Survival Amid Crisis: Kroham Signs the Miyask Pact with Five Nations

“At its core, Sanstel is nothing more than a more refined, more covert form of hegemony.”

For over thirty years, the Sanstel System had led global development. Yet a number of nations remained excluded from its credit framework. These were often centralized regimes where media was restricted, legal systems lagged behind, and business environments were unstable—making it nearly impossible for them to meet the transparency requirements of the NCAT (National Credit Access Treaty). Despite being sidelined, these nations still harbored a strong desire for wealth. With rich resources, large populations, and massive market potential, they struggled to find trading partners willing to accept them in the credit age.

Vezina* — a manufacturing powerhouse with a complete industrial base, positioned between the credit and non-credit world — had long served as a bridge for these non-Sanstel nations, maintaining economic links and providing vital trade support.

Kroham in the Eye of the Downgrade Storm

In January A.G. 2049, the Kroham Federation was dealt a major blow when its national credit rating was downgraded from B to C by the CRC. The sudden downgrade sent its credit market into turmoil. With Sanstel membership benefits withdrawn, Kroham’s import-export activity plummeted, living standards fell, and basic goods became scarce. Though the Sanstel Alliance made efforts to mitigate the impact, Kroham quickly slid into a visible economic downturn.

Facing immense pressure, the Winter Palace recognized the growing difficulty of surviving within the Sanstel framework. Determined to find a way out, it began seeking alternatives to the restrictive NCAT rules, focusing on trade partnerships with nations outside the Sanstel System. At the same time, Kroham leveraged its surplus military stockpiles to aid politically unstable but resource-rich developing nations—using arms exports as a tool to forge influence. Yet these countries shared similar industrial structures, lacked mutual trust, and failed to build a complementary economic network. For the strategy to work, Kroham needed to win over Vezina.

The Signing of the Miyask Pact

In August A.G. 2049, Kroham hosted five long-time centralized states — Sonbia, Alvara, Harimanstan, Farilan, and Marisato* — at its capital Miyask* to sign the Miyask Pact, formally establishing the R.E.D. Covenant Alliance*. Vezina was also invited and participated as an official observer.

The alliance aims to counteract the disadvantages imposed by the Sanstel credit system, advocating for an independent network of trade and credit settlements.

The Sanstel Alliance later issued a diplomatic statement:

“We hope the R.E.D. Covenant Alliance will shoulder the responsibility of authoritarian nations, striving to safeguard their citizens’ interests and regional stability. Sanstel prefers dialogue over confrontation.”

Strategy in the Midst of Crisis

For Kroham, the R.E.D. alliance marked a political breakthrough — but its economic challenges remained unresolved. Cut off from the Sanstel-backed global supply chains and credit systems, Kroham pivoted to Vezina’s industrial sector for support, especially importing large quantities of electronics, machinery, and industrial consumer goods from JoMatic* , a Vezinan tech giant. This shift temporarily eased the pressures of Sanstel credit shortages.

However, hostility toward the Sanstel System persisted in Kroham. As the gap in technological and resource capabilities widened, nationalist sentiment surged. Public discourse began blaming the credit crisis on Sanstel itself — particularly on the Keystone Fiscal State, accused of enforcing “credit hegemony.”

This discontent was not only tolerated but actively amplified, fermenting deeper international tensions. The CRC and the Sanstel Alliance seemingly underestimated the long-term consequences of this collective resentment. Rather than securing stability, the formation of the R.E.D. Alliance may have sown the seeds for a broader and more dangerous global divide.

* Vezina: A neutral trade hub situated between credit and non-credit nations, acting as an intermediary between the Sanstel System and marginalized states.

* Sonbia, Alvara, Harimanstan, Farilan, and Marisato: Resource-rich states excluded from the Sanstel System due to political ineligibility under the NCAT (National Credit Access Treaty). Sonbia and Alvara are located in Starlight, Harimanstan and Farilan in Bosazia, and Marisato in Hela.

* Miyask: Capital of Kroham and seat of the Winter Palace; site of the R.E.D. Pact’s signing.

* Sonbia, Alvara, Harimanstan, Farilan, and Marisato: Resource-rich states excluded from the Sanstel System due to political ineligibility under the NCAT (National Credit Access Treaty). Sonbia and Alvara are located in Starlight, Harimanstan and Farilan in Bosazia, and Marisato in Hela.

* R.E.D. Covenant Alliance: A multilateral alliance formed in A.G. 2049 by a group of authoritarian states excluded from the Sanstel System. The acronym R.E.D. stands for Repressed, Excluded, Destitute, symbolizing their systemic marginalization, economic suppression, and exclusion from the global credit order.

* JoMatic Technologies: Vezina’s flagship tech firm, focused on terminal device manufacturing and system development. It runs a national cloud infrastructure and partly overlaps with Keystone in core business areas.