SD.Net World(RAR!) MK III

[Sea Skimmer]

New Basra Harbor, Saddamistan
Bridge of Freighter Al-Poltava

“Final cargo manifest?” asked Malik Abd al Wahab, captain of the 30,000 ton dry cargo ship, from his executive officer.

“Eighteen thousand five hundred sixty two tons of ten thousand psi cement in hundred and thousand pound sacks, seventeen bulldozers, three hydraulic excavators in the cargo holds,” he replied. “Three wheeled launchers for RT-21M intermediate range ballistic missiles, two tracked, one wheeled multi canister launcher for P-1800 long range cruise missiles as deck cargo. We also have seventeen unarmed missiles as deck cargo, interspaced among the launchers. We have embarked fifty men from the 1st Naval Command Brigade with MANPADS and ATGW for security. All cargo has been fully secured and is ready for the transit to Shepnukistan.”

“Still no word on the return cargo?”
“No sir,” replied the XO. “but I don’t have a good feeling about it.”
“Well,” it doesn’t matter now,” said al Wahab. “call out the tugs, so we can depart with the tide.”

[CmdrWilkens]

A Declaration of the MESS Administrative Council
Councerning the former nation of Terra Libertia

Whereas arms and other implements of destruction continue to enter the country in defiance of international condemnation and,

Whereas these arms serve only to further undermie the tenuous state of the island and,

Whereas the MESS is publicly committed to preventing outside forces from arming and destabalizing the island,

Be it known that henceforth:

ALL maritime traffic with destination, or apparent destination, to the former nation of Terra Libertia WILL be stopped and searched for weapons and other implements of destruction,

ALL weapons and implements of destruction, which are not designed and configured solely for police use and guarded against seizure until securely received, shall be detained,

ANY nation that is trafficing in weapons shall have its case brought before the MESS Adminitative OCuncil for review of its relations. Diplomatic and economic sanctions WILL be brought to bear on any such nation,

Given this DAY in executive session by the Administrative Council of the MESS, by UNANIMOUS VOTE


----------

"Sailors of the King's Navy, tension has once again burst forth onto our planet. Several nations of this world have sought to purchase new slave empires by arming the facitons of what was once Terra Libertia in an effor to drive them to kill one another before becoming beholden to their new masters.

No nation dedicated, as we are, to the liberties of the individual can stand idly by as these weapons are recklessly used to bring death and suffering upon the people's of this world. Yet likewise we must give chance for those same people to settle their own affairs. As such we will not set foot on the soil of the successor states yet at the same time we can and must hold and detain all arms passing by sea.

To this end I have ordered a new Surface Action Group detached from the mai taskforce and serving to watch more closely the harbors of the succesor states than the main group can at sea. Once permission is given by the local governments we shall add ground observers to ispect all cargos arriving by air and will monitor with local forces the various border crossings.

This is your King wishing you all good luck and Godspeed."

[MKSheppard]

Nukistani Presidential Residence

"So the MESS is in effect, once again siding with the Anarcho-Jihadists? Figures," muttered Sheppard.

"SecNav, how goes the arrangements for the convoy?"

"Mr. President, we've done some calculations, and it will require fifteen ships to just move the six thousand vehicles on our transfer list. The ammunition and POL is going to need another ten or fifteen. We're looking at a total convoy size of around thirty or forty plus cargo ships, and since most of them aren't roll on-roll off ships, loading and unloading them will take a significant amount of time -- we estimate it'll take around a month before the convoy is ready to sail."

"Not a problem. It'll take that long to bring the Navy to overstrength status; and we need to coordinate with Saddamistan about the protective screen, so we're not shooting at each other and we can deconflict our weapons effect areas sufficiently enough...."

[Raj Ahten]

The Iron General was anxious. Reports said that the Diocese had large numbers of armored vehicles now, and that they appeared to be massing for some kind of offensive. He was getting reasurances from his new Shepnukistani advisors on that matter, however.

Always the enigma, the Iron General told ProTec to develope records on all the Tonkinite and Shepnukistani personnel in Alexandria. ProTec's men knew the General kept close tabs on them as well. Advising teams from ProTec, Tonkin, and Shepnukistan were also kept training seperate units; thouh most of the work now was getting the Alexandrian military up to date on their new equipment and doctrine.

ProTec's helicopters also were on standby to move reaction forces to any point of attack and border defences were strengthened. This was a prudent move for defensive or offensive action.

Despite all the preperations for trouble Alexander announced a plan to make Alexandria into a true nation. The monetary system was already fully under development. The new currency would be called the Alexandrian Mark. Plans were announced to form a legal system with a judiciary, national police force, and prisons as soon as practicable. The process of drafting a legal code had already begun, but implementation was still on the horizon.

[Beowulf]

Forbidden City Times

DoCoMo unveils 4G data network

The 4G wireless network is entirely IP based. This packet-switched methodolgy considerably decreases the complexity of the network, and therefore simplifies management. This technology allows a mobile phone to have 86 Mbps of downlink bandwidth. A router sized terminal can get up to 326 Mbps. The network is optimized to deliver small packets at very low latencies, allowing effective use of VoIP. Concurrent with this roll-out, the pricing structure of DoCoMo has changed, giving users of 4G handsets effectively unlimited number of minutes. The roll-out is projected to be complete in two years, providing service throughout Tian Xia.

Lockmart announces receipt of contract for new Standard missile

The Standard Missile is the workhorse of the MESS navies. The Standard Missile-2 the primary air-defense weapon. The Standard Missile-3, now in block II/IIA production, is the premier theater ABM weapon. The newly announced Standard Missile-4 will be used with the planned MESS DDGN/CGN.

The SM-4, like the SM-3 block II, is a full caliber missile, indicating that it is 21 inches in diameter. This increase in diameter allows improved kinematics, giving the missile longer powered range. This, in conjunction with the increased length of the Mk 43 VLS system, allows an increased ability to engage targets. The SM-2 will likely remain in service, albeit upgraded. The Lockmart is working on a project to allow two SM-2s to be held in a single VLS cell, effectively doubling the firepower of a warship.

Tian Xia Air Force announces operational capability of 83rd Fighter Squadron

The 83rd Fighter Squadron operates F-22As, and is part of the 14th Fighter Group. This announcement signifies that the 14th Fighter Wing is now ready to take on the defense of the homeland.

---

Imperial Palace
Forbidden City

"God fucking damn it. Shep's a loose cannon now. I'm all for the dissolution of OMSK, but damn it, now there's no one holding him back. Get the War Council here."

30 minutes later:

"I want us ready for possible war with Shepnukistan. Bombers ready for launch. Get them dispersed. Get them all fully loaded with ATACMS. How's the loading of ATACMS on ships?" asked Beowulf.

"We've got 4 on each destroyer, and 8 on each cruiser. There's a pair on the frigates. There's 48 ready for air launch on the carriers. Comes out to 360 targets being serviced, after accounting for a ship surge," answered Admiral Taenzer.

"Adding in the 440 targets the Air Force can probably manage, we can probably completely plaster Shepnukistan if it comes to that. Since we still don't have our full complement of nukes, we're also loading ATACMS-140s," added Gen Beauregard.

"I've ordered a reduction in leaves for ARADCOM. Should have full capability if the ballon ever goes up. I'm still concerned that full capability won't be enough though. We should really get heavy ABM. Lockmart's been looking at doing ground launch of SM-2s and 3s, but that won't be ready soon enough, and may still be insufficient," said Gen Qin.

Beowulf rubbed at his temples. "How's the bunker complex going?"

"Won't be ready soon enough. The Emperor's Own has the VC-25s ready and are keeping on VH-53K ready, however."
...
OOC:
War Council:
SecPeace: Jennifer Alexander
CJCS: Gen James Jackson
CSAF: Gen John Beauregard
CSA: Gen Robert Qin
CNO: Adm Christopher Taenzer

[Lonestar]

Presidential Retreat, Fredericksburg

"Well, it isn't as good as real life conference, but at least we won't have the hazard of Arik eating Burritos for lunch." Wilkens joked. There were some chuckles from the assembled MESS leadership, the VTC was straining the Bandwith capacity of the military COMSATs, but it was workable.

"Fuck you Greg," Coyote joked back.

"Can we please bring this to order?" Rogue Ice said. They were all military men(well, most of them) but sometimes it was like herding cats. "How you doing Lonestar?"

"All things considered, I'd rather be at the A&M-Baylor Game. I don't have a goddamn clue as to what I'm going to do with all this stuff people sent in." Lonestar wheezed.

"I'll take that as 'I'm doing fine.' First thing on the Agenda: Shep and Skimmer. You wanted to start off Lonestar?"

"Certainly. I have authorized the LSRN to engage in Force Level 3 MIO in regards to Shenukistani and Saddamistani vessels. Shep thinks we only have two options. I would like to propose a third." Lonestar took a drink of water. Here it goes.... We land troops, seize control of a port and airfield on the border in between Ramsey and the Sultan, and declare it a 'safe zone'. The Marines on the Jim Bowie can take Al-Muscati port, while a Ranger taskforce can take the airfield in the city. We can immediately start flying in the 1st Airborne. Unfortunately, besides the 10 M1A3s the Marines will bring, the M-8s the 1st Airborne has will be the heaviest stuff on the ground. We'll need to charted some cargo vessels, and, I think it would be nice if Coyote shifted that Wasp of his South for the operation."

Lonestar stopped, judging from the contortions on Rogue Ice's face, he knew it was a good idea.

[Coyote]

Presidential Retreat, Fredericksburg

...We'll need to charted some cargo vessels, and, I think it would be nice if Coyote shifted that Wasp of his South for the operation."...

"I can do that," Arik said, "But at some point, I also feel compelled to to ask ourselves if Shep doesn't make a point? If they want Libertopia that bad, bad enough to toss nukes, why not? I mean, let's face it-- this isn't exactly a prize we're talking about. It's a millstone, an albatross.

"I am reminded back to the days of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations: the Israelis told the Palestinians, 'okay, we'll give you the Gaza Strip', and the Arabs said, 'Okay, we'll take it-- what will you give us in return for that?'" Same thing here-- they want Libertopia-- a lawless land of pirates, criminals, warlords, Sharia'a jihadis, and a basket case of starving, uneducated, unskilled semi-savages.

"They're inheriting a headache. Let 'em, I say. I have better things to spend money on."
"Chocolate pudding?" Rufus asked. Arik's ears went a little pink, but he smiled.

"Let's switch our attention to Stas, I'm at his airport now in the commo suite of my zepp. We got Byzantium joining... hell, we gain Byzantium and maybe Red Tech; they get... Libertopia. And an irradiated Neverland. Yippee for them, huh?

"As an artist, I say... hey, y'know? Perspective..."

[Lonestar]

Presidential Retreat, Fredericksburg

"Well, to me it sets a bit of a bad precedent. For one thing, both of those goes, especially Saddam, are crazy enough to start slaughtering civilians en mass in order to bring the population in line. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll catch a lot of shit about it at home if we have an opportunity to stop it but we don't. Who here wants to face the press a year from now explaining why we can't do anything about the thousands of dead-by-mustard gas civilians in Libertia?" Lonestar asked.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Emperor Heraclius IV announces that Byzantium shall leave OMSK and join MESS

The Emperor announced today that the recent departure of Shepnukistan from OMSK has effectively made OMSK irrelevant and ineffective. As of today, any obligations to OMSK Byzantium has is annulled, but Byzantium would maintain close relations with friends and allies.

However, as of today, the military will placed on constant high alert owing to the proximity of Byzantium to the Shepnukistan territory of Neverhood. All ground based and air based radar will be operating 24 hours a day and the construction of the underground complex will now be pressed out at full speed.

Government orders 10 new F-100 frigates

10 new F-100 frigates, to be constructed at Constantinople Shipyards Inc., were ordered by the government. To replace the exisitng Basil class frigates, the new frigates will be named Basil II, in honour of Emperor Basil II, the Bulgar Slayer.

[Mr Bean]

BBC Reports
September 29th 2010

"...in Science news the latest four HISCO satellites were launched skyward, the fifth suffering an engine fault had to be pulled off the launch pad. Technicians hope to be able to repair the rocket and use it, each Vulkan rocket costs close to 150 million dollars each. This brings the total number of HISCO satellites in orbit to forty five of a planned seventy two."


"...also in Science news the three WWS satellites have come on line. These GEO satellites are designed to be able to accurately measure rainfall, track storms and wind-currents all from orbit. Most countries rely on Doppler 5000 or 9000 weather radar in order to predict storms before they strike land. With the view these satellites will provide it is not possible to predict the weather around the entire populated world."


"... other notable launches WV-1 and WV-2 were launched along with two more VS MK II's bringing things up to six VS MK-II's in orbit."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

"The King of UKB called?" said the Emperor.

"Yes sire. I believe it is about preserving OMSK."

"I'm sorry, tell him that he should look at his newspapers and television news now."

[Lonestar]

El Paso Airbase, adjoining Fort Bliss
It was an unusual sight, but one that the 1st Airborne(on a paper a division, but in reality a larger-than-average brigade) had practice before. 3 Texas Parcel Service 777 freighters on the runway, their bright red paint jobs standing out against the air force gray of the LSRAF cargo planes. They were the 5th, 6th, and 7th TPS planes that had been landed and loaded today, mostly with ammo, armor kits, and "misc supplies". Mounted on the underside were Northray Guardian Pods.

The M-8s, M113s, and utility vehicles were being loaded onto the C-17s, both LSRAF and TXAF planes. Occasionally a TXAF AN-124 would arrive and be loaded. Most of the C-130Js had already flown ahead to Clark Field.

Only the soldiers were excited at the prospect "peacekeeping". More than a few silently hoped that someone on the MESS council vetoed it, knowing full well how this could all go Tits-up.

Someone made a crack about "living in exciting times".

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

The Ashford Times

DUCHY OF LANGLEY LEAVES OMSK
Decision to be made regarding application for MESS membership

ASHFORD CITY - With the departure of the Red Technocracy, Shepnukistan, and Byzantium from OMSK, Duke Lelouch has declared the alliance impotent and irrelevant. As of today, any and all obligations the Duchy of Langley may have had to OMSK have been annulled; however the Duchy will still maintain relations with the other members of the former alliance.

With the disintegration of OMSK, the Duchy of Langley is now considering filing an application to join the MESS. Popular opinion seems to be in support of such a move.

==========

"Wait, what?" Duke Lelouch said as he looked at his copy of The Ashford Times. "They actually went ahead and printed that?" He sighed. "Well, this is a 'Dewey Defeats Truman' moment if there ever was one."

Lelouch reached over to his intercom and pressed a button. "Shirley, please call everyone still in OMSK and tell them that we're still in. I still can't believe they printed that."

[Coyote]

Presidential Retreat, Fredericksburg

"Well, to me it sets a bit of a bad precedent. For one thing, both of those goes, especially Saddam, are crazy enough to start slaughtering civilians en mass in order to bring the population in line. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll catch a lot of shit about it at home if we have an opportunity to stop it but we don't. Who here wants to face the press a year from now explaining why we can't do anything about the thousands of dead-by-mustard gas civilians in Libertia?" Lonestar asked.

"The problem is, brinkmanship and power plays only work against rational people who fear having something to lose. Shep and Skim, 'scuse me, "Saddam the Great" aren't rational. They really don't see the difference between a grenade and a nuclear strike-- it's just a bigger, more effective boom.

"Will your people want to become Hiroshima Shadow Puppets for Libertopia? They haven't shown much propensity to deal with this on their own. Precedent is important, I don't deny, but so too is knowing when to pick & choose battles worth fighting for. If we go nose to nose on this and win, even in the best circumstances, what's the prize? We get to keep a divided, hair-trigger swarm of militias at each others' throats on Libertopia for another... maybe 24 hours until we face another meltdown?

"Phongn and Raj have actual interests there. Let them deal with it if it means that much to 'em."

"Are you saying you're out?" Rufus asked. Arik shrugged.
"You already know the answer to that--my involvement in this is not Libertopia, it is just nothing but MESS solidarity. Libertopia is not worth fighting over-- they're just not, they're thankless cretins who'll repay us with another goddamn terrorist assassination attempt. I'm just saying that as a MESS member, hell, as a friend, these guys are not where we want to hang our credibility. Because it also sets th eprecedent that we'll stick up for any tinpot asswipe so long as he pokes Shep or Skim in the eye. Let's concentrate on defending real friends with sense-- Byzantium. Shroomania. Stas, even.

"I'll go along to get along if you're all really hellbound to do it, but I want some battlegroups up here on my north coast to help me push back the certain invasion Shep'll be landing on my shores. After he turns half my people into charcoal."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Military orders the extensive mining of the seas surrounding Byzantium

In response to a possible Shepnukistan invasion, the Navy has begun mining the seas to the north, west, east and south east of Byzantium. The Military has also constructed a series of defences at the coasts. Thematic troops are now being called up regularly for exercises aimed at repelling an invasion, and the first battery of S-400 missiles to be installed in mobile divisions and in hardened points will be produced by year end. Rapid increase in production of the missiles is expected over the next year as the government pumps in more resources into it.

Government will decide in a vote whether or not to commission a new carrier.

The Government will decide in a huge vote whether or not to commission a new carrier by next month. This is now a definite decision.

[Ender]

President's Office, Subterranian City of Olliegrad, Enderistan

"It appears that Mr. Shepperd and Mr Skimmer are convinced that this must be settled by force of arms."

"Yes sir."

"Very unpleasant for business, that."

"Yes sir."

"Our sovereign wealth fund has significant investments in both their countries, don't we?"

"Yes sir."

"And in addition to that we have both large reserves of their currency in our warehouses and have extended them a series of very large loans, haven't we?"

"Yes sir."

"The same loans that let them keep their economies steady as they built up to this level of military strength as I recall."

"Yes sir."

"Can they pay us back now?"

"No sir."

"Send them a message reminding them of that, will you?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and Doyle? Put the military on full alert. We will follow our allies lead on this one. We are far enough to the south it shouldn't be an issue, but I don't wish to be caught flat footed if the MESS decides that conflict is inevitable."

"Yes sir."

[TimothyC]

King: Gentlemen, What are our options right now?

Gen: Well sir we're in a bind. With the majority of our SAM systems needing replacement soon, we might have to find another supplier - RT or the MESS both look good. We've checked with Shepnukistan and we are going to get our Bradleys, but further equipment is unknown.

MoD: I'd like to point out that these events underscore the importance of domestic military production - mostly the Tejas and the Orion airframes.

MoState: OMSK is still valid, as are our treaties with Langley. If OMSK falls, then I recommend further treaties with RT and or BEAR.

King: So what do we do?

National Security Adviser: Right now? Not much. I recommend that North Shores '10 be canceled and that we wait and see about North Shores '11.

Gen: One final Point - Shep has pushed us into a bad place with our deterrent. The shelf life on the weapons is only 3-5 years. That means that if we don't use them in that time then we no longer have them. The only weapon we could field in that amount of time that would give us the same destructive power is the LLNGFS - which is a weapon no one wants to see used.

[MKSheppard]

Shepnukistani Presidental Residence

"What? Is this a joke?"

"I'm afraid he was serious when he passed the note to us."

"Did he test for any known psychotropic drugs?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

"Have that thing framed for comedy value."

"Yessir."

"I mean what the Christ? Ever since I entered office, I've cut the Army by nearly ten divisions, slashed the Navy by eleven guided missile cruisers and thirty guided missile destroyers; and laid up our entire submarine force; all twelve fast attacks; and sold six of the submarines and several cruisers to foreign customers."

"Granted, there's the entire Blackbeard missile complex as a huge capital outlay; but the savings from my previous cost cutting of the Nukistani military enabled Shepnukistan to afford that; and we flooded the Central sea with so many anti ship missiles that not even a fly could get through."

"The entire space program was a shared joint capital venture with the Red Technocracy and United Kingdom of Blackadder, with Blackadder bearing most of the cost.....I could go on, but what the Christ can that man possibly be on?"

"What should we do?"

"Well, if this was a different universe, I'd have our Speaker of the House publically urinate on it with the comment that Budweisers' was good for something after all, but sadly we aren't in that universe. Simply reply with 'message corrupt'."

"Before I forget; do we have enough devices to spread the love to this new guy?"

"More than enough, sir. More than enough. We have enough devices to ensure that all two hundred primary targets in the NSIOP are serviced. In fact, we've got more nukes than we can actually deliver with SAC, to the point that we're trying to find alternative uses for them."

[Zor]

His Majesty's Office, Zortropolis

"How the Fuck did this happen..." the king asked himself yet again, confounded at the events, nothing was going well for the world but Saddamistan and Shepnukistan combining into a new block out of the ashes of the once mighty OMSK Pact made all the other problems look apsolutely minor and trivial in comparison, praticularly being a boarder State. Even with the thirty nukes the Kingdom had gained from Shepnukistan and the return of RAR engineers to the kingdom from the RoS, things were not looking good. Never the less, in his mind, all doub't He then pressed the buzzer.

"Jackie," He said firmly, he knew what he had to do "Send a message to whatever allies we have, we are going to need to work something out."

[The Yosemite Bear]

The Siege of Hadrian: Day 1

Dr. Oliver headed to her quarters, she had just ended a double shift, and had the next 12 hours off, no one could disturb her, too bad all of her care packages hadn't gotten through, except that Nate and her had opposite shifts, so their "Friendship" couldn't take advantage of any of it's special benefits, and she didn't like alcohol and despised Soma, how to burn off the stress of working in Libertopia. Sure, it was an "Active Duty" posting so her and the other doctors were getting their debt to HK and the Republic paid off more then Twice as fast.

She wondered did the "Iron General" realize what had happened when HK at the request of the the Republic established an Airship port and hospital in his territory, paying for otherwise little used clear land far from any ocean port, with little value. Yes it was a hospital, and as the Pro-tech and other mercinary groups had discovered while the General was worried about other armed military presence in his realm, he was fairly poor at recognizing it once someone had changed the names. For example, The Airship port had it's own maintenance crew, security for the medical supplies (which Alexander's men had gone through thruoughly stealing any thing they thought they could get away with), airship maintenace, helocoptor maintenace, generators, nurse's aides, nurses, and doctors in the initial BR humanitarian mission, were all Republic Reservists who had seen combat against the Noctodyles, and the Berzerker Gang Riots following the devistation of 2008. Did he think that it was just a coincidence that they were all so efficent together, that their triage had been so sucessful after the mine accidents in recent months?

As Dr. Oliver was about to enter her room, a breathless Nurse's Aide ran up to her.
"Ma'am, they shot JOCK!"
Oliver didn't like this, Lars "Jock" Gunderson was a big and brawny former football playing Norse Kid from the Orthodox dominated North Fort area, he had gotten himself into some difficulty with the daughter of a land owner and had joined the Republic Armed forces to get out of it. His reputation amoung the enlisted women at Fort Hadrian was simular to that of "La Longue Carabine" amoung the Lady Officers: lots of stamina, lots of enthusiasmum, and lots of pain the first time.
"Ok, who shot Pvt. Gunderson?"
"We don't know, he went out on an ambulance run and a sniper shot his bird out from under him. They shoot at anyone who tries to get close to him, and he's hurt really bad."
"Ok, Tell the Air Traffic NCO on watch to meet me at the top of the tower in 10!"


Seventeen minutes later:
"I thought you officer's knew better then to volunteer for this kind of job."
"I'm not volunteering, In addition to being an ER surgeon here, I'm also the base ME, I'm the one that has to give him his "Y", tag him, bag him, fill out the paperwork, write a report to HK, write a report to the Republic and write a letter to Lar's mother. So In that sense I'm trying to keep myself from doing extra work. Nice lazy and officer like. Besides I'm the one who got a medal for killing a Noctodyle with one shot."
"People aren't the same as Noctodyles Ma'am."
"Noted, oh there's your gleam you cheeky bastard." Dr. Oliver smiled as she slowly squeezed the trigger of her Carbine rifle.
getting up, she turned away from the Controller, ok send someone to pick up Jock, and bring him to surgery, and send someone to pick up the bandit sniper for interrogation."
"You suspect he's still alive."
"Oh yes, I shot his scope, bruised, possibly missing an eye, but very much alive."
"Ma'am, if you shot his scope wouldn't the rifle round just pass through into his brain?"
"You've been watching too many movies, I might as well try and shoot through a dozen panes of bullet proof glass. Now the mountings aren't so secure but that's another story."

With that Dr. Oliver went to take her remaining 11 hours with a good murder and a lot of sleep.

[K. A. Pital]

Red Technocracy. Rain season. Red Square, deep underground bunker MO-6



- Tell them all that the alliance stands firm despite the traitors. We have exposed the weak-willed and warmongers amidst us, - hissed a female voice. - We have expunged the evil amongst us, the evil that is now acting as a pawn for Saddamistan's sinister agenda.

- Very well, my darling, but I cannot be sure it can be still salvaged at that point.

- In that case we shall walk the other path. But not until it is firmly certain that it's unsalvageable.

PRAVDA: Despite brewing rumors, the Red Technocracy has vowed to stand firm behind it's OMSK allies.


United Kingdom of Blackadder, Red Technocracy, Republic of Vulpesia, Duchy of Langley, Kingdom of New Patria, Crossroadia, Vedra Republic and the Kingdom of Zoria still form the OMSK Pact.

Unless the UKB takes steps to destroy the alliance completely, the Red Technocracy stays firm behind it's allies and will not renounce it's treaty obligations.

Of those who left the OMSK, the Supreme Council spoke nothing, though the newly promoted Generalisee Ania referred to them as "traitors and nothing more".

PRAVDA: Rising war in Libertia "of no interest", population is mobilized for possible hostilities with Saddamistan after ultimatum

Today the Supreme Council issued a final ultimatum for Saddamistan, to allow the inspection of biological weapons facilities, or face a declaration of war by the Red Technocracy.

The bomb shelters have been rigorously tested and there are rumors that personal chemical and biological attack protection wear have been distributed among the populace through the schools, kindergartens and universities, which serve as Civil Defense Centers in case of a total war in the Red Technocracy.

Both carrier groups have been patrolling the nation's coastal waters.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Break with OMSK results in an unexpected boon in army procurement funds

The break in OMSK resulted in the non-delivery of Tu-160s and the remainder of the Mi-28A and transport orders. When asked, an airforce spokesman shrugged, "To be frank, we ought to have stuck to Western hardware from the start. Even our army is slowly heading towards Westernised hardware. As for Red Technocracy, they will have to either buy up our orders or sell it to someone else or give it away. That's their business. In short, all orders canceled. If they don't wish to sell us spare parts, we will either get Byzantine Aeronautics Inc. to do the job for us, or we will talk to the MESS about trading in for newer aircraft."

Inquiries will be made to the MESS for equivalent aircraft to fill in the gap. Byzantium Airlines is also watching the issue closely with the Il-96 aircraft they purchased. It is understood that enquiries will be made with regard to 777-200 and 737-900 aircraft to replace all Il-96 aircraft eventually. The Navy says it does not pose a problem. They already operate the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and were merely looking for more advanced aircraft. Current aircraft are F/A-18 analogs, i.e. Rafale-N aircraft which do not rely on Red Technocracy for parts.

The Ministry of Trade spokesman simply told the media, "If Red Technocracy does not want to trade with us, we simply trade with FUN and MESS. We have established trade ties with FUN and the MESS for a while, so we do not expect a huge shortfall in trade."

[Shroom Man 777]

Farbanti, Shroomania

"God no!" the scream resonated throughout the capitol building. "No! No! No! NO!!!"

"Prime Minister-"

"Selena, I want you to contact all of the FUN. Even Paul, if you can get a line into his hospital."

"Yes sir..."

"I want you to tell them this:

We will maintain and continue the Fungal Union Nations' peaceful charter of trade, diplomacy and security. We will do nothing to unnecessarily provoke the exceedingly militant nations of Shepnukistan and Saddamistan.

I advise everyone to maintain cordial relations with Shepnukistan and Saddamistan, at least in the form of a friendly facade, despite what they may think of both nations' recent actions.

Tell them that I agree with their assessment - that Shepnukistan's recent actions have greatly jeopardized global stability, that all of us have been affected by the negative repercussions and will continue to be adversely affected in the foreseeable future.

But tell them that we must also not get entangled in any powergames that these powers might play with the MESS or the remnant OMSK.

Shepnukistan and Saddamistan are nations that have historically been greatly antagonistic towards the MESS and if a nation aligns itself with the MESS, especially in these most uncertain times, it would also earn the unwanted attention of both Shepnukistan and Saddamistan.

The Fungal Union of Nations will weather the storm as it always has - by being the voice of reason, moderation, and rationality in a world that has apparently gone mad.

To my friends in the FUN. Please consider deeply and with great thought whatever actions you may take in the coming days. Remember that you will always have friends in the Shroomanian people, and that we stand side by side with you in the commitment of peace.

We hope that this current crisis may be resolved without bloodshed and without war. I wish good luck to us all."

The Prime Minister breathed deeply and looked at his aide.

"Is that all, Prime Minister?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"Get me Director Baylor."




LIVE on ShroomSatTV
The Sovereign Shroomanian Sentinel
THE SHEPNUKISTAN-SADDAMISTANI STORM


FUNites leave en masse from Libertia.

The world-shattering events of the OMSK Pact's near-dissolution and the formation of a new global superpower in the Unified Atomic Republic of Shepnukistan and Saddamistan has had drastic effects worldwide.

Shroomania is recalling all of its citizens who are performing humanitarian works in Libertia. This 'total recall' is similar to the one that was in effect during Saddamistan's initial military attack in norther Libertia, but the Shroomanian Minister of Information - Toadstool Todd - has stated that this latest 'total recall' will be indefinite.

"There are great tensions in that area," the Minister of Information said. "Unlike anything we've seen before. The forces of the MESS and the nascent Atomic Republic might have a head-on collision, and we cannot have our people stay in that future ground zero."

The Shroomanian Embassy in the Bear Republic has also cautioned the Bear Republicans, suggesting that they also withdraw their humanitarian workers from Terra Libertia.


A Shroomanian family huddles in their private shelter.

Back in Shroomania, citizens and civilians are in a flurry as the countless government and private bomb and fallout shelters first constructed during the OMSK-MESS and the Saddamistani-Libertian incidents are once again seeing use. Shroomanians everywhere are stockpiling anti-rad medication, canned food rations, clothing, water, and other survival supplies vital for the postnuclear postapocalypse.

The Fungal Union Civil Emergency Department (FUCED) is once again instituting emergency drills to raise public awareness on the eventualities of nuclear holocaust.


Despite the world crisis, the NS Savannah is christened and released with much fanfare.

In other nuclear news, the world's first nuclear passenger ship, the Nuclear Ship (NS) Savannah, sets sail from N'tonian harbors - steaming for

The NS Savannah is a joint Shroomanian-N'tonian project sponsored by Shepnukistan to create the beginnings of nuclear-powered civilian cruise liners. Shroomania was tasked with developing the nuclear power plant while N'ton was assigned with the responsibility of constructing the ship itself.

The project is estimated to have cost at around $46,900,000 ($18,600,000 for the ship, and $28,300,000 for the nuclear plant and fuel).

Despite the world crisis, there is a glint of optimism as the NS Savannah left N'tonian shores. It's passengers, a mix of Shroomanians, N'tonians, Shepnukistanis, and even Saddamistanis, were quick to celebrate the historic nuclear launch.



[OOC: HAY SHEP! Here's your nuclear boat! ]

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Reports of flight of Byzantine Aeronautics executives to Shroomania.

There are rumours of a possible joint venture between MacMillan Aeronautics and Byzantine Aeronautics. While no details have been released, the two companies are currently collaborating on a few military projects with support from both governments.

[Shroom Man 777]

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The Sovereign Shroomanian Sentinel
BIG BAM

The world's political crises has been compounded today with a startling new development in the corporate-economic sector as the Shroomanian and Byzantine companies, MacMillan and Byzantine Aerospace, have announced the synergy of their civilian aerospace departments.

The result is Byzantine Air MacMillan (BAM).

This development comes with the recent straining of ties between Byzantium and the Red Technocracy. The Red Technocracy's socialist economy means that its companies are government-owned and the Byzantine government has expressed concerns that with their exit from the OMSK Pact, the Technocracy may suspend its civilian and military deliveries.

The Byzantine government has cited the Red Technocracy's non-delivery of Tu-160 'Blackjack' strategic bombers as evidence of this.

The BAM will be a 50/50 venture between both Byzantine Aeronautics and the MacMillan Multicorporation and will have oversight from both the Byzantine and Shroomanian governments.

The MacMillan Multicorporation has produced several models of aircraft for the Shroomanian Lufthansa, with its primary planes being the short-to-medium passenger A320 and the long-ranged A340. The MacMillan Multicorporation is also working on the A350, a long range, mid-sized, wide-body family of airliners currently under development with fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and the A380 - the SuperJumbo, designed to be the largest passenger airplane in the world.


An A320 in a New Gottish airport.

Byzantine Aeronatics' other collaboration with a Shroomanian company is the Enhanced Tactical Fighter project with the Schrom Corporation. It is rumored that Byzantine Aeronautics, the Schrom Corporation, and MacMillan are working together on another project as well.