Second Republic of Polmaria

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* President

The **Second Republic of Polmaria** was a large federal nation in Northern Helinska that was formed as a successor state to the Federal Kingdom of Polmaria, following its descent into civil war following its loss to Ospalar. The Second Republic was formed soon after the collapse of the Federal Kingdom and the Polmarian Civil War, and was founded by the prosperous states of Northern Polmaria- namely Jabeyrack, Staptonsburg, Jazberk, and Kurvack, in addition to the Ruben Baciu led Republic of Polmaria which consisted of remnants of Federalist forces from the Federal Kingdom of Polmaria.

Over a period of around 50 years, the Second Republic- with some help from the International Cooperation Organization- was able to slowly eliminate the monarchist remnants in Kalaroos, Laberi and Haense until in 1992 the country had returned almost fully to its pre civil war territory, with the exceptions of Eastern Laberi, which had been granted to the ICO, and the Kingdom of Sova, which eventually aligned with the Union of O'Lear.

The Second Republic quickly rose back to prominence as one of Yulea's most powerful nations, beginning with the end of the restrictions on Polmaria's military and foreign policy imposed by the Polmarian-ICO System. After the Polmarian Unification War led to a resounding success for the country under Prime Minister Edmond George Callaghan, Polmaria began taking a central role on the world stage, playing influential roles in the Kalshei'i Revolutionary Wars- and being the closest ally of the subsequently formed West Kalshei Federation- being a major player in the Laronian Civil War and helping Kariq repel the 1995 Invasion of Kariq succesfully.

## Foreign Relations

### Federal Republic of Ionia

Polmaria enjoys extremely close ties with the Federal Republic of Ionia. Jabeyrack- one of the leading regions of Polmaria- was instrumental in the formation of the Republic of Kanoria, which is considered the intellectual predecessor of Ionia in many ways. Emily Fisher, Ionia's first Chancellor, called Polmaria the country's closest ally, a statement that is regarded as true to this day. Polmaria remains Ionia's biggest trading partner, while Ionian mineral exports to Polmaria make up a large portion of both nation's economies.

### Republic of Kherfiyyah

Since its formation in 1963, Polmaria has been the Republic of Kherfiyyah's closest ally, owing heavily to Jabeyrack's history of being the closest partner of the Kherfiyyan Worker's Republic- which was a big influence on the new Republic- as well as Jabeyrack's covert funding of the Kherfiyyan Republican Movement. Many prominent Republican leaders during the Kherfiyyan Civil War were also educated in Polmarian universities, with some- like Sophia Feril- even being former members of organizations like the Jabeyracki Council Police.

## Government

### Prime Minister of Polmaria

The **Prime Minister of Polmaria** is the head of the Polmarian government, and is selected by the Federal Assembly. The Prime Minister can be a member of either the Federal Assembly or the Senate, however, they only need to enjoy a majority in the Assembly. Unlike the President, the Prime Minister does not have a fixed tenure, and reign for as long as they have a majority.

Following the formation of the Second Republic, Leon Van Calano- the former President of the Republic of Staptonsburg and the founder of the Federalist Party of Polmaria- was appointed the interrim Prime Minister, as elections were unable to be held immediately after the country's formation. After the February 1957 Polmarian Elections, Calano's Federalist Party of Polmaria ended up with a narrow majority in the Federal Assembly, and he was elected as the First Permanent Prime Minister of Polmaria.

### President of Polmaria

**Presidents** of the Second Republic are elected for terms of six years by all elected members of Provincial Assemblies, the Senate as well as the Federal Assembly. The President is the official head of state of Polmaria, and holds many powers. The President's most direct power is sending two members to the Senate. In addition to this, the President holds the power to suggest bills in Parliament as well as send back legislation for reevaluation if it is deemed faulty in some way, although this reevaluation may be ignored if the Federal Assembly votes to send back the same bill without change with a three fifths majority.

Ruben Baciu, the last President of the Federal Kingdom was chosen as the interrim President of the Second Republic until elections could be held. This was also a compromise of sorts with the First Republic of Polmaria, which had united with the Alliance to Restore Polmaria to form the Second Republic. A people pleaser, Baciu had previously fallen roughly in the middle of the monarchist-federalist scale.

### Federal Assembly of Polmaria

The lower house of the Polmarian Parliament, the Federal Assembly is elected through a system of proportional representation, with the voteshare of each party in a province determining how many MPs they get from that region. For every half million people, one MP is sent to the Federal Assembly. Federal elections will be held every five years other than in case of a hung assembly, in which case a mid-term election may be held.

Currently, there are 800 seats in the Polmarian Federal Assembly, with the Federalists- alongside their allies the Crimpor Democratic League- holding a small majority of 414 seats in the Assembly. The second largest group is the Left Bloc, holding 290 seats- with the majority of these i.e. 278 seats belonging to the SDPP. The Conservative Party is a distant third, holding 96 seats in the assembly- mostly from Haense.

### Senate of Polmaria

The upper house of the Polmarian Parliament, the Senate is meant to represent the interests of individual provinces. Each Province directly elects two Senators. On top of this, the President of Polmaria is allowed to select two Senators, while the Prime Minister is allowed to select the "Chancellor" of the Senate, who presides over the house and also holds one vote, as an attempt to balance the powers both positions hold over the Senate.

## Formation (1957)

### Polmarian Civil War (1956-1961)

In 1957, the situation in Polmaria was dire. Queen Elaina Fedali Calano had died just days after the devestating loss in Ospalar, and the new King- Olivier Russo Calano- was a radical monarchist and extremist whose ascension shattered Polmaria and ended up completely causing the dissolving of the Federal Kingdom of Polmaria, with the Third Kingdom of Polmaria- which turned back to more conservative, Liamist roots- taking its place, with its base of operations in the Duchy of Kalaroos- the crown jewel of the aging Polmarian Kingdom.

The regions of Northern Polmaria- namely Jabeyrack, Staptonsburg and Jazberk- all declared independence. Kurvack- usually associated with these provinces- also wished to do the same, but due to the large presence of Federalist troops in the region, the Federalist Government- headed by President Ruben Baciu- declared the 'First Republic of Polmaria' (known simply as the Republic of Polmaria at the time) in the country, with himself and Mattheo Calano as its leading figures. Meanwhile, the People's Republic of Camaria splintered after its ruling body was killed as a part of the Polmarian Operation Kingpin.

    In Jabeyrack City, Regent Ava Monroe, worried about the Third Kingdom's victories in Kurvack and growing presence in Jazberk, as well as their stranglehold in Laberi and advances in Camaria, formed the Alliance to Restore Polmaria along with Staptonsburg, Jazberk, Kurvack and the First Republic of Polmaria. A few weeks later, the leaders of all the nations united their territories under the 'Second Republic of Polmaria', with Ruben Baciu as the interrim President and Leon Van Calano as the interrim Prime Minister.

Immediately, the leadership of the Second Republic set their highest priorities to be the warring states of Camaria, which were already weakened. As a part of their strategy, the government decided to attempt to befriend one of the states and use them as a local ally and staging point to invade the others. The chosen ally was the Golvin Council- Sophia Varga and Oscar Veran, the leaders of Jazberk and Staptonsburg, were sent as the head diplomats, and were able to secure the Council's support by promising them that their land would be a seperate province- known as Welandia- within the country, thus granting them more representation than they would have as merely a part of Camaria.

### Operation Welandia (1956-1957)

*See also: Camarian Civil War*

The Golvin Council had mixed reactions to joining the Second Republic, but agreed to form a military alliance to eliminate the PRC Loyalists led by *High Commissariat* Hans Laipov and the Soltvad Council. With this, the interrim government of Polmaria announced the start of Operation Welandia in cooperation with the Golvin Council, and began preparations for a large scale invasion led by the veteran Jabeyracki General Somvit.

To start the operation, a Jabeyracki PKD team was dispatched to Camaria, and was succesfully able to infiltrate the high command of the PRC Loyalists and capture *High Commissariat* Laipov. Without a leader, the Loyalists splintered into dozens of small factions, allowing the Polmarian army to sweep through the area and conquer two thirds of Loyalist land within two weeks, with Commissars Helina and Babis surrendering alongside their forces and Commissar Kovacs already killed by the PKD.

Meanwhile, the Polmarian Security and Intelligence Division- which had been formed out of the remnants mostly of the Jabeyracki Council Police- had begun reaching out to members of the Golvin Council- namely Istvan Fiala and Anton Karis. Only Seleni Ariel- a fervent nationalist- was left alone by the PSID. Through bribes and promises of power, the PSID was able to sway the vote in the three member council of Golvin, and with Councillors Fiala and Karis voting in favour, the Golvin Council joined the Second Republic in March 1957.

With the Golvin Council in the Second Republic, the remaining PRC Loyalists were routed at the outskirts of Soltvad by Republican forces- with the help of local Sinhali partisans led by the incredibly popular Artur Hendriks. Soon after, the Soltvad Council was destroyed in a rapid overnight attack, destroying the strongest PRC remnant in the area. Operation Welandia finally came to an end when Commissar Robert Gitanas surrendered to General Somvit in May 1957, establishing the majority of Camarian remnants as Republican territory, soon to be reorganized into the provinces of Welandia and Camaria.

### Operation Tilmeer (1957)

Following the beginning of the Polmarian Civil War, Kurvack- which had just barely managed to survive its own civil war in October 1956- found itself split between Federalists and the Third Kingdom of Polmaria, who were able to exploit Kurvack's weakened military. From the beginning, recapturing all of Kurvack became a top priority of the Second Republic, with this goal being pushed for by Kurvacki PM Esme Silas as well as Ruben Baciu and Mattheo Calano.

Following the immense initial success of Operation Welandia, the Republican government- bolstered- quickly declared Operation Tilmeer, launching a surprise attack on Kurvack under the command of Mattheo Calano and Kurvacki General Wilris Bemvick. Leon Van Calano had initially wanted to entrust the operation completely to Bemvick and the remnants of the Kurvacki Cabinet, but after Mattheo Calano threatened to pull out of the Second Republic, a joint command system was established instead.

Operation Tilmeer was a huge and quick success, with the entirety of Kurvack being retaken by January 1957. The Third Kingdom's hold on the region was tumultous and weak from the beginning, with the only reason their hold lasted more than a few weeks being Kurvack's extremely weakened state following Shelrin Kalar's rebellion. With all of Kurvack under Republican control, Wilris Bemvick and Mattheo Calano joined Operation Welandia's General Somvit as the country's leading war heroes.

### First Elections (1957)

Following the successes of Operations Welandia and Operation Tilmeer, the Second Republic had made a good position for itself. With the recent successes, the Republic now held control over Jabeyrack, Kurvack, Jazberk and Staptonsburg in addition to the newly formed Welandian and Camarian provinces, as well as scattered territories in the former Di'Aamascene Accords grouped together as the Port-Enver Province and various enclaves in Laberi governed collectively under the Valmocola Council. Only Haense remained completely devoid of Republican influence of some form- even in Kalaroos, the Kalaroosi Republican League under Petr Hendriks had made significant gains.

With large swathes of Polmaria under Republican control, the interrim government resolved to hold the country's first elections. The elections would be contested by three major parties- the liberal, centrist Federalists, the Fulcrumite Socialist, centre-left Fulcrumites and the conservative, moderate republican and moderate Liamist Conservatives. Initially, the Conservatives opposed holding the elections in 1957, as they hoped to capture more Kalaroosi territory- which was more likely to give seats to the party- before holding elections to strengthen their position, but their influence in the majority of the Second Republic was minimum, as most parties of the former nations had joined the Fulcrumites or Federalists, with the Conservatives consisting of moderate Liamist People's Party defectors like Olros Vandenya and moderate members of the Federal Kingdom's government.

The Elections were a close contest between the Federalists and Fulcrumites, but in the end the Federalist Party under Leon Van Calano managed to secure a small majority in the Federal Assembly of Polmaria. With his majority secured, Leon Van Calano stopped being the interrim Prime Minister and was officially made the first Prime Minister of Polmaria. Meanwhile, when the Assembly and the Senate gathered to choose a new President, the Federalists and Fulcrumites together compromised and chose former Kurvacki PM Esme Silas as the new President, replacing the interrim President Ruben Baciu.

### Liberation of Laberi (1957-1961)

The situation in Laberi at the start of the Polmarian Civil War was chaotic. Following large scale protests against the Polmarian invasion of the People's Republic of Camaria after Operation Kingpin, Federal Guards and Royal Infantry were deployed to the province en masse to secure it. Thus at the start of the civil war, both the Republicans and Royalists had a large number of soldiers deployed in Laberi.

After the Polmarian Civil War began, Laberi quickly became the site of bloody civil war. The monarchists proclaimed the elevation of Laberi to becoming the Duchy of Laberi, while the Republicans- who were mostly concentrated in urban pockets like the capital city of Valmocola- declared their support for the Second Republic. Due to the disjointed nature of the Federalist territories- with most of them not even bordering each other- holding elections was not possible, and thus the Valmocola Council- the local government of the city of Valmocola- became the acting ruling legislature of republican Laberi.

## Early History

### Aftermath of the War of the End-Times (1961-1967)

Following the end of the War of the End-Times and the Polmarian Civil War in 1961, the Republic was in a tenuous period. Although they had succesfully captured Welandia and Camaria, and had made significant gains in Laberi, the Kalaroosi Republican League under Petr Hendriks had been unable to make significant headway against the Third Kingdom, and thus Kalaroos remained elusive. Additionally, with the death of Duke Hansrich Campbell of Haense, any hope of the province turning to the republicans fell, as a new radical conservative government under Duchess Anna Bleeker and Chancellor Matis Ezria initially sided with the Third Kingdom and then chose to declare the independent Duchy of Haense.

The War of the End-Times, and its effects on the Republic were odd. The war had ended with the Second Republic occupied by the Rygard Pact under a provisional government- which mostly consisted of the government elected in 1957 headed by Leon Van Calano. Following the war, a referendum was held in the Second Republic's territory, with the vast majority- 94%- electing to continue the Republic's government. Feelings towards the Rygard nations however remained extremely hostile. The entry of the Third Kingdom of Polmaria into the Pact had done little to endear them to the Republicans, and even after the war anger against the Rygardists- and to an extent the ICO- remained high, with many viewing them as sellouts for siding with the Third Kingdom and as occupiers.

The Fulcrum had also however fallen from grace in the people's eyes. While nations like Airolia, Adeno-Holraes and Kariq retaineda good reputation, the revelation of the SRJ's Project Permanence led to a complete fall from grace in the Polmarian eye. Indeed, the Republican states had all participated in the ICO Emergency Force I. The Fulcrum's fall did not, however, result in the unpopularity of Fulcrumite Socialism. In fact, the ideology had been pioneered in Jabeyrack, and was far more moderate than the SRJ's Johninian Socialism. So when a ban on Fulcrumite Socialist parties was mandated, there was widespread outrage and protests. In the end though, the Fulcrumite Party of Polmaria- the second largest in the country- complied, dissolving itself. This dissolution was more for namesake than anything else, as immediately after, Ava Monroe- the leader of the Fulcrumites- declared the creation of the Social Democratic Party of Polmaria, with all former Fulcrumites joining the SDPP.

Following the end of the war, the ICO had established the Polmarian-ICO System, which had several clauses that caused controversy in Polmaria, though ultimately the ruling Federalist Party was able to divert public discourse away from the system by instead focusing on strengthening the institutions of the young republic and undergoing a significant inward shift in rhetoric, marking an isolationist period in Polmarian history that would last from the 1960s until the end of the most restrictive clauses of the system in 1992, following which Prime Minister Edmond George Callaghan would turn Polmaria to a firmly more interventionist path again, with the Polmarian Unification War, support for the Kalshei'i Revolutionary Wars and support for Kariq in the 1995 Invasion of Kariq.

### Rebuilding (1960s)

Seeing the events of the War of the End-Times as an absolute mess that had the potential to send the Republic into a spinning into spite and bitterness, Prime Minister Leon Van Calano's government instead focused on propogating the foundational ideas of the Second Republic, trying to channel the populace's anger against the ultraconservative Third Kingdom under Olivier Russo Calano rather than against the ICO and Rygard Pact.

Monarchists were purged from the Federal government, with notable examples being Nicolae Groza- the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Polmaria and Roger Engdahl- the Governor of Laberi who had been embroiled in a scandal where it was exposed that he was receiving money from the monarchist Duchy of Laberi. Even the popular Marcus Alden was removed as High General of the Polmarian Army and replaced by radical republican Wilris Bemvick- although it is debated as to whether this move was due to Alden's monarchism or due to his old age.

These initial purges were supported by both the Federalists and the SDPP, with figures like Ava Monroe in particular being very supportive. While the Conservatives protested these decisions heavily- with Ruben Baciu and Mattheo Calano leading protests in Camaria and Kurvack respectively- their protests received little interest on the ground level, with anti Olivier Calano sentiment at an all time high, few had sympathy for the few monarchists who had managed to retain positions.

Campaigns were also carried out to reaffirm the Republican ideals of the country. Television serials were commissioned, showcasing stories of heroes of the Polmarian Democratic League and Republican heroes during the Polmarian Civil War- with particular focus on Generals like Somvit and Wilris Bemvick, the heroes of Operation Welandia and Operation Tilmeer respectively, with Mattheo Calano notably excluded. These films and series not only boosted republicanism in Polmaria, but it also gave a massive boost to Polmaria's fledgling film industries, which gathered around the town of Peros in Camaria, leading to the name 'Peros Studios' becoming ubiquitous with the Polmarian Film Industry, which became one of the world's largest and most famous.

In addition to the massive push from Peros Studios, the Federalists also paid for massive front page advertisements on newspapers like the Polmarian Herald and The Republic, promoting republican ideas and attacking the failures of the conservatives and monarchists, pointing to events like the massacre of protestors carried out by the Polmarian Grenadiers under Queen Maria Calano and the turmoil in the ultraconservative Third Kingdom and Duchy of Haense. These adverts also pointed out the immense devestation wrought on the countryside of Laberi and Kalaroos in an effort to extract resources like minerals and oil. Additionally, figures like the controversial Lawrence Crenar were used as points of comparision, with adverts calling Olivier a second Lawrence, and espousing that he would meet the same fate as Crenar.

The Polmarian Security and Intelligence Division also kept a close eye on monarchist and suspected monarchist figures in the country, and under the direction of State affairs Minister Anton Karis, they prosecuted and arrested several leading figures of the Conservative Party. It was the PSID, under Minister Karis, which exposed Roger Engdahl's corruption, and PSID investigations would reveal that Nicolae Groza had taken millions of Polmarcs worth of bribes in exchange for giving Kalaroosi oil companies less severe import taxes. While these crimes were real, and the PSID was technically operating perfectly lawfully, it has been noted that similar corruption among Federalists and the SDPP was not explored nearly as much- indeed, even Anton Karis himself was revealed to have taken some bribes, but his crimes were never investigated until after his death.

With Prime Minister Leon Van Calano's government focused almost entirely on the social fight against monarchism, little attention was paid to economic issues and the welfare state of Polmaria- which had begun to crumble during the Civil War. Following the heavy hits to the economy post the War of the End-Times, Finance Minister Oscar Veran announced a series of austerity measures- cutting spending on poverty reduction schemes, public housing, pensions and other benefits. Only free rations were kept until 1965 as the government began investing in the growing of food crops in Jazberk, Camaria and Kurvack to replace the bread basket that was Kalaroos, and even those were axed after the increased production from the new farms were able to sustain the country. Much of the new farmland however was sold to the Bercik Group- prompting protests from local farmers who had hoped to receive all of the new land.

While the fight against monarchism had managed to sustain the Federalist government enough to get them reelected in 1962, their popularity began to shrink as the populace became agitated over the new austerity measures. Labour unions of steel and textile workers- backed by the SDPP- staged protests against the government in 1966, calling for the repealing of recent cuts to welfare and calling for the government to take action against organizations like the Dionysus Group and Balan Eneterprises, which had managed to create monopolies over the textile, steel, shipping and automobile industries, leaving little room for competition and allowing for unfair price rises and bad treatment of workers. This environment of anger among the working class led to the Federalists narrowly losing the 1967 elections, with the SDPP forming a minority government with support from the Crimpor Communist Front and six independent candidates, with Ava Monroe becoming Prime Minister.

### The Monroe Government (1967-1970)

Prime Minister Leon Van Calano peacefully conceded the election defeat and was present for Ava Monroe's swearing in ceremony as Prime Minister. A few days later, when the SDPP's Karlov East was elected President by the new SDPP controlled parliament, outgoing Federalist President Esme Silas did the same, conceding the defeat and attending Karlov's swearing in ceremony. Behind the scenes however, the Federalist Party was in disarray- no polls had predicted the SDPP's victory, and the Federalists had been expecting smooth sailing into a third term.

Prime Minister Monroe immediately began implementing radical reforms. The first bill passed by her Cabinet was the 1967 Agrarian Reform Bill, which nationalized the farmlands owned by the Bercik Group- a company that had bought over a third of new farmland in Camaria, Jazberk and Kurvack during Leon Van Calano's efforts to replace Polmaria's former breadbasket of Kalaroos. Despite immense protests by the Bercik Group- as well as protests from other large corporations like the Dionysus Group and Balan Enterprises- with Sebastian Dionysus even threatening to shut down his company's steel factories in Crimpor, which would likely cripple the province's economy. The bill did not end up passing, as the Crimpor Communist Front did not support it due to fear of the Dionysus Group shutting down shop in their province of Crimpor and causing economic devastation.

Following the refusal of the CCF to pass the agrarian bill, Prime Minister Monroe decided to completely pivot towards issues where she knew she had the full support of her government- namely in regards to strengthening workers rights for steel workers and textile workers. The SDPP drafted new bills which did so, notably excluding Crimpor so as to secure support from the Crimpor Communists. These bills were passed by March of 1967- one month after Monroe's Cabinet was sworn in- and marked a high point in her popularity throughout her tenure.

From then on however Monroe's government would be marred by infighting and roadblocks. Several of Monroe's proposed reforms- like doubling the minimum wage and nationalizing ports and industries- required a two thirds majority in the Federal Assembly as well as approval by the Senate. The SDPP- which did not control even half the seats in the Senate and barely had a governing coalition- was clearly unable to meet these criteria, and this resulted in many of Monroe's early and most radical bills being killed in Parliament itself. Additionally, the independents supporting Monroe's government often held bills essentially for ransom to get concessions that would help their reelection. The Federalists also refused to support any of Monroe's bills, seeing her governing coalition's infighting as a massive advantage for them as they seemed poised to win the next election.

## Modern History

### Silvas Government (2187-)

In the 2187 elections to the Federal Assembly of Polmaria, the Federalists and their allies the CDL performed extremely well, together winning 414 seats and winning provincial elections in Jazberk, Kurvack, Laberi, Staptonsburg, New Polgan, Kalaroos and Camaria. Much of this success was credited to outgoing Prime Minister Sorin Firea, who had presided over a period of economic growth, low unemployment rates, stability and peace over his two terms. The public goodwill towards Firea seemed to transfer well to Alexander Silvas- who had served as Firea's Deputy Prime Minister and was closely associated with the Firea administration.

Silvas's inaugaration speech as well as much of his Cabinet still held close ties to the Firea administration. Firea and his wife Maria Firea were indeed thr chief guests at Silvas's inaugaration, alongside much of their family. Even Silvas's cabinet remained nearly identical to Firea's- with Silvas himself being a Firea loyalist, most other allies of the previous Prime Minister retained their posts in the Cabinet. The only exception came during the elections for the President, during which Silvas surprisingly nominated Anthony Fiala- the Governor of Welandia and a perceived member of the Federalist Party's left-wing- due to his popularity in the Camarian region.

### Kanorian invasion of Quesi (2196)

In 2196, following the fall of the Republic of Laronia following the Kanorian–Laronian War, the Kanorian Empire called upon Polmaria to hand over Laronia's President- Julian Sita- to them, accusing him of being a 'war-criminal'- based on the fact that Sita had supplied partisans with weapons to help protect Laronia. The Kanorian Empire accused him of having supplied Cognito Weapons to the far-right LIP- although in reality he had not done anything of the sort, with the LIP having built these themselves. Kanoria also demanded that Polmaria withdraw from the Laronian Committee.

Expectedly, these outrageous demands were met by ridicule and anger from the Polmarians. Prime Minister Alexander Silvas himself released a public statement, predictably denying the Kanorian Empire's demand and reaffirming Polmaria's commitment to the Laronian Committee. Silvas also announced that Julian Sita would- if he wished- receive access to veteran Polmarian security guards and reaffirmed his support for the restoration of Sita's government in Laronia and the end of Kanorian Occupation. Sita accepted the request, and urged Polmaria to reject Kanorian saber-rattling, saying, "Military provocation against Polmaria, an ancient bastion of democracy and the Yulean ideal," would be a "suicide so extravagant that it would echo in the annals of history for all time."

The Kanorian Empire responded by sending a seemingly prepared speech to Jabeyrack City, threatening 'immediate punitive police action' by the Imperial Kanorian Army if Polmaria continued to harbour Sita and giving Polmaria 24 hours to comply. Kanorian forces in Laronia soon began mobilizing, with the Kanorian Navy being ordered to stand by for blockade action in the channel. Prime Minister Silvas and President Anthony Fiala responded by calling an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of Polmaria.

During the meeting, the Cabinet drafted plans for Operation Halberd- a planned three front offensive involving the Republic of Kherfiyyah, Polmaria and most importantly the Federal Republic of Ionia. After the meeting, Defense Minister Lilli Engdahl ordered General Bert Van Orlen- in-charge of military operations in Quesi- and ordered him to re-arm President Sita's forces, and ordered a detail of Quesi troops to be sent alongside them. Meanwhile, Kherfiyyah and most importantly Ionia began mobilizing their own armies.

    While militaries began mobilizing, Prime Minister Silvas shocked many by holding a public rally in Soltvad. Rallies were uncommon for highly guarded Polmarian politicians, and even more so for an old 'establishment' Federalist like Silvas. The Prime Minister dismissed the Kanorian Empire's demands as bluff and bluster, daring Emperor Jeremios I to attempt to back up his tall claims. Silvas received loud cheers when he condemned the Imperial Kanorian Army for needing 600,000 soldiers to defeat Laronia, and assured the country that Julian Sita was neither a war criminal nor was he going to land in the hands of New Lenya. The rally caused Silvas's popularity to shoot up, with him receiving praise across the political spectrum and his approval ratings reaching the 60s.

Following the denial of their demands, the Kanorian ambassador to the Interstellar Cooperation Organization made a speech condemning Kanoria and announcing a total blockade of the Laron Channel, hoping to bring Polmarian economic activity to a grinding halt. The Kanorians also sent the 4th-9th army corps as well as the Laron Army Corps under the BPA to conduct 'police-action' inside the Quesi region to extradite Julian Sita. Additionally, a map was leaked by a Kanorian whistleblower indicating that the Empire had designs on Quesi. Kanorian bombers began attacking Verack, Nebarack and Port-Valos, with a Kanorian attack on Quendil being quickly repelled. In response, Polmaria reaffirmed its full support for Julian Sita and begun mobilizing its army for defense.

Polmarian troops quickly began pouring into Quesi- most notably the 4th Armored Division, dubbed the 'Dragons of Quesi', a veteran armored unit considered the best in the Polmarian Armed Forces. Defense Minister Lilli Engdahl and President Anthony Fiala personally conducted an inspection, alongside President Julian Sita as a major guest. Following the inspection, Polmaria donated a dozen 'Mongoose IFVs' to Sita's forces to boost their armored capabilities significantly, and also demonstrating Polmaria's complete support for Laronia.

    Concurrently, the Defense Ministry announced the creation of the 'Field Army of Quesi', which placed all local Polmarian units under one command for efficiency. The Field Army consisted of the 4th Armored Division, the 3rd Infantry Corps, the 5th Infantry Corps, the 12th Infantry Corps and the 13th Infantry Corps, numbering to 250,000 soldiers in total. The Field Army was placed under the command of Field Commander Bert Van Orlen, with deputy command entrusted to Major General Ergis Nebarack of the 4th Armored Division.

With the Kanorian Empire seemingly showing no signs of stopping, the ICO voted to begin partial mobilization in light of the rapidly escalating crisis. 12 Additional Echelons were mustered- amounting to roughly 114,000 soldiers. These echelons were stationed in Vestrax and Gresia, with the ICO requesting permission to station some in West Astavara and Quesi to better combat the Kanorian Empire and assist members of the Laronian Committee.

The Polmarian government- which saw the ICO's failure to keep the Kanorian Empire from annexing the Republic of Laronia during the Kanorian–Laronian War as an opportunity to increase its influence in Laronia and Central Helinska as a whole- was apprehensive about stationing ICO troops in Quesi. Prime Minister Alexander Silvas- after consulting Defense Minister Lilli Engdahl, Field Commander Bert Van Orlen and Major General Ergis Nebarack- decided to allow limited ICO deployment if the ICO would agree to place its troops under Field Commander Van Orlen's command and an assurance that the ICO would follow the Field Army of Quesi's direction.

International Military Command expectedly protested being forced into the Polmarian command chain, citing immense doctrinal, logistical and demographic difference between the combative formations of the ICO and Polmaria's military structure. The ICO requested that their forces be placed under the command of Lydia Rike- their most senior officer in the region- offering to allow Polmarian observers at high levels but insisting that maintaining their autonomy was vital for combat effectiveness. Polmaria- which had expected and hoped for this- then officially denied ICO deployment in Laronia.

### Reclamation War (2196)

With the Kanorian Invasion of Quesi stirring the previously dormant Polmarian Armed Forces into a frenzy, the government began to explore ways to turn the situation to their favour and bring about a new era in Helinskan geopolitics- one where the Second Republic was far more central and one where its enemies were shattered and broken. Chief among these ambitions was the desire to finally retake Polgan for Polmaria, after over two centuries of outrageous BISDA occupation.

The concept of invading the Affiliation originated in Polmaria's military high command. Several senior officers pointed out that BISDA was ruled by an internationally wanted criminal with an ICO warrant for his arrest. BISDA's uncooperation throughout the Kanorian Crisis, as well as its apparent designs on Laronian Committee members like the Republic of Fish Island, as well as its refusal to take a strong stand against the Kanorian Empire alongside its display of more anti-ICO sentiments than anti-Kanorian ones. High Command worried that BISDA could swap sides at the drop of the hat, and invade either Polmaria itself or Fish Island. High General of Polmaria Varlyn Feril soon became a proponent of this theory and began advocating for a pre-emptive invasion of BISDA- which had been allowed to exist for far too long in the minds of the Polmarian public.

Soon, High General Varlyn had managed to convince Deputy Prime Minister George Verack of the threat posed by BISDA. Verack, in turn, brought up the subject with Prime Minister Alexander Silvas, who agreed with the idea of pre-emptive strike. Soon, to make their intentions clear, a Polmarian nuclear submarine- the PNV Calano- was sent to scout the waters of BISDA, reporting to Vice Admiral Gordan Petrović. The submarine intentionally allowed itself to be spotted and identified as nuclear, to send a clear message to BISDA and the world as a whole.

    Just one day after the PNV Calano was spotted and identified along the Freylanese peninsula, Deputy Prime Minister George Verack released an official statement, giving a long impassioned speech, portraying Nynera's BISDA as a threat to all of Helinska, with them being a threat to global peace and the independence of countries like Fish Island. Verack also highlighted the possibility of a BISDA-Kanoria alliance that could launch attacks into Polmaria itself. Verack ended the speech with the confirmation of a declaration of war against the Affiliation, announcing that High General Varlyn Feril would lead the newly formed 300,000 strong Field Army of Freylan to invade the affiliation, with the announcement of ICO support in the form of aerial assets headed by Lydia Rike.

Within hours of the declaration, thousands of Polmarian soldiers began to cross into BISDA territory, with their aim being to quickly capture BISDA HQ and Atheand- with the hope being that the rest of the Affiliation's metropole would quickly collapse with their main cities in Polmarian hands. Additionally, the PSID began to send operatives into the Freylanese Peninsula with the hope of establishing contact with local anti-Nynera movements and broach the possibility of mutual cooperation against Affiliation forces.