We are now hearing wild rumours in Asuncion of a South American nation eyeing Transvaler Suid-Amerika for itself and a possible invasion. The Federal Government and military have repeatedly ignored my pleas for further military commitment. They need to decide now if they want to fight for this territory - or throw the towel in and leave. The inactivity from our current government is doing nothing but prolonging the agony.”''

The Prime Minister was unavailable for comment, however Marshal Cruywagen stated that: “Ms. van Matteus is just up to her usual tricks. She knows full well that our overseas military deployment is stretched in Boereguay and Madagaskar.”

OCTOBER 11, 2008 NORTHERN INVASION?

The Colonial Administration in Transvaler Suid-Amerika confirmed this morning that they have received intelligence information that the neighbouring nation of Agmar has massed upwards of 20 battalions along the colony’s northern border. The reasons behind the recent deployment consisting of approximately 10,000 soldiers are unknown but Governor Annetjie van Matteus now fears the worse.

“My administration, along with the Federal Government in Pretoria, has had neither contact nor dealings with the Agmarians – so we are of the opinion that their intentions are hostile as there is no way that the Transvaler Koniaalkorps under the current situation is of any threat towards them.”

Pretoria is also watching anxiously but Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch said to reporters that there was little the government could do as the two nations don’t have any diplomatic relations between them.

Meanwhile in the embattled town of Maríscal Estigarribia, the almost 2,000 FPLP guerillas have cut off the only road of escape for the besieged Witbrandwag commandos.

Commandante Luis Garcia showed foreign reporters covering the FPLP the remains of captured WBW commandos which had been shot either trying to surrender or breakout and escape the siege. “We show no mercy to the fascist scum. They will all dig their own graves here in Maríscal Estigarribia.” He then told reporters that he had secured financial baking and arms from the nation of Heska, showing off the brand new AK-47s which had been supplied to his troops.

“The racists are now outnumbered and outgunned. Some of them are using old bolt action rifles and shotguns.”

OCTOBER 12, 2008

Foreign Media Reporting Attacks on FPLP Guerrillas - a Tahoe Daily News Special Report by Peter Clinch, South American Correspondent:

Is it possible that Tahoan troops are intervening in the violent insurgency in Transvaal Suid-Amerika, colloquially known as Boereguay? Common sense says "no" given Tahoe's recent involvement in a world wide war, mostly of mostly words, due to European involvement in South American peacekeeping missions. Numerous sources in foreign media - South American, Transvaler, European - have reported attacks on Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay (FPLP) guerrillas surrounding the white supremacist WBW commandos at Maríscal Estigarribia.

De-classified campaign maps of the campaign released publically by the Transvaler Colonial Corps show no Transvaler troops in the area. This then leads to the question, "Who is helping violent white supremacists?" Is it Transvaler Special Forces? Unlikely, they have no reason to try and help the WBW, headed by an unpopular figure in Transvaal. Is it other foreign troops? Even more unlikely, as they have even less reason to help white supremacists.

Thus, this reporter has come to the conclusion that the forces operating in the jungles of Boereguay, attacking FPLP guerrillas and apparently attempting to relieve the embattled WBW is the Fiannoglach (Tahoan Army Special Forces). Why? First, the attacks are trademark Fiannoglach work. Unannounced, fast, hard and random. The tactics that the world has seen destroy countless leftist and communist organizations, militias and even nations are being employed to the letter against the FPLP. Second, our government rarely hesitates to use such force against organizations as the FPLP due to the long term strategic implications of having a group that hates Tahoe or one of its allies come to power. Furthermore, Uys Rooyan de Ruijters could be of some use to Tahoe in the future, and gaining his loyalty (or at least something) from him by saving the WBW. Or at least that is how our government often thinks. Third, Annetjie van Matteus is an extremely popular official in Tahoe, liked by both the population and the government.

Lastly, a contact within the Ministry of Defense told me yesterday that, quote "it is in the best interests of Tahoe to prevent an FPLP takeover in Boereguay. The WBW nutjobs mean nothing except they hurt the FPLP." So, perhaps our soldiers aren't attacking the FPLP because they are threatening the WBW. Perhaps they are trying to keep de Ruijters and his commandos alive because they serve a purpose, not because we want them alive. But the fact remains, our soldiers are in Boereguay, attacking the FPLP guerrillas surrounding the WBW.

AGMAR INVADES BOEREGUAY – WITBRANDWAG DESTROYED – HERTZOG RETAINS POWER

Ten-thousand troops began pouring across the northern frontier of Boereguay at dawn break after Agmar launched an ‘undeclared war’ against all groups fighting in Paraguayan territory.

General Samuel Deweegan, commander of the Agmar Expeditionary Force, issued a statement that “... foreign involvement and interference in Paraguay will no longer be tolerated by Agmar and that the invasion had been authorized by his government with the purpose of ridding the South American continent of both the foreign-financed FPLP and the Transvaler colonial imperialists”. Agmar then officially laid claim over the territory encompassing Transvaler Suid-Amerika.

While the Agmar military has stated they would engage Transvaler Koloniaalkorps troops should they resist, there was as of yet no officially declared state of war between Agmar and the Federal Republic of Transvaal. Pretoria has been silent since word reached there of this morning’s invasion.

“This is a conflict between us, a bunch of bandit rebels, and a colonial regime we deem illegal” said General Deweegan.

These events came just eight hours after the last resistance from the Witbrandwag Kommando collapsed in Maríscal Estigarribia. FPLP Commandante Luis Garcia spoke late last night to the surviving townspeople of the town and proclaimed the liberation of Northern Paraguay – unaware of the impending build-up towards invasion in the north.

The present whereabouts of the kommando leader Uys Rooyan de Ruijters are unknown as it appeared he had somehow slipped through the lines and evaded capture by the FPLP. Garcia told reporters covering the FPLP that perhaps a dozen defenders made it out alive from the original contingent of 500 kommandos – the remainder perishing in battle or from capture and summary execution.

“The white racists committed genocide against my people, so they received the supreme penalty for their crimes. De Ruijters will be hunted down and strung up like a wild animal like the rest” boasted a smiling Garcia.

Evidence that the conflict is now drawing outside foreign involvement on both sides is now undeniable as Commandante Garcia displayed half a dozen bodies of what looked like well-equipped special ops forces. “We do not know who they are except that their origin is not from Transvaal” said Garcia. “Whoever they are, they could be responsible for de Ruijters’ escape”. It is believed the FPLP has received funds and equipment from Heska.

The victory at Maríscal Estigarribia triggered the FPLP troops massed on the eastern front to commence their strikes against Transvaler Koloniaalkorps stations along the border with Dell Land and Legendis.

Meanwhile in Pretoria, Prime Minister Jakob Martin Hertzog survived a vote of no-confidence against him for his handling of the conflict in South America.

The vote brought to the National Assembly by Boereguayan Governor van Matteus ended up being tied 21-21 with Hertzog gaining the support of Deputy Prime Minister Willem Coetzee’s supporters as well as the 4 independent supporters of the deceased Riaan van der Byl. Most political pundits had expected the so-called Riaanites to back the Verwoerd Front, but their spokesman said that “for us to support Van Matteus would be unbearable as well as unthinkable.”

The Verwoerd Front lead by Reverend Erasmus Du Toit supported Annetjie van Matteus but without an extra vote to actually outnumber the government supporters, Herztog thus retained his post by the slimmest of margins. Prime Minister Hertzog acknowledged the restlessness of some members within his government but asked them to maintain unity and put aside their disgruntlement for the ballot box in November.

Coincidentally enough, the vote came on the eleven-month anniversary of the Prime Minister taking office – a term length unmatched by any other Transvaler prime minister or government official save for Staatspresident Botha himself.

BOEREGUAY GETS NEW GOVERNOR

Annetjie van Matteus has been relieved of her post as Governor of Transvaler Suid-Amerika and replaced by Mr. Hendrik Strijdom. In a touch of irony, Strijdom's previous posting was as Governor of Namibia - replacing Van Matteus there when she was re-assigned to South America.

The Federal Government issued a terse statement that Ms. van Matteus was grossly incompetent and a major cause of popular unrest in the Transvaler colony. Governor Strijdom has been instructed to ascertain the situation and advise the Federal Government on the best course of action in the colony.

OCTOBER 13, 2008 Agmarian troops have reached the outskirts of the devastated town of Maríscal Estigarribia where Commandante Luis Garcia is holed up – staring down upwards of 6,000 soldiers on his doorstep and outnumbered three-to-one.

On the Eastern front, the FPLP lost two battalions during fighting today along the Rio Apa as Transvaler Koloniaalkorps held their ground and maintained their control over the towns of Puerto la Victoria and Puerto Juan Caballero along the Legendis border. FPLP casualties numbered around eight-hundred to nine-hundred while Koloniaalkorps losses were light in comparison.

However, south along the Rio Parana four battalions of FPLP guerillas made their move across the frontier and succeeded in gaining two secure bridgeheads on the west side of the river, in the process sending two units of Koloniaalkorps retreating around 100 kilometres.

In Asuncion, Governor Hendrik Strijdom arrived to take charge of the worsening situation in the capital. While Transvaler troop presence in the city numbers around 1,500, some outlying neighbourhoods are gradually slipping from colonial authority as residents have gone on looting sprees.

Strijdom is expected to meet with Koloniaalkorps officers based in and around Asuncion to bring him up to speed on recent hostile activity as well as hear out proposed plans for the defense of the colony.

MEETING BETWEEN GOVERNOR STRIJDOM AND KOLONIAALKORPS COMMANDERS

“Surrender...?”

The table went silent. Governor Hendrik Strijdom sat back in his chair to think about what the three colonels had just told him. He stared back grimly at them and weighing their words.

“Sir, based on our recent victories in the northeast we would have been able to contain the FPLP. But now that Agmar has exerted their claim over the colony and backed it up with force, we now cannot delay the inevitable, that our days here are numbered. We cannot win a full-blown war against Agmar.”

Strijdom stood up and looked out of the window of the brick farmhouse at Villa Hayes, a short drive north of the capital Asuncion. He lit his pipe and took his time to pull a drag from it.

“So, you are absolutely certain we cannot put up a fair fight against the Agmarians?”

“No Governor, not with our current resources. Marshal Cruywagen has informed me that the Krygsmagte is deployed to capacity for overseas operations, we can expect no additional troops or supplies to be sent our way.”

A second colonel chimed in “If Pretoria had not sent Annetjie van Matteus here, we would not be in the mess we’re in now – it was all her...” but he was quickly cut off when the third colonel rebuked him.

“Well if Hertzog hadn’t gotten some harebrained scheme to settle in South America, then we...”

Strijdom slammed his fist on the table. “Enough, bickering amongst us will not change the past. We need to think of the here and now. Gentlemen, our meeting here is done. I shall return to Asuncion and send a full report to Staatspresident Botha on our situation. That is all!”

The Governor collected his briefcase and homburg before taking the lead to exit the farmhouse to return to his waiting armoured personal carrier.

OCTOBER 14, 2008 SECOND BATTLE OF MARÍSCAL ESTIGARRIBIA

The town of Maríscal Estigarribia came under heavy bombardment as the Agmarian military engaged FPLP guerrillas. Both sides lost about one-thousand men as Commandante Luis Garcia tenaciously held on to the dwindling remnants of the devastated Gran Chaco settlement.

Along with Agmarian artillery raining down on FPLP positions, two V-2 missiles were launched at the town by the Transvaler Raketkorps. Colonel Petrus Malan arrived last night in Asuncion with an unknown quantity stockpile of missiles flown in from the Federal Republic.

At present it is unknown where the missiles landed, as Colonel Malan explained after the initial launches “...with Maríscal Estigarriba as a target we're not really aiming at anything specific. No need to - as everything there is hostile. At this point, we don't care if they land on the guerrillas or the Agmarians.”

On the eastern front, FPLP continued a slow but steady advance as Koloniaalkorps troops continued to withdraw towards the safety of Asuncion and the immediately surrounding provinces.

NEWS ON THE HOMEFRONT

Meanwhile on the homefront, Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog faced yet another economic crisis after Transvaal lost its supply of iron and wheat when Gyronia suddenly broke their trade agreement.

Workers in the steel, automotive, brewery, construction and environmental sectors are threatening to walk off the job tomorrow. The Federal Government now faces inflation as infrastructure costs may increase by 9% if not more. A clearer picture will emerge tomorrow after the government has counted the daily tax revenue.

Having already faced down one vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly in the last few days, Prime Minister Hertzog has been served noticed by two of his ministers that if a new trade agreement is not signed by Thursday, he will face yet another vote.

It is slowly becoming apparent to Hertzog's supporters that Ministers Hoffmeyr and Steyn are trying to use any means necessary to bring down the government prior to the November elections. “Hertzog's time is up, his rule has become stale and we need to have a new, fresh National party incumbent before the Federal Elections - because Minister Steyn and myself do not believe the National Party can win re-election under the current stagnant leadership” said Minister Marthinus Hoffmeyr to reporters gathered at Government House.

Supporters of Prime Minister Hertzog were quick to defend the embattled leader. “The Prime Minister has done a wonderful job since taking office last November, Transvaal's growth has been phenomenal in the past ten months” said Deputy Prime Minister Willem Coetzee. “Mr. Hertzog has constantly faced tough criticism from his own party critics, yet none of them could do half as good a job when they had the chance” Coetzee said in veiled reference directed towards the Riaanite backbenchers and supporters of Annetjie van Matteus. “Some people here want to see us return to the stone age.”

OCTOBER 15, 2008 NORTHERN FRONT COLLAPSES

After one week of fighting, the guns finally fell silent today over the rubble of the settlement which was once Maríscal Estigarribia. The town fell to Agmar as the last of the northern-based FPLP guerillas were wiped out in a torrential firefight in the centre town square.

Commandante Luis Garcia was amongst the casualties as he lead his last remaining men on a suicide attack against entrenched Agmarian infantry, his last words believed to be “Viva Paraguay!” according to the Agmar soldiers who mowed him down with automatic fire and then posed for souvenir photographs with the corpse afterwards.

Francisco “Pepe” Lopez has been named the new commandante of the FPLP. Lopez’s forces have been engaging Transvaler Koloniaalkorps troops on the eastern front to moderate success.

The collapse of the Northern FPLP now leaves the whole of the Gran Chaco region west of the Rio Paraguay open to the Agmarian invasion – with the four northern departments of Boqueron, Alto Paraguay, Chaco, and Nueva Asuncion now firmly in Agmar control. The frontier town of Puerta la Victoria also fell to Agmar after the Koloniaalkorps evacuated it as they redeployed south towards Concepcion.

HERTZOG SIGNS NEW TRADE DEAL WITH COMMUNISTS

Placing economic necessity ahead of political ideology, Prime Minster Jakob Hertzog signed a new trade agreement late last night with Slonsylvania of the Union of Communist Republics.

As soon as terms of the new agreement for iron and wheat were read out, howls of outrage were heard from the Verwoerd Front members, Riaanites, and the supporters of Annetjie van Matteus. Fully anticipating such a strong and critical reaction, Prime Minister Hertzog deftly left the task of reading the terms to his chief National Party, the Minister of Finance & Trade Marthinus Hofmeyr.

Reverend Erasmus Du Toit, leader of the Verwoerd Front said that this was “just further proof that the National Party is, in fact, in league with Satan and international freemasonry.”

DE RUIJTERS CAPTURED

Transvaler white supremacist Uys Rooyan de Ruijters has been arrested by Colonial authorities in Asuncion. The leader of the so-called Witbrandwag Kommando and a dozen of his cohorts escaped from Maríscal Estrigarribia disguised as peasants and refugees and had made his way to the colonial capital to seek a flight out of the territory.

However, he let his guard down and was arrested by local police – passed out under a table after he became drunk at a tavern and created a disturbance. The whereabouts of his collaborators is unknown.

Governor Hendrik Strijdrom was immediately informed of De Ruijters’ arrest and said he will be removed to a secure military installation in the capital district until he decides what shall be done with him. It is unsure what De Ruijters's fate will be as he faces treason charges back in the Federal Republic. The FPLP guerrillas have also accused him of crimes against humanity for his torture and slaughter of civilians at Pozo Colorado during the on-going Boereguayan conflict.

OCTOBER 16, 2008

NEWSREPORT FROM TAHOE

Extremists in the Tahoan Senate called for a resolution offering Mr. de Ruijters sanctuary in the Tahoe Republic.

Taoiseach O Deaghaidh derided the move as a publicity stunt, and cited de Ruijter's opposition to the National Parties of Transvaal and Tahoe.

“Yes, it is possible for non-leftists to be undesirable extremists” the Taoiseach said during an interview “It is shocking that some would call on Tahoe to support and protect a man who has done all he can to bring down our allies in Transvaal. I'm sure that if given the chance, de Ruijters would attack Tahoe in any way possible as well.”

When asked about the recent article appearing in the Tahoe Daily News claiming Tahoan Special Forces involvement in the war in Boereguay, the Taoiseach laughed it off and called it “poor reporting.”

CEASEFIRE SIGNED BETWEEN TRANSVAAL AND F.P.L.P Governor Hendrik Strijdom announced this evening that a ceasefire has been formally signed between the Colonial Administration of Transvaler Suid-Amerika and the Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay.

The details have not been made public but the announcement was made over Paraguayan radio one hour after Governor Strijdom had returned from a meeting in Pretoria with Staatspresident Botha.

It is expected that Governor Strijdom will meet with Commandante Francisco “Pepe” Lopez sometime tomorrow at an undisclosed location near Asuncion.

Meanwhile along the northern front, Agmarian troops continued their advance through the Gran Chaco as the towns of Pozo Colorado and Puerto Pinasco were both occupied without a fight.

OCTOBER 16, 2008

WAR ENDS IN PARAGUAY

The Colonial Administration of Transvaler Suid-Amerika has announced that a peace treaty has been signed with Agmar regarding the ‘undeclared war’ in Paraguay.

In a tripartite agreement signed a few minutes after midnight (October 16-17) in the capital city of Asuncion between the Transvaler Colonial Administration, Agmar, and the Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay, the territory of Paraguay will revert to Agmar effective midnight October 27-28 (the two-month anniversary of Transvaler colonization).

Governor Hendrik Strijdom told reporters that once the Agmarians became involved in the conflict, attempting to retain the colony was futile and would only cost more Transvaler lives. He said his decision was based on the military situation – in that there was no hope of reinforcements from the Federal Republic and that Koloniaalkorps officers had “lost their resolve to fight an unwinnable war for an unpopular overseas adventure”.

After meeting with Staatspresident Botha on Thursday night to explain the situation and gain their authority to effectively surrender the colony, Strijdom then met secretly with Commandante Francisco “Pepe” Lopez to hammer out a deal for a ceasefire. While the Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay had been striving for independence from Transvaal, Lopez felt that under the change of circumstances Agmarian rule would still be more preferable option than remaining under Transvaler colonial rule. Strijdom said that the deal with the FPLP came with a price – of which he did not state, but said would become clear in time.

Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Transvaal were kept in the dark and the announcement came as a complete surprise to both men. Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch said that “...with hindsight the colony prove to be a burden to us, the quicker we can walk away the better.”

As for Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog, there have been calls from both sides of critics for his outright resignation as Paraguayan colonization had received his staunch support and encouragement. Those opposed to the colonization of Paraguay lay blame for the unnecessary conflict and related economic ills on his doorstep – while those in the Verwoerd Front are saying to leave Boereguay now without bloodying the Agmarians ranks of treason and national embarrassment.

During the transition period before the Transvaler handover to Agmar, Koloniaalkorps troops will remain in Asuncion while FPLP forces will occupy the remainder of Paraguay east of the Rio Paraguay. Agmar will hold its troops along the western bank of the Rio Paraguay. The FPLP will lay down its arms and disband on the same day as the departure of the Colonial Administration. Governor Strijdom will remain on location in his capacity as governor until the last Transvaler flag is brought down on October 27.

OCTOBER 17, 2008 AGMAR ANNEXES WESTERN PARAGUAY

General Samuel Deweegan, commander of the Agmar Expeditionary Force in Paraguay announed this morning that all of Paraguay north and west of the Rio Paraguay was annexed and now officially part of Agmar.

The remainder of Paraguay would remain under joint-authority of Transvaler Colonial Administration and the Frente Popular para Liberación de Paraguay (FPLP) until Transvaal's withdrawl on October 27.

Governor Hendrik Strijdom and Commandante Francisco Lopez acknowledged the annexation as "inevitable" after dividing the eastern zone between their two sides. The Governor also said that the terms Boereguay and Transvaler Suid-Amerika would no longer be used by the colonial administration as they represented a no longer existant ideal by his government.

NO-CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT

Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog has been asked by members of the National Assembly to submit his resignation over the Paraguayan conflict. The Federal Government has asked Staatspresident Botha to chair an emergency meeting session for this evening (one hour prior to update) to discuss and if necessary vote the prime minister out of office.

Opponents of Hertzog and of colonial rule in Paraguay have said that this mess is his and no one's else. If the prime minister cannot be held accountable for the national embarrassment in South America, then what can he be held accountable for?

OCTOBER 22, 2008

DE RUIJTERS DEAD!

Transvaler white supremacist Uys Rooyan de Ruijters was found dead this morning in his prison cell in Asuncion. Coroners said that he had hanged himself with a makeshift noose made from his bedsheet.

Reverend Erasmus Du Toit, the Leader of the Verwoerd Front, used glowing, biblical language to eulogise him, tearfully explaining to his congregation that De Ruijters was “a National Messiah, the Third Apostle of White Nationalism in Transvaal - after Dr. Hendrik von Kruger and Hasso von Hugel”. His bizarre sermon continued with a brazen prediction that “... the Trinity of Von Kruger, Von Hugel, and De Ruijters would soon be resurrected by Christ to lay Judgement on the Afrikaner people for neglecting their heavenly-bestowed place to rule over the uncivilised African.”

The Reverend Du Toit however ignored making any references to De Ruijters’s later acts of treason which discredited him politically even with Du Toit and the organization which UR De Ruijters had founded, the Verwoerd Front. In death, it appeared that De Ruijters had indeed been exonerated by the Reverend and his former party.

Later on in his eulogy, the outspoken Reverend returned to his racialist beliefs by stating that De Riujters’s death was “a clear signal from God Himself that he was not happy with the Transvaler Volk straying from their god-given right of Christian National supremacy over the dark races”.

E Du Toit claimed that a suicide note had been found on De Ruijters’s lifeless body, which said “Transvaal = 666” on it. Conspiracy rumours suddenly abounded when it was later deduced that his death did occur – whether by divine intervention, design or coincidence – on the 666th day since Transvaal proclaimed its unilateral independence from the ANC on December 26, 2006.

“Now if that is not a clear indicative message from God that our Nation and Afrikaner Volk are now entering a New Age of Rule under Satan, disguised as the National Party, then I don’t know what is” commented a rather smug Du Toit.

More restrained and level-headed observers believe that De Ruijters was to be turned over to the FPLP when the colonial administration departs Paraguay on October 27 as part of the peace treaty deal signed by then-governor H Strijdom – and sensing the inevitable, he decided to take his own life rather than face humiliation and probable death at the hands of the vengeful Paraguayan guerillas.

The state telephone company refused to neither confirm nor deny phone records that indicated Du Toit had spoken long distance with De Ruijters two nights before.

Prime Minister Strijdom was silent when questioned by media regarding the nature and rumours surrounding De Ruijters’s death, although he cautiously granted permission to Reverend Du Toit to handle the details of the funeral arrangements.

UR de Ruijters is survived by his young daughter Joanne de Ruijters van Matteus. = Prime Minister Strijdom = OCTOBER 18, 2008

RADIO-TRANSVAAL (PRETORIA): Jakob Martin Hertzog announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Transvaal around one hour ago this evening. He had held the post for a record 342 days since his initial appointment on November 12, 2007. During that time he contested one Federal Election and won re-election on May 1, 2008 when the National Party secured 30 out of 42 seats in the National Assembly.

Hertzog became prime minister during the most difficult period in Transvaal’s history as the nation was making a break and moving away from the Maroon nationalism of Norden Verein and shifting towards IRON and the Orange sphere.

The so-called Oranje Oorgangstydperk (the transitional period to Orange) was a time of undue economic hardship for the Federal Republic as new trade agreements needed to be sought out and established. After two months however, Hertzog was able to proclaim an end to the Oorgangstydperk as well as the unification of South Africa under Federal Republic rule on January 7. The autumn months from March to early June were a period of massive economic growth where Transvaal’s population doubled compared to when Herztog took power.

Despite the domestic successes, Hertzog’s notorious inability to speak fluent English often made him uncomfortable dealing with foreign issues and the Federal Republic often stumbled from one ill-thought internation issue to another – the latest being the failed plan to colonise in South America.

Facing recent vocal opposition within his own party over the situation in Paraguay, Jakob Hertzog said during his press conference that he was proud of his record as Transvaler prime minister despite misgivings about the colonization scheme. He said he brought a period of internal peace and stability for all races in Transvaal which had permitted the nation to become a strong economic and political power in Africa.

He said his resignation was so he could have time away from the critical spotlight to reflect and refocus his energy towards winning the upcoming Federal Election in November. In his shaky English, he told listeners on national radio that “I stand with my record as Eersteminister and in November will I the voters let decide.”

It is unknown who will succeed him to finish out the rest of his term. Staatspresident Botha was expected to meet with cabinet members of the National Party government to reach an agreement with all factions over an interim leader.

INTERNATIONAL RE-ACTION FROM FRANZHARIA


 * “This is certainly a sad day. But Franzharia will stand by whomever succeeds him. Jakob, I wish you luck come November.” - Emperor Ranather
 * “Though I never met him personally, I believe his record speaks for itself.” - Empress Merina
 * “I have nothing but praise for Minister Hertzog. I wish him luck in his future endeavors. Come November I'll be watching.” - Prime Minister Everest

OCTOBER 19, 2008

HENDRIK STRIJDOM NAMED PRIME MINISTER In a surprise move anticipated by no one, Hendrik Strijdom has been appointed the new Prime Minister of Transvaal. The Governor of Transvaler Suid-Amerika, the most junior minister in the Federal Government was offered the post after Deputy Prime Minister Willem Coetzee turned down the position out of support to his beleaguered friend Jakob Hertzog.

In the volatile meeting which then followed, “we simply could not agree on anyone” explained Minister Herrman Steyn. “Every name which came up in the cabinet generated too much baggage and opposition in the voting. Obviously those of us in the Hofmeyr faction were not going to agree to Boersma or Stellenbosch – likewise they would not agree to Mr. Hofmeyr nor myself.”

“Marshal Cruywagen refused as he felt his place was with the military and he did not want to see a military officer running the country” added Interior Minister Boersma. “And personalities such as Archbishop Hoof and Sports Minister Bartnel Botha either refused or were deemed inexperienced or wholly inappropriate for the job.”

Annetjie van Matteus apparently attempted to canvas herself for the post as a 'compromise candidate' however she was unanimously rejected as being, to quote Mr. Coetzee: “Incompetent, selfish, and absolutely ill-suited for leadership in this nation. Her star is quickly setting.”

“However when Governor Strijdom’s name came up, almost as an afterthought when everyone else had been hashed around, there was silence – because, for once, we didn’t have a name on the slate which carried some sort of baggage” said Marshal Cruywagen. “We were all unanimous that – granted - he had the least experience in the cabinet however there seemed to be the least opposition to him, as he is such an unknown and new figure in the Federal Government. As well, during his short time working in Paraguay he was able to reach a quick and peaceful conclusion to a very unpopular conflict – that gained him some grudging but deserved respect from some of his senior colleagues.”

“When we put his name to the vote, he gained the most votes of any of us – we then had to contact him half a world away in Asuncion as he was unable to make a flight to Pretoria in time to make the meeting - so he had chosen not to attend.”

As soon as Governor Strijdom’s plane landed in Johannesburg, Staatspresident Botha and Archbishop Hoof were on hand to meet him as he disembarked. He was immediately taken aside and the results of the meeting explained to him to bring him up to speed. Apparently in shock from what he heard, it took ten minutes for him to be convinced to accept the post. Archbishop Hoof then immediately performed the official swearing-in ceremony while still on the airport tarmac.

STATEMENT BY SITHIS II OF REALM: Sithis II knows and trusts Annetjie van Matteus and Realm offers her its endorsement.

STATEMENT BY MIRREILLE OF ILE DE NOIR: JM Hertzog was an outstanding PM and will ge remembered for all that he was able to accomplish while in office. While we are sad to see him go, we must admit we are curious what H Strijdom will be able to accomplish in the future. This may be the first step in a much greater career. It will be interesting to see if he will run for office when the new elections are ready.

MEETING WITH THE TAHOE AMBASSADOR

Ambassador Séamus Ó Grianna made his first official state visit to newly inagurated Prime Minister Strijdom today in Pretoria. In a short meeting at the Prime Ministers office, the Ambassador wished Strijdom well and expressed the Tahoe Republic's desire to keep strong relations with Transvaal. The Prime Minister was briefed on affairs in Tahoe, a new attempt by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to keep allies up to date with goings on in the Tahoan government.

Taoiseach O Deaghaidh is also expected to phone Prime Minister Strijdom sometime in the next few days to extend his congratulations and well wishes.

PRIVATE CORROSPONDENCE FROM VARRIN VON COURSCA OF WIGHTON

I, Governor-Plenipotentiary Varrin von Coursca, would like to extend my personal congratulations to Mr. Strijdom, the new Prime Minister of Transvaal, on behalf of the citizens and the Board of Visitors of the Commonwealth of Wighton.

I would like to personally extend an invitation for the new Prime Minister to visit Wightstag, our capital, to officially open formal diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth of Wighton and Transvaal.

''I would also like to take the time to state that due to Wighton's location in the world, we in particular are worried about the rise of piracy in the Indian Ocean. As a nation that also has a border with the Indian Ocean, Wighton hopes Transvaal shares these concerns and would be willing to discuss methods of enforcing the rule of law in the sea and combating piracy.''

''Wighton would also like to convey that we acknowledge and understand the decision handed down from the PAC to our friends in the nation of BlackKnight. I understand that the matter could have been handled through the PAC and, in the future, we will encourage our friends in BlackKnight to acknowledge the rule of international law and work through the established and relevant institutions. We support our friends, but we also acknowledge that they are imperfect and will make mistakes.''

We hope to hear from Transvaal in the coming days and weeks.

REPLY TO THE TAHOE AMBASSADOR: Prime Minister Strijdom is appreciative of Tahoe's approval and indictation support as the two nations have a long legacy of mutual respect and close diplomatic relations.

REPLY TO VARRIN VON COURSCA: Accepted, consider mutual relations established. We shall provide embassy facilities in Pretoria for the Wighton ambassador and diplomatic delegation. Likewise, we shall assign Ms. Hilda Retief as our Ambassador to Wighton.

While Prime Minister Strijdom's short term will probably prevent him from overseas visits, he is hoping that time enough can hopefully be found for brief visits to meet with the leaders of our closest neighbours - namely, Arctica, Franzharia, and Wighton. Due to Transvaal's direct involvement in Madagascar, Arctican foreign relations are presently his main priority in regards to regional African foreign issues.

A couple of months ago, Franzharia brought up this very issue regarding piracy. The Transvaler Seemag has been sent on numerous anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean as Franzharia had no navy of its own and was thus open prey for pirates.

However now with Wighton naval commitment along with the Transvaler Seemag committed to anti-piracy, it should not pose a serious threat to our nations in the future.

REPLY FROM VARRIN VON COURSCA: Wighton officially recognizes the diplomatic status of one, Ms. Hilda Retief, and will construct an embassy on Embassy Plaza.

Wighton, in an effort to keep with the building codes in Embassy Plaza, cannot build the embassy any higher than 50 feet tall. As a result, much of your embassy (along with many others) is underground. There are only three stories above ground, then an underground parking garage, then a few stories underground. Furthermore, each embassy is given its own access road, patrolled by the Wightstag Police Department. A portion of your access road is shown.

We hope the underground offices are warmer in clime than the above-ground offices! Fortunately for the new Ambassador, it is spring-time in Wighton.

Wighton will be announcing the identity of our ambassador to Transvaal soon.

Wighton is willing to work with Transvaal to continue to enforce the Law of the Sea and combat pirates in the Indian Ocean and approves of these previous actions.

STRIJDOM'S ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

In his first address to the National Assembly, Prime Minister H Strijdom thanked his well-wishers at home and overseas and told listeners that due to the short length of his term, he would obviously be limited in scope to what his government could achieve before federal elections.

“First and foremost will be the decolonization of Paraguay and a hopefully arrange a meeting in Arctica with Sovereign Vedran to discuss the long-term future and status of the Madagaskar Vrystaat.”

“However, we have permitted external issues to remove our attention from domestic issues. Our economy will be undergoing some minor adjustments near the end of the month and I will need to examine what sectors need the most investment for the coming month.”

“However until recently, the Federal Government directed most of its tax surplus into infrastructure – however the lackluster performance of our military in the last war has shown that its equipment is in dire need of technological upgrading. In fact, the entire nation has been lacking in this sector, as little attention was given to the infrastructure-technology ratio. Until a month or so ago, our only means of acquiring technology was through the byproducts of war. Therefore during the course of my term I shall follow through on Minister Hofmeyr’s recommendations to maintain investment in the technological sector.”

In terms of social improvements, Strijdom said that Transvaal was in need of additional police headquarters to build confidence in public safety. He said consideration would also be given to building a fourth church – the second such building allotted to the Dutch Reformed Church – as a means to dampen the outspoken Reverend Du Toit using churches as a pulpit for his own political ends.

OCTOBER 21, 2008

REPLY TO VARRIN VON COURSCA: This is excellent news. Transvaal is also pleased to see another IRON nation (along with Realm) in Africa and hope for strong ties between our two nations in the future. On account of our common IRON bond, our Government has granted full docking and refueling facilities to all Wightonian ships during peacetime and in war.

OCTOBER 22, 2008

REPLY FROM VARRIN VON COURSCA: "I am most delighted and pleased to see such a large, Feric presence in the world. Wighton is offering Transvaal full docking, refueling, and access to Wighton's many ports, harbors, and Wightstag International Airport. We appreciate this gesture of good faith and friendship and hope that this may be the beginning of a friendship between our two nations! I will be sending you an ambassador soon...we're trying to find the right person for the job. Not many Wightonians speak Afrikaans...but we do have a few qualified candidates and should have our ambassador to you tomorrow."

OCTOBER 26, 2008

RADIO-TRANSVAAL (PRETORIA): Transvaler Koloniaalkorps troops began converging on the city of Asuncion this afternoon to make the final preparations for their departure from Paraguay. The eastern portion of the territory still under nominal Transvaal control will be turned over officially to Agmar at midnight on October 27-28. Agmar annexed the western portion of the territory when the Boereguayan war ended on October 16.

Apart from a handful of government officials and the 250-strong Oorsese Korps providing security, all Transvaler military and civilian personal are expected to depart at some point today. The Prime Minister’s office said that there would be no official handover ceremony, that basically the last remaining would leave in Lugmag transport aircraft on Monday night around twenty minutes before midnight and “leave the door unlocked and the lights on, so to speak, for the Agmarian transports arriving around half an hour later”.

Prime Minister Strijdom spoke to reporters briefly about the war, saying that what “started as a noble attempt to bring civilisation, law and order to an unwanted region of the world ended in needless bloodshed.” He blamed the original Boereguayan governor, Colonel Annetjie van Matteus, for “incompetence and mismanagement of the colony” which provoked the FPLP rebellion. Before becoming prime minister, H Strijdom had replaced Ms. van Matteus twice as governor in Federal Republic territories.

Colonel van Matteus has since petitioned the Prime Minister for the return of her Namibian posting but Strijdom’s reply was “fat chance” and vowed to remove her from all involvement in the Federal Government “so long as I am the prime minister”.

OCTOBER 27, 2008

TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS - TRANSVAAL DAILY NEWS

EXPANSION IN THE NAVY: With generous financial assistance from fellow IRON ally Cheeseton, the Transvaler Seemag completed construction on the navy’s second shipyard, located in Cape Town. Three new warships were then launched as the Seemag fleet increased to 23 ships with the addition of the SAS-22 Hendrik Strijdom (Type 209/1400 class submarine), SAS-23 Sapper (Valour class frigate), and SAS-24 Cheeseton (landing ship).

OUR NEW AIRLINE: The Federal Government has announced the inauguration of its new airline Afrikaanse Lugdiens (African Airlines). Five state-of-the-art Boeing 707-320 series jetliners have been purchased and international flights from Johannesburg’s Staatspresident Botha Airport are expected to commence shortly. The Federal Government is taking applications from interested foreign airports within operational range of 6,920 km for the establishment of regular airline service. Destinations outside the non-stop range of the jetliners may be established if a network of stop-overs can be established.

NEW POLITICAL PARTY: Annetjie van Matteus has resigned from the National Party and formed her own new movement called the Transvaler Martense Party. The new party aims to present itself as a ‘neo-fascist middle ground between the National Party and Verwoerd Front’ said Ms. van Matteus at her poorly attended press conference.

Claiming that she had been railroaded out of the NP by the new prime minister, van Matteus acknowledged that she had slim chance to win the Federal Election but hoped to gain enough electoral districts to become a swing party in the next government.

The normally reserved Prime Minister H Strijdom said that “to appeal to Martensists in Transvaal was a desperate move by a desperate women as most moderate Martensists voted National Party while the irreconcilable extremists opted for Reverend Du Toit and the white supremacists. If she can split the already cluttered and split far-right vote, then so much the better for us in the National Party”. Ms. van Matteus retorted that “Mr. Strijdom and Company are in for a rude awaking come voting day.”

ECONOMIC NEWS: Finance Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr reported that wages had increased by $5 per day as a severe, month-long drought in the rural agricultural regions came to an end as the seasonal rains returned last night.

OCTOBER 27 – EARTH DAY: Prime Minister H Strijdom proclaimed the first national Earth Day in Transvaal on October 27 after Greenpeace activists petitioned the government to create a national holiday to remind citizens to appreciate the environment.

While the new holiday was applauded by progressives as a welcome surprise, the Verwoerd Front criticized the Federal Government for “pandering to communists, hippies, druggies, and homosexuals”. Reverend E Du Toit said that if the Verwoerd Front is elected on December 1, that “Earth Day would be removed from the Transvaler calendar as we Christian Nationalists acknowledge that the Earth was given to us for our sole use.”

The outspoken Reverend has made prior comments about environmentalism being “a tool of Satanist deception”, claiming that “so-called global warning is simply the hellfire of Satan warming up for when Our Savior Christ returns to cast all the non-believers and National Party members into Hell”.

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

INDEPENDENCE OF LÜBECK & COMOROS ISLANDS

After consultation this morning, effective this day of November 1, 2008, the Federal Republic of Transvaal hereby proclaims the independence of the Kingdom of Lübeck & Comoros Islands from the Federal Republic.

On agreement by Staatspresident Botha of Transvaal and Franz Ferdinand of Lübeck, Transvaal has relinquished to Lübeck control over the Comoros Islands and granted full independence to that nation.

Should Lübeck relinquish its claim or no longer reside in-game on one of the four major islands which make up the Comoros archipelago, then control of the islands shall immediately revert back to Transvaal.

The Kingdom of Lübeck & Comoros Islands is considered under the military protection of the Federal Republic of Transvaal.

This proclaimation is signed by presidential decree on the orders of Staatspresident Botha of the Federal Republic of Transvaal at Pretoria on November 1, 2008

NOVEMBER 2, 2008

PROCLAMATION OF FRANZHARIAN FREE STATE

The Federal Republic of Transvaal hereby claims the territory of the former Republic of East Africa and establishes effective immediately the autonomous Franzharia Free State under the protection of the Federal Republic.

The status of the Franzharia Free State is equivalent to the Madagaskar Vrystaat – in that while not considered a full member of the Federal Republic, violation of Franzharia Free State territory is a violation of the Federal Republic.

The following individuals are named to the Free State Administraion Council:


 * Interim Chairperson of the State: Governor Edmund Thomasson
 * Liason to the Outer Territories: Gertrude Olber
 * Secretary of Day-to-Day Administrations: Franc Hendriks

Governor Edmund Thomasson, a native Franzharian, is by his position of governor appointed to the Executive Cabinet of the Federal Republic.

At some point once law and order have been restored and previous technology purchases intended for Transvaal have been fulfilled, free and democratic elections will be organized by the Federal Republic in anticipation of resumption of full independence.

Prussian (Deutschland), Saboria, Ustio, and Realm troops are welcome to remain in the Free State as foreign observers to guarantee that the Federal Republic is acting in the best of intentions

This proclamation is signed by presidential decree on the orders of Staatspresident Botha of the Federal Republic of Transvaal at Pretoria on November 2, 2008.

NOVEMBER 3, 2008

Transvaal will maintain deployment of 14,000 and 2,800 tanks for the occupation of the Free State. Foreign troops from Prussia (Deutschland), Ustio, Realm, and Saboria are welcome to stay for the next two weeks - however we would appreciate any remaining foreign troops in Franzharia East Africa to evacuate in the next two days.

Governor Thomasson will be meeting with Staatspresident Botha (the legal "head-of-state" of the Franzharian Free State) in Pretoria to discuss the election timetable. The prime goal of elections will be the establishment of political stability in an unstable nation.

''Staatspresident Botha spoke to the Transvaler media today about the future of Franzharia. This is a summarization of what he had to say:''

This is the timetime I have decreed for the return of democracy and independence to Franzharia:

On December 1st the Federal Republic of Transvaal will proclaim the establishment of the Republic of Franzharia with Governor Edmund Thomasson appointed as its first President for a one-month term in office. Effective that date the Franzharian Free State will pass out of existiance as more autonomy is granted by the Federal Republic during this transitional period.

National elections will be held for January 1 (voting starts on December 15) and Transvaal troops will remain in Franzharia until December 31st. On January 1st the newly-elected government shall be sworn in and at that point, full independence will be restored by Transvaal, our troops shall depart for home, and the Franzharians are on their own course.

However the Republic of Franzharia won't be permitting communist nor monarchist parties from registering or participating in the upcoming election – as these two political forces have been the primary cause of that nation’s frequent problems and instability since Franzharia’s founding. We are encouraging a republican government as the best means to establish a climate of political stability for Franzharia and all political parties participating in the election will need to receive prior approval from Pretoria.

Naturally we anticipate that Franzharia will fulfill all its financial commitments to Transvaal during this timetable.

MADAGASKAR VRYSTAAT TO END JANUARY 1, 2009

Staatspresident Botha decreed today that the Madagaskar Vrystaat shall be evacuated and terminated on December 31st and the territory turned over to Sovereign Vedran so that the entire island of Madagascar can be united under full Arctican control on January 1, 2009.

"With the timetable for democracy now laid out for Franzharia, I felt it was also a good time to re-examine the sittuatiom in Madagascar. With stability, law, and order now firmly entrenched in independent Arctica, it is now time to prepare for the remainder of the Vrystaat for re-unification with its motherland" explained the Staatspresident during his radio speech this afternoon.

"We wish to see the New Year being heralded as the dawn of a new era for both Franzharia and Arctica - and in turn Africa."

NOVEMBER 4, 2008

Marthinus Hofmeyr, Minister of Finance & Trade for Transvaal, confirmed this evening that the Franzharia Free State delivered a shipment of 50 units of technology to the Federal Republic.

"This is a clear sign that our occupation of Franzharia (East Africa) is going forward in a positive direction" said Minister Hofmeyr. "Despite some isolated pockets resistance remaining, by and large peace has once again returned to this troubled nation. Transvaal applaudes these first steps in Gov. Thomasson's administration."

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

Admiral Rudolf Kruger announced this evening that four new ships were launched from the Kaapstad Shipyard: 3 brand-new aircraft carriers and 1 additional battleship.

The three Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, the SAS-25 Kaiser Martens, SAS-26 Jake Felan, and SAS-27 Striderwannabe, are named to recognise Transvaal's military past whilst a member of Nordreich and Norden Verein.

The new Iowa-class battleship SAS-21 Heft pays homage to Transvaal's current military legacy as a member of IRON.

“We already had two warships named after IRON members, so we decided that it was only appropriate that our latest capital ship was named after the President of IRON” explained Admiral Kruger.

NOVEMBER 14, 2008

PROCLAMATION OF FREE SEAS ZONE

In response to recent actions limiting the closure of international shipping lanes and oceans, the Federal Republic of Transvaal has countered with the proclamation of a Free Seas Zone around the Cape of Africa.

In the spirit of international cooperation and to promote trade, Transvaal will guarantee un-restricted civilian shipping access of all waters in the following zone:


 * South of 0° Equator
 * East of 0° Greenwich
 * West of 60° E
 * North of 60°S

“Unlike some menacing nations who are restricting trade and free movement by blocking off huge expanse of what we deem international waters in the Pacific, Transvaal is welcoming foreign container fleets to use the Cape of Africa as a safe alternative” explained Trade Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr.

“We are telling foreign shipping, come to Southern Africa, we have safe and secure ports at Cape Town, Maputo, and Walvis Bay for all your refueling and replenishment requirements. We do not believe in taxation the open seas - but where we shall see some benefit will be an increase in port calls in Transvaal.”

As part of its operational duties, the Transvaler Seemag will patrol this zone to reduce piracy and smuggling as well as carry out search and rescue missions for those ships in distress.

Foreign warships will also be permitted to traverse the Cape of Africa however such ships must radio Cape Town to alert the Seemag of their positions and all combat operations in the free seas zone are expressively forbidden.

NOVEMBER 15, 2008

Prime Minister H Strijdom of the Federal Republic of Transvaal reported to the National Assembly in Pretoria that the Franzharians have now completed payments of all owed technology materials in production for Transvaal. Therefore the Federal Republic regards all outstanding debts by Franzharia to Transvaal now cleared and any future economic agreements signed on a clean slate irrelated to the circumstances of the East African occupation.

The Prime Minister also stated that Franzharia's Indian Ocean territories, both occupied islands and those under protectorate rule, will be repatriated and returned to the Republic of Franzharia on December 1st.

In related news, “democratic elections in Franzharia are still on schedule to start one month from now on December 15” confirmed Transvaal’s ambassador JS Jonkers.

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2008

MEETING IN PRETORIA

Governor Edmund Thomasson was requested to meet with Prime Minister Strijdom in Pretoria at his earliest convenience.

Thomasson sat in his plane, nervously. It was his first trip to Pretoria since his appointment and he was sure this was about the resurgence of Ranather.

As the plane landed in Pretoria, the butterflies only grew. Thomasson didn't immediately get off when it landed. He first finished his wine. He looked out a window then headed for the exit. The hatch opened and he went down the ramp to meet those sent out to greet him....

The plane from East Africa had been redirected over to a ‘restricted’ hanger area of Johannesburg International Airport.

Waiting for the aircraft was a black Mercedes limousine with all the windows blacked out. On the hood was a small Transvaler flag with gold trimming, indicating to Thomasson that either the prime minister – or, god forbid – the Staatspresident himself was waiting inside the vehicle. Its rear passenger door was open. As Governor Thomasson disembarked, he was politely escorted over towards the limousine.

“Welcome to Transvaal, your Excellency!” greeted a saluting Transvaler Lugmag officer holding the door open. “Please, if you may...” he said as he motioned towards the vehicle, “then we can be on our way for the journey to Pretoria.”

Thomasson then recalled that Transvaal was one of the few nations not to have its capital city serviced by its own airport.

As the Franzharian governor climbed inside, the Transvaler prime minister Hendrik Strijdom was waiting for him. Once Thomasson had made himself comfortable in the luxurious leather seats, Strijdom leaned forward to shake his hand. “I am Strijdom” said the prime minister, somewhat abruptly.

"We have much to talk about regarding your homeland, so I felt time could be spent better if we talked while making our way back to Pretoria. I only just arrived here an hour ago from a flight in from Cape Town, I thought that you’d be better served if you enjoyed the luxury of this automobile instead of one of the regular cars from the government autopool."

Thomasson entered the vehicle and returned the handshake. "Of course, Prime Minister. Where should we begin?"

STRIJDOM: "Well, first off... what are your own intentions once we depart at the end of December? My government, assuming that I am re-elected which at this moment looks highly likely, will pledge to you full support should you choose to remain President of Franzharia. However if you ultimately plan on permitting a restoration of the monarchists, either directly or indirectly through your own actions, then frankly we are wasting our time in supporting you and will need to of course re-assess our regional priorities. Also, Transvaal is planning on constructing a foreign airbase in the next month or so. We would like to enquire if you would permit this to be built on Franzharian territory – in a small military base enclave leased to us near Mogadishu. Of course we would agree to reimbursement and pay $3,000,000 rand in rent every three months as long as the base is maintained. Both parties would be able to cancel the lease with one month notice."

THOMASSSON: "I am of course, fully committed to the Republic. Though I know Ranather with try to undermine it, depite what he says. As for my future Presidency, though I will most certainly be in the running, the decision of who gets elected is ultimately with the People."

STRIJDOM: "Of course, it is our intention to run a clean election. We wanted to make sure that you were also on the same page in that regards. However we shall be channelling resources such as access to our shortwave radio broadcasting to bolster your campaign. Let me tell you, our concern is not so much with the Emperor himself, we actually have no qualms with him. Our issue is with the rest of the monarchy and its corrupt and oppulent trappings."

THOMASSSON: "The airbase I have no issues with whatsoever."

STRIJDOM: "This is excellent news. Good. We shall probably require an extra-territorial zone on the coast around two-by-three miles. We want the base to be compact so as not to be an interferance with the future Franzharian government and people. If we can access it from the sea, then we can essentially cut ourselves off from the rest of Franzharia. Anyways, the details can be finalised in the next week or so. Our military authorites shall survey some locations and discuss them with you for your approval. Also, one little thing..." Strijdom handed a Transvaler passport to Thomasson. "On the authority of the Staatspresident himself, we have granted you dual citizenship with Transvaal. Apart from some rather strange, creepy fellow with a German accent who resides in a private apartment at our casino resort, you are the only other foreigner right now with dual citizenship with the Federal Republic. Just in case something happens in the future and you are unable to remain in Franzharia, we would be welcome to provide you with asylum as one of our citizens. Also, since you are a member of the Federal Government's executive cabinet, you need to have Transvaler citizenship to be a member of our government. If the Imperial family did try to return, what would be your contingency plans?"

THOMASSSON: "I suppose the best course of action is never a simple one, especially in the case of how the old Empire fell. Though Ranather certainly has a great deal of experience, I would have to be frank with him about our committment to a Republican future. That, and I have heard....rumors about the men he associates himself with, and I'm certain we do not want any influences that might....destabilize our new ways. As for the dual citizenship, I am most honoured and humbled by it, and of course, given my aforementioned position, accept it."

STRIJDOM: "How much support do you believe he still has in Franzharia - both amongst the population in general and inside the Free State administration? How much civilian resistance is your government encountering?"

THOMASSON: "A decent chunk of the population, especially in the Northern and Island territories, roughly 35 - 37 percent, based on surveys and raw estimation, still profess support for him. Around half of that number believe he should have at the very least, some sort of highly restrained and watched over advisory role. Something I am deadset against, which has raised a decent amount of ire. My own approval rating sits roughly at 49 percent. Within the Administration itself, amongst the 'higher-ups', there is little sentiment either way. Though the lower clerks, secretaries, assistants and such have a much greater amount of support for the Old Empire. Thankfully, resistance on the ground has been limited to nasty letters to the local Media, and the occasional Streetcorner ranter or two."

STRIJDOM: "Fair enough. I'm pragmatic enough to realise that we'd have some opposition to abolishing the monarchy. Is there anything we can do in the next couple of weeks before the establishment of the Republic of Franzharia that we can do? We hope to be in a position to sign a foreign base treaty (OOC: buy the foreign airbase wonder) by the end of the month if our finances remain as strong as they do. Also, some in our government are suggesting that we encourage the repatriation of the Franzharian Afrikaners from Transvaal back to Franzharia. That might help buttress your support as you'd have a loyal base to draw both voters and potential government officials."

THOMASSON: "So long as we keep the subtle and not so subtle pressure, especially utilizing the Media, things will be fine in the long run. As far as the repatriation plan, I personally have no issues, I might run into some resistance from the Nordist elements of my Government, but I'm sure it can be pushed through as more beneficial than not."

STRIJDOM: "Obviously the best course of action is to gain unpressured popular support to undermine the royalist base. Has your Free State Government had any direct contact with Ranathar or the monarchists? Perhaps some unofficial contacts should be established either through the Free State administration through you or through the Federal Republic. Such contact might permit us to gauge Ranathar's intentions - but it would have to be at the highest levels so as to prevent his faction from infiltrating the Free State. I'll be frank here: we hold nothing personal against him, perhaps he can even be won over? It may be something to explore."

THOMASSON: "Other than the occasional letter, no. Convincing a deposed man to support us could be hard, but we could certainly try."

STRIJDOM: "Keep us informed if you have any contact. Are there any other concerns which we need to be made aware of? "

THOMASSON: "Naturally. Only this is concernable at the moment." Thomasson hands Strijdom a piece of paper. "This outlines my proposed plan for the structure of the Republic on the Federal level. YOu and your Government are free to review it at your leisure."

Strijdom glanced through the document.

STRIJDOM: "From what I can see, this looks most satisfactory. It has my approval. Well, if that is that, then I believe our meeting here is done. Since the same day the Free State becomes a Republic is also the same day of our elections, it will prove difficult to have a government official on hand in Franzharia for the official ceremony. However I will make sure there is a representitive, perhaps from our military, from the Federal Republic. I wish you godspeed on your journey home."

THOMASON: "I am quite glad that this meeting was fruitful. Naturally, I will be in touch. To a brighter future for the both of us, and my wishes for your success in the elections, Mr. Strijdom."

NOVEMBER 17, 2008

Prime Minister H Strijdom has confirmed that if he wins the December 1st federal election, he will officially withdraw Transvaal from the Pan-African Coalition.

Transvaal has not been happy with development of the organisation nor its structure. We feel that the recent demise of BlackKnight and its arbitrary re-assignment of its territory to a distant non-African power was ill-thought. It seems that one of the core foundations of the PAC was to administer vacated territory until a sutible new local regieme could be found - however that has not been the case as we've seen BlackKnight subdivided between existing border states or outright colonised by foreigners in the case of Naboo.

Our Federal Republic would be better off to strengthen our ties with our close neighbours, such as Franzharia, Lubeck, and Wighton to maintain and preserve our regional strength and security while at the same time withdraw into a more diplomatically isolated but unconstrained political stance on a global level.

We have always been reluctant to sign formal defense treaties with other nations and we are beginning to view the PAC as such. We shall not allow our nation to be dragged into wars not of our own starting or direct concern.

It is unknown whether Transvaal will demand the return of Southern Angola prior to departure - a territory which Transvaal held ample SOI claim over but peacefully relinquished to the PAC in the hopes a local ruler could be found. As of present, Angola has been vacant of direct local rule since last Spring.

NOVEMBER 19, 2008

The Federal Republic of Transvaal has announced the revision of its Free Seas Policy which affects the oceans surrounding the Cape of Africa.

"After further consideration, we have decided to apply a policy of 'reciprocal mutual regard' towards all shipping traffic around the Cape of Africa. Whatever your policy is towards us will be the same policy we apply to your civilian and military shipping. You tax us, we'll tax you the same rate. You exclude our traffic, we do the same. You give us freedom of your territorial water, we'll do the same. Simple as that." stated Admiral Rudolf Kruger.

The admiral then stated off record that the policy - called the Cape of Africa Declaration - was revised after discussion with the Federal Government and their disapproval of various exclusions zones which have been applied in the Pacific Ocean.

The area affected entails:


 * South of 0° Equator
 * East of 0° Greenwich
 * West of 60° E
 * North of 60°S

NOVEMBER 21, 2008

RANATHAR'S VISIT TO PRETORIA

Several days after the festivities in Jericho, Ranather Rukia's personal aircraft made its way south. After several hours the small Cessna landed in Johannesburg Airport.

This was the first time since the Nationalist Conference that he had set on Transvaler soil, and his first return to Africa since the events of the past month. Naturally he was slightly nervous, but thrilled to finally be able to hash things out with Transvaal.

Not wasting any time, the Governor exited the craft to whomever had been sent to greet him.

Unlike Governor Thomasson, who was met at Johannesburg Airport by the prime minister himself, Ranather Rukia would make the one-hour drive along the Kaiser Martens Highway himself in the limousine dispatched for him. The drive was uneventful and terminated at Government House, where he was ushered politely but briskly into the private office of Staatspresident Botha. Sitting alongside next to Ranathar, across from Botha's desk, was the Transvaler prime minister, Hendrik Strijdom.

The staatspresident began the discussion:

BOTHA: "Greetings Governor Ranathar Rukia, we have requested this meeting to find out what your intentions shall be once the Republic of Franzharia is proclaimed in a few weeks."

RANATHAR: "Staatspresident. When I was deposed, I very nearly lost my life for an ideal that was clearly no longer welcome. My people wanted more. They trusted Jessica Haines. She promised them a Republic. She gave them terror. If my people truly want this Republic, then who am I to stand in the way? I fully intend to cooperate in anyway the Republic asks me to, the Empire is no more."

BOTHA: "Jessica Haines was a mistake. Not only did your people err in supporting her, but so too did we and did not realise our folly until when she turned against us."

"As you know, our nation has invested a lot of money into Franzharian technology productions - so understandably we need to protect our investments. Ultimately Transvaal needs to have stable neighbours and regional allies, and Franzharia along with the Arcticans holds a special place in our foreign policy. We want to see Franzharia a strong and stable power in East Africa, just as we have become in Southern Africa. But as you know, Franzharia has been plagued by frequent government instability - and excuse me for saying this, but part of that instability has been cause by your supporters."

"This Thomasson chap seems genuine and sincere, a boon to your people, that is why we chose him during this transition period. If the monarchy is dead, as you say it is, then perhaps you need to align yourself with him? We could quite well see Franzharia evolve where an strong President-Prime Minister system like we have here as evolved, where you become head-of-state and rule on an international level and Thomasson governs domestically as prime minister. Think about it."

"Anyways, once the Republic of Franzharia is official, we shall not... we cannot... restrict your return to your homeland."

"One thing I must ask: what are your feelings about our future airbase in Mogadishu?"

RANATHAR: "I know when my failures are my own. I made poor choices, and take full responsibility for it. Thomasson and I have yet to meet face to face and will likely do so after the elections in January. I wouldn't want to be an unnecessary burden during the transitional period, and with my wife still recovering from labor, and a daughter just now ready to grow, I will focus on my family in Novorograd for the time being. Naturally once the Republic is steady and such, I will have to talk with Thomasson about integrating the Commonwealth back into Franzharia. I don't know much about the Airbase agreement yet, but I have little issue with it."

The Staatspresident leaned back in his plush chair. "We believe it would be beneficial for all parties that you and Thomasson meet somewhere before the elections. Even though you may not be involved in the elections, so long as you are alive you will always be a presence in Franzharian affairs. We believe that Thomasson specifically and the voters in general need to see concrete example of your interaction with the new Republic to give it some sense of stability. As long as you remain on the sidelines, there will always be this expectant air lingering over the Republic that you represent an alternate force in Franzharia."

Strijdom then timely interjected "I am going to be frank here: at some point we fully expect that you will attempt some sort of political comeback. We simply hope that it does not clash with Thomasson and the interests of the new Republic - otherwise everyone will find themselves back at square one. And who suffers the most? Your common people."

Once Strijdom had finished, Botha added, almost as an afterthought "But that is just our opinion and we'll leave it in Thomasson's and your hands to set-up a meeting". The two Transvaler leaders then waited for Ranathar's response.

RANATHAR: "I would be remiss if I said I had zero political aspirations, but it will be long thought and planned before that were to happen. There are many people who share the view that I cannot remain on the sidelines for long. I understand this. However, there are a good number more who feel that if I re-enter the scene too soon, it could de-stabilize what Thomasson has built. A 'Big Brother' over his shoulder if you will. Many would expect me to do just this, clash with any precedents he sets forth. That I would work to undo the Republic. You and I both know Franzharia likely cannot survive another upheaval. Thomasson and I have many things to discuss, as you can see. It will happen, in due time. Though I must admit, the pressure is squarely on me to assuage the fears of those who see me as the usurpary element."

Strijdom replied: "Ja, you could not have said it better. That has been our concern exactly..."

RANATHAR: "I realize at the same time that I simply cannot please everyone, and that words are useless if not followed by action. There will always be those who will always cast a dark eye on me, and rather than try to please them, perhaps it will simply be better, through my actions from here on out, to not give them a reason to complain."

Staatspresident Botha seemed more relaxed. "Well, after hearing your answers my concerns are now more rested. Would you be able to give us and Thomasson your word that any future political activity by you would be through legitimate means? Would you be willing to make such a public declaration? We could arrange through Radio-Transvaal to broadcast such a message to your people."

Strijdom however looked on, with a still yet unconvinced expression, not sure whether Ranathar could be fully trusted. Then a thought crossed his mind and he spoke sternly to Ranathar: "You know, of course, that Governor Thomasson is a dual citizen of both our nations. There are but one-handful of dual-Transvaler citizens, and those so worthy our government which has bestowed such honours would be most dearly troubled should any misfortunate fall on them."

Before he could respond to Botha, Ranather shot a look at Strijdom. This was clearly not a move he had expected. Returning to Botha, "I am more than willing to make such a statement."

BOTHA: Excellent, then we shall make the necessary arrangements to broadcast such a message.

Strijdom's reaction was expressionless towards Ranathar - but he appeared to savour the Franzharian's sudden, startled manner. He then quietly, but firmly said "I am glad that you have come to a realisation that we do mean business."

The prime minister then stood up and excused himself, telling the Staatspresident that he had some other pressing concerns that required his immediate attention. Strijdom held out his hand to Ranathar. "As prime minister of this federal republic, I am relieved to know that our economic interests in Franzharia are well protected and secure."

Strijdom's accent threw Ranathar off just enough that he could not tell if his words were a compliment - or a threat.

Working back into his cool demeanor Ranather returned the handshake, as he and Strijdom's eyes met for only a moment, with the ever so slightest glarity about it.

"A pleasure, to be sure."

Turning back to the Staatspresident,

"I will be ready."

After Strijdom had departed, Botha continued on in a sort of fatherly monologue.

"It seems that we all have an understanding. There is no reason that you, as, how shall I put it... a political individual... cannot be integrated into the new Franzharia. If anything, you working alongside Thomasson could both provide a unifying force for peace and prosperity in your country."

"And you can rest assured that Transvaal will not turn our backs on the plight of the Franzharian people should tragedy strike them."

"I am glad we had this meeting, your nation has a lot of divisions to heal but I believe it can be accomplished. Transvaal here has gone through just as dire trials and tribulations as Franzharia is going through - it is often the byproduct of political and social maturation of small and young nations."

Botha gently stood up, indicating the meeting was now over, and showed Ranathar to the exit of his office.

"From myself and my wife, I wish you and your family the very best. You are welcome here anytime."

As Ranathar walked out of the office, Botha peered from his doorway. "Remember, for the sake of your people... work with Thomasson, he is a smart man... an asset to be harnessed and not an enemy to be made."

"Wise advice my friend, thank you."

NOVEMBER 23, 2008

TRANSVAAL LEAVES FRANZHARIA

In response to the Silver Revolution, an angered Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom spoke from the steps of Government House in an impromptu speech which was also broadcast on state television. His face flushed, he launched vehemently into his diatribe;

“To put it bluntly, we were stabbed in the back by the former Emperor Ranathar, a vile snake who less than a day ago spoke with the Staatspresident and myself at this very location and assured us that he would work peacefully in the new Franzharia.”

“I will not sacrifice Transvaler blood over a chronically instable region of Africa, therefore our forces will be departing Franzharia as soon as possible. The members of the Free State administration will also be evacuated along with us, if they wish to depart for their safety.”

Strijdom then took a drink of water and cleared his throat before continuing.

“Effectively immediately, the Transvaler Martense Party is declared illegal and all its members and supporters deemed a security hazard to this nation. Their leader Annetjie van Matteus was arrested and placed under protective custody less than an hour ago and shall remain as such until the Staatspresident and myself see fit. At last count, 2811 citizens, all suspected Martenists, have been identified for arrest and interrogation so we can gauge their intentions.”

“We went with the best of intentions to Franzharia, invested in their economy to get themselves back on their feet, and tried to help them build a future without bloodshed and anarchy. They were blind, not seeing how a similar transformation in Arctica has helped that nation on the road to recovery. However for all our troubles, we were stabbed in the back by those we felt we could trust - so we now consign them to their own desired fate. They will have to come crawling back on their hands and knees groveling if we are ever to lift a finger for them again.”

And then Strijdom did something, as an afterthought, which had not been done by a government official in almost a year, he gave the fascist salute to the crowd assembled in front of him before descending from the stage.

NOVEMBER 25, 2008

The Federal Republic of Transvaal announced the establishment of diplomatic relations in the past 24 hours with with Slovetzia and Neu Osea.

The Ministry of Finance has also forwarded $3,000,000 rand payment to Neu Osea after signing their first technology production agreement. Despite recent events in Franzharia, the Ministry of Finance also forwarded $3,000,000 rand to the new regime in the hopes that economic agreements can be maintained while diplomatic relations remain in limbo.

"Business is business, and if the Franzharians are willing to continue to deliver their end of the bargain, then I see no reason why we cannot maintain already established economic ties between both nations. If anything, it might help cool the rhetoric" said Finance Minister M Hofmeyr, who then admitted he was taking a risk because he had no guarantee that the Transvaler funds would simply be seized by the new imperial regime.

Currently the Federal Republic has maintain diplomatic relations with the "Franzharian state" while not yet giving formal recogition of the imperial regime. "We refuse to refer to Franzharia by their so-called term 'afrikareich' as we find this term politically offensive to our Afrikaans ears, which due to linguistic semantics particularly implies a direct threat to our own sovereignty" explained Foreign Minister P Stellenbosch.

RESPONSE BY SITHIS OF REALM: "Imperial Realm is not surprised that Transvaal would fund Neu Osea, considering the comments the latter has made in regards to the land now rightfully ruled by Emperor Ranather. It seems as though the Afrikaners are hesitant to step out of their role as the instigator of instability in the region. Not only did they do so through imposing a government unpopular with the East African people, they now seek to further undermine Emperor Ranather's authority by financing a nation who seeks to seize the land now in his possession."

RESPONSE BY RANATHAR OF FRANZHARIA: "Sadly, I must agree with my counterparts from Imperial Realm. The rest of us have moved on, yet some elements in Transvaal seem to want to continue on with the petty saber-rattling. As far as Neu Osea goes, they lost any claim they had to this land long ago. Perhaps they should concentate on building their future, not worrying about the past."

RESPONSE BY JUSTINIAN OF SLAVORUSSIA: This same arguement could have been used against you and your allies. Transvaal has always been fairly stable country. Transvaal is dedicated to peace, which is more than we can say for many nations around the world. Although our two countries may not always agree, Slavorussia holds the country, people and government of Transvaal in the highest regard.

REPLY TO SITHIS OF REALM: Transvaal is neutral as to whom it does business with. We know very little of Neu Osea or their politics (and frankly, don't care) but they are willing to sell us technology, so we are willing to buy from them.

While we have some serious political issues regarding Franzharia and the aftermath of the Silver revolution, we still are willing to put aside those political differences in the economic field and still do business with them. Likewise we trade with communist nations for resources even though our anti-communism is well-known.

In other words, pragmatism runs our ecomonic ties.

As for our "instigation of instability" that is simply a blatent falsehood!

- Where have we been instigators? When we willingly relinquished our SOI claim over Angola? - Where we supported and fortified Arctica's claim over Madagascar by allowing them to utilise our own extensive SOI over Madagascar to unite the island under their rule? - Where we relinquished our control over the Comoros Islands so that Lübeck could find somewhere to call home? - Where we stepped in to assist the Arcticans in maintaining order and control over their island in the aftermath of in-game war?

These are all examples of our peaceful relations with our neighbours. Franzharia would have been treated no different than how we have worked amicably with the Arcticans. As the world can clearly see, we have not interfered in Arctican relations and they have rebuilt themselves.

Once we terminate the Madagaskar Vrystaat in the next month and see Madagascar re-united under sovereign Arctican rule, then the world will realise at that moment that they misjduged us in regards to Franzharia. We predict that the so-called "afrika reich" won't last and East Africa will once again be plagued by warfare and instability and turmoil. Mark our words! When Ranathar is run out of his country yet again due to his incompetent rule and megalomania, we shall have the last laugh.

REPLY BY SITHIS OF REALM: It is that sort of indiscriminate economic free handedness that leads nations into troubled waters. If the success of the East Africa Company has proven anything, it's that choosing who your business clients are determine how secure your investments will be. What will happen should Transvaal engage in a technology deal with a nation that is at war with another? Not only is it a problem for Transvaal, it is a problem for Transvaal's allies who will have been dragged into a conflict due to the South Africans' foolishness. The Empire will have the last laugh when Transvaal dies alone and friendless due to their reckless economic policy.

NOVEMBER 23-29, 2008

KAISER MARTENS MEETS WITH BOTHA

On arrival at the border post, the Nordlanders are met by a squad of Krygsmagte troops. Their commanding officer, a colonel approached the tanks and saluted.

"I am Colonel de Beers, I have been ordered by the highest authorities to escort you and your group to the station in town. There waiting for you is a private train to take you to Pretoria. Your tanks will remain with us, we shall arrange to have them transported. Come, please hurry!"

"Greetings. Colonel, may I ask what the hurry is?" Martens spoke, adjusting his regular Reichskaiser cap and the neck of his uniform, his extremely oversized handgun hanging from his belt on one side, a smaller throwaxe on the other one. With him, comes his personal guard, a very tall, very pale man who most wouldn't dare look in the eye.

Zamoyski stood straightening his white naval uniform, the desert was not good for keeping it clean and pressed.

He fiddled with the hilt a bit and followed quickly in tow with Martens.

"Indeed, rushing like this is scuffing my newly shined shoes."

The colonel was taken aback. Confused.

"Well, I suppose we're not really in a hurry... but I was instructed to make sure that we made contact with you and got you connected to suitable transportation as soon as possible."

The colonel looked at the tanks. He was still digesting the fact that the visitors had made their way from the north by road. "Those will have to be sent down the coast by ship from here, our navy will make the necessary arrangements."

He raises an eyebrow. The Colonel is sure acting funny. He smiles, anyway.

"Alright. Lets go. Thank you."

He still thought the situation was a little fishy. Or maybe it was just that Martens was just used to driving and walking a lot on his very own during the years in which he had been "dead". Either way they proceed, and move, and enter the train.

Martens and company are shown to the middle passenger car of a three-car train, the two cars adjacent in front and behind occupied by the troops which had met them at the border. Around five minutes later, a whistle was heard and the steam locomotive began to chug, jerking the train into movement.

Colonel de Beers entered the compartment and explained that the journey would take them down the coast to Maputo, with a brief stop for lunch while locomotives were changed before continuing on to Pretoria. He then exited the car and left his guests alone for most of the trip, occassionally checking in on them every couple of hours.

Later in the day the train pulled into Maputo Station. Unlike the earlier welcome the Nordlanders had received, with the city fetted in Deutschland flags, the reception this time was cold and indifferent.

The locomotive was refueled with water and coal and Colonel de Beers entered the passenger carriage to announce that a one hour break would be taken in Maputo. He escorted Martens and entourage to a private dining area in the bustling station so that everyone could partake in some lunch.

"We should be arriving in Pretoria in around two to three hours" the colonel said to Martens from across the table. The meal was plain but hearty, the Colonel speaking between breaks in his soup. "You will be taken immediately to Government House and meet with the Staatspresident and Prime Minister. I believe the military commander-in-chief and admiral of the fleet will also be attending, as I heard something on the radio about Marshal Cruywagen making a special trip straight from Madagaskar."

Martens then spied one of the engineers reading the latest afternoon daily, and the headlines from the World News section Daaglikse Nuus caught his eye: "BOTHA TURNS DOWN VISIT INVITATION TO SLOVETZIA; AMBASSADORS EXCHANGED" and "OSEAN MAKES OFFER OF TECH DEAL"

Martens remained silent for most of the journey, only speaking when he must answer. For the most part, his eyes drifted off to look through the window at the terrain passing by. He simply longed to return to Nordland, to much more appropiate, colder weather.

"Hm...last time I saw Botha...we were in Übersteinia...that was long ago...this was a good meal, thank you."

He crosses one leg over the other and leans back, waiting to arrive.

The train finally pulled into the central station in Pretoria. Waiting by the platform was Marshal Paul Cruywagen and Admiral Rudolf Kruger, the two highest ranking officers in the Federal Republic. As Martens climbed off the train, the admiral gave a brief salute while Cruywagen stood there stiffly.

Cruywagen shot a sideways glace at Kruger and then stepped foward to greet Martens.

"Greetings, welcome". Cruywagen then motioned towards the exit at the end of the platform and walked beside Martens.

After a moment of silence, Cruywagen spoke in his dry, deep and gravely voice. "You arrive coincidently on a rather important and intiguing date. Today is the one-year anniversary of Transvaal leaving the Sons of Muspel and joining IRON..."

Cruywagen paused for effect before finishing his sentence. "...in other words, the marking of our complete break with our Nordlandic heritage, so to speak." The tone in his voice indicated that he agreed with the end of Transvaal's involvement in Maroon and Norden affairs.

The Marshal then waited for Martens' reaction to his meant-to-be-intentionally stinging words.

"You may break with your heritage...but heritage won't break with you. Our scientists would agree wholeheartedly..."

Martens returns the salute, very martially.

"Cruywagen will remain Cruywagen no matter how much you attempt to change this. However I recognize the individual's potential to bend one's destiny. And I respect it...let us go."

Every word was spoken calmly, and calm as well was his face, almost in an unnerving, disturbing fashion.

The Marshal remained expressionless but acknowledged to himself that Martens still had that unique, uncanny ability to chose his words - few but appropriate and to the point.

"Here we are, these limousines will take us to Government House."

After a short drive, the party arrived at the power and nerve centre of the Federal Republic - and one of the most important and influential buildings on the entire continent. As they walked up the stairs into the main foyer, Cruywagen made a call on his cellphone, simply uttering "Ja, hulle is hier" and hanging up.

Martens and his group were ushered into a conference room, and not Staatspresident Botha's personal office from what Martens recall in his previous meetings. Waiting for them was the Staatspresident seated at the head of the table, with Prime Minister Strijdom on his right. Marshal Cruywagen and Admiral Kruger took their places and Martens was offered the seat directly opposite Botha.

"Greetings old friend, it has been a very long time" said Botha, as he stood up to welcome the Nordlander. He walked over to Martens and shook his hand, and then hugged him. "Welcome, welcome, please sit down." As Botha returned to his chair, it stuck Martens that the Staatspresident had aged somewhat since their last meeting.

Botha began: "I believe you have met Marshal Cruywagen, commander-in-chief of our military ground forces; this is Admiral Kruger, commander of our Navy, and this is Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom."

Strijdom nodded and said "Pleased to meet you, I have heard much about you from the Staatspresident". Strijdom's accent caught Martens' ear, it was a slightly different accent than that heard by most Afrikaners in Transvaal. It sounded vaguely like... like... yes, a Boerstaat accent, one he had not heard in quite a long time.

"So my friend... why do you wish to meet with us?" questioned Botha.

Martens hugged the now old man with some energy, and patted his back a few times. He smiled.

"I have missed everyone. It is good to be back."

Perhaps it would be striking to them all that Martens still appeared to be as young as when he had taken power, many decades ago. After that, he sits down and removes his cap, placing it on the table, Zamoyski always following along.

"Nice to meet you all, Gentlemen. This here is Zamoyski, my second in command."

He sighs, relaxing and then finally starting,

"I have heard that many Martensists, who didn't actually come along with me, were jailed alongside with the leader of the Martensist Party. I have also heard that apparently my little... operation damaged your interests. I wished to see what can be done for the Martensists, and what we may be able to do to make up for the trouble that we have caused you. Even though you are Neutral always, we wish to mantain only the best of relations, and because of this, we're ready to pay for anything we may have broken, so to speak."

“The Franzharian revolution caught us by surprise for three reasons. First off, we had just met face to face with Ranathar and we were given the impression, from his firm assurances to us, that he would work within the legal framework which we had painstakingly constructed and not contemplate a political return in the immediate future.”

“Second of all, because we felt that we had a mutual understanding with you – in that we never suspected that we would ever be on the receiving end of arbitrary events initiated by Nordland.”

“Third of all, we were led to believe that we had the general support of the international community. Our invasion of Franzharia was met with widespread support, we established the basis of a democratic government – arguably more democratic that our own – so that the international powers would see and understand that our involvement in Franzharia was sincere and transparent. Never for one second did we ever desire imperialistic aims over Franzharia. Trust me when I say that if we had ever wanted Somalia, we had ample opportunity to make it ours long before Franzharia was even a nation. Did we ever exploit that opportunity? No.”

“So you can understand if we feel thrice slighted – or should I say, stabbed in the back…isn’t that what you Germans said one time, no?”

Botha paused, slipped from his water, before continuing.

“The only damage done to us is that our pride has been hurt. A boer does not forgive very lightly the wrongs commited to him and it will take time for our nation to trust outsiders as openly as we did in the past. Perhaps that was our failing – that we opened up too quickly. I believe you will see a much more cautious… and sadly, suspicious, Transvaal during the course of the next few months.”

Martens replied: "Nordland...well. Nordland did not do this. Nordland was not aware of this. I and Ranather semi-spontaneously organized this. The responsability for this lies solely on my shoulders and Ranather's, not Nordland. One can say that I even endangered Nordland by doing this, so I would like to be single handedly blamed for this if possible. After all, I was dead to the world. Aside from this, I am not telling you that it would be nice if you could pretend that things are alright...I am asking, quite concretely, if you would accept anything from me and or Nordland to...somewhat make up for the harm. In the one hand I have my apologies to offer you. In the other hand, I have technologies, currency, goods. I wish to be allowed to help your nation to make up for what I have done. There's got to be SOMETHING I can do for you all."

The Staatspresident then changed directions in the discussion. “Now... regarding Annetjie van Matteus...” Botha looked towards the prime minister; it was his cue now to speak.

Hendrik Strijdom straightened himself up in his chair. The man was one of the most dour, hard Afrikaners which Martens had met and spent no time on niceties.

“I do not believe you truly understand the situation with Van Matteus and that you are misinformed as to her intentions. Oh… she may be able to charm those around her with her striking beauty, but underneath her Aryan good looks is a monster.”

Strijdom changed the tone of his voice, from being forceful and stressing his points to a reserved quiet manner:

“Do you know who is the father of her daughter? None other than the deceased Uys Rooyan de Ruijters. Yes, the white supremacist – or former, I should say. Isn’t it strange that when Van Matteus was stationed in Boereguay, that De Ruijters came out of hiding and made an appearance there? Coincidence?”

“I think not. After I replaced Van Matteus as governor of Transvaler Suid-Amerika, when we captured De Ruijters he confessed that Van Matteus had been sheltering him, that she had arranged for his commando militants to gain passage to the territory.”

“Isn’t it strange that the Verwoerd Front, de Ruijters’ old party, has nosedived in support while Van Matteus has perhaps the strongest electoral support in her career?”

Strijdom then cracked a smile. “Let me put it this way: is she someone you wish your movement to be associated with – or can afford to be associated with?”

Martens the answered "Hmm... I was not aware of that situation...."

Silence...

"Is there any chance that I could speak to her privately? I feel that if she is...indeed the enemy, I should be able to help out. I am sure that some of her followers are not, in fact, agreeing with Racialism as many were probably tricked. I would like to have a chance to separate the good from the bad. Perhaps I can convince her that I truly side with her in order to be able to obtain the full truth. I think it'd be worth a shot."

Botha replied: “The fact that you of all people had the decency to make the long journey here to apologise to us, either on behalf of Nordland or as an individual...” Botha looked around at the rest of his colleagues sitting around the table, each nodded back “...that we consider this particular matter now closed. Besides we were able to secure that last of our tech production owed to us before the revolution broke out.”

“Now as for Van Matteus... I suppose that we could arrange some sort of a meeting - but not privately.”

Strijdom then interjected in: “We are in the twilight last days of the diehard martense in Transvaal, their numbers are dwindling. Less than thirty percent of our people were even around when we were Nordland. Besides the National Party was in power during the Martenist reign over our nation, if anything we are the keepers of the martenist legacy in Transvaal – not Van Matteus and her hangers-on. As you know full well, times have changed, a year is a long time, and Transvaal has had to adapt to the realities of a new world or perish.”

Martens smiled, and nodded.

"Remember. I am in your debt now. When a favor is needed, no matter what it is, I will be there. Simply call me. Hmmm... was she jailed alone or were there others jailed? I would like to speak with her either way... just to give it a shot..."

BOTHA: "She is being held in solitary at our Interior Ministry."

"Do you have any other concerns or questions for us? Otherwise we shall make arrangements for you to speak with Van Matteus."

MARTENS: "I meant. Did you jail only her as part of the operation, or did you jail other suspects? And, sure lets make them arrangements."

STRIJDOM: "Ah. No, we are only holding her right now in Pretoria. Not just for her involvement in the Martense Party but for other reasons as well."

"The vast majority we arrested have since been released after brief questioning. There might have been may a dozen direhards we deemed 'hostile' and a severe security risk. They have probably been sent off to one of the labour camps in Mozambique, I'll find out from our interior minister for sure of their whereabouts."



Martens and Zamoyski are led across the street to Transvaal’s Ministry of Interior complex, a rather non-descript three-story building. They are met by Minister Boersma, who takes them downstairs… underground... into what is apparently the interrogation and holdings cells.

“You must excuse her appearance, as we believe her to be a definite flight risk” the minister said as he held open the cell door. “You have ten minutes and then I shall return. Of course we are monitoring everything via audio and video.”

The two visitors entered the featureless cell, which was brightly lit and obviously not the one which was her regular lock-up. Annetjie van Matteus was in the room, her arms, legs, and body chained down to a heavy metal chair positioned in the centre of the room and attached to the cement floor.

She looked up slowly, with an expression of obvious sleep deprivation.

Martens smiled fondly, as the dungeons and torture rooms reminded him of his home. A familiar sight. He places his cap nearby and nods. "Alright, I was on the impression that this had been a large scale issue. But around a dozen is a different situation...now..."

He steps forwards, and folds his arms behind his back.

"Lady Van Matteus."

Red eyes shift to meet hers.

Her eyes focused on the figure standing in front of her, they widened in shock once she made recognition.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here? I’ve done nothing to harm you!”

He pulled out another chair, and sat down in front of her, crossing one leg over the other, smiling lightly.

"Your case has sparked my interest. I would like to obtain more information in order to be able to have a proper opinion on the matter, Lady. That is all. Will you cooperate with me?"

Zamoyski stood in the corner of the cell, leaning against the wall with one leg up. He smoked a cigarette and fiddled with the hilt of the sword. Something about the situation made him uneasy. He never liked being monitored...but could it be more?

Van Matteus spoke softly, in an almost defeated tone: "Of course..."

"Alright then. What have you done to be here? How did you end up in here? Which are the accusations against you? That is what I must first know."

Before Van Matteus could answer Martens, Interior Minister burst into the interrogation room. He had a worried expression. He spoke to Martens:

"Excuse me for interupting, but we have a dire situation that needs your immediate attention. It seems that your embassy and that of the Franzharians has been hit with a sudden wave of visa applications this morning. By our reckoning, there are 1,341 of our citizens asking for resettlement to Nordland or Franzharia. I would assume those demanding to go to Franzharia are those who we resettled here prior to Ranathar moving his empire to Somalia. Those wanting to emigrate to Nordland are most likely pro-martenist residents from our Norden and Nordreich days"

"Will you take them in?"

Martens blinked twice, a bit surprised.

"Yes. They'll be more than likely welcomed. I will request for "bureaucratic reinforcements" to be sent to handle this as quickly as possible. Nordland has an open border policy for Nordland-blooded people and Martencists as long as they're not on the Far Left or the Far Right. Thank you, again. Please allow us to pay for any expenditures that may come from this as a courtesy to Transvaal."

Minister Boersma replied in quiet agreement. “Then as you wish... I shall make the necessary arrangements at our end and contact your people at your embassy.”

After Boersma departed from the room, leaving Martens and Zamoyski alone again with Van Matteus, she blurted out “Don’t you realize that if those people are allowed to leave, then you will lose the last remaining support you may have had amongst our masses? There goes my own political support!”

“Back to your questions... I was arrested during a Martense Party rally and brought immediately here. According to my interrogators I have been deemed a threat to national security because they believe I am in league with foreign powers to overthrow or threaten the federal republic”. Van Matteus then nodded towards Martens direction, to indicate whom these ‘foreign powers’ were. “I am also being made accountable for our government’s failures in Boereguay while I was the governor there, explicitly the circumstances how the White Sentinel Kommando were able to start operations there. According to the prime minister, who also coincidently enough succeeded me twice in postings, first in Namibia and then in Paraguay, he says that I am incompetent and abusing power for personal ambition and gain.”

NOVEMBER 26, 2008

With the approval of the Federal Government, Bishop Markus van Bruggen of Johannesburg, head of the Roman Catholic church in Transvaal hereby acknowledges Pope Bubba XIII as the true Pope of Transvaal's tiny number (6% of population) of Catholics.

NOVEMBER 28, 2008

Transvaal's Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch announced this morning that the Transvaler occupation of southern Madagascar under the Madagaskar Vrystaat shall terminate one month early, on December 1, 2008.

"Since recent events which resulted in the collapse of the Franzharia Free State, the Federal Republic of Transvaal sees no reason to maintain the occupation of southern Madagascar, especially since Arctica is now one of the most stable states in the region - a success story of our intervention in rebuilding regional economic and political stability."

"We had originally wanted to coordinate the termination of both occupations at New Year, but those plans have been thrown out with the bathwater baby and all since the return of the Ranatharian regieme in Franzharia."

"Since the loss of our foreign base lease concession in Franzharia, we plan to approach the Arcticans about a similar lease agreement proposal over a small parcel of land."

Transvaler Krygsmagte troops will evacuate southern Madagascar on November 31 and the territory will be officially reunified with Arctica on December 1. Marshal Cruywagen, Military Governor of the Madagaskar Vrystaat, shall be on hand for the official re-unification ceremonies.

= December 1 Election = The current term for Eersteminister [Prime Minister] and African Paramount Chief expires on November 30, 2008.

His Excellency, the head-of-state Staatspresident Botha has therefore called for a National Election to determine the next Prime Minister and Paramount Chief of the Federal Republic of Transvaal.

TERMS OF OFFICE: December 1st 2008 to April 30th 2009 

Prime Minister of the Federal Republic 

The office of Prime Minister is open to any party candidate of the white Afrikaner race. All citizens of the Federal Republic regardless of race residing in the Federal Republic may vote for Prime Minister.

CANDIDATES

Hendrik STRIJDOM (National Party – incumbent) held governor posts in Namibia and Transvaler Suid-Amerika previous to being named prime minister after JM Hertzog’s resignation last month. Responsible for negotiating an end to the war in Paraguay, during his short term Strijdom has expanded the Seemag [Navy], increased government spending in the civilian sector, created an National Earth Day to help improve awareness to the nation’s environment, clamped down on radicals both leftist and rightist, and granted Lübeck independence. As well, he has been able to return some unity back to the National Party.

Willem COETZEE (National Party) Deputy Prime Minister and Governor of Rhodesia; Transvaal election law stipulates the deputy prime minister is placed on the ballot so as to always ensure the incumbent does not win the election by simple acclamation if there are no challengers.

Jakob Martin HERTZOG (National Party) – former prime minister of Transvaal, the longest serving prime minister in the nation’s history, governed from November 12, 2007 until his resignation on October 18, 2008. During his two terms in office, Transvaal’s population tripled in size and he successfully managed the painful economic transformation from Maroon to the Orange trading sphere. Due to his difficulty speaking English, foreign policy has been a critical weak aspect of his rule and he took the fall for leading the nation into a disastrous colonial adventure in South America. Since the last election and prior to his resignation, he built 4 labour camps, legalized the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church), re-annexed Cherokee Namibia, withdrew from Angola, joined the Pan-African Coalition, constructed the Transvaler Seemag and began technology deals with Franzharia. His government has handed out R$20.5 million in foreign aid while receiving R$9 million in return.

Marthinus HOFMEYR (National Party) Minister of Finance, Trade & Education. Advocates government spending to increase the technology level in Transvaal.

Ms. Annetjie VAN MATTEUS (Martens Party of Transvaal) Former prime minister in office in May-June 2007. Deposed by military coup after publicly executing one of her ministers on television. Later tried for alleged treasonous involvement during the GOONS war but acquitted by the courts. Regarded to be a neo-fascist but generally supports the current federal republic format. She resigned from the National Party after H Strijdom became prime minister.

Reverend Erasmus DU TOIT (Verwoerd Front) Leader of the white supremacist party favouring the reintroduction of total Verwoerdian apartheid and the complete subordination of blacks to white rule in Southern Africa.

Frederik GELDENHUYS (Demokratiese Barakke Party) Leader of the Democratic Drillhall Party which admires Field Marshal Cruywagen and favours the involvement of progressive elements within the Transvaler military to participate in running the government so as to remove the threat of white supremacists in Transvaler society.

Paramount Chief & African Affairs Minister

CANDIDATES

The office of Paramount Chief and African Affairs Minister is open to any party or independent candidate of Black African ethnicity. All Black African citizens residing in the Federal Republic may vote for this post. No whites are permitted to vote for Paramount Chief

Dakarai BAAKO (independent – incumbent) former football (soccer) player for Transvaal Springboks’ UCFA squad. Involved through blackmail in a smuggling ring operating between PDSAR, Angola, and Transvaal. Claimed asylum in PDSAR until deported to Transvaal in February 2008. Baako was formally accused by the government of smuggling but charges later dropped. He won election to office on May 1, 2008 but has been widely criticized for “doing and saying nothing”.

Govan Lethu MAUNTANG (National Party) Minister of African Affairs since appointment in April 2007; Titular leader of all African people residing within the Federal Republic of Transvaal, Mr. Mauntang was the governor for the African federal protectorates of Tswanaland, Basutoland, and Swaziland. He worked with JM Hertzog to secure improvements dedicated to the welfare of Transvaal’s black population. Mauntang was Paramount Chief of Transvaal from April 12, 2007 until his defeat in the last election.

Ms. Judith MATANBANADZO (National Party) - Ambassador to PDSAR

NOVEMBER 2, 2008

''AN EXPLANATION OF FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN TRANVSAAL... brought to you by TELE-TRANSVAAL''

Federal Elections in Transvaal are carried out under election governance by the authority of the Staatsregeringministrie van Nasionaalverkiesing (Department of National Elections).

For any Federal Election to be valid, a minimum of 40 electoral districts in the National Assembly must be decided.

If an election does not receive the minimum votes to make it valid, a run-off election between the two candidates with the most district votes is then called to take place two weeks after the original election.

The political party receiving the greatest number of votes cast for all candidates is elected to office; the candidate within that party is appointed the prime minister.

If a prime minister holds a minority of votes within his party, he must rule through a coalition within his party. If that coalition collapses, the governing party must find another prime minister from within its ranks.

We recently saw this happen when JM Hertzog's governing National Party coalition collapsed when Annetjie van Matteus along with the so-called Riannite faction withdrew their support in the governing National Party coalition.

Any candidate who gains a majority of electoral district votes within his party would not require a governing coalition - and any candidate who gains an overall majority of electoral districts in the entire election is deemed to have an "absolute majority" and can essentially rule unhindered by any sort of 'checks and balances' from within the government or from his party.

NOVEMBER 5, 2008

ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING brought to you by TELE-TRANSVAAL

VERKIESING DESEMBER '08 - ELECTION DECEMBER '08

Goeienaand, good evening everyone, welcome! Lukas Reitz here from Afrikaans Daaglikse Tele-Nuus and its English-language equivalent Daily TV News.

I will be your host tonight for this, the National Federal Election all-candidates town hall meeting for Paramount Chief and African Affairs minister.

Assembled with us we have invited numerous, respected members of the foreign and local press who will be fielding questions to the candidates. When presenting their questions, I request you give your name and news bureau you are assigned to. To assist me to maintain some semblance of order here, please ask one question at a time and state whom you are addressing it to.

Following the end of this debate, we shall then move on to the all-candidates discussion and forum for the Prime Ministerial election - so I ask you that any questions you may have for those candidates running for prime minister that you hold off asking until that point in our broadcast.

So... now without further delay, I would like to introduce to you the three candidates. Here on my left, we have Mr. Dakarai Baako, the current Paramount Chief and Minister of African Affairs for Transvaal, next to him his Mr. Govan Lethu Mauntang, the National Party candidate and on my right, we have Ms. Judith Matabanadzo, also from the National Party.

TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “Ms. Judith, Mr. Govan, do you plan to work to remove the ban on Black Africans running for higher offices in the Federal Government?”

GOVAN LETHU MAUNTANG: Mr. Takashiro Ryuji, if you know anything about the early history of Transvaal and its relation with the non-white residents of South Africa, then that is quite a loaded and complex question.

Under the existing system and political climate, it would be impossible for a non-white to run for the office of Prime Minister. Even the English here are excluded. The reason for this is because Transvaal is itself a secessionist state from what was back then South Africa under the infamous rogue leader by the name of Nelson Mandela. Since Staatspresident Botha proclaimed unilateral independence from the ANC regime in December 2006, it was clearly indicated that this nation we call home, is in essence, then and now, an Afrikaner homeland.

Since Transvaal has become not only the pre-eminent nation in South Africa, but in Southern Africa, after the fall of both the ANC in South Africa and the white supremacists in the Boer Staat, the Afrikaners of Transvaal have wisely come to an understanding by and large that the old ways of apartheid, racism, and segregation cannot be re-instituted – and efforts have been made especially in the past year since the proclamation of the Federal Republic to economically and socially integrate the African with the Afrikaner as much as possible without threatening the ethno-national essense of this state.

I personally see it a moot point - as every Black African who has chosen to retain their citizenship in Transvaal has in reality made a deal with the devil, if one wishes to call it that. In return for our political quietude, we gain access to one of the most vibrant and powerful economies in Africa. Out of political necessity as well as social obligation, in return the Afrikaner regime has given us Africans the one of the highest standards of living in Africa.

I believe strongly that the Government would likely negotiate independence for the African protectorates and reduce itself into a rump state before permitting a black person to govern Transvaal.

JUDITH MATANBANADZO: By and large I must agree with Mr. Mauntang’s opinion; however I do feel that we could still see more African involvement in the executive cabinet. There could be more Africans recruited for our Liga Mundo Springboks squad apart from the third-string goalkeeper. I would also like to see official status given to the native languages within the protectorates.

TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “Mr. Baako, why have you not done anything during your term?”

DAKARAI BAAKO: What do you mean ‘not done anything?’ I haven’t had anything to do because this position is a sop, a joke. All the paramount chief does is make appearances of us Africans having some sort of power in the country when we don’t!

GOVAN LETHU MAUNTANG [interjects]: That’s not true, you’re lying and just making stuff up because you’re lazy and irresponsible. I was able to achieve a lot during my first tenure as Paramount Chief; however since you were elected last March you have not done one thing for Africans – not one single improvement specifically allocated for Africans has been built under your rule.

NOVEMBER 6, 2008 TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “Mr. Baako, do you wish to clarify what exactly you mean when you say "having some sort of power in the country when we dont"?”

DAKARAI BAAKO: “This whole Paramount Chief position is a façade by the whites to make it appear to foreigners that we Africans have a say. But what we really have is just a bunch of arrogant white rulers living in fear of us, the African majority. I didn’t do anything because there was nothing to do.”

''A member of the press steps up. She is Anne Butler, from Free Arctica Information Network.''

ANNE BUTLER OF ARCTICA: “Mr. Mauntang, going from your comment about black Africans in the government, is it your view that southern Madagascar should remain under your country's control?”

GOVAN LETHU MAUNTANG: Personally I believe that southern Madagascar should be returned to Arctica. While I think the government could have sped up re-unification of the island, at least there is now a clear indication of exactly when Arctican re-unification will take place. It’s not so much an issue for someone in my position; if I were the Paramount Chief, it would be a question for the Federal Government and the Arcticans to sort out.

Boris Janković from Arctican News Service addresses Ms. Matanbanadzo.

BORIS JANKOVIĆ OF ARCTICA: "If elected, what steps will you take to ensure the betterment of black Africans in Transvaal's society?"''

JUDITH MATANBANADZO: As I have stated, I would work towards the promotion of African languages in schools in the protectorates. As well I would work towards securing more improvements slated for Africans – something which Mr. Baako has failed miserably to do but is not in itself an impossible concept, which Mr. Mauntang can verify. Currently there is one bank, the African Credit Bank, one medical clinic in Gaborone, and one school in Soweto which were all constructed specifically for African needs and requirements.

TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “Can any candidate tell the viewers what powers the Paramount Chief has as given by the Transvaal constitution (charter, etc, etc)?”

GOVAN LETHU MAUNTANG: Transvaal does not have an actual written constitution, everything is governed by a collection of individual laws passed by the Government legislation or Presidential Decrees. In reality, the closest thing we have to a written constitution would be the Legal Code of the Federal Republic of Transvaal. Anyways the Paramount Chief is regarded the cultural leader of all Black Africans in Transvaal. The position is paired with the government executive post of Minister of African Affairs, who is the Governor of all the African Protectorates. His power is that of a provincial or state governor, except he governs over half a dozen territorial entities. He answers to only the Prime Minister and the Staatspresident.

AARON JAKOBS OF FRANZHARIA: “Aaron Jakobs, Norte d'Afrika News, to Matanbanadzo: How would you distinguish yourself from fellow National Party member Mauntang if elected?”

MATANBANADZO: Mr Mauntang is regarded by some to be a little too close to the Government, in that he doesn't like to criticise when criticism is perhaps required. Also being a woman, currently the only woman in the Government, and an Ambassador, I have the world expereince to deal with women's issues as well as our place in the world.

TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “All this information has been really helpful guys, however I just don't feel that my original question was answered properly; do you, in fact, plan to work to remove the ban on Black Africans running for Higher Office?”

MAUNTANG: The only ban there is regards the office of Prime Minister, and since I do not see that ban being removed under the current political climate, I would have to say 'no'. Besides, what you are asking is dangerously close to touching on the edge of treason - to question the nature of the state and its right to exist.

MATANBANADZO: Under the present system, it would be impossible. To see a Black person as ruler of this nation would require [spoken nervously] the complete overthrow of the existing system. That would not happen without violence, which I do not advocate.

BAAKO: "I'm not going to say anything that will get me into trouble, but I don't agree with the other two. Power to the people is what I say!"

NOVEMBER 7, 2008

YVONNE WEST OF PROMISED LAND: “Yvonne West, Down Under News. Mr. Mauntang, can you please clarify your earlier explanation of the powers of the Paramount Chief? You said he or she has the power of a provincial or state governor and governs over half a dozen such places, yet...what does that mean? What powers does a governor have?”

GOVAN LETHU MAUNTANG: Governors in Transvaal are responsible for carrying out the administrative and economic directives isued from Pretoria for their respective territories. I do not know of a European equivalent to use, but a Transvaler governor is similar to an American state governor or Canadian provincial premier in terms of the level of local authority.

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

LUKAS REITZ (TELE-TRANSVAAL): Unless anyone else has any further questions to address to the candidates for Paramount Chief, we shall move along to the second portion of our programme shortly as we bring out and interview the candidates for the post of Prime Minister of Transvaal.

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Staatsregeringministrie van Nasionaalverkiesing (Department of National Elections) has announced that the required minimum of 40 electoral district votes for the validity of the election has been reached.

ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING brought to you by TELE-TRANSVAAL

VERKIESING DESEMBER '08 - ELECTION DECEMBER '08

Good evening everyone, returning from our commercial break Lukas Reitz here again from Afrikaans Daaglikse Tele-Nuus and its English-language equivalent Daily TV News.

We shall now move on to the second portion of our television broadcast - the candidates for the office of Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Transvaal.

As before, to maintain some semblance of order here, I ask that our foreign corrospondants in the audience please ask one question at a time and state whom you are addressing it to. If you haven't done so yet, when presenting you questions, I request you give your name and news bureau you are assigned to.

And now: I present to you the seven candidates from the four national political parties in Transvaal:



Prime Minister Hendrik STRIJDOM (National Party – incumbent); Deputy Prime Minister Willem COETZEE (National Party); Jakob Martin HERTZOG (National Party); Marthinus HOFMEYR (National Party); Annetjie VAN MATTEUS (Transvaler Martense Party); Reverend Erasmus DU TOIT (Verwoerd Front); Frederik GELDENHUYS (Demokratiese Barakke Party)

TAKASHIRO RYUJI OF NEO JAPAN: “Our questions are directed at Mr. Strijdom, Mr. Gelendenhuys, and Mr. Hertzog: Do you, as the public face and leader of Transvaal (except for the president of course), intend to increase the Black African's role in the Federal Government, given that they are the majority group in this part of the world?”

STRIJDOM: This is an Afrikaner homeland, it was the result of the Afrikaner people not having their rights protected under the now deceased South Africa. So the Afrikaner supremacy will always dominate this nation regardless what the population demographics say. Those Black Africans that reside here do so knowing that we remain the dominant force in the top level of the government. Let’s just say they’ve made their deal with the devil by residing here, we have never professed to be some liberal social democratic nation with universal rights. In exchange for political subservience by our non-Afrikaner populace, we in turn have provided the exact same standard of living to all regardless of race. I doubt that any sane Afrikaner in Transvaal would dare support a complete relinquishment of our national dominance in our own 'volknation'.

HERTZOG [struggles in English]: The exist system that we have, it work right now good under circumstances. So not change probably too much not.

GELDENHUYS: This has been a critical, crucial question in Transvaal which more than any other brings the very question and nature of our nation's existence into question. The simple course of action, if this were deemed to be serious enough as to require further restructuring within the Federal Republic, would be to appoint more qualified Africans to the executive cabinet. But that in itself is the problem; there are simply not enough qualified Africans who could be appointed to government posts. However further expansion of African involvement in the government would need to be done so as not to alter the cultural nature of what has always been an Afrikaner homeland – albeit one that now controls a large portion of Southern Africa.

AARON JAKOBS OF FRANZHARIA: “To Van Matteus and Du Toit: Do you feel your past endeavors and so called 'extremeist' views are a help or hindrance to your campaigns?”

VAN MATTEUS: A hinderance? No, of course not. My supporters know exactly what they would get from a Martens government led by myself. My opponents, well they know as well [laughes]. I do not mince my words nor hide behind false policies to pander what the outside world wants to see. And judging from how well I am polling compared to when I have run under the NP banner, apparently the voters must see something in my platform.

DU TOIT: Who exactly is calling me an extremist? So-called extremism is just a point of view. As a man of God, I am just following the Word and Law of God. So because you may not be god-fearing, does that mean then I am the extremist - when in fact perhaps you are the real extremist here? See my point? It is all semantics. Our party may be in the minority but that doesn't necessary make us extremist - especially when we have God and truth on our side.

AARON JAKOBS OF FRANZHARIA: “To Hertzog, Strijdom, Van Matteus, and Du Toit: Do you feel that recent Transvaler actions in Franzharia, both Militarily and preparations for the installation of a Republic, rather than letting the illegally deposed, Christian, Emperor Ranather Rukia reclaim the Imperial Throne, were appropriate given the circumstances?”

HERTZOG: I have the action in Franzharia support because it will the people more democracy and voice in Franzharia give. It is right to sure make that our neighbours stable are.

STRIJDOM: Transvaal being a republican state in not in the business to prop up unstable and unpopular monarchists. It was obvious to our government when we intervened in Franzharia that its constant state of instability and frequent government changes was due to incompetent monarchist governments as well as the marxists opposing them who used the situation as a springboard to create social mayhem and anarchy. Obviously such instability in the region cannot be tolerated so the Federal Republic decided to establish a new, fresh middle-ground regime by supporting the formation of a republic.

VAN MATTEUS: In regards to our party, while we would have pushed for a more centralized regime or perhaps a dictatorship, we do not look favourably on monarchism as a suitable system of government. While we do not advocate the overthrow of such systems, when they do get overthrown we do not advocate their return. Once the people have tasted freedom without some king or emperor lording over them, it is difficult to re-establish such governments without it become suspect to weakness and instability.

DU TOIT: The Verwoerd Front has no comment as the occupation of Franzharia is not something we supported. The government should have left them alone to allow God to sort out. Transvaler blood should not be wasted on such backwaters as Franzharia. The sooner we can withdraw our troops the better. The Verwoerd Front stands for our diplomatic isolation on the continent and the end of foreign adventurism.

Mr. Janković (Arctican News Service) stepped up again and addressed Hertzog, Strijdom, van Matteus, and Geldenhuys

BORIS JANKOVIĆ OF ARCTICA: “Perhaps the biggest question hanging in the minds of Arcticans back home is what will Transvaal's actions be regarding Madagascar?”

HERTZOG: Arctica is one of our closest neighbour friends and it is now readytime that our troops and occupation home depart. I believe our occupation it could sooner have ended but for our own domestic government issues which our attention Madagaskar offtook.

STRIJDOM: As the current incumbent, my intentions are fairly clear here: we shall be dissolving the Madagaskar Vrystaat effective December 31 to allow for the reunification of Madagascar under Arctican rule the following day. We have always supported a strong and friendly Arctica and the Federal Republic has never held any territorial claims over Madagascar. Right now Transvaal has two occupations in Africa, it is my government’s desire to see both of those occupations end.

VAN MATTEUS: As Prime Minister Strijdom has stated, the re-unification of Arctica is under a timetable which as far as I am aware has been made agreeable to the Arcticans.

GELDENHUYS: I believe the Vrystaat could be terminated sooner. Arctica has been quite stable for awhile especially when compared to Franzharia, which will be undergoing a transfer of power around the same time – although in Franzharia’s case that transfer is more gradual compared to what we have done in Madagascar. If elected, I would hand back the remainder of occupied Madagascar to the Arcticans as soon as possible as my first act in government.

GORD BRAND OF REALM: “A general question for all of the candidates: What are your general feelings towards the Pan-African Coalition? Should you be elected, what, if anything, would you change about Transvaal's status or involvement in the PAC?”

STRIJDOM: I would re-think our involvement in that organization. Since Staatspresident Botha was elected PAC President, we have seen Transvaal’s voice in that organization silenced. This is unacceptable as there have been membership issues which our government was unable to participate nor vote on. Personally if it were my choice alone, I would withdraw Transvaal from the PAC. However, it is an issue I would be willing to listen to the people regarding their opinion before I made a decision.

HERTZOG: I support the PAC and will our membership in it keep.

COETZEE: I too support our continued membership in the PAC.

HOFMEYR: I would withdraw Transvaal from the PAC as I view it as a constriction on our sovereignty – especially since our voice and vote has been nullified since Staatspresident Botha became PAC President. As soon as I am elected, I would be giving our resignation notice to the PAC.

VAN MATTEUS: I haven’t really seen the PAC benefiting Transvaal. However I would continue membersehip but ask that our nation refuses to hold the Presidency so that we can at least have a voice and vote.

DU TOIT: I would remove Transvaal from that satanic cabal of sin. Besides the Verwoerd Front does not promote internationalism as it can lead to social and racial depravity for our Afrikanervolk.

GELDENHUYS: I support Transvaal’s membership in the PAC.

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

RESPONSE FROM TAHOE: “How will your administration continue its relationship with the Tahoe Republic? Are there different policies you would undertake in said relationship, and what do you see for our future?”

STRIJDOM: I see Transvaal maintaining our current strong cultural and trading relations as well as maintaining strong peacetime contact between our intelligence forces. The biggest hindrance right now to Transvaler-Tahoe relations is the in-game financial barriers in place. Once those are finally lifted, I can see our two nations move closer in economic investment and financial loans. Keep in mind that our geography - our two nations are almost on opposite points of the globe - does restrict some aspects such as building stronger military ties.

HERTZOG: I support strong nationalist Tahoe and would them as much as we can continue to support.

COETZEE: No comment.

HOFMEYR: Once the in-game financial restrictions on Tahoe are lifted, I can see Transvaal becoming a major aid donor to Tahoe out of gratitude for their support during our own early, dark days.

VAN MATTEUS: I have a deep admiration for Tahoe, I would hope that our two nations would strengthen our bonds in all fields.

DU TOIT: Despite Tahoe’s apparent affirmation towards papist beliefs, I must give credit for their government and people for firmly maintaining their racial and cultural purity – something apparently lost on our complacent National Party government. Many in the Verwoerd Front see Tahoe’s nationalist regime as a role model for us, something to emulate. Our only concern has been their support of catholicism, an imported religion alien to the Afrikanervolkdom. Correct me if I am wrong, but Tahoe did intervene once in support of Transvaal’s small catholic population when then-Prime Minister Hertzog tried to outlaw or restrict the power of the catholic church in Transvaal. That is something which caught our attention for the wrong reasons.

GELDENHUYS: I do not see Transvaal’s current level of diplomatic relations changing however I would question our ideological bonds as the DBP is not as nationalistic in ideology as the current ruling National Party. Things like involvement in the anti-communist Nationalist Axis I would scrap. Not that we are pro-communist, but rather that I think membership in such organsiations are no longer required. Communism is a spent force in Africa.

RESPONSE FROM SITHIS OF REALM: “In regards to the above statement on Franzharia's monarchy, how does Mr. Strijdom view Realm's? Could the Lordship be classified as an 'incompetent monarchist government'?”

STRIJDOM: No. Overall, monarchism in Transvaal has never been popular as a form of government - at least amongst the Afrikaners. The reason for this is monarchism generally reminds us of our history long ago when the British ruled here. So we tend to equate monarchism with our colonial past. However we have acknowledged it when it has worked elsewhere in some nations.

As for my comments about an 'incompetent monarchist government', that was directed specifically towards the situation in Franzharia. If you look at the number of government and regime changes that nation has undergone since they became independent, it is plain as day that monarchism there does not work. Franzharia is an example where monarchism, be it a King or an Emperor, has only created unstablity for the man in the street.

If you are trying to put words in my mouth regarding Realm, then that is not the case as Realm has exhibited all the trappings of a modern, stable state regardless what form of government is in power.

THE MONK GUNJO OF NEO JAPAN: “His Holiness the Monk Gunjo - Buddhist Biweekly Journal, for all candidatesI do not believe that the Federal Government has made its religious stance very clear (barring, of course, the obvious Christian presence). What is Transvaal's current policy, and under your regime would you allow other religions, like my own peaceful one of buddhism, to blossom within your state? Also, peace be among you.”

STRIJDOM: As with all National party candidates, I support the Christian Nationalist foundation of our nation. The existing religious tolerance which we have would be maintained, in that the Dutch Reformed Chruch, Anglican Church, and Roman Catholics would mainatin their official, legal state sanction. We have always kept a special place for Judaism, in that while it is not officially sanctioned by the state we have always tolerated its small number of believers in our nation. I believe in the cultural insulation of our people, of all races, from outside alien influences. Religions from Asia, such as your buddhism, have no place in our national psyche.

HERTZOG: The current religion policy would I if elected maintain.

COETZEE: I support our nation being officially Christian but have no problems if people want to believe in another religion so long as it doesn't interfere with the workings of the state.

HOFMEYR: My opnions on the matter mirror those of Prime Minister Strijdom. Besides while we may have many "official" restrictions on non-Christian forms of belief, apart from a handful of islamists I do not know of anyone privately worshiping a non-sanctioned religion being arrested or harrassed by the government or its authorities.

VAN MATTEUS: I support Christian Nationalism in Transvaal, however if someone's beliefs are kept out of sight, say in their homes, then so long as they make the public appearances of supporting the national churches then I really don't care what they believe in their private homes.

DU TOIT: Transvaal is and will always remain a Christian nation, over my dead body if must be to esnure that. Under the Verwoerd Front, we would make all non-Protestant Christian religions illegal and subject to inquistorial investion laws.

GELDENHUYS: The DBP would remove the state-sanctioning of religion in Transvaal. So long as a particular religion is not promoting a theology detrimental to the existance and well-being of Transvaal, there is no reason why we cannot have freedom of worship here.

RESPONSE FROM TAHOE: “The Reverend would be correct. Tahoe did patronize the Catholic Diocese of South Africa through our extensive influence with the Roman Catholic Church and Transvaal's government. However, this was done mainly to permit the Catholic minority in Transvaal to practice their faith as opposed to try and force Catholicism on the unique Transvaler folk. The next question is directed to Mr. Geldenhuys. First, why would you remove Transvaal from the Nationalist Axis and second, what are your opinions on civil liberties afforded to citizens of Transvaal.”

GELDENHUYS: I feel that Transvaal's days as some paranoid, nationalistic redoubt are over. Over 60% of our population were born under IRON, and yet our leaders still rule over us as if we're still residing in the paranoia days of Nordreich. As for civil liberties, I would reinforce democracy in Transvaal by a strong rule of law as well as more transparency in our government. The existing electoral system requires an overhaul as we can see how the governing National Party has continued to manipulate the multi-party candidates to their advantage. I would also consider, with prior approval with the Staatspresident and the military, the legalisation of a social democratic party in Transvaal. As for further rights for our non-white citizens, I would petition the Staatspresident to open negotiations for home rule (independence, de-claiming) of some of the African territories in our northern frontier.

DECEMBER 1, 2008

NATIONAL PARTY MAJORITY RE-ELECTED

The Staatsregeringministrie van Nasionaalverkiesing (Department of National Elections) reported this morning that the National Party has been proclaimed the victor of the December 1st Federal Election by the slimmest of majorities, securing 23 out of 45 electoral districts in the Federal Republic.

Based on the overall district votes for the National Party, Hendrik Strijdom gained a one-district majority to be elected Eersteminster (Prime Minister) of Transvaal for a six-month term expiring on April 30, 2009.

Former prime minister Jakob Martin Hertzog will be appointed Deputy Prime Minister due to his second-place finish for National Party candidates.

In the elections for African Paramount Chief, Govan Lethu Mauntang won election with the support of Judith Matanbanadzo to see independent candidate Darakai Baako turfed out of office after only one term.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Prime Minister
 * National Party (NP) – 23 electoral districts
 * Demokratiese Barakke Party (DBP) – 12 electoral districts
 * Transvaler Martense Party (TMP) – 9 electoral districts (party currently suspended)
 * Verwoerd Front (VF) – 1 electoral district

CANDIDATES: Strijdom (NP-incumbant) – 12 districts; Geldenhuys (DBP) – 12 districts; Van Matteus (TMP) – 9 districts; Hertzog (NP) – 7 districts; Hofmeyr (NP) – 3 districts; Coetzee (NP) – 1 district; Du Toit (VF) – 1 district

African Paramount Chief
 * National Party (NP) – 27 electoral districts
 * Independent candidate – 18 electoral districts

CANDIDATES: Mauntang (NP) – 22 districts; Baako (ind) – 18 districts; Matanbanadzo – 5 districts

MORE ELECTION NEWS

Annetjie van Matteus, leader of the Transvaler Martense Party, was released from the 'protective custody' of the Ministry of Interior this afternoon and placed under house arrest. While the TMP still remains suspended from the National Assembly, Prime Minister H Strijdom said that the ban may be lifted at some point if Van Matteus co-operates with authorities.

While Van Matteus matched her previous result of 9 electoral districts (under the National Party banner) last May, it is believed that her new party gained almost all its support from former Martenist diehards who previously leaned towards the Verwoerd Front while her old National Party supporters opted for Hofmeyr and Strijdom.

In other election news, Reverend Erasmus Du Toit, leader of the white supremacist Verwoerd Front, which was massively routed in the polls, blamed his election loss when asked on "too many satanist and negro voters". The VF lost 11 of the 12 electoral districts they had held going into the election.

Most political observers and pundits believe that the outspoken Reverend's fire and brimstone was a hinderance to gaining any sort of credibility amongst voters. Reverend Du Toit has not stated what he plans to do to rebuild his shattered party.

= Unification of Madagascar =

NOVEMBER 28, 2008

Transvaal's Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch announced this morning that the Transvaler occupation of southern Madagascar under the Madagaskar Vrystaat shall terminate one month early, on December 1, 2008.

"Since recent events which resulted in the collapse of the Franzharia Free State, the Federal Republic of Transvaal sees no reason to maintain the occupation of southern Madagascar, especially since Arctica is now one of the most stable states in the region - a success story of our intervention in rebuilding regional economic and political stability."

"We had originally wanted to coordinate the termination of both occupations at New Year, but those plans have been thrown out with the bathwater baby and all since the return of the Ranatharian regieme in Franzharia."

"Since the loss of our foreign base lease concession in Franzharia, we plan to approach the Arcticans about a similar lease agreement proposal over a small parcel of land."

Transvaler Krygsmagte troops will evacuate southern Madagascar on November 30 and the territory will be officially reunified with Arctica on December 1. Marshal Cruywagen, Military Governor of the Madagaskar Vrystaat, shall be on hand for the official re-unification ceremonies.

NOVEMBER 29, 2008

RESPONSE FROM VEDRAN OF ARCTICA

The Sovereign will fly to Tulear for the reunification ceremony. Celebrations have been scheduled for December 1 in all major cities on the island.

The government has received few complaints from citizens during the 3-month-long occupation. We commend the Transvalers for the dignity they have displayed in governing that part of Madagascar in Arctica's time of need. After the ceremonies, Vedran is willing to discuss a non-agression pact between our two nations, and a representative will be sent to see what can be done about your desires for a foreign base on the island.

Military units are preparing to move in to replace the Transvalers on the 1st.

RADIO-TRANSVAAL BROADCAST

Vrystaat military commander Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen has announced that Arctican troops are now permitted to enter and take up positions within the Vrystaat territory. This will assure a peaceful transfer and provide local security as our troops begin their preparations to depart.

STATEMENT BY FOREIGN MINISTER STELLENBOSCH

We currently feel that our two nations already have an existing non-aggression pact between us based on the actions betwen our two governments. The only basis of a further non-aggression pact would be the addtion of our right (due to SOI) to first claim over Madagascar should Arctica in the future prove unable to govern as a nation. This would be based on mutual agreement if Arctica still existed as a nation (i.e. relocated) or automatic if Arctica disappeared due to nation deletion.

Basically, what we would like to put forth as a treaty for a foreign base is a 10 x 10 km parcel of coastal land which would be under our sovereignty on lease, with in-game quarterly payment of $3,000,000. The base agreement could be terminated by one party with a one calender month notice given. The ideal location for us with be Tulear but if an alternate location can be suggested then we would certainly consider that as well.

RESPONSE FROM VEDRAN OF ARCTICA

I'd suggest that the base be moved further south along the coast, where the population is much lower. It would also give less reason for citizens in the north to protest over a foreign military presence. Still, as the only part of our military that was devastated by the fighting in August and September (the navy) is on its way back up, we don't see any threat to Transvaal's security from the east. Why do you need a military base on Madagascar?

REPLY BY FOREIGN MINISTER STELLENBOSCH

Fair enough, pretty much any coastal settlement would do. We'd want a coastal location so that our navy can reach it for resupply and thus our actions would not interfere with the locals.

We are working on building the foreign airbase wonder in game (should have it by the end of the month if all goes well), so in RP we need to find somewhere to locate this base. Originally Franzharia was going to host it but the revolution there ended that. Ideally we have it located overseas somewhere that is obviously friendly towards us. Ultimately the decision is yours, we shall not impose it on you.

RESPONSE FROM VEDRAN OF ARCTICA

Your request for a military base is approved. If the proposed location suits you, you may begin construction on December 2. If you choose, for convenience this base may be the site for the naval training you offered earlier. Now seems like a good time to inquire about an embassy exchange.

REPLY BY FOREIGN MINISTER STELLENBOSCH

This is welcome news. Itampolo will make a suitable location. The enclave we require will be 10 km by 10 km in area. Our ministry of Finance shall forward the first lease installment on December 1st even though we do not envisage the base to be completed near the end of that month.

I was under the assumption that we had exchanged ambassadors months ago, but looking at our ambassador roll we currently don't have anyone assigned to Arctica. We shall be assigning Ambassador Francois Potgieter to Arctica.

RESPONSE FROM VEDRAN OF ARCTICA

Excellent. Marko Lalić will be our ambassador to Transvaal.

STATEMENT BY FOREIGN MINISTER STELLENBOSCH

The Federal Government of Transvaal is pleased with the outcome of the events these past months transpiring on Madagascar. It shows that our government truly cares for the wellbeing of our neighbours and allies. It shows that we are not imperialists and went to Madagascar with peaceful intensions. It shows that we can work together with other nations despite what the communists and monarchists elsewhere on the continent may try to paint as reality.

DECEMBER 1, 2008

Around one hour ago, the last Krygsmagte troops departed Madagascar for home and the Transvaler flags began to come down, thus finalising the termination of the Madagaskar Vrystaat and the re-unification of the island under Arctican rule.

The Federal Republic invaded Madagscar on August 25, 2008 and established the Madagaskar Vrystaat on September 12, 2008 once the northern portion of the island was stabilised and secure under Arctican rule. The occupation was maintained as Arctica, unable to govern the southern half of the island, rebuilt from a disasterous war.

The Government of Transvaal also announced that it had changed its mind about the necessity for a foreign base enclave on Madagascar and would instead be building its future airbase on Reunion Island which is under direct protectorate rule by the Federal Republic.

The Ministry of Finance was authorised by Prime Minister Strijdom to forward $3,000,000 rand in unconditional foreign aid to Arctica as a "re-unification gift" from Transvaal.

=“Pragtige Afsondering”= DECEMBER 17, 2008

Religious violence erupted suddenly in Johannesburg today when members of the Dutch Reformed Church, led by the Reverend Erasmus Du Toit, attacked the Roman Catholic cathedral in Johannesburg and torched it to the ground. Government authorities have not reported any deaths in the fire but hospitals are reporting injuries from the rioting.

Reverend Du Toit called on his supporters to actively purge the nation of all papist influence. Calling the Catholic Church a “perversion of Christ’s Word imported from aboard”, he said that “there is no place in our Afrikanerdom for heresy and papism.”

Markus van Bruggen, the Roman Catholic bishop of Johannesburg, has not been available for comment. It is believed the government has taken the bishop to a secure location for his own safety. Interior Minister Gert Boersma promised that police presence would be boosted to gain control over and arrest the rioters.

RESPONSE & REACTION FROM TAHOE

"The Roman Catholic Patriachate of the West and Government of the Tahoe Republic condemns this terroristic attack and calls upon the Government of the Federal Republic of Transvaal to take action against those responsible. The Roman Catholic Church has always maintained that the state religion of Transvaal is that of the Dutch Reformed Church and neither engages in major activities nor prosletyzing in Transvaal".

Signed, - Archbishop Patrick Wood, Patriarch of the West, Archbishop of Cruachan and Minister of Religious Affairs; Cathal Cavanagh, Minister of Foreign Affairs

A few hundred protestors appeared briefly outside the Transvaal Embassy in Cruachan, protesting the lack of an investigation into the violence commited against Catholics in Transvaal. The crowd quickly dispersed, almost embarrased to be protesting outside the Transvaal embassy, but the bitter cold and snow made conditions miserable outside.

Ambassador Seamus O'Grianna from Tahoe was able to meet briefly with the Roman Catholic Bishop Markus van Bruggen of Johannesburg this evening. The bishop expressed his opinion that the Transvaler Government did not incite nor encourage the attacks and it was the work of fundimentalist elements within the Dutch Reformed Church. He also told the ambassador that he had spoken with the Anglican Archbishop Cornelius Hoof of Pretoria, the archbishop would do everything within his power as Minister of Religious Affairs to investigate and hopefully apprehend the arsonists.

Bishop van Bruggen also pointed out to the ambassador the small detail that whilst Transvaal's state religion is Christianity, the Dutch Reformed Church does not hold any pre-eminent statusin the Federal Republic despite being the church of the majority of the nation's Christians.

DECEMBER 19, 2008

Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom announced this morning that the Federal Government gave its condolences to those affected but that destroyed Catholic church would not be rebuilt in the foreseeable near future.

“The Federal Government has other, more important priorities right now. When the Ministry of Finance has funding to allocate to the construction of future churches, it is our plan to build a second church for the Dutch Reformed congregation on account of its majority status amongst Afrikaner churchgoers” stated the prime minister during his most recent cabinet meeting.

DECEMBER 24, 2008

TWEE JAAR VAN AKRIKANERSVRYHEID - TWO YEARS OF AFRIKANER FREEDOM

December 26, 2008 will mark the second anniversary of Transvaal’s unilaterial declaration of independence from the rouge nation of South Africa.

Our nation’s first year of existence was one of trial and tribulation as we found and defended our place in the world. If one word can be used to sum up 2007 for Transvaal, that word would be “war”. Through 58 wars fought in 16 campaigns that year, Transvaal gained the reputation of a tenacious fighter in the lower-range of nations. But hand-in-hand with war there was also political instability, not of our own doing however, as the alliances Transvaal was aligned to underwent drastic upheavals. We lived through the sudden demise of Nordreich, then followed some six months later by Great Schism which struck the heart of Norden Verein. In our eleventh month, a daring new direction was charted by our Government as a new course towards peace and stability was taken when we were accepted into IRON.

As we now close out our second year, 2008 can be represented by the word “growth”. Through the stability which membership in IRON brings our people, our government was able to focus and concentrate funding towards infrastructure expansion and nation building. As a result, our population exploded beyond all anticipated expectations. Our government ministers were given the projection to aim for 45,000 citizens by our second independence anniversary; however as of a few hours ago our civilian population broke the 50,000 mark.

In January of this year, one of our most cherished dreams was achieved: the unification of South African territory under Federal Republican rule (apart from independent Natal).

We endured economic unrest during the summer of December-February as our trade agreements were restructured in our gravitation towards the Orange trading sphere. On the social front, the deep racial divisions which have scarred our land for over two hundred years are slowly being healed. In the past year our people have seen our military expanded as the Transvaler Seemag was established. Our government has held two democratic elections and we have cautiously expanded outside our traditional isolation to establish and reinforce our contacts with foreign powers.

For 2009, our government plans to let the economy run itself as we focus once again on reinforcement of our military prowess. Amongst the refurbishment and updating of our military forces, plans are being drawn up that will allow us to acquire the capability to build nuclear weapons in the next six months.

DECEMBER 25, 2008

With the sudden demise of Tionese/Franzharia rule over their Indian Ocean islands, the Federal Republic of Transvaal peacefully occupied the Mauritius and Seychelles (Seychelles and Aldabra island chains) this evening.

DECEMBER 27, 2008 The Federal Republic of Transvaal has decided to open negotiations for home-rule in the African territories of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Nyasaland (Malawi) and Northern Mozambique (north of the Zambesi River).

DECEMBER 30, 2008

In light of the conflict erupting in Europe and expected to spread across the world, the Federal Republic of Transvaal re-affirms its military and economic neutrality in the war.

Our navy shall be deployed to the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans to maintain our open seas policy and prevent acts of hostilities within our territorial waters.

Our embasies and our Federal Republican territory shall provide asylum for all troops and civilians wishing peace and refuge from the carnage - as well as welcome any foreign leaders seeking a place of exile.

[signed] Staatspresident Botha; Prime Minister H Strijdom; Field Marshal P Cruywagen; Admiral R Kruger; Foreign Minister P Stellenbosch

JANUARY 15, 2009

The Federal Government of Transvaal announced this afternoon that Annetjie van Matteus has been recalled to Pretoria for re-assignment.

Previously she had been the Transvaler ambassador to Amerikanisches Reich for about one month, however today Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom put Ms. van Matteus in charge of the new Department of Atomic Research and will spearhead Projekt Vela which is scheduled for detonation on or before April 21, 2009.

=Azarian Resistance Movement and the Civil War= JANUARY 20, 2009

PRETORIA [Radio-Transvaal]: This just in: Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom has been shot. His condition is unknown as he was rushed to the Transvaal Gesondheidsorg hospital in Pretoria for medical attention.

Deputy Prime Minister JM Hertzog and Interior Minister G Boersma were then placed in protective care for security purposes as the Federal Government ascertained the situation.

No political group has claimed responsibility and the identity or identities of the assassin(s) is unknown but witness at Government House report that three shots rang out during this morning’s debate in the National Assembly.

Forty-five minutes later...

PRETORIA [Radio-Transvaal]: According to unconfirmed reports, a second assassination attempt has taken place. African Affairs minister, Paramount Chief Govan Lethu Mauntang has been stabbled and apparently died in a second attempt at Government House. The attack apparently occured during the evacuation of the National Assembly after Prime Minister Strijdom was shot during a speech he was giving this morning.

Prime Minister Strijdom's condition is still unknown or unconfirmed.

In reaction to today's events, Staatspresident Botha has enacted a state of emergency and declared martial law throughout the Federal Republic. All flights and shipping to and from Transvaal have been cancelled and the military has been placed on full alert.

The Interior Ministry has announced that two suspects have since been arrested, both are Black Africans - one in his teens and another in his early 30s.

Two hours later...

BLOEMFONTEIN [Radio-Transvaal]: - A third assassination attack today has been been confirmed by the Federal Government.

The outspoken cleric, the Reverend Erasmus Du Toit at last reports was being airlifted to the Transvaal Gesondheidsorg hospital in Pretoria after lapsing into a coma when he was struck down from a lone gunman during a noon service at his local church. One black woman was arrested on the scene by church security and turned over to the custody Interior Ministry.

The government denies rumours that the three attacks were co-ordinated, although there are scattered unconfirmed reports that a hitherto unknown group calling itself the Azarian Resistance Movement is claiming responsibility.

TELEVISION BROADCAST IN THE EVENING

We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for this important message from our Staatspresident:

[cue Transvaal national anthem]

Men and women of Transvaal, today our beloved nation was struck hard by the forces of terror and lawlessness.

''During this morning’s session at the National Assembly, an armed security guard fired three gunshots at Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom, injuring him severely in the chest, back, and leg. He was taken to Pretoria Hospital and operated one to remove the bullets lodged in his body. He is now in intensive care where his condition is classed as serious but stable. Doctors are hoping he will be able to walk again but will be incapacitated for at least a month.''

''During this period until Prime Minister Strijdom’s return, Deputy Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog will be acting prime minister and head of the government. Interior Minister Gert Boersma will be acting deputy prime minister.''

''The security guard responsible for this disgusting and reprehensible act was then subdued and arrested. He is currently being detained at a secret location in military custody.''

''During the confusion which broke out at Government House during the evacuation of the building, African Affairs minister and Paramount Chief Govan Lethu Mauntang was stabbed and killed. The perpetrator of this heinous then immediately surrendered to police.''

Ms. Judith Matambanadzo has been recalled from her ambassadorial post in PDSAR to be appointed as Mr. Mauntang’s replacement.

''One hour later, in Bloemfontein, the Reverend Erasmus Du Toit was attacked by a female gunman during his daily service. Brave members of the congregation were able to subdue the assassin however before authorities were able to arrive on the scene to make an arrest, this woman was killed in revenge by the congregation.''

''Reverend Du Toit is currently in a coma at Bloemfontein Clinic. Should he recover, it is highly doubtful the reverend will be able to walk again as early diagnosis appears that one of the bullets severed his spinal chord.''

These acts of terrorism will not be tolerated and all persons involved in their perpetrations will be dealt with harshly under the powers of our laws.

Until further notice, the entire Federal Republic is under martial law and a dusk to dawn curfew.

Transvaal forever onwards!

With the camera now turned off, the weary Staatspresident Botha got up from his desk and walked to the conference room adjoining his private office. Waiting for him were all his government ministers - save for two empty seats, one for Strijdom and the other Mauntang’s.

"Gentlemen, give me your reports please on the immediate situation" barked the Staatspresident.

Marshal Cruywagen spoke first: "Sir, the airforce and navy are under our complete control - however one quarter of the army has sided with the rebels while another quarter have dissipated and gone AWOL."

Interior Minister Boersma spoke next: "It appears we have lost control over the black suburban areas around Johannesburg which are now under mob rule. Most of Rhodesia is up in arms and we have lost effective control over Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, and Northern Mozambique."

Botha grimanced. "What is the threat to Afrikaner rule?"

Boersma looked at Cruywagen, and then replied: "The suppression of the revolt will be savage and bloody, we are expecting heavy civilian casualties - I would estimate 5% of our population at least. It is my estimate that the rebels have approximately 10,000 armed combatants under their control - plus the support of the majority of Black Africans in the country."

"Who exactly is behind this revolt?" barked Botha.

"They are calling themselves the Azarian Resistance Movement. We do not know who their leaders are but their demands are nothing less than the end of white minority rule over Southern Africa" replied Marshal Cruywagen.

Finance Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr then scoffed: "Over our dead bodies!"

"Exactly..." said Boersma, "That is what they want. The assassination attempts were specifically targeted at what ARM deems three pillars of Federal Republican rule, the prime minister who represents the Federal Government, the paramount chief whom they view as a ‘collaborator’, and the head of the Dutch Reformed Church, whose low opinion and vehement hatred of Africans is famous."

"What are the current actions our forces are taking to contain the violence?" asked Botha.

Cruywagen waited to collect his thoughts before offering an answer. "Our ground forces are arresting anyone in the townships found outside their homes. The air force however has been overzealous in its missions to maintain observation from the air, by launching ground strikes on what they deem ‘terrorist camps’ in the shantytowns."

"Hmm... while force is our only option, I am not looking forward to the prospects of damage control once this inevitably leaks out to the foreign press" remarked a dismayed Botha. "See to it that the ambassadors friendly to us are fully briefed on the delicate nature of our current counter-revolutionary operations. Tell them we need their moral public support in our situation to combat these terrorists and to contain the social powder keg to prevent a full-out race war from erupting."

"Gentlemen, that is all. Carry on with your orders and report to me immediately on any worsening of the situation at hand."

Staatspresident Botha then stood up and retired to his study.

STATEMENT FROM THE TAHOE GOVERNMENT: The Tahoe Republic extends its hope and prayers to the families of Prime Minister Strijdom, Mr. Mauntang and Reverend Du Toit and our close friends in the Federal Republic of Transvaal who have had tragedy forced upon them. We condemn in the strongest terms the violent acts of terrorism and illegal armed rebellion commited by the Azarian Resistance Movement and call for their immediate surrender to Transvaler authorities for justice or face destruction.

The Government of the Republic, via our ambassador in Pretoria, has formally offered the assistance of the Tahoan Army Rangers and Military Intelligence to the Government of Transvaal for assistance in dealing with this armed threat to their national security. More expansive military assistance is always possible, should it be requested. Futhermore, any attempt to fund, support or provide haven to the Azarian Resistance Movement will be deemed an act of international terrorism and thus dealt with militarily by the full force of the Tahoe Republic. Tiocfaidh Ar La! - [signed] Taoiseach Sean O'Deaghaidh

STATEMENT FROM ANDONIA: God-Emperor freakwars will send a couple of SICM troopers to assist in finding the terrorists that commited this terrible deed.

REPLY BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: The Federal Government of Transvaal would welcome such assistance to take up positions of security around government buildings and installations as Krygsmagte forces are re-directed towards the active combat zones in the rebellious districts. Due to the sensitivities of the situation, we do not want foreign troops involved in actively supressing the rebellion.

FORMER SPRINGBOK IS NOW ASSASSIN!

TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS EXCLUSIVE - [PRETORIA]: In a bizarre twist of events, the Ministry of Interior has confirmed that the assassin of Govan Lethu Mauntang was the former Transvaal Springboks soccer player, Paul Nlend Wome.

Wome is a 16-year-old, former junior player who played 2 matches as a forward with the senior Liga Mundo squad before being cut from the club and dealt on the transfer market.

"I felt that I was not given a fair chance in my own country all because of my colour!" said an angry Wome last week to the sporting press after he was notified and given his walking papers. Apparently ARM overheard these words and recruited Wome to take out his frustration by murdering the Paramount Chief. The disgruntled soccer player was then covertly inserted into a cover as a security guard at Government House.

In a statement on behalf of the Springboks, Manager Bartnel Botha [no relation to the Staatspresident] defended his decision to cut Wome, saying that "Race had nothing to do with my decision while his ability had everything to do with it. I oppose racism in sports and have actually tried to acquire more African players for the Springboks to diversify the squad - but to no avail as no suitably talent players for a Primera side have appeared on the market or through the junior ranks. Truth is, black or white, Paul Wome was not going to cut it."

Paul Nlend Wome is currently in detention at an undisclosed location.

DEPLOYMENT OF TAHOAN ARMTHA-SS: The Ambassador to the Transvaal Republic: Seamus O'Grianna has authorized 50 soldiers attached to the Tahoan Embassy to be dispatched to Transvaler Government Buildings in Pretoria at the discression of the government of Transvaal. They will be replaced by a platoon of Tahoe Army Rangers (Special Forces who can respond quickly to terrorist threats in Pretoria) and two companies of Armtha-SS troops who will provide streetfront security for government buildings.

Due to the sensitive nature of the current atmosphere in Transvaal, their uniforms will not display rank, unit or national badges and all non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers selected are conversational in Afrikaans, to better interact with Transvaler civilians.

GOVERNMENT STATEMENT REGARDING ARMTHA-SS: One company will actually be deployed to provide immediate security for the Staatspresident and the executive government, as it is unsure just how much ARM has infiltrated the Krygsmagte. Half of Transvaal's regular soldiers are Africans - and around one half of them have since joined the revolt (or revolution as ARM is calling it).

THE ARCTICAN PERSPECTIVE: Black Africans, which are the ethnic majority in Arctica, have reacted positively to the uprising. While the nation has a white-controlled monarchist government which had violently overthrown the previous regime upon arriving at Madagascar, they allowed the blacks equal treatment under the law and overall better treatment of blacks than Transvaal, though Arctica's government definitely would not advertise this for diplomatic reasons.

A crowd appeared outside of the Transvaler embassy in Oceana to protest the government's actions, or at least what they had been informed of through news and rumors. Police units, and since the protest was not registered and scheduled, riot squads responded quickly and formed a barrier between the crowd and the embassy. One woman threw rocks at the police and was promptly removed, but other than that the protest was peaceful. The crowd was mostly black and held signs saying things like "Equality now!"

The state-run Arctican News Service reported the events and government casualties in Transvaal with little emotion, and other news services were split on the subject while private radio stations tended to support the rebels. They said that the rebellion was a logical result of so long a time under a "flawed system set up to keep the few in control while the rest starved. Now they are getting what is coming to them." A few went as far as to warn that Arctica may be going down the same path if it does not make head of state an elected office.

In Pretoria, Ambassador Marko Lalic had been told that his calls were not getting out due to technical difficulties. He had been told of some of the recent assassinations and was getting worried when he got a call in his office. He picked up the phone and the man on the other end began talking immediately. The Transvaler informed him of the situation. It took a while for him to absorb it all.

He responded by explaining that the uprising may have far-reaching consequences in Arctica as well. The native black population of Arctica (about 65% of the total) would sympathize with the rebels because of the similar situation with the white-controlled national government in place, even though Arctica's was much more permissive towards blacks than Transvaal's. His country, Lalic explained, would naturally side with Transvaal's government out of a need for regional security, but it was a balancing act because of the black majority's attitude.

"If I could get calls out to Oceana, I'd see what can be done to help. Don't expect much, though."

So far, no official comment has come from Oceana, but military bases are seeing more activity than usual.

DECLARATION OF THE AZARIAN RESISTANCE MOVEMENT

We the freedom fighters of the Azarian Resistance Movement announce our existance to the world. Our organsiation is opposed to white minority rule in Southern Africa and in particular the National Party government in Pretoria.

ARM struggles for the freedom of the African people and the People's Revolution against fascist tyranny. Ours is a struggle in blood and we shall stop at nothing to achieve a liberated Southern Africa.

Today we the oppressed and downtrodden African people of so-called Transvaal proclaim our freedom and independence as the Azarian People's Republic. Our temporary capital is located at Blantyre in Malawi. We welcome all freedom loving people's of the world to recognise our freedom and exchange diplomatic recognition of our liberated Azaria. Death to the Oppressors! Freedom or Death! Long Live Azaria! - [signed] Commander Joseph Mpehle-Mbanjwa

STATEMENT BY FRANZHARIA GOVERNMENT: Neo Franzharia recognizes Staatspresident Botha as sovereign of all Transvaal, including the so-called Azaria.

STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT OF NEO JAPAN: The Empire recognizes the Azarian People's Republic.

STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT OF ARCTICA: Arctica's government has been very quiet on this issue. The only communication to come so far is a reply to Azaria's announcement. A mid-ranking diplomatic official makes the statement.

"Pursuant to our foreign policy regarding internal conflicts, Arctica is recognizing Azaria only as a rebelling faction within the Federal Republic of Transvaal. As this is an internal matter of Transvaal, Arctica will not be intervening unless such orders are issued by the appropriate authorities. This will not happen unless the conflict threatens Arctican interests or the appropriate authorities accept a request of aid from Transvaal."

STATEMENT BY FOREIGN MINISTER PETER STELLENBOSCH: The Federal Republic appreciates the strong show of support by our Arctican and Franzharian friends during this recent domestic crisis. The negative re-action from Neo Japan however was expected and comes as no real surprise to our government.

STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT OF KIRISTAN: Kiristan would like to send their condolences to Transvaal. "Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom was a really good man and he will always be remembered" - Emperor Rotavele

STATEMENT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: The prime minister [Strijdom] would like the government to pass along his much-appreciated thanks of well-wishes from the international community at large. He promises that once his health is back to a level which he can resume his duties of office, he shall deal firmly yet fairly with this terrorist threat which has striken our nation and return Transvaal to its previous level of peace and prosperity.

JANUARY 21, 2009 TRANSVALER KRYGSMAGTE LAUNCHES STRIKES AGAINST REBEL POSITIONS

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK - reporting from Pretoria, Transvaal: Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen commenced ground operations today against Azarian Resistance Movement positions in Rhodesia as the Federal Government began its crackdown on active government opposition.

Fighting raged in the Bulawayo and Salisbury districts as the Krygsmagte worked to establish a land link with troops holed up in Lusaka. Minor skirmishing also occurred in the Nandi district along the border with Mozambique

“Our goal is the liberation and re-imposition of government control south of the Zambesi River. Once that is achieved, we shall move northwards to eradicate the remaining terrorists” said Marshal Cruywagen in unusually tough language for the normally quiet spoken and reserved commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The Lugmag carried out numerous daylight bombing runs against ARM reserve positions as B-1 Lansiers struck furiously at anything seemingly hostile that moved.

In the urban areas, widespread arrests continued as Interior Ministry forces launched raids in the restless townships to re-exert state control. At least 500 homes in Soweto have been bulldozed in retaliation for yesterday’s rioting by the African population residing there – leaving approximately 2,000 citizens homeless.

There have been scattered reports of Verwoerd Front supporters in Bloemfontein setting up vigilante groups and carrying out random acts of violence against the local black population there in retaliation for the assassination attempt against its leader, the Reverend Erasmus Du Toit. At least three deaths have been confirmed as Federal troops stood by as onlookers when a lynch mob hung three innocent Africans plucked from a crowd of arrested protesters. The Verwoerd Front has said it will proceed to hang three Africans each day until the three assassins are brought to justice and executed – seemingly oblivious to the fact that one assassin was already killed and that the Federal Government has never officially carried out an execution since the death penalty has never been part of the legal system.

The embassy of Neo Japan was ordered closed today by Pretoria after it could not promise the security of the Neo Japanese ambassador in light of that nation’s recognition of ARM. Since the Neo Japan government announced its recognition, a mob of Verwoerd Front supporters has been blockading the embassy preventing anyone from leaving or entering. Foreign Minister Stellenbosch told reporters that the Neo Japanese ambassador was spirited out of the country as soon as possible for his safety but that diplomatic support staff still remain in the embassy compound.

PRIVATE DISPATCH FROM USTIO: A Private Message from the YDR Prime Minister to the Transvaal Foreign Minister: Good evening Foreign Minister, I am saddedned about the loss of life earlier today and we send our condolences. May I ask, did any of the assailants ever say who they were working for? As we have had an attack from a terror group a few days ago, and we are currently setting up an investigation.

PUBLIC MESSAGE FROM EMPRESS KUSANAGI: Estovakia (Ghost in a Shell) does and only will ever recognise Staatspresident Botha as the leader of all of Transvaal and we wish him and his government the best of luck in dealing with these rebellious persons who have sprung up. If Staatspresident Botha requires any assistance please don't be afraid to ask.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT OF SABORIA: While Saboria will stay largely neutral in this issue, we will not recognise the Azarian government as sovereign or anything other than rebellious, until the Transvaal government recognises them as sovereign. Which is not too likely to happen.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT OF NEO OLYMPIA: Neo Olympia notes the rebellion of the Azarian resistance movement but will not recognise their claim to Transvaal's territory unless they can obtain Transvaal's recognition first. We view this as an internal matter for Transvaal to solve in its own way.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT OF NABOO: The Omiscient Empire of Naboo will not recognise this terrorist organisation. The premeditated murders and attempted murders on any person is despicable. The methods the ARM employs are not only cowardly but shortsighted as they will merely bring futher death, destruction and prejudice against the people they claim to champion. - Private message to Transvaal: We had been following the situation for some days through what means we had but were unaware of the extent this revolt had grown to. In the interests of bettering relations, and maintaining a stable environment within the continent, I offer to place the 32nd Infantry division in your service. If you require further assistance do not hesitate. When things settle down we would like to exchange embassies with Transvaal and open formal relations.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT OF CATADUANES: The Philippines (Cataduanes) will not recognize the Azarian state, however the Freestate urges the Transvaal government to begin talks with the resistance to avoid further armed conflict and we further urge Transvaal to contemplate gradual reforms of its policy regarding minority rule. We do however consider this an internal Transvaal] matter and will stand by Pretoria whatever decision it makes, and we humbly request our fellow Asian nations from interfering on any level in Transvaal's affairs. The Philippine tourist board also stressed its hope that it would be business as usual for the Philippines, as [[Transvaal citizens make up the majority of tourists to the Philippines many beach resorts.

STATEMENT FROM BYZANTIUM GOVERNMENT: "While we are neutral in this matter, we do offer our condolences to the Prime Minister and the Transvaler Government. In addition, we denounce the so-called Azarian Resistance Movement as a terrorist group. Terrorism has absolutely no place in this world." - John Kelikark, Leader of Byzantium

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT OF J ANDRES: President Adrik Annan and the J Andres government recognize Staatspresident Botha and his government as the only legitimate government in Transvaal. We ill not recognize rebel factions. We are fully devoted to the termination of this rebellion within Transvaal, and offer aid, financially, or military if desired to stop this rebellion.

DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES WITH NEO JAPAN

NEO JAPAN FOREIGN MINISTRY:'' The entire ambassadorial staff of the Empire in Pretoria is being ordered out of Transvaal.

"We don't need our politicians interfering in the natural evolution of South African politics. Transvaal was a rebellion waiting to happen, as we have often pointed out, just as we have often told the transvaalers that treating its majority population with greater equality would lead to a brighter future for the nation"

The Transvaal ambassadorial staff in the Temporary foreign district in Iwo Jima has not been ordered to clear house, for reasons of "continued diplomacy with Transvaal. As far as the Empire is concerned, all that is happening is black south africans creating their own nation, which is not our major concern". Imperial Guard Infantry have been placed on the building for the Transvaaler's security, though no major riots or acts of violence are expected.

A few hours before as Foreign Minister Stellenbosch met with Ayuu Tora, the Neo Japanese ambassador:

“Acknowledged, despite the recognition your government has given to the terrorists, the Federal Government at this point does not wish to suspend diplomatic relations. It is possible – and this is only my own personal view here - that Neo Japan might prove most useful if either side wishes to start some form of negotiations or discussion. While others in the Federal Government may wish to cut relations, I am going to try to convice my colleagues in the Executive Cabinet to maintain them as long as I can for this reason. Of course I must do this subtly as no one else in the government, at least as far as I can tell, is tolerating any thought of talking with the ARM.”

Ayuu Tora: Then I hope you do your best. If you fail *she sighs*, well, we still will not be withdrawing recognition of ARM. It does no good to deny the natural evolution of South Africa". She gets up to leave

"I must go now, the plane out of here will be leaving soon. No doubt my Emperor will want to recall the entire team" she said. She stops at the door.

"Remember, Mr. Stellenbosch, continued oppression of Black Africans, no matter how you try to justify it, will only result in this...unfortunate circumstance repeating itself"

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPLY TO USTIO: The terror attacks were all co-ordinated by the Azarian Resistance Movement. As far as our intelligence knows, ARM has no foreign backing or support except verbal recognition from one government. The military forces of ARM are mutinous soldiers from our own army.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPLY TO NABOO: Agreed, formal diplomatic relations will be established at your convenience. As for your offer of the 32nd Division, this would be helpful for the immediate moment. We would like to station this at our naval facilities and shipyards in Cape Town to protect our fleet at anchor.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPLY TO CATADUANES: The opinions and concerns of the Philippines (Cataduanes) are duly noted. As for tourism business, we are actually anticipating a small boom for the Phillipines economy as many Transvalers - certainly those of white ethnicity from Johannesburg - have been renewing their visas and booking extended hotel stays in lieu of returning home to the conflict.

STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT OF BOHOVIA: Bohovia is extreamly saddened by these events, and we send our sympathy's for those who lost their lives in this crisis, Bohovia is willing to send 3000 Bohovian Peace-Keeping troops to, keep the situation under-control.

JANUARY 22, 2009

NABOO REPLY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: Very well then. The 32nd Infantry Division, under the command of Major-General Niell will make its way by train. Due to the urgency of the situation, we have opted to fly 2800 men in over the course of a week immediately, at which point the full division is expected to arrive. You shall find them to be a highly effective and disciplined force, may they serve Transvaal well.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPLY TO NABOO: Acknowledged. We do not anticipate any disturbances in Cape Town as the population is less restive there than in other parts of the Federal Republic. We may end up spliting the division into two detachments and send one half of the division north to Walvisbaai in Namibia to provide security where our main harbour and additional maritime facilities are located.

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, PHILIPPINES: With the current crisis in Transvaal escalating the Philippines (Cataduanes) has experienced an upsurge in numbers of Transvaal citizens booking holidays in the archipelago, much to the delight of the Tourism minister.

STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT OF PROMISED LAND: While Promised Land does not condone the violence of the uprising, nor the assassination of these leaders, we feel this is a natural result of how the black majority is treated in Transvaal. As we said, however, this does not mean we condone the violence - we recognize that the legitimate government is that of Staatspresident Botha and his supporters, and will continue to do so until a peaceful attempt at reform is considered by those who would support these rebels.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPLY TO SARGUN OF THE REPUBLIC: This was a concern of ours, the security of our north borders. We are anticipating that as our military operations move north towards our frontier that the rebels will likley flee across the border. There is nothing we can do with the two adjacent PAC Protectorates to prevent rebels fleeing there as those areas are not under central, local control. However we are hoping that both Serca and The Republic will take measures to prevent crossborder movement by rebels into their territories. Thank you for the offer [of relocation] however the situation would have to grow to severe levels before the Afrikaner people would even contemplate such a fatalistic move.

JANUARY 23, 2009

TWO WHEELCHAIRS...

PRETORIA: Hendrik Strijdom moved the breakfast tray off his bed and struggled to climb into his wheelchair. He then made his way through the private hospital ward to the room adjacent which had been set up as a makeshift office. The two Tahoan guards standing by the entrance snapped to attention. He gave a casual wave to them in acknowledgement as he wheeled up to his desk and began to sift through the pile of folders which had been deposited there since breakfast.

He picked up a red folder containing the daily medical report and prognosis for his recovery. He slammed his fist on the table. ‘Damn’ he thought, ‘I cannot manage the government stuck here and confined to a wheelchair for a month.’

He then picked up the thick manila envelope containing the most recent military situation reports from Marshal Cruywagen. Strijdom thumbed through them, noting that it would take around a week before all territory south of the Zambesi was back under firm Federal Republican control. However the extension of combat operations into the heartland of ARM support in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland would take longer.

Strijdom put the envelope down and jotted down a note – he wanted to find out how Marshal Cruywagen was handling the pacification phase of operations, as he wanted to send the rebels a clear and firm message that threats to the Federal Republic and its authority would not be tolerated.

He then noted in his planner that TeleTransvaal had arranged for some airtime to broadcast his planned speech to the nation regarding the civil disturbance. Strijdom hated being on television... he would see if radio time instead could be arranged. The last thing he wanted to do while sending an image of the government exercising its authority was that its leader was incapacitated in medical scrubs and a wheelchair.

He then read Minister Stellenbosch’s report on international reaction to the crisis. The prime minister relaxed and cracked an ever-so-slight smile. ‘Better foreign support could not have been expected, that is a relief’ he mused to himself. He noted the viewpoints of the Neo Japanese but he expected that probably they alone would voice strong condemnation. Not to worry, as there were numerous others more than willing to turn a blind eye to domestic issues and cozy up with Transvaal for its profitable trade and markets.

He would do whatever it took to maintain Afrikaner authority over South Africa... some African rabble-rousers would not stand in his way. Even if it meant the end of his career, he would do everything to crush the threat to his volk, culture, and way of life. Strijdom thought 'Transvaal would have another Bloedrivier if need be, but regardless we shall be victorious... there is no option for capitulation... it would be national suicide...'

BLOEMFONTEIN: “Tell them to stop...” muttered the Reverend. It was the first time since Erasmus Du Toit was gunned down that he had awakened from his coma.

“No more violence, the Lord is angry with us. My followers are not to be responsible for more bloodshed...”

As the small group of family and close colleagues lean forward to hear their beloved teacher speak, the Reverend drifted out consciousness and went back to sleep.

AN ADDRESS FROM PRESIDENT SEVEN NAUM TO THE CITIZENS OF ZURRAN

Sevan Naum stood in front of his podium. Waiting for signal that the station would begin broadcasting. He took a deep breath and ran a hand down the front of his shirt. Trying to smooth not only wrinkles, but also nerves. The majority of his advisors had thought ill of making this kind of speech to the entire nation and he himself was having doubts. Afterall the world was a hositle place for communists. Which was why The old Marxist Republic of Azzar had been wiped off the map due a simple news crew trying to get an interview with one nations leader. He took in and out, in and out, calming himself, he had to be on top form. Nothing but. One of the station signalled to him ten seconds...five seconds... 3,2,1...he was on.

"My fellow citizens. Today I come before you to speak of an urgent matter taking place inside the Federal Republic of Transvaal. Transvaal has long been a nation divided between black and white. Now, mistrust and long suppressed hatred of these two races have erupted into armed conflict. This outcome, sadly, comes as no surprise."

"It is because when people are taught to look at their fellow men as aliens, men and women with whom they may share a city, but not a community; men and women bound to them in common dwelling, but not in common effort. This kind of environment only spirals through the cycles of repression and retaliation, of violence upon violence with no true final answer."

"I speak not from any ideological sense, but from a personnal and strong belief that the content of ones character, rather than color of ones skin, is the only important part of them to judge. The Socialist Republic stands by all those who fight for fairness and equality under the rule of law. We condemn those who use force to impose their will and oppress their fellow. I strongly urge both sides to lay down their arms and allow peace talks to take place."

"Thank you. That is all I have to stay."

As his broadcast ended he walked away from the podium. Military brass had been waiting close by. They fell into step with him along with security personnal as he left the building.

"Put our armed forces on stand-by alert. Should they move to attack us over this we will not be taken by surprise as the MRA was."

They grimly nodded to him as he entered his car.

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [reporting from Pretoria, Transvaal]: Transvaler Krygsmagte forces launched ground strikes today in seven districts located in Rhodesia and Mozambique – bringing most of the Matabele and the Lundi districts under Federal Republican control.

Guerilla resistance was most fierce in Matabeleland as most of Western Rhodesia was successfully cleared of opposition except in some small, isolated pockets between Salisbury and Bulawayo.

Federal troops reported substantial enemy casualties from the incessant aerial bombardment from the Lugmag overhead, which subsequently made the ground advance easier than expected.

JANUARY 25, 2009

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [Pretoria]: Transvaal military forces continued their fifth day of ground offensive operations against guerillas of the Azarian Resistance Movement in Rhodesia. The town of Kwekwe, the last pocket of resistance in Mashonaland, fell this afternoon after a short but bloody firefight. The Sobi Valley and Southern Manica border districts in Eastern Rhodesia also fell as enemy forces retreated northwards into ARM-control sectors of Central Mozambique. Federal Republican casualties were in the neighbourhood of 200 while it is estimated the guerillas lost around 800 troops.

Marshal Cruywagen has said that all of Southern Rhodesia should be back under Federal Republican control in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Prime Minister Strijdom made a brief speech this afternoon, summarizing that ‘this was an internal domestic problem of Transvaal and that foreign powers that aided the Azarian guerillas would be deemed hostile nations and treated according’ – without going into details what kind of action would be taken. While most nations having interest in Transvaal have come out in support of the Federal Republic, a handful of states – Neo Japan, Azzar, and Andonia the most notable – have given varying degrees of recognition and support to the Azarian guerillas.

Hendrik Strijdom also stated that [soundclip]: “I will do everything necessary to preserve the Federal Republic and Afrikaner supremacy over it - however I realize that the conflict our nation is going through will be trying and bloody. I stake my own reputation as prime minister on the resolution of this conflict and shall take ultimate responsibility for its success or failure.”

The prime minister also thanked the military assistance of the Tahoe Republic and Naboo for providing ‘peacekeepers’ to help maintain law and order in Pretoria and Cape Town.

JANUARY 28, 2009

RHODESIA RECLAIMED FROM GUERILLAS; ADVANCE TOWARDS AZARIAN HEADQUARTERS

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The last vestiges of ARM guerilla resistance in Rhodesia collapsed today as the Transvaler Krygsmagte under the command of Field Marshal P Cruywagen made major inroads against ARM positions in Eastern Mashonaland and the Northern Manica districts.

The culmination of the three day offensive coincided with the launching of ground attacks in Central Mozambique by the Krygsmagte as the military begun its thrust towards Blantyre in Malawi, the main headquarters of the Azarian Resistance Movement and the capital of the so-called People's Republic of Azaria.

“We should regain control of all the Federal Republic south of the Zambezi by this weekend at the latest” said Marshal Cruywagen to reporters in his daily briefing.

Meanwhile in Pretoria, Transvaler Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom told reporters that the recent unrest in the Federal Republic was not due to government policy, but rather the ignorance or indifference of the nation’s African population to accept and act on the Federal Government’s earlier offers of home-rule made in late December.

[soundclip of Prime Minister Strijdom]: ''“Last month my government in good faith presented offers to the African population of Transvaal for negotiated home-rule and independence of the Northern Protectorates however we have yet to hear any indication of interest in this offer. How can nations like Neo Japan and Azzar continue to criticize us if we have already made the first step and we are still waiting for representatives of the African to respond? We have stated that in return for the continuation of Afrikaner white rule in South Africa and its immediate environs, we would withdraw from all Federal territory north of the Zambezi River and recognize local governance there. We have yet to have received even one claim by any national interest. What does that tell me? It tells me that our black African population, the majority of them, is content with the existing political system in Transvaal and the Federal Republic. What more can I be lead to believe?”''

JANUARY 30, 2009 CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The last overland supply routes for the ARM to the Indian Ocean were closed off today as Niassa and Cabo-Delgado districts in Northern Mozambique fell to Transvaler military forces. Small pockets around Tete and Livingstone Falls were also recaptured as the Azarian Resistance Movement suffered another round of major losses.

With the ARM headquarters of Blantyre within their sights, Krygsmagte artillery maintained around the clock bombardment of the city as ARM began preparations to evacuate. It is believed that ARM will relocate its headquarters to Chingola in the Zambian Copper Belt along the border with Serca.

Meanwhile, away from the frontlines and closer to home, the capital district of Pretoria came under fire from an undetermined number of suicide attacks. The most notable casualty was the Ministry of Interior, which was taken out by a car bomb. Pretoria Hospital and Government House also came under attack.

In reaction, the immediate capital district has since been placed under a 24-hour curfew with all non-government personal facing arrest should they not provide documentation issued from the prime minister’s office.

The rest of Pretoria and most of Johannesburg have been placed under 5:00pm to noon curfews to restrict terrorist movement and activities within the urban areas.

FEBRUARY 2, 2009 FEDERAL REPUBLIC REGAINS MOZAMBIQUE: After two days of coordinated operations along the Zambezi River in Tete district, the last portions of rebel territory in Mozambique were re-occupied by Transvaler Krygsmagte forces.

Military intelligence believes that after more than a week of fighting, approximately half of the guerillas under the Azarian Resistance Movement have now been eliminated; civilian casualties caught in the crossfire and unrestrained strategic air strikes are unknown but believed to be substantial according to refugees crossing the frontiers into Angola and Tanganyika.

Marshal Paul Cruywagen went on the radio in Lusaka and appealed to the guerillas to lay down its arms and surrender as continued resistance would only result in more bloodshed and death. “The Azarian organization has made its point but further resistance was futile as the Krygsmagte continued to gain the upper hand in the military aspects of the conflict”.

He also stated his belief that ARM only represents a minority of the people it claims to represent and that it was only creating more harm than good for the general populace.

FEBRUARY 3, 2009 KRYGSMAGTE LAUNCHES MASSIVE OFFENSIVE - ARM-controlled territory now severed into three parts: Field Marshal Cruywagen launched the largest ground offensive of the anti-guerilla campaign yesterday as large portions of Central Zambia and Nyasaland came back under Federal Republican control. In the process, the offensive broke the Azarian Resistance Movement into three separated zones and tightened the strangle-hold against the Blantyre headquarters.

FEBRUARY 6, 2009 CEASEFIRE DECLARED IN NORTHERN RHODESIA AND NYASALAND - CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: Rumours are now fast circulating throughout the capital that a ceasefire between Federal Republican and Azarian Resistance Movement forces has been declared.

The Federal Government has yet to confirm nor deny the truth of these rumours, but according to numerous civilian eyewitnesses contacted in the operational zones, shooting between the two sides in the de facto civil war appeared to stop at noon today.

=Tahoe Intervention in the Civil War=

JANUARY 21-FEBRUARY 12, 2009 Two Boeing 777's owned and operated by Aer Lingus, Tahoe's Flag Carrier, landed at Johannesburg International Airport early this afternoon after a long flight from Cruachan, Tahoe that included a layover in London. Two companies of Armtha SS soldiers, about 320 men in all, disembarked and were quickly escorted into the terminal by Transvaler authorities for transport into Pretoria.

Lieutenant Colonel Peter van Haesten, the leader of 23 Batallion, stepped out of Aer Lingus LAO 3212 into the bright sunshine of South Africa. He, like all his men, was wearing a tan summer campaign uniform instead of the normal black dress uniform or grey winter campaign uniform. It was, after all, mid summer here instead of mid winter back home. He was glad to be somewhere warm, as the day they left it was in the low thirties and raining hard back home.

He walked down the stairs on the outside of his craft and spotted a Transvaler officer waiting. "Greetings" he said in Afrikaans, "I am Colonel van Haesten, I hear you have transportation waiting for us?"

“Colonel van Haesten, good to meet you under the circumstances.” The Transvaler officer, in the uniform of the Interior ministry, saluted and spoke in English: “I am Lieutenant Robbins. I have transport here for your men to Pretoria. My orders to pass on to you are that 300 are to be stationed in the government quarter of the city, specifically in the immediate vicinity of Government House and the Interior Ministry across the street.

The remaining 20 will be split into two detachment of 10 men each; one group flown to Windhoek in Namibia to the emergency bunker where Staatspresident Botha has been taken for his safety. They will provide his bodyguard until it is absolutely safe for him to return to Pretoria. The other 10 will be deployed at the hospital in Pretoria and guard Prime Minister Strijdom. We want your best, crack 20 men for these two detachments.”

Lieutenant Robbins took van Haestan to where the convoy of troop carriers were waiting.

“Sir, once we arrive in Pretoria, you will be taken to the Interior Ministry to meet with Colonel van Zyl, the deputy minister of Interior. He has a special request to ask of you.”

The main convoy made its way along the Kaiser Martens Highway which linked Johannesburg to Pretoria. The highway was earily silent as there was no traffic except for the troop carriers and scattered military vehicles and some Krygsmagte tanks.

Looking to the west of Johannesburg, van Haesten could see distant, dark clouds of smoke rising in the sky. Lieytenant Robbins noticed van Haesten observing the smoke. Over the noise of the carrier engines, "Soweto" grunted Robbins and nodded in the direction of the smoke. "The airforce sent its strategic bombers in this morning, completely leveled the place considering most of it is tin shacks."

The countryside view from the back of the carrier was one of desolation.

A little while later, van Haesten's attention was taken by some corpses littered on the side of the highway, judging from the tattered uniforms and the colour of the men's skin, most likely some isolated rebels cut down by the Krygsmagte.

The convoy reached Pretoria and slowly made its way through the abandoned streets. The city felt like a ghost town as fearful civilians not caught up in the rioting stayed indoors. Garbage littered some streets, a broken barricade here and there... a child's doll, laying in the gutter... blood stains on the ground...

The troops carriers pulled to a stop in front of Government House. Lieutenant Robbins jumped down from the carrier. "Sir, if you please, follow me..." Robbins lead the Tahoan colonel across the street to the non descript headquarters of the Ministry of Interior & State Security.

"Minister Boersma is up north in Rhodesia with Marshal Cruywagen, his assistant Colonel van Zyl is heading operations in the Witswaterand region surrounding Pretoria and Johannesburg."

Van Haesten was ushered into Van Zyl's office. Sitting at the desk was a uniformed man in his early fifies, with a strange cropped haircut and wearing cokebottle glasses. He spoke with a lisp in in an almost creepy, reptilian manner: "Greetingss, I am Van Zyl. Thank you for meeting me on short notice. I have a mosst urgent matter that needss attending and I have no one here who can perform it. Everything must be kept disscrete, if word leakss out who ordered thiss, I shall have you meet an untimely accident - sso, can I rely on you to carry out thiss matter?"

Van Haesten stood still, staring at Van Zyl. He responded, "Well sir, it depends on the manner of what you wish me to do. You see, I don't take well to threats so you certainly did not help yourself by starting off by doing so." van Haesten's voice was cold. He did not take well to threats indeed. He tapped his fingers along the grip of his M1911 pistol, "Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful and would be more than happy to help you in any manner I can...provided it doesn't come into conflict with my morality, allegiance or mission here. I do, as always, assure confidentiality as that is the nature of my profession. One is not allowed to join the Armtha SS without certain requirements, and the ability to stay discrete when neccessary is one of them."

Van Haesten continued to stare at Colonel Van Zyl, waiting for his response.

Outside, the two companies of 23 Batallion were escorted to their barracks. After a short briefing from Transvaler officers and a few minutes to get situated, the officers in charge met with a few Transvaler officers for their assignments. Outside, the 300 men of 23 Batallion changed into combat fatigues, gathered their gear and cleaned, checked and rechecked their weapons, prepping themselves for their mission ahead of them. All had seen at least some combat and most had served as a guard at a government building somewhere in Tahoe.

Van Haesten was not quite sure what to make of Van Zyl. The guy had an un-natural, overt creepiness to him which he had never seen exhibited in any other Transvaler official he had met. This guy was either trying to put on a false front to intimidate him or he was certifiably off-his-rocker. He had all the sinister warmth of a child molester.

Colonel van Zyl grimaced. “I admire your bluntnesss. Sso now I sshall be blunt: I need you to execute two men I have in my cusstody. Here and now. No one in the Federal Government knowss I have them and no one iss to know the true nature of their deathss. I am acting alone for the protection of the white man’ss way of life in my country. It musst be done cleanly and quietly, and you musst disposse of the bodiess in a manner sso that no one remotely asssociated with my government is linked – including myssself.”

Van Haesten thought for a moment, before saying, "Well, if these men in your custody are opposed to your way of life then they are opposed to my way of life as well, and thus does not contradict my mission orders. Tell me what I must do."

Luckily for Van Zyl, all members of the Armtha SS conform to mandatory racial and ideological standards, which include fanatical nationalism and white supremacy. This made Van Haesten willing to carry out such orders, even when a more normal soldier (regardless of nationality) might not.

A broad smile appeared on Van Zyl’s face.

“This is good… hmm, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. Anyways, I have in my custody… unknown to anyone else except a couple of guards, two of the three assassins. One of them was unfortunately killed before my men could get to her, but the two we did capture I now want you to execute them.”

“I will then use my means to send disinformation that they committed suicide or some other vague explanation. You see, Transvaal has no death penalty on the books. All personal of the Interior Ministry must take an oath never to intentionally kill a prisoner – other wise we are held accountable. However, there is nothing saying that I can ask a foreigner to do the job.”

“The two wretched souls will be taken out back to where your troop truck or whatever you travelled here is located and you can take them away to somewhere isolated and…”

Van Zyl stopped talking and made a slashing gesture across his throat.

“Come follow me…” sighed the colonel as he led the Tahoan officers to the cell bock.

Something really irked Van Haesten about this strange Van Zyl fellow, but he couldn't quite place why. He also noticed that Van Zyl had stop lisping.

"As you wish, sir." van Haesten was surprised that Van Zyl was having him execute the prisoners, he thought that would have been done already. He had also thought that perhaps Van Zyl was attempting to gain power, perhaps by executing politcal opponents during the confusion. There just wasn't something right about this man. Well, he certainly would kill the communist scum that had initated this mess...and enjoy it too, but van Haesten vowed to stay alert, who knew what was going on after all?

Colonel Karl van Zyl unlocked the cellblock door for van Haesten. He proceeded to Cell 34 and unlocked it. Two guards from the interior ministry who had trailed along behind van Zyl entered the cell and dragged out the two wretched men.

Both were African. One of them appeared to be in his thirties and dressed in what looked like a security guard uniform, somewhat tattered and stained from what looked like a beating. The other prisoner was a teenager with a very athletic build.

The two guards grabbed the men, who were handcuffed, and lead them along the corridor to a loading bay in back of the building. The troops carrier which had brought van Haesten and his men was parked, engine running and waiting, his squad of men of inside ready to depart.

As the two guards bundled the two prisoners on board, Colonel van Zyl leaned over toward van Haestan and whispered in his ear. “Also, those two guards there, dispatch them as well. As I said, no witnesses.”

Van Zyl turned around and slinked back inside the building.

Van Haesten climbed on board the troop carrier. As soon as the prisoners saw hi, they began to plead for their lives. The younger one, who was probably 16 or 17, but unusually muscular spoke up: “Sir, please do not kill us. We have friends who can make it very worth your while if you free us. That man at the ministry is dangerous. Once you’ve done away with us, he’ll then kill you and your men as well.”

The older prisoner then said: “Look, I do not deny that I shot the prime minister on orders from our political organization, but something strange is going on. Our people were never planning to kill Reverend Du Toit. Yes we hate that man with all our hearts, but killing him would be a mistake because it would just make him a martyr for his people.”

Van Haesten leaned down to look at the youth right in the face, grabbing a fistful of hair, he growled, "I am going to kill you and your begging will only make it more painful. If Van Zyl tries anything, I will kill him too." He slammed the youth's face into the bed of the truck and ordered one of his men to gag both of the assassins.

He sat back up and pulled a radio out of his shirt pocket. Once the troop carrier was out of the city limits, van Haesten turned his radio to channel 6 and pressed the talk button, "Rawhide come in, rawhide come in, this is Lion 1 over."

He waited a few minutes before the radio warbled again, "Lion 1 come in, this is Rawhide, proceed, over."

Good, the men guarding Prime Minister Strijdom had gotten through. "Rawhide, can you put Strijdom on the line, please, over."

Back in Pretoria, one of the guards of Prime Minister Strijdom turned around and knocked on his hospital room door. Another Tahoan guard opened the door and the first guard handed the radio to the bodyguard of the Prime Minister saying, "Van Haesten wants to talk to the Prime Minister, sounds urgent." The bodyguard nodded, taking the radio and closed the door again. He walked over to Strijdom, who sat in bed reading. He snapped to attention, saluting, before saying in Afrikaans, "Mr. Prime Minister, Colonel van Haesten wishes to speak with you, I think it is urgent."

Strijdom's voice crackled over the radio: "Yes, this is the prime minister... what is it?"

"Mr. Strijdom, this is Colonel van Haesten. I am currently aboard a troop carrier with two detainees whom Deputy Interior Minister Van Zyl ordered me to execute. He also ordered me to execute the Transvaler guards who assisted in the transport of the detainees. Under normal circumstances I would carry out his orders without question, but the order to kill Transvalers and his general demeanor lead me to suspicion of his activities. I thought it was important for you to be briefed on the current situation and give me orders as to what to do."

“Hmm… I cannot recall ever having heard of this Van Zyl person, he must be someone Minister Boersma appointed recently and forgot to inform the government. Regardless whoever he is, personal of the Interior Ministry are not permitted under any circumstances to execute prisoners – let alone soldiers or civilian personal doing their duty.”

“Minister Boersma is somewhere in Northern Rhodesia with Marshal Cruywagen, I will attempt to contact him and find out whether Van Zyl was given those orders or if he is acting alone. My guess is he is acting alone, as Boersma is known for his by-the-book methods.”

“Under my orders, do not harm those prisoners nor the guards. For their own safety, the guards should probably not return to the Interior Ministry, have them sent to the hospital here and they can assist with me for the time being. I need a couple of orderlies and messengers anyways. As for the prisoners, keep them under your custody and protection until we know for sure what is going on at the Interior Ministry. If Van Zyl turns out not to be what he appears, I will probably need you to move in on the Ministry and arrest him.”

Give me a few hours to uncover more about Van Zyl and then I shall get back to you.”

“Also, I greatly appreciate your diligence to contact me. I shall make sure your superiors are notified of this once these troubles are all over. If you get any further orders that contradict your better judgment, then contact me. Only Staatspresident Botha obviously has the authority to counter-act any order issued by me. ”

"Yes, Mr. Strijdom. Van Haesten stood up in the back of the troop transport, walked to the front and reached down to talk to the driver. He ordered the transport to turn around and drive back into Pretoria. The prisoners, naturally, were confused and scared, although Van Haesten's trained eye told him they knew something was up. No need to discuss such things with them, though, and he sneered at them anyways as he stepped over them to sit back down.

The troop carrier rumbled back into Pretoria, this time taking a different route into the city as to avoid the Interior Ministry. The carrier headed towards the hospital caring for Strijdom, being stopped a block away by Tahoan guards who searched the carrier for bombs before letting it through. Once in front of the hospital, the two Transvaler guards hopped out and walked up the steps into the hospital, again being searched by the Tahoan guards at the entrance. Even they had their weapons confiscated before being allowed inside.

The carrier continued on back into the central part of town, stopping at the barracks where B company was housed. Van Haesten ordered a few of his men to escort the prisoners inside. They were locked inside a broom closet after having their gags and hand cuffs removed. The prisoners looked at each other and smiled, they were still alive and that foreign colonel hadn't followed orders.

Van Haesten and his squad re-boarded the troop carrier and drove to the Interior Ministry. Once there, Van Haesten and two of his men stepped out and walked inside, heading for Van Zyl's office, not before checking their weapons though.

Van Haesten knocked on Van Zyl's office door and heard a gruff "come in." He opened the door, smiled at Van Zyl and said, "It is done. I made them sit in a derelict car on the side of the highway, shot at them and burnt the car. It looks like they were simply two African hoodlums trying to get past a checkpoint now. Their bodies are unrecognizable."

Van Zyl clasped his hands as a toothy grin broke across his face. “Thiss iss beautiful newss for my earss Herr Colonel! I admire your creativity in disspossing of the bodiess. I hope that you made them ssuffer to the very lasst!”

“Now… I have another ssmall misssion for you… it appearss there are more traitorss plotting against uss. They have yet to reveal their hand, but I have information that Frederik Geldenhuys and the Demokratiesse Barakke Party are ssecretly agitating and providing arms to the Azarian guerillass. The party has sstrong influence over marxistss elementss in the military and I need you to go arresst Herr Geldenhuys. But see that ssome harm comess to him once he iss in your cusstody…like our hoodlum friendss”

Van Zyl laughed to himself and then waved his hand grandiosely to dismiss van Haesten, “That iss all, that iss all…”

Just then Colonel van Haesten’s cellphone buzzed softly. A text message was coming in from the hositpal. It read: “Van Zyl is VF arrest detain then proceed to Bloemfontein signal arrival there and await orders signed PM-HS”

Colonel Haesten slowly put his phone back into his pant pocket, releasing the catch for his pistol holster as he put the phone away in one smooth, fluid motion. Nonchalantly resting his hand on the grip of his pistol, he whispered to Sergeant Reynolds, "We are arresting the colonel" in Irish. Sergeant Reynolds, an experienced non-commissioned officer, took the surprising orders without a change of expression at all. He slowly and carefully removed the safety of his rifle.

Van Zyl's wide smile slowly disappeared from his face when Van Haesten didn't respond to his new orders and instead turned and whispered into the ear of one of his guards. Something didn't feel right, thought Van Zyl to himself. The Colonel's suspicions were confirmed when Van Haesten wheeled around, pulling his pistol out of his holster while Reynolds - yes, that was the name Van Zyl could make out on the uniform of the guard Van Haesten had whispered to, thought Van Zyl in a moment of lapsed judgement - raised his rifle and pointed it at Van Zyl's head. The third Tahoan smoothly turned and glided to the door, locking it and positioning himself to guard it.

Van Haesten vaulted over the desk of Colonel Van Zyl, sending papers flying, and pressed his pistol against his new prisoners head. "You are under arrest, sir. Cooperate and you will survive long enough to see tommorrow." Van Zyl sat, still stunned at what had happened.

Karl van Zyl let out a high-pitched squeal in fear, like that of an animal cornered by prey. He then whimpered “Colonel van Haessten, what are you doing? I thought we had an undersstanding?”

Van Zyl then regained his composure and stood up trying to brush off his captors. He then re-tightend his tie to regain some dignity before speaking: “Herr Colonel, we are on the ssame sside of the coin, yourss and my people. You ssee, I am a member of Verwoerd Front. I am a patriot of the Afrikaner Volk fighting against the race traitorss of the National Party. I give you the opportunity to join me in fighting for a pure, white Transsvaal.”

“Otherwisse you can sshoot me here right now…” Van Zyl said as he began to slowly inch towards the door. “… as there is too much insside thiss office to condemn me for me to ssurrender peacefully. However if you let me go unharmed, I sshall make the necesssary arrangementss to transsfer the ssum of $3,000,000 rand to your personal bank account.”

Colonel Van Haesen simply laughed at Van Zyl's attempt to escape, roughly grabbing Van Zyl's collar and pushing him back down into his chair.

"Herr Colonel, if you wish to discuss matters of race with me, by all means, let us do so, it would be an interesting conversation. Do not doubt my dedication to the advancement of superior European culture and race. The Armtha SS has been the vanguard of white supremacy. When the Witbrandwag Commando fought in Paraguay, you may remember reports of foreign involvement ambushing FPLP guerrillas and slaughtering them? That was the Armtha SS. I was there. We were within 5 kilometers of Maríscal Estigarribia and rescuing de Ruijters before we were driven off."

Karl Van Zyl dared look up for the first time at Van Haesten. There had been rumors of Tahoan involvement in that conflict, yes, with the bodies of foreign soldiers being discovered equiped with Tahoan weapons. A glimmer of hope for freedom, perhaps, ran through the mind of Van Zyl...until van Haesten started talking again.

"You see though Colonel, your own Reverend du Toit would denounce me as a satan worshipping papist if he could, not to mention the times de Ruijters had denounced Tahoe's supposedly weak stance on leftism, when it was we who were fighting the socialists, communists and anarchists wherever they dared stand. I do not doubt your patriotism or dedication to your folk, yet you and the Verwoerd Front are so extreme you would bring ruin upon us all. The National Parties of Tahoe and Transvaal have held the line where all others would break bringing success after success. And now you try to rip the carpet out from under your own people fighting to defend your own Afrikaner folk? You would be lucky if I was merciful and shot you right now. No, you are under arrest and will pay for your crimes. Perhaps the SS will fund a lawyer for you."

Sergeant Reynolds and Private O'Collins picked up the now handcuffed Van Zyl by either arm, dragging him out from behind his desk towards the door. There was a definite commotion in the halls though, followed by pounding on the door. Van Haesten reached for his radio and ordered the rest of his squad inside, in case the Interior Ministry guards didn't like the sight of their commander being dragged off by foreigners.

“Sir, there are some Tahoan soldiers inside... I th-think they have Colonel Van Zyl held hostage!”

Interior Minister Gert Boersma stood on the steps to the Interior Ministry, looking perplexed at what was he was being told. “Are you sure about this? Give me your sidearm corporal.” The short but portly Boersma grabbed the pistol and clambered up the half-dozen stone stairs into the Ministry building.

He proceeded cautiously into the main lobby. He could hear moment from one of the hallways.

“This is Minister Boersma” he shouted, echoing through the building, “I am here alone. Come out now and surrender yourselves! This is your only chance”

Two Tahoan soldiers peered over a desk on the far side of the lobby, rifles pointed at the door and thus Minister Boersma. A third Tahoan stood up and replied with, "Minister Boersma, please drop your side arm and approach the front desk. Colonel Van Haesten will be able to explain everything to you."

Minister Boersma laughed. “Excuse me Colonel for being a little too cautious here, after all just walking into my own ministry building and finding it under occupation and my deputy either a hostage or under arrest... but I think I shall keep my side arm right here with me, for the time being. Now tell me exactly what is going on here!”

Van Haesten walked up to Boersma, spreading his hands wide to show he wasn't carrying a weapon. Letting his arms drop, he said, "Minister, Colonel Van Zyl is an agent of the Verwoerd Front and his arrest has been ordered by Prime Minister Strijdom himself. Unfortunately we were forced to take control of the building and disarm everyone inside after a brief skirmish between my soldiers and your guards who did not like foreigners arresting their leader." Van Haesten laughed, "Can't say I blame them, though, plus, there are no major injuries. We are taking Colonel Van Zyl to see Strijdom."

Minister Gert Boersma appreciated the candor of the Tahoan colonel. He lowered his pistol, saying “let me confirm your story with the prime minister”. Boersma walked over to what had been Van Zyl’s desk, picked up the telephone and dialed.

“Prime Minister Strijdom please, this is Boersma.”

After a wait of a minute or so, Boersma began speaking over the phone, repeating the fantastic story which he had just been told. Boersma listened, nodded a couple of times in agreement, and then hung up.

He smiled. “Well Colonel Van Haesten, you indeed stand correct. Excuse me for my reservation earlier, but you must understand that in my line of work I hear a lot of rumours and fanciful stories - most of them not true. Anyways, as you say, Strijdom wants us to bring Van Zyl to the hospital for questioning.”

Boersma then paused for a moment.

“But first, before we go, let’s see what Van Zyl had lying around in his office.”

Boersma entered Colonel Van Zyl’s office followed behind by Van Haesten. Boersma rifled through the unlocked desk but found little anything of interest – expect for a couple of magazines of questionable sexual content.

“Seem our man Van Zyl had a liking for batting for the other cricket team, eh?” laughed the Interior Minister as he casually toss the gay magazines found in the desk towards Colonel Van Haesten’s general direction.

“Oh, look at this…!” said Colonel Van Haesten, busy removing a portrait of Staatspresident Botha from the wall. “A hidden safe. Do you happen to know the combination to it, minister?”

Boersma shrugged in reply “No, I’ve never seen it before” – so the Tahoan colonel called for two of his men to come in the room. One of them was carrying a small quantity of plastique. He squished a small wad of it on the safe lock. “Stand back everyone!” said Van Haesten as he prepared to detonate it.

BBOOOOMM!

White smoke and dry dust clogged the room after the explosion. Once the air cleared, Van Haesten and Boersma peered inside the safe. Cash in local and foreign currency – now somewhat singed from the explosion – an assortment of passports with Van Zyl real identity and covers alias - one of them a Tahoe counterfeit with Van Zyl's photo but made for a Mr. Padraig Ó Keiren – “Here Colonel, you might want to re-patriate this with your government”, said Boersma as he handed the passport to Van Haesten.

Boersma then picked up a folder of papers, began to leaf through them and then stopped. “Oh my god…” Boersma loosed his tie, and continued reading for about a minute before slowly handing them to the Colonel to read.

“I hope your Afrikaans is good enough to read this…” gulped a now-sweating Boermsa.

Colonel Van Haesten’s knowledge of the language was good enough to comprehend that he was holding in his hands concrete plans to cause a massive and deliberate infection of the AIDS virus in the black population of the Federal Republic.

It was marked GEHEIM / SECRET and typed out on Federal Government stationary.

"Minister, if I may state of obvious, we need to get this back to the Prime Minister and Staatspresident immediately. First though, I need to you get on the buildings loudspeakers and tell the people what is going on. Release a few trusted associates who can release the rest of the staff here once we have departed with Van Zyl, just in case their are other VF plants in the building, as I suspect. Even more effective would be keep them all in custody and allow for a full background check. These documents indicate widespread VF infiltration of both the government and public at large."

He signaled for his men to bring Van Zyl forward and began escorting him downstairs to the waiting Armored Personnel Carrier outside.

Minister Boersma thought over the Colonel’s words carefully before answering. “Let’s just head to the prime minister and leave the building and its occupants under guard. At this point I have no idea who in the ministry I can trust… after all I never suspected my own deputy was part of the VF…and we don’t have the time right now to verify anyone’s backgrounds.

The minister followed Colonel Van Haesten and his soldiers as the Tahoan’s dragged Van Zyl from his place of detention. Van Zyl had a rag stuffed in his mouth as he had been getting on his captors’ nerves with his screaming and pleading.

The troop carriers then made their way out of the government district where the Interior Ministry and national assembly were located. Pretoria hospital was around a ten minutes drive away, and Boersma peered out the window intensely as he surveyed the extent of the damage from the rioting which had initially broken out.

“I have only just returned from up north with the General Headquarters where the main anti-guerilla offensives have been going on. While it is inevitable through sheer numbers the Azarians cannot win, the fighting will nevertheless take some time before the entire Republic is liberated from terrorist control. They are putting up some stiff resistance although we do outnumber ARM four-to-one and they have no air cover or supporting fire from artillery or tanks to protect them.”

The vehicles screeched to a stop in front of the hospital. Both Van Haesten and Boersma noted the heavy presence of Armtha SS soldiers on perimeter guard. Three of the Armtha approached the troop carriers and spoke with Colonel Van Haesten in Irish.

“Come, minister… the prime minister awaits” motioned Van Haesten.

The two men followed the hospital soldiers while the Colonel’s men dragged Van Zyl behind.

As they waited for a lift to take them up to Strijdom’s room, he suddenly had a thought and said: “Colonel, hold on a moment. I want to see if there is a photocopier around.” Boersma noticed the admitting office and briskly walked over to there and photocopied a few pages of the documents which they had brought with them.

“Never know, just in case…” Boersma said sheepishly when he returned.

The elevator arrived and the party of soldiers, the colonel, the minister, and the terrified prisoner all piled onboard.

When they arrived on the floor with the Prime Minister’s ward, there was much action going on. It appeared that Strijdom had turned the ward and its surrounding rooms into a temporary government headquarters.

Two Tahoan guards approached the group as they exited the elevator. They saluted Van Haesten, glanced at the minister, and said “His Excellency is waiting for you in that room”. Van Haesten told the rest of the soldiers to wait outside with Van Zyl as he and Minister Boersma entered the hospital room.

Hendrik Strijdom glanced up when they entered and waited at the doorway. “Come in gentlemen, now what news have you brought me?” Colonel Van Haesten spoke first, explaining the events at the Interior Ministry. Boersma then cautiously stepped forward and told the prime minister “We also found these documents in Karl Van Zyl’s possession…” as he handed the folder to Strijdom.

Strijdom looked through them without giving any indication what his thoughts were on the contents.

Once he was done, he wheeled himself over to a garbage can next to his makeshift work desk and tossed them in it. He then lit a match to ignite them. Boersma had an obviously stunned and horrified expression.

Strijdom then slowly wheeled himself up to where the two men where standing are stared intensely at them...

“And gentlemen, we shall never bring up the nature of these documents ever again, understood?”

"Naturally, Prime Minister." replied van Haesten, before continuing on, "I do wish to get back to the Interior Ministry, unless you need me here. There are two Interior Ministry personnel that ambushed me right before Minister Boersma got there. They were subdued, of course" Van Haesten made an attack on his life in close quarters combat sound as exciting as a snail, "I wish to interrogate them. I believe them to be VF. Of course, I can always save that for later, if you have some task for me."

Strijdom opened his mouth, about to reply when...BOOM.........BOOM!

Two large explosions shook the hospital. Immediately van Haesten leaped across the room and grabbing Boersma by his arm, dragged him back away from the window, pinning him against the back wall. The two SS guards also in the room ran to shield Strijdom with their bodies.

Strijdom once again opened his mouth, this time getting the words out, "What was that?" Right as he finished, another explosion, this one closer, blowing the window out. The two guards jumped on Strijdom, pinning him to the floor just as van Haesten threw himself and Boersma to the ground.

They stayed there for maybe 30 seconds, when all of the sudden van Haesten's radio sprung to life with the sounds of men yelling in Irish. There was also yelling in the halls, English, Afrikaans and Irish mixing together. The door to the room sprung open, and a sergeant yelled something in Irish. Van Haesten replied and the sergeant left. Strijdom tried to ask what was going on, but was interrupted by the door opening again, this time a captain who rapidly spoke before departing. All the men in the room lifted themselves off the floor, dusting themselves off, as Strijdom once again tried to ask what was going on but was once again interrupted. This time van Haesten began yelling into his radio. For almost 5 minutes people rushed in and out of the room, asking questions, giving information and all the while van Haesten yelled into his radio. All the while the two Transvalers sat waiting for news.

Finally van Haesten turned to Strijdom and said, "Prime Minister, there appears to have been a bombing at the Interior Ministry. A small car approached and blew itself up as it drove into security barriers. Another car tried to bomb the Government Building, but guards shot at it and killed the driver before it could get close enough. The bomb detonated, though, causing carnage in the street. An unknown number are dead from those two bombings. The third explosion was an RPG hitting the hospital, though it was on the other side. A small fire started, which was quickly put out. Two nurses were minorly injured, nobody was in the room. A sniper on the roof of the hospital shot and killed the gunman as soon as the rocket was launched."

Strijdom sat in silence, seemingly stunned from the news and explosions. Van Haesten continued to speak, "I would recomend you shut the city down. Don't let anybody in or out, permanant curfew on the streets and detain all black Africans...the gunman and drivers of the two cars were black, by the way. Normally I would move you to a safer location, but you still need hospital care and it is to dangerous to leave the hospital now. I have ordered the police and my guards to close off a six block radius around the hospital and government buildings for now. You need to go to the basement for now, though, just to be safe."

Strijdom listed to what Colonel Van Haesten said. Giving his options some quick thought, he replied “Well then Colonel, to the basement – we’ll set up our situation headquarters down there.”

The prime minister was lifted back into his now- somewhat-battered wheelchair by the Tahoan guards. Strijdom then wheeled off towards the elevator to take him down to the maintenance level in the basement of the hospital. Van Haesten could overhear the prime minister muttering ‘how did they get a missile to hit us?’ and ‘someone pick up my papers and bring them along’.

Boersma dusted himself off and then walked over to Van Haesten. “Colonel, something just doesn't sit right with these documents we found. I’m making my way over to the national archives located two blocks away. You’re welcome to join me if you can, but I want to see if there are copies there. If they are genuine from the government, then the archives will have duplicates – but if there are none, then we’ll know this is a plant – likely by the VF. We might be able to find out who else knows about them.”

"I am needed here, Minister, we need to secure the city properly and I am afraid if I come with you that will not be done suitably. I will send you with a detachment, though, the national archives likely contain documents the government needs and I don't want either the VF of ARM getting their hands on anything there. Sergeant MacDonald will accompany you" said van Haesten, gesturing for a Tahoan sergeant to come over. "He will command your escort and set up a perimiter at the archives. Have him do anything you need."

Van Haesten then excused himself and rushed dowstairs, eager to begin taking charge. Once out of the hospital and on the street, he directed police to set up roadblocks in a large perimiter around the center of Pretoria. The police would be backed up by SS troopers. They were also supposed to watch the police and ensure they were doing their job, although the police did not know that. VF supporters could be anywhere, after all.

Sergeant MacDonald saluted Minister Boersma, saying, "Shall we?"

“Very well Colonel, if our paths do not cross again then I wish you and your men good luck and godspeed” the minister said in a strange manner as he shook the colonel’s hand.

“Let’s go” Boersma said to the sergeant, “we’ll walk there, it will draw less attention to us than driving the streets.”

The streets Boersma were referring to were deserted. Outside of the buzz of the hospital, it felt like Pretoria had been emptied. As the minister and the sergeant walked briskly, the occasional light here and there could be seen from buildings, probably civilians who were trapped by both their own fear to venture outside and from the assortment of curfews now in effect. A cloud of smoke could be seen rising from the east around a kilometer away “That’s probably Government House still smoldering” Boersma said out loud.

After around ten minutes of hard walking, the two men rounded a corner and Boersma started to trot. There’s the State Archive Building there. The building, like many others they had seen, was barricaded up from inside. Boersma banged on the glass double doors of the main entrance “Open up, this is Minister of Interior Boersma – I am here on official business”.

After some murmuring and the sound of chairs and desks being dragged away, one of the doors unlocked and inched open. Boersma grabbed it and pried it open with the assistance of the Tahoan sergeant. The two men climbed inside and over top of the scattered debris which had been piled up.

Boersma exchange brief pleasantries with the two staff who had answered the door. It appeared that they knew Boersma firsthand through previous visits.

“Come sergeant!” Boersma waved as he trundled down one of the hallways. “Naturally, as the Minister of Interior, I have access to all parts of the building.”

They descended two flights of stairs and the building’s temperature became noticeably colder. They then approached one section of the complex, now obviously underground and probably under the street or another building, which was guarded by a woman in uniform in a booth to the right of a dark navy blue door marked GEHEIM.

“Boersma, Gert, Minister of Interior, Federal Government, Access 10003” he said as he slipped what looked like an identification card through a slot in the window of the booth. The women looked at the ID card and glanced at Boersma, before she slid a clipboard through a slot. “Sign here” she said, “him too if he’s going in”.

Boersma signed in, and then handed the clipboard to the Tahoan sergeant. Once the sergeant had handed the clipboard through the booth slot, a loud buzz were heard. “Go through gentleman!” the woman said, and Boersma opened the heavy door.

They entered a room around eight-hundred square feet in area, packed tightly with files and poorly lit, although one corner at the back appeared to be lit brighter than the rest of the room.

“What we want to find is probably in there…” motioned Boersma towards the light. In the back quarter of the secret archives there was another lock up, with a wire fence separating the two sections. Boersma pulled out a key and unlocked a simple pad lock to unlock the gate door entrance.

“Wait here Sergeant MacDonald”

Boersma went into the stockade and began to open and close draws. The sergeant was still close enough to observe Boersma in his hurried but methodical search. After around five minutes he stopped at one draw – the sergeant heard him exclaim a grunt of satisfaction – and Boersma began to thumb through it very slowly. A file caught his attention and he took out some papers and compared them to the photo copies. Judging from his expression, it appeared the Interior Minister had found a match. Boersma then continued to look though the rest of the same file which had caught his interest. As Boersma was putting it away, Sergeant MacDonald was able to catch a glimpse of writing on the folder GEHEIM: NASIONAALSELFMOORDPLAN.

Boersma pushed the draw back into the cabinet. He seemed flushed, as if something was now bothering him. “Let’s go sergeant, I’ve found what I need to find” he said as he locked up the wire stockade. “Let’s make our way back to the hospital so you can rejoin your men. Then I need to take leave.”

"Yes, Minister." The Sergeant spoke Afrikaans, like all the NCO's selected for this mission, but his was among the weakest. He spoke it with a thick accent and his reading was significantly subpar. He did notice the writing on the folder Boersma had selected: Geheim: Nasionaalselfmoordplan. He thought for a moment, forehead wrinkling as he worked out what that meant. When he came to his conclusion, his face visibly got darker. The folder was marked National Suicide Plan...or something similar at least. MacDonald had no clue what that meant, but whatever it was, the look on Boersma's face told him it wasn't good.

They walked back to the hospital in silence. Boersma couldn't keep his eyes of the folder in his hands and MacDonald silently scanned the buildings, as if on guard for assassins. Back at the hospital, MacDonald saluted and quickly rushed off to rejoin his squad, leaving Boersma alone on the front steps.

Boersma watched and waited until Sergeant MacDonald had entered the hospital. As soon as the Tahoan disappeared, he looked around and then made his way to a Krygsmagte troop carrier he spotted abandoned on the street. ‘Hopefully the radio still works’ the minister thought to himself.

To his relief, the carrier had suffered only external damage. While one axle had been broken and the vehicle wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, the electronics inside were still functional. He switched on the radio and entered in his government identification code which would unlock the secret and emergency broadcast bands.

He then opened his small satchel briefcase and pulled out a codebook, thumbed through it, and then entered in the encrypted radio frequency for the CIC headquarters.

A voice crackled at the other in. “This is CIC, over. With whom am I speaking?”

‘Good’ thought the interior minister, now to get hold of Marshal Cruywagen.

While Colonel Van Haesten was busy coordinating his troops, a black Mercedes limosine with tinted windows pulled up and screeched to a stop in front of the hospital. A blond woman, dressed smartly in a black business suit and skirt, climbed out. She carried with her a briefcase which was chained around her wrist as a security measure.

Two Armtha-SS approached her - and then after a brief exchange, led her over to where the Colonel was. “Sir, this woman here says she has an appointment with Mr.Strijdom”.

Before the colonel could ask to present her identity papers, she spoke.

“Van Matteus. I am here to report to the Prime Minister.” She glanced at Van Haesten’s uniform to confirm the rank. “Can you take me to him, colonel?”

The Colonel looked up from a map of Pretoria he had spread out on a table outside the hospital. He looked at Van Matteus blankly before saying, "Yes, ma'am. A guard will have to be with you at all times once you are with the Prime Minister, unless he orders otherwise though. This way, please." Van Haesten gestured, leading Van Matteus into the hospital.

Van Matteus showed a muted look of annoyance when Van Haesten mentioned the need for a guard. She chirped “Well then colonel, lead the way then…”

As they made their way to the elevator, Van Haesten informed Van Matteus of the recent attacks on the hospital and politely ‘apologized’ for the unfortunate but necessary security requirements. He couldn’t tell if this eased her annoyance or not, but he could tell that Van Matteus seemed to be focused on something bothering her.

The elevator finally arrived in the basement.

“Wait here while I clear your meeting with the Prime Minister” Van Haesten instructed Ms. van Matteus.

“Sir, sorry to interrupt you but Ms. Annetjie van Matteus is here to see you.” Van Haesten voiced the question is such a tone as inquire whether this was a pre-arranged meeting or if Van Matteus had just shown up impromptu without Strijdom’s knowledge.

The prime minister looked up and replied grimly “Hmm… show her in”. It sounded like this was pre-arranged government business, although Strijdom didn’t sound too thrilled with his guest.

“You may visit with the Prime Minister now, Ms. van Matteus” called the Colonel from the entrance way.

Once Van Matteus had entered and taken a seat, Colonel Van Haesten then said “Sir, I shall get one of the SS troopers to stay here with you”

Strijdom replied curtly, “Colonel, no - that won’t be necessary… you stay here, I trust you more than anyone else here right now.”

Van Haesten stood off to one side of the room while Strijdom and Van Matteus conversed. It appeared they were discussing Projek Vela, Transvaal’s nuclear bomb programme. Van Matteus had all manner of blueprints and documentation which she was using to almost overwhelm the prime minister.

After a few minutes of this, Strijdom lost his patience and interrupted her sternly, asking “Tell me, exactly how long before Vela is operation?”

“Mr. Prime Minister, if our funding and research remains on its current course, barring any unforeseen difficulties we should have the initial device ready on March 10. The only delay at that point is locating weapons grade uranium. Give me two days to set up the necessary trade, and we should have the six bombs requested by March 18 or 19.”

She then added, as if it were an afterthought – but not – “That would be one month ahead of schedule!”

Feeling pleased with her work and presentation, Van Matteus waited for the hoped for compliment of a job well done or some other statement of satisfaction to stroke her ego.

“Good – now get out” Strijdom barked. Colonel Van Haesten could tell that as much as the prime minister displayed a noticeable loathing for the woman, she was probably the only one in Transvaal with the intellect, science background, and contacts to procure a nuclear weapon for him.

“Colonel, see Ms. van Matteus outside… thank you”

As Van Haesten was ushering Van Matteus back outside to her waiting vehicle, Minister Boersma spotted him. He waited until Van Matteus’ car had driven off before cautiously approaching the Colonel.

“Colonel, I need to speak with you in the uptmost secrecy...” The Minister looked worried and was sweating profusely. It wasn't from the heat.

"Just a moment, Minister." Van Haesten turned to one of his troops and ordered him back inside to see Strijdom. "Don't disrupt him, though, just wait outside his door. If he needs anything he will call." Turning back to Boersma, he said, "Sorry Minister, security business" he shrugged as if it could not be helped, which, of course, it couldn't. "Over here, if you need secrecy." Van Haesten lead Boersma into a deserted alleyway on the side of the hospital. "What can I help you with, Minister?"

Boersma hesitated, looked around to make sure no one else could overhear his next words. “I need to know what your stance is… in that if it came to a showdown between our government and the armed forces – whose side would you be on?”

After a long silent pause… Boersma added “Or would you and your men simply stand aside?”

Van Haesten stood quietly for a short while, although it felt like an eternity to both Boersma and Van Haesten.

"Well, Sir...I uh, I don't...uh, well it would probably, uh, depend on the position my government took. I know the Taoiseach is friendly with Strijdom and many in the government, and I know that Cruywagen is seen by many...especially in the Armtha SS, as being weak, but uh, I really don't know. It probably depends on who is leading each side. I know the Taoiseach won't order us to stand down, he isn't the type of man to sit around and let things be decided without his input. The Staatspresident's position would have a large role, too. He is likely the most popular foreign leader in Tahoe."

It was clear to Boersma that Van Haesten wasn't telling him everything. Boersma knew the Armtha SS was fanatical in their ideology, but whether that ideology would mean supporting the military or government, he didn't know. Either way, he knew the Armtha SS would support somebody, with or without orders from Cruachan.

“The Staatspresident is above and beyond such things - whichever side comes out on top will get his blessing so long as the Federal Republic itself is not threatened in any way.”

Boersma hestitated again, not sure if he had already compromised too much by revealing to the Colonel. He then sighed.

“Colonel… the military high command – that is, the army, air force, and navy – are convinced that continuing further bloodshed has now become pointless and will only result in severe, long-term damage at reconciliation in Southern Africa. ARM has realized that it cannot defeat the Krygsmagte. Both sides met secretly at Lusaka last night and a tentative deal has been hammered out... for peace.”

“ARM will surrender its weapons on the condition that no reprisals will take place afterwards and a general amnesty is made. The military will force Strijdom to agree to a formal ceasefire. Originally ARM wanted Strijdom sent packing immediately into exile, but Cruywagen would not agree to this. He will not take power in a junta and rather wants to maintain a semblance of democratic order in the civilian government. Strijdom will be given the option to serve out the remainder of his term - with the military looking over his shoulder - and then not stand for re-election... or he can deal with putting down a military coup that has the backing of all three branch commanders.”

“The Marshal knows you and your men are protecting Strijdom, his praetorian guard in effect. He respects your loyalty and dedication to duty as well as for what you have done for Transvaal during this crisis – therefore he wants to know what will happen when Krygsmagte troops show up here, in front of this hospital where we are standing, in the next 24 hours to inform Strijdom of his options.”

"Am I correct in assuming you are backing the Field Marshal? Well, not that it matters, anyway. It is my duty to protect the Prime Minister and if he refuses to see the Krygsmagte field commanders, than I am afraid I cannot allow them an audience with the Prime Minister. Needless to say though, I won't act further without orders from my government. You may communicate that to whomever you wish."

Boermsa responded sheepishly. “Yes, I am with the Marshal on this. It pains me that we have to resort to a coup, but my nation has reached a crossroads and as soon as I realized the nature of those documents from the archives, I knew that Strijdom had lost my confidence in him to act in the best of national interests.”

“Anyways, Colonel, I wish you and your men good luck. Hopefully we can meet again one day under better, different circumstances. I’ve always fancied a vacation in Tahoe.”

As Boersma walked away across the square in front of the hospital, he stopped and turned.

“Colonel… do you want to know what Nasionaalselfmoordplan is?”

"Minister? I can't say I haven't been wondering..."

Nasionaalselfmoordplan means National Suicide Plan. It is a last-ditch contingency measure which was originally drafted back in the days long ago when Transvaal was in Nordreich and Annetjie van Matteus was prime minister - where if Afrikaner racial supremacy were ever threatened and the nation were close to eminent collapse, pandemics like the AIDS virus and engineered diseases – as well as nerve toxins such as soman – would be used to eliminate the non-whites and make the nation inhospitable afterwards… basically a crude, scorched earth and genocide policy.

After Van Matteus was overthrown, the NSMP became forgotten and lost in the depths of the national archives.

However sometime after Strijdom became prime minister, someone somewhere re-located the NSMP in the archives – my guess is Van Matteus went looking for it, or perhaps the VF through Van Zyl stumbled across it. He’d certainly have had access through my office to go digging in the Geheim files we visited.

Regardless, it somehow got fed to Strijdom – who was convinced to revise and update it with the addition of soon-to-be-acquired nuclear missiles – aimed not at foreign targets, but at ourselves. Six nuclear warheads, one each for Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Maputo – knock out those major cities and blanket the country in radiation.

That would explain why Van Matteus is in charge of Projek Vela – ever since she appeared on our political scene, she has advocated and strove for Transvaal acquiring nuclear weapons. “Boers with Bombs” I heard her joke once… the Pan-African Coalition would have a giant glass parking lot on its southern doorstep if NSMP were activated.

Needless to say, in such dire circumstances it could also be used as a Damocles’ sword, which would likely be Strijdom’s preferred usage, to be revealed at a time of national rebellion when the demand by Black Africans for equal political power over South Africa became too loud to ignore and beyond the point of our military force to maintain power.

While Cruywagen and the rest of the military support generalised Afrikaner supremacy over Transvaal, they don’t believe making threats of nuclear self-destruction as a means to terrorise its own residents into submission as being the way to maintain it, to put it lightly.

Now can you see why the military is putting its foot down? Once the branch commanders realised that NSMP was not a myth, and worse yet, reactivated - they decided that Strijdom had to be reigned in.

As far as we know, neither ARM nor even Staatspresident Botha himself are aware of NSMP's existence. Apart from you and me, probably half a dozen people know of its true nature.

Van Haesten visibly recoiled at what Boersma was telling him. It was, to say the least, shocking that people could support such a plan. The destruction of the enemy was one thing, but slaughtering your own people is quite another.

"Minister, you need to contact my government immediately. I would do so, but I don't have the clearance to talk directly with the Taoiseach, it would take to long. Field Marshal Cruywagen needs to contact Ambassador O'Grianna who can arrange for the Taoiseach and the Field Marshal to converse."

Boersma answered: "Field Marshal Cruywagen and Admiral Kruger are on their way here by plane from the north, they should be arriving in the next four to six hours. Could you contact your people at the Tahoe embassy and make arrangements for them to meet with your ambassador before they proceed to present their ultimatum to the prime minister?"

"Cruywagen knows that Tahoe has reservations about him - but he did specifically ask what would Tahoe's position be, as he does not wish to cause disruptions in the close economic and political relations between our two nations. He views this as a purely internal, domestic matter that should not affect Tahoe."

"I will certainly contact the Ambassador and inform him of the situation, leaving out the more sensitive classified information, of course. If you would give me a few moments so I may do so, that would be appreaciated." Boersma nodded his approval, and Van Haesten walked a few steps back, pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number for the embassy. Talking rapidly in Irish, he told the Ambassador that Field Marshal Cruywagen wished to speak to the Taoiseach about sensitive information regarding the current conflict. A few minutes later, the Ambassador called Van Haesten back, telling him the Taoiseach would be in his office all day and Cruywagen could call him at any time.

Van Haesten turned back to Boersma, "Well, Minister, the Taoiseach will be availible to speak with the Field Marshal in a few hours time. All Cruywagen needs to do is show up at the Embassy and the Ambassador will direct him to a secured phone in a sound proof office."

Boersma looked relieved that they now had the Armtha-SS on their side. Strijdom now had no one remaining to stand up and defend his government.

“Let me go and contact the military high command and notify Field Marshal Cruywagen. I shall inform him that as soon as they land in Johannesburg, to make their way to the Tahoe embassy.”

For the first time since they had met, Gert Boersma saluted Colonel Van Haesten. He then made haste for his government vehicle and departed from the hospital square.

One of Van Haesten’s soldiers then came up to the colonel. “Sir, the prime minister… he is asking for you. He wants you to report to him immediately.”

"Bring me to him." Van Haesten said, while straightening his uniform jacket. Things were only getting more and more interesting. This is way above my paygrade thought Van Haesten to himself.

As Van Haesten exited the elevator in the basement, one of his soldiers quietly approached him and whispered in his ear. “Strijdom has just heard the rumours of the ceasefire.”

The guard then nodded towards one of the rooms “He’s in there…”

As the Colonel calmly but cautiously made his way into Strijdom’s makeshift office, he could hear a radio in the background tuned to what sounded like a foreign station.

“Come in Colonel…” Strijdom beckoned. He sat at his desk, in his wheelchair, with a sense of dejected resignation.

“It appears the military has chosen to…” The prime minister paused, lost in thought. “…the military has chosen to take action to end the fighting.”

After a wait which seemed like an eternity, Strijdom looked up at Colonel Van Haesten. “It is over for me, I suspect Cruywagen will send the Krygsmagte here to arrest me. My own people have abandoned me.”

Another long wait… then

“What should I do? What would you do if you were in my position?”

Van Haesten sighed. It seemed everybody in the Transvaal government was suddenly trying to get his support. Getting caught up in politics back home was bad enough, but in a foreign country...van Haesten shuddered unconciously. He was, after all and Armtha-SS man first and foremost and thus dedicated to nationalism, racialism and ideology to the degree of fanaticism. He sympathized with Strijdom, regardless of the insanity of the Natsionalselfmoordplan. He took a deep breath.

"Well, Mister Strijdom, I would say you certainly are in a tough position. First, you are correct in that Field Marshal Cruywagen is en route to Pretoria from Rhodesia, I believe thats where he is, to give you an ultimatum on the continuance of your governance. Before he is to meet with you, he will go to the Tahoan embassy and talk with Taoiseach O'Deaghaidh by phone, where I believe, he will recieve a severe dressing down from the Taoiseach. I have never met the man, but by all accounts he follows politics in Transvaal very closely and has never completely trusted Cruywagen. That is the rumor, at least. He is known to be a great admirer of Staatspresident Botha and has always been fond of Annetjie van Matteus."

"Now, as for what I would do if in your situation...I would go to the people. Make a public radio broadcast. Paint yourself as the hero of this war. First you were a victim of communist, black African aggression but shrugged it off and returned to your job of defending your people the very next day. Tell your people that you would do anything neccessary to protect Afrikaner supremacy in South Africa. You may even tell them that you ordered Field Marshal Cruywagen to offer a ceasefire with the ARM in the interests of restoring peace to Transvaal, mentioning of course that they have been militarily defeated and pose no more threat. The people tend to believe the first story they hear, and Cruywagen will be hard pressed to convince them otherwise. If the ARM goes away peacefully, then it is you that won, and if they resume fighting than Cruywagen's plans will be destroyed and you can solidify your place again."

"I honestly believe that the Taoiseach will support you, if you decide to stand up to Cruywagen. But that will require your taking initiative now and not reacting to the Krygsmagte but rather taking the initiative and making them react to you. It is the fundamental rule of warfare, after all. I know the Taoiseach will not want to be seen as meddling in Transvaler affairs, either, so if Cruywagen gets here without you doing anything your administration is over."

At this point with few remaining options, he was not going to quiz Van Haestan exactly how he knew about Cruywagen’s plan. But Strijdom’s morale noticeably lit up and revived his will after hearing the Colonel’s words.

“That is a brilliant plan, Colonel. Pure genius!” exclaimed the embattled prime minister. “I’ll… I’ll take credit for ending the war… now we need to get to a radio receiver as soon as possible, before the military arrives in force on the scene. The first thing they’ll do as they establish control over the city is seize the communication centres.”

Strijdom collected some papers from his desk. “Van Haesten, round up a squad of your men and let’s make our way to Radio-Transvaal, their broadcast facilities are located downtown not far from where the embassies are. While I am there, you head to your embassy and wait for Cruywagen to arrive. If he moves from the embassy, stick with him. If I haven’t been about to get a message out to the people, then you will need to delay him if they make their way to the radio or television stations.”

Colonel Van Haesten’s cellphone buzzed.

“Sir, some of our men patrolling south of Pretoria just spotted Cruywagen and Kruger on their way from Johannesburg. They have Krygsmagte tanks with them. I calculate they will be at our embassy in 20 minutes – or if they are detouring to the hospital, then they’ll likely arrive in your vicinity in 10 minutes.”

Van Haesten looked back up at Strijdom. "You have to move sir, Cruywagen is between 10 and 20 minutes away." He walked to the door and told the sergeant outside to gather 20 men and a troop carrier and wait outside the hospital in back. Van Haesten looked back at Strijdom. "I will have an escort take you in a troop carrier, fairly low profile as we have been using them for transport around the city. I will head to the embassy and contact my government. I doubt Cruywagen will want to arrest you before talking with O'Deaghaidh, as they have already planned a discussion."

With that, van Haesten lead Strijdom out back behind the hospital where he boarded a troop transport with 20 SS men. The driver was ordered to head for Radio-Transvaal.

Van Haesten got inside another vehicle and drove towards the embassy.

The convoy of tried-and-true Centurion tanks – or Olifants as they were called in Southern Africa – made their way slowly but steadily towards the government district and embassy row. For the personal stationed at the Tahoe embassy, these were the first actual Transvaler regular troops which had been seen in the city since the rebellion started over two weeks ago.

The tanks halted in front of the embassy and two staff officers climbed out of them. Both of them were in their mid-to-late fifties; one wore the sand-brown uniform of a Krygsmagte field marshal while the other was suited in the dark navy uniform of the Seemag.

Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and Admiral Rudolf Kruger dusted off their uniforms and then walked up to the gate of the Tahoe Embassy. Both men saluted the guards stationed on duty.

The Marshal spoke in his characteristic gravelly, solemn baritone voice: “We are here to meet with His Excellency, the Ambassador Séamus Ó Grianna. We believe he is expecting us.” The guard, an SS trooper (Embassies and consulates are guarded by the Cosaint Thaidhleoireachta SS, not the Armtha SS. Both are branches of the Ministry of State Security, from which the acronym SS is derived) wearing a black dress uniform saluted the Field Marshal and Admiral and said, "This way, please, sirs." He opened the door to the embassy, holding it open for them. Inside, he lead the two leaders through the lobby and up the main stairs to the Ambassador's office. The SS trooper opened the door, letting the Marshal and Admiral into the office.

Ambassador O'Grianna was a tall well built man, typical for a Tahoan, with combed over white hair. He stood and walked to the door, shaking the hands of the Tahoans, welcoming them to the embasssy.

"I hope all is well in the current conflict, I know you must be under considerable stress. It is customary in Tahoe to welcome guests with a toast and a meal, I could call up a whiskey from the kitchens if you wish" the ambassador said with a smile. "Perhaps that is inappropriate for the current situation. Now, I have managed to corner the Taoiseach, these damned time zones making talking directly difficult, if you wish to speak with him."

The marshal shook hands with the ambassador. “Thank you Your Respected Excellency for your kind hospitality but we should perhaps not keep the Taoiseach waiting.”

Cruywagen made sure to specifically use the title which protocol associated with Ó Grianna’s status as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Pretoria. As the Dean, Ó Grianna was permitted to attend executive cabinet meetings called by the Staatspresident – a unique perspective accorded to no other diplomat, although attendance was far and few between now since Staatspresident Botha had taken more of a backseat role in the day-to-day management of the government since the dawn of the Oranje Republiek [OOC: Transvaal joining IRON]. Those meetings, however infrequent and generally dull they were, also gave Ó Grianna valuable insight into the complex workings of the Federal Government as well as the various power politics and factions which operated within the Government.

Admiral Kruger then exchanged greetings with the ambassador in strained but passable Irish before switching back to English. “I’d actually quite enjoy one of your whiskies if that’d be no trouble to you, sir. You see, I received my naval training in Tahoe… and I must admit I acquired a taste for your country’s fine whiskey while I was there.”

Cruywagen gave the admiral a sideways glance of dismay - that now was not the time to be drinking whiskey when matters of national importance were at stake. The ambassador sensed however that Admiral Kruger was simply attempting in his own way to lighten the tension which surrounded the men.

The Marshal then spoke to break the ice. “Well, I suppose we should get this dialogue with the Taoiseach underway. As for privacy, I am fine if the four of us sit in the phone conference.”

The static from the radio disappeared as Radio-Transvaal went back on the air:

''“People of Transvaal, this is Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom speaking to you today. The domestic conflict between the Federal Republic and the Azarian guerilla organization has ended.''

“Yesterday at noon, under my powers as Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Transvaal, I authorized the order for the military under the command of Field Marshal Cruywagen to cease hostilities and hold their ground as the Azarian forces made preparation to demobilize and acknowledge the re-establishment of Federal Republican control over the territory under their influence.”

''“An amnesty has been proclaimed throughout the Federal Republic for those soldiers who took up arms under the leadership of the Azarian Movement. Its leaders will be permitted to leave for exile unhindered and my government shall not pursue nor press charges against their rank-and-file members that remain.”''

“In the coming months my government will work towards the reconstruction and reunification of our great homeland.”

Ambassador O'Grianna walked to the liquor cabinet on the side of the room and poured Admiral Kruger a whiskey. He looked at Colonel Van Haesten, who had just walked in, and raised an eyebrow, asking him if he wanted one too. Van Haesten shook his head, no.

"A Tullamore Dew for you Admiral, one of the finest availible. Now, gentlemen, if you would please take a seat, I shall get the Taoiseach on the line."

Marshal Cruywagen and Admiral Kruger sat down immediately, though the ambassador noticed Colonel van Haesten hesistate and check his watch before sitting down. The ambassador picked up a phone on his desk and dialed a number. He spoke a few words to the secretary on the other line before the Taoiseach picked up. Setting the phone on his desk, he pressed the speaker button. Immediately, the Taoiseach could speak to everybody in the room.

"Failte, gentlemen, it is a pleasure to speak with you all. I trust your health is also satisfactory. I am not normally a hasty person, yet Ambassador O'Grianna tells me that the current state of affairs may change significantly and you, Marshal Cruywagen, want the support of the Government of Tahoe for this...transition. If you wouldn't mind, could you brief me on the current state of affairs and your plans, Field Marshal?"

“Certainly Taoiseach, of course… what the military high command – as represented by myself from the Army, Admiral Kruger here from the Navy, and Flight Commander Wise of the Airforce who is currently at our headquarters in Lusaka – propose is that, behind closed doors, Prime Minister Strijdom’s authority is curtailed and restricted.”

“We have come to a unanimous decision that through the exposure of Strijdom’s support of a secret ‘scorched earth’ defensive and nuclear policy that he is now proven mentally unfit to govern Transvaal.”

“On a public level, we want it to appear that Strijdom is still running the show, so to speak, as we wish to preserve the appearances of a functioning democratic republic. The military will not come out into the open and take over the government, we do not want it to be seen that Transvaal is ruled by a junta.”

“Once Strijdom’s term expires, regular elections will take place except that at some point beforehand he shall announce to the public that he won’t be running for re-election due to, let’s say, ill-health.”

Marshal Cruywagen then looked at Van Haesten. “I believe your colonel here is aware of Strijdom’s defensive plans of national Gotterdammerung and can give you the details”

One of Ambassador Ó Grianna’s butlers walked into the room and whispered into the diplomat’s ears. “Are you sure?” Ó Grianna blurted out, interrupting the Taoiseach and Marshal.

“Excuse me gentlemen, I am so sorry to interrupt… but it seems that Prime Minister Strijdom has just made an announcement on the radio.”

The butler then turned on the radio located in the corner of the room… Strijdom’s voice was heard over the airwaves:

''“People of Transvaal, this is Prime Minister Hendrik Strijdom speaking to you today. The domestic conflict between the Federal Republic and the Azarian guerilla organization has ended....”''

The room instantly fell quiet as everybody listened to Strijdom's radio broadcast. At one point, Marshal Cruywagen glanced at Colonel van Haesten, who impassively looked back before turning his gaze back to the radio. When the Prime Minister had finished, silence hung over everybody awkwardly before the Taoiseach could be heard softly laughing from the phone.

"Well, Field Marshal Cruywagen, needless to say, your plans just got mightily confused. You see, now Strijdom will have the support of the people and no matter what you claim to the contrary, he can just point at his supposed record. What, may I ask, do you propose to do now?"

Field Marshal Cruywagen restrained his anger on hearing the announcement. He wasn’t sure or not if the Tahoans were in league with Strijdom or not, but he could tell that they weren’t backing him with open arms at this moment.

He still had a couple of political trump cards up his sleeve. Now for him to show his hand.

“How exactly, Taoiseach, would Strijdom maintain order if the military is not behind him? He also has the Ministry of Interior & State Security against him now. Perhaps we should just stand aside and let all the natives walk in and have a go at him?”

He waited for their reaction, knowing full well the Tahoan disdain regarding non-Europeans. He knew that possible scenario might frighten them to their senses and call out their bluff if they were truly backing the prime minister.

Admiral Kruger looked pensively at Cruywagen, before contributing his own input: “Also, we made the NSMP public knowledge… that alone would bring down Strijdom and Van Matteus in one fell swoop.”

"Oh I don't doubt it would. Were, however, the Prime Minister to deny the NSMP and accuse you of making it up in order to remove him from power and install a junta, you would have to consider the possibility of a real civil war, not just a few tribesmen with guns. Democratic nations tend to support their elected leaders especially if they are popular, as Strijdom is certain to become even more so with his recent address to the nation. If you were to move against him and have him speak out against you, well, terrible things would happen. If you failed to provide security and let the...natives...have a go at him, as you said, well, is gaining power worth letting Pretoria and the rest of Transvaal falling into anarchy for?"

Marshal Cruywagen sat stone faced, listening to the Taoiseach, while Admiral Kruger shifted in his chair, signaling his discomfort at the tone of the conversation.

"You see Field Marshal, it is not so much that I support the Prime Minister and oppose you, yet the path you are taking is ultimately going to weaken white Afrikaner rule over South Africa, which of course cannot be allowed. If you and Strijdom were to work together however..."

Field Marshal Cruywagen looked at Admiral Kruger. Both men knew that the Taoiseach had made a good point. Regardless what Cruywagen’s own personal opinions may be about the problems and social divisions of Southern Africa, he knew that the majority of white Transvalers would never accept any form of native rule – and thus any attempt to even hint at permitting that possibility to occur would immediately extinguish any form of public support for the military against Strijdom.

He approached the issue from another direction – one which he had more strength.

“I think you over-estimate Strijdom’s popularity with the electorate. If you look at the breakdown in the National Assembly, Strijdom is in a position of weakness. Assuming that Annetjie van Matteus backs him up and most likely the Reverend Du Toit, assuming the Reverend even lives, then there are still enough moderates in the National Party along with the support of the pro-military and progressive Demokratiese Barakke Party to remove him from power through legal means in a vote of no confidence…”

Suddenly, as if Cruywagen had a revelation from above, he stood up. “Gentlemen, I believe we are finished here.” He looked at Admiral Kruger, who polished off the last of his whiskey and stood up to get ready to leave.

“The only deal we will make with Strijdom is this…” the Marshal spoke in a firm, determined tone of voice – one the Tahoans had never heard him use. “He agrees to resign at the end of his term and not run for re-election, and that the military has the final say in the use of any future nuclear weaponry which he is building… also, he has to clear any major domestic changes through us. Otherwise we shall find a way to remove him through the National Assembly. He can choose to be our puppet or he can chose exile. I am sure you can relay that information to him.”

Cruywagen and Kruger then made their way to the exit.

Colonel Van Haesten and Ambassador O'Grianna watched the two Transvalers leave. When they were gone, they looked at each other silently for a moment before the Taoiseach, who was still on the line, spoke up.

"Well the Field Marshal is one headstrong fellow now isn't he. I don't think he has quite considered the implications of his coup. We must not allow Transvaal to fall under native control, nor can we allow it to fall under the control of its sympathizers. Colonel van Haesten, return to Prime Minister Strijdom's side and escort him out of the city for his own safety. Ambassador O'Grianna, issue a public statement congratulating the Prime Minister on his victory. Field Marshal Cruywagen is a threat to the national security of Transvaal and thus a threat to our own national security. You understand your orders, gentlemen?"

The colonel and ambassador murmured their assent.

"Good. And Colonel...do be careful, Cruywagen seems like he is on the verge of using violence."

The Taoiseach hung up the phone and van Haesten and O'Grianna looked at each other. The ambassador shrugged, as if to say, what can we do about it. Colonel van Haesten stood up and saluted the Ambassador before leaving the embassy. Taking the back roads, he got back to the radio station quickly. Hopping out of his car, he walked into the building. Finding the Prime Minister, he informed him of the meeting.

"Prime Minister. We must leave Pretoria immediately, it is far to risky for you to remain here. Field Marshal Cruywagen is dead set on having you be his puppet. You must not fall into his hands. I and forty of my men will escort you out of the city. You must begin appealing directly to the people and the National Assembly. Tell them Cruywagen is seeking to arrest you, coup you, whatever, but make it convincing and keep hammering it home. Otherwise you are done for."

Prime Minister Strijdom was silent. He put his head in his hands, leaned forward in his wheelchair, and sighed.

“Unfortunately for me, Cruywagen does hold a lot of public support. Not an outright majority, but it nevertheless is considerable and enough that his supporters in the National Assembly, both within the National Party and in the DBP probably do have a stranglehold – or at least block me from doing anything. The DBP, which are very pro-Cruywagen, polled as many votes as I recieved in the last election. And unfortunately people will listen to him and what he has to say. It will be my word against his - and I believe him when he says that he could go to the National Assembly and get a vote of no confidence. I cannot guarantee Hofmeyr's or Van Matteus' support - those are the two waverers who currently keep me in power. Hofmeyr has his own eyes on the office, while Van Matteus and I do not get along very well. She is also quick to stab someone in their back when it advances her own cause.”

“If I stay and agree to become his puppet, then I may just as well resign now and spare myself the humiliation. If I stay and try to fight him, chances are I could lose – or worse, plunge the nation into a white vs. white civil war, something that would destroy the Federal Republic. Either way my political career would not recover.”

More silence…

“However, if I refused to go along with their plan and resigned now, Jakob Hertzog would become the new prime minister. He got run out of office before due to bungling the national economy as well as our foreign policy – which is a real weak point with him due to his inability to speak decent English.”

“Now unbeknownst to Hertzog and Cruywagen is that one of our key trades is nineteen days inactive and it is my suspicion that we shall lose it in the next 48 hours or so. What better welcoming present to land on Hertzog’s doorstep than an economic crisis?”

“Colonel, I believe I must leave Transvaal now so that I can fight this battle another day. Let the nation lurch around under Hertzog for a few months and come May when the federal election rolls around, I will have a much better chance at regaining power – especially if your people can lend support.”

More silence…

“I have made my decision… I am asking the Government of the Tahoe Republic for asylum. I need to leave now. Once I am safely out of the country and fully recouperated from my injuries, then I shall speak to the people and prepare for my return to contest the election.”

Colonel van Haesten was a smart man. Smart enough to know that the Taoiseach hadn't told him everything. Why else would he order me to rescue Strijdom if he knew it would create a diplomatic incident with our closest ally, thought van Haesten. As he listened during the conference with the Transvalers at the embassy, it was clear to him that Strijdom was going down, one way or another. Yet, it was his duty to protect and serve him.

"Very well, Prime Minister, we must return to the embassy right away and from there take a helicopter to Johannesburg. You can finish up any duties that you might need to at the embassy."

“If you don’t mind Colonel, I need that briefcase there” motioned Hendrik Strijdom to a brown leather satchel case sitting next to his hospital bed. While Van Haesten grabbed the case, Strijdom gathered his papers from his desk and bundled them together. The colonel handed the satchel case to Strijdom, and he stuffed the papers inside.

As they exited the hospital room, Strijdom brought his wheelchair to a sudden stop.

For a moment, Van Haesten thought that the prime minister was having second-thoughts.

Strijdom took a deep breathe, looked around, and then looked at the waiting Colonel. “Okay, let’s get this over with... to the embassy” and followed the Tahoan into the elevator and outside to the waiting troop carrier.

The troop carrier was packed with Strijdom, Van Haesten and ten other men hand selected by the colonel to serve as a bodyguard. They drove through the quiet streets of Pretoria to the embassy, where the pulled into parking lot in the back. Going through a small gateway in the perimiter wall, they made their way to the helipad where the embassy's helicopter was sitting with its rotor blades already spinning.

On the edge of the concrete stood the ambassador who shook hands with van Haesten and Strijdom. He shouted over the noise, "Well, I can't say I'm looking forward to trying to smooth over this whole mess with the Field Marshal...he didn't look to be quite so happy at us after our meeting. Any advice, Prime Minister?"

Before boarding the helicopter, Strijdom handed over an envelope to Ambassador Ó Grianna.

“This is my letter of resignation which I wrote up hastily while on my way here. I’d appreciate it if you could deliver it to the military so they can forward it onwards to Staatspresident Botha.”

The helicopter engine made talking difficult, so Strijdom was forced to shout: “As for advice, I cannot see the Marshal doing anything serious to rupture Transvaler-Tahoan relations in the long-term. However if your government instead wishes to send a message of disapproval to him, a kick in the balls so to speak, deliver the letter instead to Kruger – or better yet Colonel Petrus Malan of the Transvaler Raketkorps.”

Strijdom was laughing to himself as he was wheeled inside the helicopter – which soon lifted skywards and proceeded to head south towards Johannesburg.

The ambassador laughed quietly to himself as he watched the helicopter roar into the air. Walking back into the embassy, he glanced out of a front window on the way up to his office noticing a number of troop transports had just arrived in front of the embassy. His heart started beating rapidly, thinking it was the Krygsmagte arriving to arrest the Prime Minister...but no, it was just the remainder of the Armtha SS troops arriving. Their roles had been replaced by the Krygsmagte. The ambassador would deliver the letter of resignation once it was confirmed Strijdom and van Haesten were safely in the air.

Back aboard the helicopter, van Haesten and Strijdom rode in silence, with Strijdom staring out of the window at the ground rushing by down below. Every time one of them seemed to have something to say, they lost the courage and thus remained silent. Landing at the airport in Johannesburg, Strijdom noticed that one of the Aer Lingus jets was already on the tarmac ready to take off. Getting out of the helicopter and walking towards the jet, they were greated by the pilot who informed them they were fueled and ready to depart.

"Shall we go, Prime Minister?" asked Strijdom, who simply nodded back, yes. They boarded the aircraft together. Once aboard, flight attendants asked if they wished for a beverage while the jet taxied for takeoff. Soon, they were in the air.

“Wat bedoel jy dat hy hier nie is nie?” said Field Marshal Cruywagen. “What do you mean he isn’t here?” he quizzed the Kygsmagte guard again.

“Sir, as I said, the prime minister isn’t here. The hospital is now abandoned except for some medical orderlies. They said that Strijdom left around half an hour ago with the Tahoans. They all withdrew and left. All of them.”

“What is wrong, sir?” called Admiral Kruger from the waiting tank. Cruywagen replied “Well, it appears that Strijdom is now with the Tahoans. He left half an hour ago and has either gone into hiding at their embassy or he’s on the Kasier Martens Highway making his way towards Johannesburg.”

Kruger looked at his watch. “If he left half an hour ago, then he’s probably still on the highway. We can alert the perimeter patrols north of Johannesburg to be on the look out for him… although what are we suppose to do with him? He’s still the prime minister; it isn’t like he cannot go where he pleases…”

Marshal Cruywagen walked back to his waiting tank and got on the radio. He sent orders to his command post to notify all Krygsmagte patrols to apprehend and detain the prime minister as soon as he arrived in Johannesburg.

‘I should probably contact the airport too’ he thought to himself.

He dialed through to Johannesburg’s Botha International Airport. The response he got made him slam the phone receiver down so hard it shattered. Admiral Kruger head the smashing and walked over to the Marshal. “Sir, what is wrong?”

“According to the airport personal, Strijdom left on a Tahoan flight ten minutes ago!”

“Ten minutes ago? How did he get there so fast?” asked Kruger.

“They say he arrived by helicopter” answered the flustered Marshal.

“Did they say where he was going?”

“No. But I am sure the Tahoans know… we need to return to their embassy and find out.”

The embassy was quite crowded with the addition of nearly 300 more men that needed to be housed (temporarily at least), fed and accounted for. One of the captains, the ambassador forgot which, was trying to organize the troops into a semblence of order while arguing with the major commanding the normal embassy garrison who seemed to think he was in command (technically he was, due to his rank). The ambassador was busy working in his office, preparing to deal with the certainly angry military of Transvaal.

Looking out his office window, O'Grianna noticed a small convoy of troop transports and other military equipment pull up to the front of the embassy. Almost instantly, his door opened and an aide reported that the gate guard had just reported a the Field Marshal was back...with reinforcements. The ambassador stood up and ordered the gate guard to let the Field Marshal and no more than two other people into the embassy before walking down the stairs to meet him in the front entrance hall. Additionally, he ordered everybody out of the front part of the building except for the normal guards.

Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen and Admiral Rudolf Kruger stepped away from the dozen or so tanks which had accompanied them to the Tahoe Embassy. The two men walked up to the front gate and saluted the guards.

As he watched the two make their way up towards the main entrance, Ambassador Ó Grianna could see from his office window that more reinforcements and tanks were taking up positions along the surrounding streets. Just then one of his aides poked his head through the doorway to the ambassador’s office.

“Excuse me sir, but I have received word that Mr. Strijdom and the colonel are now safe and away. They are just now passing over the Namibian coastline and heading out over the South Atlantic. They should be outside Transvaler airspace momentarily.”

The aide then added with a smile of pround satisfaction: “No one at the airport even questioned them. Our aircrew landed, refueled, and took off again with lightning speed and precision!”

“Go raibh maith agat, thank you…” said the Ambassador quietly, his attention was now focused on the guardhouse below. He unlatched the window and slid it open slightly ajar, enough so he could listen in.

“We would like to meet with the Ambassador” said the graven-visaged Marshal in his deep voice. He then looked up at the ambassador whom he spotted standing in the window.

Even the more affable admiral appeared to be more subdued now, somewhat distracted as if he was still registering all the recent events in the past few hours and trying to make sense of it all.

A guard escorted the Field Marshal and Admiral into the embassy and up the stairs into the ambassadors office. Once the two men were in the office, the guard closed the door behind them.

"Failte isteach Marascal Machaire Cruywagen, Aimiréal Kruger. Welcome again to our embassy. I know why you are here. The former Prime Minister is out of Transvaler airspace over the South Atlantic, no we will not hand him over, yes he will remain loyal to Transvaal and do nothing to undermine the government and yes, I and my government are more than willing to continue to working with you. Now, how may I help you."

The two men both had a stunned expression on their faces. An uneasy tension of silence settled between the Transvaler military commanders and the Tahoan ambassador.

Admiral Kruger was the first to speak, flabbergasted he asked “well… uhh, when is the prime minister going to return to Transvaal?” Before the ambassador could answer, Cruywagen interrupted. “Are you holding him hostage?”

Neither men could believe that Strijdom had slipped out of their grasp so easily.

Meanwhile, somewhere over the Atlantic, Hendrik Strijdom woke up from his nap. He must have dozed off unknowingly, likely a result of fatigue catching up to him after the recent events which seemed like an eternity.

One of the flight stewards brought him some hot tea. “Dankie” he responded eagerly, ‘it was actually nice to take in the peace and quiet of the flight’ Strijdom thought to himself.

After he drank down the tea, Strijdom called for the steward. “Excuse me, is there an air-to-land phone which I may use? I would like to update myself on the situation back home.”

“Of course sir, here I shall take you there” the steward replied as he assisted Strijdom into his wheelchair. He took him to the back of the plane were a small private booth was located.

A few minutes later, Colonel Van Haesten, who was sitting a couple of rows in front, noticed that Strijdom wasn’t at his seat. After tracking down the air steward, Van Haesten caught up with Strijdom just as he hung up the phone receiver. Strijdom has a worried expression.

“Not good news…” he said to the Colonel. “It seems the Ministry of Finance has been doing its home work after all. I just spoke with Minister Hofmeyr and he has found some new trading partners. Looks like the economy will right itself out after a couple of days of adjustment.”

“Also, apparently no one in the federal government knows yet that I have left. Hofmeyr thought I was still at the hospital. I didn’t correct him” he laughed. “I wonder how long before any one figure it out?”

“Come Colonel, give me the pleasure to buy you a drink. After the past few days, what we have been through together, it is the very least I can do to repay you…”

The Ambassador laughed out loud before replying. "No, no, no, he asked for and was granted political assylum in the Tahoe Republic for fear of persecution."

The field marshal and admiral both looked confused at what the ambassador had just told them. “So... let me get this straight... Strijdom has left the country and sought asylum in Tahoe?” said Cruywagen out loud to no one in particular.

“Well does that mean he is or he isn’t still the prime minister?” asked Admiral Kruger.

“Unless he actually resigned in writing, I’m not actually sure. Come, admiral, we must meet with the executive cabinet to get them to call a meeting together and figure out what is going on now.”

Just before the two staff officers could leave, the ambassador interrupted them. “Gentlemen, please give the cabinet my regards and inform them that I shall look forward to attending the meeting due to the protocol accorded to myself on account of being the dean of the diplomatic corps. I wouldn’t want to miss this for the world...”

Cruywagen’s face went flush red – but he held his tongue tight.

“Yes, of course Your Respected Excellency...”

"Ah, and I nearly forgot." The Ambassador smiled, "Prime Minister Strijdom's resignation." Handing the envelope to Admiral Kruger, the Ambassador smiled again. "I will see you gentlemen soon."

"This is the captain speaking. We are currently approaching Cuba, where we will land at Havana for refueling. There will be a 30 minute layover during that time where you may stretch your legs on the tarmac. Please take your seats and prepare for landing."

The plane touched down at Jose Marti International Airport in the setting sun. Looking out the window, Strijdom could see about seven or eight fighters with Tahoe Air Force markings and a dozen or so helicopters. There were a few small planes and around ten large civilian airliners or military transports. Strijdom noticed the large Tahoan flag flying over the terminal which was covered with scaffolding as workers repaired apparent bomb damage.

As the plane pulled up to the terminal, the pilot returned to intercom, "Welcome to Cuba. The terminal is currently under repair after airstrikes that occured during the invasion of Cuba, so you will have to exit down onto the tarmac, where an area has been secured for pedestrian traffic."

Van Haesten and Strijdom made their way out of the aircraft onto a ramp down onto the tarmac. Van Haesten informed the Prime Minister about various facets of the war: how pirates, supported by the Cuban government had taken hostages and refused to surrender them, how Cuba and the Bahamas was invaded and, "Now they plan on turning Cuba into a colony, I suppose. It's currently under a military occupation. The population is fairly apathetic, which is making occupation easier for us."

While the two men took in the sunshine while casually making their way walking to the terminal, Strijdom told Van Haesten that he “…wasn’t aware that Tahoe had expanded into the Caribbean. That could prove quite useful between our two nations as that would allow Afrikaanse Lugdiens to finally establish service between Transvaal and Tahoe. Cuba is just within the flying range of their Boeing 707s.”

“Hopefully Tahoe’s experience at colonization is more fruitful than what we Transvalers have experienced. Our lone foray into colonization in the New World ended in disaster… although it did ultimately permit me to become prime minister after Hertzog was forced to resign due to opposition within the ranks of the National Party to our Paraguayan adventure. Republicanism runs deep within our people and the party, but also Tahoe’s strong stance on colonial also factored, as some did not wish to come into direct conflict with Tahoe over a worthless scrap of South America.”

= Return of Jakob Hertzog = FEBRUARY 11, 2009

HENDRIK STRIJDOM RESIGNS; J.M. HERTZOG TO BE SWORN IN

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The Federal Government announced this evening that Hendrik Strijdom gave notice of his resignation as Prime Minister of the Federal Republic effective immediately.

An emergency meeting of the executive cabinet is expected either tomorrow or Friday to confirm Deputy Prime Minister Jakob M. Hertzog as his replacement until federal elections are held in May.

Jakob Martin Hertzog was prime minister of Transvaal from November 12, 2007 until October 18, 2008 when he resigned when he faced losing a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly; Hendrik Strijdom his replacement and then later won his own term in the December 1st federal election.

No reason for his resignation has been given by the Federal Government but numerous rumours indicate that he has left the country and taken up residence in Tahoe.

FEBRUARY 16, 2009

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch of Transvaal dropped a surprise bombshell this afternoon during the meeting of the National Assembly when he stated that the Federal Government is in the midst of negotiations for the independence of its northern territories comprising of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Nyasaland (Malawi) and Northern Mozambique.

“We are in high-level discussions with two local government authorities which have been established in the wake of the recent civil unrest. We are working out the details and timetable and it is quite possible we could see the independence of the two states as early as tomorrow or Wednesday.”

FEBRUARY 17, 2009

MOZAMBIQUE TO LEAVE FEDERAL REPUBLIC?

CYBERNATIONS NETWORK NEWS [PRETORIA]: According to anonymous inside sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the northern portion of Mozambique will become the first independent state to break off from the Federal Republic since Cherokee Namibia last spring.

The identity of the new ruler and nation is being kept secret but according to sources the Federal Republic will retain that portion of Mozambique south of the Save River - including the major port city of Maputo - while the northern section will be granted independence.

The timetable for independence will be coordinated with the second local authority which is also in negotiations so that both states will become independent at the same time.

One ramification with the loss of Northern Mozambique will be the closing of three controversal labour camps located in Beira, Quelimane, and Nacala. The camps came under investigation last June when a massive international outcry regarding forced labour use of political prisoners resulted in an investigation carried out by Tahoe and Arctica which cleared Pretoria of any wrong doing in its camp system.

Minister of Interior Gert Boersma, who is responsible for running Transvaal's labour camp system, has said the three displaced camps will likely be relocated in Rhodesia or Namibia.

Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog has stated that Pretoria will respect the integrity of its new neighbours and not force any particular government system or ideology on them, rather instead working with whatever the local people set up on their own.

FEBRUARY 19, 2009

Minister of African Affairs, Paramount Chief Judith Matambanadzo issued a statement today that independence talks for Mozambique and Malawi seem to have stalled.

“Our government is waiting to hear back from our latest communication to the new governments” said Ms. Matambanadzo.

Under the proposed independence agreements, Nyasaland (Malawi) would be granted to the nation of Association while Northern Mozambique (north of the Save River) would be granted to the nation of Awesome World Island.

“We are waiting for them to relocate their capitals within their new territories so the Federal Government of Transvaal can verify and confirm their claims through the proper channels with the World Map Authorities. Right now neither nation would have a valid map claim due to capital requirements” explained the Paramount Chief.

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

NATIVE INDEPENDENCE COLLAPSES: According to statement issued by Foreign Minister Peter Stellenbosch, the Federal Republic of Transvaal is retracting its move towards native independence in Nyasaland (Malawi) and Mozambique.

“Our contacts with the two governments have broken down. The Federal Republic had worked in good faith to find suitable takers but now have second thoughts since we’ve heard nothing from them. The ball is in their court as they have been notified of the requirement to relocate their capitals – which neither have done.”

“If they or anyone else wish to negotiate independence from the Federal Republic, they are going to have to make the first move. We’ve kept our end of the bargain but we’re not going to hoist some non-starter regimes on the African Continent as our nation is known throughout the world for desiring responsibility and regional stability.”

ONAFHANKLIKVERKLARING - PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE By agreement between the Federal Republic of Transvaal and the Provisional Authorities located in Northern Mozambique (assigned to Ian Steele), Zambia (assigned to Ranathar of Franzharia), and Malawi (assigned to yeerk5):

1) the Federal Republic of Transvaal hereby recognizes the independence of these territorial authorities from the Federal Republic effective one minute after update February 25/26, 2009.

2) the Federal Republic of Transvaal is hereby granted a grandfathered overlapping territorial clause (also known as the Lübeck Clause). Should said independent territories leave RP, lose or relinquish their assigned territories, nation deletion, or leave the game, Transvaal immediately regains said territories.

3) the Provisional Authorities located in Northern Mozambique, Zambia, and Malawi are permitted to join the Pan-African Coalition on the provision that the PAC holds no territorial claims over territories covered by Transvaal’s territorial clause (see 2).

4) the Federal Republic of Transvaal promises not to interfere in the internal social-political forces within the independent states seceding from the Federal Republic. The Independent States likewise promise not to interfere in the internal social-politics of the Federal Republic.

5) The independent state are assumed to have the political and military protection of Transvaal at the Federal Republic’s discretion.

6) Should the Independent States relocate their in-game capitals outside of their territory, their agreement with Transvaal is null and void and said territory reverts back to the Federal Republic. The states have one week to comply with capital relocation to their African territory.

7) Labour camps managed by Transvaal located in independent Mozambican territory will be dismantled and relocated to Federal Republican territory within one week.

FEBRUARY 25, 2009 TRANSVAAL RE-OCCUPIES SOUTHERN ANGOLA: With the apparent demise of the Pan-African Coalition a few days ago, the Federal Republic of Transvaal invaded Southern Angola last night to re-exert its longtime and oft-disputed claim over the region.

"Southern Angola was an area of contention the Federal Government had with the PAC" explained Foreign Minister P Stellenbosch to reporters at the National Volksraad in Pretoria. "When we joined the PAC last August, we turned over Southern Angola to the PAC as a trust territory - however when we departed that organisation, they refused our request to return what we brought into the PAC. Now that the PAC is dead, the new PAC II therefore has no claim over Southern Angola as our agreement had been made with PAC - and not PAC II which we are not members."

When question what Transvaal's intentions were with the backwater region of Africa, Foreign Minister Stellenbosch said that Transvaal would transfer Southern Angola to the Ranatharist authorities now based in Zambia.

"Despite some history of rocky relations with the various Franzharian regimes, Transvaal nevertheless feels that having our borders flanked by actual governments rather than vacant unclaimed protectorates is a better course of action. Despite political differences, Transvaal and Franzharia have quietly developed strong economic and technology ties. More than one third of Transvaal's technology - if not more - has come from Franzharian production."

Pretoria also quietly announced the institution of the so-called Botha Line doctrine - where all territory formerly under Federal Republican rule will revert back to Transvaal should the new independent states in Southern Africa cease to exist. All territory south of the Botha Line is under the optional defense protection of Transvaal and any invasions or direct attacks made again those new independent states' territory are liable to Transvaler intervention.

"The new Botha Line doctrine will guarantee the stability of Southern Africa for all parties involved."

Independence for the three new Southern African states is scheduled for one minute after midnight (update time) on February 26, 2009 - less than 22 hours away.

MARCH 7, 2009

Prime Minister Jakob Hertzog announced today that alcohol production in Transvaal has been curtailed and prohibition will come into effect. The state brewery was unceremoniously closed as the last cases of Springbok Lager were scooped up by thirsty citizens for stockpiling.

The move is seen to appease the conservative groups in Transvaal, who by and large are lukewarm to the Hertzog Government. The prime minister is viewed by many to be part of the so-called 'progressive wing' of the National Party.

Whether it is related to the proclamation of prohibition, over 4000 citizens packed up and then departed the nation.

MARCH 28, 2009

Hendrik Strijdom, the former Prime Minister of Transvaal who resigned on February 11, 2009 and went into voluntary exile in Tahoe as a result of the Azarian insurrection, has announced he shall depart Tahoe on April 1 and make his return home to Transvaal. Since leaving Transvaal, Mr. Strijdom had been residing on the Tahoe governed island of Cuba recuperating from his injuries after the assassination attempt against him in January.

On his arrival at Johannesburg airport, he is expeceted to announce his return to the political scene in time for the May 30th Federal Election.

In other news, wheelchair-bound Reverend Erasmus Du Toit announced his resignation as leader of the white supremacist Verwoerd Front to concentrate solely on his duties as Chief Pastor of the Dutch Reform Church. While re-affirming his support of Afrikaner rule, he claims to have disowned the racialist elements espoused by the Verwoerd Front.

His replacement is rumoured to be former Deputy Intertior Minister Karl van Zyl - although Van Zyl's whereabouts have been unknown since the end of the Azarian conflict.

APRIL 10, 2009

Prohibition ended in Transvaal today, just in time for the thirsty fans partaking in today’s gold medal championship match in Transvaal World Cup III.

The Ministry of Finance and Trade announced that Transvaal had signed a new trade agreement for wheat, which would permit Springbok Lager to resume production. Breweries were closed over a month ago when the Federal Government lost saw their wheat trade cancelled. Wheat importing for beer was then held back as the Transvaler government focused its attention on the importation of uranium from Heft for completion of its nuclear weapons programme.

Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr also announced the first foreign investment venture in Transvaal when Dragonisia purchases a 49% interest into Springbok Breweries. “Our government supports free enterprise however we have traditionally been cautious about foreign investment. We felt the revitalization of our brewery would be the perfect means to test the waters to see how joint Transvaler-foreign ownership would work.”

COMMENTARY FROM DRAGONISIA

"We feel with Transvaal's rise to influence in the South African region that investments in assets in the nation are a very wise strategic decision. We know with the lifting of prohibition that the breweries are going to be in desperate need of capitol for new production start-up and we expect initial demand to be strong. Strong oversight from the Sovereign Wealth fund is also going to be administered to the breweries to ensure their business practices stay within the boundaries of both laws and ethics for the region."

"A cultural specialist has been hired as part of the administrative staff for this nation's section of the Sovereign Wealth fund and will communicate with all aspects of our economic operations in Transvaal as they mature, not only the Breweries. We're still going to have our eyes open to any other opportunities upon which the government of Transvaal feels secure with us utilizing. We hope to make Springbok a world renowned brand and to ensure many stable, well paying jobs for the people of Transvaal."

APRIL 12, 2009

According to figures released today by the Ministry of Finance & Trade, the joint Dragonisia-Transvaler investment consortium managing the Springbok Lager brewery will earn approximently $100,600 profit per day resulting in an estimated annual profit of $36,719,000 - half of which is paid out directly to the Dragonisian investors for currency export.

=Project Vela= MARCH 27, 2009

''The helicopter made its slow, low incoming decent across the water. The ice-bound island made it impossible for ships to harbour, and the polar winds buffeted the Sea King chopper which had taken off from the carrier SAS-25 Kaiser Martens which could bee seen on the distant horizon.''

''The woman in the blood red fur coat clutched a heavy briefcase which was chained to her right hand. Lashed to the side of the helicopter was a large crate plastered with radioactive symbols. A sudden gust of wind shook the helicopter, a genuine look of fear broke across her face as Colonel Annetjie van Matteus had a momentary mental image of her four months work crashing down into the sub-zero depths of the South Atlantic.''

''Finally the shadow of the Sea King shone down on the snow and ice of land. A collection of quonset huts and a large complex disguised as a mining station appeared through the mist. The helicopter descended and thudded gently on the ground. A sigh of relief came from Van Matteus. She waited for the rotors to come to a stop and then climbed out. Men in yellow hazmat suits appeared from the quonsets and made their way towards the helicopter.''

''“Gentlemen, this is just the first sample. Once you have run your tests, a larger shipment of weapons grade will be sent.” A man in a parka appeared and walked up to her. He unlocked the briefcase from Van Matteus’ hand and locked to his own.''

“Herr Doktor, what is our present time frame – are we on schedule?” she asked, shouting over the wind which howled over the island.

''“Ma’am, we are four to six days behind schedule. We cannot make the April 1st deadline”.''

Van Matteus frowned but there was little she could do, as Pretoria has intermittently stalled on the funding for her research.

“As long as I have something that explodes and blows half the island to smithereens in two weeks… that should keep Pretoria happy.”

APRIL 2, 2009 PRETORIA [TDN EXCLUSIVE]: The Federal Government released information this morning regarding a toxic chemical spill at a mining camp on isolated Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic. While not disclosing the nature of the accident, Transvaler Seemag warships have been dispatched towards the island to assist with the clean-up and containment.

Bouvet Island, one of three small islands in the Southern Sea controled by Transvaal, has been placed under a 150km quarantine zone by the navy and air force to prevent the spread of the spill. All foreign and domestic maritime traffic in the South Atlantic are warned not to approach the island and is being diverted so as not to interfere with the clean-up effort.

Transvaler Raketkorps commander Colonel Petrus Malan has been dispatched to the island to take command of the hazmat squad now operating on Bouvet. It is hoped that the accident will be cleaned up by the weekend and normal maritime traffic can be resumed.

APRIL 3, 2009

PRETORIA [TDN EXCLUSIVE]: “We believe that the chemical spill on Bouvet Island was caused by an undersea tremor in the nearby vicinity. According to some seismologists who were flown to the island this afternoon, they believe these are the precursors of a probable, much larger earthquake in the next couple of days” explained Colonel Petrus Malan to the curious press assembled in front of the National Assembly at Government House in Pretoria.

“We are warning all ships to stay out of the vicinity in case of tsunamis.”

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The Federal Republic of Transvaal became the newest nuclear nation on the block when Colonel Annetjie van Matteus, head of the Department of Atomic Research, issued a statement announcing the existance of Project Vela, the codename for Transvaal's nuclear weapons programme.

Nicknamed “Seekoeitjie” [Little Hippo], Transvaal's new atom bomb was rolled out to pre-selected reporters at an undisclosed military location in the Federal Republic. The Transvaler Raketkorps [Rocket Corps] will be responsible for storage and maintenance of the bombs even though the delivery would be handled by the Lugmag [airforce].

Colonel van Matteus told reporters that the 3 metre-long bomb operated on gun-method fission and would yield a 13 to 18 kilotonne blast when detonated.

"We tested a similar device in an underground detonation on Bouvet Island this morning, and the test results were successful" said a beaming Ms. Van Matteus.

When asked by one wary reporter who had final authority to order its use, Colonel van Matteus replied that the bomb had an arming code which had to be entered before use by four select individuals, two assigned from the military and two from the civilian government.

=The Return of Karl van Zyl= APRIL 14, 2009

Colonel Karl van Zyl, the former Deputy Minister of Interior of Transvaal, had been keeping a low profile.

His unfortunate and misunderstood arrest last summer (January) by troops of the Tahoe Armtha-SS and subsequent secret detention at their embassy had proven convenient as it removed him from the attention of the Federal Government. His disappearance in the end had been written off by the government as one of many missing casualties of war from the Azarian Insurrection. Eventually he was able to quietly slip out of the embassy when the Tahoans’ attentions were focused on how to dispose of the two executed assassins in their custody without raising any public alarm.

Which made the Reverend’s announcement in March just that more odd.

The crippled Erasmus Du Toit had lost his fire and brimstone during the assassination attempt against him. After a long rehabilitation and against all odds, the Reverend was able to get up from his wheelchair and walk around – albeit with a limp requiring the aid of a cane. The cane had its usefulness, such as shaking it at those to make a point with who disagreed with him.

But the bullet which had grazed his spine and the coma had worn the outspoken Reverend out. He no longer had it in him to speak out against the social depravities of the modern world. He still loved his church and his bible, but the politics of defending white right in Transvaal had become a burden he could no longer bare. “Indeed, this is what my saviour the Lord Christ must have felt during his journey to Golgotha” the reverend would often ponder.

‘No, I shall devote the rest of my days to the church and turn the Verwoerd Front over to younger blood.’

So when Reverend Erasmus Du Toit, Chief Pastor of the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk and Leader of the white supremacist Verwoerd Front announced on national television that he would be stepping down, he passed the torch on to the presumed dead Karl van Zyl, proclaiming that “…if Van Zyl is alive and steps forward to claim the reigns of the party, then that is God’s sign that our movement is blessed and it shall go forth. If the party remains leaderless, then we accept God’s decision to wash away our movement.”

That was almost three weeks ago - and almost all political oberservers in Transvaal had written off the VF as dead and past its time.

Karl van Zyl looked at himself in the mirror and straightened his tie. He still wore his old Interior ministry uniform, as far as he was concerned he still retained his post – although he suspected as soon as the Federal Government found out they would find a new replacement.

The Party was his now for the taking. Today he was going to answer the Reverend’s prayers to God and reveal himself to the nation as its new saviour for the white man. He would lead the Party in the upcoming Federal Elections to victory reformed under a new banner and would sweep aside the National Party and its pandering to the Africans and coloureds. The days of old - where the black man bowed in servitude to the Afrikaner - would be restored.

Karl van Zyl put on his tunic and left his hotel room. He flagged down a taxi, “To the Volksraad please!”

APRIL 15, 2009

DOKTOR VAN ZYL PROCLAIMS NEW PARTY: Dr. Karl van Zyl, the leader of the Verwoerd Front who had been presumed dead, re-appeared this morning on the steps of the Volksraad at Government House to proclaim the disbanding of the Verwoerd Front and its reformation as the Sosiaalnasionalis Party (SNP).

“The SNP is the secular successor of the VF. We have eschewed the rabid Christian Nationalism of Reverend Du Toit and will now be embracing the modern science of eugenics as our guiding light. We strive to clean our homeland of social stains and depravities of liberalism and will take back all our former territory which is rightfully ours.”

Critics and political observers at the Volksraad laughed off the so-called Doktor. “Another madman at the helm of the far right, just what we need to keep them out of power” said one member of the Volksraad who was watching and listening to Van Zyl's proclamation.

Kaiser Rukia, from his residence in Lusakya had this to say: "Insane, simply insane. Let us hope I don't find any Verwoerd Front/Sosiaalnasionalis members in my country, because they'll be on the first bus to Helstaad Prison."

Some people in Arctica have reacted with shock, others with amusement. The government had this to say:

"After realizing that Erasmus du Toit's mad ravings were doing their cause more harm than good, the VF have decided to reform themselves, this time disguising their intentions under a scientific idea that could be backed with reasoning instead of threats of hellfire. Their goal still remains the same: white supremacy, racism, the subjugation of blacks, the return of apartheid or even the introduction of something worse. It is our hope that the people of Transvaal have progressed enough socially to recognize that this new party is just the VF with sunglasses and a fake moustache."

Arctica reaction to Van Zyl
APRIL 15-21, 2009

Somewhere at Arctica’s intelligence bureau:

“It’s really strange sir, this Van Zyl fellow… we cannot find any reference to him prior to last October. He just sort of appeared from nowhere out of the shadows. I had our embassy do some covertly research on him at their government department which handles birth and immigration records. There was nothing on him. No birth certificate nor any intake-processing information if he were an immigrant. Strange. Either there were no records or all information pertaining to him has been removed and destroyed.”

The man's supervisor thought this over. He quickly reached the conclusion that Van Zyl had used his past position in Transvaal's Interior Ministry to erase his identity. "Thank you, carry on," he said and walked to his office. While none of them at Arctica Information Command were too fond of du Toit, they had never considered him a security threat. Van Zyl, however, from the moment of his announcement was considered a moderate security threat, and finding out that he didn't exist in the records only added to their suspicion. So he decided to authorize spies to enter Transvaal.

"Three agents, sent over the next month. I want them to infiltrate the new party in Transvaal. The SNP." He twirled a pen between his fingers as he spoke into the phone. "All white, all Afrikaans speakers. No, sex doesn't matter. The first one I want sent as soon as you can get him ready. If he obtains citizenship, have him infiltrate the organization at a low level. A desk job at their headquarters or something. The second one I want sent sometime in the next couple of weeks, have him do the same thing. The last one I want to rise through the ranks as quickly as possible without being exposed, I want him in by June at the latest. Once the party is infiltrated, I want reports from the first two at least once a month. Find a way to get the updates through to our embassy without drawing attention. Is that all understood?"

“This should not be much of a problem, sir… as we do have some agents who acquired passable Afrikaans during the Vrystaat occupation” said a voice on the other end of the line.

"Will do," came the reply from the other line before the other hung up.

The intelligence officer put down his own phone and prepared a report to send to the Director. Since Info Command was one of the agencies under the direction of Lord Thadon, the director would write up his own report and pass it up to him.

The agents had been selected and were being briefed on their mission. The first two agents were being codenamed Impala and Cheetah, and the last one, the key to the operation was codenamed Cuckoo. The party was Mantis and Van Zyl was Swordfish.

False papers and records were created for the agents and Impala would be ready to board a ship to Transvaal on Saturday. The other government agencies had no way to tell by looking at the records which was false and which was not; only a few intelligence officers and the Director had access to a database that properly tagged which records were false.

Impala finishes his journey to Mozambique, making landfall undetected* near the border with Transvaal. He has some rand given to him by his government to acquire transportation and other things. He commandeers an automobile without any difficulty and drives it to the border after disposing of the driver and his effects.

The man is dressed in normal civilian clothes. He is actually of German-Dutch ancestry but claims to be mostly Afrikaner, and introduces himself as Bart Hacker, a former Transvaler citizen who used to work as an accountant but circumstances forced him to stay in Mozambique when it was granted independence. He seeks to regain his citizenship.

Bart Hacker quickly finds out that all the currency which was issued to him is completely useless.

“We no longer accept these bills, the government withdrew them all from circulation around a week ago.”

It was the one hurdle he did not expect – especially after the border guards and the immigration official which processed him at the Mozambican frontier issued him with a temporary work visa no questions asked.

Finally, an old Boer noticed the frustrated Hacker desperately trying to find transportation. “Waar gaan u, seun? Where you go, son?” says the old farmer with the huge grey beard which would make Karl Marx envious. “Ek gaan Pretoria en Bloemfontein toe. I go to Pretoria and Bloemfontein. I can take you there” he says, pointing towards his old pick-up truck filled with vegetables.

Abandoning the vehicle he took from the Mozambican before he got to the border, Impala walked the rest of the way. After the border guards processed him, he encountered an unexpected obstacle. The money he had been given wasn't accepted anymore. Hopefully by the time Cheetah was deployed, his government would have noticed their mistake.

But he would now have to find some way to his objective that was free and didn't involve walking hundreds of miles. It seemed a very difficult task at first, but luckily for him, an old farmer had seen him and offered transportation.

"I need to get to Pretoria."

"Ja, then to Pretoria go we" said the farmer in his broken English.

The ride would be a long one, in a truck which seemed to have the worst suspension in all of Africa. The farmer smoke like a chimney and had old Boeremusiek blaring on the radio. "You like the accordion, ja? It is good." he asked.

The truck hit another bump. It then swerved suddenly around a blind bend, almost hitting a group of half a dozen African women walking the other way with their market purchases piled on their heads.

"Ach, stupid kaffirs...!" the farmer yelled at them out the window. "I run you over next time!"

It was just then that Impala noticed the crinckled-up VF handbill crammed down the front window on the dashboard.

The man didn't care much for the music, but didn't say anything one way or the other. He was going to be pretty sore by the time this drive was over. He chuckled when the old man yelled at the black women, and as his eyes followed them he noticed something near the windshield.

Impala reached over and took the flyer. "Ah, you like the Verwoerd Front? It is good to see an Afrikaner with his heart in the right place. I'm actually headed to Pretoria to find a job with them, help out the cause in my own way."

The old boer looked at him rather surprised. "Really? I am not a member myself but I do vote for them and I know some of their party cell leaders. If you want, I can put you in touch with them - unless you have previous arrangements with the VF... or I suppose it's now the SNP as they are calling themselves."

"No, I have no previous arrangements with the party...I'm just looking to help them out. I was educated as an accountant. I would have made the decision earlier, but I was more or less stuck in Mozambique at the time." It surprised him to hear that the farmer had connections with the party. He had his doubts that a country bumpkin like him had connections with anybody, but anything was possible.

"I suppose I'm lucky you came along. My name is Bart Hacker."

- - -

As their drive went deeper into Transvaal, a ship belonging to one of Transvaal's trade partners was nearing Cape Town. One of the passengers was an average-looking blond woman in her thirties, the second agent sent to observe/gather intelligence on the SNP. Cheetah was going by the name Xandra Hoffman, like Impala claiming Afrikaner ancestry (and being close enough to pass for one), and like him claiming former residency of a past or present Transvaal holding where it would be difficult or impossible to ascertain the veracity of her claims, this time the area in question being Namibia. Most of her time there, she would claim, was spent under the government of Cherokee Namibia. According to the story, after that government collapsed, she began to wander, making her way to the Comoros (when they were still independent), then Arctica for a short time, then another nation before finally catching a ship to Transvaal. Instead of carrying the obsolete rand like Impala, she had allegedly carried some foreign currency "gotten off the ship at a stop in Arctica and exchanged it for some dollars" which would likely be easily exchanged at a bank in Transvaal.

Like Impala, when she arrived Xandra would claim Afrikaner ancestry, an interest in the SNP, and experience with clerical work. They were both to keep the quality of their work average or slightly above average at the best; they were there to gather information, not excel and draw attention. That would be Cuckoo's task.

‘I’m going to have to relocate elsewhere – there’s nothing to go on here’ she thought after a few days.

Impala had arrived in Cape Town - by far Transvaal’s most vibrant and nicest city. It was also its most cosmopolitan in culture – which made for finding work not too troublesome but gaining any leads on the SNP here pretty much impossible. After her first day of groundwork, she quickly realized that the VF and SNP had no presence whatsoever at the Cape as it was strong National Party territory and the DBP to a lesser extent.

Her casual enquires into the SNP were often met with puzzlement, snickers, or a cool reception. She soon figured out that most SNP support was based in rural pockets located in the two former Boer republics, Transvaal province proper and the Orange State centered in the vicinity of Bloemfontein.

- - -

Nice to meet you Mr Hacker” said one of the two men sitting with him and the old farmer at a roadside diner somewhere in rural Transvaal. As they had walked in, Hacker noticed the old rusty sign ''“Net Blankes! Whites Only!”'' still hanging up – barely on one rusty nail – on the door.

The two men were obviously not farmers, they were too well dressed and their manners too polished to be career farmers. But they seemed to be on good friendly terms with the old farmer who had brought Hacker all this way from the Mozambican frontier.

After shaking hands, one of the spoke: “So, my uncle here tells me that you have an interest in the VF and might be able to help us? We are always looking for new members.”

The Director closed the folder and looked across the desk at the officer who had ordered the operation. "This certainly changes things."

- - -

"Yes, Director."

"I presume that neither operative was issued cyanide pills."

"No, Director."

"Good. I trust you to have kept to procedure and told them nothing more than was necessary. Do you know if they penetrated the party before martial law was ordered?"

"No, Director."

"Then until we receive a report from either of them, they are assumed to be captured or killed. Postpone deploying Cuckoo until this...episode is resolved. Put the mission on hold. Unless you have anything else to add, you are dismissed."

"Nothing, Director." The man got up and walked out of the office. There was nothing for them to do but wait.

- - -

Cheetah had found out about the arrests just in time; she was about to buy a bus ticket to Bloemfontein to seek connections with the SNP there. She knew that Info Command wouldn't help her now, and she had to lie low until martial law was lifted.

Impala was not so lucky. He had managed to convince the young men to recruit him into the party when the arrests were ordered. He was picked up and made no attempt to resist, knowing they weren't going to suspect his true intentions and even if they did, he knew nothing of value to them.

The Arcticans waited.

Tahoe reaction to Van Zyl
APRIL 14-17, 2009

Private Report to Taoiseach O'Deaghaidh

Subject: Karl van Zyl, a former colonel in the Interior Ministry of Transvaal manipulated Armtha-SS'' commanders during the Azzarian Revolution for his own political gains including the establishment of a radically white supremacist regime in Transvaal. Eventually discovered and taken into custody by the Armtha SS and held for over a month in our embassy in Pretoria. Escaped, method unknown. Ministry of State Security investigating possible assistance within the embassy by SS personnel sympathetic to his cause *ATTACHMENT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF SS PERSONNEL*''

''Expected to be violent. Amount of support is currently unkown although appears to be increasing. National Security Threat Level considered to be a code yellow threat.''

Somewhere in Tahoe, a forensics technician was at her desk at the processing laboratory of Ministry of State Security.

She had run the same tests three times and still got the same result.

Frustrated, she leaned back from her desk, calling for her superior. “Sir, I’ve got something unusual here… you might want to have a look.”

Her superior walked over.

“What is it?”

“It’s the Van Zyl blood samples you wanted me to run a search against.”

“Yes?”

“Well, I ran the sample against all the DNA samples we have collected in our database of Transvalers and I got a partial match – in that the match is coming up as the offspring of Van Zyl. Problem is the information we have on the subject match doesn’t seem to corroborate with the person’s identity what we have in our intelligence database.”

“Let me see what you have.”

The technician tore off the print-out and handed it to her superior. “According to records, we collected a sample from her when she was admitted to hospital in December 2007 for measles. She was the daughter of the Transvaler ambassador back then…”

The supervisor stared at the printout. It was the face of an eight-year-old Transvaler girl whose name was Joanne de Ruijters van Matteus.

Ministry of State Security Headquarters

"...yes sir, yes... No, we are 100% certain in our DNA analysis is correct."

[pause]

"Yes sir, I would reccomend we bring the family in for questioning if at all possible....thank you."

With that, he hung up the phone and went back to his work, this time reviewing DNA profiles of suspected insurgents in Cuba.

Downtown Cruachan

A black SUVs pulled up in front of the stately embassy of Transvaal, located a few blocks from the National Capitol building, whose golden dome was visible over the treetops lining the street, on which a few other embassies from various nations were located. A few cars were parked on the mostly traffic free street, with pedestrians walking and admiring the sights.

Four men in the black uniforms of the Armtha-SS exited the SUVs, walking up steps into the embassy. Two of the men, one with the insignia of a major and the other with the insignia of a junior lieutenant approached the receptionist.

The receptionist was taken aback by the appearance of the four Armtha-SS men walking into the embassy. ‘This doesn’t look too good’ she thought and pressed a hidden panic button.

As the four Tahoan men stopped at the reception counter, four Krygsmagte soldiers and two Interior ministry officers made their appearance known. However, unlike the startled government civilian working the front desk, the Krygsmagte and Interior men had a comfortable working relationship with the Tahoe authorities. The senior Interior officer nodded at the major in acknowledgement, an unspoken ‘we are here in case things get out of hand, but carry on with your business.’

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we require your cooperation in an ongoing national security investigation. We need to speak with the Ambassador."

The receptionist glanced at the Interior ministry men, who nodded back to her. “Why… uh, yes sir – let me contact Ambassador Andries Joubert and see if he is busy right now.”

The woman then spoke in one of Transvaal’s native African languages, an easy and quick means to hide what she was speaking about on the telephone. She put the phone down and said: “Mr. Joubert will be pleased to meet with you in five minutes, please wait over there and his assistant shall come and take you to his office.”

A few minutes later, a medium dark-skinned man appeared. He looked to be of possible mixed-blood, either a Cape Coloured or one of the Griqua - people who decended from the and Khoi (Hottentot) bushmen but had adopted Afrikaans as their language hundreds of years ago. Joubert was the secondmost senior member of Transvaal’s ambassadorial staff at the Foreign Ministry.

“Gentlemen, I am Ambassador Andries Joubert… how can I be of service to you?

The major pulled a picture out of a cream colored folder marked Top Secret-Rúnda in bold red letters. Showing it to the ambassador, he said, "Sir, this picture is of the daughter of the former ambassador to Tahoe. Her name is Joanne de Ruijters van Matteus and is linked to Karl van Zyl, whom our governments, as you know, are both investigating."

Ambassador Joubert looked at the picture somewhat dumbfounded. “I actually wasn’t aware that my government was seriously interested in this Van Zyl chap, I never heard of him until a few days ago when I received a dispatch from our Foreign Minister informing us here of his new party and the demise of the Verwoerd Front. Everyone here on staff was like ‘who is he?’” The ambassador showed his obvious dislike of the VF by the manner he uttered the party’s name.

“Now this girl here,” he said, repeatedly tapping his finger at the photgraph, “I know who she is. I have seen her before, she is the daughter of Annetjie van Matteus, I am sure you are fully aware who she is, who was also my predecessor here as Ambassador to Tahoe. I’m not quite sure how she, the girl, would be linked to Van Zyl however, as the rumour going around was her father was the late Uys Rooyan de Ruijters, another Verwoerd Fronter, actually its founder I believe. He committed suicide in South America back during the whole Boereguay mess around six months ago. I say ‘rumour’ as Van Matteus has never disclosed and always publicly denied any questions regarding her daughter’s parentage although the surname including De Ruijters seems to be an obvious, dead give away. Unusual practice actually doing that, Afrikaners never double-barrel their surnames, they always take their father’s.”

The Ambassador paused to allow this to all sink in for his Tahoe visitors.

“I’m really very sorry I am not much help here… is there anything else I can do for you? Just ask.”

"No, that is all. Thank you for this information, Mr. Ambassador, this meeting was of great assistance."

The major shook Ambassador Joubert's hand and walked out with his men, leaving the quite perplexed embassy staff behind.

Quickly driving back to the Ministry of State Security headquarters on the other side of the Sacramento River, the DNA analyis of the girl as well the information that she was the daughter of Van Zyl and Van Matteus was sent to the government of Transvaal.

Interior Minister Gert Boersma was on the line with his opposite in Tahoe:

“This is definitely unusual information you’ve given us – although I must admit that if it had appeared at our end we’d probably write it off to more baseless communist propaganda. We hear no end of slander and absurd and outrageous claims and rumours made against both the National Party and the VF.”

Typing on a keyboard could be heard over the line.

“However, all the records in our ministry database on Van Matteus’ daughter are showing Uys Rooyan de Ruijters as her father. No mention of Karl van Zyl as a relative.”

…more typing

“Actually, looking at Van Zyl’s records right now… strange, I don’t see anything on him going back before November of last year. Seems he was a refugee settler from the Boer Staat…”

Boersma was then silent. “Are you still there?” asked the Tahoan interior minister.

“Yes, now THAT is strange…!!! You see, Van Zyl is recorded as an immigrant from Boer Staat – however, the Boer Staat has been extinct for almost two years. So where would he have been between the Boer Staat’s collapse and him joining the Interior Ministry last November? I have to admit, I didn’t appoint him – he was one of Hertzog’s appointments assigned to the ministry, part of our policy to find government jobs for ex-Boereguayan veterans who returned from the war.”

“So Van Zyl must have fought in the South American conflict – although I don’t have access to military records to confirm that.”

Boersma paused and thought.

“I’m wondering if you could send that Van Haesten chap of yours down here to do a little digging on this. He’s an intelligent and resourceful fellow – and now I think about it, it’s very possible that Van Zyl has his own spies in the Interior Ministry. If I myself start to poke around looking into his past, it might raise some alarms amongst his VF sympathizers. However maybe if Van Haesten poses as a foreign historical researcher looking into the war, he might be able to ask questions that won’t raise any alarms since its coming from a ‘harmless’ foreigner. Also, if he does come across any VF, they're by and large admirers of Tahoe so they may offer up information that someone like myself with NP connections wouldn't be privy to.”

"Colonel Van Haesten...hmmm, yes I remember him. Promoted after his return from Transvaal and is currently serving as an instructor at the Advanced Special Warfare School in California...I'm sure he can be spared for a while. Very well, I will make the arrangements and he will be on a flight to Johannesburg within 24 hours."

- - -

Colonel Van Haesten walked into his office in the Administration Building at the Advanced Special Warfare School, a small two story stone building with a wooden roof bearing the emblem of various Tahoan Special Forces groups over the doorway. His office was small and plain, only a desk and some filing cabinets with a window overlooking a grassy field with men doing pushups on it.

Sitting behind his desk was a tall man in an unmarked black uniform of the Armtha-SS, no rank insignia, no unit insignia. The man stood up and said, "Colonel Van Haesten? I'm here on the orders of Field Marshal O'Coileain. You have a special assignment, Transvaal again." Van Haesten raised an eyebrow. "Yes, they want you back there, here are your orders, for security this must not be spoken about out loud. When you are done reading, burn the file."

Van Haesten was quiet as he flipped through the pages of the folder, "Yes, sir."

The man began walking out of the door, before turning around again, "By the way, do you have any civilian clothes...no? I didn't think so." He laughed before continuing, "Taped to the last page of the folder is a credit card. Go buy yourself some clothes and make yourself look like a civilian."

- - -

Twelve hours later Van Haesten was in the airport in San Francisco, wearing boots, jeans and a green shirt. He had checked his newly bought suitcase in at the Afrikaanse Lugdiens desk a half hour before, with a dozen or so spares of clothing (also newly bought). As he boarded the 707, a smiling Transvaler woman stamped his ticket and checked his passport one more time.

"Have a good flight and have a lovely stay in Transvaal Dr. O'Casey."

Van Haesten almost looked around to see who she was talking to before remembering his assumed identity...Dr. Patrick O'Casey, junior researcher at the National Research and Discovery Foundation for Race and Eugenics.

Van Haesten forgot just how long it took to get to Transvaal on Afrikaanse Lugdiens. After boarding the antiquated yet still airworthy Boeing 707 in Tahoe, flight ZA005 headed northwards skirting the Alaskan coast to its first stopover in Viniland, before carrying onwards to Cataduanes for his connection on flight ZA004 to Mogadishu before transferring yet again on ZA001 to Johannesburg.

‘Note to self… in future take a direct flight on a different airline’ thought a now-cramped Van Haesten. However it did explain why there were so few passengers boarding in Tahoe and the plane left three-quarters empty. It wasn’t until the flight landed in Cataduanes where it filled up with Transvaler holidaymakers returning home.

When the plane landed in Johannesburg, he was relieved to stretch his legs and walk about and even more relieved when he slipped through customs drawing no undue attention to himself as the custom officers from the Interior Ministry were concentrating on looking for duty free violators amongst the vacationers.

Van Haesten had just arrived in his hotel in Pretoria, a small, non-descript affair known as the Hotel Highveld located in the northwestern part of the city. After being shown to his room, he took a shower to freshen up after the more than day-long flight. Turning on a small television set in the room while dressing, he noticed a headline saying "Staatspresident Botha to address the Nation."

Sitting down on the couch, he watched as Botha proclaimed martial law due to an impending state of war with an unnamed organization. 'Well this certainly messes up my plans' thought Van Haesten to himself. Hailing a taxi, he quickly drove to the Tahoan embassy before the inevitable roadblocks were established...he knew were they would be too, as he had helped develop the contigency plans with the Transvaler government.

In the embassy was a milling crowd of about one hundred, all civilians wanting to get out of the country following the Staatspresident's announcement. They were being calmly told by a secretary that the Tahoan government was sending an Aer Lingus jet from Gibraltar, as the rest of the Tahoan airlines with aircraft currently in Transvaal had all their flights already sold out.

Van Haesten pushed his way through the crowd towards an unmarked door on the left side of the entrance hall, where he pressed a button on a speaker and spoke the code that told whoever was behind the door that he was an intelligence operative of some kind. The door opened and Van Haesten walked through. A short man (for a Tahoan) with receeding brown hair stood on the other side. This man, Van Haesten knew, was the Director of Tahoe Intelligence Service for Africa and certainly knew his mission...he was right. Before Van Haesten could even speak, the man told him that Van Zyl and the rest of the old Verwoerd Front gang had already been arrested and he was ordered back to Tahoe.

Van Haesten sighed, another 24 hours on a cramped airplane were not going to be fun. Almost reading his thoughts, the Intelligence Director smiled and handed him a business card, saying "A prominent businessman currently in Transvaal is returning to Tahoe with all haste aboard his private jet. He is an ex-Armtha SS member and offered to fly any important servicemembers back to Tahoe, if needed. Take this to the private jet terminal at the airport and they will let you through security and on the plane. Enjoy the champagne."

An hour later Van Haesten was sitting in a massive recliner aboard a luxury 737 BusinessJet...he was not drinking champagne.

De Ruijters unmasked
JUNE 12, 2009

Eamon O'Dochartaigh was working late at the genetics laboratory of the Ministry of State Security in Tahoe. One of his research projects had been on the backburner for a few months - but recently, he received orders from high above to re-open his case files and continue his research. It involved the identity of some Transvaler persons – or more specifically, their DNA matches – and his work had received an unusual change of direction with the appearance of a disinterred corpse which had been shipped in from Transvaal.

For reasons unknown to him, he was only given code numbers to use for identification. His orders were to find matches and report the identity codes associated with the matches. He was given no names to work with - just the knowledge that his subject of his search was someone from Transvaal. That was strange. It must be someone important to Tahoe for his or her name to be suppressed for security reasons at this level of investigation.

A printer began to spew out pages of numerical data. O'Dochartaigh collected a couple of pages and sat down to begin the tedious work to find the matches. It was like some puzzle game found in the Sunday newspaper, except he didn’t know the questions nor the answer.

After a couple of hours, he typed up his findings and sealed them in an envelope marked “TOP SECRET: Minister of State Security”. He put it in the outgoing mail and closed up his lab for the night.

- - -

Two days later, Doctor Daniel Costigan entered the office of the Minister of State Security to give a report on his findings.

“Sir, the final results of the DNA testing have given us some rather disturbing findings…

“Yes, go ahead” said the Minister gravenly.

“Where to begin… where to begin…” began the doctor, “I will cut right to the matter, the man claiming to be Karl van Zyl, Transvaal’s Minister of Interior and former leader of the Verwoerd Front is not Karl van Zyl… no, let me rephrase that, Karl van Zyl is just a cover disguise for someone else, whom we believed to have committed suicide while in custody of the Transvaler colonial authorities during the colonial war in Paraguay last year.”

“Then do we know who Karl van Zyl really is?” asked the Minister.

“Yes, we do now… Uys Rooyan de Ruijters… apparently back from the dead.”

“How is that?” exclaimed the surprised Minister.

“Well sir, we now believe that someone in the Transvaler colonial regime last October assisted De Ruijters to fake his own death and escape. Our prime suspects are either Hendrik Strijdom, the Transvaler governor of Paraguay at the time of his ‘suicide’, or Annetjie van Matteus, who was also in Paraguay during the conflict – and, as noted on her file, De Ruijters is the father of her young child. The child’s DNA links Van Zyl to De Ruijters.”

“I see… go on…”

The doctor continued: “When Transvaal was attacked during the Karma War, our military intelligence had the opportunity to talk with Annetjie van Matteus when – unfortunate for her, but most fortunate for us – her plane was grounded in Tahoe. One of our officers, who knew her slightly from when she served here during our socialist troubles, was able to find out that she had never met Van Zyl nor even heard of him… until at least we asked about him. One would think that if our earlier genetic readings were linking Van Zyl to her daughter, that she would have shown some reaction to his name. But she didn’t.”

The doctor paused so the Minister could take down some notes.

“Then last month, overseas agents of ours were able to recover the alleged corpse of De Ruijters, after the mausoleum he was interred in was destroyed during an air raid on Bloemfontein. Testing on the cadaver proves that it is not De Ruijters but a planted body.”

“Therefore it is the conclusion of my research team that Karl van Zyl is Uys Rooyan de Ruijters.”

- - -

Petrus van der Linde was a low level bureaucrat working in the Interior Ministry in Pretoria. He had recently been moved to work in an intelligence department, which suited him better than anyone knew. After all, he had been working for Tahoe Military Intelligence for well over 20 years. His identity was known by exactly one person in Transvaal (the TMI handler in Pretoria) and only four in Tahoe itself. For years he had been sending intelligence reports to Cruachan and, because of his former military service had, a number of times, been activated for other HUMINT jobs, such as recovering and testing the corpse of De Ruijters.

When he recieved his orders at the standard dead drop next to a tree in a downtown Pretoria park, he was startled. For only the second time, he would be working with someone else. Only this person was somebody he had seen countless times before, an Interior Ministry guard who worked in the same building as van der Linde, more often than not actually serving as Van Zyl's body guards.

His orders were to revieve the 24/7 whereabouts of Van Zyl, which was being tracked by the guard and relay them back to the Ministry of State Security.

- - -

Tomas O'Coileain relaxed at his desk in the Ministry of State Security Headquarters on the west bank of the Sacramento River. It was a beautiful day in Cruachan, eighty degrees fahrenheit (a bit warm) but with enough clouds to make it bearable. No breeze, though he had his office windows wide open in hopes of one.

After recieving the startling information that De Ruijters was still alive, O'Coileain considered his options. During the insurgency in Paraguay, he had been the one to order the team of Armtha SS commandos in to try and rescue De Ruijters, after he had been sent a panicked message begging for help. The President hadn't minded then, having leverage over De Ruijters could be useful in the future, but the commandos had been ambushed and only half escaped with their lives. De Ruijters had been killed, or so everyone thought.

With the trail of events over the past few months proving that false, O'Coileain realized the opportunity. Although his government had recognized and offered support to Field Marshal Malan's regime, it remained wary. Best not get to deeply involved in Transvaler politics, constantly shifting and fluid as they were. Yet O'Coileain firmly sympathized with the Verwoerd Front and now Malan's racial policies. A pure Transvaal was better for everyone, and even if the President had only recently told O'Coileain that he was not to directly involve himself, the opportunity was still to great. So what if he had a few agents tracking Van Zyl/De Ruijters, Van Matteus and others. Any problems could be solved with a bullet in the dark, and for that matter, bullets in the dark could be used to stimulate the Transvaler population to remove themselves of their negro problem.

In what quantity, though, thought the Minster. 'Just how much action to take?'

- - -

For Petrus van der Linde, his little discrete affair with one of the filing clerks who worked inside the Transvaal State Archives was paying off in more ways than one. During one of their late night rendez-vous at her apartment, she brought him the archive’s files on Uys Rooyan de Ruijters – which amounted to an empty manila file folder with his name written on it in black felt.

The files obviously missing, she told Van der Linde that when she checked the sign-in sign-out common log for visitors, Karl van Zyl’s name was on the log the same day the De Ruijters files were signed out. Unfortunately she did not have the security access level required to read the log to find out who actually had the files in their possession, but she did note the date was June 4 – the very same day Karl van Zyl was appointed Minister of Interior and would have re-gained unrestricted access to the archives. Also the De Ruijters files were the only thing signed out that day, so it is easy to put one and one together. [note: the archives maintain two log books, one listing visitors and the other listing files borrowed – a rather haphazard attempt to protect the identify of borrowers, which as we see, doesn't always work]

There were no other government names in the log book that day which would have had the clearance to remove the files from the archive, although she did note that Hendrik Strijdom made a visit to the archives the following day but apparently did not sign anything out as no files were removed on June 5.

Before dressing and leaving for home, Van der Linde thanked his ‘girlfriend’ for all the info she brought him. He could tell that the topic of De Ruijters repulsed her; his name was one spoken in quiet, hushed tones or in outright revulsion and disgust since his traitorous days when he opened up the nation to GOONS attack almost two years ago. His revelation now as Van Zyl could prove to be a bombshell.

JUNE 14, 2009

Dan Bryan, director of Tahoe Military Intelligence, Eamon O'Dochartaigh, Commissioner of the Garda Siochana and Tomas O'Coileain sat in a briefing room at the Ministry of State Security. The TMI handler for all agents in Transvaal had just hung up from a brief conference call to discuss events in Transvaal. O'Coileain cut the handler off before he could reveal that Van Zyl and De Ruijters were the same person, as this revelation was very problematic and he needed to keep that information to himself. Any public revelation that De Ruijters was working in the Malan administration would likely be disastarous, ruining Malan's chances to build a white majority Transvaal. Likewise, it would be hard to keep this information from the President for to long, and he certainly would never agree to allow De Ruijters to stay in power.

This left O'Coileain in an interesting position, capable to manipulating affairs in Transvaal. Certainly he could not let this information leave his hands, best keep it to himself and the TMI agents in Transvaal who knew better than to not open their mouths without his permission.

Dismissing his subordinates from his office, he decided to inform Van Zyl...De Ruijters, that he knew his actual identity. This would give significant leverage over the man.

JUNE 15, 2009

Karl van Zyl leaned back in his chair after the Tahoan had recited the most incredible story. The TMI handler who had the task of confronting the Transvaler Interior Minister could tell however that he struck some sort of nerve with Van Zyl - whose face went pale before he then hissed back in response with his unusual, queerly unsettling voice: “Thiss iss the mosst fasscinating sstory I have heard in quite ssome time. But jusst that, a sstory and nothing more, my friend.”

“For sstarters, I am ssure that...that” and he spat out the name in repulsion… “that dyke Van Matteuss could confirm that I am not her daughter’s father” he said in a manner and with a toothy grin which for a moment make the Tahoan shutter and have second thoughts about Van Zyl’s own sexuality.

Minister van Zyl then leaned forward and peered through his coke bottle glasses, trying to size up the Tahoan agent. He then smiled conspiratorially.

“However… in regardss to your problem with your disssidentss, with our current economic problemss due to the masssive civilian cassualtiess our nation had ssuffered during the Karma War, our labour campss are in a dire sshortage of manpower. If you could make the necesssary arrangementss to transport your ‘problemss’ to Mozambique, I would be more than willing to disposse of them and put them to good usse in our camps.”

Before the Tahoan departed, Van Zyl stood up. “And do not worry too much about chasing after ghosts, as both you and I know quite well that Uys Rooyan de Ruijters died a long time ago” he spoke in a clearly distinct voice.

JUNE 16, 2009

"Yes sir, he denied being de Ruijters and truth be told, I couldn't see any resemblence between him and photos we have on file of de Ruijters before his exile. However, he reacted quite strongly against the claim that he is in fact de Ruijters. So strongly in fact, that there is no doubt in my mind he is de Ruijters. What person gets almost violent when faced with a seemingly ludicrous accusation?"

O'Coileain hung up the phone with the TMI agent in Pretoria. It was another beautiful day in Cruachan, almost 90 degrees with not a cloud in the sky, although a soft southwesterly breeze brought a measure of comfort. Standing up from his desk, O'Coileain walked to the balcony of his office, which overlooked a square, surrounded by apartments. In the distance, he could see the gleaming dome of the National Capital. In an hour, he had a meeting with the President and the rest of the cabinet to discuss the ongoing war in Europe, but in the meantime he would go down and enjoy a bowl of hot soup and fresh bread at the pub, conviently located next to the Ministry offices. Putting Van Zyl...or de Ruijters...whoever he was, out of his mind - after quickly jotting down a note to remind the TMI agent to inform Van Zyl that unfortunately the Labor Camp detainees would not be transfered to Transvaal after all -(it was just a ruse to get a meeting with Van Zyl in the first place), was an easy task.

=The Invasion of South Africa= APRIL 25, 2009

The executive cabinet and military commanders were sitting in chairs circling around the Staatspresident’s desk. Beside him on his left sat Prime Minster Jakob Hertzog and to his right was Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen, CIC of the Transvaler Krygsmagte.

Staatspresident Botha broke the silence with graven words. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have been notified that our IRON brethren are now at war, which means that effective immediately I shall now place the entire Federal Republic under martial law. I have vested in Mr. Hertzog and Marshal Cruywagen dictatorial powers until the conclusion of hostilities.

“First order of business is to arrest and detain all those internal residents who may pose potential hostile or subversive plans against our government.”

“Minister Boersma, I want your men along with the military to arrest and imprison all members of the Verwoerd Front and SNP. That includes Karl van Zyl and the Reverend Du Toit. Also arrest Annetjie van Matteus as well, as one can never be too sure where her real loyalties sit.”

“That leaves the Demokratiese Barakke Party – with whom we shall be forming a government of national unity. Frederik Geldenhuys [DBP leader] will be appointed Deputy Prime Minister along with Marthinus Hofmeyr.”

APRIL 27, 2009

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The Federal Government of Transvaal collapsed this afternoon as rioting broke out and Prime Minister Jakob Herztog was forced to flee Pretoria. Anarchy gripped the nation after Transvaal came under massive attack this morning and the Transvaler Krygsmagte collapsed in the wake of invasion.

Outnumbered, the Krygsmagte put up a valiant fight and secured a few victories in some sectors before overwhelming losses became too much and troops began to rout. The Lugmag and Raketkorps still remain at their posts and are offering staunch resistance in the face of danger.

What remains of the military command technically forms currently forms the legal 'government' but already the airwaves inside the beleagered nation are buzzing with resistance and fringe groups proclaiming themselves as rival or replacement regimes.

Karl van Zyl of the SNP has proclaimed the Federal Republic swept aside and the formation of a new white supremacist regieme with himself as Supreme Leader while from the safety of Tahoe, Annetjie van Matteus has announced the formation of a government in exile with herself as the new prime minister.

APRIL 28, 2009 MILITARY JUNTA PROCLAIMED IN PRETORIA

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: The Transvaler Seemag [Navy] announced tonight over shortwave radio broadcasts that Admiral Rudolf Kruger had proclaimed himself leader of a provisional military government in Pretoria as the legal successor to the fallen Hertzog government. The remaining military braches still functioning in Transvaal - the Lugmag and Raketkorps - along with the Interior Ministry pledged their support and loyalty to Admiral Kruger.

Admiral Kruger has asked foreign embassies still based in Pretoria not to recognise nor correspond with any other leadership claims by other groups or parties - citing the SNP and Van Matteus claims for leadership as baseless and illegal.

APRIL 30, 2009

SHORT-LIVED KRUGER DICTATORSHIP FALLS: Admiral R Kruger resigned as Leader of the Provisional Military Government after the last remaining ships of the Transvaler Seemag were sunk from enemy fire this morning.

General Petrus Malan and Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard have formed a diumvirate to replace Kruger and taken over the duties of the Provisional Military Government.

General Malan is the commander of the Transvaler Raketkorps which maintains Transvaal's nuclear weapon inventory while Lieutenant-Colonel Gerhard is second-in-command of the Transvaler Lugmag [airforce] (Lugmag commander Leonard Wise is unable to have a government leadership position due to racial requirements).

The PMG has advised all foreign nationals to leave Transvaal although ambassadors are being requested to stay at their posts in Pretoria.

MAY 3, 2009 GENERAL MALAN NEW DICTATOR OF TRANSVAAL: After the destruction of the last Lugmag aircraft, Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard resigned from the Provisional Military Government this morning. General Petrus Malan of the Transvaler Raketkorps – the last remaining military branch still functioning – then abolished the diumvirate and named himself military dictator of Transvaal.

MAY 5, 2009

General Petrus Malan has ordered almost all embassies in Transvaal closed - save for those belonging to Tahoe, Arctica, and the Franzharia Southern Empire.

"Our current foreign policy is on a severe war footing and many of the embassies in Pretoria house enemies and intriguers against Transvaal in our commitment to the Hegemony. Once the war is over and peace restored, my government will then re-examine the extent and ideological nature of our diplomatic relations. However I continue to wish maintain strong and brotherly diplomatic relations with our two closest regional allies - the Franzharians and Arcticans. As for Tahoe, our two nations are bonded in blood which even our respective alliance commitments cannot break. It is only ideologically natural that we retain and continue to strengthen Transvaal's ties to Tahoe - our oldest friend."

In other news, Malan has reinstituted the old Martencist fascist salute which must now be used whenever in the presence of the General. HAIL MALAN!

MAY 5, 2009

The current term for Eersteminister [Prime Minister] and African Paramount Chief expires on May 30, 2009.

His Excellency, the head-of-state Staatspresident Botha has therefore called for a National Election to determine the next Prime Minister and Paramount Chief of the Federal Republic of Transvaal.

TERMS OF OFFICE: May 31st 2009 to November 30th 2009

Prime Minister of the Federal Republic

The office of Prime Minister is open to any party candidate of the white Afrikaner race. All citizens of the Federal Republic regardless of race residing in the Federal Republic may vote for Prime Minister.

CANDIDATE:

General Petrus MALAN (Provisional Military Government of Transvaal)

African Paramount Chief

The office of Paramount Chief has been abolished by the Provisional Military Government of Transvaal.

RESPONSE FROM RANATHAR OF FRANZHARIA: "The Southern Empire of Franzharia supports Gen. Malan. However, some lower ranking Imperial Officials are preturbed by the lack of qualified opposition candidates."

RESPONSE FROM MYKEP OF FOREVER BATTLEFIELD: "Although I am white, my successor may not be. We will not tolerate racism on our continent and we will hold it to you to change such a stance for Prime Minister in the near future."

"However, considering the recent need for authority in South Africa, we are glad to see areas finally gaining control once more."

''RESPONSE BY RANATHAR TO MYKEP: "Though I certainly agree that it is a hot button issue, Transvaal has been an Afrikaner Supremacist State for the entirety of it's existance and I cannot realistically expect them to change that on the drop of a dime. Let us not, however, downplay the great strides Transvaal has made in the areas of equality and civil rights."

RESPONSE BY MYKEPTO RANATHAR: "I would never belittle Transvaal's actions in those areas, simply that the next step would be to allow a dominant race of the continent show its worth in the ability to lead the country. I, in no way, will cease any reason to make ties with Transvaal over this small matter. This is just a small flaw we see in their government's policy."

LUKAS REITZ (TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS): "It is a hot button issue because many people overseas are unaware of our history and therefore mistake or fail to see this fundimental essense of this ethnic requirement. They confuse "Afrikaner" and "white". Transvaal is built on the foundation of being an Afrikaner homeland first and foremost- however the course of history has made it so we become the only state in South Africa (apart from Natal)."

"Whites - the the form of Anglo-Transvalers - are also excluded from the leadership of the nation, however our governments and military branches have also had Anglo-Transvaler and African black members participating in them."

MALAN REPLACES CRUYWAGEN AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

The Provisional Military Government of Transvaal has appointed General P Malan the new Commander-in-Chief of the Transvaler Krygsmagte along with his duties as commander of the Transvaler Raketkorps.

Paul Cruywagen, the former commander of Transvaal's military since independence in December 2006 has been stripped of his rank by Malan and placed under arrest for 'dereliction of duty' which resulted in the destruction of the army in the war. Cruywagen denies all charges against him by the PMG, calling the military junta 'an illegal assemblage'.

General Malan told reporters today that the PMG would meet on Thursday at Government House to formally install itself and announce it's new government course of action. HAIL MALAN!

RESPONSE FROM MAELSTROM VORTEX OF DRAGONISIA: "Dragonisia has absolutely 0 concerns with an election on another continent. Not our business. If the people want rid of him, I'm sure they can evict him. That said, we look forward to a continuing and growing economic relationship with Transvaal. If Transvall REALLY wants to relax their security concerns, we highly recommend joining the Dragon Bloc network of allied states." - General and Chairman Pro-Tempore Anthony Davis.

PROVISIONAL MILITARY GOVERNMENT OF TRANSVAAL General P Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Transvaler Krygsmagte and Leader of the Provisional Military Government, announced to the people of the nation this evening that he has recalled all members of the Volksraad [National Assembly] to meet with him Thursday at Government House for an important set of announcements and proclamations from the Provisional Military Government of Transvaal.

RESPONSE FROM RANATHAR OF FRANZHARIA: "While I understand that the good General is likely quite busy these days, and has in all likelyhood quite the full schedule, I would like to meet with him, personally, at his earliest convienence. With our diplomatic mission preparing to enter a transitional phase, I do not feel it prudent to send the aging Selkirk or the green Strassburg to a delicate meeting such as this."

GENERAL MALAN'S REPLY TO RANATHAR: Due to the instability in Transvaal, the General feels that it would not be prudent for him to leave the Rand (the Pretoria-Johannesburg district).

Herr Ranathar Rukia is welcome to meet General Malan at Johannesburg Airport if such a face-to-face meeting is deemed imperative at the moment.

Once the war is over, General Malan will make the Southern Empire of Franzharia his first overseas visit.

RANATHAR'S REPLY TO GENERAL MALAN: "Naturally, Malan's first duty is to his folk. The meeting is not imperative and can be delayed as long as necessary so that Malan might be freed to do what is necessary to stabilize Transvaal."

Tahoe response to General Malan
MAY 4-5, 2009

Under the cover of darkness, General Petrus Malan made his way on foot to the Tahoe embassy with a small detachment of Interior Ministry troops to provide security. The last Krygsmagte vehicles had been destroyed days ago in air raids.

“I am General Malan, Leader of the Provisional Military Government” he said, saluting crisply to the guards at the embassy gates. Normally the gates were open, but with Transvaal gripped by anarchy and the streets under mob rule – having the heavy iron gates closed provided a small but nevertheless much-needed sense of security.

“I would like to speak with Ambassador Ó Grianna.”

Four soldiers in the grey urban uniforms of the Cosaint Thaidhleoireachta SS cautiously opened the gate before quickly hustling the General and his escort inside. The General immediately noticed that most of the windows of the embassy and its surrounding buildings had been covered up, except where a machine gun peeked through a small slit overlooking a strategic piece of ground. He also noticed the dozens of large green Tahoan flags flying, a clear marker to any enemy aircraft that this was an embassy and not a military target.

As the general was lead into the main embassy building, the CT-SS guide explained that per the Government of Transvaal's request, most embassy staff had been evacuated. Only the guards and a few dozen civilians remained, mostly because they couldn't get out in time. The Transvalers were led down a narrow staircase into what was clearly the basement. Inside they found Ambassador O'Grianna sitting at a small desk typing a report of some kind. When the Transvalers walked in, he stood and said,

"Welcome to our embassy, General Malan. I wish it could be under more...auspacious...circumstances, but things will have to do. Would you like a whisky? Please, how may I be of assistance?"

“Yes ambassador, thank you… I have heard much from our soldiers of the famous Tahoan whiskey.”

After the ambassador’s butler gave Malan a dram, the General sniffed the tumbler, swirled it around, and sniffed it again before taking a sip.

“Ahh, yes… I confess… all the rumours are true” laughed the General.

General Malan didn’t seem like most other Transvaler officer which Ó Grianna had met. He had a cool, strong confidence about him, personable yet someone not to be crossed. He wasn’t dry like Marshal Cruywagen nor one of the progressive apologists which Kruger and the navy tended to be. He had a determination which the ambassador had yet to meet in any of the Transvaler general staff officers.

“Ambassador, your time is important – and so is mine – so I will cut right to the point. As you probably know, I have taken control of the Provisional Military Government. A lull in the fighting has now occurred and the rioting should be under control in a couple of days, however…” – and the General polished off the last of his whisky and put the glass down with a thud – “I have no intention of stepping down to the civilians.”

General Malan took off his black leather gloves and placed them on the table next to where he was sitting.

“My nation has become weak under Hertzog, pandering to the liberals to deflect criticism from abroad. I however lose no sleep at night worry about international opinion.”

The ambassador could sense that Malan was being evasive, cautious, as he used their small talk to build up for something else.

“It is my intention to retain power once peace is declared and the hostilities cease. For me to do that, I now need your government’s support. I plan on severing diplomatic relations with everyone save Tahoe, Franzharia, and Arctica.”

The ambassador felt that Malan was like a vulture in the sky, circling around something – something he could not place.

The General leaned closer and spoke in more hushed tones: “According to our intelligence reports, Transvaal has lost almost 16,000 civilians killed in the war; 80% of them are African natives. An unfortunate loss (the ambassador noted the hint of sarcasm) which has become a convenient opportunity for the future.. After the war, it is my intention to promote a massive influx of white immigration during reconstruction so that our white population is strengthened towards a majority. I need white immigration – from Western Europe, from Tahoe… immigrants who can integrate and assimilate with the Afrikaners. That is the help I need, I need any excess population you can spare.”

The General then started into his second dram of whiskey which had been replaced by the butler.

“I also plan on cracking some skulls, so to speak. This too I need your ‘support’ – or rather, your silence in the international forum. While the nation is still in anarchy I want to eliminate those who will pose a threat to me. I will also need your help to rig elections so I can become the permanent prime minister of the nation.”

The General then sat back so what he had told Ó Grianna could sink in. He waited patiently for the ambassador’s answer.

"Well, I remember years ago my government suggested that if Transvaal wanted to avoid many of its problems, it simply remove the negro population. The then government of Transvaal didn't think highly of such an opinion, unfortunately."

The Ambassador scratched his head, trying to remember what his childhood history textbooks had told him about European immigration to Tahoe.

"I don't mean to bore you with a history lesson, General Malan, but this is pertinent. In the late 1800's, after Tahoe had one its independence from the former United States, we had a similar problem that you have. A small white population surrounded by natives, Indians in our case, Negros in yours. Our nation was intended to be an Irish homeland, the Republic of New Ireland we called it...and nobody supported us. The British feared we would use it as a base to liberate Ireland. They were right, after all. Our early leaders decided to appeal to all oppressed Europeans, changing the name to Tahoe and making English an official language, and guess what, massive influxes of immigrants from Europe followed. Irish, Scots, Germans, Scandinavians. Our problematic native population was overwhelmed and either exterminated or put on reservations. Now I'm not suggesting you do something so dramatic, nor that Transvaal becomes anything but an Afrikaner homeland, yet you must be willing to stomach making fundamental changes to the way you percieve your nation."

"Now, my government has already said it will support whomever can control Transvaal and we will dedicate significant monetary aid to your reconstruction post war, surely many of our citizens who participate in that effort will be willing to stay."

"My advice to you though, General, is to declare a total amnesty for all whites in Transvaal. Release Cruywagen, send him somewhere unimportant, watch him, keep him busy, but don't turn him into a martyr. Same with the others, Van Zyl, Annetjie van Matteus, Hertzog, do not let them become martyrs. Don't let yourself be seen as a dictator. You are the great benefactor who rescued Transvaal and led her back into the golden age, not an opportunistic despot. Understand?"

Now the General understood why Tahoans had such a reputation for being blunt. They were.

Ambassador Ó Grianna’s words had made an obvious strong impression on the General – it was plain to see. The wind was taken out of his sails, and General Malan sat and thought carefuly before responding.

He fidgeted with one of his medals on his uniform before quietly speaking. “That is most interesting, amusing actually, that you mention an amnesty as I was planning on arresting Hertzog, Geldenhuys, Stellenbosch, and Matambanadzo at Government House on Thursday.”

“As for Cruywagen and Annetjie van Matteus, the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of the Kyrgsmagte has removed any real political power they still had in Transvaal - the army is mine now. Van Zyl I have no idea where he is since escaping from custody during the riots.”

“Well ambassador, I welcome your advice and at least I can inform the PMG where we stand in regards to our Tahoe friends. I must be going now, and I shall think your words over very thoroughly.”

The General got up to leave.

"Well General, you certainly have an interesting chance here. Don't waste the opportunity making rash actions."

The Ambassador gave an unsettling smile as he showed the General to the door. Turning back to his desk and a report on the likelyhood of an ultranationalist regime post-war. Picking the paper up, he crumpled it and threw it into the garbage. He was all wrong. This General Malan chap, he changed everything.

Later, back at Malan's barracks:

“Thirty-two percent, sir. That is what our civilian casualties have been so far” said Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard. Then a smile broke across the air force officer’s face. “But… if we can rebuild our population back to our pre-war levels through European immigration, then we shall finally have our beloved white majority”.

“I see” said a somewhat glum General Malan. The meeting with the Tahoans had been a rude awaking into the realities of realpolitik. He started to comprehend the notion of not making martyrs out of minnows, but the advice which he had received from Ambassador Ó Grianna went against his grain. ‘You are the great benefactor who rescued Transvaal and led her back into the golden age, not an opportunistic despot’ the words echoed in his mind’s ears over and over again.

“Ach, I am not a politician, I am not that man the Tahomans speak of!” bellowed the General to his listener. “I do not have the niceties of being a civilian. I only understand order and discipline... which this country solely needs. I don’t use kidgloves, I use my fists!”

The lieutenant-colonel pondered. “Sir, now I wouldn’t worry too much. We have had our fair share of civilian morons at the helm – and, I’m not comparing you to a moron – ” Gerhard quickly backtracked himself “…but let’s face it, you cannot do any worse than Van der Byl or Annetjie van Matteus did. Hertzog also made his fair share of blunders.” Gerhard then laughed, to stress his point regarding Hertzog: “So unless you are planning on invading Paraguay anytime soon, I say do what you can for the next six months and when your term in office expires in November, just retire and let the civilians pick up the pieces from where you left off. Who knows, you might do a good enough job that you get re-elected!”

Arctican response to General Malan
MAY 5-6, 2009

"Arctica finds this a troubling course of events. Transvaal is now effectively a military dictatorship. Election fraud has already been committed, and Transvaal's most experienced military commander is imprisoned with no evidence against him. We will be watching this situation closely."

Demonstrations have begun in cities across Arctica, especially in Tulear, where a crowd of several tens of thousands has assembled in the vicinity of the statue of former Field Marshal Cruywagen, who is viewed as a hero across much of Arctica for his actions during the August Betrayal. They call for his immediate release and denounce the Provisional Military Government as opportunistic and similar to the one set up in Arctica last August.

- - -

"This is unfortunate," spoke the middle-aged man into the phone. "Cruywagen was the most reasonable of the bunch."

"You're telling me," snorted the younger woman, shaking her head. "I met with him regularly, back during the Betrayal. I'm sure you know I led the loyalist forces that worked with him back then."

"Yes, yes, it's most of the reason you were appointed Mundokiir," said Thadon, recalling those days in his head. Bad memories, but he wasn't afraid to delve into them.

"Something has to be done, you know that. Are you going to negotiate with them?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Info Command sent agents into Transvaal earlier, didn't they? To infiltrate the SNP?"

"Yes, though we still haven't heard from them yet. We're in regular contact with the second wave, though, sent after the war started. Several have infiltrated refugee camps, but most of them are roaming."

"Do me a favor and have them infiltrate this new government. No doubt Malan will be desperate for recruits at this point."

"Of course, and I premuse many of the records have been destroyed. The fighting down there has been pretty bad."

"Thank you. ... Hm."

"Something on your mind?"

"This situation certainly presents an opportunity for the vultures."

"I suppose you're not speaking of Malan?"

"No. Lex."

A sigh came from the other line. "It's possible. He's been notoriously difficult to track. We thought we had something in Mahajanga a few mon-"

"You know I like to get to the point, Thadon."

"Of course, my apologies. As I was saying, the most we can narrow it down is that he's somewhere in Afroeurasia."

Now it was the Mundokiir's turn to sigh. "Well, this'll do. Thank you. I'll keep in touch."

"Good-bye, Sylvia." Click.

- - -

Most of the whites in the second wave of operatives received their instructions and proceeded to attempt infiltration of Malan's support base.

The Arctican ambassador in Pretoria has requested a meeting with General Malan to discuss Paul Cruywagen's imprisonment.

A group of a half-dozen or so rough-looking, armed, nonhostile men and women have attempted to make contact with the PMG in Pretoria. They claim to have business with the new government, claim no allegiance, and refuse to speak with anyone but a high party official. They are led by a naggingly familiar-looking red-haired man. Some of them share a striking resemblance with certain individuals on Arctica's "Most Wanted" list.

- - -

General Malan agreed to meet with the Arctican ambassador and made his way to their embassy in Pretoria. The General seemed somewhat aggrivated. He was in no mood for another dressing down like that he received from the Tahoans, 'hopefully the Arcticans can be more accomodating to the PMG' he thought to himself. As Malan approached the embassy building, he would notice that the Arctican embassy, too, was fortified due to the unsafe conditions. The usual two Diplomatic Security Service agents were replaced by four DSS agents in Army BDUs. One radioed back to inform the embassy staff of his arrival, and another opened the gate, then closed it behind him.

There were several more DSS agents milling about in the small courtyard, which had a few barricades set up in strategic positions. One of them opened the door for him.

Upon entering the embassy, Malan encountered a secretary. "Good afternoon, General, the ambassador is expecting you." She stood up. "This way, please." There weren't many people inside the embassy; most of the staff had been evacuated along with the ambassador's family, leaving behind only essentials and their reinforced security staff. The secretary led General Malan up to the second floor, down a short hallway, and through a door guarded by two more DSS agents. One of them glanced at Malan, then at the woman, and let them through.

They entered the ambassador's office, which was unremarkable aside from a portrait of Vedran on the right side of the room and a portrait of Staatspresident Botha on the other. The ambassador stood from his chair and reached over to shake Malan's hand.

"Good afternoon, General, I am Marko Lalić," he said before sitting down. "Please, have a seat. Andreja, bring us some coffee." The secretary nodded and exited the room.

"General, I want to discuss Cruywagen and his imprisonment."

General Malan had been expecting this. He was fully aware of Cruywagen's particular connections with Arctica. But they were probably not aware of his:

"You may not know this, but before I become commander of the Raketkorps I participated in the invasion of Madagascar. I was a Lugmag officer at the time and flew air missions in the Mahajanga district along the border between the Vrystaat and Free Arctica. Around a month into my tour of duty I was recalled home and placed in command of our V-2 stockpile."

The General sipped back on his coffee, then added "A beautiful island if I may say so."

He put his empty cup and saucer down on the low coffee table in front of him.

"As for Marshal Cruywagen, his detention is only a temporary measure as the Provisional Military Government restructures itself into a more long-term governing body. I actually plan on releasing him tomorrow during the joint meeting tomorrow between the PMG and the former Volksraad... the National Assembly as it is called in English..."

General Malan picked up his refilled coffee cup. As he sat back, the chestfull of medals on his uniform jingled. He then exposed a sly grin.

"One of our announcements tomorrow would be regarding our Foreign Service and I had actually thought about naming Herr Cruywagen our new ambassador to Arctica... if it meets with your approval?"

The ambassador was not expecting this. He was expecting an awkward negotiation. Instead, this man circumvented the negotiation and said he was planning on releasing Cruywagen and appointing him ambassador to Arctica.

Sometimes this job is really, really, easy thought Marko to himself.

"I see," he said neutrally. "That is good to hear. Cruywagen is very popular back home, perhaps the most well-liked Transvaler in Arctica. I believe his appointment as ambassador would be well-taken as a sign of goodwill towards my government."

The ambassador had not touched his coffee. He stopped for a moment to take a long gulp before setting the cup and saucer down.

"Very well, General. You have our thanks." The media back home would be watching tomorrow's address closely. Most were forecasting an increase in the number of people protesting, but just about the opposite would happen. Delightful.

"I will be keeping in touch with your government if something arises. I wish you well in your efforts to restore order. I hope this is the start of a fruitful relationship between the PMG and the democratic government it is trying to pave the way for." Because I know you're going to bring the rightful government back as soon as you can.

Marko finished off his coffee and stood to shake Malan's hand.

As General Malan left the embassy to return back to his barracks compound which had been functioning at the PMG headquarters, he thought to himself: 'Good... good... I have both appeased the Arcticans and got Cruywagen out of my way'.

By now, the agents were attempting to join with various arms of the PMG, preparing to become sleepers in Malan's new regime. Meanwhile, the small group with the unknown intentions were still seeking an audience with a high official of the PMG.

MAY 7, 2009

Many people across Arctica turned on their TVs to watch the address, which was being aired on the main Arctica News Service channel. Protests swelled, and many crowds broke out into cheering when hearing of Cruywagen's new status. Over the next few hours, the crowds dispersed with a minimum of incidents.

Apart from this, the media depicted Malan and the PMG in a largely negative light, owing to the country's bad experience with military juntas and the sudden dismantling of the Federal Republic.

In Pretoria, a captured (enemy) humvee with the machine gun stripped off and a crude orange-white-blue tricolor painted on the side came to a stop. The two men hanging on the side hopped off. The doors opened, and two men and two women exited. They were all wearing combat fatigues, some of them muddy. However, only one was armed.

The driver, a tall, powerful-looking man, who appeared to be the leader, had a holster at his side as well as a combat knife. He wore a black glove on his right hand with three of the fingers (of the glove) cut off to accommodate firearms, showing heavy scarring. His red hair looked like it hadn't been cut in some time, and he was sporting some stubble. His most noticeable feature was the right side of his face, which had been severely injured at some point; part of it had been burned, and an ugly scar emerged from his hair and went down to his chin, passing under an eyepatch. The scars looked recent, no older than a few months, a year at the most. He gave some brief hand signals to one of the men, who nodded firmly and went around to the back of the car to stand guard. They had put all their weapons in the trunk, and they did not want the Transvalers snooping.

The others followed the red-haired man to the entrance of the building. His piercing green eye stared at one of the Transvalers guarding the building. "I have an appointment with Lieutenant-Colonel Gerhard," said Adam Lex. "Take me to him immediately."

No doubt one of the more observant underlings would recognize him sooner or later, but he was counting on it being later.

Three guards in the uniforms of the Lugmag looked over cautiously at them. "Leave your weapons here and follow us."

They were lead inside of the temporary Lugmag headquarters. Various officers and rank troops sat around, drinking coffee, talking, playing cards. With Transvaal's airforce at a sixth of its strength, there were a lot of idle airforce personal trying to find ways to look busy.

A man in in 50s or early 60s approached the group. He put out his cigar on a broken desk nearby and held out his hand and said "Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard, what can I do for you?"

Lex stared down the guards for a few moments, then slowly reached for his holster. He removed it from his person, as well as the knife, and handed them to one of his group. The woman passed the items to the man watching the vehicle, who stashed them in the trunk. The woman returned and the group of five followed the Transvalers.

All of them were alert, knowing they may be identified at any time. After all, they were highly wanted traitors in their country.

When the Lieutenant Colonel approached them, the red-haired man looked him over. He glanced at the man's outstretched hand, then looked up at his face. The others spread out a bit so they weren't so bunched up. They tried to look casual, as casual as four unidentified combatants could be in the middle of a military facility.

"Lt. Col. Gerhard. Hello. Congratulations on your faction's rise to power. Very audacious." Lex grinned wolfishly, then looked into the other's eyes for any sign of recognition before continuing. "My group here has been scouting opportunities with reasonable entities for some time and I have to admit that Transvaal's situation has caught my eye."

He lowered his voice. "In exchange for...privacy - and, of course, recompensation - we would be willing to work for your government and take care of any...issues that arise from the sudden change of hands." To see Lex make such a straightfoward offer would cause many who know him to take pause. The man was a snake. But of course, his power was not as it was before, and he had been on the run for months now. He needed a place to settle down, collect his thoughts, and maybe even impose his own designs on the area.

Now that he had made the offer, his compatriots tensed a little. They expected at any moment for Gerhard to discover them and order them seized. They were ready to act at any moment. It was a risky venture Lex had entered, but he thought it was worth the risk, and so here they were.

Gerhard's coc.ked an eye when he heard Lex's offer. He had no clue who this guy was - likely some soldier of forture who saw Transvaal's period of anarchy a profitable opportunity for work. Or it could possibly be some yahoo's from the VF or SNP or whatever there name of the week was. He didn't know.

"Hmm, an interesting proposition you make but not an offer which I myself can act on. Unless you can fly a plane, the Lugmag has no use for you our your men. If you want, I could contact my superiors and vet it with them... all off the record of course. I do have to leave shortly for a military briefing meeting at the Interior Ministry."

Lieutenant-Colonel Gerhard then took out a cigarette, offered one to Lex, and then pulled a long drag after lighting his own.

Lex accepted the cigarette. He lit it with his own zippo and took a drag. He could indeed fly a plane, as could his companions. They had been given some of the best training Arctica had to offer. But Gerhard did not need to know that.

"No, see, I asked for a high-up with the PMG and you just happened to be available. We're not looking to fly planes. It would be good if you contacted your superiors about this. After all," he said, blowing some smoke through his nose, "Transvaal needs as much help as it can get right now."

He looked at the others, then turned back to Gerhard. "And I mean what I said about privacy."

Dietrichs Gerhard extinguished his cigarette. "Well, then I should be on my way. Is there a number or somewhere I can contact you once I have an answer?"

The red-haired man handed his cigarette to one of his companions. "Naturally." He gave Gerhard the number to a prepaid cell phone he acquired recently.

"I will be in the area. I look forward to hearing from you." He turned around and led the others out of the building. The man guarding the vehicle reported no problems. They rearmed themselves and got into the humvee, two of them hanging on the sides. Lex grunted as he closed the damaged driver's door with some difficulty, grumbling to himself. "Need to get them to give me something better than this piece of !@#$...found it almost flipped by a road, what was I thinking..." The humvee sped off into the distance.

They drove around the city for a while to shake any pursuers before heading out of town some ways to an abandoned petrol station they'd been using as a safehouse since a day ago. They performed maintenance on the vehicle, their weapons; some slept, some stood watch. The six that had come into Pretoria were all of them.

Making sure he wasn’t being followed, Lieutenant-Colonel Gerhard sped his way through the rubble of downtown Pretoria. The city had only been rebuilt recently from the damage taken during the Azarian conflict when the bombs came raining down yet again.

Gerhard pulled his jeep up in front of the Arctican embassy. He jumped out and walked briskly up to the guards at the gate. He saluted them, then said “I am Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard with the Provisional Military Government. I need to speak with either Ambassador Marko Lalić or with your military attaché if he is still here.”

While he waited, he made a call on his cellphone. “Boersma… it’s me, Gerhard. I’m at the Arctican embassy right now checking something out. Contact Malan and ask him to meet with you and me in an hour at the PMG headquarters. Out.”

=Republic of Transvaal= MAY 7, 2009

PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRANSVAAL

The scene inside the chambers of the Volksraad was chaotic. After riots and anarchy had overthrown the Federal Government days ago and the subsequent installation of the Provisional Military Government, this was the first time the elected government had met. Some of its members had emerged from hiding, fearful of the military junta while others had made their way to the National Assembly straight-away after their release from detention by the Interior Ministry. The spectator viewing section positioned above the main government chamber where the Volksraad representatives sat was filled standing room only, packed by reporters and local diplomatic staff curious to see what Malan would do and say. An unruly tension gripped the scene.

Suddenly two military guards positioned at the entrance to the Volksraad chamber snapped to attention. This drew everyone’s attention and silence as General Malan strode hurriedly yet with confident bearing into the Volksraad. He walked up to the speaker’s podium, gave the old Martencist fascist salute, and waved the crowd to quiet down so they could hear him speak.

“People of Transvaal, this recent week has been a time of trial for our nation. Never in our history have we faced such devastation from war as we have now. The war has tested the resolve of our people and the strength of our institutions. Our people have proven resilient but the Federal Republican system has not as it was swept away by rioting.”

“Therefore effective immediately, I proclaim the end of the Federal Republic and the birth of the Republic of Transvaal.”

The Volksraad erupted into a cacophony of cheers, jeers, and protest. Malan raised his voice to continue, ignoring those who were shouting ‘traitor’ and ‘shame’ at him.

“To maintain a seamless transition of power to the new republic, the old Federal electoral system will be retained as well as its government departments. By unanimous decision of the Provisional Military Government, effective May 30, 2009 I shall be declared elected to the post of Prime Minister of Transvaal for a term of six-moths [sic] – although I shall remain at my military post as the PMG is integrated into the new civilian administration.”

Paper and books began to fly as the more vocal opponents showed their disgust towards Malan. A couple tried to get up and leave, but were ushered back to their seat by additional military police which had slowly and quietly made their way into the main Volksraad chamber.

“I am proclaiming a political amnesty of all political prisoners in our labour camps. Those who are non-whites or communists will be taken to our northern frontier with the Franzharia Southern Empire and forced to leave Transvaal immediately. The remainder may remain in Transvaal but report to police once per day.”

“In the department of Foreign Affairs, effective immediately Peter Stellenbosch has been retired and I thank him for his long service to the nation. He has been at his post since independence but it is now time for new blood. Therefore his replacement will be Hendrik Strijdom.”

“By unanimous decision of the Provisional Military Government, I have been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Krygsmagte. During the next days and weeks, the military high command will undergo restructuring. Marshal Cruywagen has been asked to retire and accept a posting as ambassador to Arctica.”

“The remainder of the Executive Cabinet, save for that of the former prime minister Herr Hertzog, and deputy prime minister Herr Geldenhuys, will remain at their respective portfolios until further notice.”

Hertzog and Geldenhuys stood up and began shouting insults at Malan, but the General ignore them.

“Effective immediately, all political parties are declared suspended until November 1, 2009 when the next Republican electoral campaign begins for the November 30 election. The Provisional Military Government is the only permitted political authority permitted during that time.”

“At the time of the November 30 election, the Provisional Military Government will return full government authority back to civilian control and the military, myself included, will return to our barracks to serve the new Republic.”

Malan looked around the Volksraad and then glanced upstairs at the viewing section to gauge what the foreign diplomatic reaction was to his announcements.

“The war is not yet over, but once peace is restored to Southern Africa I will lead the people and military towards reconstruction.” Malan thundered over the sound of the crowd to conclude: “I do not do this because it may be popular, I do this because it is necessary for our national survival! That is all!”

With that, Malan gave the Martencist salute, did an about-face, and walked out of the Volksraad.

A detachment of troops from the Interior Ministry entered the chamber and surrounded Hertzog and Geldnehuys. Both men started shouting protests to the troops but they were unable to prevent themselves from being hustled away.

Later, Hertzog and Geldenhuys would be taken for a drive to the frontier with Franzharia. They were also joined by Stellenbosch, who had been arrested as he left Government House. A troop truck pulled up to an isolated border post, and the three men forced out. An officer told them to cross the border otherwise they would all be shot.

Hertzog, Stellenbosch, and Geldenhuys looked at each other, shrugged, and accepted their fate. They began the walk towards the border guard-station marked “Southern Empire” – and their exile.

Down on the chaotic floor of the Volksraad, Ambassador O'Grianna gave a wry smile at General Malan's announcement, saying under his breath, "Well done lad, well done." Many of the deputies stared at him, trying to gauge his reaction to the speech.

After returning to the embassy, the ambassador sent a formal declaration of recognition to the new regime, announcing that the Government of the Tahoe Republic had decided to formally recognize the authority of General Malan and the Provisional Military Government

TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS: [CAPE TOWN] Storms hit the south coast of Transvaal this morning, causing widespread flooding, disruption, and downed power lines. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes and crops destroyed. The new Malan Government distributed aid to the bereaved and displaced.

MAY 8, 2009

Finance & Trade Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr announced this morning that the joint-brewery consortium venture with Dragonisia has been re-approved by the Provisional Military Government: "Whether the 49% foreign ownership of Springbok Lager will continue when full civilian government is restored in November waits to be seen, however after speaking with General Malan the past day or so, he sees no reason to disrupt the economy by retraction of the foreign share-holdings."

MAY 9, 2009

Fredrick Geldenhuys and Paul Cruywagen announced today that the Demokratiese Barakke Party (DBP - Democratic Drillhall Party) has regrouped in Arctica to base itself there until the suspension of political party activity has been lifted in Transvaal.

The DBP was established in August 2008 as a progressive protest movement against the invasion of Boereguay and frustration with the neo-fascist influence from the Verwoerd Front and assorted independent martencists under Annetjie van Matteus. While the party was formed by civilian admirers of Paul Cruywagen, the marshal refused to be associated with the DBP as he said at the time that “my loyalties are to the state itself – not to the ruling party”.

However, now that he has been sacked from his military post and shipped off to Arctica as the new ambassador there, Cruywagen saw no conflict of interest in aligning himself with Geldenhuys and the DBP.

“We want to be up and ready at a moment’s notice for any future legitimate elections” said party leader Geldenhuys. “We are hoping that both Arctica and the Franzharia Southern Empire will permit us to set up our organizational base in their countries.”

MAY 12, 2009

After holding a popular referendum, the Franzharia Southern Empire has voted to disolve and for re-annexation into the Republic of Transvaal.

The Provisional Military Government has unanimously agreed to the desire of the people of the former Southern Empire and effective May 15, 2009 the Republic of Transvaal will exercise its option under the Botha Line Doctrine to re-claim and annex territory in Central Southern Afrca formerly claimed by Franzharia.

Effective May 15, 2009 the Republic of Transvaal will be re-organised with the following internal political divisions - all former "protectorates" have been made into provinces or territories: Transvaal (South Africa); Namibia Province; Sotho Province; Tswana Province; Swazi Province; Rhodesia Province; Northern Rhodesia; (Southern) Mozambique Province; (Southern) Angola Territory; Indian Ocean Territory (Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion, Rodrigues, Tromelin, Aldabra, Coco Islands); and Southern Islands Territory (Prince Edward Island, Marion Island, Bouvet Island).

MAY 13, 2009

Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom announced today that Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Transvaal General Petrus Malan does not want any removal of the Franzharian legacy in the soon-to-be-reannexed provinces.

As Foreign Minister Strijdom told Pretoria's small contingent of diplomats: "It is this government's intention to respect and honour the history of those provinces during their time of succession from the old Federal Republic. We shall leave up all imperial flags and signs until they collapse or fall down from old age. The Provisional Military Government wants to show the rest of Africa that we are not invaders nor occupiers. We become the provinces back into the Fatherland yet we do not wish to trample on their own unique history."

MAY 17, 2009

Widespread strikes gripped over Transvaal after steel workers, automobile manufacturers, brewers, construction workers, hazmat crews, and road pavers walked off their jobs yesterday. Violence broke out as Krygsmagte troops under orders from the Provisional Military Government clashed with picketing workers resulting in the tragic deaths of 1,651 picketing workers.

Commander-in-Chief Petrus Malan said that communists were responsible for provoking the outbreak of violence and vowed to crush all union opposition to the PMG.

MAY 21, 2009

The Provisional Military Government of the Republic of Transvaal announced today that all strikes have been crushed and workers have returned to their jobs.

"Communism will not be tolerated in Transvaal and labour rights are subservient to the needs of the Republic" proclaimed General Petrus Malan to the Volksraad assembly at Government House. "Attempts to import that alien and morally disgusting ideology will be met with force."

MAY 29, 2009

TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS [PRETORIA]: The Provisional Military Government claimed an expected victory in today’s national election, with Petrus Malan claiming 58 seats unopposed in the Volksraad [National Assembly] for a six-month term.

With a firm electoral base now in the Volksraad, Malan promoted himself to Field Marshal and renamed the provisional regime the Republican Military Government. The Marshal then spoke to the nation and outlined the RMG’s policies for the coming months.

He spoke first of reconstruction and its ramifications on the general populace:

“The goal of the RMG is to return us to our pre-war level of technology and infrastructure. Until that goal is met, the RMG will remain the sole governing authority in the Republic of Transvaal and civilian elections will not be held until after the achievement of that goal (2000 technology, 6000 infrastructure).”

He then spoke of Transvaal’s new immigration policy:

“One consequence of the Karma War was our population drop. As we begin to attract immigrants, the RMG will be following a strict policy of ‘whitefication’ to narrow the imbalance of numbers between the white minority and black majority. Effective immediately, all immigration will consist of only those people whose ethnicity originates in Western Europe or Anglo-Saxon America. All immigrants will be required to take civilisation aptitude tests to confirm they follow sound Christian beliefs and are willing to conform with Anglo-Afrikaner culture.”

“To further encourage whitefictation, contraception and abortions will be handed out free, paid by the government to all non-white citizens. Likewise, a ban on contraception and abortions will henceforth apply to all white citizens. The goal of the RMG – as you can clearly see – is to build a white majority in Transvaal and thus remove the racial conflict which has plagued our Afrikaner people and homeland. Our massive defeat in the Karma War shows us that the old Hertzogian policies of Federalism cannot and do not work.”

“We must build a New Republic.”

Tied in with the RMG’s goals for technology and infrastructure, Malan explained that civilian elections will also be tied to when Transvaal’s population reaches both 55,000 civilians and a white majority. At that point, a date would be set by Marshal Malan for civilian elections no farther than six months from that point and the RMG would turn power back over to the elected civilian government.

Amongst other proclamations, Malan announced that the post of African paramount chief would be abolished, communism, trade unionism, and freemasonry in all their forms would be suppressed with violent vigor, the fascist salute and "Hail Malan" would be used by all military and government personal, and that the territories of Malawi and Northern Mozambique would be re-annexed into the Republic since the demise of local government in those territories.

As well in the coming days, Foreign Minister H Strijdom will be examining Transvaal's foreign relations and and re-assigning Transvaal's diplomatic staff. Currently, only Tahoe maintains a functioning embassy in Pretoria - since all foreign diplomatic staff were encouraged to depart during the Karma War. HAIL MALAN!

RESPONSE FROM VEDRAN OF ARCTICA: A short speech from Vedran: "For years, Transvaal has operated under a racist, backwards system that made the black man subservient to the white minority. While morally questionable, this system was at least tolerable. Now Malan has decided to circumvent the minority rule and force a white majority on the nation, even suspending democratic elections until he has his majority. This systematic neutering of the black African people in South Africa crosses the line from 'questionable' to 'reprehensible'. Transvaal has become a country that this government cannot, in good conscience, have dealings with. I am announcing the immediate cessation of diplomatic relations between Arctica and the Republican Military Government of Transvaal. Our ambassador in Pretoria will be leaving as soon as he can secure transportation, and Transvaal's embassy in Oceana has until one week from now to gather up any of their citizens currently in this country. Transvaler citizens currently in Arctica may also apply for political asylum."

A notice was sent to Ambassador Cruywagen informing him of the changes. He was also informed that he may request asylum for himself and his diplomatic staff (except guards) if he desires, and that the DBP would still be allowed to base itself in Arctica.

Paul Cruywagen continues to remain at his post as Ambassador to Arctica as well as coordinating the DBP in exile.

''Since the demise of the Franzharia Southern Empire in Africa, the DBP has lost Lusaka as a base of operations. Therefore party leader Frederick Geldenhuys is attempting to make his way from Lusaka via safe houses to Arctica.''

RESPONSE FROM YAMATO OF KYOKUJITSU TEIKOKU: Yamato supports Malan in his quest for peace.

RESPONSE FROM THE UNITED NATION OF SERCA: In a televised event The Emperor has broadcasted this message throughout the world:

"It seems that our southern neighbor has taken a sharp turn in the wrong direction. Africa in general is a black dominated majority along with Arabs. We feel that whites have had no business in Africa. Yes they are here and yes we have a small minority here in Serca and we dont wish to change that. But giving certain rights to a certain race is not tolerable by Serca. I hereby close our southern border to all traffic and trade,If any. I am sorry to do this but Transvaal is not looking respectable in our eyes. I strongly urge the Transvaal people take charge of thier government. As of now it is looking as if they are in a dictatorship and no longer a republic. That is all for now."

RESPONSE FROM TAHOE REPUBLIC: The Tahoe Republic reaffirmed its commitment to friendship with Transvaal in a press conference today. A federal, multi-cultural society has caused nothing but problems for their people, as multi-culturalism is want to do. Tahoe itself strictly limits immigration to Tahoe by non-whites to almost zero. All non-white immigrants to Tahoe granted entrence have, for the past decade or so, been of asian decent as they are seen as most capable of participating in Tahoan society.

This is the government of Transvaal looking out for what is best for itself.

ARCTICAN REPLY TO TAHOE: Tahoe's case is different than that of Transvaal. While the native Americans around California were largely neutralized by the time the Republic of Tahoe took full control of the area, South Africa and after it, Transvaal have been 70-80% populated by blacks, and as of last year that number was 80% blacks, and the ruling Afrikaner race constituted 10% of the total population.

This is not the government of Transvaal looking out for the best interests of its citizens (as is generally the purpose of a government) and keeping out racially incompatible individuals in an otherwise homogenous nation (as Tahoe is doing); this is the military junta in Transvaal (led by the autocratic Field Marshal Malan) looking out for its own best interests by eliminating the blacks and bringing the whites into a majority so they can rule with impunity.

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: Judith Matambanadzo, the last paramount chief of Transvaal's African native population, was arrested this afternoon by the Republican Military Government. She was leaving Government House for the last time with her personal belongings after emptying out her office when she was unexpectedly arrested and hauled away in a military vehicle.

The Ministry of Interior issued a statement that "the government deemed Ms. Matambanadzo a threat to national security during the reconstruction period as she could become a rallying symbol for potential terrorist and communist opposition."

RESPONSE BY SARAH TINTAGYL OF THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE: Truly reprehensible that we live in a modern world were one race is given any such privileges over the other citizens of a country, if you could call them that. Any respect that the Hanseatic Commonwealth once had for the Transvaal has been lost and we wait anxiously for a regime change that may induce some freedom to the oppressed people of Transvaal. If it goes beyond that, our doors are always opened to any such influx of refugees that would at least desire human rights to be represented in their government, which apparently is not the case here. While some people may possibly believe that state purity is something to aim for, I fail to see the rewards of oppressing a population that vastly outnumbers its oppressors, revolution has been historically proven at these points.

Nevertheless, Hanseatic trade will cease to the Transvaal until their policies in regards to their own people change.

MAY 31, 2009

[PRIVATE COMMUNICATION] TO: the Governments of Arctica, United Nation of Serca, and the Hanseatic Commonwealth

I beg you to reconsidering your governments’ decisions to terminate various levels of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Transvaal.

The more isolated Transvaal becomes, the greater Petrus Malan is able to maintain and consolidate his authority over the nation.

There are those of us in the government who do not agree with Malan’s policies however we have chosen to continue collaboration with the Republican Military Government so that we can covertly minimize the damage from its social engineering policies.

At some point in the future the Republican Military Government will relinquish or outright lose power and we want to ensure that the transition to civilian rule will be as painless and peaceful as possible. [signed] - Gert Boersma; Minister of Interior for Republic of Transvaal.

REPLY BY SARAH TINTAGYL TO MINISTER GERT BOERSMA: Minister Boersma, I thank you for your plea and will enter talks with the Diet to perhaps grant limited trade rights to Transvaal during this period. Though I cannot promise you anything at the moment, Malan is a criminal against the rights of humanity in my eyes as well in there's, but if our policy of embargo will readily effect the Black population that is suffering under his rule then perhaps we can make a deal. My heart goes out to you minister as well as your population that is suffering under this horrible rule and if there is anything I personally can do, or the Hansa as a whole, you need only ask and I am at your service.

Transvaal under democratic leadership I know can restore the country to its proud place on Earth, I only hope that the time will come soon.

Sincerely, Sarah Tintagyl, Lady Protector of the Hanseatic Commonwealth

JUNE 4, 2009

MATAMBANADZO ESCAPES TRANSVAAL - CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: In a spy caper straight out of a novel, former African paramount chief Judith Matambanadzo has escaped from detention in Transvaal and fled the country. According to reports issued by Paul Cruywagen, the Transvaler Consul-General in Arctica, Ms. Matambanadzo is now in Arctica after Interior Minister Gert Boersma sprung her from prison and covertly ushered her to safety.

Mr. Boersma has since resigned his post as Interior Minister and gone into exile in Arctica. “I wanted to remain at my post and try to nullify as much of the Republican Military Government’s questionable policies and practices as possible, however I found it harder and harder on my conscious to remain complacent to the Malan regime” said Mr. Boersma in a brief statement he made on arrival in Arctica.

''Meanwhile in Pretoria, Field Marshal Malan looked at the short list of replacements for Boersma. After he made his decision, he then called for his assistant: “Lieutenant, I want you to summon Karl van Zyl here immediately to meet with me. Inform him that he is now the new Interior Minister.”''

JUNE 12, 2009

The Republic of Transvaal has come to an agreement with the Seventh Reich of Dagigigigigiigka for the relocation and independence of the Seventh Reich to the Transvaler provinces of Southern Angola and Zambia - which shall be granted their independence at one minutes past midnight tonight.

Terms of the independence agreement granted by Pretoria are as follows:

1) the Republic of Transvaal hereby recognizes the independence of the Seventh Reich effective one minute after update June 11/12, 2009.

2) the Republic of Transvaal is hereby granted a grandfathered overlapping territorial clause (also known as the Lübeck Clause). Should said independent territory of the Seventh Reich leave RP, lose or relinquish their assigned territory, nation deletion, or leave the game, Transvaal immediately regains said territory.

3) the Republic of Transvaal promises not to interfere in the internal social-political forces within the independent states seceding from the Republic. The Seventh Reich likewise promises not to interfere in the internal social-politics of the Republic.

4) The independent state are assumed to have the political and military protection of Transvaal at the Republic’s discretion.

5) Should the Seventh Reich relocate their in-game capitals outside of their territory, their agreement with Transvaal is null and void and said territory reverts back to the Republic. The Seventh Reich has one week to comply with in-game capital relocation to their African territory.

6) One pair of brand new leather jackboots from a reputable German manufaturer will be supplied free of charge to Field Marshal Petrus Malan on the 1st of each month as long as he remains Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal.

7) Transvaal will take all necessary actions to confirm the Seventh Reich's territorial claims as long as this agreement remains in effect.

[signed] Staatspresident Botha of the Republic of Transvaal; Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal; Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom

JUNE 17, 2009

Minister of Finance & Trade Marthinus Hofmeyr is pleased to announce the signing of a trade agreement with Repubblica Italiana. The Republic of Transvaal will supply sugar and water while Repubblica Italiana will provide marble and wheat in exchange.

"We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial economic relationship with Repubblica Italiana" commeneted Minister Hofmeyr.

JUNE 19, 2009

Transvaal’s exiled opposition spoke out today against the Malan regime, with Jakob Martin Hertzog and Paul Cruywagen blaming the marshal for over 7,000 deaths due to government oppression and economic neglect since he took power at the end of April.

“That man have more blood on his hands than Mrs. Macbeth” said Hertzog in his characteristic, heavily accented and halting English.

Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Goverment of Transvaal, denounced the opposition critics, saying that since the Republic of Transvaal was proclaimed last month, Transvaal’s population has actually increased by around 1,000 citizens due to immigration from Europe.

Malan accused the opposition of being “spineless tools of international communistm, liberals, atheists, zionists, and freemasons”.

Cruywagen and Hertzog urged the international community to maintain the moral spotlight on Pretoria and pressure on the Malan dictatorship.

JUNE 22, 2009

TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE NUUS: The Republican Military Government claimed victory this morning as the two-week old strike which had been crippling the nation in various industrial and manufacturing sectors collapsed and workers returned to work. As punishment the government ordered that all striking workers would be deducted one week’s pay as punishment for the damage the strikes did to the national economy and post-war reconstruction.

In other news out of Pretoria, the government announced its latest population demographic figures – which showed a 50% increase in the white population to bring it up to about 31% of the overall number of citizens. Field Marshal Malan cited immigration from West European refugees providing the vast majority of the increase.

JUNE 23, 2009

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: Unconfirmed reports are indicating that 1,498 protesters have died in clashes this morning with RMG troops after workers in five economic and industrial sectors walked off their jobs just one day after the government claimed victory over the illegal trade unions.

Said one unidentified trade union leader: “The RMG is exploiting the economic crises as a means to willfully eliminate those who oppose the oppression of the military junta. All that Malan sees here is an opportunity to knowingly provoke and then exterminate those who disagree with him - and if they are non-white, then so much the better because he can then fudge his demographic goals as refugees are shipped in to Transvaal to further ‘whiten’ the civilian population.

JUNE 25, 2009

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom has just issued a statement that Republican forces are invading the Seventh Reich of Dagigigigigiigka and re-annexing the territory into Transvaal - crushing the young Deutsches-Afrika state after only 12 days of independence. In explaining the reasons for the sudden annexation, Minister Strijdom blandly replied that 'it was due to this or that or some other clause violated in the agreement'

When asked for his comments regarding the situation, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government, Field Marshal Malan responded by asking "Why do we bother? It is becoming clearer every day that only Transvaal can maintain stable authority throughout Southern Africa. The sooner the international community comes to that same conclusion and stops criticising our government over so-called 'human rights' and other trivial matters, then the sooner we can be left alone for focusing on the reconstruction of the Republic and bringing further stability to Africa as a whole."

Press Interview with Malan
JUNE 9-15, 2009

Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of the Republic of Transvaal agreed to a press conference held at Government House to answer and address any questions which the foreign press in Pretoria may have had regarding the RMG and the Republic.

After the foreign journalists had been ushered into the private office, Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom walked in, introduced himself, and said that Field Marshal Malan would be with them shortly.

''A few minutes later, a door opened and a man in full uniform walked in – striding confidently in his purpose but displaying a cautious, suspicious glance at the journalists assembled before him. Minister Strijdom then spoke up to make the announcement: “Ladies and gentlemem, Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of the Republic of Transvaal”.''

As Malan sat down, the Transvalers in the room – except for the minister – snapped to attention and shouted “Hail Malan!” as he sat down.

''Field Marshal Malan took a slow sip from his cool and refereshing glass of water which a butler had quickly placed on his desk. In a strong, baritone accented voice, the Marshal then spoke somewhat unenthused, as if this whole interview process was something he’d rather have avoided.''

''“Greetings, welcome to Government House. Let’s begin with your questions…” He scanned the room, and then pointed Stefano De Bedenetti from Il Popolo D'Italia. “you, you there…”''

De Bedenetti stood up, looked around the room at the rest of the reporters, and then asked his question:

STEFANO DE BEDENETTI (IL POPOLO D'ITALIA): "Mr Malan, on 30 May you announced the abolition of the "Federal" system and aimed at the creation of a "New Republic". A lot has changed in this week. One can now draw conclusions on this period and see the positive and negative aspects. Please tell us if you are happy with how this system is now functioning and its results."

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Well Mr. Bedenetti, actually the Republic was proclaimed one month ago yesterday (May 7) and the RMG has been in power since the end of April when the Karma War raged over Transvaal. May 30 was only the date of when I was elected to a six-month term in office.”

“Anyways, trivialities aside, since that time we have seen the peaceful re-annexation of our northern territories after the failure of their independence. The Government has also been re-negotiating its trades into a trade circle – and while that process has not been as smooth as we hoped for, the end result will be most advantageous to Transvaal as under the previous Federal regime, primary trade (i.e. in-game trade) maintenance has become a costly, haphazard affair which caused our economy to stagnate since around Christmas. The RMG has abolished the old Federal policy of paying for trade maintenance, which will save approximately $30,000,000 rand per year by our estimates. My government has thus eliminated the corrupt Federal government’s kickbacks to foreign powers for primary trades.”

“To summarise and answer your question, of course I am pleased with how Transvaal is functioning considering our current ecomonic, political, and military situation as a defeated power.”

Field Marshal Malan then drank from his glass of water, and looked around for another question.

“Yes, you there…” he said gruffly as he pointed towards the reporter from The Polish Republic:

"What is your position on the United States of America?" asked the reporter

“This government, like most Transvaler governments before it, has little interest or concern with what goes on in the New World. So long as our longtime, staunch allies Tahoe Republic are not affected by the USA then we have no interest or concern – although look at the size of that country on the map, one wonders if it will maintain enough cohension to remain united or break up.”

Malan then eyed Ms. McCormick from Procinctia… “Yes, you there – what is your question Miss?”

MS. McCORMICK FROM PROCINCTIA: "How do explain your administration’s controversial decision to dissolve all diplomatic relations and the following self imposed isolation from the international community?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “That was a temporary measure under severed wartime conditions as we gauged who our enemies and friends were. We have re-established diplomatic relations recently with 16 socially and morally sound nations – so one cannot say we remain isolated. The rupture actually allowed the RMG to review the nation’s foreign affairs, which had become stagnant under the Hertzog regime – and cleanse ourselves of maintaining contacts with those nations deemed socially deviant.”

Malan then pointed towards some guy in the back, apparently a freelance reporter from Procinctia:

"Your opponents have called your current regime a fascist pariah state ruled by petty military strongmen insincerely parodying democracy, while you yourself have been described as a megalomaniac racist murder - how do you respond to these allegations?"

The field marshal laughed at the pointed question before responding in a sinister tone:

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Our opponents can call us whatever they want – but at the end of the day we shall crush their bones into the earth and Transvaal shall emerge victorious. Simple as that.”

''Malan made a mental note to himself to pass on the Interior Minister van Zyl, to have some of his men follow this hippy and rough him up a little. ‘We don’t need this kind of rabble polluting our citizens with his notions of democracy...’''

Janice Mullins of DENN (Dragon Empire News Network) inquired, "What do you think of the most recent election results in the Dragon Empire and the rise of President Landry of Melvin Republic to the executor ship of the newly formed nation? Do you think the nation's constitution is strong enough to allow it to maintain its solidarity? What are your views on Meritocracy and the role of it in government? Are you still comfortable with the trade arrangements with the Imperial state of Dragonisia?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: I honestly have not been following the elections and goings-on in the Dragon Empire. I really only focus our government’s attention on regional issues closer to home. Most overseas problems and issues don’t affect us so we don’t pay too much attention. Transvaal has always been geared toward being a regional or perhaps continental giant at best – we’ve never strove to be a global power. Hence many global issues don’t concern the RMG at the moment while we focus on our reconstruction.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a man of the world. I have spent most of my life in Southern Africa, with only occassional trips to Deutschland and Tahoe during my military training. What goes on across the seas interests me little.

As for meritocracy, yes I am a solid supporter of promotion based on merit. That has been the failing of many so-called democratic regimes over the years, that the government elected reflects the whims and wishes of the common uneducated voter.

Trade agreements with Dragonisa will be put under review at some point as the RMG is not as open for foreign investment in our markets as the previous Federal regime was.

STEFANO DE BEDENETTI (IL POPOLO D'ITALIA): Mr Malan, don't you think Africa lacks a ruling "party"? Will Transvaal assume a leading role like the Greater Nordlandic Coalition in Europe, and the Tahoe Republic in North America? Do you think the Karma war was a chance for many nations and new regimes to arise from the ashes of defeated liberal-conservative governments?

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: "Due to our Republic’s – how shall I put it? – unique demographic issues, while we have always concerned ourselves with maintaining preeminence of military power in Southern Africa specifically and the rest of Africa in general, due to our racial difficulties I cannot see us assuming a leading role in Africa unless we exerted it with our jackboots, and that is a course which isn’t feasible to us. We are not a major supporter of ‘big blocs’ and our government is content with remaining a regional power not biting off more than we can chew. Our disastrous colonial adventure in South America last year as well as the Franzharian occupation is testament to our realistic limits of power."

"Yes, the political fallout of the Karma War no doubt will make some governments, mostly those in defeated powers, rethink their strategic economic and military planning. While losing the war was not something we wanted to see, we’ve also been presented with new opportunities which were not there before."

''A Nordlandic Representative stood tall in the crowd, he was nearly 214 cm tall and towered over most reporters. In a deep voice he exclaimed:''

"His Holiness, the König of Prussia, Albert Tanzband has followed your career for some time now and wishes for an audience in Prussia to discuss the current geopolitical climate, relations between Transvaal and the Greater Nordlandic Reich, and a discussion of governing philosophy in times of crisis and in times of peace. Would you be willing to accept such an audience?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “I must regretfully decline his invitation for the time being. Under the current circumstances, the RMG and myself have decided it is prudent that I do not travel abroad. Perhaps once the surrender requirements have expired in a few months then we shall be in a more stable domestic situation to permit me to make some visits overseas.”

''Malan noticed the rather short reporter trying to make herself visible. "Yes, you there Miss - speak up!''

''The little woman looked up sharply. She hadn't raised her hand yet, but she took the opportunity presented her.''

"Thank you. Earlier, you mentioned Transvaal is having racial difficulties. What difficulties? And what, in your view, is the root cause of these difficulties?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Since independence two and a half years ago, Transvaal has been plagued by the fundamental issue of being a homeland first and foremost for a national minority in Southern Africa – namely, the Afrikaners – and maintaining that identity. For around the last two years, Transvaal has been the undisputed power in Southern Africa since the demise of South Africa and the Boer Staat, which resulted in an influx of both a black African majority into our expanded borders as well as the adsorption of far-right White elements. We have always faced the pressure of justifying our white minority rule to the rest of the world – even though circumstances and events made our nation something we never set out to be, namely a multi-racial state. Transvaal was born out of the oppression of South Africa and the Boer Staat, and against amazing odds we maintained our survival. Yet the international community constantly throws ‘morality’ at us whenever we attempt to exert our essential Afrikaner essence. We have tried – and failed – to establish independent black African homelands. And yet whenever we attempt to strength our core identity of being an Afrikaner homeland, we get accused of being racists and such rubbish. Contrary to popular belief and you can see for yourselves, we do not have segregation in Transvaal – we never have. While we may not represent the black majority that has found itself within our borders, this nation has nevertheless in good faith ensured that our native black population receives the highest standard of living on the continent. Yet this is never reported in the foreign press….”

Malan pounds his fist down on the table and then stops to drink some water, obviously riled up by the question. However instead of continuing his rant which he had lost direction of, he simply takes a deep breath and asks: “Any more questions?”

“Yes, you there…” pointing at Nikesh Kumar.

NIKESH KUMAR (GNN): "Sir, what is Transvaal's opinion about the conflict brewing in Far East between Yamato and Korea?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “The government has no opinion as Asian affairs are for Asians to sort out themselves. It does not affect us.”

One very large and very white reporter had his arm up in a fist behind the little woman who just asked a question, patiently waiting his turn.

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Yes, you there with your arm up in the air… what is your question?”

''A Nordlandic Representative stood tall in the crowd, he was nearly 214 cm tall and towered over most reporters. In a deep voice he exclaimed:''

LISA JOHANSEN (NOVUS NICIAE NATIONAL NEWS NETWRK): "What is your take on the current events in the near east?"

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Admittedly I have not been following much in the way of international conflicts and events.”

One very large and very white reporter had his arm up in a fist behind the little woman who just asked a question, patiently waiting his turn.

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Yes, you there with your arm up in the air… what is your question?”

"Field Marshal Malan, your elections have been overwhelmingly in your favor and there is no doubt that you were the man for the people. How do you respond to those who have said it was a sham?"

''The question leaves Malan speechless as he is caught completely offguard as how to respond. He wonders to himself: ‘does this guy see through the elections for what they are and is just trying to make asinine comments to play him [Malan] off as a fool in front of the rest of the foreign correspondents here – or does he genuinely believe the election to have been free and fair?’''

The field marshal is silent for what seems like an eternity as he downs the rest of his water.

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Well... one must understand that the May 30 Republican election was made under rather unusual circumstances due to our dire domestic situation. While I do not doubt that we have the people’s support based on the strong turnout and return of ballots in support of the RMG, please understand that future elections likely won’t result in such unanimity as we currently have in the Republican Military Government.”

Malan then pauses to see what kind of respond his reply gets from the foreign journalists in attendance.

The reporter from Promised Land covered her mouth to hide a grin and suppressed laughter, but she was a professional, so it was only a moment before she recovered her composure.

''"Of course it was unanimous," she mutters quietly, then speaks up more loudly. "What other candidates were on the ballot? Was there a write-in option? And what percentage of the people voted in that election?"''

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “There was only one candidate on the ballot and no write-in option. The single-ballot election was the result of emergency measures due to the war raging at the time. The RMG felt that while multi-party elections were out of the question while large parts of the nation were gripped by anarchy and civil unrest, it was felt that if we went through the motions of still holding the election when it was scheduled for that it would help maintain some semblance of continuance and domestic order.”

“As for the percentage of people who voted, while we do not have exact numbers, we do know by the number of Volksraad representatives elected for the RMG that this was the largest number of voters in any Transvaler election to date. “

''The large Louisianian reporter stepped in front of the reporter from Promised Land to hide her grin which she was doing quite badly. "Why do these questions need to be asked? No matter who else was on the ballot, Malan was the winner - overwhelmingly so. It's quite obvious that your questions are only to embarrass the Field Marshall while he is helping to keep Transvaal in shape. The real question that needs to be answered is how long do you think you will stay in power?"''

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “The RMG will remain in power until reconstruction is complete and we have rebuilt to our prewar economic and military level. At that point, civilian multi-party elections will be scheduled for the next six-month voting cycle – whether that falls in November or next May.”

''"Excuse me, but I thought this was a press conference?" she said indignantly, stepping in front of him once again. "At press conferences, all sorts of questions can expect to be asked. You should know that."''

''A scrawny little reporter stepped up, "Marshal Malan, Ned Bixby, Democracy Now!, how do you respond to accusations that you are not honoring basic social and civil rights in your country?" He was immediately punched in the face by a reporter from Marscurian News, "Marshal Malan, don't pay any attention to this hippy, we know you're doing a great job." Flipping through his notebook, he asks his questions. "What is your stance on closer relationships to other continents? Would you extend economic or diplomatic ties? I guess what I'm asking is, 'How can we get on your good side?'"''

FIELD MARSHAL MALAN: “Currently the RMG is maintaining more of a centrist approach to our economy as we do not wish to see foreign corporations moving in and buying everything up. As for diplomatic relations, we are focusing on regional issues and concerns, such as the recent independence of the Seventh Reich as well as the ideological bombast and propaganda coming out of Somal.

With the questioning over, Field Marshal Malan thanked the reporters for taking the time form their busy schedules to meet with him.

After leaving the press room and returning to his private office, Foreign Minister Strijdom leaned on his desk and said "See, sir... that wasn't too bad, was it? No one asked any really pointed, moral questions to you."

''The Marshal pounded back some whiskey from a flask he kep in his desk and which he had broken into. "Hrmph... yes I suppose so. Now to see if foreign opinion shifts in our favour."''

Summit meeting in Serca
JUNE 15, 2009

Emperor Sergio II Has offered to the Nations of Transvaal and Somal a conference to discuss anything they wish in the Sergiana City, Serca.

All precautions have been set-up and preparations have been made to expect the arrivals of the Leaders.

Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal, makes his first foreign visit abroad since taking over the reigns of the Republic of Transvaal. Accompanying him is Hendrik Strijdom, Foreign Minister for Transvaal.

While Malan waits patiently for the Somal delegates to arrive, he thanks the Sercan Emperor for hosting this summit meeting between these two diametrically opposed African governments. It was Malan's hope that some sort of diplomatic 'ceasefire' could be worked out with the Somal leadership - he had concerns at home which had more pressing need of his attention than him having to sort out foreign affairs problems.

RESPONSE FROM EMPEROR SERGIO II OF SERCA: "It was my pleasure to host this meeting. We like to help our fellow African brothers keep peace and stability between one another." The Emperor waits patiently for the leaders of Somal to arrive.

Colonel De Leclaire of the Republic Land Forces arrives representing Mad Dog Bob Denard who is currently indisposed.

Field Marshal Malan and the rest of the Transvaler delegation feel somewhat snubbed when they find out that Somal’s leader, Bob Denard, did not make an appearance.

Regardless, Malan decides to get the discussion going with Colonel De Leclaire:

“Colonel De Leclaire, as you are aware, there appear to be major political and ideological rifts which have arisen between Somal and Transvaal. Now my government realises that they are too wide between us to ever be bridged in mutual agreement and friendship – however my government nevertheless would like to find a practical, realpolitik understanding between our two nations so that our military and economic resources are not diverted towards pointless verbal ideological jousting between our two governments. We know you do not like us – and visa versa – however there is no reason why we cannot both adopt a ‘agree to disagree but live and let live’ policy so our respective nations can focus on our own domestic problems without being distracted by the others’ real and perceived actions.”

After allowing all that to register with De Leclaire, Malan continued: “In brief, my government is willing to give our guarantee that we shall not interfere nor concern itself in African affairs north of the Botha Line (northern frontier of Transvaal and the Seventh Reich) whilst your government likewise promised to respect south of the line.”

"Can you explain the nature of your most curious institution first," asks Colonel DeLeclaire who looks at Malan carefully? To elaborate he says, "Before any agreement is made we need to know more about you and your people. What are you intentions for the future of the the African descent natives of your country?"

Field Marshal Malan replied: "While our nation is first and foremost an Afrikaner homeland - a fact which we have never denied for one moment - and Transvaal shall remain as such, our government along with all previous Transvaler governments has always been committed to providing the highest standard of living possible for all our citizens in all of Africa as much as our economy can support. Granted that due to the recent war, our economy isn't functioning at 100% at the moment."

"We do not deny that the top leadership post in our government has always been restricted to those of Afrikaner decent, so not only are blacks and coloured excluded, but also too those of Anglo descent. However this does not mean that we have restricted voting to whites only - on the contrary, black Africans have been able to vote in our government elections since November 2007. And contrary to foreign propaganda, we do not practice any sort of segregation between the races except what occurs naturally in residential districts - in that whites tend to live with other whites whilst blacks in their own neighbourhoods. This occurs naturally just like other nations have ethnic neighbourhoods - and not something legislated nor enforced by the government."

"Are the laws of your land applied equally to all or are they overly harsh against Africans? Some claim your country is a backwards, racist, benighted cesspit, while others have a different opinion. We can't be asked not to involve ourselves in your affairs if we feel you are singling out those of African descent unfairly. I do think though Mad Dog would agree that an idiot of any color or ethnicity who can't play with others nicely should be found accountable under the same rule of law," comments De Leclaire.

Malan answered "I will not beat around the bush that there is of course racial tension in Transvaal and that due to social dynamics Africans may not hold as much economic power as the Afrikaner minority and granted that whites pay a ton more taxes than Africans do, so they expect to have more economic power in the private sector - however the only law which specifically restricts Africans is our electoral law in regards to who is eligible to run for the office of prime minister [note: which is currently vacant since Malan has chosen not to take a civilian title, although he is de facto the prime minister]. And as I stated, that same law also restricts non-Afrikaner whites. If one visited the outer provinces like Malawi, Mozambique, and to a lesser extent Namibia and Rhodesia, black Africans have a lot of automony over their lives and the Republican government does not interfere in local governments at a town and city level."

"Transvaal has always taken pride that its native population has the best standard of living in Sub-Sahara - if not the entire continent."

De Leclaire then asked Malan; "However, do you seek to subjugate the African population unfairly with the enforcement of your criminal code? Also will this increased autonomy for Malawi, Mozambique, and to a lesser extent Namibia and Rhodesia lead to something greater over time?"

Malan replied “While our government does promote Afrikaner culture first and foremost – because after all, we are an Afrikaner homeland - we have no intention of subjugating anyone based on their nationality. As for future autonomy, our past history shows that we have been open to granting autonomy and even independence to our African territories along our northern frontier. However it seems that local rule never lasts long before we are forced to intervene and re-annex the territories after their governments collapse into the anarchy of a power vacuum.”

JULY 5, 2009

VICTORY ON THE RECONSTRUCTION FRONT!

Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal, announced this morning that Transvaal’s technological level had now reached its pre-Karma War levels.

“Today is further proof of the Republican Military Government’s commitment to the reconstruction and resurgence of the Republic of Transvaal. With this victory in the technological sector a reality, our resources and manpower can now be redirected into the reconstruction of our damaged infrastructure. In the coming days our nation will begin to see the benefits of our eurocentric immigration policy and a welcome shift in our nation demographics as our Anglo-Afrikaner state is buttressed with refugees from the Western European nations seeking a new life of prosperity and peace in Southern Africa” said the Field Marshal during his weekly broadcast on RadioTransvaal.

Territorial changes in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
JUNE 30, 2009

Foreign Minister Hendrick Strijdom issued the following statement through all Transvaler embassies this morning:

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF TRANSVAAL

By mutual agreement between the Republic of Transvaal and Lübeck, the Comoros Islands, Ascension Island, St. Helena, the Tristian de Cunha Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands have been annexed by the Republic of Transvaal and incorporated into its Indian and Southern Islands territorries.

As part of its open seas policy, these islands will be equipped as soon as possible with radio and weather outposts and maritime coast guard stations to assist all ships national or foreign which may find themselves in distress.

[signed] H Strijdom, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Transvaal

THE ARCTICAN RESPONSE

"Those clever sons of bitches are penning us in," muttered someone somewhere in Arctica after looking over a map.

Several conferences were held in the hours following Transvaal's announcement. A message made its way to Consul-General Paul Cruywagen in Oceana, Arctica.

"Consul-General,

It has come to my attention that the Republic of Transvaal has made some land gains in the Indian and Atlantic oceans recently. Some of these acquisitions by your nation, while commendable, I feel can be better managed by Arctica, as Transvaal is no doubt concerned with rebuilding after its recent war, and several of the acquisitions fall within our sphere of influence, and the handling of coast guard and weather reporting stations would be more efficiently done by our own personnel. Also, this territorial encroachment upon our borders represents an attitude that may be seen by some as unfriendly, and if not handled delicately, may sour relations between our two countries even further.

I am proposing that the Republic of Transvaal relinquish the following territories to Arctica: Réunion; Mauritius; Tromelin island; and the Comoros chain (or Mayotte at the least).

The reasons being: Réunion and Mayotte host significant amounts of ethnic Malagasy as well as being located within our sphere of influence; the other named territories also fall within our SoI.

In exchange, any of a number of concessions will be provided, as well as the benefit of potentially thawing diplomatic relations by this act of goodwill.

Sincerely, Alain Ramiaramanana, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arctica

- - -

Consul-General Cruywagen... the title sounded out of place, not because Cruywagen wasn’t a suitable diplomatic representative, but rather he had always been known in Arctica as Marshal Cruywagen. It was strange now seeing him in a civilian suit and tie instead of the sand-brown Krygsmagte uniform from his days as Governor of the Madagaskar Vrystaat so long ago.

Alain Ramiaramanana welcomed the Transvaler official into his office. Cruywagen sat down and then listened to what the Arctican foreign minister had to say. Cruywagen then thought about his reply. His own opinions did not necessarily coincide with that of his government which he was charged to represent - but he did to maintain a fair balance as best as he could.

"Mister Ramiaramanana, you do make some valid points. Personally, between you and me, I do not see Malan overtly willing to secede any territory."

"From what I have gathered previously working alongside him in the military, he is of the school of building up as much of a buffer to the outside world as a means of defense of the Federal Republic... umm, I mean... the Republic."

"The islands which Transvaal has acquired over the years, almost all have been bequeathed to us for some reason or another. I believe those specifically east of Arctica were placed in our trust by one of the old Franzharia or Ranatharist empires which were based in the Seychelles. I would need to check our records at the Foreign Ministry, but I would not be surprised if some sort of Lübeck grandfather clause was in place over them. And please don’t get me wrong, but by Lübeck clause I don’t mean that Lübeck holds a claim over them, the term is used within Transvaler diplomatic parlance to refer to the territorial grandfathering claim which was built into the treaty signed with Lübeck last year which gave them control over the Comoros. It is because of that clause which is why we now have the Comoros back under Pretoria’s rule. Basically what I am saying is that if the Ranatharists ever returned, in theory they could demand possession of Reúnion, Mauritius, the Seychelles and assorted small islands back from Transvaal or whomever controlled them."

"However in a post-Malan regime I could see the government seriously considering turning over some of our Indian Ocean holdings to Arctica – although I suspect at least one island, probably Mauritius, would be retained for a naval base – whenever we get around to having a navy again."

"What I will do is pass along your request to Foreign Minister Strijdom. It will probably just stop on his desk and proceed no further, but at least it is filed away on record whenever a new government takes over."

Cruywagen then gave the minister a somewhat conspiratorial expression, leaned forward and whispered:

"Let’s sit on this for a couple of months, once the surrender requirements against IRON have been lifted, we might see something happen in Pretoria. If all goes to plan, then the political climate may change enough that negotiations between Transvaal and Arctica could begin to deal with this issue."

Ramiaramanana responded "Very well, pass on the request to Minister Strijdom, but emphasize that we expect at least Mayotte and Tromelin Island to be ceded to Arctica in the near future, owing to Mayotte's close proximity and ethnic connections with Madagascar and Tromelin Island's close proximity to Madagascar."

"I am looking forward to future talks with your government regarding the remaining territories listed."

Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom sent a diplomatic note to the Arctican Government indicating that the Republic of Transvaal would consider discussions on the status of the Transvaler Indian Ocean islands once full diplomatic relations have been restored by Arctica.

"After further research through Foreign Ministry archives, the only overlapping claim here would be the Glorioso chain - which was part of the Franzharia empire originally based in the Seychelles around a year ago but were turned over to Transvaal when Ranathar relocated to Somalia."

"Transvaal has never exercised any claims over Bassas da India Atoll, Europa Island, and Juan de Nova Island in the Mozambique Channel - therefore we recognise this as Arctican territory."

RESPONSE FROM ARCTICA: "In light of this new information, the claim on the Glorioso Islands has been withdrawn and the chain has been added to the list presented to Transvaal earlier of territories Arctica wants. Arctica now wishes to discuss possible conflicting EEZs, especially north of Madagascar. We will post an ambassador to Transvaal soon and upgrade your consulate with us to an embassy so discussions on the Indian Ocean islands can begin."

JULY 1, 2009

Foreign Minister Strijdom made his way to Arctica to meet his opposite and begin discussions.

JULY 3, 2009

Upon his arrival in the capital, Strijdom would be led to a car which would take him to the Foreign Ministry building in the city itself, where the Deputy Minister handled things. While the Ministry's main offices were housed on the island just outside of town, it was much more convenient to meet with foreigners in the city itself.

The building itself was largely nondescript, with tan-colored walls, evenly spaced windows, a flag hanging over the entrance, and the words "MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS" carved below the flag.

The Transvaler was led to the office of Foreign Minister Ramiaramanana, normally unused as he spent most of his time in the other office. It was blandly furnished, though the chairs were comfortable. The Foreign Minister was of the Merina ethnicity native to Madagascar, so he looked more like a Pacific Islander than the black African that Strijdom might expect. He stood up to shake Strijdom's hand before asking him to sit down and settling in his own seat. His English was accented, though his pronunciation of the French names was impeccable.

"Welcome to Arctica, Minister Strijdom. My country, as you are well aware, is seeking to acquire the following territories from the Republic of Transvaal: Réunion, the Glorioso Islands, Tromelin Island, and all or part of the Comoros." There was already a detailed map of Madagascar and the surrounding area on the table, as well as a pencil for each of them. As Ramiaramanana spoke, he circled each of the mentioned areas.

"Firstly, Mayotte and Réunion each have sizable populations of ethnic Malagasy, and for this reason may be better served under Arctican governance. Changing the nationalities of these ethnic Malagasy would also make native Arcticans more comfortable, given the recent racial policies put into effect by the Republic." A not-so-subtle suggestion by the Minister that less colored citizens would increase Transvaal's white percentage.

"Transvaal's control over the uninhabited Gloriosos and Tromelin Island," Alain said, poking at the two with his pencil eraser, "extends Transvaal's EEZ (as showed by a recent map published by your government) to unacceptable points; not only does it conflict with our own, but it essentially fences off our northern and northeastern coasts. Our capital city, incidentally our busiest port, is located in the northeast."

"Mayotte and Anjouan, the easternmost islands in the Comoros chain," poke poke, "had been under Arctica's jurisdiction until Transvaal took control while Arctica was unable to govern them during the events of the August Betrayal. I would like to reinitiate the original agreement we had for the Comoros: Transvaal keeps the western islands, Arctica the eastern. If either government is unable or unwilling to govern the islands, the agreement is concluded with the other taking legal dominion over the entire chain, indefinitely." Of course, the original agreement only made provisions for Arctica losing the islands, but the Foreign Minister was either unaware of that fact or ignoring it.

After listening carefully to what Foreign Minister Ramiaramanana had to say regarding the Arctican position, Strijdom opened his briefcase and pulled out some papers.

“I spoke with Consul-General... err, I mean Ambassador Cruywagen on the telephone and then met with Field Marshal Petrus Malan in person to discuss your territorial ‘requests’. From what you have just stated, I believe that the only point of contention would be the Comoros Islands.”

Strijdom glanced at his papers and then continued.

“Even before hearing what you had to say, my government after careful consideration had come to the conclusion to offer to hand over all our Indian Ocean island territories save for the Comoros Islands and Mauritius. Along with recognising your claims to the islands in the Mozambique channel, Réunion, the Glorioso Islands, Tromelin Island, we would also cede the Seychelles chain. The only condition to this handover of the islands would be the agreement to a grandfather claim clause in the agreement, in that if Arctica relinquishes or loses the islands, they legally revert back to the Republic of Transvaal. Also should the Ranatharists ever return to the region to lay claim to what is rightfully theirs – as the Seychelles, Réunion, and Tromelin were given to Transvaal in trust – then their claim would hold precedence over those of both Arctica and Transvaal. If agreed, then the handover would take place in no less than 72 hours, at one minute past midnight CN time.”

“However, the four main Comoros Islands and Mauritius are not up for negotiation – that has been made clear to me by Malan and the Republican Military Government. It is our intention to use them as forward bases once the surrender restrictions placed on our navy by the Karma alliances have been lifted.”

Strijdom then closed his brief case and leaned back to see what the Arctican response would be.

The Foreign Minister considered this for a moment. "Your terms are acceptable to me, on the added condition that if Arctica does lose the islands, and then Transvaal loses the islands after that without granting them to Franzharia, then the islands revert back to Arctican control. This would ensure that the islands are always in firm control of an established Southern African government: either Transvaal, Arctica, or Franzharia. By mutual decision between our two countries (or only Franzharia if they return, as a handover to them would be permanent), the agreement could be nulled and the islands handed over to a fourth party."

"Also, we will keep a corridor open for Transvaler military ships to pass from Mauritius to the mainland, if they decide to take the northern route."

Ramiaramanana realized that no meant no, and did not press for the Comoros. He knew his country would still want them, of course, and would bring the matter up when the situation changed in Transvaal.

Strijdom looked relieved. He had had no room to compromise - Malan had instructed him to offer the Arcticans the best that Transvaal would give and if they didn't take it, then it would be nothing at all.

Then he added:

"My government would appreciate free transit to and from the Indian ocean for our ships - once our navy is rebuilt. Transvaal has always followed an open seas policy in regards to the waters which come under our influence. You see, there never should be any worry from your side of having ocean access through our territorial waters."

"Your suggestion that the western Indian Ocean Islands always remain under either Arctican or Trasnvaler rule is a good one. Despite recent differences on the diplomatic front with the Republican Military Government, Transvaal has always viewed Arctica as one of our closest allies - if the term can be used here - probably more so than any other nation except for Tahoe."

"And regarding the Comoros, you do realise that they had been under Lübeckian rule since November of last year - so it stands to reason the Malagasy culture there had become diluted by the Nordic culture of Lübeck, making them probably closer to us Afrikaners than Arcticans."

Strijdom collected his papers and briefcase, stood up, and said as departing:

"I will draft up the transfer agreement when I return to Pretoria tomorrow. Let's say..." and he glanced at his pocket calendar, "that the transfer will take place one minute after midnight CN time on July 6/7 - is that agreeable to you? It will give my government time to evacuate the islands as well as update our territorial maps."

"We shall also take the appropriate measures to notify the international community of the land transfer"

JULY 5, 2009

AGREEMENT BETWEEN TRANSVAAL AND ARCTICA REGARDING THE ISLANDS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN

By mutual agreement, the Governments of Transvaal and Arctica agree to recognize each other’s territorial claims in the Indian Ocean.

As of one minute past midnight on July 7, 2009 the Republic of Transvaal shall transfer control to Arctica the following islands and island chains under its control: Seychelles, Reunion, Rodrigues, Tromelin, and Aldabra.

Transvaal shall retain control over the Comoros Islands chain, Mauritius, and the Coco (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Transvaal recognizes Arctican claims of Bassas da India Atoll, Europa Island, and Juan de Nova Island in the Mozambique Channel.

All islands in the Indian Ocean claimed by Transvaal and Arctica are covered by a mutual grandfathering claim whereas if one nation relinquishes or loses control, the claim then reverts to the other party in this agreement.

The following islands and island chains are covered by a grandfathering claim held in trust by Transvaal for Franzharia: Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion, Rodrigues, Tromelin, Aldabra, and the Coco (Keeling) Islands. Should Franzharia reinstate its claim over those islands, Transvaal and Arctica would agree to recognise Franzharia’s claims to them and relinquish their own.

Transvaler island claims in the Southern Polar Seas and South Atlantic Ocean are not covered by this agreement.

[signed]

Field Marshal Petrus Malan Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Governent Republic of Transvaal

Hendrik Strijdom Minister of Foreign Affairs Republic of Transvaal

JULY 15, 2009

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: Jakob Martin Hertzog, Fredrick Geldenhuys, Peter Stellenbosch, and Gert Boersma – all prominent members of the Transvaler exile community in Arctica – called on Sovereign Vedran to denounce the recent government violence in Johannesburg.

“Almost as many people have died now under Marshal Malan’s misrule as did during the Karma War – the man is drowning in blood” stated Peter Stellenbosch, the former foreign minister for Transvaal.

Hertzog and Geldenhuys, leaders of the National Party and Demokratiese Barakke Party, have agreed to work together in a coalition government once free civilian elections take place in Transvaal – should they ever occur.

=Malan's Official Visits to Arctica, Italy, and Tahoe= JULY 9-20, 2009

Field Marshal Petrus Malan sat down and relaxed in the private in-flight lounge as engines of the Afrikaanse Lugdiens Boeing 747 began to whine up. He buckled himself in just as the plane lurched forward and began its take-off run down the tarmac. The plane had only been acquired a few days earlier as the old Boeing 707 aircraft normally used by Afrikaanse Lugdiens would not make the trip non-stop across the Atlantic from Europe to Tahoe.

There was silence – and then a thud – the plane was now airborne, the landing gear retracted. Malan peered apprehensively out the window next to him. He could see the suburbs and townships of Johannesburg below him.

This would be only his second trip outside the Republic since seizing power in April, but the brief foray to the Kingdom of Serca for a conference with Somal did not compare to the lengthy tour he was about to undertake. He was now on his way towards Arctica – his first stop. Also the destination which gave him the most grief, as no doubt he would come under criticism from their free press – something he did not seriously have to worry about back home. The occasional complaint against the Republican Military Government scribbled up in the Johannesburg Free Press, but the national mouthpiece Transvaler Daagikse Nuus and Radio-Transvaal which everyone – friend and foe alike – read, were both solidly under government control and parroting the news which the government handed it.

The plane began to level off and reach its cruising altitude. The flight to Arctica was three hours long. Time for a light meal and then a brief nap before landing.

Malan wondered what laid ahead for him. His first destination was Arctica. Diplomatic relations had soured since the military took power in Pretoria, although the transfer of some island specks in the Indian Ocean two days ago he hoped would hopefully warm the Arcticans up to him. Probably unbeknownst to the Arcticans, this would not be his first visit to their island. During the intervention in Madagascar, he had made around half a dozen visits last spring [September] in his capacity as commander of the Raketkorps to oversee deployment of V-2 missiles used to quell the rebels.

Then he would head to Repubblica Italiana and meet with the fascist leader Junio Borghese – a man who seemed to share kindred spirits and graciously signed a trade agreement to provide much needed marble and wheat to Transvaal after the Karma War. After Europe, it was then onwards to America to visit Tahoe. Like Arctica, this was a return visit of sorts as he had once briefly visited Tahoe but during an officer training exchange programme.

The in-flight steward approached the marshal with his lunch and a flask of hot coffee. Malan ate his meal and then dozed off to the quiet drone of the jet engines. He was around an hour and a half from landing - the steward would wake him around 15 minutes before landing so he could quickly freshen up and prepare for the descent.

Instead of starting the tour in the capital city of Oceana, Malan was directed to land at Ivato International Airport in the city of Antananarivo, which was where the legislature met despite it not having any official status as a capital. The city was also chosen for the tour because of its long history as a major city and capital of the island.

Malan was greeted at the airport and taken to a limousine where a man introduced himself as Gabriel Ramanantsoa, the mayor of Antananarivo.

"Welcome to Arctica, Marshal Malan. It's my honor to be guiding you through my city." As the limo pulled into the road, the mayor mentioned that he was born and raised in the city.

The plan was to drive Malan along a carefully planned route, showing him historical sites and various improvements Arctica had made to the city. Later, the tour would end with Malan being brought to the Congress building to meet with Vedran, who was in town for the day. There were no members of the press waiting for Malan at the airport, but they would be present when he entered and left the Congress building.

As the limousine went deeper into the city, the mayor pointed out landmarks. In between landmarks he told Malan of the city's history. "Antananarivo, meaning City of the Thousand in Malagasy, was founded in 1625. As the capital of the early kings and those that came after them, it grew very quickly, eventually becoming capital of all Madagascar." Throughout the history lesson, Malan would notice that significant improvements had been made to the city since Arctica took control of the island. Roads were well maintained, buildings were in good repair, many people had cars, it seemed like any modern city. These were things that many first world countries took for granted, but they were things that were missing from life in Madagascar for a long time.

The limo drove past some government buildings, secondary schools, a zoo featuring some of Madagascar's unique fauna, and countless storefronts and construction sites. There were many patrolling policemen and police cars, a little too many in fact, but the police presence along the tour route was increased that day.

Meanwhile in Oceana, something went terribly wrong. A rundown hotel had become a crime scene after hazmat crews had been called in and cordoned off the surrounding area. Two dead bodies. One was an old lady, a maid, who had apparently found the first body - a Transvaler man registered under the pseudonym name of Jan Smits.

In Smits' room the hazmat crews found traces of nerve toxins, soman to be precise. It appeared that Herr Smits had accidently killed himself when he dropped a nerve gas cannister in his room and it went off in his face. Not enough to spread on its own, but a rather deadly dirty weapon if combined with the explosives also found in his room. The unfortunate old woman only had seconds to run out of the room and scream in panic before she dropped dead from convulsions.

Also in Smits' possession were documents detailing an assassination plot against Malan. It appeared the sudden diversion of Malan's plane to Antananarivo had thrown off the timing of Smits' plan and he was moving location.

Investigators would find one seemingly innocent memo written on Transvaler Interior Ministry stationary, signed by someone named Uys Rooyan de Ruijters.

After the investigators examined the assassination plans and the official-looking memo, things went quickly. It was no longer an isolated incident, but for all they knew, part of a larger plan. Among other things, they could have been looking to remove both leaders in one move. Whatever group was responsible for this may have cells in other cities. Even if they didn't, it was imperative that measures be taken to ensure the wellbeing of both Malan and Vedran. Since a nerve gas attack was assumed to be a terrorist attack, the hazmat team were employees of the Bureau of Internal Investigation. Which meant that unlike the local police, they could contact Antananarivo without the usual bull and delay.

Thanks to some fast-acting BII agents, only fifteen minutes had passed from the time the papers were discovered to the time Mayor Ramanantsoa's description of a monument was interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

"What is it?" he snapped as he flipped it open, expecting it to be one of his aides who was miraculously unaware of the Marshal's visit. But soon his face stiffened as if hearing some grave news. "What, when?...yes, right away." Ramanantsoa opened the small window between the back seats and the front seats. "Frederic, drive to the BII field office. On 16th Street. Quickly." The driver hesitated for a moment, but changed directions. The mayor slid the window shut and turned to Malan.

"Marshal Malan, there's been an incident...I'm not sure what happened, but it's severe enough that the tour has to be cancelled. We're taking you to a place you can stay until this is cleared up."

In the Congress building, Vedran's guards evacuated him by helicopter to the military base near Antananarivo. Additionally, a full evacuation of the building was ordered. While the legislature was not in session that day, the place was still crowded with press and spectators preparing for Malan's arrival. Police cordoned off the area. A bomb squad and hazmat teams arrived to begin searching the area for possible devices. Knowledge of the assassination plans and the official document found in Oceana was kept secure, and thus the media would not make any connection between the events there and the events in Antananarivo for some time.

The BII field office was actually several buildings arranged around a traffic circle with two entrances; the road that led through branched off from the main roads so all traffic that entered the circle was either meant to go there or was the occasional lost tourist. The entrances were barricaded as the limo pulled in, but the armed men manning the barricades quickly got out of the way to let it pass. The driver parked it in front of the main building, where four agents were waiting. One of them stepped forward and nodded to Malan. "It's best if we speak inside, sir." They led Malan and the mayor into the building; somewhere on the way in, they got separated and Malan soon found himself in a conference room with three agents. Two of them were seated farther away holding faxed photographs and messages. The lead agent stood closer to Malan, introduced himself as Agent Vukov. Malan would probably recognize their sort. They weren't spooks, not technically, but they were certainly close to it.

"Marshal Malan, 40 minutes ago an Afrikaner man was discovered in a hotel in Oceana, dead from coming in contact with soman, a nerve agent. Documents were discovered in his room detailing an assassination plan against you, along with a memo from the Republic of Transvaal's Interior Ministry signed by an Uys Rooyan de Ruijters. Is this name familiar to you?" As he spoke, the other two agents slid photographs to Malan: one of the would-be assassin's corpse, one of the assassination plans (unreadable from the range the photograph was taken), and a last one of the memo in an evidence bag. Mostly unreadable, but the signature was perfectly visible.

Agent Vukov watched Malan's face for any subtle hints as to his thoughts.

Malan responded to Vukov with an expression of incredulous surprise. “You must be completely mad, Uys Rooyan de Ruijters is dead! He committed suicide back in October during the Paraguayan colonial war.”

The field marshal looked distressed. He undid his tie and military tunic. Angrily he barked at no one in particular “But you know, if you ask me, this is probably the work of Jakob Hertzog and Paul Cruywagen who are hiding out here in your country.”

Malan then regained his composure and reluctantly glanced at the evidence which Agent Vukov had presented him. He first looked at the photgraph of the corpse. “This man, I have never seen him. He could be anyone, for all we know.” Passing over the unreadable material, he then held the evidence bag close to his face and peered intensely at the memo.

“That is strange. I have never seen De Ruijters’ signature so I have no idea whether this is a forgery or not, but the memo is printed on Republican – and not Federal Republican - stationary. If this really is De Ruijters’ writing, then we have a quandary because the new Republican stationary has only been out for a couple of months, if that – and certainly not back before October before he died...”

Petrus Malan thought for a minute. “I wonder if Interior Minister Van Zyl would be able to shed some light on this – he could verify through our archives whether this is truly De Ruijters’ signature. Could you arrange for one of your agents to fax him a copy of this letter so he could investigate it?”

Malan then sighed, before turning to Vukov. “You know, De Ruijters was known to be involved with some very unsavoury characters. I am talking about the old Dark Hand terrorists from Slavorussia – using nerve gas and all, this has all the hallmarks of being one of their jobs. They could be using De Ruijters name as a calling card to send a message or distraction. I would also suggest contacting the Slavorussians and see if they have any records of recent Dark Hand activity.”

As Vukov began to make his way out of the room, Malan called out to him one last time. “Oh… and while you are at it, you should arrest Hertzog and Cruywagen”.

Vukov could not tell whether the marshal was making some kind of dry joke or being dead serious.

Vukov was just about to turn the door handle before that last remark by Malan. He took his hand off the handle, turned, and walked back to Malan. He was not particularly a politically motivated man, but he knew the stir that arresting Cruywagen would create among his countrymen.

"We will certainly look into this, but Hertzog has been granted asylum here and Cruywagen's status as ambassador grants him diplomatic immunity which precludes us arresting him without evidence of a serious crime." Vukov thought over the charge against Cruywagen and Hertzog. He knew that while Malan's suspicion of them was likely his desire for weeding out the opposition, but also that using a Dark Hand MO and the name of a dead man that was connected to them was just the thing to do to throw off suspicion, so he really couldn't dispute Malan's charge either.

And since the discovery months ago that Van Zyl had no records from before the time De Ruijters died was made by Info Command and not the Bureau, Vukov couldn't possibly know to warn Malan of the man's suspicious background.

"There is a telephone in here, and I can get the number for your embassy in Oceana so you can remove Cruywagen from his post. Our agents there can then detain him until your own security forces arrive. However, we cannot take action against Hertzog without evidence."

Some time later, Van Zyl would be faxed a copy of the Interior Ministry memo. A Slavorussian internal security official would also receive an e-mail from a Bureau address.

Thanks to the high number of press present at the Congress building even before hazmat teams arrived, news coverage of the search was extensive, and before long, it was being broadcasted around the world. "Official visit cancelled as authorities close off building," "Rumors of terrorist attack threaten visit," and other headlines were seen across Arctica.

"We were informed by a credible source that the visit by Field Marshal Malan today might be the target of a terrorist attack," a BII spokesman said, but declined to elaborate. An hour later, the close timing between the arrival of hazmat teams at a hotel in Oceana and the arrival of the bomb squad and hazmat teams at the Congress building in Antananarivo was noticed by major news networks in the country, and they began piecing together the story. Everything from "Accidental death leads police to suspect terrorist attack" to "Mad bomber might not be alone" was run, depending on who you listened to.

Malan called Vukov’s bluff. “No, that will be quite alright, I won’t need to use your phone.”

The Arctican BII agent’s strong words made an impression on the field marshal. Vukov was right, thought Malan – the man was smart and on the ball, although he didn’t show his agreement. If he really wanted to remove Cruywagen’s influence over the exile community, all he had to do was replace him and try to call him back to Pretoria. And he acquiesced that there was little to be done with Hertzog now that he was outside of Transvaal and outside of government influence or pull.

“Perhaps we should move on to Oceana now…?” said the marshal. “I don’t want to see this leg of my visit completely ruined by these unfortunate events.”

- - -

Meanwhile in Pretoria…

Interior Minister Karl van Zyl was on the telephone with his opposite in Arctica. He did not sound too concerned that someone had tried to assassinate Malan. “I appreciate your concernss and for the fax of this sstrange letter you found. And as you probably know, there are all ssorts of communistss, radical liberalss, and freemasson sschemerss that would love to ssee him dead. However I must categorically sstresss that it must be a complete and utter forgery as Uys Rooyan de Ruijters hass been dead for quite some time. I can asssure you of that fact.”

Before handing up, Van Zyl added: “Of coursse, if you do uncover anything further on thiss matter, you will keep me informed – won’t you?”

Vukov was surprised at the Marshal's suggestion that they continue, but his face did not show it. He remained silent as he considered it. It was still too early to know if the assassin was working alone, or if more devices had already been set. It would look dismally bad for the Bureau - and the country as a whole - if they could not even provide protection for a foreign leader. But then how would it look for the Bureau - and for him - if they continued the tour even after the terrorist risk was discovered, and finished it without incident? It would look very good. But promising Malan something like that was risky, especially since the government was planning to send him to Italy right away in light of the assassination attempt.

Finally Vukov nodded. "Very well. My men will escort you to the airport." He would have to contact the Sovereign with his plan and they would have to prepare for Malan's arrival all while he was en route. He did not like the idea of going over the Sovereign's head like this, and would very likely be reprimanded for it later, but if he was successful he might just earn himself a promotion for his quick thinking.

"Yes, yes I will keep you informed" said the Arctican interior minister before setting down the receiver. He did not particularly enjoy Van Zyl's creepy voice, his lisp, or the odd attitude toward freemasons that Transvalers seemed to hold, but he knew Van Zyl would be a help in uncovering the truth behind these events - or so he thought.

Malan suddenly felt vulnerable. Now that some sort of plot was afoot against him, he started to think that this trip was a mistake – or a ruse simply to get him out of the country. Most of the civilian members of the government thought that he should make the trip to help reinforce Transvaal’s recent isolation in the world. The Karma War and military junta had done much damage to the Republic’s international standing.

Case in point were the Arcticans – who had the audacity to severe diplomatic relations with Pretoria in protest to the Republican Military Government. Thankfully Paul Cruywagen was somehow able to retain at least a consular office in Oceana. Malan did not trust Cruywagen; no doubt the former Krygsmagte commander did not appreciate his ‘retirement’ from the military at the hands of one of his junior officers. But then again Cruywagen had always disliked political office.

No… he was not so much a threat as was Jakob Hertzog. While Herztog’s bumpkin ways and poor command of the English language often rolled many eyes in embarrassment to the Transvaler Government, the foreigners more than any other prime minister seemed to love him. Hertzog and Cruywagen together were a dangerous combination – as the former marshal could still command some support in the military. Not as much he might think he could, but any coup attempt would be bloody for the army as the RMG had packed most ground units with supporters of RMG’s social policies.

“When will be arriving in Oceana?” he asked Vukov in a distant manner, as if he really wasn’t paying attention to what the agent’s answer would be. He was trying to break the severe tension of silence which had built up between the two men, now that Vukov was accompanying Malan as extra protection while they made their way to the Arctican capital.

‘Nerve gas’, Malan thought to himself. That was definitely not something he could ever envisage Hertzog and Cruywagen utilizing. No, regardless his differences with the men, those two would always opt towards legalistic means to try to dislodge him from power. They regarded themselves too ‘democratic’, although Cruywagen did have two successful coups under his belt.

But it was difficult to believe that the Dark Hand was operating again in Southern Africa – especially since their operative De Ruijters was now dead. Malan thought back to some of De Ruijters’ schemes, such as when he tried to betray Transvaal to GOONS or when one of the major chemical plants in Bloemfontein exploded. Then there was the time De Ruijters almost assassinated Emperor Justinian of Slavorussia when the Imperial Family was in exile in Transvaal. Even when De Ruijters was still alive, his ties to the Dark Hand had pretty much been quashed after his release from prison.

‘Perhaps when I am in Italy, I will meet with Ambassador Annetjie van Matteus. After all, De Ruijters was allegedly the father of her daughter. Maybe she can shed some insight into this. At the very least it would give me an excuse to check up on her.

“Yes, if there were ever a schemer, it was her.”

Vukov asked, “What was that, Marshal?” The agent looked up from his magazine he was casually reading.

“Oh nothing” replied Malan, who realized that he suddenly had spoken out loud.

"...that's good thinking. But if you ever go over my head like this again, Vukov, you might find yourself out of a job." Vedran hung up the phone and sighed, looking across the room at his guards. Vukov's idea didn't give him much time. "Plans have changed. The tour will continue. I'm going back to Oceana; you catch up when you can."

Vedran left the room and found himself in a busy airbase. Malan's 747 would be taking off soon, so there was really only one option left to him if he wanted to be on time. There was one plane he knew how to fly. He walked across the runway and entered one of the hangars. Ignoring the looks of the surprised mechanics, he strolled over to whoever was in charge and explained himself in simple terms. "I need to get to Oceana, and I'm in a hurry. How fast can you get an F-16 ready?"

The head mechanic pointed. "That one's almost done fueling up..."

Vukov looked at Malan for another second before lifting the magazine up to his face again without a word. He decided he was going to have to listen more closely in case it happened again.

During the flight to Oceana, as Vukov wandered away for a moment to make his way to the washroom for a break, his cellphone began to ring. It was that creepy Interior Minister Karl van Zyl on the line.

“Vukov…? I cannot seem to get through to Malan on his private line on the 747. He must have it turned off.” The Arctican could hear a tinge of desperation - or trepidation - in his voice. Also that annoying lisp had seemed to have strangely disappeared.

“Can you pass on to Malan that labour protests have broken out again? All our major industries have walked off their jobs again… and there has also been some violence in Johannesburg. At least 2,094 protesters have been… err, killed in clashes with military troops – mostly natives fro the townships, nothing really to worry about. However we believe that 2,000 of our own soldiers have also been killed… err, we used some new crowd controlling gas on the protesters to suppress them quickly and unfortunately the wind changed course and blew back towards them before they cou…”

There was some static on the line, and then a silent pause, followed by “…are you still there Vukov, did you get all that?”

- - -

On the plane, Vukov glanced back at Malan on the other side of the cabin as he took Van Zyl's call. He entered the small restroom and heard a short burst of static. "Alright then, I'll tell him." He ended the call. Vukov was about to put the phone up but dialed the number for Vedran's office and left a message informing him of the strikes and the death toll. Vedran would hear the message while Malan and Vukov were crossing the bridge.

After returning to his seat, Vukov relayed the news to Malan.

- - -

Since the F-16 and the 747 had a similar cruising speed, both Malan and Vedran would reach the capital at around the same time, but at different places. Vedran would land at the air force base at the outskirts of the city while Malan would land at Oceana International Airport.

Security in Antananarivo was more relaxed, but after the incident, the Arcticans were taking no chances. The Mercedes limousine that waited for Malan at the airport was not only more luxurious, but also more safe. It was one of the special models built by Nord-Auto Arctica, a former Nordland enterprise which had been taken over after one of the nation's many collapses. Among its safety features were bulletproofing, bullet-resistant windows, automatic fire extinguishers, EMP protection, an explosion-resistant fuel tank, run-flat tires, its own air supply...due to the high cost and the lack of a market for the model in a small country like Arctica, only a handful had ever been made, mostly sold to high-ranking government officials or corporate officers.

Agent Vukov followed Malan into the car. Apparently he would be giving the tour. The limo pulled out, escorted by two large black SUVs full off armed BII agents.

As they drove through the main thoroughfare into the downtown heart of Oceana, Malan stove to identify some recognizable features for familiarity sake – but to little avail. Occasionally, a small restaurant here or some store there, but by and large it appeared the city had recovered from the damage it incurred during the war fought here last year. Malan spent very little time in Oceana, as the city had constantly remained under government control and was never occupied by the Transvaler interventionist troops. His previous forays to Oceana had been brief meetings to coordinate air strikes to the south so that loyalist troops allied to Transvaal did not get hit by friendly fire. Once or twice he even flew over the city in command of his B-1 Lansier – as he originally was an air force pilot, mostly reconnaissance missions during that particular conflict, before promotion to colonel and reassignment to missile ordinance.

Malan might have seen the city in person before, but it was very different from last year. Much construction - and reconstruction - had been done. Oceana was the largest and most modern city in the country, looking more like a European or North American metropolis than an African city. It was clear that a lot of effort was put into the place. They passed many high-rise apartment buildings and even passed through downtown. The financial district was still under construction; there were a few skyscrapers, but the skyline was not that impressive. They also passed the stock exchange. Vukov pointed out all these things, though his description was not as colorful as Ramanantsoa's. The small convoy left the center of the city and passed through residential areas before turning onto a road that, while obviously being part of the city's freeway system, did not have much traffic at all. This road led to a 2km-long bridge to the island just off the shore. The bridge also barely had traffic. The island beyond was the home of the executive branch of government and the military, holding the workplaces and homes of the Ministers and generals, when they were not needed elsewhere. There was an armed checkpoint at the bridge. Security was heavy but it was tightened even further after the terrorist group Green Flag announced itself to the world.

After a check, the vehicles were allowed to pass. Soon they arrived at the island. It used to be forested, but now it was almost completely developed and built over, save for a few parks for the enjoyment of the occupants. It was technically part of Oceana, but it was practically its own little town. In the center was a skyscraper. Its official name was the "Central Government Building" but it was commonly known to foreigners as Oceana tower and to residents of the city as the tower. After the first one was destroyed last year, a new one had been built in its place. Its floors were mostly residential space or headquarters for the various ministries and departments.

The armed escorts were no longer needed, since there was a heavy security presence and virtually zero crime on the island. Vukov led Malan through the tower's lobby and into an elevator. There were 88 floors. Vukov pressed the 60 button and they were on their way.

Vukov led Malan through the 60th floor and to a door marked "Vedran". He knocked, and the door opened to reveal a spacious office with a large window and a desk directly opposite the door. Vukov and Vedran exchanged glances before Vedran nodded to him. "Thank you, Agent. You may leave now." He left and they were alone in the room except for the two silent guards at the entrance. Vedran did not look like he had just rushed here, but Malan could see the worry in his eyes that disappeared as he exhaled in relief upon seeing the Marshal enter.

He stood and shook Malan's hand before sitting. "Welcome, Marshal...welcome. It is a shame what happened today, but at least we are both alive and well, and this leg of your journey is nearing its conclusion. No doubt you have had a hectic day, so please sit down. It is good to finally meet you."

"So tell me, what do you think of my country? Assassins notwithstanding."

After giving him a deep bow out of respect and then exchanging pleasantries with Sovereign Vedran, Malan sat down in one of the exquisite and comfortable chairs which were found in Vedran’s office.

“First off, Sovereign... I must thank you for the gracious welcome which you and your people have given me during my brief stay in your country.”

Malan decided to brush aside the whole assassination incident as he did not want to appear that its affected him. ‘I must keep a strong face’ he thought.

“Yes, I know I have my enemies, and what they did today does not surprise me the least - but your people handled the situation with expert professionalism. I do not want it to tarnish this visit or our close relations between our nations, so let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

“I must say that on my way from the airport, I could barely recognize the city since my last visit – which was back during your civil war. I was stationed with one of the Lugmag reconnaissance units, then later re-assigned in the south to manage our V-2 launch sites.”

Then to change direction, Malan then began to earnestly question Vedran about Arctica’s reconstruction – it’s difficulties and success stories. He was genuinely interested as he wished to avoid any similar difficulties back home as Transvaal dealt with its own reconstruction from the ravages of war.

- - -

Vedran listened to Malan silently, trying to gauge his attitude. First impressions were important to him, especially when meeting someone that was a factor in what direction Arctica's foreign policy would take. If he got even the most basic idea of how a given leader's mind worked, it helped that much more when deciding how to deal with them. It was a simple theory that wasn't always reliable, but one that he paid attention to.

"Ah yes, the reconstruction. It was a trying time. Thanks to your country's assurance that the southern part of the island wouldn't slip from our control while we focused on the north, the reconstruction went faster than it would have otherwise. As I'm sure you know, we suffered grave damages during the war. We might have dropped into a depression, but we were able to avoid that by diverting funds that had already been set aside for a number of government projects.

Defense spending accounted for a large portion of our budget at that time. We had allocated money to several large projects that was not spent at the time the war began. The loyalists were disorganized around the start of the war, and the Herons could not access the money for themselves because I had taken measures, while in Cyprus, to ensure that they could not use it to fund their effort. So it was that when the war ended and we needed cash to rebuild, there were untapped reserves remaining. The funds were intended for various projects; research, missile programs, the navy...but the most expensive of them was our nuclear weapon program, and work had barely begun, so the accounts were virtually untouched.

At that time, thanks to the Vrystaat, the military had much less land to defend and a nuclear program was not very important when the people needed housing and electricity. So we postponed many of those projects, drained the accounts and diverted the money to critical industries: construction, agriculture, healthcare and the like. Some industries were also temporarily nationalized to ensure those worst affected by the fighting received priority attention. We also greatly reduced the size of our military during the Vrystaat period. Soldiers were discharged, construction of new naval ships and repair of existing ones was delayed, equipment was sold off...we sold some armored vehicles to those Kyokujitsu people - of course they weren't as troublesome back then - and they shipped us a submarine full of gold. Of course, we put it to good use.

Our reduced defense capability wasn't much of an issue given that the PAC was still going strong back then...something that I wish was still true. Anyway, the downside to diverting so much money from military projects was that it took a long time to recover and get back to being a regional power. Indeed, we only recently completed our nuclear program. But I would say that other than our infrastructure still needing some work, we are back to pre-war levels in most areas, and exceeding them in some."

"If I may, Marshal Malan, I've noticed that you keep addressing me by my formal title..."

“We were instructed by, umm… Marshal Cruywagen to always refer to you in the most respectful terms as we were guests in your country – despite the fact that we governed much of it through our Vrystaat administration.”

"I see..." Vedran couldn't determine if Malan was being so polite out of genuine respect or was simply using empty flattery. While he did not discount the former, he was definitely leaning towards the latter, given the differences between the two men. He then decided to change the subject and measure Malan's reactions to get his answer.

"Now, I've been informed that another few thousand protesters have been killed following strikes in Transvaal. Thousands of soldiers also died, apparently something went wrong?" Vukov had told him of the gas backfiring, but Vedran didn't mention this to Malan since he thought that would likely be classified information, and didn't really feel like explaining why he knew Transvaal state secrets.

Vedran sighed. "I understand that you have to keep your primary industries running, but why the heavy-handed tactics? Thousands of workers are killed every time they go on strike. And yet they keep striking, indicating that the underlying problems remain. Dead workers are no better for the economy than striking workers...have you considered addressing their grievances?"

---

Meanwhile...

After dropping Malan off, Vukov decided it was time for a break. He was satisfied with his performance this far, but his work was not done until Malan's plane was taking off for Italy. Still, the meeting between him and Vedran would probably take long enough for Vukov to get something to eat. The elevator deposited him on the 10th floor, which contained one of the tower's restaurants. Since it wasn't close to dinnertime, he chose a more casual one. As he sat down by a window and the waitress went off to get his food, he dialed Van Zyl's office.

While he was waiting for the man to pick up, he suddenly remembered that Van Zyl's lisp was not present when they last spoke. It couldn't have been any interference from being on the plane, he could swear it was absent. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was Van Zyl faking it? Vukov didn't have time to complete his thought, because the soft ringing in his ear stopped and he heard someone pick up.

Malan seemed uncomfortable about the news of the recent protesters clashing with the military. He wasn’t uncomfortable with what transpired – he had little time for short-minded liberals and rioting natives who could not comprehend his master plan. But not everyone outside Transvaal understood that sometimes the end justified the means and Transvaal was now finding itself at a critical, social crossroad.

Therefore, he chose to deflect the blame:

“Our labour problems have been caused by interruptions and cancellations of our foreign trade agreements – and it always triggers resource shortages and such in our industry. When we don’t have the materials to run our industry, of course workers become idle. These cancellations have been beyond our control and whenever that happens, the population gets upset – not realizing the full extent of our nation’s economic troubles. How soon they forget that we were in a war which we lost. Of course the state cannot currently maintain the comfortable standard of living we had pre-war, however we are making strides and should be close to rebuilt by the spring (October). We have already rebuilt out technology to almost pre-war levels, but our infrastructure has not caught up yet. That is probably why these strikes are breaking out, misinformed and restless workers who have no doubt been polluted with liberal foreign concepts of communism. We cannot afford to lessen the grip of authority for the time being, as our government is involved now in a social, internal conflict so to speak.”

The field marshal then said “Is there anything else you wish to discuss? After all, I should probably be making my way soon to Italy.”

"Nevertheless, I will be issuing a public statement after you leave condemning the use of deadly force against the striking workers.

The BII will escort you to the airport."

- - -

Meanwhile in Pretoria, the phone rang at the Interior Ministry. Karl van Zyl calmly picked it up. “Yesss? Vukov, what do you want? Do you have more newss for me?”

"Minister Van Zyl, do you have any new information on that memo that was faxed to you?" Vukov was just getting done with his food when his pager went off. It was time to take Malan to the airport.

Not wanting to lose the signal, Vukov took the stairs on his way down.

Vukov stopped between the ninth and eighth floors. "Van Zyl? Van Zyl, are you there?" He looked at his phone. Five bars, but he'd suddenly stopped hearing Van Zyl. He put the phone away and continued down the stairs. "Odd."

---

Just as Malan and Vedran were exchanging goodbyes, heavy knocking was heard at the door. One of the guards opened it. A hurried aide entered the office, holding a piece of paper, and made his way toward the two leaders. Vedran simply stopped and stared at him. If the news he was bringing turned out to be unimportant, then Vedran would reprimand him, but not before. What worried him was that the aide was not at all surprised or embarrassed that he'd just walked in on the meeting.

Vedran took the paper from him as soon as he got within reach. When he was done reading it, he handed it to Malan. It was a copy of the news report that had been sent out of Transvaal.

Whether Malan was surprised or not by the coup, Vedran could not tell. The marshal kept his cool while he read the dispatch.

"I must return to Pretoria to take command of the situation and re-exert the authority of the RMG. It is obvious that without me, the country is unstable."

Malan then turned to Vedran and shook his hand. "I sincerely thank you Sovereign for your kind hospitality during my visit here, I hope that any difficulties between our two governments can be repaired in the future. However, I now require the fastest car you can find for me as I need to return to my aircraft immediately and head home."

Vedran hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. A car will be waiting for you when you exit the building." Indeed, a black BII sedan was waiting for him out in front.

It was equipped with a siren, as Malan noticed when the driver activated it upon driving onto the bridge. The bridge checkpoints had been notified ahead of time, so the driver just sped through them. He chose the quickest route to the airport and soon enough they were on the tarmac next to Malan's 747. The driver was good at at least two things: safely weaving through traffic at high speeds, and inducing carsickness.

Shutting off the siren and leaving the engine on, Vukov got out and opened Malan's door. "Have a safe trip, Marshal."

- - -

Vedran was relieved when he heard that the plane was on its way. The Field Marshal was not someone he held in high regard, and he was glad that Malan's safety was no longer his responsibility.

He was, however, curious as to why Van Zyl would attempt a coup.

=July Coup Attempt= JULY 21, 2009

COUP IN PRETORIA? - The capital of Transvaal has been blanketed in a major power outage as rumours broke out this afternoon that Field Marshal Petrus Malan has been overthrown in a coup.

According to scattered independent reports gathered through cell phone usage, gun fire has been heard in the vicinity of Government House and the Interior Ministry located across the street from the seat of power.

Transvaal’s major international airport at Johannesburg has cancelled all incoming and outgoing flights for today.

COUP CRUSHED BY LOYALISTS - An attempted coup d'etat lead by Interior Minister Colonel Karl van Zyl was supressed today when loyalist forces to Field Marshal Malan regrouped and stormed the Interior Ministry building after a furious firefight. The whereabouts of Van Zyl are currently unknown after the building was levelled to the ground - but Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard issued a warrant for his arrest dead or alive.

Gerhard then went on Radio-Transvaal to proclaim the military's loyalty to Commander-in-Chief Malan and that 'the Malan Transformation of Transvaal and Southern Africa would continue on its path towards Victory! HAIL MALAN!'

CORROSPONDENCE FROM TAHOE:

Dear Field Marshal Petrus Malan, It has come to the attention of my Government that Karl Van Zyl and one Mr. de Ruijters - founder of the Verwoerd Front are the same person. How exactly de Ruijters escaped Paraguay and transformed himself into Van Zyl is still under investigation. However, using DNA testing, we could assertain for certain that they are in fact the same individual. Furthermore, Karl Van Zyl has been procuring weapons of various sorts...including chemical and biological...from the Tahoan Ministry of State Security under the now removed Minister of State Security, Field Marshal Tomas O'Coileain.

Early this morning O'Coileain was arrested by agents of the Tahoan National Guard (national police) for corruption and violations of national law pertaining to weapons trafficking.

We strongly suggest taking Van Zyl and other members of the Interior Ministry (completely infiltrated by the Verwoerd Front) into custody, along with Annejte Van Matteus, who is in fact the mother of de Ruijters/Van Zyl's child and likely a collaborator.

Sincerely, Sean Hannity, Minister of State Security

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal, returned to Pretoria this evening after his overseas visit to Arctica was cut short due to an attempted coup.

As soon as his aircraft landed in Johannesburg, Malan was then escorted under heavy armed guard to Government House where he re-asserted his control over the government and the nation.

The failed coup was organized and lead by the Interior Minister Karl van Zyl – who has since disappeared during the confusion which gripped the capital when the Interior Ministry offices were attacked by military troops loyal to Marshal Malan. An investigation has been launched - headed by the Transvaler Krygsmagte into recent, questionable activities by the Interior Ministry which had preceded the coup.

Ambassador Annetjie van Matteus has since been recalled from Rome to Pretoria ‘for consultation’ although she publicly stated that she had no involvement nor forewarning of the coup. “I am a supporter of the Malan government and did not hear about the coup attempt until after Field Marshal Malan had returned to Transvaal”, she stated to the waiting press around an hour ago as she boarded her flight home.

- - -

After dusk, four jeeps pull up to the frontier between Transvaal and Serca in the vicinity of Ndola in the Serca panhandle. The border post on the Transvaal side has either been abandoned or closed for the night. Colonel Van Zyl and his dozen cohorts stop for a quick look around before opening the red and white gate across the road. They climb back into their jeeps and drive across the border into Serca.

Ten armored Vehicals approached the incoming jeeps crossing over the border. Once verifying that it was indeed Colonel Van Zyl, they were led to the city of Ndola temporarily until dawn. Then he would be transported to the city of Kinshasa for pernament stay and solitude.

On arrival in Kinshasa, Colonel Van Zyl asked to speak with someone 'in authority' to enquire what his statuts is in Serca.

Gerneral Arban of the Sercan Armed Forces sat down With Colonel Van. "I will be the highest authority figure you will be allowed to speak too at this time. Now when you say your 'status' in Serca what exactly do you mean?"

Van Zyl's eyes narrowed at General Arban. "When I say status, I guess I am asking whether we are here as guests or as prisoners? I must admit that I find your nation's offer of asylum to us to be a... rather odd proposition."

"As far as im concern and what my orders were you are here as Guest. My government does not approve of Transvaal's current government and thier positions. We saw this attempted Coup as a change in government. But when it failed we didnt want to see you perish.

But there are conditions and restrictions. No illegal business. You are to refrain from any contact with anyone in Transvaal as long as you are here. You must remain quiet just blend in with the population. Our government will pay for any expense you may need."

"Any questions?"

De Ruijters was relieved upon hearing that him and his remaining cohorts were not to be arrested. He thought to himself 'this will do most nicely until the day comes when I need to return to Transvaal.

Colonel Van Zyl replied "No ssir, thiss will do mosst nicely until the day comess when I need to return to Transsvaal".

"Ok then", replied General Arban. Enjoy your stay and someone will continue to check up on you periodicly."

- - -

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: After a brief investigation, the Republican Military Government has cleared Annetjie van Matteus of any involvement in this week’s abortive coup attempt.

“I met with Field Marshal Malan on my arrival back in Transvaal and told him that the first I heard about the coup attempt was after it had taken place. It was news to me as I was stationed in Rome at the time as our ambassador to Repubblica Italiana, making the preparations for his planned visit there. In fact, I was out buying a new pair of shoes when news first reached me via pager.”

Ms. Van Matteus then told the press that she was fully behind the Republican Military Government. “Of course I want to see an eventual return to civilian rule, but the current political and economic situation in Transvaal does not permit that.”

As a sign of her support, Field Marshal Malan permitted Colonel van Matteus to re-establish her semi-private militia detachment of the Transvaler Oorsese Korps. 250 native African soldiers in the Krygsmagte have been re-assigned to the Korps – although van Matteus has privately stated that she would also ‘seek out foreign recruits, as that was the essence of the Korps, a foreign legion of military exiles.’

- - -

Earlier, behind closed doors:

Van Matteus was shocked at what Malan had told her. She then re-read the dispatch out of Tahoe. “There is no way that this Van Zyl creep is Uys De Ruijters. Uys is dead. Everyone knows that. Besides, if De Ruijters was alive – wouldn’t he have tried to re-connect with our daughter? Joanne has been under tight supervision while in Italy and at our home in Windhoek. I have heard of no unusual visits or reports out of the ordinary.”

- - -

After settling in at the old farmhouse in the Ndola district, the patrols radioed to Van Zyl that all was quiet and appeared calm. The farmstead was nondescript and typical of many also found in Transvaal, which appealed to the former interior minister in that it did not attract any undue, outside attention. Of course the Sercan authorities knew he was there, but after a couple of days they left him alone and gave him and his small band of men some space and distance.

De Ruijters walked outside to take in the cool night air. While in theory it was the middle of winter right now, one would not know that from the breezy sunshine which had basked down since his arrival. The night air felt good, as the farm house had no air conditioning for refuge from the warm days. De Ruijters light up a cigarette and took a puff. He looked off at the silhouette of the trees in the distance. He thought about his next moves.

The coup attempt had been a risky venture but he wanted to test the resolve of the RMG’s loyalty towards Malan as well as the strength of the opposition groups – which prove to be non-existent.

He calculated that with Malan out of the country, if the military’s morale was going to ever crack and break under political pressure, then that is when it would have occured. He however did not expect Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard’s response would be so fast – although he never had any doubts as to the loyalty of the lieutenant-colonel towards Malan.

Once the Karma War surrender terms expire in just under one month, then things would become really interesting. The army was pretty much in Malan’s grip, but the air force and navy – once rebuilt – would likely toe their own line. De Ruijters believed that Admiral Kruger, an ally of Paul Cruywagen, would demand a voice in the RMG. Likewise with Flight Commander Leonard Wise, another close and long-time ally of the now-exiled marshal who was currently residing in Arctica.

That is when he would strike... when the military reached the point it was at each others’ throats. With their attention turned against themselves, the RMG would be ill-prepared and completely caught by surprise when he began the VF’s systematic elimination of the ‘black spots’.

As he extinguished his cigarette, De Ruijters figured his first order of business was secretly transporting his stockpile of soman across the border. At last reports, his tankers were just across the frontier, waiting around two hours away. The it was just a matter of waiting until Transvaal was cleared to acquire military aircraft, so that he could buy his own and disguise them as Lugmag equipment.

JULY 25, 2009

HUNDREDS DEAD FROM RACIAL UNREST!

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: Blood flowed in the South Western Townships this afternoon when military troops went on a rampage and slaughtered approximately 1,350 civilians after the nation was shut down by another round of strikes. According to most independent reports, almost all the casualties were native blacks.

The Republican Military Government has kept silent on this lastest round of civil unrest.

JULY 26, 2009

''Ambassador Vittorio Cerretti, from the Italian embassy in Pretoria, sent a message on behalf of the Italian Provisional Military Government and General Borghese, expressing solidarity with Field Marshal Malan. In the note, Borghese condemned the smear campaign enacted against the Republican Military Government of Transvaal. Campaign enacted by the "So called free press". Borghese also sent a present to Field Marshal Malan, the helmet of a corazziere horseman, the "Corpo Corazzieri" (cuirassiers corp) is the traditional guard of the Head of State of Italy.''

JOHANNESBURG FREE PRESS: The Republican Military Government of Transvaal released the latest demographic statistics for the nation this morning. Compared to pre-war levels where black Africans made up 80% of the civilian population of the Republic, that number has now dipped below 54% while the number of people identifying themselves as Afrikaners has increased to just over 25%. Anglo-Transvalers now make up around 21% of the population.

The increase in white citizens has no doubt been due to the Republic’s immigration and anti-birth control policies in place, while a look at the causes for the decrease in the native population has more sinister undertones. Educated estimates believe that upwards of 10,500 native Africans were killed during the Karma War - with an additional 6,500 killed during post-war civil unrest and government crackdowns on labour strikes. Another 1,359 citizens – again, mostly blacks – are known to have been deported to Novus Niciae.

In all, over 18,000 natives have lost their lives or been forcibly exiled – a truly massive scale of human suffering in a nation whose pre-war population was just over 50,000. While blame for wartime loses cannot be given, the RMG is directly and indirectly responsible for the death and neglect of almost 8,000 souls.

The latest round of racial unrest comes on the heels of our remaining native population now realizing that it will soon become the minority in Transvaal - with the expected reduction in what little civil and democratic rights they may currently hold under the RMG regime.

STATEMENT BY SOVEREIGN VEDRAN OF ARCTICA

At the urging of several prominent Transvalers in exile in Arctica, Vedran makes a public statement condemning the actions of the RMG.

"For months now I have watched Marshal Malan's soldiers make a mockery of the plight of black Africans in Transvaal. Ever since he took power, his army has been crushing every labor protest that pops up, time and again massacring thousands of citizens. Black Africans that were once a majority and were once severely disadvantaged by the Federal Republic, are now being killed in the streets by the thousands. Now families, barely able to feed themselves, are left without fathers and husbands and sons simply because they were unsatisfied with their conditions.

I spoke with the Marshal during his visit to Arctica earlier this month, and I was told that the government could not lessen the grip of authority because they are involved in a social, internal struggle. The social struggle he speaks of is the Afrikaner's struggle to put down his black brother. This is nothing more than an ethnic cleansing campaign under the guise of controlling unrest caused by resource shortages.

I have spoken out against this before and I will continue to do so until the leaders of the world open their eyes to what is really happening in Southern Africa. I urge the nations of the world to place political pressure on the regime in Transvaal before these massacres push the black man into the minority and his oppression at the hands of his white countrymen begins appearing legitimate. Do not let the voice of blacks in Southern Africa be extinguished.

The societies and cultures of the Native Americans have already been destroyed hundreds of years ago, but the destruction I speak of today is going on right now. The countries of the world have a choice in this matter, and I hope you will choose with the future in mind.

Thank you."

STATEMENT BY EMPEROR SERGIO OF SERCA

Emperor Sergio has made an international televised Message.

"Leaders of the world, Arctica is 100% correct. The current Transvaaler government is a disgrace to Africa. Now they are killing NATIVE AFRICANS. This move is completely against NAPO policies and we cannot just let Transvaal bring Non-africans to southern Africa. Malan is doing nothing but posioning Southern Africa and we can no longer just sit and watch this. Until a regime is change is made we will not recognize Transvaal as a sovern nation. Our southern border with Transvaal is completely shut off. Only persons allowed are NATIVE BLACK AFRICAN trying to escape the dangers of Transvaal. We have discussed this prior and this final move has final pushed our last buttons. All diplomatic ties are cut off and nothing will leave Serca to Transvaal this point on. Thank you"

After the message the Emperor ordered the immediate removal of any Transvaal foreign unless they apply for citizenship.

- - -

"Kak!" exclaimed Uys de Ruijters turning off the radio after hearing the Emperor's speech. "Just as I suspected, we are not safe here remaining in Serca. We must flee back across the frontier into Transvaal, we are safer hiding out underground in the Republic than remaining in exile."

De Ruijters and followers made quick haste to their jeeps.

General Arban expected an overreaction by Uys de Ruijters. General had the cabin blocked off right after the Emperor finished his message

"Gentleman remain calm you are not in danger of being deported to Transvaal. In fact even if you wanted to run you couldnt. Any and all entrances into transvaal is completely shut off. No way in and No way out. The only way out is being deported and you wouldnt want your government to find out you are hre would you?"

De Ruijters felt like a mouse cornered by the house cat. He slipped into his Van Zyl persona and said "Would you have any isssue with uss leaving by plane for Europe? We feel our causse cannot be maintained by remaining here in Sserca."

At least the soman is still safe, thought De Ruijters. That was close.

Well then that would be fine. Your airline ticket will be purchased and wherever you wanna go you can."

"Thank you. It is our plan to make our way to Italy."

JULY 27, 2009

Dragonisia continues its policy of attempting cultural level changes via indirect and commercial means and through subtle fund transfers to dissidents via legal commercial activity and selective commerce. The Blue Dragons (Dragonisian State Intelligence Apparatus) also have slowly filtered into the country still under the auspices of trade and continue to provide information and support to dissidents. They are focused on working with pro-democracy/republic groups with no particular ethnic alignment.

The Blue Dragons quietly made contact with members of the Democratic Barracks Party still in Transvaal, few though they may be.. as well as some leaders in the Black Ethnic community. They made an offer, Money and Guns if they provide the manpower to bring the Dictatorial government to its knees and raise a democratic banner over the country that will grant equal representation to all its occupants.

The weapons provided would be built and constructed to Transvaal designs so it would appear they were of domestic fabrication and would be provided in very secretive shipments through the brewery.

Frederik Geldenhuys and Paul Cruywagen from the Demokratiese Barakke Party were willing to meet with the Blue Dragons from the safety of the Transvaal Embassy in Arctica where Mr. Cruywagen is stationed as ambassador.

As for the leaders from the black African community, the most notable is Judith Matambanadzo who was also currently in exile in Arctica.

If there were any opposition groups still operating inside Transvaal, they are underground and pretty much disorganised, local operations which would difficult to locate (due to government arrests).

If the Dragonisians' disguises were good enough to pass through standard security measures (as Arctica's security measures were not too stringent) then they would not be bothered by the authorities.

Due to Arctica being in disagreement with the policies of Malan's ally Junio Borghese, the 'tourists' would be granted a visa valid for a few days only, which was more than likely enough time to make arrangements with the exiled Transvalers.

Ambassador Cruywagen and party leader Geldunhuys were both contacted by agents of an "unnamed sympathizer" who wanted to meet with them at the Embassy in Arctica. An appointment was requested.

''Though it is not detailed, if the appointment was granted they would arrive by regular passenger jet with professionally falsified identity documents indicating their origin being the Italiana Republic. Since they are there as apparent tourists, and they would behave as such.. their approach to the Embassy would likely go unnoticed.''

"Italy is fascist" remarked Frederik Geldenhuys, somewhat confused.

"Oh well, we have nothing else on our agenda, so let's meet with them for amusement sake. For all we know it could be some of Malan's stooges trying to provoke us" said Paul Cruywagen.

"Exactly, that is what I am worried about" said Geldenhuys.

The Dragonisian intelligence officers, dressed as tourists from Republic Italia, quietly pressed the button on the intercom at the gates to the Embassy of Transvaal in Arctica. "We're here."

The "tourists" were let into the embassy compound and made their way to the main building. Looking at the two signs marked "Visa applications ==>" and "<== Appointments", they headed off towards the corridor to the left of the main foyer.

"Can I help you?" asked the main reception clerk.

"Ambassador Cruywagen and party leader Geldunhuys should be expecting us." One of the agents would take off their bowler hat and hold it in his hand quietly while explaining.

The clerk looked at them conspiratorally and then made the motions of checking the leather-bound appointment book on her desk.

"Ahh, yes - here we are... pleas proceded down the hall to the third door on the left."

As soon as she spoke, two armed guards stepped forward and search the tourists for any firearms on their possession. Finding none, the tourists then made their way to an office marked "AMBASSADOR CRUYWAGEN".

They knocked gently and then opened the door.

Ambassador Paul Cruywagen looked up from his desk. Sitting off to his right was another man, in his 50s. From photographs previously seen, the tourists recognised him as Frederik Gelndenhuys.

Cruywagen uttered in his distinctly deep and grave voice "Enter, please come in."

"Greetings Sir. You may call me Dante Rossi. This is my comrade, Mario Gallo. We're here to talk with you about the situation in Transvaal. How are you today?" He put a cigar box on the table, obviously a gift to the ambassador.

Ambassador Cruywagen ignored the cigars. "And what may I ask is your interest regarding the 'situation' in Transvaal?" he asked Rossi.

"It is our understanding you are a member of the Demokratiese Barakke Party or know how we can contact its leader, is this correct?" He inquired.

Cruywagen smiled and then looked over at Frederik Geldenhuys also sitting in the room. Geldenhuys spoke. "I am Frederik Geldenhuys, leader of the DBP. What can I do for you?"

''"You can liberate your country and provide equiality for its citizens for the sake of the world." The man put a large satchel he had been carrying on the table. "The contents inside are approximately 3 million international dollars in large denominations, variable currencies, from an unspecified benefactor.. wrapped in tourist clothing to prevent theft and make for easy transport. More will be forthcoming if you are willing to take up this task. We can also provide arms if necessary."''

Frederik Geldenhuys looked at the satchel – then asked “Excuse me for asking, but exactly whom are you working for?”

The visitors looked at Ambassador Cruywagen sitting there. He did not seem too convinced. However he decided to play his cards and show his hand in an attempt to figure out the true nature and intents of these 'visitors'.

The ambassador spoke gravely, “That was my second thought actually, my first being that we do not have the means, as in manpower, to take on Malan as long as the military is under his thumb. Recently the far rightists attempted to launch a coup against the RMG. They were better armed and organised than us, and yet they failed. Malan has around 18,000 soldeirs under his command, the vast majority of those solidly loyal to him”.

Geldenhuys nodded in agreement.

“Our plan is to wait and see how the situation develops at the end of August once the last surrender terms have been lifted” said the DBP leader. “We are hoping that once Transvaal can rebuild its navy and air force, that those two sectors which previously were strong supporters of our group will be able to exert pressure on the RMG.”

''"We represent global leaders who have an interest in seeing a democratic and stable Transvaal. We do not think that Malan is stable. He may have the military under his thumb, but he does not have the people. 18,000 men against.. what is the population of your home state?" He inquired, "We can provide you the weapons and the finances if you can simply provide the will and the people."''

“About 43,000, at least the last time I checked,” replied Ambassador Cruywagen blandly. “...although the military could probably beef itself up to 22,000 soldiers without violating the surrender terms”.

Paul Cruywagen did not feel too convinced with the noble intentions of these ‘global leaders’ this mysterious visitor spoke of. Naturally these people would want some sort of return on their investment – and while Cruywagen despised Malan, he had not reached the point where he was willing to sell out his nation just quite yet.

So he changed tactics. “I understand that Malan is to make an important announcement tomorrow at the Volksraad. Perhaps we should wait until we have heard what he has to say? After all, I don’t want to make any rash decisions.”

Cruywagen wasn’t too concerned about what Malan actually had to say, he just used the announcement as a delaying smokescreen until he had gathered further information on who and what these representatives were fronting for. For all he knew, these could be some of Van Zyl’s stooges trying to blackmail or implicate him for their own ends.

The ambassador then changed direction, in an attempt to throw these people off and see if he could possibly expose their true intents: “Have you spoken with National Party leader Jakob Hertzog yet?”

"Sure, take as much time as you need. Know our intents are pure. We only want the best for your people. Would you have any suggestions for quartering? Our visa time here is limited, due to the crisis in the Republic Italia, but we wouldn't mind meeting again to discuss this again in the time we are allotted."

Ambassador Cruywagen looked at Geldenhuys, who had been silent for much of the discussion. The ambassador sheepishly shrugged, “Well, if you are really stuck for accommodation you are welcome to stay here at the embassy. It’s an old large house after all, so we have a lot of rooms that could function as temporary accommodation if you don’t mind sleeping on couches.”

"Not at all, we appreciate the accommodation." They would go find a room and take up a couch as theirs.. sort out their belongings. They had no electronics with them, the only form of ID.. their false once. They had a couple of books for entertainment and reading printed from in Europe. One was reading Ink Heart... the other was reading some Star Wars book.

When, the next day, the two agents hear of the news of Malan's resignation; they go to request to speak to the Ambassador and the DBP party chair once more and appear to be preparing to leave.

"Well fancy that..." exclaimed Ambassador Cruywagen to his 'guests' when he saw the newspaper headlines.

"Looks like one problem has solved itself peacefully."

The ambassador then thought about his own future. Annetjie van Matteus and him had had some bad blood between them two years ago when she was prime minister for a few months. Ended up that he had to lead his own coup against her when she overstepped her bounds.

"I wonder what this will bring to Transvaal?" he said outloud and addressed to no one in particular. "While the RMG was not very popular at home and abroad, Van Matteus is a wily one who also has a loose cannon talent for messing things up when she leasts expects it."

In his mind, things had just progressed from worst to worse. Most of the world had forgotten about her previous attempt to lead the country or the sad end of Minister Breytenbach on television. Time makes things heal but it also makes things forget...

"How about you and your friend help determine the outcome of that election? We won't need to bring the weapons, but we offer up the 3 million as contributions to a campaign seeding fund for the DBP. The state still has to much of an iron grip on it for our sponsor's comfort, but this contribution should help you sway the government to make democracy truly take root."

=Prime Minister Annetjie van Matteus= JULY 26, 2009

Foreign minister Hendrik Strijdom and Annetjie van Matteus walked in silence along the corridor at Government House, past the Volksraad chambers and towards the private offices of government officials. It was an unusual pairing, as the two had had their differences in the past.

Although they were some of the most publicly visible civilian members of the Republican Military Government, passers-by tended to ignore them as they hurried to their own concerns.

The two figures walked up to the office marked “F.M. Malan, RMG CIC” and stopped. They looked downwards and then glanced at each other, both taking a deep breath before Strijdom turned the handle. They both walked into the office where Field Marshal Petrus Malan was waiting for them.

The self-styled Commander-in-Chief of Transvaal ushered them in, shaking their hands before he resumed his seated position behind his heavy oak desk.

“What is this urgency you both wished to express?” began the Marshal apprehensively.

Van Matteus spoke first, cautiously. “Sir, myself and Foreign Minister Strijdom have some reservations about recent international perceptions of the RMG. We believe that our nation is facing a real crisis at hand as more and more states begin to pull their diplomatic missions and isolate us. The Sercans have just suspended relations with us and practically closed the border. The Arctican ruler has issued a statement denouncing our government’s policies”

Strijdom then interjected “I suspect that it is only a matter of time before they too sever diplomatic relations with us again.”

“What?” bellowed Malan. “After all I did to give back those specks in the Indian Ocean to them and my visit there a few weeks ago, they would have the gall to cut diplomatic ties with us after promising not to?”

“Yes sir, that is our belief” replied Strijdom.

Annetjie van Matteus fidgeted in her chair, before saying in a low voice: “Sir, it is our opinion and those of our civilian ministers in the RMG that a public timetable should be announced by you regarding the end of the junta and the resumption of full civilian rule.”

Malan stood up. “But I have said that would be considered in November!” yelled the marshal.

“We understand that, sir – but we feel that you should speed up the timetable. Considerably. After all, our technological level has returned to pre-war levels and our infrastructure rebuilding is not too far behind.”

Malan drew himself back in his seat, asking “How soon you mean when you say ‘considerably’?”

“The end of August, if not sooner” said Strijdom. Van Matteus nodded slowly in agreement. “Of course elections could still wait for November but there would be a period of civilian transitional rule to prepare for elections then.”

“And then what? What would happen to me?” queried Malan.

Van Matteus and Strijdom looked at each other, before Van Matteus answered “that could be decided and dealt with in an appropriate manner by someone appreciative to your contributions to our Republic.”

Malan saw where this was going. Gruffly he said “I see, and I suppose that you both are suggesting that I should hand over power to one of you?”

Van Matteus blushed slightly, but Strijdom sat unemotionally. Van Matteus smiled and then replied: “After all, sir, both myself and Mister Strijdom do have prior experience in the topmost level of power in Transvaal.”

“Yes, and both of you didn’t have illustrious records while in government either” snorted the marshal. “You there woman, who shot up people on national television! I am no saint, far from it, but that’s something even I can take credit for not stooping to.” Malan’s gaze then focused on Strijdom. “And you Hendrik, you got yourself thrown out of office by your inability to keep a lid on our blacks.”

Van Matteus straightened herself up. “Sir, please don’t get us wrong. We both support your policies for Transvaal – however we feel that they need to be carried out under the radar – so to speak – of the foreign press and observers. We would both agree to carry on your legacy of whiteification until its conclusion – however we would handle it a lot more subtle.” Strijdom nodded in agreement.

Malan then stood up, indicating that the meeting was over. “I have heard enough! I shall consider your views and if I feel there is any validation to them, I shall act accordingly. But for the meanwhile I need both of you to remain vigilant and strong in your duties as members of this government.” His eyes then narrowed down. “After all, we are all thieves in the same break-in, so to speak. Do not think for a moment that I will carry the sins of the RMG on my cross alone. You by your collaboration are also implicit and bear some burden. Remember that when you get your hopes up for power.”

Malan then gave a single, sweeping wave. “Get out of here.”

JULY 28, 2009

MARSHAL MALAN TO SPEAK TO NATION ON JULY 30

Field Marshal Petrus Malan, Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Governemnt of Transvaal informed the Volksraad that he will speak to the nation at Government House on July 30.

JULY 29, 2009

Meanwhile in Arctica... Agent Vukov's phone rang. "Yes?" he said into the receiver. It was one of his operatives stationed in Transvaal who was calling him on the secure line.

"Sir, we have received visual reports of an Afrikaanse Lugdiens Boeing 747 sitting at the ready on the tarmac of Johannesburg's Botha International Aiport. The registration is the same as the plane Malan used to get to Arctica. There has been some activity around it during the morning, a couple of black vans coming and going. Looks like it's being loaded up."

Vukov got out a notepad and began making a bulleted list of the details.

"With what? You are in contact with the rest of your cell, yes?"

"Of course."

"Send someone to see where the vans are coming from and what is being loaded into them, and see if you can get closer to that plane...report to me as soon as you have more information. Don't get caught."

Vukov’s phone rang a few hours later, at around 9:45pm local time.

“Sir, we have visual with the aircraft. Apparently all flights out of Johannesburg have been delayed until after midnight. We haven’t seen any more vehicles in the vicinity of the plane since we last spoke, however for the past hour or so two of its engines have been running at an idle and there is a flight crew now in the coc.kpit, although we have not seen any passangers board.”

JULY 30, 2009

It is a warm, muggy night in Oceana City in Arctica and Agent Vukov decides to stay up and sit outside on his veranda. It’s too hot inside to sleep. Besides, he has a gut feeling something is up in Johannesburg, so he keeps his phone near.

A few minutes after midnight, it begins to ring…

“Yes, Agent Vukov here – what is it?”

The voice on the other end of the line is immersed in static but excited nevertheless: “The plane is now on the tarmac, taxiing along the runaway before take-off rollout.”

Vukov puts down the drink he had in his hand and graps his notepad and paper.

“Did you see anyone board it?”

“We’re not sure, sir. A black Mercedes pulled up next to it around twenty minutes ago, but it was on the far side away from us. We couldn't see anyone if they emerged from it, but the car then drove off before the 747 immediately began its pushout. It appears the crew were waiting for whomever was inside the vehicle.”

Vukov could then hear some muffled voices in the background.

“Sir, the plane is taking off right now as I speak!”

Vukov scribbled down the details on the same page he had written the operative's report from earlier that day. Listening closely, he could hear some muffled voices in the background as the man reported the plane taking off. His heart jumped, eyes widening as he began to suspect the worst.

"Is that your men with you?" he asked, raising his voice, trying to be heard over the jet engines even as he was sitting in his quiet Oceana neighborhood. "Look behind you!"

"Yes sir, sorry - it was just the three of us talking amongst ourselves. Nothing to worry about!"

"I see. Can't be too careful. Thank you for the information." The news would be treated as classified information only until the next morning when it was revealed in the Volksraad that Malan had resigned.

- - -

Field Marshal Malan had called the Volksraad to gather for what had been deemed an emergency session first thing in the morning. Despite the early hour, the sun had been up for around an hour and it appeared to have the makings for a gorgeous day outside. The various delegates arrived and made their way into the main chamber of the National Assembly.

The only ‘outsider’ present, Ambassador Séamus Ó Grianna of Tahoe, looked around the chamber to see how many of the delegates he could recognise. The most notable ones were Foreign Minister Hendrik Strijdom, Annetjie van Matteus, and Finance Minsiter Marthinus Hofmeyr – a large bald man who he had never met personally but knew was responsible by and large for keeping Transvaal’s economy running despite recent trade problems. The rest, apart from some harmless, minor civilians such as the archbishop of Pretoria and the manager of the Transvaal Springboks, were all military officers who had been selected by Malan to pack the Volksraad with his own supporters.

At around seven o’clock, the room had become a quiet collective murmuring of voices as everyone waited for Petrus Malan to make his appearance. After somewhat of an annoying wait, it was instead Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard who walked through the main entrance door from the executive offices, carrying a large red envelope under his left arm.

Ó Grianna recalled to himself that for a few brief days, Gerhard had shared power with Malan in the junta before giving his own resignation to permit Malan full dictatorial control.

The lieutenant-colonel displayed a serious, solemn expression as he walked to the center podium. He took out some papers from the red envelope and began to speak:

“Good morning members of this esteemed Volksraad. I have the duty to report to you that just before midnight last night, Field Marshal Petrus Malan gave his resignation as Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government effective July 31,2009 and has departed for ‘health reasons’ to Italy.”

Gerhard then began to read from the papers from the red envelope. “In my authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Military Government of Transvaal, I Field Marshal Petrus Malan hereby proclaim the following decrees effective immediately:


 * “I hereby promote Lieutenant-Colonel Dietrichs Gerhard to the rank of General in recognition for his loyalty and service to Transvaal during and after the war.”


 * “For similar services rendered to the nation, I hereby promote Colonel Annetjie van Matteus to the rank of General of the Transvaler Oorsese Korps.”


 * “I hereby proclaim the termination of the Republican Military Government and its replacement by a transitional civilian authority. For the position of Prime Minister, I hereby appoint as my successor Annetjie van Matteus. Foreign Minsiter Hendrik Strijdom and Finance Minister Marthinus Hofmeyr are appointed joint Deputy Prime Ministers under Prime Minister van Matteus. This new civilian authority shall remain in authority until November 30, 2009 when national elections are held.”


 * “In accordance with the termination of the Republican Military Government, I hereby as my final act order all rank and file members of our armed forces to return to their barracks and remove themselves from the daily function of government administration unless requested to main at their posts by order of the new civilian administration.”

STATEMENT BY VEDRAN OF ARCTICA: "Arctica is glad to see that the military rule in Transvaal has ended. We recognize the new government and wish the nation good luck." While the Arcticans were not happy with the infamous Van Matteus in office, it was certainly a step forward and diplomatic relations between the two countries would warm some. As Vedran pondered the effects of this in his office, he wondered what would become of Ambassador Cruywagen...

STATEMENT BY EMPEROR SERGIO OF SERCA: "The Kingdom of Serca is glad to see that Transvaal is finally trying to return to its former glory. We herby recognize this new government and reopen ou southern border."

VAN MATTEUS NAMED PRIME MINISTER OF TRANSVAAL; MAKES PROMISES OF REFORMS

CYBERNATIONS NEWS NETWORK [PRETORIA]: Annetjie van Matteus was sworn in today as Transvaal's new prime minister and head of the first civilian government since the end of the Karma War. Field Marshal Petrus Malan resigned and left for exile in Italy last night around midnight after naming Ms. van Matteus as his successor.

Prime Minister van Matteus spoke to the nation on Radio-Transvaal a few hours after news broke that Malan had left the country. In her speech she promised that reforms would be made in the coming days and weeks as the vestiges of military rule were removed. She did however issue a controversal pardon for Malan, removing any and all responsiblity for "difficult decisions and actions" carried out by the Republican Military Government.

"The RMG junta period was a trying but necessary period in light of our postwar situation, Mr. Malan made some tough decisions which he felt to be in the best interests of the nation. However right or wrong those decisions may prove to be with hindsight, Mr. Malan must be recognised for taking command of a dire situation when the survival of our nation and people were on the line."

Ms. van Matteus said that the marshal would be welcome to return to Transvaal in a strictly military capacity whenever he sees fit to do so.