The room is the usual one held for Presidential speeches, the news channels have been called quickly to this surprise press conference. It is strange normally the President gives ample notrice but something about this one is different.
Without ceremony President Powell walks into the room and stands at the pedesatl bearing the Presidential Seal.
"It is with great sorrow that the Liberty Government feels compelled to state the following:
Owing to a total breakdown in communication with the Rheinland Government, and numerous acts of terrorism, libel, slander, espionage and other crimes against our great House. We, Liberty, have decided that the only solution is to break the accords signed so long ago forbidding war between the Houses.
Therefore as of now, Liberty stands at a state of open War with Rheinland.
The Liberty Navy are called to duty at this time, to fight with the honor and valor that is expected from them. To them I say this: Your sacrifices will be many, your courage must be strong, but your House needs you. Your House needs you to defend her good name. To defeat the forces of darkness that would beseige our very souls were it given the chance. Liberty needs you to be strong for her people, needs you to stand up for what is right and push these foul people back and show them what a true House can do.
To the Liberty Police, we ask for you unyielding watchfulness, to defend our home from insurgency within. Watch for the treasonous, the treacherous. For they will exist. They will try to usurp us from within, for they are the serpent within the garden of Eden, they are the poison in the goblet of wine, the snake in the grass. By your vigilance this pestilence will be allowed no quarter.
To the Liberty Security Force, Liberty asks you to continue the work you have started, the information you have gathered and will gather will be invaluable in the coming days, without your work this War will not be won, without your work our police forces will not function properly, your task is to be the glue that binds us together.
I even call to our local malcontents, to the Xenos and the Hackers, even the Rogues. Liberty will not be better under the totalitarian regime of Rheinland. If you truly desire change, if you truly wish to reach your goals, diplomatic talks with us is your only chance to gain it. Without Liberty you will be forever shackled to an evil greater than you purport to fight.
To Rheinland I say this. Your lies have gone too far, your attacks upon our holdings too much. No longer will we tolerate this. As of this day you will be made to pay for your crimes.
Isabelle was seated along with the 6 other 5 stars general of the Liberty Army.
"Mr. President, to what extent does the government wishes to expand the war? Knowing the... tenacity of the agressive Rheinland Federation, we know there is a possibility they shall never surrender until we fight to the gate of New Berlin - and even then. Are we to fight a war of attrition til one side flinch, or strike an all out invasion?"
Remiel is sitting in his old rugged chair in his quarters on Ouray, chewing tobacco and drinking some whiskey while watching the news broadcast.
My my, this be a full scale conflict risin' with them Rheinlanders.
Ol' Remiel gonna be needed 'ere. And Remiel gonna respond, and bring the truth to all filthy Rheinland swines who seek to invade our glorious nation!
To hell with the conflict with them navyboys! This is bigger than that!
For Liberty, the true people of it, the Xenos, shall be fightin'!
<span style="font-familyalatino Linotype">
<span style="color:#000000">All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
In his office aboard the PGL Majestic, Dave Sanders was filling some forms out when his intercom buzzed. "Sir, it's Judy," came his secretary's voice. "Turn your vid-screen to channel two. You're going to want to see this."
Dave did so, and his face blanched. "Judy, dictate a letter for me."
"To whom, sir?"
"To Kanzler Reinhardt."
The bar at Rochester base seemed unusually quiet.
A lone Junker Guard sat by the window, coffee in one hand and the news tab in the other.
He took a sip, looked out the window for a moment to watch a piece of debris float by, pushed clear by the station's tractor beams, before flicking on the tab.
He raised an eyebrow.
"So, they've finally done it."
"What's that?" asked the barman, busy cleaning glasses.
"It's war, that's what it is. Liberty and Rhineland. Hmmm. Maybe it's time to re-locate the salvage operations to somewhere closer to Bering and Hudson."
"Indeed Sir, nothing like a good war to keep the business flowing eh?"
The guard smiled to himself.
.:j:.Salvager - Junker Congress (Salvage Frigate) := Recipient of the Yanagi Defense Medal
.:j:.Salvager.VHF - Collector
.:j:.Salvager.B - Recycler
.:j:.Salvager.B2 - Waran
"Good news everyone. I suddenly and unexpectedly have job vacancies for an entire spaceship crew!"
*capt jim patterson sat in the newly finished personal quareers aboard the new battlecruiser he commanded the ft louisbourg sifting over this declration of war he smiled and said into the terminal tho it could not respond* "well it aperes war has come its about time qewe showed those rhinelanders what for,i need to contact gen kaitlyn"with that he started the arduous task of getting his ship battle fit
Dateline: Connecticut. One of the few places in Sirius without an oppressive police or military presence.
Quorg scanned through the various adult holovision channels, ready to find something appealing. Strangely enough, President Powell appeared, right smack in the middle of programming intended for more... mature audiences.
Needless to say, Quorg's drive dissipated immediately.
He watched as the President, whom he had not voted for, declared war on his former place of residence.
"What the heck? The darn government can't even control their own Xenos problem and they're declaring war on Rheinland?"
He threw his bottle of beer at President Powell's hologram; it passed through and crashed on the wall behind the apparition.
Quorg picked up his marker, a piece of cardboard, his pants, and his sidearm.
It was time to undermine the war effort.
Sam Willis of the Xeno Alliance sat in the bar as he watched the president give his speech. It was amusing, to say the least..
But the very idea of totalitarian Rheinland controlling Liberty...
That tore it straight up the middle and left it to dry.. It was time to start operating in the Liberty/Rheinland Border Worlds instead of this place most called Ouray.
Sam rushed to the hanger, and found his trusty Crow there. He punched in the ignition codes, and launched from Ouray. Perhaps Sam would undermine the war by fighting Liberty and terrorize Rheinland at the same time? Everything seemed against Sam, but he knew full well that this was going to be a long and drawn out war...