SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Third

[Siege]

Presidential Palace, downtown San Dorado

“… meanwhile, still no news has come out about the intrepid astronauts and their undoubtedly grisly fate!” an excitable reporter jabbered incoherently into the TV-screen. “However reliable sources have informed us that in FASTA’s secret Siberian star base, armed space ships are currently gearing up for a retaliatory strike against GIANT SPACE BATS!”

“Ha heh ha”, the President grinned incoherently, before erupting in a fitful bout of coughing that left him hacking and wheezing for air. He whimpered with self-pity and took another gulp of whisky, eyes tearing up as the alcohol seared its way down his soar throat.

“Still not doing so well I see?” Sinclair could barely keep the amusement from her voice at seeing her President reduced to a self-pitying state of misery at the hands of the flu. “You know, if this had happened a few months earlier we would’ve had you confined for suspicion of EAS…”

“Very funny, Daphne”, Sidney Hank groaned. “Very funny indeed. Have you merely come to poke fun at my wretchedness or is there a more benevolent purpose to your visit?”

“You know I’d do anything to cheer up my President, mister President.”

Hank grinned, an expression turned wolfish by his two-day beard. “So I hope-” but any further innuendo was interrupted by another bout of coughing. “Oh sweet Lady I hate being sick” murmured the President. “Why haven’t your SinTEK bozos found a cure for this yet?”

Daphne leered. “If we had… We’d still be SinTEK. Would you even take our cure?”

“Eh. Probably not.” Sidney changed subjects. “Any word on the FASTA situation?”

“Helena’s offered the use of one of our orbiters, the thing was due for launch in three days and we can probably speed up its departure. They have yet to come back to us…” Her eyes trailed toward the massive wall-mounted plasma screen in the Presidential study, where an incoherent host with an exploded haircut was now babbling with a so-called alien expert from a PeZookian tabloid about the true nature of the Giant Space Bats and their relation to the HERV virus. “Why do you watch this crap again?”

“Because it makes me feel intelligent. Every man needs his little indulgences… Speaking of which, you probably didn’t come over just to tell me that FASTA hasn’t told us anything new yet.”

“No, mainly I came over to see how you were doing.”

“Ah. And?”

“Sidney, you look like hell.”

The President laughed, a laugh that culminated in a wheezing cough that took his breath away. “Well then,” he said with a grand gesture, “join me in my private little purgatory… For a while.”

Daphne smiled. “I guess I could stay… For a while.”

Sidney Hank smiled back. “I feel better already.”

Result: President Hank is under the weather. San Dorado officially offers its orbiter for a hypothetical rescue. Crazy loonies speculate on the cause of the catastrophe in SPACE!

[K. A. Pital]

OGONEK: President Stanislav visits Sarajevo


During the visit the CSR leader will sign several important trade agreements with the neighboring USSR, ensuring yet tighter cooperation in the aftermath of the economic crisis which followed the biological war and, for a time, plunged most of the world in the most dire forms of trade and travel isolationism.

Some observers are calling these steps indicative of a renewed interest in the integration of the USSR and CSR under some pan-national umbrella. The President reportedly considers transit of goods agreements and economic investments of undisclosed size to support the economy of it's SNC neighbor.

[CmdrWilkens]

Government and WIlkonian Authorities set Election Day

The remaining members o the Caymans govenrment have, after consultation with Wilkonian authorities who have been maintaining the tenuous peace o the islands, set a date for the next general election. ON February 5th the first (and thenceforward every fourth year on the first Tuesday in February) of the new elections will be taken for all nationally eleected positions within the Caymans government. Wilkonian authorities co-operating with Cayman police and military forces have agreed that troops will not be stationed closer than 100 yards to any polling place. Limited police patrols inside that zone and other final security details are still under consideration with the Cayman authorities.

Already the National Front, the Nationalists and the Conservatives have begun campaigning in what is expected to be a spirited clash over the next several months.

[DarthShady]

Shady News: President Stanislav Visits Sarajevo


It's been a busy day In Sarajevo. Security is tight, with Police and Black Hand soldiers crawling everywhere. After signing several important trade agreements, President Stanislav is taking a tour of the city, with Premier Shady. The streets are filled with crowds of people hoping to see President Stanislav, who is a very popular man within the USSR. They are scheduled to visit several historical landmarks including the area of the old city, called Bascarsija.

Location: Bascarsija, Sarajevo, USSR


The area had been swept clear of civilians and Bascarsija was now filled only with Black Hand soldiers and members of President Stanislav's personal security. A large group of people lead by Premier Shady and President Stanislav walked down the street.

"This is the old city.", Premier Shady began, "It is the oldest part of the capital, some buildings here date back to the 15th and 16th century. It is a bazaar of sorts. I enjoy coming here, because it reminds me of an important part of my nations past."

"Ah yes, this is where...the last of the Nazi fell.", Stanislav said calmly.

"Indeed.", Shady said, "This is where my nations future began...our red future that is."

Shady smiled.

"It seems only appropriate that it continues from here too.", Stanislav smiled.

"Indeed Comrade.", Shady said, "Now come, before we move on, I wish to treat you to a local delicacy, the shadow cevap. I think you'll find it quite enjoyable."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

To Premier Shady

Dear Comrade Premier Shady,

In the years since you have absorbed the rogue nations on our border, a joint SNC force has more or less stablized your new territories, and rebuilt much of the infrastructure. I believe now would be an excellent time to push for the complete revitalization of the new territories, including revitalizing the economy and infrastructure to provide jobs, and to build up your education system. With time, the USSR will have a strong and advanced economy on par with any first world nation. Byzantium stands ready to supply the necessary financial resources and capabilities and know how to aid you in the endeavour.

Yours Truly,
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius IV.

[DarthShady]

Imperial Chronicles

To Premier Shady

Dear Comrade Premier Shady,

In the years since you have absorbed the rogue nations on our border, a joint SNC force has more or less stablized your new territories, and rebuilt much of the infrastructure. I believe now would be an excellent time to push for the complete revitalization of the new territories, including revitalizing the economy and infrastructure to provide jobs, and to build up your education system. With time, the USSR will have a strong and advanced economy on par with any first world nation. Byzantium stands ready to supply the necessary financial resources and capabilities and know how to aid you in the endeavour.

Yours Truly,
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius IV.

Shady News

To: Emperor Heraclius

Comrade Emperor Heraclius,

Your assistance is appreciated, I believe together we can strive towards a glorious future. The USSR has done much in the past few years, and with your help and the help of our other allies we will do even more. Our growth is undeniable, our power unmistakable, together we shall accomplish great things. The future will change, but do not worry comrade, time is on our side.

[Coiler]

Kuststad, Zakariyah

A ruined state in Veleria would not win any awards for safest city at any point, but there seemed to be an increasing amount of horrific violence in that city, with packs of men reduced to total savagery assaulting anyone in their path. Battles between the plentifully armed populace and these savages were becoming a part of life in the coastal city.

Very few people knew the cause of this savagery, but one Captain John Gold of the CBS Overseer did, putting the finishing touches on his report.

Like in San Dorado, those seeking to loot Astaria brought back EAS. Unlike in San Dorado, there were many more looters, and no powerful police or military force to contain them. The RAT team we carried to Zakariyah has been forecasting nothing but bad news. Kuststad is falling victim to the infected, and they are believed to be spreading out across the country...

With a push of a button, the report was radioed back to Navalopolis station, for the FTO's top brass to read.

Results

Rage Zombies occuring in Veleria.

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

LIVE on ShroomStratTV

In 2007, a young man named Lelouch Lamperouge led a rag-tag group of rebels to victory against the military junta of the Duchy of Langley.
This is their story.



A GORO TANIGUCHI film
ZEROES

MACMILLAN MULTIMEDIA and SUNRISE-KADOKAWA MEDIA HOLDINGS present a GORO TANIGUCHI film "ZEROES"
JOHNNY YONG BOSCH KATE HIGGINS KAREN STRASSMAN YURI LOWENTHAL DAVE WITTENBERG STEPHANIE SHEH
KIRK THORNTON MICHAEL LINDSAY GRANT GEORGE KEITH SILVERSTEIN STEVEN BLUM STEVE STALEY and LAURA BAILEY
music by TAKU IWASAKI FRANK KLEPACKI MARTIN O'DONNELL SHIROU SAGISU and TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI editors LEE HAXALL and CLOVIS MANN
production designer THOMAS "ROWDY" DOYLE director of photography LEE WILSON executive producers HIROYUKI IMAISHI TATSUYA ISHIHARA and SEIJI MIZUSHIMA
special effects by INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC produced by GORO TANIGUCHI and SHINICHIRO WATANABE written by SHOUJI GATOU YOSUKE KURODA and NAGARU TANIGAWA
directed by GORO TANIGUCHI

THE REVOLUTION BEGINS 10.5.12

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Arabiapolis Building Administration awards Universal Construction the contract to construct Arabiapolis Convention Center

After nearly a year of validation and selection, the Arabiapolis Building Administration, formed at the start of the decision to build Arabiapolis, has decided to award the tender to Universal Construction to construct the Arabiapolis Convention center. Cited as more than adequate to service the needs of the new city, the Convention center will be an excellent addition to the new upcoming city, that has attracted investors and companies from around the world.

[Siege]

This is Worldwide One, news and entertainment from the heart of San Dorado!

UC To Build Arabiapolis Convention Center



The much-contested contract to build the Arabiapolis convention centre has been awarded to Universal Construction. The Byzantine the Arabiapolis Building Administration chose the San Dorado firm because of its ‘more than adequate’ design, calling it ‘an excellent addition to the new upcoming city’.

Universal Construction CEO Julianne Veidt called the contract “an excellent way for us to end the year”. When asked about the recent unpleasantries between her company and Zorian contender Dawkins and Wallice, Veidt commented “oh, I’m not much for thumbing my nose at the competition. Suffice it to say that circumstances have proven us right, and them wrong.”

Zombies In Velaria!
According to a high-ranking source in the Paragon the EAS virus, which recently savaged areas of San Dorado City, has surfaced in Velaria. Coilerburg naval assets in the region have reported widespread infection in the city of Kuststad, Zakariyah. According to the source, the FTO has forwarded its report on the situation to the international BIOCON watchdog agency.

Paragon Greenlights Hypersonic Drone
The Paragon has announced its intention to develop a hypersonic reconnaissance drone aircraft based on the aerospike testbed developed by Ralson Concerns Outside Context Division. The drone-to-be is intended to be air-launched from a modified F-161 Spectre, should be able to attain hypersonic velocities, and is to come equip with a number of sensor packs for reconnaissance purposes.

[PeZook]

Miranda



Soyuz 4, T+3 days 6 hours

He floated through the darkness for what seemed like an eternity, his arms outstretched and heart racing. It was the one, last chance to do anything about the entire situation, but the odds of actually hitting Miranda and grabbing onto her were slim. Because of this, Alan was the most surprised when he actually hit her and grabbed onto her legs.

She kicked and screamed, of course. His ears were ringing from a particularly powerful kick to his helmet, andboth of them were now rotating horizontally due to Alan's momentum during their meeting. He had trouble with firmly grabbing her thanks to his gloved hands and slick surface of her spacesuit. He struggled mightily to keep his hold onto Miranda and, by extension, the Soyuz capsule - if she kicked her way free of his grasp, she'd float away into space with absolutely no hope of rescue.

Finally, he's managed to grab her arm and crudely lock it behind her back. The constant spinning was making him dizzy, and for a split-second he worried that he'd tangle and brak his tether - the only lifeline connecting them both to the spaceship. As he was fishing to grab and immobilize her other flailing arm, Miranda's flailing suddendly weakened, and then stopped altogether. It took him a while to realize that due to all the adrenaline, though.

"Miranda?", he said into his radio, gasping for breath and trying to ease his pounding heart. He managed to calm down enough to become barely aware of CAPCOM's voice still trying to call him out.

"Uh...Comona, this is Alan, I, uh, I am outside the capsule and I have Miranda...", he hastily rotated her limp body and tried to look inside through the helmet visor, "She seems to be unconscious, over."

The relief on the other side of the line was obvious.

"We copy that Alan. The flight surgeon thinks she lost consciousness due to severe overexhertion and lack of oxygen. Get her inside the capsule and repressurize immediately."

"Roger that", Alan gasped in response, and grabbed onto his tether. It was immediately obvious the way back would be a gruelling affair, between the rotation, the limp body he was carrying and sheer distance - and he was already dead tired.



Comona Island, Mission Control

"We are getting offers for rescue flights from all sides - San Dorado has a Silver Streak being prepped for launch which will be ready in two days...and the Canissians said they could jury-rig an Eagle launch to orbit. The CSR is more realistic, they could launch an unmanned Mig-105 is a week...", the Deputy Director was reading off an impressive array of notes he's collected during the last hour, "...more importantly, every single country on Earth save some Frequesquan shitholes say they are ready to render aid to the landed capsule."

Gorshkov nodded and looked up, at the continously updated orbital plot. A projected landing site was added to it some time ago, assuming an immediate deorbit maneuver was executed. Currently, it looked like they'd land in the IRT, which wasn't exactly...desireable.

"Well, with any luck, we won't need an orbital rescue. And frankly, I'd really rather not have to endanger more lives to get two of ours back. The Canissian proposal is pretty much suicide, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It would be really, really hard to arrange for a two person rescue, getting four people back from orbit's completely impossible."

"And they know that?"

"Most likely, yes"

"They're either damn brave or really crazy..."

Soyuz 4, T+ 3 days 6 hours

Miranda had anywhere between one and three minutes of air left inside her suit. The capsule was ten meters away - The longest ten meters ever, Alan thought when he finally grabbed the edge of the hatch, and gently slid his fellow astronaut inside. Gasping for air and feeling the sweat sloshing inside his suit, he half flew and half crawled inside, latching onto whatever he could.

"Comona...I'm inside with Miranda...I am clos...", he stopped for a second to ease his breathing, "...closing the hatch now."

It took him a while to get both tethers securely into the cockpit and secure an airtight seal. Finally, when he was close to passing out himself, Alan manually opened both atmosphere valves, and was rewarded with a blessed hiss of air as it filled the capsule.

"Comona, this is Four, I have repressurized the capsule. What's the status on Miranda's biomed feeds?", he spoke into the radio while simultaneously getting rid of his suit gloves and helmet. Miranda was floating near the top of the capsule, and he had to perform some acrobatics to pull her down to the crew couches.

"Good to hear it, Four. Miranda's in pretty bad shape, she's used up most of her internal oxygen supply. You should get her out of the suit ASAP."

"Copy that"

In pretty bad shape doesn't begin to cover that, Alan thought after he finally managed to take Miranda's helmet off. She was pale and swelled, and her sweat smelled pretty bad. Still, she was alive and breathing, if barely. Alan slowly removed her suit and stuffed it below the couches before pausing to take a breath again.

"Comona, this is Four...I, uh, I removed her suit...she's alive...", he paused for a second while checking on her. In Mission Control, a lot of people sighed with relief, "...barely. No need for CPR...her breathing seems to be stabilizing...oh, she's waking up...jesus christ!"

The audio channels were filled with incoherent screams and other noise.

"Four, this Comona. What the hell is going on?"

There was no response. Mission controllers listened intently, trying to make heads or tails of what was going on. There was no video feed - Alan still didn't restore most systems, so all they could do was guess.

"Fuck!", Alan screamed suddendly, and after a few more minutes, the struggle finally ceased.

"Comona...goddammit...I had to tie her to the couch, she uh...she bit me. Shit, this hurts..."

"Flight, I recommend we deorbit them immediately", the flight surgeon said back in Mission Control.

Gorshkov nodded, "Get them out of there. What landing sites can we choose?"

Several controllers checked the orbital plots, and quickly came up with an answer: it was either Frequesquan jungle, or somewhere around the Great Lakes area between Shinra and Tian Xia.

"Aim for Messica", Gorshkov made a decision, and hoped he wouldn't be whisked away by the KGB for this decision the moment he returned home.

Soyuz 4, T+3 days 7 hours

The spacecraft shuddered when the Main Service Engine fired during its planned deorbit burn. Alan forced himself to stay awake despite his horrible fatigue, watching the displays, making sure the burn went as planned. Breaking with tradition of technical problems, the capsule behaved excellently. The engine was cut off right on time, and by flipping two switches, Alan jettissoned orbital and service modules, leaving just the small re-entry capsule.

All he had to do now was wait. He looked at Miranda, tied tightly to her chair. She was shivering now, but at least she was no longer screaming.

In silence, the capsule dived deep into the atmosphere, forming a new falling star over Messica.

Shinra-Tian Xia border, five minutes later

The capsule cut across the night sky resembling a ball of flame, and trailing a sonic boom. It caught up with the spacecraft once it was sufficiently slowed down by air resistance, and what was still left of the heat shield was jettisoned by explosive bolts. The parachute opened as designed, and slowed the craft down even further.

The capsule landed heavily amongst the trees, in the wilderness north of the Great Lakes, billowing fire from the terminal retro rocket pack, and starting a minor forest fire.

Fifty kilometers away, a teenage boy ran out of his trailer and observed the capsule's descent.

"Dad! Dad! It's the goddamned Space Bats, they're invading!"

Results:

- Soyuz 4 lands...somewhat safely north of the Great Lakes, in Tian Xia territorry. Both astronauts are aboard, but their fate is unknown.

- Panic of indeterminate magnitude on the border as some local citizens think an alien invasion has begun

[Coyote]

Seaside Palace, Canissia



"Well, at least they're down, and safe," King Arik said, "It would have been the longest of long shots, but the thought --I'm sure-- was greatly appreciated." On the other end of the line, the chief engineer on the EHAZE nodded his understanding, even though the gesture couldn't be seen by the King.

"Well, it would have made more sense if we had remote-piloting capability set up and assured," Mel Tarkon said, "We could have piloted the Eagle up there by remote and then just parked it and let it be used as a shelter while one of the other agencies got one of their space planes up there."

"Yeah, something we'll have to work on," Arik said, "That and how we would have handled the docking problem. Actuyally, that brings up an idea..."



Later:


CANISSIAN KING ARIK COYOTUS-II CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT FOR UNIVERSAL SPACEDOCK DESIGNS
Press release given later that afternoon:

"In light of the recent near-tragedy of the FASTA capsule and crew, and the willingness of the international community to respond, I think it is time for us to consider some sort of universal agreement on space docking procedures and space docking equipment that will allow for international rescue efforts.

"Space travel is expensive, meaning it is unlikely that any one nation will have more than one ship in space at any given time. Space travel is also, however, dangerous, meaning that the possibility of some problem requiring outside assistance is great. In light of this, we need to have an agreed set of standards to build towards that will lessen the dangers our brave astronauts may face as we push the boundaries of human exploration."

Proposed Text of the SPACE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT (SEAA):
All space-faring nations shall agree on proceedures for space rescue.
All space-faring nations shall seek agreement on a common-design airlock/hatch, and a time frame to implement these hatches into their spacecraft building projects.
All space-faring nations, regardless of terrestrial politics, shall set aside differences to assist any nation's astronauts that may be in danger.

[Siege]

San Dorado Rocket Authority, Press Release



Space is Man's next frontier, promising a wealth of knowledge and resources to those who come and get it. But like the frontiers of old, to go there is not without peril. Manned spaceflight into the hostile vacuum of space demands all of Man's ingenuity, stretches our engineering to the limits of its cunning. Despite the great pains we take to ensure the safety of our women and men up there, it is far from safe.

But perhaps it can be made a little safer. That is why the Rocket Authority echoes and wholeheartedly supports the Canissian proposal for a set of joint protocols and designs to better facilitate a space rescue in case of emergency. And in light of the events that have transpired during the Soyuz 4 mission the Authority also calls for an immediate and rigorous evaluation of the mission to find out what went wrong, to ensure that this near-tragedy does not repeat again in the future.

[Beowulf]

Grey Goose
40,000 feet
Yuzhou province
Tian Xia

The F-15F cruised along, searching in the dark for still warm re-entry module.

"Control, we've located the capsule, over."

"Roger that. PJs en route. ETA 30 minutes, over."

"Squirting co-ords now. Seems it started a small fire, over."

"That should make things interesting. We'll let the PJs know, out."

Cassandra's cry
20,000 feet
Yuzhou province
Tian Xia

Onboard the C-130, the pair of Pararescue Jumpers finished preparing for the jump.

"Lemme get this straight: we're jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, into a forest, which is full of bears, wolves, mountain lions and such, which incidentally is on FIRE?" asked SSgt Hotchkiss.

"Yup," replied TSgt Leong.

"Why do we do this?"

"Because we love the job?"

The loadmaster turned the light to green, and gave the pair a thumbs up. They proceeded to take a running leap into the nothingness.

"I can see my house from here."

"Yeah, it's the one that's on fire, eh?"

"Looks like the fire's dying down."

"Probably all the snow. Couldn't they have chosen the f-ing continent to land in?"

"At least we can land in something soft."

"You mean after we get tangled in the trees, possibly hitting a few branches on the way down?"

"Yup."

In near simultaneity the two men pulled their rip cords, pulling their chutes into the windstream. The parachutes opened with a snap, jerking the men hard. The guided themselves toward the smoking remains of the fire. And then, naturally enough found themselves caught in the branches of the trees. A couple minutes later they found themselves on the ground, mostly unharmed. TSgt Leong had found himself a little too close to a large tree branch for comfort.

It was a decently long hike to the spacecraft, but by the time they got there, the fire had extinguished itself. Alan Shroompard had pulled himself out of the spacecraft and was currently sitting in the snow outside of it. "I was wondering how long it’d take you chaps to show up. Miranda’s still in the capsule."

"You alright?" asked Hotchkiss.

"Yeah, I think I just cracked a rib when we hit the trees and tumbled."

"Hey, Kiss, help me get Moonpower out of the capsule." Leong and Hotchkiss dropped their packs, then got into the capsule. With a bit of grunting, some duct tape, and a couple fresh bruises, they managed to get Miranda out of the capsule. They inserted a saline IV into her arm, then added a bit of sedative for good measure. It wouldn’t do to have her get rescued, then fall to her death when the helicopter showed up to pick them up. Hotchkiss pulled a thermos out of his pack, and handed it to Alan.

"What’s this?"

"Coffee," Hotchkiss replied with a grin.

TSgt Leong took his radio out again. "Control, what’s the ETA on the chopper? Over."

"It should be there in a 15 minutes. Over."

"Roger that. Out."

[Zor]

Palace, Wuhan, Kingdom of Serenity

His Majesty King Leighton-I, Leader, Protector and Defender of the United Kingdom of Zoria, King of Port Victory, Pacifica and Victorium and all Realms thereoff and Shogun of all Noble Houses of Zoria took his seat in the conference room for the Pax Pacifica conference, a pair of secretaries at his side while he waited for the other foreign dignitaries to be seated and the discussions to begin.

[Steve]

Wuhan
Kingdom of Serenity


President Garrett entered the room shortly after the Zorian King, accompanied by the usual small coterie of aids from the State Department. He gave friendly nods to the steel-faced royal guards of Serenity providing security in the room before finding his seat at the table.

[TimothyC]

Wuhan, Serenity

President Cizadlo walked into the room, obviously tired, and quietly took his seat, after his aides sat down behind him.

[CmdrWilkens]

MSA moves forward with first test of orbital rendevous system ahead of schedule

Already having passed the 40th launch of the highly succesful Delta II series of rockets the MESS Sapce Agency and its component organizations have announced a new mission for the rockets as the final sendoff to the 5000 series which have been paving the way to space for the last two years. With the newest main engine (the RS-27A) and a new series of solid rocket boosters the Delta II is preparing to enter what is being called the 7000 series. As the final two launches of the 5000 series the MSA had originally planned only to test the Rouse Space Center's capacity to launch two missions on successive revolutions in order to place two objects in near matching orbits.

Now the agency is announcing that the payload for the two rockets, previously expected to be dummy loads, would be the first generation of cargo rendevous modules that the Shinra Space Exploration Service has been developing. After launch and confirmation of stable orbit ground controllers at Goddard-Meade Spaceflight Center in Houston, Texas, Shinra Republic will attempt to mate the two modules. The experiment is the first test of a system planners are hoping will allow heavy cargo to be lifted and then later mated with a human crew who would direct the cargo, a critical step in the MSA plan for reaching the Moon.

Launch of the first rocket will be on December 29th at 13:14 and the second on January 2nd at 19:59.

[Coiler]

Alan Shroompard awarded Coilerburg's highest decoration

By order of President Stone, Shroomanian cosmonaut Alan Shroompard is to be awarded Coilerburg's Medal of Heroism, the highest decoration for valor in the country's military. The medal was recommended for him by Maj. Gen. Alphonse Jenn, Coilerburg's own cosmonaut, who commented that "All the medals in the world are not enough reward for Shroompard's bravery. Every Shroomanian should be proud of him."

It is rare for any nation to give foreigners their highest decoration for bravery, but Jenn was quite insistent that Shroompard receive the decoration. When asked that very question, Jenn's reply was "It's also rare for someone in orbit to rescue a delirious comrade and land safely."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Byzantine Military Journal

Defence Science Institute, Kontos Munitions and Byzantine Heavy Industries begin testing 3 prototype 150KW lasers.

The Defence Science Institute, Kontos Munitions, and Byzantine Heavy Industries have began conducting extensive testing of 3 prototype 150 KW lasers. One laser is described as a liquid laser, while the other two lasers involve the use of Nd:YAG ceramic slab lasers. One involves phase locked beam combining, while the other relies on a single train of multiple 15KW modules. "We will choose the best of the 3 for the final phase of the laser CIWS project," says an industry spokesman.

New Superconducting motors tested, to be installed on existing and new cruisers and destroyers

A new superconducting motor has been tested and will be installed on new and existing cruisers and destroyers that employ electric drives. The new motor promises weight and volume savings. The motor was designed and produced by Byzantine Heavy Industries, which is heavily involved in research in superconducting materials and is a major contractor in the Superconducting Linear Collider.

[Lonestar]

Hajirston, Former Shepistan

"Hurry up, let's go." Kruz said. "This'll net us a good chunk of change…all we have to do is get back into the OD Proper, release it, and go home." Kruze and his men jumped into the truck. There had been some arguments as to how they would transport the goods, but eventually Kruze settled on using some of the thousands of ex-army trucks that littered the country-side. Despite the dozens of MESS(primarily Dominion) FOBs in Shepistan, the occupation forces were stretch too thin to keep monitor every survivor settlement. Even border security had started to relax, as Kruz's crew showed.

"Okay…" Al-madi said. He had been uncomfortable with the latest job, bringing EAS virus onto Shepland was dangerous…if the Old Dominion found out San Doradon citizens facilitated a terrorist attack on it's country, San Dorado would rapidly become a parking lot. He didn't even know who had hired them, and Kruz claimed ignorance as well. "We should be able to get to the handoff site quick…" He stopped, briefly registering the exhaust from a DAGR missile that slammed into lead truck's engine. Shit. Small arms fire erupted around him as he swerved his truck, which then rolled.

The third truck in the convoy accelerated ahead, whereupon it's cabin/engine was promptly destroyed by another DAGR. There's a Reaper around here. Al-madi thought. As he crawled out of his cabin he heard the remnants of his crew returning fire at the muzzle flashes in the woods. A .50 opened up, ripping into the armored containers of the EAS virus still tied down. Some of the solution splashed on his cuts, and he felt an exhilarating pain. As he lost focus the last thing he remembered was hunger, and a man in NBC Garments shooting him.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Pan Pacifica Conference

"Respectful leaders, my friends," said Yenchin, "Welcome to Serenity, may our little cooperation here prosper..." He raised a cup and the feast began, officials began reporting some figures and tables during the past year, despite a modest beginning, the Kingdoms were doing quite well and making benefits in their cooperation.

After the initial reports, Yenchin gestured Sonija to bring up the map of Veleria, with an emphasis of the Eastern half, charts and tables of investments and known activity based on the Kingdoms were also shown on the map.

"I'll start the discussion by our situtation in Veleria. It is a growing land, full of chances, and thanks to the approximity, we are gaining a lot from this place. While the jihad here seems to be focused on Zorians in Rangatara, trouble is begginning to scatter through other nations, as well as overseas personnel of our nations are also in risk and danger. I also fear that the chaos caused by the unrest would turn that part into a shithole. Therefore, I'm open to ideas."

[CmdrWilkens]

Post New Year's Celebration at the MESS Space Agency

Having turned in a record setting 2012 in terms of numbe of launches and mission success rate the New Year is already kicking off in high spirits for controls at MSA's Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston, Texas, Shinra Republic. With the succesful double launch of the last Delta II 5000-series rockets excitement has been running high for the first remote orbital docking manuever scheduled for earlier this morning.

Just before noon a press release was given which announced only that rendevous was underway and all systems were currently funcitonal. Excitement began to build as more and more senior engineers from Bell-Sikorsky, Byzantine Aerospace, Lockheed-Martin of Wilkonia, and a host of other vehicle suppliers began filtering in to the main buidling. Then shortly after 3 pm local Dr William Gottricht, the deputy head of the Shinra Space Service, opened a press breifing with the announcement that "The craft have succesfully docked, myself and the rest of my staff will be available for the next hour at which point we are popping the champagne and you won't have to go home but you can't stay here."

Officials have promised a more thorough breifing tomorrow but for now the only solid peice of information is that the mission was a stunning success and, in the words of many, a fitting send off for a vehicle that has taken us from the surface to space day in and day out for the last two and a half years.

[PeZook]

Investigation into Soyuz 4 incident reveals LSD

In a stunning announcement, FASTA press corps revealed that hallucinogenic drugs were the culprit in the infamous Soyuz 4 incident last year. Astronaut Miranda Moonbeam ingested the drugs during her spacewalk by means of a spiked water canteen, thus necessitating the heroic rescue by Soyuz 4 command pilot Alan Shroompard.

While the press release did not specify if the drugs were used inadvertenly or not, several independent bloggers and commenters speculate the incident was engineered to discredit the FASTA space program, possibly by the MSA.

Royal scandal continues: King denies allegations of extramarital affairs

"I have never cheated on my wife and never will ; Ms. Brzozowska is a valued member of staff, and she's been going through some personal trouble as of late. I have met her in her hotel room, but all we did was talk.", the King announced during a press conference called after another major news outlet accused the PeZookian sovereign of spending a night with his co-worker.

The public is split on the issue, while the King's wife supports him completely. Ms. Brzozowska called the accusations a "complete fabrication" and denied further comment.

Test flights continue in the Lucrelance Upgrade Project

The newest rocket in the Lucrelance Upgrade Project, the Lucrelance IIC, has passed its first evaluation in a supersonic wind tunnel. The rocket, a follow-up to the succesful Lucrelance IIB project, will be the first in the series to use a restartable third stage designed from scratch, and equipped with a single F-2 engine, a precursor to the huge F-1 rocket motor intended for use on the FASTA Moon rocket.

PeZookian governemt to finance genetic screening

In a stunning and controversial move, the PeZookian Health Ministry has announced that the government will finance genetic screening for common inheritable disease for the population.

"The methods and equipment necessary to do this on a nationwide scale has finally become relatively cheap and widely available ; It is without a doubt our duty to minimize the instances of crippling genetic disease in our country. Thus, the government will include genetic screening in the fully refinanced care package."

The Catholic Church blasted the initative, calling it eugenics and a mortal sin against God, due to the fact that rejected zygotes are deliberately destroyed, and called for a complete boycott and demonstrations by the faithful.

Construction begins on six new nuclear powerplants

Throughout most of 2012, widescale geological surveys were being conducted througout PeZookia ; Now,once the paperwork is done, construction can begin on four massive power generation plants, each sporting four reactors. An investment worth a grand total of 18 billion dollars, this project will greatly reduce PeZookian dependency on fossil fuels.

International research team transplants first cloned organ

After several years of work and countless billions spent on research, an international research team based near Corona, PeZookia, transplanted the first organ created in artificial conditions - a kidney - into a pig. The organ was created by using stem cells, also artificially cultured in the same lab.

"If Lucy's new kidney continues to work without problems, we have accomplished a potentially grounbreaking milestone in medicine, with potential to heal many diseases , vastly improve the standard of living of organ recipients by elliminating immunosupressive therapy, and completely eradicate the problem of finding organ donors", said prof. Vladimir Salenko, in charge of the research team.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Byzantine Heavy Industries complete a 200MWe Sodium reactor prototype. Submits the reactor for certification.

Byzantine Heavy Industries has completed a 200MWe Sodium reactor and has submitted it for certification. It is expected that the reactor will be employed in military bases.

Byzantine Heavy Industries complete a small scale prototype of a molten salt reactor.

Byzantine Heavy Industries has completed a small scale prototype of a molten salt reactor. The reactor uses thorium for fuel. It is not expected that thorium reactors would become operational in the near future however. The company and the Nuclear Energy Institute plan to run extensive experiments with the reactor in hope that thorium fuel will be feasible in 5-10 years time.

DSP-1 and DSP-2 send back the first images of Mars and Venus.

Though MESS and SNC ground receiving stations, DSP-1 and DSP-2 have finally returned the first images of Venus and Mars. "We are all very excited about the project. The probes arrived a few months ago, and after doing some tests, they were finally ready to send back data on the two planets," says the project leader for the project.


Venus


Mars

Space Science Institute and Kontos Munitions Rocketry complete another round of tests on the RD-170 and J-2 prototypes.

The Space Science Institute and Kontos Munitions Rocketry have completed another round of tests on the RD-170 and J-2 prototypes. The two engines are regarded as vital for the space effort and the SSI and Kontos Rocketry have been working hard to get the engines ready. They expect that the engines can begin certification this year and be ready to fit the engine to a possible rocket. A solid fueled rocket booster engine prototype is also undergoing some tests as well. Byzantine Aeronautics is working on rockets that will make use of these rocket engines and these rockets are expected to begin testing some time in 2017.