SD.Net World(RAR!) MK IV

[Shroom Man 777]

SOFIA
Shroomanian Office - Fungal Intelligence Agency

The Refrigeron was currently being defrosted - Scruffy the Janitor had an MP5 slung over his shoulders, but in his hands was a sponge... and a bucket of half-frozen fish.

Baylor was back in his office, for the meanwhile, and was presiding over the current affairs of FUN-wide intelligence.

"Yes," he said to a telescreen - one that was null and blank. "Keep an eye on the Coilers. A very close eye. Make sure we're the first to know if the ShadowStrats find anything."

He killed the screen, though no one could tell the difference.

"Yeah?"

"Sir," Selphie came in, wearing a short-cut yellow dress and a pair of cowboy boots. "We've let her out..."

"Good," Baylor uttered, interlacing his fingers.

"Are you sure this is wise, sir?"

"No. And if that woman ever gets within ten miles of Prime Minister Shroom, or anything I don't want her to be anywhere remotely near, she dies. If I don't want her in Shroomania, and she happens to be taking a stroll through Faith Park, she dies.

"We're giving her back to the Shadows, putting her under their custody - for all that's worth - but she tried to kill our 'beloved leader', and if she even tries to start Shadow-Shroom Round 3, well..."

Unknown to even the subject of their conversation, she had been... implanted with tracking devices and signal receivers. And should she ever end up at the wrong place, at the wrong time...

"She dies."

Selphie was a little... shocked, disturbed, or something. But Baylor shrugged it off.

"And no one can do anything about it. Amongst other things, they'd have to perform a bomb defusal and open-heart surgery to get rid of just one implant... at the same time.

"She's tried to kill our dear Prime Minister, and for that, she's paid with her soul."

"I do hope she meets her sister, though," Selphie said.

"Yeah. Me too," Baylor agreed. "Poor girl. I hope she kills those Serpents. All of them."



Elsewhere... in Istas Fortress

She was out of the maximum security prison. She was free... to return to the Empire to face her crimes.

Elena wept silently. It was good to be outside, in the fresh air. To see the sky.

She hoped dearly that she could see her sister again, she missed her so much...

...she swore she'd kill the bastards who did this to her, to them, to everyone.

[Vohu Manah]

News briefs from the Qudlivun Free State

Qudlivun Free State continues diplomatic efforts towards Saddamistan
Despite absolutely no reply from the international pariah state, the Qudlivun Free State's Ministry for Foreign Affairs continues its efforts to seek diplomatic contact with the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Empire of Saddamistan.

MSDF Outer deployed to escort the Astarte
The QFSS Astarte has been dispatched to the Central Sea region around Zalbania for the purpose of comprehensive oceanographic research of the surrounding waters. The research effort includes landing personnel in coastal areas for the purpose of deploying equipment as well as inland research of the devastated island. The entirety of the MSDF Outer battlegroup will be deploying in an escort and general support role.

[PeZook]

ISCA bulletin - yearly edition

See the latest ISCA budget along with ships and prices here. (OOC: I will put the WCS there as soon as Wilkens sends me some stats )

Another record broken by FY2011 ISCA ship construction

Continuing its tradition of excellence, ISCA closed Fiscal year 2011 with another record, incresing total SD.net shipping capacity by nearly 4.5 metric megatonnes.

For the first time, the yearly production run included armed patrol gunboats and large cutters, providing affordable, modern and standardized solutions for small and large countries everywhere.

Two new nations joined the ISCA this year: Wilkonia and Byzantium, contributing to the growing list of ISCA-affilliated countries and building a better future together.

New entrants into the ISCA family

The Wilkonian Container Ship, a stiff competitor to chief ISCA products: the FCS and ACV series, has been officially authorized for construction by ISCA-affiliated countries. Sales of the huge ship, far larger than the biggest ship currently in ISCA inventory, have already begun, and orders are being taken by ISCA sales offices.

The WCS is a vessel built to excellent standard, with a deep understanding of hydrodynamics and quality workmanship. It is truly a work of art, and ISCA hopes to continue this proud tradition started by Wilkonian shipbuilders.

Another entrant into the ISCA family is the mid-range Byzantine container carrier, placing itself firmly between the FCS-L series and the huge WCS. Owing to Greek shipbuilding tradition, this fine vessel is also being offered by ISCA shipyards.

Nuclear Age reaches reality

As the first full-scale Nuclear Passenger Ship, a second civilian vessel to employ nuclear propulsion, is readied for its maiden voyage of exploration and science, ISCA officials announced the dawning of a new, nuclear age in seagoing commerce.

"Nuclear propulsion is safe and environmentally friendly, long-term and very economical. We hope that large nuclear ships will make SD.net world commerce even faster and cheaper than before.", said the ISCA spokesman.

ISCA is currently offering the nuclear-powered Nuclear Passenger Ship and Nuclear Commerce Ship, both based on the same hull. Also, pre-fabricated nuclear-capable drydocks are available for purchase.

Hospital and relief ships continue to be built at-cost for all comers

In the interest of fostering international charity, the ISCA declares intent to continue realizing orders for all ships from the "Hospital and Relief" series at-cost, with absolutely no profit margin at all, no matter if orders come from ISCA-affiliated countries or outside of them.

And above all, a Happy New Year's to all our subscribers!

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Trainees and Fighters Return from Byzantine Empire



After a year of training, the Republic of Mangka Air Force trainees have returned from the Byzantine Empire with the purchased F-18s. A short commissioning ceremony was held at the Takao Air Force Academy with the F-18s becoming the first of the 5th Flight Squadron of the ROMAF. The F-18s will be stationed at the Academy for a short time before they will be transported to Project Good Mountain, where ROMAF officials refused to mention about its location and progress.


Parasol Science Team Safe

Ada Wong, spokesperson of the Parasol Corporation, confirmed that the Parasol scientists and security team were en route back to Mangka before the missile testing.

The team has made various discoveries which raise interesting questions to life on Terra Nova. SNP testing results showed that the dinosaurs on Zablania seemed to evolve independently. The scientists couldn't even estimate a timeframe when ancestors of modern life and the dinosaurs diverged.


=================
Wanhua 101, Mangka

"10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1....................HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!"

[DarthShady]

Happy New Year from The Shadow Empire



OOC: Another game year and we are all still here, I'm amazed and happy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Shadow Empire, Sarajevo, Imperial Beach Resort

New Year Celebrations were taking place in the Empire, but the Emperor was not celebrating. He was waiting. He had received news from the Shroomanians that they were releasing Elena. They were transferring her to his custody. He was still trying to decide how to punish her, but her punishment could wait, he was just glad to be getting her back. This will be an emotional moment for Elena, she will once again be reunited with her sister, it will be an emotional moment for the Emperor as well . Elena had done so much for him and then she threw it all away and betrayed him by attempting to kill Prime Minister Shroom, one of the Emperor's closest friends on Nova Terra. He couldn't forgive such a thing easily, Shady knew she had a good reason but that didn't diminish the severity of her betrayal.

This would be a hard New Year for the God Emperor, but then again New Years on Nova Terra were usually harder and involved some form of the threat of mass extinction for the people who lived there, usually nuclear bombs.

[Lonestar]

The Prosperity Bridge, between the Lone Star Republic and Tian Xia

Lonestar wore his windbreaker and took in the fog, ice, and sleet. This was his kind of weather, truth be told. His counterpart didn't look too happy, though.

Ater nearly 4 years the first bridge, the 6-lane each way "Prosperity" bridge was finally done. A land connection between the two great countries was done at last.

"Matt."

"Other Matt." Beowulf nodded. They were standing at the midway point, with four colossal towers painted in international orange holding the bridge aloft.

"Let's get this party started!" Lonestar said. He walked up to the microphone.

"It's been a rough couple of years for the planet, what with international tensions, killbots, and terrorism and all. This bridge, this marvel of Human ingenuity, represents the potential of future prosperity for our planet through international cooperation! The Prosperity bridge is one more step to a brighter future!" Lonestar nodded to Beowulf, who walked over to the microphone and spoke. His statement elicited cheers as well.

The two heads of state held aloft a giant pair of scissors. They cut the ribbon.

[Coyote]

CANISSIAN NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS


Happy new year! Canissians celebrate the New Year in grand style, making up for last year's somber, dread-filled New Year's celebrations that were mostly held in bunkers throughout the land.

Many Canissians celebrated in grand festivities, with barbecues, drinking, and fireworks parties that were quietly patrolled by police.

"Peope have a lot of energy, a lot of tension, to burn off," New Boise police chief Denn Bieter said, "We encopurage this, and try to keep a low profile so folks can enjoy themselves."

Canissian police also kept things cool during the recent Naked Protest Day a couple weeks prior, as well.

"Kids just want to have fun," Police chief Biueter said, "And, well.. some of the girl protesters were kinda hot."

Two More THEL Batteries Emplaced


Emerald Point saw two more THEL batteries emplaced, with corresponding PATRIOT and CIWS systems already built. The town of Emerald Point-- the closest point of Canissian territory to the Republic of Shepnukistan-- now has it's first phase of local/theater air efenses in place.

Construction will begin on similar coastal batteries along the northern shores, particularly at the Naval Base at Pearl Point. Eventually, more batteries will be built at Emerald Point, but for now the initial construction of three laser batteries will be sufficient to "hold the line" while more defenses are built for the rest of Canissia.

[Raj Ahten]

With the vote for Indhopal's admission into FUN taking place, The government of Indhopal and various local nonprofits started political lobying in FUN states for them to bring Indhopal into the fold. Newspaper and other media ads were also purchased.

[RogueIce]

Pearl Point, Canissia

Commodore Adam Perry had just arrived at Pearl Point Naval Station aboard the SRS Raider along with a pair of Gorgon frigates and three of the Pluto submarines. Eventually the Virtue,a second DDG, two more frigates and a fourth sub would be joining them tomorrow, as well as a squadron of twelve P-3Cs and two companies of Marines.

He was greeted in a formal ceremony by the base commander and other senior Canissian naval officers. Tomorrow, on the first of the year, Task Force 22 would officially be operational in support of Operation Northern Star. And Commodore Perry would be heading to Port New Hadera to meet with the Canissian Admiral Dayan, although he would fly his flag at Pearl Point. When he wasn't underway with his ships, that was.

======================

Puerto Princess, Republic of Orestias

The Lone Star Republic Seabees had done a fine job preparing a naval base and airstation, and newly promoted Captain Peter Scott was now assuming command. The SRS Fortuna had brought him here and with them had come a company of Marines. Tomorrow the rest of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines would arrive, as would a detachment of four P-3Cs. The three other Fortuna frigates wouldn't arrive for another week or so.

He met quickly with a Commander from the Merchant Marine, who would be in charge of the EPU's deployment and stationed alongside the Navy forces. While technically civilians, they would ultimately answer to him as the base commander.

Task Force 23 had grown up quite a bit, Scott mused. And here he was, still in charge of it. Although it did net me a promotion he thought to himself.

Still, that little boost in seniority brought with it quite a heavy responsibility for him. For in addition to the stated goals of TF-23, to watch over the Southern Seas and Terra Libertia, his mission also included a diplomatic aim. Namely, to work with the Orestias military forces and bring them back fully into the MESS. His force wasn't close to being large enough to monitor the Southern Seas on its own. And even with a Wilkonian CVBG up in Subic Bay, he'd still find himself relying upon the Marina Armada - or whatever they had renamed themselves - to help patrol out here.

He wasn't sure how he kept finding himself in these positions, but he did. A year ago today, he had been at the center of the brief but very real nuclear war scare. He had been told, in fact, that his decision to keep his ships on high alert for the transit to bring those Alexandrian weapons to St. George had, in fact, likely kept things from going instantly nuclear. The fact that none of his ships were lost or sailors killed allowed for that brief wiggle room so the diplomats could do their thing. Had his force gone up in a nuclear fireball, it was almost certain the MESS would have responded with a full nuclear strike.

He was, like most everyone else on the planet, glad it hadn't come to that. And he was of course more than happy that he was still alive. But he still didn't think his role had been that pivotal. All he'd done was protect the ships under his charge. Any good naval officer would have done that. He sure as Hell didn't think there was anything special in what he did.

Perhaps it was just because people needed some kind of hero, after everything that had happened. He knew what had gone down at Atlantis, and he himself felt that there were no heroes there. And it seemed a lot of people tended to agree with that. So he, somehow, wound up being a 'hero' of what many civilians called the "Nuclear New Years Nightmare". For his part, he just wished he done a better job protecting his ships and crew. Sure, nobody had died, but five sailors were permenantly blind, and ten others had suffered vision damage, though thankfully it was correctable. Had he planned better - Damn it, I should have figured on a nuclear attack by the friggin' UAR! - maybe those sailors would still be able to see today.

Nonetheless, here he was, finding himself in an area known as a focal point for international trouble for some time. This 'hero' business aside, he was a naval officer. He would do his job to the best of his ability. And let history say whatever it wanted to; he'd know whether or not he'd done his best out here.

[Vohu Manah]

News briefs from the Qudlivun Free State

New Year's Celebrations throughout the country
A glorious end to a turbulent year is being celebrated in all corners of the Qudlivun Free State. Both MSDF and GSDF personnel are enjoying liberal leave policies and most of the current members of Parliament are enjoying some time off prior to upcoming elections. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are reportedly spending some quiet time in the palace.

Astarte begins new mission
The QFSS Astarte has departed home waters for its scientific mission in the Central Sea region. The research vessel has been joined by the MSDF Outer group to provide escort and support.

Parliamentary elections season officially underway
With the New Year upon us and the final business of Parliament closed the election season is officially underway. Opposition parties have already begun airing advertisements critical of the Ruling Party, a move formally criticized by many.

Ministry of Finance final report prior to election
For the second year in a row the Ministry of Finance annual budget report indicates a 4% increase in GDP. Thanks to no special spending the government was able to grow its reserve coffers. Per Qudlivun tradition all agencies have been provided minimum funding until the election.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

New Year and Christmas celebrations commence

The New Year of 2012 has arrived, and the Byzantine people have started their annual New Year and Christmas celebrations. The jubiliant celebrations were somewhat marred by the terrorist attacks of last year, but the robust economy and the generally improved world political climate has resulted in much optimism and excitement for the new year.

Constantinople Shipping announces annual acquisitions

Constantinople Shipping has announced that it will purchase 10 WCT, 10 6000 TEU vessels, and 10 4000 TEU vessels from Constantinople Shipyards.

Civil Service Specialists head for Republic of Alexandria to aid in the formation of the Government.

The Iron General agreed to receive Civil Service Specialists from the Byzantine Government to aid in the formation of a modern Government. The Iron General is said to be interested in forming a civil service and to reformulate the judicial system.

[RogueIce]

Shinra Air and Maritime Shipping Announces Expansion of Assets

The Shinra Air and Maritime Shipping (SAMS) corporation announced an expansion of their maritime shipping capabilities. Executives announced the planned acquisition of three Wilkonian Container Transports and six 6000 TEU vessels from Byzantium. SAMS has previously used smaller locally produced freighters for shipping needs, but with the expansion of international trade and relief operations in recent years, they felt it was time to expand their capabilities.

"We have, for the most part, been involved in relatively low-level trading of foodstuffs and other smaller items. Now it's time for us to expand into the more competitive large-scale global markets."
- SAMS corporation press statement

[K. A. Pital]

Happy New Year


The Supreme Council of the Red Technocracy, and the Secretary General wishes a good year to all people of Terra Nova, to fellow FUN nations and to our brave and heroic citizens who bring forth breakthroughs in science, space research and aerodynamic research.

Congratulations to the workers, engineers, the scientists, and the peasants, and the soldiers of the Red Army and the Red Navy!

UAR's goodwill steps accepted
The Coilerburg blockade has been rescinded under the promise that no nuclear weapons will touch Coilerburg's soil.

[PeZook]

Astoria Evening News

Spectacular New Year's celebration in Astoria

A fireworks show, concerts of famous musicians, artistic happenings and various other attractions awaited PeZookians who decided to spend New Year's Eve in Astoria. Making up for last year's celebrations, which were mired by the spectre of nuclear annihilation, PeZookians enjoyed themselves and sent wishes of well-being to the rest of the world.


The fireworks show over Old Astoria

Despite the immense amount of people who flocked to Astoria to enjoy the celebration, there was little disturbance of order. Police spokesmen reported a typical upsurge in petty crime, but no violent crime was reported. Several people were detained in detox after drinking themselves unconscious, but were released the next day with nothing more than a headache and a hefty bill. As usual, though, at least two dozen people were hospitalized because of burn wounds caused by improper fireworks handling ; Six men were airlifted to Shroomania for finger replantation surgery. A dozen minor and two major fires were also caused by improper fireworks handling.

All in all, it was a mostly uneventful New Year's Eve.



FASTA Bulletin - special edition!

Launch harmonograms: Selene

2012

Selene 1B (February 3rd 2012): Manned rendezvous test. A manned capsule will rendezvous with the ALMAZ-1 space station, approach it, photographs the ship and return to Terra

Selene 2 (April 1 2012): Eight-day manned duration flight.

Selene 3 (June 13 2012): EVA excercise

Selene 3B (June 15 2012): Launch of Agena Target Vehicle. First Selene launch from Comona Island.

Selene 4 (July 21 2012): Docking tests

Selene 5 (October 30 2012): Docking tests, tethered spacewalk

Selene 6 (December 30 2012): 10-day duration flight, EVA, docking test

2013

Selene 7 (February 15 2013): First live Terra Orbital LM test: docking systems, power systems, life support

Selene 8 (April 23 2013): Second live Terra Orbital LM test, with astronauts on board the LM: descent engine, maneuvering systems, guidance, more docking tests

Selene 9 (June 12 2013): Final LM tests. More descent engine tests (including burn-cold soak-burn-cold soak cycles), ascent engine tests, rendezvous drills, avionics.

Selene 10 June 30 2013: Unmanned lunar flyby (Soyuz capsule only, biological payload).

Selene 11 August 14 2013: Manned lunar flyby

Selene 12 September 23 2013: Manned lunar orbital

Selene 13 October 10 2013: Manned lunar LM test

Selene 14 November 20 2013: Manned lunar landing

Launch harmonograms: Lunar Orbital Reconeissance

2012

LOR-1 January 10, 2012: first in a series of four Canissian lunar reconeiisance orbiters, which will deliver the most detailed radar map of Selene to date, and perform other measurements

LOR-2 May 21 2012:Second orbiter, investigating possible landing sites for the Selene and remote lunar lander programs.

LOR-3 August 1 2012: Third LOR probe. Will remain on station to monitor gravitic parameters in Selene orbit.

2013

LOR-4 November 10 2013: Final LOR probe, tasked with monitoring and photographing descent of Selene 14 to lunar surface.

Astronauts training hard for first FASTA manned launch

They begun their training early last year ; Since then, they've spent hundreds of hours in Soyuz simulators, learning how to control the spaceship in orbit.

In two months, the two-man crew will be launched as part of the Selene 1B mission, to practice orbital maneuvering and rendezvous techniques. They are Lt. Col. Nikolas Papanderou, a Byzantine Air Force pilot, and Natasha Semiriaga, an experienced Red Technocracy cosmonaut. Neither of these two FASTA astronauts have flown an orbital mission before, but their training at Korolev Spaceport was extensive and FASTA planners have all confidence in their ability to perform all the necessary tasks.

Canissian LOR-1 satellite assembly completed ; Vehicle rolled out to launch pad

Mounted on a Proton-M launch vehicle, the small satellite probe will begin the long process of mapping out Selene with special regard to identifying possible landing sites. The mission is planned to take six months.


LOR-1 being placed in position for launch at Korolev Spaceport

Canissia is a world leader in remote drone technology, and will provide all the LOR probes for the FASTA program.

[Sea Skimmer]

South East Coast of Zablania

It was the mid morning when the submarine LSTs Arab Ziggurat and Claw of Saddam came within a persicopes view of the rocky shore of Zablania. Several frogmen of the 1st Fedayeen Saddam naval command brigade had gone ashore during the night from a Type 206 diesel boat, to reconnoiter several possible landing beaches. The best of the choices had been marked by an underwater acoustical transponder, triggered only by coded pulses from the LSTs minehunting sonar, on which both boats now homed.

Slowly they edged towards shore, all the while releasing a series of smoke floats on timers. When they approached within a thousand yards the subs surfaced together, hurtling through the seas surface. At once the smoke pots triggers, and a row of 122mm ten tube barrage rocket launchers on each submarines deck fired, dropping smoke rounds over a wide area. Even the submarines themselves began smoke generating, using fuel injected into the exhaust of auxiliary diesel engines. Together the clouds began to merge, much of the smoke of special types which contained laser and infrared obscurant particals. Radar decoys were inflated and thrown overboard as the subs each dropped twin stern anchors to aid withdrawal and prevent broaching.

Then, it was time to go aground , very gently each bow pushed onto the sand, and the hatches began to open. Under a continiunig blanket of smoke, the tank platoons rolled ashore, followed by the massive SSD-9 nuclear bulldozers, steam turbines whistling and coolant pumps throbbing as they moved. Lead suited engineers followed behind, transported aboard construction equipment and several APCs. The crash site was but a few miles inland, and already radiation detectors buzzed in alarm.

[PeZook]

Astoria Evening News

Indophal SIA student arrested in midnight raid

An Astorian counter-terrorist police unit has raided an apartment rented by one Justin Blake, an aerospace student currently studying at Astoria Technical University under the Student Immigration Act.

Police officers have acted on tips from mr. Blake's neighbors, who reported suspicious activity at his apartment. After a month of surveillance, during which the student was observed assembling detailed documentation on several important sites in Astoria, including at least two power plants and a water intake site, Astorian police decided to bring him in for questioning.

Evidence uncovered in Mr. Blake's apartment has, however, far exceeded expectations. In an expertly constructed secret compartment, police inverstigators have found two fully automatic AN-94 assault rifles, body armor, military F-1 fragmentation grenades, sophisticated night-vision equipment and several hard drives full of encrypted information. The compartment was booby-trapped, however the explosive device was disarmed by police sappers.

Mr. Blake was aiming for PeZookian citizenship, but will be deported to Indophal, and PeZookian prosecutors will request that he be granted a FUN-wide status of persona non grata.

Our sources confirmed that Indophal's ambassador to PeZookia has been called to the Foreign Ministry in relation to the matter.

[RogueIce]

Shinra Republic Joins Canissia in THEL Program

Officials from the Shinra Republic Army have announced that they will be joining with the Canissian Strategic Defense Corps in acquiring the THEL system. Observers from the Army are presently in Canissia studying the deployment and operations of a Canissian Integrated Defense Battery at Emerald Point. Three THEL emplacements and six land-based CIWS units (operating under the name Advanced Vulcan Air Defense System) are currently being negotiated for acquisition and field-testing within the Army's Test and Evaluation Regiment.

The Patriot Surface to Air Missile system, the third component of the Canissian IDBs, is already in service with the Army.

[PeZook]

Coilerburg

"You are turning out to be quite an asset", Kulinsky knew captain Potocka would excell at the job from the moment he chose her to be a part of his residenture. He was palming through a brand-new xerox copy of a maintenance manual for the UAR model of a roadmobile missile launcher carrying their SS-20s. He had some other documents on his desk, including transcripts with information on the command structure, organization and some security procedures of the 10th Special Mortar Batallion. One his men has also managed to snap about a dozen photos of the transport airplanes as they landed in Coilerburg.

"Thank you, sir. Though this soldier will be at best an intermittent source. They are not allowed to mingle with civilians, and are confined to their encampment most of the time. The locals servicing them would give us a more stable source of information, especially since we want to know when they start preparations to move out all of a sudden."

"Very well then. Do you need support?"

"Yes. Three people should do."

Kulinsky rubbed his chin for a moment.

"Julia fucked up her last recruitment. Take her, Maciej and Tomasz."

Potocka saluted smartly and walked out of the office. Kulinsky looked once more at the priceless materials about a Saddamistani military unit laying around his desk. Coilerburg joining the UAR could yet prove to be the best thing which happened in years.

He clicked on his intercom.

"I need a diplomatic courier in my office, and an airplane ticket for the nearest flight to Astoria."

[Shroom Man 777]

The Sovereign Shroomanian Sentinel
FARBANTI FIREWORKS


The Hobart Harbor gives an excellent view of the New Year Farbanti Fireworks.

The Sovereignty of Shroomania celebrated the New Year with much fanfare - with government and corporate-sponsored fireworks display, airshows, and live shows with sexy dancers of all preferences.

The Shroomanian New Year celebrations, which was joined with ShroomSat/Strat broadcasts of parties in Vulpesia and Shadow, were some of the biggest in Nova Terra - with giant telescreens and ad-blimps showing the merry going-ons of parties all over the world.


*click*



Farbanti, Bright Hill

The Prime Minister wasn't in any of the big parties - rather, he was enjoying himself in the relative quiet of his official residence. Most of the other staff had gone home to their families, for fun and food, but he had opted to stay with a few of his people.

It was calm and tranquil - and despite a few bumps, the state of the world was very much the same.

"I has some tea," his aide announced, entering his office unannounced.

Prime Minister Shroom smiled and thanked her, and went back to reclining his chair and putting his bare feet on his expensive Prime Ministerial table.

"Happy New Year," Alison greeted. "Shroom!"

"Right back at you," Shroom grinned as he picked up a Lonestar cigar, lit it, and smoked it.

"That's not really healthy..." his aide pointed out. "And it smells icky."

"Heh-" Shroom was about to say something smart, when he started choking on the fumes. "Urgh... so it isn't. Bleh."

"Let me get rid of that."

"Mang, it really is dangerous for your health... and speaking of which..."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we do something diplomatic and send the Saddamistanis a greeting card and a thank you note?"

"Huh? Okay."



Official Communique
FROM: The Sovereignty of SHROOMANIA
TO: The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Empire of SADDAMISTAN

Greetings and Happy New Year!

May this communique find His Excellence, Emperor Saddam the Great, in good health and in good spirits with the coming of another New Year.

We wish peace unto your nation and your people, and would like to thank your generosity and magnanimity in leading the way in the cleanup of Zablania after the unfortunate incident.

Hopefully, we can work together in making sure Zablania's land is no longer contaminated with radiation that may endanger nearby lands. Let us cooperate together to make that place safe again.

With the coming of the New Year, may we begin anew and forge cordial relations.


Sincerely,
Shroom the 777th
Prime Minister of Shroomania

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

"Send Saddam the Great this message:

Message to Saddam to Great of Saddamistan

Your Excellency, A Happy New Year to you. May Allah smile upon your fortunes, and bless you with his benevolence.

End Message

"Make sure it gets sent by personally."

"Yes sire," said Callisto.

The aircraft of the Emperor approached the airport in Sarajevo, and made ready to land.

[DarthShady]

Location: Shadow Empire, Sarajevo

Preparations were being made and assistants and servants were running all over the Imperial Beach Resort. The Emperor of Byzantium would soon arrive and God Emperor Shady went to the Air Port to personally greet him. It would be the Emperors first visit to the Shadow Empire and everything had to be ready. Security was tight, the Death Guard present everywhere. There would be no problems.

God Emperor Shady waited for the plane to arrive, his guest would be there soon.

"Is everything ready?"-Shady asked one of his numerous assistants.

"Yes, my lord."-she answered.

"All right, get into positions. He should be landing shortly."

[Coyote]

ADDRESS BY HIS MAJESTY, KING ARIK COYOTUS-I OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CANISSIA


"People of Canissia and of the world, Greetings," the King said as he addressed the Parliament, and by dint of the TV cameras, anyone else in the world who wished to tune in.

"This year is a special, banner year for us, for at this time last year we huddled in fear as the spectre of nuclear war hovered over all of us. Those days of fear and uncertainty are behind us, but there are ever new challenges ahead.

"First, the defense and protection of Canissia's homeland; a subject of concern to all of us. I admit that in the early days of my reign, I was wary of spending overmuch on military needs. I have experienced war firsthand, in my native land, and wish to avoid it again, not just for myself, but for all. But regardless of my wishes, sometimes fate visits war upon us, and we must be more prepared than we were, and so I announce the completion of the Canissian inter-provincial civil defense network, a series of integrated civilian subways and underground shelters that are capable of providing protection to the population for any disaster, be it man-made, natural, or warlike in nature.

"The inter-provincial network is sealed, stocked with provisions, as well as medical supplies and facilities. Regular drills will be had to teach the populace how to reach the shelters in a timely and efficient manner. It is, essentially, a series of small, interlinked cities to ensure our safety.

"In addition, we are extending tax breaks to those citizens who wish to build their own shelters at home, or in areas where the provincial networks do not cover. Air-intercept defense networks are being built to nullify attacks before they become a danger to us; in these efforts we are joined by Byzantium and Shinra Republic allies.

"Our responsibilities in the Neverhood have paid off with largely peaceful and stable results. There is still a great deal of progress to be made, but while violence manifests, the intensity and frequency is down, and training the West Neverhoodnik civil forces to deal with the situation is making great progress, thanks in no small part to our allies, such as, but not limited to, the Lone Star Republic.

"To our workers in the dockyards; I bring news of more shipbuilding orders. Our Navy expands at a modest yet healthy pace; we are hosting more MESS bases and vessels, providing further economic stimulus; we are meeting our commitments to ISCA; and we are continuing with political, social, and economic ties to the FUN nations.

"Canissian progress in science is making great strides. We are recognised world leaders in robotics and drone technology, and we are poised to take the lead in the design of offplanet ship design, pending approval and cooperation among all nations with a vested interest in peaceful exploration of space. We must maintain this lead by continuing to devote resources and efforts ot our education program, and encourage young minds to take the challenges of science and engineering.

"Diplomatically, we reach out to other nations such as the United Atomic Republic. We do not always see eye to eye, but I firmly believe we can reach common ground sof understanding. Events such as the recent test of a nuclear-powered missile have stirred alarm; but such does not need to be the case. Simple fore-warning, and an agreement on impact zones and airspace use, can alleviate concerns and calls to alarm. In the light of good statesmanship, I wish to extend Canissia's appreciation to the Arab Republic of Saddamistan for taking the lead in cleaning up the impact zone.

"In this year, we have made great strides. Together, I think we can all look forward to another year of progress, prosperity, and achievement through peace and cooperation. Thank you, and good day."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

The Great Dino Hunt

(Back Dated before Shep slagged the island)

Day One

The fires burned for a day before they settled down. We just wanted to be doubly sure none of the animals would come along. We landed our aircraft and offloaded our Humvees and mounted our experimental shotguns and electrified Harpoons on the vehicles. We tested all our IR sensors, and the ground UCAVs that we brought along. The UCAVs were equipped with the shotguns and will act as perimeter defence. We also carried some standard assault rifles, and some RPG-29s should we really need some heavy firepower.

Lieutenant Saulopos supervised the scientists. He will be my second in command, and I expect the best from him and my men. The two Loara were looking keenly in the sky for any signs of trouble.

Day Two

The convoy of trucks and Humvees set out the next day. The Humvees escorted the trucks and the men kept a close eye for any sign of trouble. The Loara were somewhere in the middle of the column. We found a clearing later and set up shop there. We set loose a UAV into the sky to look for dinosaurs. We found a dinosaur which was classified as a Brontosaurus. Rather large for our cages. We then decided to send off 4 of the Humvees in a hunting pack. We closed in on our targets as quietly as we could. Some of the scientists advised us that the dinos might behave like elephants and to be patient in our hunt. That was no problem, and we will be patient.

And our patience paid off. One of the younglings wandered a little too far off from the herd. We charged in and fired warning shots and drove much of the herd away, leaving the young one stranded. We stunned the youngling with our harpoons and the fired more shots to drive the herd off in a charging frenzy. The truck bearing the cage and the crane came in and quickly loaded the young one into the cage. As luck would have it, one of the females even left behind eggs which the scientists gleefully grabbed a fair sample. We quickly retreated back to the clearing. The young Brontosaurus was given a healthy dose of tranquilizers, which was enough to put an elephant to sleep for months.

Day Three

The raptors must have caught the scent of the young one and thought he was an easy kill. The UCAVs took out 3 of them before the remainder broke through the perimeter. Our shotguns ran hot as the explosive shotgun shells hit the remainder. The shells were really powerful as they left big gorges in the animals. One of them was stunned by a harpoon. That soldier had some good reflexes I have to hand it to him. The stunned raptor was housed in the other cage. Talk about a hectic night.

Day Four

The Scientists were hoping for just one more dinosaur. We were about to head out when those damn flying dinosaurs attacked. The Loara fired flak into the air and drop off most of them, though 3 of the fell to the flak. We just scooped up one of them for some.. dissection.

We headed out and found a T-Rex. Gosh... those fellas are large and look at the teeth! This one was going to a tough one. We approached the felon quietly and then charged and stunned him with 4 harpoons, before he went down. We brought the T-Rex back, along with another stash of eggs. For Science indeed.

Day Five

With the scientists happy, we finally headed back. It was an eventful ride home. Packs of raptors attacked us and were driven off with our shotguns. How many did I kill personally? No idea, but we certainly racked up a high kill rate.

Day Six

Back at the landing field at last. We did the routine, and loaded everything on board. Time to get off this forsaken island. On the way out, something streaked across the sky and landed on the island with a bang. That's it, I told the pilot to make it back at best speed. This might be important and we should report it.

Summary

The weapons provided worked well. I must say I like the shotgun. It certainly has hard hitting firepower. I would imagine if there was an armour piecing round, we could even kill some the lightly armoured vehicles with that. Something for the R&D guys to think about.

[Raj Ahten]

Foreign Ministry
Astoria, Pezookia

George Hanson, Indhopal's ambassador to Pezookia was a very busy man these days. The ongoing vote to vote for Indhopal's acceptance into FUN had meant he was at most getting six hours of sleep a night. Now there was this lone nut that Pezookia had uncovered. It could look very bad. Hanson's bosses had instructed him to be as cooperative as possible and tell the Pezookians all they knew; which was very little. He had Blake's student visa application and passport documents but that was about all they had on the man.

Hanson thrived in high pressure environments, which is how he got his job. This whole situation could be turned to Indhopal's advantage. He would propose a joint investigation into the incident. That would dispel everyone’s doubts about Indhopal's ability to cooperate with the international community.

Hanson was now being shown into the Pezookian Foreign Minister's office. Te foreign minister was there, along with a woman who looked like an internal security agent to Hanson. Time to make his case.

"Hello sir, madam, I'm sorry to have to meet you under such unfortunate circumstances. The government of Indhopal knew nothing about Mr. Blake's activities. Here are all the documents I was able to get together on the man."

Hanson then put done the rather slim folder of documents on the foreign minister's desk and took a seat.

"We are frankly concerned about such activities and would like to help in the investigation in any way we can. In fact I've been authorized to go one step further and ask if you'd be interested in a joint investigation, giving your security people access inside Indhopal.”

Elsewhere

So, one of their men had finally been caught. Only a matter of time really. Jason Bourneholm was not concerned Blake would talk. They had spent 3 months on SERE training with that class. Even if Blake did talk, any damage to the Project would be limited. Treadstone had contingency plans on what to do about captured operatives. Time to put them into motion. The fact that Blake was being sent back to Indhopal made things a lot easier for damage control.

The agents going in on student visas had always been considered the most likely to be detected. But in the days before Treadstone had cultivated the contacts necessary to make its agents entirely false identities, their options had been limited.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

The An-225 landed and the Emperor and his entourage walked together with their Varangian Guard escorts towards the delegation from the Shadow Empire that walked up to meet them. The Emperor smiled and embraced the God Emperor Shady. "Hello Brother. I see that you are well. This is the Empress Lycra and my chief adviser Callisto."

God Emperor Shady smiled. "My greetings to you Brother. Welcome, Empress to my humble nation." He kissed the Empress' hand, and the Empress smiled.