SD.Net World Redux Comment Thread IX

[K. A. Pital]

You mean OUT OF CHARACTER

Come on.

Your Libruls lose power. Militarists get a boon. Your press is constantly either smearing CATO, the UCSR specifically, or just about everyone around who is not in the MESS.

I just decide to start a smear campaign and you go all over it.

What, don't like the fact that in this world the name of Sheppard is basically equivalent to that of Hitler, if not worse? But it's so. He annihilated an entire nation; he was the agressor, and he started the agression with the intent of complete genocide using bioweapons from the get go. So any ridiculous accusations would fly simply due to the public reaction of even the very POSSIBILITY of the ruler of that criminal magnitude being alive.

Try what you want, but this PR war is just beginning.

And I don't really care if someone eventually kills your mutant Shep (there should be a gazillion people ready to kill ANY Shepistani on sight, actually, especially after his "GO APESHIT ATTACK THE ENTIRE WORLD"), but the MESS political image will be ruined forever. I'll find a way to make these claims look credible to the world community, no worry. DUM-DUM-DUM.

[RogueIce]

People are intimately accustomed with OD politics? If not, then any explanation would work. Down to the insinuation of hot gay sex.

You hardly need to have an "intimate knowledge of OD politics" to know that General Sheppard hated the Old Dominion, ordered an assassination of the OD foreign minister, fought a war... I mean seriously, out of anyone to run Sirnoth, Sheppard would be the last choice of the Dominion to place in any position of power. And anyone with even a basic understanding of the Old Dominion/Shepistan history would know that.

Lonestar's press is engaged in a neverceasing and neverending smear campaign. I just paid him back the favour.

That's usually various OD news outlets. How often does the Lord Fairfax get involved? Certainly not on the level of Stanislav accusing the OD of harboring war criminals, violating the Bioweapons Ban Treaty, etc.

I don't see "cooperativeness". Hell, Lonestar even wanted to start some sort of licensing war with CATO aerospace industries in addition to the propaganda war. Let him eat his med.s

That was OOC. And Lonestar even SAID he didn't want some IC shitflinging and settled it with Fin and Shroom!

Hold on there RogueIce, Nimitz was the Name of Zoria's great WWII admiral in this universe (it's written down in the History of the UKZ).

Zor

You deserve to be shot for that, Mister Totally-Not-America.

Anyway...Somebody else with the name of Nimitz and a total coincidence! Or I'll snag up Halsey. Whatever.

EDIT: Isoroku Nimitz? Bah. I named mine Chester Nimitz. Ergo, it can still work.

[K. A. Pital]

You hardly need to have an "intimate knowledge of OD politics" to know that General Sheppard hated the Old Dominion

And yet, he didn't biodeath it. That's about all people will know. Some tribal hate? That's allright. The mock saying "Arabs hate each other, but they hate the Jews more" will work here.

How often does the Lord Fairfax get involved?

Exactly. The involvement of a high political figure would lend more credibility to my PR wars. He never speaks - so be it.

Certainly not on the level of Stanislav accusing the OD of harboring war criminals, violating the Bioweapons Ban Treaty, etc.

But the OD harbors war criminals. It's only a suspicion and a rumor, sure, discovered by my agent whose main business is, guess what, killing Sheppo surviving war criminals which means just about any Shepistani government official, actually. I have found it convincing enough for a smear campaign. End of story. Just put more and more egregious claims to ruin someone's day.

And why not? The OD dicked long enough for you to have ruined your PR anyway. It's time to push the PR campaign some more towards making them international pariahs.

[MKSheppard]

And yet, he didn't biodeath it.

Because we hadn't declared war on the OD/MESS. Just Veg's Slaveland Astaria.

[K. A. Pital]

Because we hadn't declared war on the OD/MESS.

Who cares. Shep is now a scary tale from another decade. Shep is like the neonazi bogeyman. I can claim whatever I want.

If you try to "confirm" or "state" anything about former Shepistani's leader's nature or policy publicly, you'll find yourself falling into my trap and proving that at least, something is fishy with ya game alter ego

Also, claim what you will, but I have enough administrative and financial resource to accuse the Old Dominion of war criminal concealement time and again, with new and new claims UNTIL this starts looking credible, and I'll spend millions be so needed for this smear campaign.

[RogueIce]

And why not? The OD dicked long enough for you to have ruined your PR anyway. It's time to push the PR campaign some more towards making them international pariahs.

You're not going to get very far in that goal with this. Many people dislike GWB for a number of reasons, but not because they seriously think he blew up the WTC. Nobody outside of conspiracy nutters believes that. And this is about the same level as 9/11 truthers, honestly.

[Steve]

Unless the smear campaign simply comes to be seen as Yet More Communist Propaganda and dismissed as such save by people who already have reason to hate the Old Dominion or MESS as a whole so much they'll accept it. It really is akin to saying Bush was behind the 9-11 attacks, and you'll just be wasting millions of roubles on a propaganda campaign that the majority of the world's nations will not accept as anything approaching true.

And the fact that it's so outlandish means many of those who would ordinarily jump to agree with anti-OD remarks will be hostile to the accusation because it'll be seen as providing the OD the means to strawman "legitimate" opposition as yet more "conspiracy nuts".

[K. A. Pital]

We'll combine the "more" and "less" outrageous accusations in different sets of propaganda to encompass the entire target audience, don't worry.

I presume the commies hate the Old Dominion enough already, so giving them some food for thought is well warranted and in fact, long overdue. As for the rest, we will FIND the facts to ruin their PR.

[Lonestar]

You going to find volunteers to go wandering around the Shepistani Security Zone looking for secret evidence?

[K. A. Pital]

You going to find volunteers to go wandering around the Shepistani Security Zone looking for secret evidence?

I'll find, dig out and torture every single Sheppo survivor for information if needed, they're all like SS men to the world opinion (and especially Crimson opinion) anyway, and I'll find false witnesses among them and the like, and will MAKE them look credible.

The hunt may not bear the 100% desired result of making you a pariah state, but I'll see that your image is ruined to the greatest possible extent. I'm just a former leader, but after my agents dig out Sheppo goons, or "make" a few false Sheppo goons, we'll see how you'll talk

[Lonestar]

Most Shepistani survivors are in the Old Dominion or Japanistan. Yeah, I'd LOVE for you to start kidnapping OD citizenry for the purpose of "interrogation" in order to support your moonbat theory.

Ho Ho Ho! It'll be like Christmas! Kim Song Stas, reporting for duty!

[CmdrWilkens]

You going to find volunteers to go wandering around the Shepistani Security Zone looking for secret evidence?

I'll find, dig out and torture every single Sheppo survivor for information if needed, they're all like SS men to the world opinion (and especially Crimson opinion) anyway, and I'll find false witnesses among them and the like, and will MAKE them look credible.

The hunt may not bear the 100% desired result of making you a pariah state, but I'll see that your image is ruined to the greatest possible extent. I'm just a former leader, but after my agents dig out Sheppo goons, or "make" a few false Sheppo goons, we'll see how you'll talk

So after one of your operations goes south, and one of them WILL by Murphy's Law if nothing else, and the OD has a nice inteligence agent caught trying to manufacture evidence how will you handle that one?

[Lonestar]

Just to make this clear, in case Stas "forgets" about it:

(1)The Old Dominion was stated to be destroying bunkers in the Shepistani Security Zone with personnel still in them
(2)When Al Sheppard was discovered, he had a chronic shroombola infection that had him on his deathbed
(3)So even if you were to majik up someone high ranking enough to have an idea that Sheppard had survived, the same person would say "The Dominos were intentionally killing the Shepistani Government Leadership" and "Sheppard was lying on his deathbed in a bunker somewhere."

[K. A. Pital]

The Old Dominion was stated to be destroying bunkers in the Shepistani Security Zone with personnel still in them

You have former Shepistani SAC and former Shepistani ISI people still running around in your nation and not being hung on their toes. So there's enough, and more than enough shit for the smear campaign. The Shep was just a sensationalist beginning.

Hiding Shep is possible, but the former Sheppo military goons and intelligence goons are not something you can easily hide if they work in your state. They will contact too many people. These files can be uncovered. As for the claims of the Old Dominion, we will find ways to make them look like defensive bullshit.

So even if you were to majik up someone high ranking enough to have an idea that Sheppard had survived, the same person would say "The Dominos were intentionally killing the Shepistani Government Leadership" and "Sheppard was lying on his deathbed in a bunker somewhere."

I will have someone claim what I WANT him to claim, or else.

[Lonestar]

You have former Shepistani SAC and former Shepistani ISI people still running around in your nation and not being hung on their toes.

(1)Name one instance of the Shepistani SAC committing war crimes. Bear in mind that cargo aircraft were used for the release of agents, not ling range bombers
(2)Name one, FUCKING ONE ISI agent "running around my nation not being hung by their toes"? Especially when I make a clear distinction between the ISI and the SRGC when Al-Tikriti visited Sirnoth.

Hiding Shep is possible, but the former Sheppo military goons and intelligence goons are not something you can easily hide if they work in your state.

As it happens, we've never hid that former Shepistani personnel work in the OD, and for the OD government. In fact, one of those personnel is flying the Lord Protector's VC-30. "ISI goons" have never once been mentioned as being in the employ of the Old Dominion. The absolutely worst you can get me for is the general amnesty to better integrate the Shepistani population into the Old Dominion.

I will have someone claim what I WANT him to claim, or else.

Yeah, okay.

Before you run off, remember that Coyote is running Japanistan and you'll need his permission for that.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Didn't a Shep came walking side by side behind Lord Fairfax in Shroomania recently? If that doesn't raise any eyebrows, and protests right in front of the Old Dominion embassy, I don't know what will.

[Lonestar]

By the way, the OD press NEVER implied that you were senile.


The press implied that you "should go easy on the sauce"(which is an anglo euphemism for "don't drink so much")

Fin, Shep was already publicly installed as the Chief Executive of the PCA Committee of Sirnoth, so...

[Steve]

Oh, it will, but what Stas is doing is an entirely different animal.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Fin, Shep was already publicly installed as the Chief Executive of the PCA Committee of Sirnoth, so...

Even more damning considering the MESS led the "restoration of Sirnorth".

[RogueIce]

Oh, it will, but what Stas is doing is an entirely different animal.

And any protests about having a Sheppard (as opposed to the Sheppard) would have done their thing awhile ago. As Lonestar pointed out, Rhee Ahn is not exactly a secret.

Fin, Shep was already publicly installed as the Chief Executive of the PCA Committee of Sirnoth, so...

Even more damning considering the MESS led the "restoration of Sirnorth".

If Hitler had a brother who had nothing to do with Nazi Germany and in fact left to escape Adolf persecuting him (I think that's sorta the backstory Rhee Ahn got) would we hold him as guilty as Adolf himself?

[K. A. Pital]

Also, too late to claim that "nobody knows", Lonestar.

At least Wilkens does.

"…Finally, we all know that the Old Dominion has been intentionally collapsing Shepistani bunkers rather than helping the Shepistani citizens and military personnel tapped inside. We also know who you have locked up in one of your own bunkers. I'm sure there are people who would like to see the 'Killer of Astaria' put on trial…this is just a short list of actions Wilkonia will take. So, what's it going to be?"

So, Wilkonia knows that. It should be in it's intelligence archives somewhere. I'll love to see the King's conscience - if he still has any! - wiggle around that little fact. No doubt Wilkonia will deny everything, but I will have personal consolation. Deep in his heart, Wilkens game alter ego will have nightmares because he's covering the equivalent of Hitler in service of the MESS now.

Want to have even worse news? My good friend Heraclius, who has been booted the fuck out of the MESS, has been there (at that time) and overheard Wilkens' threats:

"We've done a lot for the Old Dominion, Matt." Greg said finally. "Everyone here has." Lonestar scowled at that and glanced at the Byzantine Emperor, who had the grace to look mildly embarrassed. "This is a poor way of showing gratitude."

Lonestar now leaned forward, intertwining his fingers and putting his hands on the table.

Even a fucking idiot would put 2+2 and "the Butcher of Astaria" is fucking direct and precise.

"BIOCOMM claims that they've found no evidence of an active BW program." Lonestar pointed out. Blitzschlag snorted, but didn't speak out. Work on the SNYDER project continued, and BIOCOMM had yet to find and shut it down. Of course, part of the reason was because the OD had waved some of it's HERV findings to the public, but there were facilities that remained buried in the deep places of the earth...

So, at least you ran forbidden research.

War criminals:

Lonestar shrugged. "If it's any consolation, I understand that the pilot of the nuclear strike was originally in the Shepistani SAC…"

No need to explain anything.

Colonel Hoare, formerly of the Shepistani ISI smiled as he watched the chemicals being loaded into the C-27Js, the small tactical transports that were manufactured by Sirnoth's only surviving aerospace firm, Aeritalia. If he had had any doubt that the so-called "Rhee Anh Sheppard" was really Mark Sheppard, it was gone now.

He would lead the operation himself, of course.

Some goons also know. Damn.

So, this is not that super duper one-man knowledge of a secret.

And I'll find a way to kindly ask Heraclius corroborate my claims. You'll become a pariah state when people hear about that little "conference" of yours and the words Wilkens uttered

If Hitler had a brother who had nothing to do with Nazi Germany and in fact left to escape Adolf persecuting him (I think that's sorta the backstory Rhee Ahn got) would we hold him as guilty as Adolf himself?

Too bad you didn't make Wilkens hold his tongue during that MESS conference back in the day, comrade.

[Steve]

I don't think anyone's denying that even installing a brother of Sheppard was going to inflict harm on the OD's PR, or even that of the whole MESS. But I think this is being carried a bit far. Especially since it seemed sparked because Lonestar likes to play around and make posts from the OD fringe about things (I cackled at the one rag's anti-PacUnion rant. It's especially ironic because in Cascadia the anti-Union left considers the PacUnion to be the result of pro-MESS tendencies in our government).

[K. A. Pital]

But I think this is being carried a bit far.

I found out that Heraclius should know about Shep being kept in an OD bunker and withheld from trial at least at the time of the MESS conference, so too bad for the MESS. They shouldn't have booted Byzantium out. I doubt Heraclius would deny a simple request from his old friend to disclose on an official level the talk of that old MESS conference.

That, my friends, shall be a PR stinking bomb so enormous it will sink ANYONE who will dare to touch it. The MESS will have two options, ignore or deny, both equally damning.

As for Lonestar, his PR is a goner anyway. I'm just digging a deeper grave to make it more sure.

And yes, Stanislav is a vindictive asshole. It would be not enough to say I planned this all along, I didn't just plan it all along but also carefully calculated the timing of events to make it so. A war of words can be more effective than a war of guns.

And imagine the economic situation of Sirnoth after Byzantium gets on air. Poor Lonestar...

[RogueIce]

I found out that Heraclius should know about Shep being kept in an OD bunker and withheld from trial at least at the time of the MESS conference, so too bad for the MESS. They shouldn't have booted Byzantium out. I doubt Heraclius would deny a simple request from his old friend to disclose on an official level the talk of that old MESS conference.

Except he knew for all that time and said nothing. This means one of two things:

1) He's believed. In which case the obvious question is, why didn't he say anything back then? This doesn't make him look very good.

2) People don't believe him, because of the above. Why is he only saying it now? He's been out of the MESS and there was a rather public blowup at the time. So why now instead of then?

Honestly, it's probably in his best interests to not say anything about it. Or he's getting tarred.

That, my friends, shall be a PR stinking bomb so enormous it will sink ANYONE who will dare to touch it. The MESS will have two options, ignore or deny, both equally damning.

We could deny. It's not like there's a recording or anything. Granted it's going to punish the fuck out of MESS/CATO relations. After some of us have been trying to improve them. So you're not just hurting the OD here, Stas.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

But I think this is being carried a bit far.

I found out that Heraclius should know about Shep being kept in an OD bunker and withheld from trial at least at the time of the MESS conference, so too bad for the MESS. They shouldn't have booted Byzantium out. I doubt Heraclius would deny a simple request from his old friend to disclose on an official level the talk of that old MESS conference.

That, my friends, shall be a PR stinking bomb so enormous it will sink ANYONE who will dare to touch it. The MESS will have two options, ignore or deny, both equally damning.

As for Lonestar, his PR is a goner anyway. I'm just digging a deeper grave to make it more sure.

And yes, Stanislav is a vindictive asshole. It would be not enough to say I planned this all along, I didn't just plan it all along but also carefully calculated the timing of events to make it so. A war of words can be more effective than a war of guns.

And imagine the economic situation of Sirnoth after Byzantium gets on air. Poor Lonestar...

"Why certainly comrade. Here's the meeting minutes and some files. In fact, sorry about not telling you after I left the MESS. You know, what stays in the MESS stays there and the same with CATO. Somehow some people never thought the same..."