From the office of the Premier and Commissar of Defense on 53-AG-30:
Comrades of the Socialist Dominances of Solstice!
As these words are spoken, as they are written, as copies are printed, and distributed, a monumental effort is taking place across our beloved homeland. To the south, our brave warriors resist strongly the brutal, pitiless advance of our monstrous enemy. Here in Solstice, our government has reorganized itself for the effort of war and for the care and relocation of millions of refugees from the southern battles. Farther north, our industry, tucked away from the line of battle, prepares itself for the gargantuan effort that lies ahead.
My name is Daksha Kansal. Henceforth I am your Premier — it is an office held by few before me, and held before only during war time. Again it shall be held during war time, for this war that has come to us is like no war before. I was appointed by the National Council before its self-directed disbandment, and have pledged to vigorously direct the struggle ahead, hand in hand with the remaining senior elected officials, a cabinet of qualified ministers, and the elected leaders of our industrial unions, regional organizations and collective farms.
Today, whether you are listening or whether you are reading, I address you in order to explain to you in the fullest terms our situation, in order to enlist your aid in the endeavor of our lifetime, and to instill in you hope and confidence in these difficult times.
Starting on the 18th of the Gloom, the advance of the Lehnerite Nochtish forces, spurred by the perfidious ideology of the global bourgeoisie, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, soldier and civilian both. As they advance they have imprisoned millions of our civilian comrades in the cities and villages that they once called home. It is difficult to determine exactly the number of our people lost or enslaved, but any number is too high.
The Nocht Federation is our enemy, and we have from the first day strongly resisted their attacks. Nevertheless they have taken Adjar and Shaila, and though some of their finest divisions and air forces lie dead and smashed across the face of our dear Ayvarta, they continue to hurl men and equipment against us with such bestial fury that we find ourselves unbalanced by their maneuvers. In Ayvarta and across the globe, there is talk of the invincible power of the Nochtish army. Does our situation serve as a demonstration of this?
Of course not! I urge you to read on and correct any such defeatist nonsense!
People are quick to sing to the praises of ravenous power as if lulled to some kind of religion. History has proven that no army exists that cannot be defeated. Did not the Kingdom of Lubon appear invincible as it spread across the world, claiming colonies on every sea and crushing indigenous resistance? And yet, one by one their colonies secured themselves. Everyone believed Svechtha had no hope of rescuing itself from Lubonin imperialism, and yet here we are! That is History, and it has been made before.
At the dawn of the new millennium, Lubon was the Nocht Federation of its time.
Did not the Franks in the northern Unification War appear invincible as they rolled over the Nochtish army and pushed them further and further back across the northern continent? And yet, in the end, Nocht not only defeated the Franks, but conquered and assimilated their lands fully within two years. Back then, the Franks were akin to Nocht now. People were in awe of the magnificence of the Franks, the large number of their guns, the fine make of their bayonets, the wild blue flash in the eyes of their men!
But they failed; this is history now! Nocht made history then!
Fact is that these battles of the past month do not represent the making of war but the springing of an ambush against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. Our troops were near totally demobilized and unprepared for any battle, much less a full scale war. Nocht attacked unsuspectingly with scores of fully mobilized divisions and secured itself every short-term advantage that it could, while we suffered every short term disadvantage possible.
We were hamstrung by the politics of my governmental predecessors, slowed down by the need to evacuate as many people and industries as we could on the shortest possible notice against the most horrible and unceasing violence, all the while fighting the enemy while outnumbered and not fully reequipped. In such circumstances, we have lost many battles.
I must stress that these are not permanent, insurmountable deficiencies.
Even with these disadvantages, we managed to secure a great victory in the battle of Bada Aso in Adjar, killing scores of the enemy, destroying much of their precious equipment and erasing many skilled officers and men. We have deprived Nocht of tanks, aircraft and ships that they could not afford to lose at this stage of their operation. They expected to defeat us with impunity because of their surprise advantage. Our tenacity has so surprised them that their entire front has slowed to a crawl in fear of our growing resistance.
Nocht’s short-term advantage is spent! Our country is awakening. At the political level we are appointing experts in various fields to form a new council of executives and secretaries to insure we are able to sustain the battlefront and home front and to conduct both military and civil policy as smoothly as possible. Ministers like War Secretary Chakma, Economy Observer Mamani, and Civil Executive Yuba, and myself, are committed to building up our armies without sacrificing the services that are the human right of our citizens. Rest assured that we continue to be committed to feeding and housing all citizens. This includes our traumatized comrades fleeing north from the Nochtish violence.
We are working with Union leaders, who have key roles to play in this struggle, to rebuild our industry and to create the necessary weapons and ammunition to defeat the enemy. Our work, that was beforehand casual and peaceful, will have to take on a more serious mentality to cope with these dire times. I must beseech every comrade who can go to work to do so; those comrades, who before chose to live on stipends, as is their right of course, I ask that you seek out the nearest work office or union contact, or the recruitment office, and serve your country, which is in great need of you. Every man, woman and young student or child, who is thinking “what more can I do for my country?” I encourage you to go to the nearest political or union or work office, and seriously consider this question.
I also encourage those spoiling for a fight to put their energies to good use and join the armed forces. We are undergoing a project to revive our military programs after the neglect and mismanagement that was rife in the past administration. Our Sunhera Thalsena is in great need of men and women. Those of you who wish to defend the homeland, regardless of your current ability, consider joining our Gold Army. It is the duty of trainers and instructors to hone your skills and make best use of you. So long as you try your best, previous experience or exceptional strength is unnecessary to join.
However, I must also beseech comrades who are working in important industries, and feel their work is insufficient and that they must run to the nearest recruitment center and sign up for war — your work is important to the nation! Those of you in machining, in mining, in agriculture, in academics, in care work, in medicine, in numerous other professions, can do much good in your position. It is true that we need soldiers, and I will not discourage any man or woman who wishes to fight for our country. However, whole factories, whole farms, cannot pick up and go fight without serious shocks to their regions and to the country as a whole. Please consult with a political or union official and consider your options.
The Gold Army is our great hope, but an army cannot fight without factory workers to produce weapons, without teachers to protect and care for the children they leave behind in their villages and towns and cities, without doctors to care for them if they are hurt or sick, without writers and journalists and artists who keep them informed and entertained and who enrich their minds and give them dreams to dream in the middle of the trenches. Our entire body of work, the nation’s body of work, is important, and meaningful. All of our nation must mobilize for war, for the war will inevitably involve every industry.
That is the message that I wish to send to every citizen comrade of our nation. You are at war, a war that none of us wanted. To end this war will require each and every one of us to commit all of our efforts. Join the army, join a union, seek to do everything possible to you, and let nothing hold you back. Only through this great shouldering can we pick up and heave our hated enemy away! Volunteer today, and make every effort for comrade and country!
For motherland and for socialism, comrades! Rise up and fight back!
— Premier Daksha Kansal
From the Office of the Commissar of Defense, 53-AG-2030
Disseminate to all combat Headquarters and officers down to Battalion level.
You will have heard that the political situation in Solstice has changed and a government more amenable to the great and heavy restructuring necessary to rebuild the armed forces has come into power. As such, you are now part, not of the Territorial Army or the Kivuli Jeshi A Watu but part instead of the new Sunhera Thalsena of the SDS.
Due to the establishment of the Gold Army, the K.V.W. and the Territorial Army will now effectively cease to exist, and will become part of this unified structure.
Your orders no longer come from the Military Council or the Civil Council (any Civil Council) but from the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, known as the “SIVIRA.”
Battlegroups Tortoise, Dingo, Serpent will be renamed the 5th, 6th, 7th Armies of the North Solstice Front, operating in Chayat and thereabouts. Battlegroup Rhino, Battlegroup Falcon and Battlegroup Ram will become the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Armies; the first belonging to the 2nd Solstice Front, operating in Dbagbo and Southeast Solstice, and the latter two belonging to the 1st Solstice Front, operating in Tambwe and Northwest Solstice.
Where necessary these armies will be reinforced beyond their current standard.
Finally, the Revolutionary Guards will be mobilized and activated as the 1st Army of the 1st Solstice Front of the national capital; while the KVW Divisions, which enjoy a greater standard of armored and motorized vehicles than any other currently active force, will be parceled out among the remaining armies where necessary to act as fast strike forces.
In addition, we are in the process of raising three additional armies that will be activated as the 8th, 9th and 10th Armies by the start of the new year, divided among the 1st and 2nd Solstice Fronts. This will help us achieve our short term goal of 500,000 operational troops active in and around Solstice. Furthermore we are mobilizing civilian labor and reserve or training troops to create defenses, camps and supply areas around Solstice to fend off the incoming Nochtish assault. From this follows this next, most painful order.
Due to the botched offenses in Tambwe and Dbagbo that were ordered by the inexperienced leadership of the defunct National Council, it has become untenable to defend these areas, and as such, the SIVIRA is ordering a withdrawal in partial stages from Dbagbo and Tambwe to Southeast and Southwest Solstice. These orders are effective immediately for the 2nd and 4th Armies. The 8th Mechanized Division and the 10th Mechanized Division, as well as the newly-organized 2nd Air Army and 3rd Air Army are being deployed to these territories to assist in whatever way possible. The 2nd Army will withdraw toward the city of Sahib Qadis and the Gennom pass, while the 4th Army will withdraw toward Sirat and the southwest desert. This is effective immediately.
We are appointing new officers to the new Front commands as well as promoting Generals in charge of the various Armies. All Divisional level officers interested in these commands are encouraged to apply; due to the current situation however, officers of the 2nd and 4th armies will not be considered as they are needed in their posts to maintain combat discipline and order. We will not yet reestablish Corps commands, until more officers are available.
Finally, the SIVIRA wishes to formally applaud and remember forevermore the bravery and spirit of the fighters of Battlegroup Ox who survived the entire length of the battle of Bada Aso as well as their commander, the exemplary Colonel Madiha Nakar. While Battlegroup Ox was technically disbanded due to losses, Colonel Nakar and her handpicked troops will be reorganized as the 1st “Askari” Motor Rifle Regiment, recognizing their bravery and their hard-earned experience in combat with the foe. In addition the Regiment will be awarded the Order of Lena, and a new “Battle of Bada Aso” merit to commemorate their struggle, as well as the Gold Banner. Thus: attached to the 4th Army, they are to be known now as the 1st Order of Lena, Defenders of Bada Aso, Gold Banner Askari Motor Rifle Regiment.
All of our armed forces should look to them as an example in the coming months.
— Marshal Daksha Kansal