Kalistan

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Her Imperial Majesty Confirms Involvement in Etxean Security
"Reinforced Militia deployed to Etxea" says Empress from Eveari
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 17, 5637


Empress calls for support and National rationing to support Militia

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto appeared on all KRTVN Television and Radio Stations today to confirm a not so secret rumor concerning the deployment of the Militia to the Kundrati Union.  Many families have known about the deployment for months, because loved ones have gone abroad, but Her Imperial Majesty took to the airwaves to ask Kalistanis for one more sacrifice for the people of Etxea.  The speech was also carried on KalSat and Radio Kaliburg.

"Fellow Kalistanis.  We join you today, wherever you are to confirm the rumors which we have opted not to comment on until now:

Members of the Institutional Militia of Kalistan have deployed to the Kundrati Union to assist in security operations on the Island of Etxea.  The entire Militia has been designated as Light Infantry, with exception to 12 Artillery Batteries that form one regiment of Artillery.  The group has been placed under Etxean Command, and local commanders will coordinate with Kalistani Militia Commanders to ensure that Kalistanis will not be placed in unnecessary risk or harm's way.  We have also authorized men and women in the Regular Armed Forces of Kalistan to take extended leave of duty to serve with the Militia.  In total, 115,000 Kalistani Nationals are now serving as security forces on Etxea, and are coordinating their efforts with Kundrati, Hutorian, Luthorian, Mordusian, Davostager, and Dolgavan armed forces.

All these men and women serving are volunteers.  Most of them volunteered to serve in Artania for a common purpose.  They said that the world must stand against Fascism.  The entire world.  And now it is important for the entire world to stand with the brave men and women in Etxea. 

It was our decision to attempt to break Kalistan away from the endless war and violence in Artania, and to do so we concluded a deal with the fascists which we believed would promote peace and security in the region by trading basic necessities for full disclosure on all of the Fascist Legion's atrocities, a good faith effort toward peace, and a full and verifiable dismantling of the Legion's stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.  All of these things the leader of the Legion agreed to.

And we were wrong, because we believed them.  I was wrong because I believed a liar.  And we bought them a couple more years.  Would the embargo have done any more damage to remain in place for a few more years?  Likely not.  It wasn't doing anything when we lifted it.  But to take a liar at his word was indeed an error, because it damaged our diplomatic standing and our reputation abroad.  In fact, as much as it pains us to say it, in this case, Luthori was right.  We will learn from this misjudgment, but the net result is that we become more cynical, more closed off, and more untrusting.

So now, we have permitted the Institutional Party to deploy their militia.  Perhaps nothing will come of their deployment, perhaps some of them will pay with blood for our misjudgment.  And for that we apologize to the families of Kalistan, on a very personal level.  I am very sorry I failed in that moment and I ask you for your forgiveness for my failure, which was borne of a sincere desire to encourage peace and security, if not for the whole world, then at least for Kalistan, but in fact was simple naivete and inexperience. 

But now your family members will redeem the reputation of this Empire with their honor, their valor, and their courage.  And when they return home, they will be given Heroes' welcomes.  We have just this day authorized a new campaign ribbon:  'The Artanian Service Ribbon,' to honor the service of all those who have served this empire in this conflict.  It shall be authorized for all those who are currently deployed to Etxea, as well as all Active Duty Regular Navy and Regular Armed Forces Members who have volunteered for service, as well as all veterans retroactively of the Likatonian War and the Artanian Sea Campaign in 5612-5614.  We shall create a co-equal civilian acknowledgement for those who have enlisted with the Union Government as auxiliary navy.

As we have asked Kalistani families to contribute to the fighting force in the Kundrati Union, so too do we ask the citizens of Ananto and Kalistan to make an additional contribution of their time, and of their materials.  We have asked House Ananto to make available to the Institutional Party a line of credit totaling ₭1 Billion Imperial Rubles to continue the purchase of surplus arms and ammunition to ship to the Militia, and to ensure that those who serve are adequately compensated for their service according to the normal scale, while their families do not suffer by the absence of their loved ones.  We have also ordered our Government to ensure that there are price supports in place, should this war threaten our economic stability.  Chancellor of the Empire Koenig has been given access to the strategic surplus to ensure that there is no disruption in our markets or in our supply lines.

The only piece left here is supply of food.  We are asking you, the people of Kalistan to stand with your brothers and sisters in Etxea and contribute.  The Militia doesn't need any more money.  What they need is food, medicine, and basic commodities that will ensure that they are well armed, well fed, and well cared for if they are injured.  This is a nation wide effort:  Doing your part is the patriotic duty.

Instead of having food drives, medicine drives, or whatever as they may have in days past, we are asking Kalistani consumers to drop consumption for the duration of the deployment by about 10 percent.  Don't worry about what that will do to our economy.  As mentioned, the Chancellor is enacting price supports, so that corporations do not take a hit and jobs remain stable.  But the cut in consumption by Kalistani consumers, especially of essentials, but also of things that require strategic materials for a war effort, will allow the Nation to acquire those goods and either use them here to support the war effort, or ship them to the troops in Artania. 

Cutting consumption merely means:  If you go to the store and buy ten items, simply buy nine and leave the other one sitting on the shelf.  Especially if those items are needed on the frontline.  We have instructed the Chancellor to distribute a list of what those items could be across all social medias, and to create PSAs announcing the items.  We are also sending a mailer out reminding you which items are needed to support the effort via Public Information.  Cutting ten percent is easy to do, it will save you money in the long run, and you will be giving our Militia, fighting fascists so you don't have to the gift of a hot meal, or front line combat aid medicine, or any other number of things that they need to fight and win.

We are all doing our part in Kalistan because we are all in this together.  And together, we will win.  We thank you for your time and your effort and contribution.  And we hope you have a wonderful evening."

As the cameras switched off and the feed cut to M1's news room, several members of the commentary class dissected the Empress' words.  They said the speech was graceful, they were generally happy that she took responsibility for the failure of her peace initiative, and they said the "Cut 10%" campaign was an excellent way to give average Kalistani Nationals a way to buy into the war to have a stake in its success.

"The Empress is giving a billion dollars of her own money to the effort," said M1 Commentator Colleen Meisner.  "I mean, I can certainly buy fewer cans of beans until the end of this...  well, I mean, is it a war?  I don't know, but whatever it is, I can do that..."

Others praised her tone:  "The Empress has really come into her own with this speech, I think," said Commentator Jack Samuelson.  "This is really the first time in her four years almost where she was calming, reassuring, and yes, even apologetic.  Even Empresses can make mistakes, but we will remember the ones who own up to them and take steps to fix things."

A few members of the Orthodox faction, which have been the Empress' staunchest supporters during the pull back, gave the speech a mixed review.  "As a deputy from Sulari," said Deputy Ron Ontiveros, "I will say that she should not have apologized for anything she did.  The Empress did what she thought was in the best interest of the nation and that was, is, and will forever be staying the hell away from that forever war.  I mean, was it inspiring?  Sure:  She's Empress Mary Ananto.  But strangely, it was also a little disappointing, hearing her say, in first person singular no less 'I'm sorry I let you down.'  I want someone who doesn't apologize for anything.  It makes you look weak."

Given that the speech was made at 5:15pm Kaliburg time, the markets were closed and did not have an opportunity react, but overnight futures dropped sharply, before rallying in the KalSiE soon after the opening bell.  The volatility was around items on the list referenced by the Empress, but all major stocks ended up for the week after a lot of ups and downs during the trading day.  The KalSiE ended up 0.64% at the closing bell.

@TheRepublic