With Han Union Aircraft conducting almost daily raids across the border to destroy radar, SAM, and fuel depots in advance of an invasion, Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu has appealed to the International Community for military aid.
Ion Cornel, Ambassador to the ITF, said that Romania was willing to accept "any military aid that did not promise the effective dissolution of the Romanian State."
While it is not officially acknowledged by the Government, Romania is generally understood to be a Vampire-Run state, where gigantic orphanages allow unwanted children and teens to serve the role of "domestic cattle" for a Vampire society that holds most of the higher positions in the Government, Military and Securitate. As a result, the vampire population is unusually high and has created fear of a "Vampire Diaspora" if Romania falls. It is already estimated that as many as 3000 vampires have fled Romania in anticipation of the Han assault. The Han have asked for Romania's surrender, however the general feeling is that the Han would not consider vampires to be normal humans and would exterminate them.
The odious situation with Romanian orphanages, where children may live in filfth or without clothes has created a difficult "Catch-22" for many of the ITF Nations. To support Romania is a de-facto endorsement of the program. To refuse support to Romania is to deny the only TL6 military power that stands between the Han and the Mediterranean, virtually assuring major Han victories in the Med, unless a massive intervention is organized.
Romania has promised reforms to the orphanage system, which in principle allows the vampires to feed without killing, however ITF nations have found it difficult to even outline acceptable changes. Even to acknowledge the Romanian promises would, in the words of the Archbishop of Albany be "tantamount to negotiating with a child killer over the method he used to kill his victims."
Collegian analyst Colby Kerr outlined the situation. "There is no place for twenty or thirty thousand vampires to go without creating a massive debacle, and no practical hope of killing the vast majority of them, who have hoarded weapons and Econ. Nobody likes what they are doing, but nobody really wants them to stop either, and the idea of taking over and trying to govern them is beyond...unworkable. And they know that, and are using it to blackmail us."
The Curia at Avignon has made no statement about Romania, however Pope Urban IX has threatened interdiction on any State which supports Vampires, though the Holy Roman Emperor has suggested that "direct action against the Han Union does not necessarily mean supporting Romania," opening the door to Romania as a lynchpin for the defense of Europe and the Mediterranean.
The TL7 USSR has dispatched a single corps with six low-end mechs, and forty mobile SA-119 Mobile GEV SAM Batteries, and the Empire of New York has given unspecified military aid. The Imperial Senate is expected to debate a major emergency spending measure requested by the Emperor, which may be earmarked for Romania. Other reliable TL6 and 7 powers have been drawn off by the Malaysia-Rising Sun War. "Mad Science" London has discussed the possibility of sending the aerial dreadnought H.M.S. Agincourt to Romania.
Decisions in the next six to eight weeks will be critical. So far the only bright point was a SA-6 Battery, modified by ENY engineers, which downed a Han Union Destroyer over Suceava.
