SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Zor »

Union Press

Port Adria Complex approaches completion

Port Adria, Zorian Veleria-Today, project forman Alexandra Hamilton has reported that things are well on their way to completion. No major setbacks have occured over the project's construction while things have proceeded well and on budgit. Forman Hamilton has congradualted the professionalism and competance of his men for this. Already, the first wave of camp establishment teams has been launched to set up the beginings of the Royal Mining and Metalurgy mining facillities in the Dragonridge mountains area, as well as the garrison nessisary to defend it.

When pressed with concerns over the Reported Space Vampires, Hamilton replied that a strict redgiment of Health Tests has been put into place to identify any possible risk of contamination and that soon proper serveilence equipmente will be established to root out any risk posed by inflitration among the working staff. He also stressed that this new port facillity will have much tighter health and saftey standards than other West Velerian coast states.

"Its quite exciting" Forman Hamilton told the press "we are setting up a foothold of civilization in these new lands. I would like to see what this area would be like in a hundred years."

Growth of Zorian Faiths abroad continues

Today, the growth of Zorian Norse and Shinto populations abroad continues. Both the Assembly of Norse Preists and the Association of Shinto Shrines have reported massive growth in members, a fact backed up by local censuses. The Zorian Norse population abroad has reported a growth of the number of foreign practitioners to have grown from 95,000 to 170,000 while the Zorian Shinto population (drawing largely with populations of Japanistani immigrants) has expanded to some 120,000, with hotspots of growth beign Cascadia, Alaska, Canessia, PeZookia, Shroomania and in praticular Shepistan where they have both been engaging in chariatable work. As such both the ANP and Association of Shinto Shrines has authorized increased efforts into these programs.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by PeZook »

Orena Evening News

Wave of violence sweeps across PeZookia

Dozens dead and hundreds wounded were a result of a week-long wave of vigilante killings or random innocents accused of being "motherfucking space vampires". Police officials report at least sixty arrests in relation to these cases.

King Paul leaves on hastily prepared trip to Canissia

Surprising nearly everyone, King Paul left for Canissia this morning aboard a government airliner. Sources inside the Royal Palace report that the trip has something to do with recent revelations about the HERV virus which were first publically released by none else but King Arik.

The precise purpose of the trip is being kept secret, however.

Maciej Zakoscielny okayed for Mercury 4

The Polish fighter pilot, Col. Zakoscielny, has been okayed as pilot of the Mercury 4 mission by the FASTA flight surgeon team. The mission hardware has already been prepared, but the mission itself is awaiting the end of Mercury 3 flight data analysis.
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JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
- NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11

Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.

MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Fingolfin_Noldor »

Constantinople Times

Public reaction to Vampires muted

In an almost laconic way, almost true to their Greek heritage (and especially those who lived in the region around Sparta), the response to the Space Vampires was muted. Rather, when the average citizen was asked about the vampires, he'd say, "We have nuclear warheads don't we? Why not use them on these vampires?" No one seems to be panicking, beyond a few stark raving mad men who went to the streets yelling, "The end is near!" Of course, in typical Byzantine fashion, they start to ask, "What should be done?" As for the possibility of possible infections, it was either "leave it to the scientists", or "leave it up the hands of God".
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coyote »

Nervous Calm in Canissia



After King Arik's announcement, and the press conference given by Doctor Bashir the following day on the HERV virus, a tense, nervous calm has settled over Canissia.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Police officer Ben Kelszo, of the Neve Tikveh mteropolitan police, "Last night, the streets were deserted. Once the sun went down, there wasn't a soul to be found. Even the usual places where the homeless gather were empty. People slept with the lights on, though, I could see that."

Crime was down an astonishing 97% last night, with only a handful of vandalisms and gunshots reported. One man was arrested for shining a powerful, hand-held halogen light on passers-by from his porch, and threatening people with a shotgun who did not move on quickly enough.

Overall, a sense of fear has settled over the populace. Bars and nightclubs have seen business plummet to almost nothing within 24 hours, and some proprietors have said they won't bother to stay open after sundown tonight. Gun sales, however, have increased by 60%, and jewelers are seeing a major increase in business as people bring in silver heirlooms to be melted into bullet moulds.

"It's Rediculous"

"It is rediculous," said Doctor Bashir, of the CCDC, "There are six known cases, and all of them are in lockdown on Leeward Isle. They cannot so much as hiccup without us knowing about it and monitoring them. People are panicking over nothing."

People infected with the HERV virus cannot operate in direct light. They are dormant for at least 2/3rds of the time and generally are weak and sickly, and have an unmistakeable pallor about them. They are able to exert brief bursts of strength and endurance, but then must rest for a considerable amount of time.

"They absolutely, positively do not sleep in coffins," said Doctor Bashir, "They don't turn into bats or wolves, they don't wear black capes and speak in accents. Silver, wooden stakes, crosses, garlic, holy water-- it's all nonsense. These are people infected with a parastitical colony and they can barely function but for maybe four to six hours at a time, and only when there's no light. If people are worried, they should get lights, especially those that operate on the same wavelength as natural sunlight, and put them up in their homes or porchlights," he said.

Still, interest in the occult has peaked since the announcement, and libraries, booksellers, and online encyclopedias all report increased volume, especially in vampire and UFO reports. Local Wiccnas and self-proclaimed "witches" are being asked for advice, and Priests, Imams, Rabbis and other faith leaders cannot keep up with calls for blessings and "cleansings" to be done on houses, cars, and even offices.

King Arik to Meet King Paul

The leaders of Canissia and PeZookia are to meet today, and discuss the matter. Likely areas of discussion are to be quarantines, safe zones, and bio-responses, as well as comparing hospitalization reports and notes. It is unlikely that the borders will be closed, despite calls for some in the Nationalist Party to do just exactly that.

The military has already been swamped with calls by scared citizens demanding to know when the "invasion" of Selene will commence, and where they can sign up for the "Space Corps". The military has routed all outside calls to an automated server and a web site set up to handle the volume of questions, and will not return any calls.
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."


In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!

If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!!
Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by DarthShady »

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote: "Indeed. I'm not too sure about the space meteors to be honest. None of our scientists foresee more of these things in the near future.

But what is certain, and one of my allies, the Kingdom of Serenity, did obtain on my behalf samples of the virus in question. As for the space meteors, I think we should just prepare ourselves for possible.. eventualities.. There's always the option of hoisting a nuke on a rocket and send it flying into space. My people have been looking into the matter, but it will take years before such heavy duty rockets come into play."
"I see.", The Premier said, "There are many ways to fight these things my friend, but one thing is for sure, we must focus on Space Based Weapons, if it turns out that's where the virus came from. Which we both know isn't true, but gives us the perfect excuse to weaponize space."

"Tell me Comrade, would It be possible for the USSR to receive a sample of the virus? I would like my scientists to study it closely."
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by PeZook »

Seaside Palace, Canissia

The usual ceremonies followed Paul's landing in Canissia, albeit they were significantly less flashy. There was no press conference, and both leaders were quickly spirited away from the airport.

Paul was quite silent throughout the entire limo trip. It was only after he and Arik settled down in the privacy of one of the myriad rooms in the Seaside Palace when he finally dropped the bomb.

"I have a question, Arik...before we cut to that other stuff from the press release."

Arik looked Paul in the eye, surprised somewhat at his gravely serious approach to the matter.

"The HERV virus...I've read the reports, and it's pretty obvious it's the exact same thing that Marina had. I mean, it's not hard to figure out...so what I want to know is...was she involved with the outbreak in any way?"
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JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
- NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11

Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.

MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coyote »

PeZook wrote:Seaside Palace, Canissia

"I have a question, Arik...before we cut to that other stuff from the press release."

Arik looked Paul in the eye, surprised somewhat at his gravely serious approach to the matter.

"The HERV virus...I've read the reports, and it's pretty obvious it's the exact same thing that Marina had. I mean, it's not hard to figure out...so what I want to know is...was she involved with the outbreak in any way?"
"It was, in fact, her idea," Arik said candidly. "I agreed to it-- a deal with the devil, I guess-- because once she explained to me what it was, I realized two things."

"And that would be..?" Paul asked, unsure whether to be shocked or enraged.

"One-- it squared with tales of bizarre diseases, transformations, and legends of the past. The disease has probably already been to this world, it just never survived long enough to gain a foothold. So in truth, it was already most likely here, waiting to be discovered... by accident. Meaning, us being unprepared."

"And the other reason?" Paul asked, his voice low.

"If she's making this offer to me, and I refuse, how long until she makes the offer to Shep?" Arik said matter-of-factly. "Or Skimmer?"

There was silence in the room for awhile.

"And what was her... rationale for this?" Paul asked.

"Kickstart the space race," Arik said, "Get off this rock before Shep or Skimmer nuked us all to hell, which --at the time-- was thought to be a very real threat. Accelerate the drive to colonize the planets by lighting a fire under the asses of people who would otherwise be afraid or stand in the way of needed budgets. Now... space is beginning to get a lot of attention."

"Light a fire... of fear," Paul said.
"I don't like it, I admit," Arik said, "But like I said, it appears the disease was already here; and I wanted to know what it was before Shep got ahold of it. Because he would, you know, especially with Japanistan so involved down in Veleria. Astaria, too. They wrote off the natives' fears as silly superstition, but eventually they'd catch on, and weaponize it. I wanted to be there first."

"You realize, of course... that others will piece this together as well," Paul said, "I'm not the only one. Lonestar, SiegeTank... they will know what's going on."

"I'm certain of it. I'm counting on it, in a way," Arik said.
"Wh..?"
"They'll latch onto the cover story," Arik said, "It's very plausible. There's gaps missing, sure, there's uncertainty and missing links, but the scientists here will apply theories that make sense. And it will make sense. Doctor Bashir's press conference? It wasn't scripted; he is telling the absolute truth as far as he knows it. Because that is the theory that fits the facts."

"But that's not what happened," Paul said.

"What is the simplest explanation for what has happened?" Arik asked. "Look-- ancient legends tell comets bring doom. Comets fall, people have funky symptoms and diseases that create legends of monsters. We find a extra-terrestrial disease that creates monster-like symptoms. Suddenly it all makes sense.

"Or, there's the other theory-- that the key leaders of this world are actually inhabited by the consciousness and memories of people from another dimension, who all lived a previous life together in a destroyed version of this world, and were united by an all-powerful space being and his vampire assistant because they shot their mouths off on a political opinion board in yet another universe so he gave them a chance to live up to their theories.

"So," Arik said, "Which tale fills in the blanks more logically? The virus already exists. Tales about our shared previous lives...? I like living in a real palace, not a padded one."

The silence was uncomfortable as Paul mulled it over. Gotta admit, he's got a point with that...
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."


In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!

If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!!
Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by PeZook »

Seaside Palace, Canissia

The silence dragged on, with Paul staring at the water glass he was holding.

"Jesus christ, Arik...", he managed to say eventually, "I never suspected you of such...christ, I don't think I have the right word for it."

Paul got up from his chair and started pacing around the room.

"Why the hell did you have to infect people for this plan to work? Why not use animals? I know you wanted to scare people to death, but...christ, there have been murders because of this. Murders!", Paul was walking around, waving his hands in the air, "For the record, I really don't think Marina would've handed this thing to Shep. Or Skimmer. But that's moot right now...jesus motherfucking christ..."

Paul was ranting now, but he didn't seem to realize it. The news obviously hit him very hard.

"...and you know what? We didn't even need the goddamned thing in the first place! The space race was coming along nicely before anybody even knew what was going on!"

After a few minutes, Paul put down his water glass.

"Fuck this. I need a drink."
Image
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
- NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11

Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.

MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Siege »

State Security

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Chinta Ria Restaurant, top floor of the San Dorado Sheraton

"It is somehow appropriate", Executive Director Iago Morgan of DIFEI commented sardonically, "that in these troubled times we dine and drink red wine in a restaurant with three Canissian stars."

"Troubled times?" the President sipped of his wine, a particularly tasty 1981 Chais Saint-Vincent from the Vineyards. "Considering what we've gone through in the past few years I hardly would call this 'troubled'."

That was all too true: whereas some nations were experiencing urban upheaval after the Canissian reveal of the HERV virus, nothing seemingly changed in San Dorado. Or at least, there had been no noticeable increase in the number of shootings, riots and random killings insofar as anyone had managed to discern. Fortune bless this place, the President thought. It wasn't the first time he was glad for the city-state's unusually chaotic nature.

"The invite said you wanted to talk about our industry", Morgan changed the subject.

"I did", Sidney Hank nodded. "I was wondering what our status was, with regards to the crisis."

"Back to normal", the director responded. "Exports and imports have resumed fully, industrial production is back to pre-war levels, and apart from some irregularities in the financial sector we're as good as gold. Weapons exports are suffering a bit from the unusually peaceful state of the world, but Ralson seems to be compensating nicely by focusing on the expanding market for rocketry. Otherwise... Well, there really isn't much to talk about."

"That's good to hear", the President smiled. "Vampires or not, it seems we're cruising."

"So it would appear. Speaking of rocketry..." Morgan grinned. "How was Jerusalem?"

"Let's just say that the flight was most enjoyable."

Result: San Dorado has mostly recovered from the economic crash that followed in the wake of the Pathogen War. And the Canissian 'big reveal' has not noticeably increased the chaos in the city-state beyond usual levels :).
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SDN World 2: The North Frequesuan Trust
SDN World 3: The Sultanate of Egypt
SDN World 4: The United Solarian Sovereignty
SDN World 5: San Dorado
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The folks at CNN, they won't believe their eyes
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coyote »

PeZook wrote:Seaside Palace, Canissia

"Fuck this. I need a drink."
"Can't argue with that," Arik said, and poured from the bottle of fine Shroomanian brandy he had in the small liquor cabinet. He poured himself one, too.

"Me, capable of such... cynical disregard? Evil?" he said, handing one glass to Paul, who downed it in one gulp and Arik poured another. "I didn't either, really, until presented with it. You do remember the end of ...the first world?" he asked, reflexively looking around as he said it, even though no one was in the room. Just hearing him talk like that would cause a crisis.

"Someone gave Shep the idea that the MESS was planning to attack. I mean, sure, we'd discussed feasability options, sure, but we had no plans, no concrete intent or even readiness. So where did this idea come from?" He looked at Paul, who was slumped in his chair, looking down, his hands shaking a bit.

"I..." he started to say, waving one hand passively, then fell quiet. "You think Marina told him? Was she... vamp'd by that point?" he finally asked. Arik shrugged.

"Someone told him something. Someone who could access him instantly and immediately whispered something in his ear, and he went off. Maybe Q, as a test. Or to end the game and put us here, where things are harder... and he started with his chemical and biological programmes...No," Arik said, shaking his head and finishing his own brandy. "I'm certain that Shep would have either gotten this from Marina, or found it himself in the jungles of Veleria. I admit," he said, rubbing his forehead, "I didn't expect the rampaging and murder... like the SARS and bird flu stuff back home, I figured there'd be... I dunno, some paranoia, people buying MREs and wearing surgical masks in public... I underestimated the reaction," he said, frowning.

"But I honestly thought it'd be me or Shep. If it was Shep, we'd have to fight. If it was me..." he spread his arms out in a gesture of unknowing. "Give people a reason to divert massive amounts of money into space. Where was it going to come from? The defense budget-- big and cuts in defense, when there's no real threat, can always be justified. Unlike... education or health. I didn't know Shep was going to be removed from the picture entirely, I figured we'd take him down a peg or two, keep him contained, then cut defense for space-- and give people a real reason to do so."

"God... you know, you remind of that guy in Aliens. The Company guy: 'I made a bad call, Ripley, I made a decision and it was a mistake...'."

"Yeah," Arik agreed, "To an extent I agree, really. But I also say this virus was almost certainly already here in some form, deep in the Velerian jungles, and if I could get ahold of it first, develop a countermeasure while also using it to scare folks into space really fast... I mean, face it, these folks are like back on Earth. They're not as pliable as the people on Novaterra-I. They'd only kick out a few measly bucks here and there for space while bitching and moaning about the expense, that it's un-necessary, that we should be spending it on other pet projects... people are people, we landed on the Moon in 1969 and didn't even go back there in our lifetimes, 40 years later."

"I don't know if you believe in hell," Paul said, "But if you do, you're probably going there."
"We don't really have a hell," Arik said, "But we do pay for the... mistakes we make. So I'll be busy, yeah."

"So... countermeasures," Paul said. "Found any yet?"
"Nope."
"So, fat lotta good it did, huh?" the PeZookian King said bitterly. Arik said nothing-- he had no defense, so didn't insult Paul's intelligence trying to fabricate one.

"Where we go from here," he said instead, "Is a choice we have to make." He poured drinks for them both, again.
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."


In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!

If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!!
Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by PeZook »

Seaside Palace, Canissia

Paul gulped down the next glass almost as easily as the preceding ones. He hated alcohol, really, but this was...an extreme case. His hands almost stopped shaking by that point, and his head certainly felt clearer.

"What is done is done, I suppose. I just hope you're keeping your vic...the subjects", Paul corrected himself quickly, "...in good condition. You say you're certain HERV is already here?"

"It's just a hunch, but you know...it fits the local legends well."

"There are certain implications of that fact. If it's here,and it can survive in space, then it's probably everywhere else in the solar system. It and other, perhaps even nastier things...", Paul stared at the ceiling, empty glass in his hand, "I hate to admit this, but some good may yet come out of this whole mess."

"Yeah...at least we know now we need to be cautious.", Arik nodded, and yet it didn't seem to do much. The consequences of his choices were obviously weighing heavily on his conscience, "And perhaps some countermeasure will be found, in time."

"Perhaps...for now, since the damage is already done, I guess we can fulfill Marina's original plan. San Dorado is already doing it, though I'm almost certain Hank, too, suspects your story is bogus.", Paul smiled wryly, "And I guess I won't mind getting more money for space."

After some more uncomfortable silence, Paul finally reached for his briefcase and opened it.

"Well, since we were supposed to discuss hospitalization notes, then I guess we better get on it. I have here some reports from Civil Defence about effects of that Shepistani bio attack that your people may be interested in, and there are some interesting conclusions about secondary effects of civil defence investment..."

As both national leaders delved into mundane matters of state, their moods seemed to have improved. There was still much to care about on this world, after all.

"And by the way, funding a Space Corps is an awesome idea for the future."
Image
JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
- NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11

Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.

MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Karmic Knight »

CNBC – Commonwealth National Broadcasting Channel

“King Brandon met with the People’s Committee on Safety; an organization in the Autonomous Socialist Frequesuan Republic formed after the Biological Weapons War, where the Republic was attacked by Shepistan; to discuss the options the Republic has to bring it out of this current economic meltdown. The King had this to say outside the building the meeting would take place in:

‘We must bring the Socialist Republic of Frequesue out of poverty, and level with the rest of our continent. As the War with Shepistan showed us, Our Continent’s defences are only as strong as our weakest link, and, I have to admit, the Socialist Republic of Frequesue is the weakest link. Face it, aside from the CSR based military installation, this country needs help, fast.

‘In order to protect our continent, we need a multinational defence strategy, similar in principal to the one used by the Old Continent. We need the support of a nearly all of our nations to do that, and I believe that Tian Xia either is unwilling or unable to drop the Westcherterian deadweight, which means defence strategies would have to go through a major off shore power, and working with them defeats the purpose of any sort of continental defence initiative. So it is up to us, The FTO and unaligned states, to protect our homeland. Not as citizens of our countries, but as citizens of Frequesue.’

“And the King is currently discussing economic issues, and defence issues with the People’s Committee on Safety, in Livorno.

“In other news, the Grand Assembly met today to continue discussion on budgets involving space, defence, and commerce. Violent Crime is up 20% in the past week, and as are the other supernatural-paranoia indicators.”

results:
Brandon makes the journey to the SRF (Socialist Republic of Frequesue), to discuss sollutions to the fact that it is on our continent.
Canissian Bred Paranoia runs rampant.
I insult Westchester and Tian Xia.
This is an empty country and I am it's king, and I should not be allowed to touch anything.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coiler »

CBS Swarm, several miles off the coastline of North Frequesue

The small submarine's mess was extremely vibrant, as its crew talked about the hottest topics. After all, you had to do something to relieve the tension of being a crewman in a cramped, noisy vessel.

"I can't believe it-man, some people are just fucking nuts."

"Yeah, killing everyone who looks pale or comes out at night, thinking that they're some sort of SPACE VAMPIRE!!! OOOOOH!"

One sailor did not share the laughing attitude of his fellows. "My brother's kind of-weird. He's a LARPer, and he likes to dye his hair and make his skin look as white as it can. I'm worried he'll get killed. No, seriously, I do."

"Well, if he has any brains, he'll change his attitude."

"That's the problem-I don't think he's that smart."

"Hey, what if a space vampire got into our boat?"

"We'd kill it" came the reply. "Enough about these stupid space vampires anyway. Why aren't we talking about something important, like what to do with the thousands of discharged soldiers now that Helmut's 'New Army' is no more? What will they do?"
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Beowulf »

Chengdu Airbase
Tian Jiao


The R-1 Habu was on a fairly easy "training" flight. Take off near MTOW, fly south until reaching altitude, dip to supersonic speed, head northwest, then swing around back around port to head to home. Both routine, and fairly safe. There were still few aircraft that could intercept it.

Statement from the Office of the Huang Di

King Brandon has made some inflammatory remarks towards the status of the Imperial Colony of Tian Jiao. It's obvious that he did not think his comments through, and I urge him to better consider his words. It's somewhat shocking that he can manage to mangle the names of two of his neighbors, as well as dismiss the value of a possible ally in the strategic security of the Frequesquan continent. The Huang Di also apologizes for the inadvertent intrusion of the Vineyards airspace by a TXAF aircraft on a training flight.
"preemptive killing of cops might not be such a bad idea from a personal saftey[sic] standpoint..." --Keevan Colton
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Fingolfin_Noldor »

Constantinople Times

No major new acquistion orders to be made this year

Excepting the 2 new experimental submarines, the military will make no new orders made this year. Funds however are being channeled into R&D. What R&D projects these are is unknown. Safe to say, that the Military is looking into this space vampire problem closely.

The Military however noted that they may issue the order for the upgrade of existing MBTs with a 120/140mm electrochemical thermal (ETC) gun pending the final few tests which are taking place now. 155mm and 203mm ETC artillery weapons are also on the drawing board and final tests for these weapons will be early next year.

Restructuring of the Air Force

The Air Force and Army have both announced significant changes to the Order of Battle. Specifically, all Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche III aircraft will be transferred in stages to the Army to form the basis for the Army's Air Defence arm, while the Air Force will get the newer Tranche IV aircraft. The High Strategos of the Air Force yesterday, in a ceremony to officiate the first operationally ready Tranch IV squadron, say that the Air Force and Army will focus on different goals. The Air Force will defend the Empire against air threats as a whole, while the Army will use its aircraft to provide theater defence against air threats. This would free the Air Force of the need to maintain air defence for the Army, while allowing the Air Force to focus on defending the Empire's cities and key assets against enemy attack. The Air Force also accepted 36 Tu-160BM and 48 Tu-22BM yesterday.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Fingolfin_Noldor »

Imperial Chronicles
DarthShady wrote:"I see.", The Premier said, "There are many ways to fight these things my friend, but one thing is for sure, we must focus on Space Based Weapons, if it turns out that's where the virus came from. Which we both know isn't true, but gives us the perfect excuse to weaponize space."
"Indeed my friend, we should pour some money into space based weapons. I would expect that we should be able to deploy a space station in space within the next 5-10 years and a space shuttle within 10-15. We will do it with or without any FASTA funding; it will be an SNC wide project."
"Tell me Comrade, would It be possible for the USSR to receive a sample of the virus? I would like my scientists to study it closely."
"I believe so. I'll leave it the civil servants to make the necessary arrangements."
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Czechmate »

South Pacific Ocean
800mi from the coast of Tian Jiao


The Pacific Ocean. Nova Terra's largest body of water, stretching many thousands of miles between Messamerica and the Old Continent and encompassing the entirety of the continents of Frequesue and Veleria, it was international water. Dotting its' vast surface were innumerable atolls and islands too small to mark on a global map. It was around one of these atolls, known as Bootischort Atoll the Tian Jiao Navy had set up a small blockade, a Wake Island-class light carrier and its' escorts forming a ring some fifty miles offshore. An EV-22 AWACs made long, lazy loops at thirty thousand feet, escorted by rotating pairs of F-24C Sealclubber fighters.

From the direction of Frequesue, a single faint blip appeared on the EV-22's radar, approaching at fifteen thousand feet and a lazy mach .85; a B-1D Lancer of the Tian Jiao Air Force. The EV-22's primary flight controller flipped to the prearranged, task-force-wide frequency, and began broadcasting.

"HARBINGER, HARBINGER, this is AWACS CIRCUS. Come to vector zero-one-zero. Accelerate to military thrust and commence run to target, then ascend to angels thirty. Copy?"

A moment passed as the bomber approached before the comm crackled back to life. "Copy, CIRCUS. HARBINGER maneuvering to assigned vector. Target is marked and locked in. Commencing attack run now."

The EV-22 and its' escorts swung toward the island as the bomber lept forward, accelerating to mach 2 and issuing a sonic boom heard by every nearby ship. Crews hunkered down and shut down non-hardened systems, leaving nothing but cameras and sensor equipment running to record the test. Many had no idea what would happen.

As HARBINGER neared the island, its' belly doors opened, revealing a rotary launcher bearing a single unguided weapon. The bombardier flipped the release switch, the bomber jumping up as the one-ton weight fell away toward the atoll. The pilot slammed the plane's four F120/02 engines into afterburner and climbed, rocketing upward as the weapon plummeted. Its' internal fuse ticked down the seconds as it fell, before detonating a mere five hundred meters above the island.

The atoll erupted in flame as the Mark Two reaction weapon went off in a mammoth explosion equalling forty thousand tons of TNT. The island's trees were flattened, its' few animals baked to a crisp and its' beaches were turned to glass by the immense heat and shock of the explosion. The atoll's central lagoon boiled briefly, killing all life within it, before the heat began to die and the shockwave reached the sea, throwing up a twenty-foot tsunami that raced a full thirty-three miles outward before dying away as well.

As HARBINGER came up alongside CIRCUS and its' escorts, a vast mushroom cloud could be seen, towering a mile high over the scorched, ruined atoll. As the ships of the barrier task force came back to life, cheering could be heard across the task force frequencies.

Tian Jiao had just detonated its' first nuclear device.

---

Results:
-I successfully demonstrate my nuclear capacity and the ability to deliver it to a distant target.
-I kill a lot of monkeys. And snakes. And fish. And possibly algae. Though they don't matter so much now.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Lonestar »

Virginia Register
In the Old Dominion, violence remains low
Even as the rest of the world gives in to hysteria over the so-called "Space Vampires", the streets of the Old Dominion remain calm.

"I attribute this to the stoicism of the average Old Dominion resident or Citizen," Said Guybrush Threedwood, a sociologist at Chapel Hill University. "Our history is larger that of dealing with Barbarian invasions and WMD attacks. Set against that, a few lunatics that suck blood is small potatoes.."[More]



Air McMillan joins Mach 3+ Freighter/Liner team
The Shroomian aerospace corporation Air McMillan has joined the international Mach 3+ Freighter team led by Old Dominion defense contractor Combat Optics.

"Air McMillan will be playing a small but important role in the project. For example, those MESSholes like to paint everything in gray or green. We believe a pink and purple scheme would be more conducive to live freight and the aviation crew. Yum!" Said a Air McMillan spokesperson.


Combat Optics refused to comment on Air McMillan's comments. The spokeswoman did give a annoyed sigh, though. [More]
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by PeZook »

Orena Evening News

King Paul returns from Canissian visit

King Paul I returned to Orena today after a brief top-level meeting with King Arik Coyotus I of Canissia. The trip itself caused concern amongst political experts, who noted it was hastily prepared and not announced beforehand.

In a press conference at the airport, King Paul gave the following statements:

"I found the meeting quite fruitful. I understand that it may have seemed odd that the trip was prepared to hastily, however there were several matters related to biodefence which I had to discuss personally with the King. Yes, the HERV virus was amongst them - I had to make sure of its precise nature. I am glad to admit that the virus has a low threat level, and the public should not be concerned about it."

Attorney General releases press statement on "vampire murders"

The office of the Attorney General released the following statement concerning the recent wave of HERV-related murders in PeZookia:

"None of the victims whatsoever were infected with HERV ; I need to state with utmost gravity that those were completely innocent victims of cold-blooded murder. The police and the ministry of justice will prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law. We will not tolerate this kind of irresponsible, panic-inducing acts of barbarity."

The overall number of HERV-related murders has declined to nearly zero, although police are still receiving reports of space vampires roaming the countryside and cities, which mostly turn out to be completely unconfirmed. Beatings and harrasment remains common, however, and in one case a group of young men personally delivered an abused and beaten citizen to a police station.

All of them were arrested on the spot.

King Paul to appear before parliament during debate on space funding

The Royal Office announced today that King Paul will adress the Parliament and ask for more funding related to space research, especially space monitoring, research and presence. The debate is scheduled to take place in four weeks, and already most MPs are expressing their desire to vastly increase PeZookia's contributions to Earth's collective security from spaceborne threats.

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

The Aware Human

HERV virus threat: real or manipulation?

In a series of articles ran throughout last week, we at the Aware Human have been tirelessly warning the populace about NWO preparation for their great population cleansing.

The recent HERV scare is part of this plot: the Pathogen Wars were a test of the myriad of biological agents the rich elite wish to unleash upon the populace to murder 90% of it. However, the Wars also demonstrated that well-prepared countries like Shepistan can resist bio-attacks. Thus, a need arose to gut civil defence.

In comes the HERV - a blatant attempt to divert funding from civil defence, and turn attentions away from other, far more potent viruses waiting to be unleashed by the elite.

HERV IS COMPLETELY MADE UP!

The NWO wants people unaware and unprepared when they commence the final phase of their plans for world domination: reduction of the populace to 100 million, easily controlled. The elite themselves will weather the storm in bunkers and aboard secret space stations in orbit, at least two dozen of which are already operational. Remember, all governments and banking institutions are completely committed to this course of action.

WE MUST RISE UP NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

TRUST NO ONE!
==================================================================
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JULY 20TH 1969 - The day the entire world was looking up

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
- NEIL ARMSTRONG, MISSION COMMANDER, APOLLO 11

Signature dedicated to the greatest achievement of mankind.

MILDLY DERANGED PHYSICIST does not mind BREAKING the SOUND BARRIER, because it is INSURED. - Simon_Jester considering the problems of hypersonic flight for Team L.A.M.E.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Siege »

Silver Streak

Image

Camp Kittyhawk Rocketfields, Space Launch Complex-4 East Pad

The nervous tension in the master control room of the Camp Kittyhawk Rocketfields was extreme. Things had gone reasonably well since the start of the morning, when the very quiet countdown had begun. Clocks were slowly but surely ticking to liftoff at 10:05 a.m. FST.

Unlike some other rockets that were fuelled during the final hours before launch, the Lucrelance II's core stages were loaded with storable hypergolic propellants more than a week ago. That made for a less hectic launch morning, but considering this was to be the first launch of the Silver Streak prototype, the atmosphere in the control room was frenetic all the same.

“Retraction of the mobile service tower has been completed.”

“MP reports launch pad is secure.”

“We are now two-and-a-half hours from the scheduled launch time. I repeat, two-and-a-half hours until launch. All warning systems to red.”

The ground control crew frantically worked its way through the pre-launch checklists, ensuring that the remote-control systems installed on the space plane prototype would work ‘as advertised’. In the background, engineers from Ralson Aerospace nervously watched and waited.

“We have a go for first and second oxidizer tank pressurization.”

“Roger that, beginning pressurization.”

“Weather conditions along the northerly flight path are acceptable.”

Then, perhaps inevitably: “Uh, command… We’re encountering some issues with the countdown computer system.”

Shit thought Dr. Jensen. Then, aloud: “Anything serious?”

“Nothing we shouldn’t be able to handle. We’re working on it.”

“Alright, continue countdown and prelaunch checks. One hour remaining until scheduled liftoff time.”

“Cabin leak check comes back green. Confirm boiler power on. Commence cabin pressurization… Check.”

“Begin main propulsion system start-up.”

“Command, we’ve got an issue with the main engine, one of the first engine nozzle covers has come loose.”

Fortune dammit, cursed Jensen inwardly. Sweat trickled down his brow. “Can we autocorrect?”

“We’re trying command, hold on.”

“Forty-five minutes until launch.”

“How’s the computer systems doing? Come on people, give me some good news.”

“Uh, the problem resolution crew is still working on the technical issues, command.”

Jensen came to a conclusion. He shook his head. “I’m not taking any chances with this thing. Push the launch back one hour.”

“The PRC says they can make it in time, sir.”

“I’m sure they can, but let’s not rush things if we don’t have to. Take your time. And remember that if anything goes wrong, Ralson will have our heads.”

“Very well command. All crew be advised, target liftoff time is being adjusted one hour to 11:05 a.m.

The temperature in the master control room slowly rose as the air-conditioning struggled to keep up with the increasing tension. It took the problem resolution crew eighteen minutes to fix the countdown computer system. Twenty-seven minutes later, a remote controlled robot had fixed the engine nozzle cover. Fifteen minutes later, the countdown recommenced.

“Final test of the ABORT system… Check.”

“Enable fuel cells. Prestart check is underway.”

“APU start.”

“T-minus 19 minutes and counting. Clocks are running for liftoff at 11:05 a.m. FST.”

“APU check. Hydraulic check complete. All systems green. The launch team is complete, we are go for launch.”

“Confirmed, all systems are go for launch.”

“T-minus 9 minutes, 30 seconds. The clear-to-proceed poll of senior management has been completed. No constraints reported.”

“Air Force Control final report is in, upper-altitude winds have been deemed acceptable.”

“T-minus 2 minutes.”

“Sequence start. Handing over the remainder of the countdown to Main Launch Computer.”

“Seven.. six... five... four... three... two... one... LIFTOFF!”

Image

The Silver Streak prototype rose up, slowly at first but then faster and faster, the Lucrelance II booster rocket carrying it toward the heavens on a pillar of smoke and fire.

The atmosphere in the master control room was one of cautious exhilaration. The rocket was up and away. At least it hadn’t exploded on the pad - so far, so good. Fifteen seconds after lift-off the rocket performed its pitch and roll programs to achieve the northerly heading, continuing to power toward space, its twin solid rocket motors continuing to fire normally.

“We are at T+plus 2 minutes, 12 seconds. First stage main engine start.”

The liquid-fuelled main engine package lit up, a precursor to burnout and separation of the twin solid rocket boosters. At T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds the solid boosters disconnected and began their long fall to the Pacific below. Producing about 550,000 pounds of thrust, the main engine pushed the rocket even faster, giving gravity the finger as it climbed away from Earth.

“Main engines throttle up to 104%”

At T+plus 5 minutes, 38 seconds the first stage has shut down and the spent stage dropped away to fall into the Pacific Ocean. The second stage now ignited to accelerate the payload into orbit. There was little the control crew could do now but wait and monitor the proceedings.

Second stage cut-off occurred, followed a few seconds later by deployment of the payload.

“T+plus 11 minutes, 27 seconds. We have spacecraft separation. I repeat: we have spacecraft separation. Silver Streak is in orbit!”

Cheers went up. Champagne corks popped. Years and years of hard work by thousands of people throughout San Dorado and indeed the entire continent of Frequesue culminated in this single moment. They had done it. The Silver Streak prototype was circling the planet, and San Dorado had its very first space plane. The orbiter would make three revolutions around the planet before beginning its automated descent, gliding down from the very top of the atmosphere to land at Camp Kittyhawk Air Force Base, only a few kilometres away from where its journey had started. That would be another tense moment – but for now, Dr. Harald Jensen allowed himself to be carried away by the adrenalin and the elation. This was a titanic success for the small city-state. And he was bloody well going to celeberate.

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Result: The Silver Streak prototype has successfully reached orbit, and will make three revolutions around the planet before descending.
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SDN World 2: The North Frequesuan Trust
SDN World 3: The Sultanate of Egypt
SDN World 4: The United Solarian Sovereignty
SDN World 5: San Dorado
There'll be a bodycount, we're gonna watch it rise
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Beowulf »

Chengdu Air Base
Tian Jiao


A small fleet of B-1C bombers had been flown in, along with aerial refueling craft. Also in the fleet was a C-17 carrying munitions troops. They taxied their way to the specially built bunkers near the flightline. Orders were checked, then the bunkers were opened. Seventy two loaded rotary launchers were wheeled out. Each was uploaded onto bombers, a total of 24 bombers in all. After upload, the C-17 was boarded by the munitions troops again, and the fleet took off.

Ducal Palace
Tian Jiao


"Sir, you have an appointment with the Emperor."

"What when did this happen?"

"About 5 minutes ago. The Emperor wishes to see you at your earliest convenience. Which means you need to be on your way now, sir."

Result:
Reaction Weaponry removed from Tian Jiao
Duke of Tian Jiao visits the Emperor
"preemptive killing of cops might not be such a bad idea from a personal saftey[sic] standpoint..." --Keevan Colton
"There's a word for bias you can't see: Yours." -- William Saletan
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Fingolfin_Noldor »

Imperial Chronicles

Because the Emperor demanded progress, the rocket engine design group rushed the testing of the prototype engines. The engines will not be used in the final rockets, but it was to be the first of a long line of prototypes to be produced. The initial prototypes will not meet the final expected fuel efficiency but nevertheless, a successful test will show that the teams were making progress. "If the FTO can build rockets of that size, I do not see why Byzantium cannot. We have given you a steady tide of funds for the last 5 years, with all the equipment you need to test, model, and design the rocket engine. Don't fail us," so said the Emperor.

So the teams gathered in the rocket testing range in the desert just beyond Antioch. The rockets were placed in their test positions, and technicians and engineers supervised the installation of the engines and double checked all the connections. No mistake must be made. Finally, when everyone was ready, the first rocket fired. To the excitement of the J-2 rocket team, the rocket fired, and maintained sustained thrust. Data was taken and the chief engineers were scanning through the data feeds. "Looks all good and within specifications. I guess prototype J-2A works."

Image

The next engine was then fired. It worked beautifully. The 4 nozzled RD-170 prototype fired with an even louder roar, to the great cheer of the design team. The tests a success, both teams shared champagne and looked forward to the next round of tests next year.

Result: Prototype J-2 and RD-170 tests done. Next round of tests next year. Expected completion: 2012-2013.
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coyote »

"REMOTE EAGLE" SEEKS LAUNCHER

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Canissian AeroTech's most ambitious project ever, the EGL Exo-Gravity Lander, or "Eagle", is ready for space testing, say officials at the Jerusalem launch center who have been working on the project for the past few years.

"Recent success in such endeavors as the 'Silver Streak' project point to the utility of a remote testing of the EGL vehicle in Terranovan orbit," says Jill Hatchman, one of the lead researchers on the project for Canissian AeroTech.

What that means is that a vehicle will have to be found that can launch the 20-ton EGL into orbit, where it will be put through a series of remote-controlled flight tests. The EGL in the test will be unmanned, and will have an empty cargo pod slung under its superstructure. Instruments in the command module will record data and send it back to ground controllers so that information on how the ship handles in its intended environment can be recorded and any flaws worked out.

Image

The EGL is a revolutionary vehicle, but it will have its limitations. It is not, technically speaking, designed to land on Terranova, for example, and typically once built will remain in space, either fulfilling missions on the moons or used to visit other planets in the solar system.

"It could land on Terranova," said Hatchman, "But it would be a tricky prospect. It would have to be a slow, controlled entry and the pilot would almost definitely be out of fuel as soon as the landing pads touched down." The ship is also not designed to go outside the solar system, and in fact going much beyond any of our nearest planetary neighbors would be a lengthy and dangerous trip.

"The EGL does have a magnetic shield generator to deflect solar radiation," Hatchman said, "But it still has to be hard-shielded against such things as gamma rays, which can have a severely deleterious effect on DNA strands. The command module is rad-shielded, and a personnel module, carried in the superstructure, would alos be rad-shielded, but the walkways between them are not, to preserve weight. We're still working on ways to do that effectively, with composites."

Image

If composite, or electrically-generated shielding cannot be found, the Eagles intended for humans to work in --and live in, for extended journies-- will have to have 'hard shielding' built into them, which would boost the EGL's weight to a whopping 30 tons.

"And that's before we've added any amenities for long-distance travel, such as a water tank, a galley, food stores, and a toilet," Hatchman says.

One idea that is gaining grudging acceptance in the Canissian AeroTech community is that future vehicles may have to be launched in two seperate missions-- one for the EGL vehicle itself, one for the cargo pod carried in the superstructure.

"It is designed for inter-changeable cargo pods," Hatchman said, "The whole concept behind the vehicles is that it can be a passenger shuttle one day, and a flying cargo crane the next, by changing the pods. But obviously it will be a lot better if we can lauch the whole thing as one unit on one rocket. But it's beginning to look more and more like we'll have to go for the two-launch strategy."

Recent budget shifts, however, are making that more likely. With the recent HERV scare, a prioritization of space launches is being placed ahead of defense procurements. Officials in the Royal Air Force are said to be working on a specially-designed cargo pod for the Eagle that will carry a THEL emitter on it, but no official comment has been made about the project.

"If our intent is to deflect or destroy the Keres meteors," Hatchman said, "A THEL on an Eagle would do the trick."
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."


In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!

If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!!
Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Siege »

[Err, this was supposed to be a PM...]
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SDN World 2: The North Frequesuan Trust
SDN World 3: The Sultanate of Egypt
SDN World 4: The United Solarian Sovereignty
SDN World 5: San Dorado
There'll be a bodycount, we're gonna watch it rise
The folks at CNN, they won't believe their eyes
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Re: SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Second

Post by Coyote »

[OOC Correction: because Coyote is not an aeoronautical engineer, and because we don't have "edit" anymore, let's say that damn EGL is supposed to be more like, I dunno, 80 tons in stripped-down mode. Damn. The Space Shuttle is like 112 tons, or something, right?]
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."


In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!

If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!!
Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
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