The Annexation of Kosovo (And Other Fun Things)

[Oncaro]

Belgrade, Kressnian Yugoslavia

Mila Dragunov, Colonial Chief of Staff for Governor Roman Dubronovic, stood before a number of reporters, native and colonist alike within the press hall of the Novi Dvor for the second time in as many days. Whereas before she had hidden annoyance behind a neutral facade due to the previous subject matter, here she genuinely smiled.

The Chief of Staff had always been a firm proponent of order when it came to society; it was why she had worked to take control of Belgrade from other warlords and expanded her influence as far as she could, while simultaneously working to keep those in her borders as safe and happy as possible. And it was for this reason that when the Kressnian colonists had first arrived months previously, with their hundreds of ships spreading out across a fair portion of the Balkans, after seeing the well-organized military they brought with them and the clearly incredibly advanced technology compared to much of Orbis III (and the subtle implication given to her that as advanced as the Kressnians were, they were primitive compared to most other members of the UMS-- something she had received confirmation on after seeing footage of the Maya in action), it hadn't taken much convincing at all for her to allow the Kressnians in, as they had agreed with her idea of bringing order to the region. She had been quite pleased this tactic had worked elsewhere.

As the cameras went live, Chief Dragunov smiled brightly at those assembled and began reading a speech written and drafted by her deputies.

"Good morning!" she began, not even bothering to try to seriously contain her happiness. "I'm very pleased to announce that this morning, members of the Kressnian diplomatic corps have succeeded, after several months of talks, in convincing the representatives of the neighboring 'Confederated States of Kosovo' to become incorporated into Kressnian Yugoslavia. At 3 PM local time, the Colonial Field Army detached the Fifth KSDF Army Division to reinforce Kosovo, in order to secure a peaceful transition. In related news, KSDF High Command has passed down an order from the Supreme Leader herself to Governor Dubronovic regarding for the creation of what is currently referred to as the 'Colonial Navy'. This is a green-water force that is meant to help secure safe trading lanes throughout the Adriatic Sea, and possibly moving into the wider Mediterranean."

The press corps immediately began asking questions, and Chief Dragunov nodded to one of them.

"Roman Ivanovic, Belgrade News. In regards to this green-water navy, doesn't it seem somewhat redundant? The KSDF primarily uses spacecraft to protect trade, does it not?"

"A good question," Dragunov remarked. "No, this naval endeavor is not redundant. With the collapse of the Italian Empire, Kressnia is by default the only properly organized power in the Adriatic, and one of the only nations with direct access to the Mediterranean. Piracy is a real concern, because since so many states, organized or not, simply do not have the kind of technology that Kressnia has there's little resistance to these pirates. And the creation of a surface navy will not only crack down on piracy, but it'll also help with employment of Balkan natives for an important service, and allow us to make use of the ships that are along our coastlines. The colonists have not ever actually fielded a surface navy, so they will be needing a fair amount of help from us locals. And it will also help avoid complaints of flying over a sovereign nation's airspace. Next question?"

Another reporter stood up, adjusting her skirt.

"Anja Kasun, Kressnian Broadcasting Corporation. Regarding Kosovo, we understand that a majority of Kosovars are of the Muslim faith, and religious tensions have occasionally been high. Do you worry that this will affect efforts for peaceful incorporation?"

"I certainly hope not," Chief Dragunov said, to general chuckling. "The colonists have not seen practitioners of Islam within their own territory for a very long time. But one of the Republic's founding ideals was based upon freedom of religious affiliation. The colonists have no problem with allowing the Muslim Kosovars in; if they did there would have been no talks. Any tensions that may arise should hopefully fade as people get used to the idea of sharing a common national identity. And if they do not... Well, that's why forces were sent in. Next question."

Roman Ivanovic spoke again.

"Are there any further plans to expand the colony's borders?"

"Yes. The Republic wishes to bring all those with a shared South Slavic ethnic identity under their banner and share in the Republic's stability and, let's face it, much more powerful economy than we've ever had here in the Balkans, as they are all descended from people of our ethnic group in their home universe. They see us as kin to be helped, not subjects to be conquered, as I'm sure you're all aware. As such, they're currently engaging in talks with the Independent Provinces of Slovenia and the Principality of Macedonia. After that, no new plans for expansion are expected. No more questions at this time, thank you."

As she stepped off the stage and out of the room, Chief Dragunov's mood was soured by the sight of her least favorite person in the Governor's staff: Slobodan Bulgarin, the Secretary of Commerce that had been the Supreme Leader's personal advised choice to Governor Dubronovic for that position, and as such, he was the rival to her regarding the Governor's ear; what was worse, he knew this, and always poked at her about it. The smug, shit-eating grin he always gave her just made her want to punch out those perfect teeth of his, and it was no different now.

"Good speech," Secretary Bulgarian said to her, walking alongside her. When she said nothing, he replied: "You're practically one of us now, with how you seemed so excited to tell people all that. Who knew the Republic could inspire such wonderful patriotism in someone in just a few months? And I'm pretty sure that's the first genuine non-shark smile you've given since we moved in together! You're such a good neighbor!"

"Bite me, Bulgarin. If it were a choice between moving in with you, or a grizzly bear, I'd take the bear. At least then I'd suffer a quick death."

"I just love it when you get all catty."

"Bite me!"

Edited December 2, 2016 by Oncaro