[b][center]UNITED DEMOCRATIC CHANGXA[/center][/b]

January 19, 1910

[i][center]Somewhere near the capital[/center][/i]

An explosion rocked a neighborhood in the outskirts of the capital.  In any other country, a cause for major concern.  However, this had been a near weekly occurrence for the past year, and before that was even more commonplace.  Unexploded ordnance was practically everywhere and new construction and infrastructure projects inevitably unearthed anything from shells to mines.  This time, nobody had been killed, but others hadn't been so lucky.  It would likely be many years before the land was clear of explosives.

[i][center]Somewhere near the border[/center][/i]

The black-clad party cadre peered over the side of the automobile.  It was one of the rare trucks that had managed to be either smuggled in or outright stolen in the war.  Without many spare parts, their use was far from commonplace, highlighting the importance of the mission.  In total, there were three trucks, each bearing the insignia of the armed forces.  To the front and rear of the convoy were four members of the People's Armed Police on horseback and further back along the road were two more trucks and four more armed police officers.  They were guarding a delegation consisting of party officials, army officers, engineers, and of course the uniformed woman glancing curiously at the automobile behind her own.  She was designated as a liaison to the Central Office of the United People's Government, effectively the representative for the Chairman himself.  All told, the delegation itself numbered just over a dozen officials from the government and military.

In addition to the delegation itself there were 48 soldiers from the army and 36 sailors, 24 of whom were from the People's Armed Police and 12 of whom belonged to the Ministry of Hunting and Fishing.  The destination of the convoy was a port along the river Yanu which connected UDC to the ocean.  The intention was to meet a flotilla that was reportedly being sent from a foreign nation.  Already, police units near the border had been put on alert and travel by river was being heavily restricted.  The port was close to the border, so the plan was to intercept the flotilla with police vessels near the border and keep the foreigners at arm's length until they could be met by the government delegation.  

However, all of this hinged on the convoy actually reaching the port.  At this point, the convoy had been delayed three times by mechanical breakdowns and bad weather and the poor condition of the roads was making itself apparent. At this rate, there would not be much time before the described January 25 deadline.  Police units ahead of the convoy were clearing out any obstacles they could and preparing checkpoints to push the convoy through as quickly as possible.  The foreign delegation could not know this - but their sudden arrival had created somewhat of an emergency for the government.  

With the rebuilding of national infrastructure still an ongoing project, it was a miracle that the message even got to the government itself.  Apparently the messenger bird had been found by a soldier outside of the capital and fortunately the message made its way up the chain of command until an officer sent the message to a party official who passed it on to the police who passed it on to the government.  By the time the necessary people had read the message, several days had gone by and a delegation was quickly scrapped together.  They were sent out as soon as possible, with some of the assigned sailors being hastily brought in from the Ministry of Hunting and Fishing and given police uniforms to look a bit more professional. The situation was far from ideal, and making a good impression was likely a matter of national importance.

Through conversation with the officers sitting alongside her, the black uniformed liaison had gathered that pretty much nobody in the delegation knew much about the nation they were apparently being sent to greet.  If shown a map, perhaps only one or two of the high ranking military men would find it possible to locate Seidhara on a map.  The liaison smoothed out the wrinkles on her jacket.  She only owned two sets of suits, neither of which could be considered appropriate for the occasion.  She sighed as she glanced over the side of the truck again, pondering the specifics of this meeting apprehensively.

[i][center]Near the border of UDC's territorial waters - Yanu River[/center][/i]

Several patrol boats chugged lazily across the river, waiting for the first sighting of the expected foreign vessels.