Kalistani Major History

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Kalistani Air Force Fails Inspector General's Evaluation
Tragic crash last month which killed 4 points to deeper problems in the Air Force
Gendaris, Duchy of Odufaray
April 2, 5515


F/A-10 crashes into hangar killing both crew members and two enlisted on Odufaray NAS

A routine landing turned deadly late last month as an F/A-10, which was returning from a routine patrol over the eastern coast of Kalistan crashed while landing. The plane was landing at a strange angle, and as it touched down, the wheels caught on a runway fixture causing the plane to lose control while taxiing, and spinning it out into a nearby hangar. In the resulting crash, both crew members were killed, along with two members of the ground crew, who attempted to escape the out of control plane.

"This was a tragic accident," said General of the Airforce Major General Brent Sanderson. "It was also totally avoidable. Kalistan's Air Force is woefully undertrained, and Kalistan can make all the deals with foreign states that it likes, but without increased training, and a culture which emphasizes professionalism and safety for our pilots, we are going to see more such exercises and more of this kind of death." The March crash was the most serious in a string of smaller scale incidents that were all chalked up to pilot inexperience and lack of competency.

Following the fatal crash, Her Imperial Majesty's Defense Minister ordered the Military's Inspector General to conduct a month long evaluation of the Air Force's Readiness. The results of the evaluation, reported today shows that Kalistan's Air Force has gone "Unsatisfactory" in nearly all metrics not dealing with aircraft maintenance. "The single positive note from the IG's Evaluation is that Kalistani Enlisted men and women maintain these aircraft and munitions in top order." said General Sanderson. "In all areas pertaining to training and military competence, our Air Force is in a dismal state."

The General noted the sales of advanced multirole fighter craft from Kazulia, and an additional lot expected to be secured from Kundrati. "Modern Fighter craft do not handle like our current stock. We will require not only extensive flight and combat training on those aircraft before our Air Force can be expected to preform well, but it goes much deeper than this."

The General also announced that Her Imperial Majesty, working through Defense Minister Guillermo Davis, has ordered that all Air Force Officers and Naval Air Officers be personally evaluated for fitness. "Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress was understandably disappointed in the results of the IG's evaluation," said General Sanderson. "The next month will be brutal for the Officer corps of the Air Force and the Navy. The Air Force Command is expecting that more than 70% of our officers will be cashiered. We expect to begin needing to commission Warrant Officers, and opening enrollment at Flight School for senior NCOs between the ranks of E-5 and E-7 who wish to accept commission. And then we will have to begin a heavy recruitment campaign. But the IG's report said that the rot comes from the top: that scruity extends to me personally, and I accept the criticism as valid. There is too much that he need to do that we have not done, and the only way to get out of our bad habits and build a new culture, with a new set of officers, from the ground up if we have to."

Some of the black marks on the Air Force include: Regularly flying below min safe elevations, increasing the likelihood of collision with civilian infrastructure, near complete lack of skill in refueling operations, significantly lower target acquisition and neutralization in training environments, broken flight simulators, too little flight training with an instructor before sending pilots out by themselves, in some cases failing physical infrastructure at air bases and naval air stations, lack of standardized air traffic control, lack of standardized take off and landing checklists, lack of adequate flight gear for pilots, lack of correct storage procedures, lack of adherence to or logging of required flight paths, regular exhausting of fuel supplies requiring landing of military aircraft at civilian airports, general lack of professionalism, uniform military appearance, barracks cleanliness and order and discipline in formation, and etc. The list of individual violations of Air Force SOP is more than 125 pages long. "The failures of the Air Force, even in instances where Airmen and women knew they were being evaluated are stunning," said General Sanderson. "And of course, the responsibility for these failures goes all the way up the chain of command."

General Sanderson concluded the press conference stating that he has offered his resignation to Her Imperial Majesty's Defense Minister, who has refused to accept it for the time being. "Minister Davis informed me that the responsibility is mine also to begin to work on reconstruction of the Air Force. I shall therefore stay with the Air Force through December of this year and then will accept early retirement at my current rank, rather than finishing my 30 years with the Air Force." General Sanderson's replacement, Brigadier General Martin Sorin has already been announced, and Sorin has already begun working as Head of Transition under Sanderson's command. "We will have continuity in the chain of command," said Sanderson. "I am optimistic for the restructuring of our service." Similar Inspections have been ordered for the Regular Army and Navy during the remainder of this year, though it is expected that both those services will fare significantly better than the Air Force.

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Kalistani News in Brief: Lourenne-Seko War expands Naval Alert to the Northern Limit
Empress gives birth to Son; Luthori Royals to visit; Training with Lodamun
Bozo River CATC, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 13, 5516


KRS 774 Makes Way from Docks at BRCATC in Ananto to take place on Northern Limit

Dovani War sparks Alerts on Northern Limit
Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Nicolette II Ananto has ordered her Defense Minister to place the 1st Fleet on Alert and begin conducting Combat Patrols along the Northern Limit, as war has sparked in the Eastern Anantonese Region. "While Her Imperial Majesty remains committed to both Kalistani Neutrality, and Seleyan non-involvement in the current war," said Naval Captain Guillermo Davis, "we also want to ensure that belligerents do not enter into Kalistani territory. Our goal is to ensure that naval units and aircraft arriving from Artania transit outside of the Strait, to prevent there from being any violence near the Kalistani Homeland or the Island of Ananto." Captain Davis stressed that The Empress has called for peace and understanding, and has offered to serve as a mediator between Seko and Lourenne. "Her Imperial Majesty has an interest in stability between our neighbors, and would be willing to lend her credibility as a neutral party to the resolution of this conflict. The 3rd Fleet remains on alert on the Southern Limit, while the 2nd Fleet based in Port Swedes Vrassa remains in port in reserve.

Empress announces Birth of First Son
Her Imperial Majesty has announced the birth of the Crown Prince of Ananto and Kalistan. Named Fredrick-Bjornsson William Ananto-Nordholm, the Crown Prince was born on March 15, 5516 to Empress Nicolette I Ananto and Prince Consort Bjorn Nordholm-Ananto. Fredrick-Bjornsson is the first Ananto to be given a name in the old "High Style" of the ancient house of the Anantos. Crown Prince Fredrick-Bjornsson becomes Crown Prince, while His Highness Duke Victor Joseph Ananto-Martin has been named Crown Regent, should anything happen to the Empress before the Crown Prince reaches the age of Majority. Both Her Imperial Majesty the Empress and baby Fredrick-Bjornsson are doing well in Eveari, though it was rumored to be a difficult labor lasting more than 18 hours.

Foreign Relations: Luthori and Lodamun
Kalistan greeted the Emperor and Empress Consort of Luthori in their first stop on their Seleyan Tour. The Luthorian Royals visited Ananto in January, to return the visits of Kalistanis to Luthori. "This is an important visit," said Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister Lord Francisco Delgado said. "It cements the relationship between the Kalistani and Luthorian Courts and ensures that the normalization process begun under Empress Nicolette I is carried through. Like Empress Nicolette II's visit, this was the first time a Luthorian Monarch has been welcomed in Kalistan, truly signaling the end of long standing antipathy between the two nations and the beginning of a new Era." The Emperor and Empress of Luthori were shown around Ananto and housed on the grounds of the Ananto Estate in Eveari, where the Emperor was presented with an ancient flag of Luthori that the Anantonese Empire had long ago captured during one of the few successes that Kalistan had against Luthori during the Plateau Wars in the 19th Century. "This flag has long been in the hands of the Kalistani Government and has been a highly protected and widely visited display in the National Museum in Kaliburg," said Delgado. "But we felt that to mark the new good feelings between our two nations, the colors of the 1st Brigade of Dragoons, which was wiped out in what is now Lodamun by Anantonese Artillery, was returned in solemn ceremony. The return of the colors signifies the healing of the ancient wounds that have long separated our two nations." The Luthorian Monarchs remained in Kalistan for almost a week before travelling south into Seleya.

Meanwhile, Kalistani Air Force trainers were in Lodamun to observe air tactics in the process of reforming the Regular Air Force. "The Lodamese are practicing new tactics that essentially turn their highways into airstrips in a time of war," said Air Force Major Donna Selwick. "The tactics the Lodamese use are particularly interesting to Kalistan, because they fit in with the doctrine of employing unconventional tactics and efficiency in our military." While the tactics focused on employing more irregular tactics, Kalistani observers also got some practice with basic take off and landing techniques as well. "You'd think that we would have this sort of thing down," said Major Selwick. "But our aim is to retrain the Air Force, from the ground up. We may think we know these things, but we we've had centuries to acquire bad habits that can't be just undone in one training exercise." Major Selwick noted that an offer was made to Lodamese trainers to visit Kalistan and establish a training program at Bozo River Combined Arms Training Center in Ananto. "The offer the Regular Air Force made to Lodamun was to build a semi-permanent mission at Bozo River," said Major Selwick. "This would include some basing options to allow Lodamese radar and AWACS to operate and extend their range significantly furthe east than they were able to do. In exchange, they would help build professionalization in the Regular Air Force." The Lodamese reportedly noted that they would consider the offer, but no firm commitment had been made at press time.

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Militia Stands Up
Institutionalist Militia of Kalistan conducts first drills in Northern Kalistan
Dulnerstaad, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 6, 5516


Militia Members practice Sea rescue in Conjunction with 2nd Regular Navy

The Institutionalist Party's Militia, officially known as the Institutionalist Partisans, is nearly fully stood up, and has launched into a full multi-base exercise rotation called "Northern Watch." The training exercise, which features training exercises pitting Militia forces against Kalistani Regulars is taking place in the Green Mountains of Ananto, including on the Bozo River Combined Arms Training Center, along the Northern Limit off Dulnerstaad, and in the Mountain Warfare Training Center near Lhasa. Militia Artillery, infantry and LAFA units are practicing coordinated fires, irregular tactics like ambush, deep infiltration and sabotage, and long range reconnaissance.

"Kalistan has a long tradition of highly trained militias," said Militia Staff Sergeant Allison Kreuger. "The SP's militia is also our model, though we tend to be a little more dependent on infantry than they were and a little less tied to field howitzers. This makes us somewhat more agile than the old Socialist militia, but less able to pack heavy punches at modern armor." The change in structure and mission in the new Institutionalist Militia reflects a growing need for irregular forces in Kalistan. "Keeping Partisans mobile and able to adapt to a changing environment is more in line with the defensive needs of the Empire in coming battles: If Kalistan is ever invaded, there is a chance that stationary artillery firebases will be quickly over run and we need to have the experience and ability to fight well behind the lines, on limited supplies and communications for long periods of time, and our training needs to reflect this."

During this training exercise, which is meant to stress militia members to the breaking point, units live and operate in highly secure, very remote locations that serve as mobile bases of operation. Nothing is meant to be secure, with each location only being occupied for up to 8 hours at a maximum. Food is also scarce during the operations, and militia members are expected to learn to forage and scavenge for food and water. Various survival skills are practices, including finding and distilling water, edible and medicinal flora, orienteering and field cartography, surveying, community relations, demolitions and sabotage of communications and logistics infrastructure and climbing, rappelling and rope work.

"In the Marine units," said Staff Sergeant Kreuger, "we work with the Regular Navy to do water training, including free diving, snorkeling, and scuba operations, as well as underwater demolitions, mine placement and defusing, explosive ordinance disposal, and rescues and recovery at sea. The Marine Militia spends the majority of every day in the water, and must be exceptionally strong swimmers or they cannot stay in the program."

During the "Northern Watch" exercises, Militia are trained to operate behind enemy lines and harass the enemy, aiming to deny them sleep, communication and any form of security. "We train the militia to demoralize enemy units before they can wipe out the militia units," explained SSgt Krueger. "An enemy without rest is less effective fighting, and the best way to accomplish this is through hit and run tactics where the militia unit engages and then evaporates before the response can be made. This might involve a fire team shooting a sentry out of a tower on a base, or ambushing an advancing unit, or launching mortars into a camp in the middle of the night. Anything to prevent the enemy from resting in Kalistan. A tired army is a softened army, and a softened army is a demoralized army. And those are types we wish to prepare the regular forces to fight."

With the Institutionalist Partisans stood up in Kalistan and coordinating with the Regular Forces as Doctrine requires, they are well on their way to restoring the Nation's reputation for irregular warfare. Kalistan continues to build defenses against any threat whether it be on the distant horizon, or in our back yard.

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Air Force Begins Restructuring
First class of Cadets since Cashiering graduates Academy
Dahriel, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 1, 5516


Graduating Cadets at newly established National Air Academy at Sulu AFB

The first class of cadets to train at the new National Air Academy at Sulu AFB in Dahriel, Ananto has graduated. Previous to the reorganization of the Regular Air Force that was begun a year and a half ago, air cadets were trained on Army Bases across Kalistan, and took only limited flight training as part of their commissioning. The establishment of the National Air Academy is a step in the professionalization of the Air Force, and its full separation of the Air Force from the Army. A class of 70 Cadets, who will be commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the Kalistani Regular Air Force, and will begin training as combat air pilots in the Spring.

"A full four-fifths of the Officer corps was cashiered last spring," said Air Academy Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Epstein. "Many posts were filled by brevet officers promoted from the Warrant Officer and NCO ranks. The officers with the highest fitness scores were transferred to the Air Academy to serve as instructors in the new Commissioned Officer Program. Over the year, the new Cadets were fully professionalized, including learning about uniforms, drill, military tradition and etiquette, and physical conditioning. In addition to professionalization, the cadets took courses in mathematics, history and philosophy. Our goal was to imbue these officers with the very best habits, to allow them to stand as exemplars not only to other forces, but to other nations as well."

The first year at the Air Academy was a year long. As the first class of officers graduated, the second class began instruction: Lt. Col Epstein said that the second class will be two years long and will include practical instruction on trainer air craft in the second year. The Second Lieutennants from the first class will meanwhile take instruction on those trainer aircraft, so that by the time the second class is ready, the first class can teach. Each successive year then, the best cadets in the two year program will serve as Instructors for the course coming behind them. "The goal is to build comradery in the Officer Corps. These men and women will know one another for many years before even taking full positions in the Regular Force."

Empress Nicolette II speaks with AF Major Brad Martino at Sulu AFB

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Nicolette II was on hand to greet the first graduating class and present their commissions in person:

"Officers of our Regular Air Force," said the Empress. "It is our intention that you shall serve as an example of the nobility of national service, for the young men and women of our Nation, and the world. You carry our pride and our hope, for the defense of our Nation, in times of war, and for the upholding of the virtues of humanity in times of peace. You join the very proud tradition of National Service, and are charged with always looking to the well being, safety, and transmission of the professionalism and tradition you now carry on your shoulders and in your heart to those enlisted men and women of our Air Force who are under your command. You are hereby charged to do good work and fear no man."

The Empress then conducted a review of troop formations and took a tour of the Sulu AFB, which is home to the National Air Academy. The New Second Lieutenants will travel next to Ft Bjorn AFB, where they will receive the rudiments of air craft operation and combat flying tactics, and will become experts on aircraft training jets over the next year.

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Empress discusses War and Taxes
"Troubles in Dovani and Majatra are concerning" says Kalistani Monarch
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 9, 5517


Her Imperial Majesty responds to questions after meeting with Government

Following a closed door meeting with members of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, the Empress Nicolette II Ananto stepped outside the Privy Council Chambers to talk to reporters. Among the topics she discussed were proposed cuts in taxes and spending and tensions around Terra.

"We have received updates with regard to the final processes of liquidation of the assets and holdings of KALENCON," said The Empress. "It was our intention to punish those responsible for the malfeasance and misrepresentation of that Corporation to both our Government and to the people of our Nation. However, expropriation of assets from bad capitalist actors can only take us so far. KALENCON was a major force in our economy, and dealing with the disaster their dishonesty caused in Kalistan will require constant effort on the Part of our Government. We have therefore authorized the transfer of all non-institutional level stocks on a 1:1 basis to KPO, while institutional investors who were not involved in corporate governance will be compensated directly.

"We have informed our Chancellor that he is to cut taxes. It is our desire that the tax rate should return to the lower levels which they have been set at previous to the inauguration of our efforts to address energy shortfalls caused by the revelation that KALENCON was defrauding our State. Meanwhile, as the infrastructure necessary to fully replace the holes in our Energy sector is complete, and so funds necessary for the procurement of materials, wages for construction and diversion of NSP are no longer needed. The tax cuts will result in a drop in revenues of between 250 and 300 Billion Rubles annually.

"We have ordered corresponding spending cuts in Infrastructure and Industry, as large scale investment in the building of the infrastructure shall now be replaced by much smaller needed in maintenance. We have increased the Military budget slightly to adjust for procurement efforts involved in the recreation of the Regular Air Forces and the alerts in the Regular Navy, but the large ticket spending will decrease. We have ordered cuts totaling about 105 Billion Rubles.

"The Ministers also expressed to us their concerns over the inexplicable outbreak of conflict between Seko and our friends in Lourenne. Our Foreign Minister has been monitoring the developments there and the extremely suicidal policy of nuclear testing in Majatra and has been daily briefing us on the situation in those places. We have, in consultation with our Admirals and Chiefs of Military Staff, maintained a neutrality through Strength posture in the Anantonese Ocean, and have continued to encourage those countries from other places in the world to avoid Kalistani Water as they rush to involve themselves in yet another foreign war, and we have been lucky enough so far to stay out of it. We maintain a safe and secure lifeline with Lourenne across the Meridian Strait to ensure that trade and commerce continues unaffected by the War, but we are also careful not to take a position one way or another in their war. We hope they shall find a way to accomplish peace very soon, and meanwhile, we are repeating our request for third party adventurists to stay on the Keris Side of the ocean, so there is no possibility that there will be any interaction between foreign warships and Kalistani vessels.

"Finally, we strongly condemn any flirting with nuclear weapons technology in places like Beiteynu. There is no reason that that nation needs nuclear weaponry. Instead, we encourage that government to adopt an ethical position and end their nuclear weapons program immediately, and join us in the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons Ban Treaty that civilized nations such as Kalistan and Lourenne are members of. It is difficult to watch Beiteynu knock its own planes out of the sky without being reminded of a toddler playing with a loaded weapon. We encourage Beiteynu and all other nations who think that nuclear weapons somehow make a state important to rethink their choices, abandon the path of global thermonuclear terrorism, and adopt peace without weapons of mass destruction. In the meanwhile, we have asked our Foreign Minister to re-evaluate our relationship with that troubled kingdom. If we are known by the friends we keep, then keeping nuclear terrorists as friends is something we must not countenance.

The Empress stayed to answer questions to clarify her statements, but most reporters were more interested in how the Empress was dealing with being a mother, and whether or not more children were in the making. The one question concerning Beiteynu involved possible sanctions against the nation for its nuclear testing. The Empress was non-committal, but said her Government was exploring all options. She also answered a question concerning the rise of socialism in several nations, and was asked whether she would make any diplomatic efforts to reach out to them. She responded that Kalistan owed a great debt to socialists, but she wasn't about to encourage anything that looked like

"the mass insanity of free-for-all elections" the way socialists often do. "As our Mother governed, and as we continue to govern, often times we have found that the People simply wish to participate in elections so they can scapegoat the rulers when they themselves discover they have no stomach for the decision making process involved with self-government," said the Empress. "Socialism is fine where nationalization of important industries is concerned. It is not fine when it elevates the common and the disinterested over the noble. We wish those states well, but know they are not choosing political stability."

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Kalistani Agronomists travel to Gaduridos to discuss Farm Equipment
Yoshimi University Professors also represent Suldanor Grower's Syndicate
Suldanor, Duchy of Sulari
October 25, 5517


Drs. Markus, Stuart and Boxston from University of Kalistan arrive in Ciudad de Gaduri

Three high profile agronomists, Drs. Howard Markus, Steven Stuart and Marguerite Boxston, from the Department of Agronomic Sciences at the University of Kalistan at Yoshimi travelled to Gaduridos to meet with Gaduri counterparts. The purpose of the visit was obtaining farming implements to assist with the biodiesel program.

"Our counterparts here in Gaduridos are known to possess advanced agricultural equipment that can help us make improvements to our biodiesel and bioplastics programs at the University of Kalistan," said spokeswoman Boxston. "Acquiring these items are in Kalistan's interest, and we have received a generous grant from KalNaPeCo and the Sulari Growers' Syndicate to pursue a regular supply of not only these machines but also an ongoing supply of spare parts."

When asked what sort of farm implements the agronomists were looking to obtain, Boxton said "The Gaduris excel at producing threshers which allow us to harvest the bean itself while simultaneously allowing our farmers to plow the silage into the soil, increasing the efficiency of the operations, saving money, time, and reducing the need for large amounts of high nitrate fertilizer."

The team of three agronomists say they plan to remain in Gaduridos for an extended period of time to ensure that the needed machinery and spare parts. "We'll likely be in country for several weeks, maybe as long as a month," said Boxston. "Perhaps longer. It may be necessary for us to begin meeting with several contacts that we have in the public sector if we are unable to identify a reliable private sector supplier. Those contacts could further extend our stay in country. But either way, it is likely we will be home before the next Gaduri elections."

Usually this sort of exchange is taken care of through the Ministry of Trade, but Dr. Boxston said that the equipment is so specialized that the deals had to be concluded in person, so the team could ensure that the they were getting equipment in "the correct gauge for Kalistani Farms."

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FM briefs Her Imperial Majesty on Gaduridos
"Democracy is of no concern" said Delgado
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 5, 5518


Foreign Minister Delgado discusses Seleyan affairs with Her Imperial Majesty

Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister briefed the Empress on developments in Gaduridos. "We've been keeping abreast of the developments in Gaduridos," said FM Delgado. "It seems they have been overtaken by a right wing ultra nationalist Party who threatens the relationship between Gaduridos and Kalistan. We are keeping an eye on that Republic and developing our assets there, and are prepared to assist the anti-fascist Parties there if they ask for our assistance."

Minister Delgado gave these remarks at a press conference following his meeting with the Empress. Most of the meeting occurred behind closed doors, but the two sat for photos following the discussion. "Her Imperial Majesty stands with the people of Gaduridos in their fight against the fascists who have manipulated the Gaduri elections. We are prepared to offer advice to the anti-fascist Parties including Parties of the Left in that state to help them toss out the current Plurality Party."

When asked if the Empress is taking a stance for democracy, the Foreign Minister responded: "To be clear, the Empress does not care about democracy in Gaduridos. She was emphatic that democracy tends to yield results like this, where voters who neither know, nor particularly care about ideology, or the process of self-government, or internal consistency of the messages and actions of Parties and politicians, but only seem to be able to calculate exactly where each party stands with regard to their own personal beliefs, are nonetheless asked to help select the people who run the Government. You have blind sheep electing which of the most ravenous wolves will get to dine on them in the coming years. This is the fundamental nature of democracy. Her Imperial Majesty stated that the opinions of 10,000 individuals is worthless if those individuals don't know the first thing about what they are talking. But she is also deeply opposed to fascism. Perhaps more so than democracy. So if she can help the Gaduris defeat fascism by using democracy, she has told us to so."

The Foreign Minister has described the Ministry's policies with regard to assisting the various anti-fascist Parties. "We are spinning up IBSI assets to assist those Parties with funds to help them get their Parties' message out ahead of the next election, for example," said FM Delgado. "This doesn't rise to the level of destabilization or interference with their election process, but we just wish to make sure that those Parties who stand opposed to our common adversaries have a fighting chance. We will also be offering limited advice on campaign techniques to ensure that the people of Gaduridos understand that there is a clear choice between fascism and anti-fascism."

When asked if IBSI will be working directly with any particular Party, FM Delgado answered "No. We have identified a number of civil society elements within Gaduridos that may be receptive to our assistance. But in the interest of safety, we want to keep contacts confidential. At the moment, Gaduridos is listed as a place of interest for Her Imperial Majesty. We're keeping an eye on it for the moment. Our opportunity will present itself, or it will not, but we will be ready to take it when it does appear, in the long standing fight against fascism.

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Kalistan mourns the passing of Princess Nicolette Ananto
Former Empress has been in decline for several years, say sources
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 14, 5518


Nicolette Ananto, Princess of Ananto and Kalistan, Lays in State at National Cathedral in Kaliburg

Nicolette Ananto, Princess of Ananto and Kalistan, has died in her sleep, representatives for Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Nicolette II Ananto have announced. The former Empress was 87 years old and had spent much of the last two decades in retirement. Though behind the scenes, she was one of the primary councilors to her Daughter, The Empress Nicolette II, and was largely an advocate for philanthropic and cultural programs here in Kalistan. The Princess was also an outspoken voice of encouragement for interaction and detente with Luthori and supported her daughter's efforts to build new relations with Luthori and Dundorf.

"In my life, I have known the highest elations," said the Princess after retirement, "and I have known deep deep sorrow. But I have always most appreciated the time I spent with the people of this Great Empire, and I found that when I was at my lowest, it was they, those around me, those in the Meeting in Eveari, those who would stop and greet me as I visited Sulari or Eshar, the kids I would meet at some concert or art festival or some thing like this, that would always lift my spirits and allow me to soar. I have always loved the people of Kalistan, and would be nothing without them or this wonderful nation."

When discussing retirement, the Princess said, "My daughter, the Empress was not fortunate to be born as I was. She has always been surrounded by the trappings of the office she now finds herself in. In this way, she has never lived as a free person, they way I did before all this, and can again now that I am retired. She is not even legally allowed to refer to herself as 'I" the way I now can. It decimates the ego. My hope for her is that she governs wisely, and then when she is able to pass on her office, she is able to find peace and find herself once more, a new woman, but a free one, because there is massive responsibility to carrying our last name. She and I am the only ones in the whole nation that know what that burden feels like. I sometimes regret that I had to give it to her. But I trust that she can carry it, because she is intelligent and she is dedicated, and while she may be dethatched in a lot of ways, there is a deep empathy and love there for her Nation and her people that protects her from the temptations toward cruelty and tyranny. I pray that she never loses that."

Following her passing, the Princess laid in State for two days as mourners filed past her coffin. More than 65,000 people travelled to the former National Cathedral, an ancient temple from Kalistan's pre-Brethrenist days which is still used primarily for romantic weddings and impressive ceremonies of state. After the viewing, the Clerk of the Kalistani Yearly Meeting was asked to hold a Meeting for Worship in the Cathedral. The Meeting was largely silent as 17,000 attendees contemplated and reflected on the life and accomplishments of the woman who earned the title "The Great" in her own lifetime. Many wept quietly, though on occasion children could be heard at different places playing or quietly talking.

Her Imperial Majesty before returning to Eveari with her mother's remains

After the Meeting, the Empress joined the pall bearers to return the Princess to Eveari where she was buried in the family mausoleum on the Ananto Estate. Her Imperial Majesty did not address the crowd of people who gathered to mourn the passing of the Princess, but accepted some courtesies from the various members of the Peerage who were at the home. She did, however, accept a bouquet of flowers that were offered to her by one of the old citizens of Eveari who was at the estate, who told her that she would very much appreciate it if the Empress would place the flowers at the Mosoleum as a token from her family. The Empress offered a deep and respectful bow to the townsperson and handed the bouquet to Chancellor Wilkes to place it before the door of the tomb. The woman, as it turned out, had been a classmate of the Empress in Elementary school.

The Chancellor of the Empire has declared a Week Long period of Mourning. During this time, there are to be no music festivals or social events, but people are invited to reflect not only on the passing of the late Princess Nicolette, but also to reach out to their family and friends to be with them if needed. The Empress has cancelled all her official meetings during this period, and is reportedly spending time with His Highnesses the Prince Consort Bjorn and the Crown Prince Fredrick, as well as her brother, Duke Victor Ananto-Martin and his wife Princess Carlota, Marquise of Nouvelle-Formoselle of Lourenne.

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ODEN Sponsored Concert held in Memory of Princess Nicolette
Following Week of Mourning, Bands and Fans for a "One Night Tribute"
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
September 1, 5518

Kalistani artists from Kalistan's Big 5 Labels KMI, ARC, LCR, VDR, and LTD united in Sulari to play a one night event to honor the recently passed former Empress, Princess Nicolette I Ananto. The Concert was sponsored by ODEN and Radio 1, and the concert was free to all attendees. It was held at the Sulari Stadium, site of the recent GanJam, and was attended by 45,000 music lovers.

Kaliburg's Diana Meerick opens the One Night Tribute Concert singing a capella before switching to piano

The night kicked off with Kaliburg's artpop singer, Diana Meerick, who is just 18 and records for KMI. "I was obviously just one year old when the Princess Nicolette stepped down," said Rearick, "but she always kinda, you know, struck me, as you know, this beautiful, dignified lady. Growing up, I always had a picture of her in my room, I thought I would like to be as graceful and kind as she was, you know? And its such an honor you know to play music at a tribute concert to say thank you to her for everything she did for Kalistan." Meerick played several very baroque and jazz influenced pop tunes, including the classic Jennifer Stepanov FOMAT winning tune "How Can I?"

Meerick was followed up by LTD's Los Jefes, from Dana, who are known for Ska and Punk en Egelian. "Growing up in Sulari as part of the Gaduri community, the Empress really meant a lot to us," said lead singer Lupe Diaz. " My folks were part of the group of people who got a lot out of the urban renewal policies of the Empress, and because of that, we had an excellent living situation, safe streets and good schools. And me padre had a great job that provided for the family, that allowed me to even pursue music." The band played six rousing songs including a ska en Egelian cover of Red Tone song "Menos de Veintiuno".

Next in the list was the Addisjah duo Distant Cousins featuring dancehall artist Melvin Martin and rapper Randall Rotan, who performed a five song live set featuring music from their debut album, the self titled Distant Cousins, out on VDR. "We wanted to represent not only Vrassa and Addisjah," said Martin, "but also dancehall and hiphop at this concert. It was well known that the Princess was a fan of both reggae and hip hop in her earlier years, and we wonder what she would have thought of our music." Rotan added, "It was a lot of fun to play this show in Sulari. We didn't get to play GanJam, but this is kind of like that. Long live the Old Lady!" The set was very well received by the audience.

Addisjah's Distant Cousins end their set to a great ovation

Distant Cousins were followed by the ARC electronic Alternative musicians DeCamp, led by sisters Brenda and Brienne Karst. "When ARC asked us to play this concert we were like, 'really? Us?'" said bassist and Leader Brienne Karst, "and they told us it was a tribute to Princess Nicolette we figured we didn't really know her that well, and I think it was Brenda who asked if that was the Empress or whatever, and so yeah, I we had to read up on her. And turns out she was a pretty awesome person. Everyone loved her, and as I learned more about her, I was like in awe, so I was like 'we have to do this!" The band played 6 songs, and closed their set with the alt-rock single "God's Anvil" off their recent ARC release Shocker in Surftown.

The show closed with LCR's Crush hailing from Yoshimi. Most attendees agreed that choosing to close the show with a sludge metal supergroup was an odd choice. "You all may not know this," said lead singer Mike Quentin, "but we're huge fans of the Princess. Like me, and Brad [Edwards, the lead guitarist] and Lev [Goldstein, the rhythm guitarist] are all hardcore Institutionalists. Our first record, Boot to the Dems is what the kids might call fanfiction, its a concept record..." The hard riffs, brutal basslines and machine gun drums immediately inspired a massive "wall of death" in the general admission area as the bands more rowdy fans had waited through the more middle of the road acts for their chance to cut loose. Several times, Quentin yelled to the crowd to "get the f--k up and dance," and "there ain't no sitting down at a Crush Concert." The band played a 10 song set of the heaviest sludgiest metal including the ode to the original Anantos called "Yoshimi is a Wilting Flower" and closed the show with the groove metal moshfest called "Eyes on Baltusia". The show descended into chaos toward the end as elderly music fans departed the Stadium early and metal head hooligans took over the entire venue as Crush played an encore that they dedicated to the late Princess Mother called "Smoke."[/url]

Crush, Sludgemetal Supergroup from Yoshimi, backstage before the show

Overall the concert lasted for 4 hours and 17 minutes, and was mostly peaceful, though several injuries were reported following the Crush set, as amped up fans rushed the stage to set one of the corners on fire. Police made no arrests however, and promoters chalked the spontaneous arson up to an outpouring of emotions and sorrow for the late Princess Nicolette. Her Imperial Majesty, who did not attend the concert, as she is still in mourning, issued a brief statement thanking fans for the tribute to her late mother, and wishing the fourteen fans who had mostly cuts and scrapes a speedy recovery. A show which started out a capella and jazzy ends in a grungy, sludgy tribute to the Late Princess, and covers all ground in between-- Such is the schizophrenic nature of Kalistani Music and eclectic nature of Kalistani Music Fans.

Below are some Highlights from the Concert, which was also aired entirely on M7 in Kalistan

Diana Meerick, artpop star from Kaliburg singing "You Can't Afford to Lie", KMI

Dana's Los Jefes, singing the punk track "Dios Maldito Progresso" on LTD

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_e8ApnzXxM]
Distant Cousins from Addisjah blast the single "Jah Mean" on VDR

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pk9vrtbpds]
Yoshimi's Crush, with their showending Encore "Smoke", dedicated to the Late Princess Nicolette Ananto, on LCR

[Doc]

Substantial Earthquake strikes north of Dahriel
Ananto "overdue" for large earthquake, said seismologists
Dahriel, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 1, 5519


Evidence of a 6.0+ earthquake that rocked the Gold Plain north of Dahriel

Kalistan has not suffered a catastrophic earthquake since the one that destroyed Kaliburg in 4892. But seismologists based at Kaliburg Polytechnic University said that Ananto is entering a period of increasing seismic activity, and the Island is "overdue" for a large earthquake.

"Preliminary signs of stress in the deeper layers of the crust show that something is going on down there that should have resulted in a major quake by now," said Dr. Brent Vacay, Field Geologist on staff at Polytechnic. "Ananto is essentially a great big dormant volcano, and there are a bunch of old fissures and cracks that can lie silent for centuries and then suddenly begin filling up with magma, which expands and pushes chunks of the earth into one another. Or there might be a great collection of gasses down there and the pressure just builds up until something gives way. That was what happened in Kaliburg in 600 years ago, and our tests demonstrate that something like that is in the making under the Green Mountains right now."

These volcanic forces usually benefit the Island: A majority of Ananto's Power is derived from geothermal energy generated at or near various hotspots in the center of the Island. But occasionally, the Island turns violent: The aftermath of the 4896 Kaliburg quake Killed nearly 7000 residents of the Capital including the Premier of the Republic Marguerite Beloit, and utterly destroyed about 10 percent of the city. "That was the first real serious earthquake that Ananto suffered during the modern era," said Vacay: other quakes have either been in very remote areas in the Green Mountains, or at sea." "But Davon Bay is itself the eroded remnant of a great fissure that opened up during a period of intense volcanic activity about 10,000 years ago."

Vacay noted that heavy seismic activity usually works through cycles, of increased activity about every 500 years. "By those calculations, we're about 100 years over due for another fairly major quake here on the Island," warned Dr Vacay. "There is a very low chance that another earthquake will strike Kaliburg, and given the lack of density of population on the vast majority of the Island, with the entire population living in cities, most people will not even notice a major quake if it happened. But we're pretty sure one will happen, probably within our lifetime, and it will be pretty big." Vacay said Ananto is riven with criscrossing fault lines, but there seems to be more stress in the Green Mountains than in the Davon Mountains which would affect the capital or Dulnerstaad or the Xandau Mountains that would affect Dahriel or Luxon.

"This most recent quake was south of the Green Mountains in the foothills north of Dahriel," said Dr. Vacay. "It measures 6.2 and generally affected mostly agricultural land. Here the soil is pushed up, you see?" he said pointing at what appears to be a few parallel ridges of fresh soil stretching about 400 feet along the edge of a Gold Plain vineyard. "This is a new fault line that we have not been monitoring, and is the result of volcanic gas pressure. About a half mile south of here we found a vent which had recently vented Sulphur and steam. The vent was a crack in the rock about 8 feet wide, and we think the pressure under this ground pushed up about 1 mile and a half of earth two feet up here, looking for a vent before it finally found one." The quake happened in a very remote area and nobody was injured.

"This is probably just the start of a bumpy period," said Vacay. "But who knows when or where the next one will hit. This little quake was a warning, and we are going to be monitoring this area going forth, hoping we get enough data to perhaps forecast where the big quake may hit, and if its near a population center, like Dahriel or Bozo, we can get them warned in time before anyone gets hurt. But there is no evidence that it's gonna happen tonight or tomorrow. We just need to be paying attention now, because it could really happen today or in 50 years. Geological time works different: in a geological sense, it's imminent. But it is more likely that nobody alive today will ever experience it."