There had been exceptions, but for the most part the First Councillor had resided at the Palazzo Malzo ever since the first kingdoms unified to form Eastern Sartoria, the confederation of industrialised states that eventually expanded to encompass a vast land larger than all nations save Selene itself. Through the decades many individuals held in high esteem, called honourable even by their fiercest detractors, had walked through the halls of the Palazzo and made consequential decisions in the many offices that it housed.
It seemed a mockery of fate then that when the time came for Marco Valerio to make one such choice, he was not at his office, but in the residential area, reading a fantasy novel with no more illumination than that which a nearby dimly lit lamp provided. He had felt his phone buzz on the nearby table, but he had ignored it. His staff was well aware by now of his rule about being disturbed during reading time. That and family time were the only two moments during the week when he was not to be disturbed unless a catastrophic event was ongoing, and none had taken place thus far. He let the phone rang.
Yet it kept buzzing, and when he refused the call it started buzzing again, and he started getting various text messages from his Private Secretary, the Foreign Councillor, the Military Councillor and the Royal Palace. He frowned, putting down his book and answering the call that he was receiving. "Yes?"
"Marco" he said the agitated voice of Grazia Marelli, his Foreign Councillor "please for the love of Or tell me you have been informed."
Informed? Her tone had been alarming enough, but now he knew something was going on without his being aware. "Calm down Grazia. Tell me what's going on."
"Check MALZO. It should all be on your inbox by now." he walked to his private study, turned on his computer and checked his inbox on the private government intranet. A document titled FCEO: WAR DECLARED BY SACH'AQA ON ALSSAHRA; FORNOIRE STANDS WITH ALSSAHRA opened, and he quickly read the summary. He swore.
"I see it now, Grazia. Come to the Palazzo; I'm calling a campfire." he hung up and opened the foreign affairs group on MALZO, inputting a one-word message that he knew would suffice: CAMPFIRE.