SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Fourth

[Beowulf]

TXS Stryker

"So what's these new tubes? They seem pretty small."

"Something new R&D cooked up. I guess they have concerns about the ability of the Millennium Guns to take out torpedos. Or maybe they just want us to be able to take the torpedos out further away. Anyways, these new 200lb little guys are speedy little fuckers. We've got 4 sets of them, so that the torpedos don't have to turn too much to engage the incoming. Each set is identical." Chief Choi pointed at the tubes. "Each of the tubes can be reloaded from under cover, and with twelve of them, it should give us plenty of chances to intercept. The Mk55s are also designed to be air dropped, so we could stick them on a Firescout. They're also cheap enough that we could just drop them on suspected targets, and force them to do something if they are real."

"I noticed a Hummingbird in the hangar too."

"Yeah, brass wants pretty much all of the DGs to have one of them. Balloon goes up, they can hover for quite a while, providing AEW info to us. The one we got has the new PANOPTES EO/IR sensor. It's an interesting new sensor. Doesn't weigh much, but can very rapidly and effective do sky searching. It's got effectively a 360 degree field of view, and can still have relatively high angular resolution. I don't quite understand how it works, something to do with having oodles of processing power. Apparently they can actually image and follow a bullet in flight with one of these though."

--

TXS Keung

"Yet another order change, sir."

Commander Kim sighed. "What's the news?"

"Less confrontational. Another dozen miles off shore. Apparently they believe that out of sight, out of mind will work."

"But we're staying?"

"For a bit. I think the reasoning is that since the NFT wants to be our enemies, we'll stay around to keep an eye on them. "

--

Tisicar City

It wasn't long before Caleigh had a representive of a major power arriving. Someone had the misfortune of being woken up in the middle of the night and hustled onto a plane.

[Lonestar]

Ronaldus Magnus, off the Shroomian Coast

"Captain Battenhill? We're being approached by the pilot boat."

Captain Henry Battenhill nodded. He would have preferred to have dropped Sentry USVs into the water for security purposes for the port visit, but there was no SOFA with the Shrooms to speak of, so they had to rely on the Harbor police. The massive 30,000 ton STAR CAGN had already had to maneuver past some protesters. Or come to an almost complete stop while Harbor cops hustled them out of the way.

"Well, grant them permission to come aboard. The sooner we clear the harbor and reach the pier, the better." Lovely lovely Shroomland. Battenhill thought. If my idiot brother hadn't nearly kicked off a war I wouldn't be making a good will visit to this hole.

The Harbor pilot made his way up to the Navigation Bridge, followed by another man. The Harbor pilot, like harbor pilots the world over, immediately began to bark instructions. The other man walked over to Battenhill.



"Ah, Captain! I am Dr. Frederico Fünke, Deputy Mayor of Blackstool Ditch. We are pleased to welcome your ship of seamen to our fair city."

"Deputy Mayor Fünke, a pleasure." Battenhill said, shaking his hands. "Glad to finally meet you in person. I didn't know you were doctor..."

"Ah yes! I'm a analrapist!"

"A...what?" Battenhill stammered.

"A licensed analyst and therapist." Fünke looked around the bridge, he saw a wooden sign hanging on the bulkhead. "'The surest Ambassador is a Man-o-War.' Oh my."

"A quote from the vessel's namesake." Battenhill said. "Ronaldus Magnus was the first modern Lord Protector. He reformed the militia systems and greatly expanded civil liberties..." Battenhill trailed off, seeing Fünke getting cross-eyed. "Er, right. We do appreciate allowing us the visit."

"Of course, of course! We so rarely get Dominoes to visit our country. We have a small soiree at the Mayor's Mansion this evening, I hope you like Bangers in the mouth?"

"I, uh...sure?"

"Excellant! You may bring your most senior, or should I say saltiest? Seamen..."


Results: Ronaldus Magnus makes a goodwill port visit to the Shrooms.

[Zwinmar]

Tisicar City

Any representative who comes will be met at the airfield just outside Tisicar City. The field itself is nestled in a valley between two mountain in a verdant field. Marines stand by on guard duty in their black dress uniforms with gunships standing by should the need arise to protect the representative.

At the end of the carpet a figure stands wearing a dark suit reminscent of uniforms of the last century, white gloves adorn his hands. His salt and pepper hair close cropped. On his hip a cerimonial sword rests.

Once the representative disembarks he steps forward:

"Welcome to Caleigh" his baritone voice rings out in a tone not dis-similiar to a drill instructors. "Antonius Decius Marillius, King of Caleigh by will of the people" he introduces himself.

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Tisicar City, Kingdom of Caleigh


FILE PHOTO: Lelouch Lamperouge (left) and Anya Alstreim (right), circa late 2007-early 2008

The Duchy of Langley was particularly quick to take note of the events unfolding in Caleigh, from the initial coup to the declaration of a constitutional monarchy. When the newly-elected King of Caleigh, Antonius Decius Marillius, put out a call for representatives from the major nations to meet with him for diplomatic talks, Duke Lelouch chose to send Dame Anya in his stead; he could not meet the new King personally, as he had to tend to his three pregnant wives.

Accompanied by several aides and a Royal Guard squad, Anya flew to Tisicar City in a Langley Air Force Lineage 1000 private jet. She arrived at the Tisicar City airfield a short while after the Tian Xian emissary, and she was also given a personal greeting by King Antonius when she and her entourage disembarked from the plane.

"I am Dame Anya Alstreim, representative of the Duchy of Langley on behalf of its leader Duke Lelouch Lamperouge," Anya said, returning the King's greeting in her usual cool, business-like tone. "We have much business to discuss regarding relations between our two nations."

[PeZook]

Orena, RIS Headquarters

"Well...that went pretty much as predicted.", general Kulinsky remarked, reading the report on the situation in Caleigh, "Marilliu's faction was always the best organized of the whole sorry lot."

Colonel Tomaszewski, the Service's best regarded specialist on the region, smiled. His reports were always well received by the brass, but it never brought in additional funding that his department desperately needed, "True, but they still have a lot to do. So far they managed to gain legitimacy, since the people are tired of the civil war. It'll remain to be seen if Marillius will really rescind power like he promised, or turn the country into another failed republic."

"I agree.", the general said, closing the encrypted file, "I am aware you've been petitioning for an increase in funding for the Velarian section, and I think it's about time you got it. Why don't you set me up with a budget estimate necessary to keep tabs on all those new states which seem to be cropping up there lately?"

Tomaszewski grinned, despite being taken by surprise. He didn't like surprises very much, but he'd live with this one, somehow.

"Certainly, sir! You'll have it by tomorrow."

"Excellent. Now, gentlemen...I believe you had something to tell me about Cialan?"

Results:

- PeZookia to watch the Velerian seas more closely from now on, since the place seems to be getting a new republic every six months

[Siege]

Nameless Island, Middle of the Pacific Ocean

“Are you sure we've got the right island? They all look alike to me...”

“We're at the right GLONASS coordinates, captain, and there's no other island out here. This has to be it.”

“All right, wake the loading crews then. Let's get this party started.”



The Honey Ryder was a ship owned and operated by Blues Brothers Shipping, one of the multitude of shallow drought ro-ro freighters operated by the San Doradan company. The ship was designed for use around Velaria and, to a lesser extent, Frequesue itself, but today it was far away from those two continents, or any regular shipping lanes for that matter. Ship and crew had been contracted to deliver a large supply of goods to the remote island: earth moving machinery, steel, equipment, hundreds of tons of concrete and who knew what else.

It was abundantly clear to the ship's captain that someone was planning to construct something out here, but the crew of the ship had no idea what. They knew however from ample experience when it was best not to ask questions about such matters, and today definitely had all the signs of a don't-ask-job. The captain shrugged. He wasn't doing anything illegal, and he was being well paid. That was all he cared about.

[Lonestar]

Dominion Commercial #5 played played on several CATO nations' airwaves

Who is a Dominionite?

Jolly Fat Dude in Kitchen: I'm a Dominionite and I bake for a living.

Shepistani in lab: I'm a Dominionite and I'm helping with creating a Vaccine for Super-AIDS.

Old Fella in VFW Uniform: I'm a Dominionite and I fought in World War 2 against the Axis forces.

Lady in waders standing in a wetland: I'm a Dominionite and I love the outdoors!

ODN CA101 with Red Cross flying over yacht: I'm a Dominionite, and I'm here to help folks out. *Copter lifts patient off of yacht*

Soldier in Sirnothi Refugee Camp: I'm a Dominionite, and we're making sure people can get on with their lives.

Taxi cab driver: I'm a Dominionite, and I'm just a guy, you know?

Lord Fairfax: Who is a Dominionite? We're a multicultural country that has a rich history of helping others, working hard, and playing hard. We aren't 7 foot giants or all-seeing militarists, we're people just trying to live our lives and help out along the way...

[Ryan Thunder]

Port Erat Informer Netcast Tickertape:
National: Supreme Leader calls for conference of Frequesuan leaders to discuss economic treaty; -PEI- MAF correspondent reports mobilization status has been reduced to "Defensive I"; -PEI- Missiles to remain deployed near Tian Jiao border; -PEI- ...
Local: Tian Xians are people too! Harrassment of visitors will not be tolerated; -ULE- Brief interruption of energy distribution to your district is expected between the hours of 2100 and 2200 for maintenance; -MEA- The Miratian Energy Administration apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause; -MEA- Gas-powered generators will be made avaliable where necessary; -MEA- Trouble finding parking space? Port Erat Transit Authority buses offer nearly 100% coverage of the city streets. We'll get you from A to B in no time; -PETA- ...
Weather and Traffic: Time: 1135; -PEI- Your local air quality: Good; -PEI- Temperature: 15 C; -PEI- Humidity: 65%; -PEI- ...
Entertainment: Lord Fairfax features in Old Dominion propaganda video; -PEI- Comedy critics rate his performance a 7/10; -PEI- ...

[RogueIce]

Midgar, Shinra Republic

President Rufus Shinra had been working on meeting with King Paul. While it was supposed to have happened sooner, the back room alliance dealings had taken up a bit more time than had been planned for. He had been debating asking Stephen Garrett about the three of them meeting in Cascadia, although no firm plans had been made. Still, when next the two Presidents chatted during their semi-regular conversations, he'd see what his friend thought about it.

Speaking of conversations... He'd gotten word from the Huang Di's office that the TXN was pulling their destroyer back further from NFT shores. And he knew the ODN had sent the Ronaldus Magnus on a goodwill tour, and they were even now running positive PR commercials on CATO TV channels. He hadn't heard anything specifically about the Dominion Hawk flights, though. And so it was, he requested a VTC with the Lord Fairfax to get confirmation one way or another.

((OOC: If Lonestar's says he is, just assume such information is relayed through diplomatic channels even if we don't explicitly state it. Because unless I have more to say in a game post I'm not gonna just post "news sent to CATO" all by its lonesome.))

[Siege]

FM-2 FALCON ENTERS NFAF SERVICE


The first of two squadrons of FM-2 Falcon multirole stealth fighters entered operational service with the North Frequesuan Air Force today. The Falcons are procured from Miratian aircraft manufacturer Mirakarm and will serve with the NFAF in the San Dorado and Valley Forge regions. They are the first fifth-generation aircraft in service with the air force, which has recently elected to procure another two squadrons of CATO CF-01 'continental fighters' to further bolster the main fighter force of F-120 Rafale F7 aircraft.

Meanwhile the Rocket Forces are readying themselves for the second flight test of the S-3 Silver Shrike next week. The Silver Shrike is to be the world's first single-stage-to-orbit craft, designed to be capable of reaching space under its own power from any regular runway...

[Raj Ahten]

Off the Salandar Coast, Indhopal

While most nations were pouring their funds into going upwards into space, Indhopal was putting its funds to use in going under the oceans. Underwater mining, advanced submarines and even the possibility of supercavitation were all receiving money. Admiral Randal of the weapons development command didn't have much hope for the latter item. No one was even sure such a thing was technically feasible.

Something very workable however was naval mines. Today Admiral Randal was inspecting the latest progress Indhopoli engineers had made in efforts to make "smart mines." He had just seen the newest drone torpedo launching mine destroy an old hulk. Some of the newest mines could even "walk" along the bottom of the ocean to find their targets and attempt to stymie any mine sweeping efforts made against them. Such devices were quite a bit more expensive then traditional devices, which were still really nasty pieces of work. The idea would be to sprinkle in the more advanced devices in amongst traditional mine fields in order to give anyone who ran across them an even nastier surprise.

[Beowulf]

Hong Kong Items

Red Light Cameras banned
As a result of studies showing a complete and utter lack of safety improvement, and showing that they have tended to become revenue generators for those cities that installed them, the Huang-Di has banned Red Light Cameras. These devices, which take pictures of cars that are run red lights, will not be legally installed from this point forward, and any existing ones are to be disconnected as soon as practical.

Composting required nationwide
After pilot programs in various cities, including Hong Kong, showed promise, new legislation has been signed requiring all municipalities of greater than 10,000 people to compost organic waste. This is projected to massively reduce landfill requirements, and should be revenue neutral to all municipalities. This follows up to the successful nationwide recycling program that mandates recycling of steel, aluminum, and paper.

Government spends millions on advertising blitz
In an attempt to raise our public image, the government has spent millions of dollars to air commericals in CATO countries. Oddly left out are perhaps to two countries it is most important to better perception of us: the UCSR and the NFT. It is somewhat mystifying why those two countries were excluded. The spots are essentially identical for each country they air in, only differing in the language it's presented in. Unlike the Dominionite ads, the Huang-Di does not make a personal appearance in the ads.

[RogueIce]

Midgar, Shinra Republic

President Rufus Shinra had been working on meeting with King Paul. While it was supposed to have happened sooner, the back room alliance dealings had taken up a bit more time than had been planned for. He had been debating asking Stephen Garrett about the three of them meeting in Cascadia, although no firm plans had been made. Still, when next the two Presidents chatted during their semi-regular conversations, he'd see what his friend thought about it.

Speaking of conversations... He'd gotten word from the Huang Di's office that the TXN was pulling their destroyer back further from NFT shores. And he knew the ODN had sent the Ronaldus Magnus on a goodwill tour, and they were even now running positive PR commercials on CATO TV channels. He hadn't heard anything specifically about the Dominion Hawk flights, though. And so it was, he requested a VTC with the Lord Fairfax to get confirmation one way or another.



"President Shinra is ready sir." Said the comms goon. Lonestar nodded. "Put him on."

President Shinra's face appeared on the screen. He seemed momentarily taken aback by how worn Lonestar looked, then hid the surprise.

"Lord Fairfax. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"Rufus. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I see that you sent a naval ship on a goodwill tour to the Shrooms, and are running a PR campaign in several CATO countries."

Lonestar raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. Rufus continued.

"It's clear that you want to put the whole incident behind us as much as the next person. I was wondering what the status of your Dominion Hawk drones in F-ing is?"

"The same as it was previously, President Shinra, on patrol off the NFT coast."

"Ah." Rufus paused. "Are you going to withdraw the drones from the theater?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because we're working on a deal with CATO. We're trying to in general reduce the tensions that have crept up. Your Hawks off the NFT coast are part of that. So I was hoping I could discuss with you their redeployment."

Lonestar leaned back and made a imperious gesture with his hand, as if to say proceed.

"In essence, redeploy them away from the NFT coast. Tian Xia has already pulled back its destroyer patrols, and there's no huge deman for your Hawks to be there. But their presence tends to inflame the situation, and right now all things considered it would greatly help us, all of us, if we could cool things down some."

Lonestar gave a cough and said, "You know Rogue, I don't think I've done anything that's actually wrong and illegal, and the NFT has shown no remorse over it's actions..."

"I know that, you know that, and I suppose on some level they might technically admit to it. But that doesn't matter, at this point. It's become a cause now, a rallying cry against 'MESS imperialism' or whatever boogeyman people want to trot out. At this point I think it serves our interests better to swallow a little pride and look like we're trying to calm things down. This is one step to that.

"Insofar as the NFT not showing remorse, I know. But frankly I don't think it's ever going to happen, no matter what you or I or anyone else does. You'll just have to accept that monetary compensation as the best you're going to get. Because pushing at them is just going to make their backs even stiffer than they already are. And what does that accomplish, aside from giving them PR ammunition about the Dominion 'pushing around smaller countries' and so forth?"[/quote]

Lonestar tapped his hand on the table a bit, thought of the aid Shinra provided during the Sirnothi war, and sighed.

"You know what? Because it's you asking I'll gladly cease the Dominion Hawk patrols. Consider it done. I don't like it though, not a bit."

"I know. But sometimes we all have to do things we don't want to do. Thanks for your time, Lord Fairfax."

Lonestar nodded, and the transmission ended.

Relieved, Rufus quickly scribbled down a note: 'OD Hawks to cease patrols off NFT coast' and buzzed an aide. "Send this to King Paul through priority diplomatic channels, please." The aide nodded and departed. One crisis down...

[PeZook]

Priority dispatch:OP-21 "Żbik", OP-22 "Sowa", OP-23 "Sokół", OP-24 "Lew"

1. RETURN TO BASE

[Zwinmar]

Tisicar City
Marillius bows slightly to Dame Alstreim,"if you are amiable to it the guard will show you to an awaiting vehicle for tansportation to the city were rooms have been set aside for you. I must apologize for the mess that you will see as you pass into the city. We are attempting to rebuild the city. Dinner will be served at twenty hundred if you wish to attend and in the morning we will commence formal talks. I am of course at your disposal should you wish to talk before tomarrow."

The vehicles of the convoy are functional armored HMMWV's rather than actual armored cars with attack helocopters flying overwatch as they make their way to the city. Once inside the city limits cranes are seen everywere, rebuilding the war torn city. Other than at checkpoints on the outskirts of the city proper, the military is conspicuously absent.

The hotel itself, while not five star, is lush compared to the rest of the city though bullet holes adorn the walls the glass has been replaced and even now workers are patching up the holes. The rooms themselves are fairly typical of a hotel anywhere though even the executive suites are small compared to more developed countries. The people themselves are polite without the threat of violence hanging over their head. There is a sense of happiness and relief permiating the city.

[Siege]

From the may/june 2017 issue of 'Frequesuan Affairs'

MIRATIA AND NFT REACH NUCLEAR DEAL
The Syndicate of the North Frequesuan Trust has announced that it has reached a deal to sell an undisclosed number of gas centrifuges to the Principality of Miratia. Gas centrifuges are devices critical for the enrichment of Uranium. The devices are manufactured by Coilerburg Heavy Industries, and are according to a Syndicate spokesperson meant to 'aid the Miratian government in building an indefinitely sustainable nuclear power infrastructure'.


NFT TO ATTEND ECONOMIC CONFERENCE
Leon Soames, the Syndicate's commissioner for external relations and Frequesuan neighborhood policy, is set to attend to continental economic conference called by the Supreme Leader of Miratia. The leader of the central-Frequesuan nation called for all Frequesuan nations to attend the conference, which will discuss the economic status of Frequesue.

Says Soames: “The Syndicate is hopeful that this conference will generate a cross-continental dialogue on economic cooperation, which will result in better mutual understanding and greater prosperity for all.” Some analysts believe that the Syndicate is aiming to further improve relations with the Miratian technocracy, which briefly reached a low point after the disintegration of the FTO but have steadily bettered over recent years.


AIRSPACE ACCORD WITH RAJ IN THE WORKS
Reporters for this magazine have learned that high-level negotiations are underway between the Syndicate and the advisory council of the Maharajah of the Tanstaafl Raj about a joint airspace protection deal. Under this 'aerial overwatch treaty' the NFT and the Raj would form a combined airspace defense network, which would likely mean tying Raj radar systems into the NFT's CADC, as well as carrying out joint interceptor patrols. The principal aircraft of the Mahrata Air Force is the F-120 Rafale, manufactured in San Dorado.

[Raj Ahten]

Indhopal's 5th Generation Fighter Revealed

Indhopal's newest fighter is to be called the IF-1 Griffin. As revealed today the fighter bears a striking resemblance to the F-22. Indhopal has operated F-22's for over a decade and defense analysts widely believe the Griffin will merely be a locally produced copy.


An artists impression of the Griffin.

[Siege]

Blues Brothers Steel & Shipping HQ, downtown La Palma, San Dorado, NFT

"From Cialan? All of this? Are you sure this is correct, oh brother of mine?"

"I'm telling you Vincent, I checked it twice. Thrice!"

"Well, then you know what this means, don't you?"

"Bro... It means we just hit the jackpot."

"You betcha! I'm breaking out the champagne!"

Result: The Republic of Cialan places a massive order with Blues Brothers for six Crimson Dubloon class air defense frigates and no less than eight Vigilant C class SSGNs.

(Obviously Bluewolf placed these orders with me.)

EDIT: A minor modification was made to the number of submarines ordered by the client .

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Tisicar City, Kingdom of Caleigh

As her motorcade wound through the streets of Caleigh's war-torn capital, Anya was reminded of the aftermath of Lelouch's own Black Rebellion ten years ago. Given what she knew of the prior situation in Caleigh, the similarities between the Black Rebellion and KIng Antonius' own coup were quite striking; the only real difference she saw was that Lelouch's rebels were more or less a united force, while Antonius' rebels were but one of several groups competing for dominance. She was deep in thought when she was brought out of her reverie by the motorcade stopping at the hotel. After taking a moment to reorient herself, she disembarked from her Humvee and followed the rest of her entourage into the hotel.

The hotel, much like the rest of Tisicar City, had seen better days. Despite the reconstruction workers' best efforts, bullet holes, scorch marks, and bits of shrapnel still adorned the facade; in the lobby, more workers were busy repainting the walls, replacing the tiles, and doing other renovation work. After checking in with the receptionist (and dodging at least one falling ceiling tile), Anya and her entourage were led to their suites, with a large group of porters trailing behind them with their luggage.

The suites themselves were relatively small compared to what were available in more developed nations, but they were reasonably luxurious enough for the needs of the Langley diplomatic delegation. Anya plopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" one of the minor diplomats said.

"Sure does," Anya replied.

[Siege]

PRESIDENT HANK RETIRES
In a press conference at the La Palma Trust Building today President Sidney Hank announced he will be retiring the presidency on July 4, 2017, four years to the day after assuming his function as the first President of the North Frequesuan Trust. The president cited health issues as the determining factor in his decision. Hank suffered a near-fatal heart attack almost two months ago, after which an artificial cardiac pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and a cybernetic liver were installed.

Says Hank: "I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved, but the interest of the nation must always come before any personal considerations. Besides, if I nearly died one more time my wife would kill me." Trust spokeswoman Ellen Goodman then announced that after his retirement the president will be retained in a function as 'special consultant' to the Syndicate and the Office of the President. It is likely that Willy Bank will be appointed the next president of the NFT, seeing as he already serves in that position in an ad interim basis.

Previous to assuming the function of president-CEO of the NFT Sidney Hank served as the President of the Board of Directors of San Dorado for six years between 2007 and 2013. Worldwide One has compiled a special biography of the President, which is available free of charge on our website.

[Lonestar]

Ares Blog

ODAAF to seek F-35As, EC-45s
The ODAAF has placed a purchase order 8 EC-45s from Tian Xia. In addition the ODAAF has sent personnel to Shinra to evaluate the F-35 as a replacement for the F-39 Super Griffins...[More]

"Naval Treaty" in the works?
Following the budget fight that ended with the purchase of long-lead items for the second flight of Asheville-class DDGNs until next year, there are rumors amongst the Librul opposition of a naval treaty proposal as a means to curtail what they perceive to be runaway spending. The Lord Fairfax government has already stated that it will return with another Navy Law and attempt to begin purchase order for for the second flight of DDGNs, regardless of Librul "Machinations"...[More]

ODAAF accepts final F-22B
The ODAAF has accepted it's final F-22B into service, ending a procurement program that began nearly ten years ago...[More]

[Bluewolf]

Hound Square:

The parliament halls were a echoing with the jeering and shouting as yet again order has been lost. The tension in the parliament had never been so tense for years. Over the last few weeks new issues had been brought up. Of many topics, the most recent one brought up was the rather embarrassing miss order to San Darado of ordering 10 SSGN’s instead of just 4. This had caused confusion on both sides and had caused a few days chaos. The CNP and the Wolvens People Party had wasted no time, they had used to it as an effective weapon against the Prime Minister and his party over the last few weeks, and that was only one issue
.
“Mr Speaker, is it true that Mr Thomason’s healthcare bill that has been kept under wraps for 4 months now is going to cost billions on services that are already paid enough while giving GP surgeries and clinics more power than they need?” Said Mr Caemen Brown. He gave a slight smile has he heard a loud jeer from the seats behind him as yet again the shouting and calling set in as he sat back down. “Order, order we shall have order” Said the speaker, yet again trying to maintain some semblance of sanity within the halls.

Michael stood up leaning on the desk in front of him. “Mr Speaker, I’d like to say that this bill will not infringe on any liberties of the patients under care, nor will it waste money. It will simply give the Cialanian people a better health service with more choice than ever before and frankly, that is money more well spent than CNP military expansion schemes that would waste even more money on weapons our country does not need. Thank you”. The halls erupted again with laugher and shouting. “Order” The speaker cried again, surveying the room. Caemen stood up again. “These are words from a man whose party cannot even make a simple order”. Caemen paused for a moment to let the laughter from the benches sink in. “This is a mad who accuses US of military expansionism yet. Apparently in his eyes, the common defence of the nation is unnecessary expansionism. In his eyes he would rather leave us with a small defence force that could not withstand attack. On top of all that, this is a man who will hide his policies until he has to finally reveal them. With those words in mind; it is to take him seriously”.

Michael stood up again, almost glaring at Caemen. “If he cannot take my words seriously then can he take what my part has done seriously? Can he take the recent deal with Shroomania in polar exploration and fishing that will bring millions into the economy? The very same nation I intend to visit soon? If not that, can he take the wise choice of upgrading Cialan’s transport network seriously? If he cannot take such progress as that, or my words seriously then I must wonder if he is living in world of his own.” He sat back down, wondering when this was going to end.

Whaling Ship “Jericho”, 5 miles away from North Cialan



Martin sat back looking at the sea. It was cloudy and slightly choppy but it would soon clear up. It had been about a month or so now since the government had allowed whaling again and his company was one of the first to get out to sea and find the damned buggers. It had been a terrific sight though to see various usually empty harbours swell up with ships and become busy like they once were all the years ago. Even more so with Shroomarian ships coming in; on top of the whole naval contracts. What was going on in parliament was making people nervous though. It could be seen in people’s eyes when the topic was brought. Many were starting to drift from or fear the Blue Iron party. Soon...soon something they could do would spark unrest again. Changing the subject in his mind, Martin got up and went back onto the bridge.

RE: On the observation of Pezookia
To: CLASSIFIED
FROM: CLASSIED
The observation of Pezookia will begin soon with agents investigating various areas of the country including intelligence, defence, government and economic progress. This will further our understanding of the internal workings of the country and help us act plan or even act us against it if need be. The same process potentially may be applied to (Blank), (Blank) and (Blank) as well as other nations like (Blank). This has been approved by the (Blank).

Please destroy this as soon as you have read it.


Result:
The order of 10 SSGN’s was a mistake and only 4 are meant to be ordered.

A visit to Shroomania will begin soon.

A boom is starting to form from new relaxed laws on whaling, fishing and sealing.

The observation of Pezookia begins.

[Ryan Thunder]

A Bridge Too Far
Northern Yang-tze river

Sean "Colonel" Riegart was grinning ear-to-ear as his makeshift armoured column of technicals rolled across the aging bridge into Miratia unchallenged. The Yang-tze was very wide in most places; this was one of the few that could actually support a bridge across, and that made it invaluable to the builders of the Trans-Frequesuan Railway. Valuable enough that even he had heard of it. Thus far, they had managed to avoid any Winter Army patrols, save for the guards that managed the eastern end. They had been easily overwhelmed, and Riegart had taken their NFT-supplied armoured fighting vehicle as a prize.

Surprisingly, they hadn't heard so much as a peep from the Miratian side of the river. He'd expected at least some machine-gun fire from the blockhouse once the RPGs had fired, but that hadn't come either. He'd take the Miratians by surprise, and then bargain for the hostages and the bridge. If it were possible, his smile would have spread even wider.

---

"Can I shoot the grinning idiot in the IFV?"

"Hold your fire."

"Oh, fine... He's staying in my sights, though."

---

Sitting in the back of the fifth and final truck, Jim Redford cradled an old-model assault rifle. As they crossed off the bridge onto sovereign Miratian territory, he looked around warily. The machine gunner glanced down at him. "What's the matter?" he yelled over the din of the truck's diesel engine. Jim looked up in time to see the man's face cave in. Blood, brains, and bone fragments splattered across the men behind him, who recoiled in disgust as the man slumped over his weapon. He heard a crash as the windshield shattered and saw the rear window of the driver's cabin turned crimson. The truck veered wildly to the left, tipping over and dumping the riders into the gravel.

---

"Woo, nice one."

"Idiot. Now we need a crane to clean them up."

"Minor details, love. Just keep on firing."

"That's enough from the peanut gallery. Move in on my mark."

---

Riegart whirled and saw the rear truck overturn. He swore under his breath. "Stop! Find those bastards!" he screamed over the staccato cacaphony of Miratian rifle fire. Those who heard him leapt from the trucks even as they ground to a halt. That was when the very air around them seemed to explode into a shower of shrapnel, shredding a few of them even as they sprinted to take cover behind concrete traffic barriers. Noticing a dark shape in the bushes off to the side of the road, he raised his rifle, aimed, and fired. The Miratian soldier cried out suddenly, then fell silent. Riegart's smile returned. "Keep after the bastards, don't let them get away!" he yelled over the din of the gun battle.

He noticed another dark shape out of the corner of his eye. Then it hit him; They'd been flanked--

---

Jim had made his way back some distance, away from the fighting behind some traffic barriers. He had a perfect view of it all. The thunderous blast drowned out everything else. Riegart had been reduced to a shredded ragdoll by some kind of grenade launcher. He watched as the Miratians closed in gradually, pouring fire into the invaders, until there was little left of them but a few gore-spattered survivors. Jim felt the cold metal of a gun barrel jammed against the back of his skull. "It looks like you have some explaining to do, vermin. On the ground, now!"

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Ashford Times Headlines in Brief

Langley's Nuclear Reactors to be Refurbished, Upgraded
Technical assistance sought from UCSR; additional reactor construction under consideration

Doujinshi Artists Prosecuted for Lèse Majesté
Predominantly female suspects accused of defaming world leaders

Air Force to Evaluate Upgrades or Replacements for E-3, KC-135, VC-137
Boeing 707 derivatives reaching or exceeding 40-year service mark, maintenance costs increasing

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? Y / N

[CmdrWilkens]

Navy Announces Multiple Long Term Contracts

Early today the Wilkonian Imperial Navy began the formal annoucnement process of slected the Tian Xia F-26 and Old Dominion XQ-47 as the next generation of Carrier based aircraft. The two contracts are expected to, over the next ten years, completely replace the existing carrier air wings with modern fighters. Press officials at the MOD were brief in their repsonses though they pointed out that the funding has been sitting in palce for close to a half decade for the final phase of bringing the Navy into the 21st century. "new Horizons was designed to finally get us all the way to 5th generaiton across the board. Our carrier fleet is there, our surface fleet is there, our subsurface fleet is there and now our air fleet will be there."

In seperate announcements a final design has been selected for the LHA(X) program which has begun laying keels for the next addition to the "gator" Navy. With the switch to the larger MEB formation as the ideal strategic tool planers have been clamoring for additional deck space and transport capacity. The new vessels will allow for the planned Amphibious Squadron to carry a completely independent MEB with supplies for sustainment ashore of up to 90 days.

A final annoncement indicated that with the final funding being placed for the 24th Adriana Lima class sub that planners will begin looking into a requirement for a 6th generation attack submarine to counter to growing number of SSGNs being used worldwide. Officials hoped to issue a basic design requirement request before the end of next year and open a competition no later than the first quarter of 2020.