SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Third

[Shroom Man 777]

LIVE on ShroomSat/StratTV
The Sovereign Shroomanian Sentinel
HIERARCHICAL HERNIA


PM Shroom the 777th exercising on his Prime Ministerial trampoline during better days.

Prime Minister Shroom the 777th has been admitted to the Mother Mammaria Medical Center this morning after an undiagnosed hernia was discovered after his daily exercise on the Prime Ministerial trampoline. The Prime Minister is currently undergoing examination and, shortly after, will undergo operation to correct his medical condition.

For the duration of his stay in the hospital, and his recovery, he will temporarily relinquish his Prime Ministerial powers, which will be bestowed on a temporary Deputy Prime Minister appointed by the House of Commons.

Currently, Prime Minister Shroom is reported to be in good health and has joked about his condition.

"Man, my internal organs are sliding into my scrotal sack. This totally puts a new spin on the term 'going balls up', right?"

"Like that movie said, 'grab life by the balls', eh?"

"I'm just having a ball."


Results:
I'm leaving tomorrow for a week of NUERSING. This'll be, like, an in-game reason for mein absence!

[Ryan Thunder]

Capitol Complex, Mirakar, Miratia

"Surely you realize this won't do anything but set a ludicrously unhelpful precedent, right?"

"The invasion is a distraction."

"A distraction for whom, sir?"

"I already sent the Sabikan government a message. We'll pay for any damages caused and the troops will have left by--" the Supreme Leader looked at his watch, "Now, if I'm not mistaken."

"You deployed three companies, an artillery battery, a tank batallion, and a submarine escort as a distraction?"

"Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that? Didn't you get the memo?"

"Who, exactly, are we distracting and what are we distracting them for, sir?" The Supreme Leader's advisor was beginning to get frustrated, "I can't advise you on policy if you don't tell me about it."

"Maybe you should have showed up for the meeting."

"I had appendicitis!"

"Oh. I didn't get the memo. Glad that you recovered so quickly. If you really must know, it was a cover to insert Greyhelms at the other end of the country. Nobody's going to notice a few Haulers dropping spec-ops when there's something far more interesting elsewhere."

"Ah. I see. That's a pretty expensive way to insert a few troopers, isn't it?"

"We'll see. If we rescue the presidents, our diplomatic relations with their countries could get a helpful boost."

[Coyote]

DEEPEST, DARKEST VELERIA





Astronaut Wolf Phideaux emerged from the waters of the inner Velerian lake. The water was warm, and tropical, and quite comfortable-- but that brought small comfort to the Canissian astronaut whose Eagle escape pod had badly overshot the spashdown site to land, instead, in the small lake deep in the jungles of Veleria.

"Ohhh, man, am I fucked," Wolf Phideaux said, "I hope they don't take that pod out of my paycheck." The pod sank, and Phideaux had ditched his spacesuit and swam to the surface of the lake. All he had on now were the pair of street clothes he'd stowed away after the landing, just in case he needed something for a photo op.

"Now what am I going to do?" he asked aloud, still stunned by his landing in Veleria, of all places. He knew the government would come looking for him, but where would they look? Veleria was a vast uncharted island, few people had ever been to the interior, and those who few who had seldom lived to tell the tale-- and those that returned were driven mad by the experience.

I guess I wait here, he decided. He knew that staying near the pod would be the best bet... even if the transponder had failed, they'd track the trajectory-- what was that? his mind raced at the new sounds, the scary jungle-creature sounds that came closer... closer... "Oh, hell no!" he said as the creature crashed through the underbrush.



Wolf Phideaux didn't think, he just ran-- ran, like no man had ever run before or since, ran like the scared primitive monkey his anscestors had evolved from, ran through the forest as fast as he could, to get away.

Wolf Phideaux ran until his lungs burst, and even though the roars and screams of the dinosaurs faded into the distance, he continued to run, convinced he could still hear their crashing feet behind them... finally, he reached th elimits of his endurance, and his feet fell heavier, and he tripped, stumbling, rolling end-over-end, to come crashing to a halt in a pile of branches and leaves... sobbing from exertion, trembling with raw, andrenal fear. Finally, he looked up, realizing he wasn't dead, or being eaten, or torn to shreads, and saw..

...a man.

A bald man, rugged and adventurous in appearance.



"C'mon, buddy," the man said, "I don't know how you did it, but you outran a goddamn Velociraptor. I ain't never seen such a thing happen before," he said, and offered Phideaux a hand up.

"Name's Lohn Jocke," he said, "And I live here. Me and some of the other survivors of Canissiair 815."

"C- Canissiair 815?" Phideaux stammered, "But that plane was lost... years ago!"
"Yup," Jocke said, "We crashed here years ago, and somehow, Veleria won't let us go. We're lost, all of us... and now, you're lost too. Welcome," Jocke said, with an ironic smile, "To the Land of the Lost."





Results:
Wolf Phideaux survives the crash, ends up... Lost.

[PeZook]

FASTA bulletin

Class 2014 recruitment lower than anticipated

For the first time since its inception, FASTA has failed to meet its recruitment goals for the year. Despite the largest recruitment campaign ever ran, surprisingly few potential astronauts applied for entry into the Class 2014 training cycle.

According to sources within FASTA administration, the low numbers are a result of the embarassing Soyuz 6 incident involving a Shroomanian astronaut Miranda Moonbeam. While Ms. Moonbeam was removed from the FASTA astronaut corps, the damage to prestige of the organization suffered immensely.

This problem is reportedly serious enough to threaten FASTA's moonshot schedule, and thus is being adressed at the highest levels.

Lucrelance III makes first test flight

Lucrelance III, the final iteration of the Lucrelance Upgrade Project, has made its first test flight today. Incorporating state-of-the-art technology, the partially reuseable rocket will support several important FASTA programs, such as the Low Earth Orbit Space Station, initial Selene test flights, the Interplanetary Exploration program and several others.

The rocket utilizes two hypergolic core stages and from two to six solid-rocket boosters, giving it a projected top lift capacity of 34 tonnes to LEO.

The Lucrelance III is expected to enter regular service in 2015.

LSL-1 ends in failure

The first-ever lunar lander mission sponsored by FASTA ended in failure during final stages, when the lander module crashed into the surface due to a communications failure. FASTA denies comment at this time, claiming it has no new information for the public.

In other headlines...

Soyuz 7 hardware rolled out to launch pad

Initial FASTA space station trials to begin by end of 2014

FASTA denies involvement in CATO military space programs

[PeZook]

FASTA Administrative Building, JSC

Meeting transcript, 12.03.2014

Attending: Damian Kaklamanis, Director Of Operations ; Carla Shval, Director Of Development ; Saiko Kaneda, Chief Mission Planner ; Deke Slayton, Astronaut Training and Crew Assignment ; Marek Terlecki, Public Relations Officer

Director Kaklamanis: Thank you all for coming, gentlemen. Let us begin with the usual. Saiko, Deke, what's the status on Soyuz 7?

Saiko Kaneda: The mission will launch on schedule. There have been no delays of any kind, which is a good sign - it means our ground crews have gained enough experience to anticipate and solve problems before they appear. We will conduct several important tests, including breaking the world's altitude record, and get some EVA experience to some more of our astronauts...

Deke Slayton: Damian, if I may interrupt?

Director Kaklamanis: Go ahead, Deke. What's on your mind?

Deke Slayton: I wanted to touch on the subject of recruitment and flight rosters...I hope you got my memo concerning this?

Director Kaklamanis: Yes, that was the next point on the agenda. Go ahead.

Deke Slayton: Damian, quite frankly, we are slowly faling behind the MSA when it comes to training up astronauts...Soyuz launch turnarounds aren't high enough to train up the next generation of experienced astronauts necessary for Selene, and the MSA is rapidly catching up to us in terms of man-hours spent in space with their X-20 and X-38 programs.

Carla Shval: We planned to leap ahead with Selene...

Deke Slayton: With all due respect, Carla, have you read latest reports on the X-20 program? They're doing six, eight flights a year. That's up to sixteen astronauts with orbit experience, and it's just a matter of time before they all start doing EVAs. We need something bigger than Selene to keep up, especially since 2014 recruitment is so damned low.

Saiko Kaneda: I have to concur with Deke here. At the moment, we can make it to Selene with a decently experienced crew, but launch turnarounds later on will suffer. We have to address the issue right now.

Carla Shval: We don't really have enough pads to run an extra manned program just for training...there are the four Soyuz pads at JSC, two of which run satellite and scientific programs, and the two under construction at Comona...

Director Kaklamanis: The Shroomanians have several Silver Streak facilities. Could we use those to replicate the X-20 program?

*attendees consult their notes*

Carla Shval: Not pound-for-pound, but it will help. They will need to modify their instrumentation to match FASTA standards,too...I'll look into the matter.

Director Kaklamanis: I'm sure Shroomanians will be happy to help. Speaking of 2014 recruitment...Marek?

Marek Terlecki: We have prepared an extensive PR campaign aimed at restoring the prestige of FASTA astronaut corps...it includes standard tools like ads and events, but we'd also like to expand our educational and media programs, and publicize it. We've had some really good ideas about getting into schools and universities with training seminars and special FASTA-sponsored classes and competitions...here's a detailed report on what we want to do.

Director Kaklamanis: Thank you.

Terlecki: Needless to say, I'd really rather we screened our astronauts a little more thoroughly in the future. We don't need any more incidents like these.

Director Kaklamanis: Duly noted. Let's move on to launch capacity. I believe the Lucrelance III made its maiden flight?

*snickers are heard*

Carla Shval: Uh, yes...it blew up, sir. 55 seconds into the flight, to be exact.

Director Kaklamanis: I know that. When can it be operational?

Carla Shval: Well, we can probably have it cleared for manned spaceflight in mid-2015. The L-III will put us on part with the MSA's Delta IV when it comes to lift capacity, maybe a little lower. Unless more delays occur, that is.

Director Kaklamanis: We need that rocket, Carla. Make sure it's ready on time, we're already far behind the MSA when it comes to throw weight.

*meeting continues, edited for brevity*

Director Kaklamanis: ...let me be absolutely clear on this: we need to increase launch turnaround, and fast. Two manned launches a year are unacceptable if we want to make Selene by 2018. I want a detailed plan of action, on my desk, in two days. Understood?

Carla Shval: Yes, sir. You will have it.

Director Kaklamanis: Any other points? Remarks, questions? Good. Meeting adjourned.

*transcript ends*

Results:

- FASTA will replicate the MSA's training program using Silver Streaks, deeming existing Soyuz flights to be of too little utility in graduating astronauts for future needs.
- Lucrelance III to be operational by mid-2015
- Huge PR campaign to launch in order to restore prestige of FASTA astronaut corps
- Measures to be taken to increase manned launch turnaround without compromising safety

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

Deep in Siberia

The streak across the sky, that sent speed meters running to levels rarely seen, was greeted with whoops and cheers among the engineering team that was watching intently from the ground. The streak pulled some maneuvers, then throttled down and returned to the ground.

[Beowulf]

Ares Blog

Is gravity getting your satellite down? Too bad it doesn’t have a Mini-Helicon Plasma Thruster on board.

The aeronautics minds at MIT have developed this new propulsion system as a lighter, more fuel-efficient way to give satellites the boost they need.

Powered by electrically charged nitrogen gas, the Mini-Helicon is an alternative to the rockets maneuvering most satellites today, which get their kick from chemical reactions. About 10 times more efficient, this new, shoebox-sized technology would also have the advantage of being significantly cheaper, Oleg Batishchev, a principal research scientist in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, said in a press release.

The Mini-Helicon Plasma Thruster is the first of these non-chemical technologies to use nitrogen as its fuel source. The nitrogen is pumped through a quartz tube wrapped in a coiled antenna and surrounded by magnets. Radio frequency power, transmitted to the nitrogen from the antenna, turns the gas into plasma, or electrically charged gas. The magnets help produce the plasma, and guide and accelerate it through the system.

"The plasma beam exhausted from the tube is what gives us the thrust to propel the rocket," Batishchev said.

Last summer, for fun, Batishchev’s students successfully assembled a version of the plasma rocket using a recycled glass bottle and aluminum can, instead of the quartz tube and radio-frequency antenna. "This shows that this is a robust, simple design. So in principal, an even simpler design could be developed," he said.

[DarthShady]

Somewhere in the UCSR

The airfield was bristling with activity, as soldiers and engineers ran all over the place, preparing for the test flight that was about to take place. Representatives from all CATO nations were present and quite eager to see this new weapon in action. This was to be it's first weapons test, the UCAV was in development for quite some time and now the scientists and engineers working on it were finally ready for a full scale test.

"It looks impressive Comrade.", the Byzantine General said, "But will it do what we want it to do?"

"That and more, Comrade General.", the man in charge of the project answered, "It is a stealthy UCAV and has been ruggedised for sea operations, you will like it."

"What kind of weapons can it carry.", The PeZookian General asked.

"The MiG SKAT has a huge monolithic reconfigurable bay, and can carry a variety of mission packages, like for example two large Klub II missiles. Possible roles include the suppression and attack of enemy air defenses, and others.", the engineer answered, "The flight tests that we will do today will be used to prove the design and air vehicle systems. Weapon firings will also be carried out."

"So when will this test start?", the Shroomanian General asked.

"Right now.", the engineer answered, "Now, Gentlemen. Please follow me to the observation post."
-------------------------------------------------------

As the group of men moved out of the hangar, the engineers and flight technicians moved in to prepare the SKAT for the test flight. Ten minutes later it was on the runway, ready for takeoff.

Soon the MiG SKAT took off into the sky and began the long awaited test. Flight technicians did their job well and the UCAV proved quite capable of fulfilling it's role.

"All systems are green. We are ready for the weapons test."

"All right, let's give our guests a good show."

"Yes, Sir."

The UCAV streaked across the sky using it's onboard radar to find it's target, it soon found it and moved in for the kill. It's weapons bays unleashed their deadly payload, the KAB-900 small diameter bomb.

The bomb hit the target resulting in a massive explosion.

"Target destroyed. Weapons test is a success."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Byzantine Science Journal

Funding for a small scale prototype Polywell Fusion device authorised.

After showing off a small polywell fusion device, the research team which has spent the last few years on Polywell Fusion have been finally given the funding from the Fusion Energy Institute they need to make a larger prototype. "We are quite elated that the director has finally given us the green light to proceed with our endeavours," says the PI for the team. A Nuclear Fusion Tokomak reactor is nearing completion at Commune 1 in the UCSR and should see some testing by the end of the year.

Generation IV reactor technologies actively being pursued

The Nuclear Energy Institute is actively co-funding a number of nuclear energy projects together with counterpart institutions in CATO and MESS. Among the technologies pursued include Gas Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors and Very Heavy Water Reactors. Molten Salt reactors are promising, and a prototype is currently under construction by Byzantine Heavy Industries together with the Nuclear Energy Institute. Billions have been spent over the years and it is hoped by 2025, a new type of reactor would become available to replace many of the CANDU type reactors in use in Byzantium.

DSP-2 series of probes slated for launch come 2015-2016

The DSP-2 series of probes have been slated for launch in 2015-2016. It has been 1 year since the launch of DSP-1 and DSP-1 has performed admirably, returning much data on Mars and Venus. DSP-2 is said to either use Helicon Double Layer Thruster under development at MIT in Tian Xia or VASIMR thrusters which is under development at the Space Science Institute. Extensive use of MEMS technologies is expected to allow the probes to make their journey towards Jupiter and Saturn.

[phongn]

The Tonkin Paradox

(op/ed) THE INCORPORATED Republic of Tonkin is, by any means, a strange nation. A hotbed of capitalist intrigue, an authoritarian nation and a fiercely neutral country, the IRT has puzzled many a political scientists and foreign analyst. However, in the last ten years - coinciding with the ascension of Mr. Phong Nguyen to the office of President and CEO - Tonkin has begun undertaking a remarkably aggressive foreign policy, and here the paradox begins.

Under his leadership, Tonkin has aggressively invested in Velaria and has begun receiving a sizable return on investment. The northeast coast of that continent has always been the most stable and with further investment by Cascadia, real economic progress is being made - if the sort of progress that give human rights and environmental organizations aneurisms. In Rangatara, Tonkin has aggressively moved in: most observers now consider that nation a de-facto puppet of the IRT. Proof positive is the ejection of Zorian arms inspectors last year, the basing of heavy strategic bombers and the sudden appearance of large amounts of military hardware.

And yet, with all appearances of a return to the age of colonialism, the IRT's military forces are rapidly reorganizing for strategic warfare. Her air forces, army and much of her navy have been equipped with extensive stocks of nuclear munitions. Even the naval forces traditionally allocated for lower-intensity operations and trade protection are widely believed to be equipped with nuclear weapons. Civil Defense measures have reached all-time highs of funding with some of the money freed up from quantitative scaling down of Tonkin's armed forces. Any war with Tonkin, therefore, will be a nuclear one at the very outset - precisely the kind of war antithetical to a colonial empire, and with a force structure antithetical to colonial warfare.

Foreign manpower - such as that of Rangatara - can only make up so much. Will Tonkin be forced to use nuclear weapons in low-intensity conflicts? The staging of refurbished and refitted heavy bombers there are, as many believe, evidence supporting that view.

Further puzzling is Tonkin's sudden insatiable urge for space development. After years of quiet - including a cancelled program similar to MESS and San Doradan spacecraft - the IRT is charging into space. Extensive test flights at a frantic pace far more rapid than any other space agency or space alliance have been conducted. A manned launch can only be near. Their reusable vehicle now in development - commonly called the Shuttle - is an oddity. Enormous amounts of energy are expended on what is effectively dead weight such as the wings of the orbiter and the heavy structure needed. The parallel MODS program is much more conservative. However, the expense of manned spaceflight provides little in return-on-investment. Why, then, the expenditure of tens of billions per annum?

There are many questions now with Tonkin, puzzling ones. The inscrutable facade of the IRT remains opaque ...

Tonkin Launched First Manned Space Flight

[/url]HUE - Eugene H. Trinh and Phạm Tuân have become the first Tonkinese men in space. Launching as part of the Tonkinese Manned Orbital Development System program (MODS), these men and their successors will gain the necessary experience for the much more advanced Lifting-body Earth Reentry Transport (LERT) now under development. The two astronauts were selected from the Republic's Air Force (RTAF) lifting-body test program and are said to be some of the top aviators in Tonkin.

Details remain scarce about Tonkin's space development program: the nation has been unusually secretive about its development. What is known is that a large vehicle was launched two months ago into orbit with a similar capsule design. Telescopic and radar observations released from FASTA indicated that unmanned maneuvering and docking tests have been performed. It remains to be seen if Mr. Trinh and Mr. Phạm will perform their own docking tests in orbit with the vehicle. If so, Tonkin would arguably have the world's first operational space station ...

[Zor]

Union Press

Railway construction begins in the Ironridge Mountains

Fort Michael, Zorian Veleria-Today work officially began on a set of railway lines linking Port Micheal with various mining and drilling complexes in the ironridge mountains has begun to improve transportation of supplies from mines and drilling sights and transport goods back to base. Railway development was shedualed to begin in June of last year, but development was posponed due to Jihadi activity. This plan will greatly cut costs as well as allowing for an increased scale of mining and drilling operations. An estimated 2,000 workers (1,500 being Velerian) are expected to be employed during this project.

Robotnik Enterprises unveils the Vacbot and Scrubot



Robotnik Enterprises revolutionizes and Roboticizes the field of home cleaning

Robotnik Enterprises Headquarters, Arisaka, Arisaka Province-Tired of the grind of cleaning floors and carpets? Well Robotnik Enterprises has something that will end your cleaning woes with the world's first automated Vacuum cleaner and and scrubbing machine. Today, Zorian Robotics developer Robotnik Enterprises, maker of top notch entertainment robotics used for both play and in assisting our police has unveiled the Vacbot and Scrubot. These new machines are capable of cleaning the floors floors without any human guidence or intervention beyond activation. "I am certain these household robots will sucseed" Julian Robotnik, PhD and founder of Robotnik industries to the press "it will save the owners countless hours of time otherwise spent keeping things clean with the touch of a button."

The Robotnik Vacbot will be available at Buy'n Large Electronica and via mail order from the Robotnik Industies website, sales are expected to begin within two months.

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Constantinople, Byzantium
Unreal Time

Lelouch felt like a little boy in a toy store as he and his consorts watched the latest and greatest in Byzantine weaponry being tested before them. While he was particularly impressed with the capabilities of the K3 Black Tiger and its variants, he knew that it would be untenable to purchase them so soon after replacing his M60s with K2s, acquiring the license to produce PzH 2000s, and commencing upgrades and new construction of Achzarits; he was interested in the electrothermal-chemical gun upgrade for his existing K2s, however.

Likewise, while Lelouch was also impressed with the Tu-160BM, the A400M, and especially the Su-50, he saw them as inappropriate for his current needs in one way or another; he had no need for such a large strategic bomber when the Tu-22BMs he had already ordered were more than sufficient, the A400M would have been excessive and somewhat redundant considering the fact that the Langley Air Force already operated five different transport types of varying sizes, and a fifth-generation fighter such as the Su-50 was simply out of his reach for the time being. He was already familiar with the Tu-142BM, the Tu-22BM, and the Typhoon Tranche IV, as they were all types already in service or about to enter service with the Langley Armed Forces. He was also quite interested in the MiG-31TM interceptor and the Hermes and Skylark UAVs; he hoped that there would be money in the budget this year to finally obtain a few MiG-31TMs, and he wanted to introduce UAVs to the Langley Armed Forces.

"What do I think, Your Highness?" Lelouch finally addressed Emperor Heraclius. "As always, I am quite impressed with the quality and workmanship of your companies' goods. The Duchy of Langley has always been a major customer of Byzantine hardware, and I hope that we can continue buying and making use of your fine products in the future. Sure, there are those who think that they may be a bit on the expensive side of things, but it is my belief that they are worth every penny. When it comes to the defense of your nation, you should not compromise. You should buy only the best.

"That said, I'd definitely be interested in licensing the designs for the K2 upgrade package and the rocket-propelled ammo. I already ordered some Tu-142BMs, Tu-22BMs, and Eurofighters from Byzantine Aeronautics some time ago; I was told that the order would take around two to three years to complete, so the last of them should be coming in sometime this year at the earliest, right? I'm also interested in the Hermes, Skylark, and whatever other UAVs you have to offer; I can't believe that I've overlooked acquiring them for my armed forces until now. The PAM/LAM system does look promising, but I'd like to see some further testing before I can commit to obtaining some for my own army and navy. Finally, a tour of Constantinople Shipyards and Constantinople Naval base would be just splendid. Lead on, my esteemed Emperor."

[PeZook]

E5 international highway, near Zakopane, PeZookia

It was an uneventful shift, in the warm PeZookian south. While most nights saw police patrols posted on the E5 stop at least five drunk drivers trying to drive home from beach parties and the like, tonight was remarkably quiet.

Patrol 12 was a particularly boring episode of a boring night, since they didn't even write a single speeding citation. Both officers were bored out of their minds by the unusually law-abiding drivers and spent hours talking about pointless crap...untill, finally, near midnight, a car buzzed by their speed trap and registered more than 200 kmph on the video radar.

"Holy shit!", aspirant Jaroslaw Pieczychlebek shouted when the radar module informed him and his partner of the violation, "Did you see that?"

Jaroslaw's partner didn't waste time commenting, and started the engine. Finally, some excitement.

The modified FSO Bobcat highway patrol car roared to life and surged forward like its namesake feline springing from ambush. The lights and siren came up, and the chase was on.

The other car - a Shroompel, by the looks of it - not only didn't stop, but tried to accelerate and lose the tail. This only made the chase more intense, and a little bit longer - but the personal sedan couldn't really match the 250 horsepower engine of a police Bobcat. The driver finally decided to pull over after it became obvious he couldn't escape.

Officer Pieczychlebek put on his cap and left the radio car, with his partner staying behind the wheel, engine running. They already called for backup, but it was pointless to risk the suspicious driver getting away.

"Close the door! Keep your hands on the steering wheel!", Pieczychlebek called out seeing the driver opening his - no, her - doors.

Oh, great. A Shroomanian..., he thought after he noticed the license plate. Taking a deep breath, he approached from the driver's side.



"Ma'am, I'm officer Pieczychlebek. You've been pulled over for speeding - license and registration, please."

Miranda Moonbeam growled from her dark coven, her eyes shining and hands trembling. She growled and barked and handed her documents over. She trembled from a huge overdose of caffeine ingested on the way - to keep her awake, to let her drive and get her revenge. How dared they stop her?!

"Ms. Moonbeam, I will have to cite you for going 50 kilometers per hour over the speed limit."

"What?!"

"Uh...you were speeding. If you want to, we can show you radar footage..."

"You can't cite me! I'm important! On an important mission! A mission from Thor!"

"Ma'am, whoever you are, you are getting a citation.You can refuse to accept the ticket, and then the case will be passed on to court and..."

Pieczychlebek stepped back when Miranda suddendly opened the door and reached into her glove compartment. He pulled out his taser in the nick of time, zapping the crazy Shroomanian before she could use a stale baguette to assault him.

"Goddamn Shroomanians! Jesus..."

Result: Miranda Moonbeam is arrested in PeZookia for attempted assault against a police officer.

[Lonestar]

Richmond Times-Dispatch

New MOPP Kit begins to reach servicemen, CCC, contractors
The Old Dominion's activities in the former Shepistan are fast making it the premier fighting force in a NBC environment. Besides the subject matter expertise being gained, a new MOPP kit is beginning to deploy to servicemen, contractors, and CCC personnel operating within the infected areas.

"The Near-Future-NBC-Defense-Kit, or Nefinbeck, is lighter and thinner than the current kit, made of more robust materials, and easier to move in." Chesapeake Arms PM Jon Dangle said in a statement. "The kit also matches the new multi-cam pattern the Old Dominion adopted a few years ago. The ultimate goal is to eventually create a protective garment with internal temperature control, much the same you would find in a luxury auto-mobile."

Biological warfare defense has become a mania in the Old Dominion since the disastrous destruction of Shepistan. To this day conspiracy theories abound, the leading one that it was not in fact the Astarians that did Shepistan in, but another country, possibly the Old Dominion itself. The mania has manifested itself with Project SHIELDSTORM, a plan to erect millions of sensors around the country to monitor the air for potential biological agents. The sensors match samples taken from the air, soil, and water with a database of known deadly diseases and "other pathogens". Criticism has been leveled at the prime contractor, Combat Optics, for occasional false readings from interpreting the common cold as a Biological attack in progress. Combat Optics blamed the problems on the rush by the government to deploy the sensors, and stated that software upgrades have since improved accuracy considerably. The use of SHIELDSTORM sensors in border and tribal regions have proven their worth in detecting a Shroombola outbreak in the Kanawha town of Halbrin, which was eventually traced to a Shepistani family that was a carrier that had snuck out of the quarantine zone.



Barge Traffic, UGVs drive trucking business into the history textbooks
Ever since the One Week War, barge traffic has been on the rise within the Old Dominion, helped along by the widespread destruction of infrastructure form the war and the length of time required for reconstruction. The Old Dominion has been spending substantial sums of money to improve locks along the inter-coastal waterways and rivers.

But even as highway infrastructure comes back on line, Unmanned Ground Vehicles, or UGVs, pose a threat to the traditional trucking industry. In the Quarantine Zones a lack of helicopters forced the Old Dominion to come up with ways to expedite cargo transport between FOBs, and now convoys of MULE-family UGVs with only one or two manned Humvee escorts are common.

"We are on the verge of a singularity in Robotics technology", said Captain Boggs, head of the ONR Robotics Divisions.

The basic MULE design was purchased from a Canissan company, although Combat Optics has since begun producing 5-ton versions in addition to the basic 2 and a half tons, as well as upgrading the software to allow a greater amount of autonomy.

Kinston Trucking Lines is eyeing UGVs as a potential way of cutting personnel costs, and has expressed interest in a Unmanned 18-wheeler design from Industrial Automaton, a collaborative effort between Combat Optics and Dominion Motors.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

"Well certainly, the licensing for the K-2 upgrade can be arranged. We'll have the various officials deal with the technicalities later," smiled the Emperor. He knew the Duke would be at the least interested in the upgrade.

Next day, the Duke and his entourage were brought to the Constantinople Naval Arsenal and Constantinople Shipyards . Both yards lined the south western corner of Constantinople itself. "The Naval Arsenal itself dates back to the beginnings of the Byzantine Empire when the Emperor Constantine declared this the Eastern Imperial capital. While most of the old parts of the Naval Arsenal was retained, most of it is new due to expansion in the 19-20th century. There's actually another part of the Naval Arsenal along the coasts facing the Black Sea. Constantinople Shipyards has yards in many parts of the Empire, but here, the largest yards are here. Constantinople Shipyards also manages the Naval Arsenal, though it is under the direct control of the Navy." The Constantinople Shipyards was a bustling hive of activity, with many large container vessels under construction for various companies, such as Constantinople Shipping Pte Ltd.

The Duke was given a tour of Constantinople Shipyards, before being led to the Naval Arsenal. He was shown some posters of some of the newest ship designs that Constantinople Shipyards was proposing to the Navy. Some of which include the new multi-role frigate that Constantinople Shipyards was working with Blue Brothers of San Dorado. "The idea really behind this frigate is for littoral operations. As you have might have noticed, our chief rival for influence is Japanistan, and they have quite a fleet of torpedo boats and so forth. As such, it's necessary to have a radar optimised for littoral operations and then able to engage them. The PAM system is going to be one of the possible mission packages." The Duke was later showed one of the Invisible Hand class frigates which were heavily optimised for ASW operations, and some of the other corvette designs such as a Visby. "We might phase out the Visby in 10 years. A lot of them were given rough treatment with the constant need to patrol our waters and waterways."

The Duke was then led to some of the newest ships in the fleet, namely the Exarch/Consul class cruisers, and the Strategos/Praetor class destroyers. "These will be the pride of the fleet. Only the first 2-4 ships of each class will come equipped with the STAR system, the remainder will be using the S-500F IADS. The S-500F is derived from the S-500 which has recently entered production. Optimised for naval operations, it should be equal to the STAR system in most ways. The system won't be for sale for some time though. Some kinks still have to be worked out, while we continue to update the software and guidance systems. The S-500F is only going to be considered operational come middle to the end of the year. The system has been promising however."

The Duke was then led aboard the IBNS Heraclius, one of the nuclear carriers of the fleet. It was docked for some refits and upgrades, along with its carrier battle group. A whirlwind tour of the most of the ship types in the fleet, to cap off the day.

[PeZook]

Jerusalem Space Center

The technician pressed his shoe against Kaneda's arm as he tugged at the seatbelt straps. The Zorian grunted, rolling his eyes.

"You're all set!", Gunter Wendt patted the Zorian astronaut on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up, "Good luck!"

Iko simply glared at the man. He had to call upon all his willpower not to talk back, reminding himself that a proper Zorian attitude was to remain professional and emotionless, even despite the fact he had a sneaking suspicion the base's technicla staff hated his guts.

"Everything okay, buddy?", his flight engineer, Dale Gardner, asked when the hatch was closed and locked.

"Yes, my condition is positive. Start the pre-launch checklist."

Outside, a Lucrelance IID booster ignited its engines and rose to the heavens, carrying the mission's Leonov Target Vehicle. Despite his military training, Iko noticed his hands began to shake slightly.

"Seven, this is launch control. We are at T-20 minutes and counting."

"Damn, you're calm.", Gardner commented idly, "How do you do that?"

Iko shuffled awkwardly in his seat and turned towards the flight engineer.

"In reality, I'm horribly scared.", he said in a rare moment of honesty, surprising even himself.

"Oh...", was Gardner's only comment. Saying nothing more, both astronauts returned to their usual pre-launch checks.

"Seven, this is launch control. We have a problem with tower kinematics, we're holding countdown."

"Great...I knew I should've brought lunch"

Results: Soyuz 7 begins. The mission is planned to reach a record altitude of 2500 kilometers by using LTV's engines, but so far launch has been delayed due to technical problems. Shucks.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

Top Secret

Excerpt

Official Status Report on the S-500F system

... S-500F system consists of the APAR-1 radar system, which comprises of the APAR-MFR-1 X-Band Radar, and the APAR-VSR-1 S-Band Radar... option to include additional illuminators... <<Diagrams showing detection ranges and power ranges>>

...Missiles from the S-500 system utilized: S-500-C missile for medium range intercept... S-500-D missile for long range intercept ... S-500-E missile for ultra long range intercept and ABM... Missiles use IR imaging seeker and Active Radar seeker and mid-course update... ELOP guidance as a back-up.... <<Diagram showing probability of intercept >>

... Battle Management System has been vigorously tested for more than a year to be able to handle saturation attacks... has successfully handled saturation attacks launched by our own bomber and submarine forces and other delivery methods....

... System believed to be operationally deployable. Continual updates to system software and missile systems will continue over the next few years....

... Possible integration of a third radar type possible.... testing and evaluation has begun... reports for that next year or the following...

... We have a sea-based battle management system that can match any rival system.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

Hadhramara

Getting a working government was difficult enough, getting the chieftains to even make a simple agreement was hard enough. Some of them chaffed at the Sultan's influence, some of them were fearful of their rivals, and some were plain obstinate, defending their power with every last drip of their strength. A real problem was their diehard followers, and they were large enough to make the Sultan's viceroy worry that with the right spark, the entire powder keg would explode into civil war. So what could be done? Democracy simply would not work, what with their followers voting for their own leaders without question, and more than half the population was living in the slums. Likely in any election, they would simply vote for who ever provided them with "protection". The move towards a national army was fraught with so many mines, that the Viceroy was taking pills to keep his hypertension down. Most meetings ended with shouting between rivals, and everyone was dead against having their followers broken up into various brigades, which meant their influence was diluted. The Viceroy was fast running out of patience and options, and was holding out on the last possible option until it was clear that no other options could be found.

Despite the political paralysis, the Viceroy however, was determined to make sure the bulk of the populace was well provided for, just so to keep them out of trouble. Construction work and money were flowing in to relieve their troubles, albeit slowly. The capital was being rebuilt slowly and progressively, and agriculture was being revived with seeds and fertilizer shipped from abroad. Over a million construction workers were being employed, and millions of food stamps issued, with tonnes of food were shipped from abroad, be it from Byzantium, Cascadia, or Syria just so to feed the populace. Hospitals were being set up to allow the poor access to health treatments. Doctors were coming in from Byzantium, Cascadia and Syria to provide treatment, and most importantly, vaccinations. Incentives were given to those who would lay down arms, in the form of work in the construction industry.

The judiciary was another sticking point, but after strong arming the chieftains, an independent judiciary was slowly setup, mostly from remnants of the old judiciary that survived the coup. Some judges from Syria were brought in, to at least grant a semblance of neutrality. Corruption was cracked down harshly, with the anti-corruption agency reporting straight to the viceroy itself. The police force was being reformed, and again, the head of the police force reported to the viceroy's staff. There was no way the police was going to be a pawn of the chieftain's machinations, and the viceroy made it quite clear that he would use extreme force should the chieftains try to subvert the police.

[Siege]

Co-written with Steve

Ambush

Somewhere near the Coilerburg-Sabikan border

By the rustling of leaves and crackling of fallen branches Sidney could hear that their opponents were coming closer. He pressed his back against the moss-covered tree, trying to ignore the terrible things the gnarled wood did to his expensive light linen suit. I knew I should’ve worn something darker, he thought, for once cursing his fashionable tastes. The president tried to control his breathing, desperate not to give his position away to the approaching pursuers.

Someone yelled, a surprisingly loud sound that carried awfully far through the forest. The noise was followed by more rustling and breaking of branches as other trackers converged on it. Once again the president felt oddly vulnerable. He was the only of the three men without a weapon. Well, without a firearm. Sidney glanced at the piece of rock in his hand. He felt a little silly carrying it around, but it felt better to have at least something better than his bare hands to fight with.

He heard subdued voices arguing about something. The’ve seen the jacket, he thought. Sidney slowly crouched. His tortured muscles tensed. Anytime now…

Normally three people with sidearms wouldn't be a match for four with full military kit. The advantage that the Presidential Party had was purely surprise... and some well-placed crackshots.

It had been a long while since Stephen had fired a gun. Long enough that the Army training he'd received had degraded so far his shots were decidedly less lethal than the two bodyguards'.

In the first shots two of their attackers went down with fatal hits to the head and face. Another took a bullet to the shoulder and went down.

There was little chance to get another shot off. The man still standing brought his gun up at the first crack heard and began laying fire down, forcing Satter to take cover. His wounded comrade began trying to prop himself up, firing wildly above their heads to help keep the ambush party's heads down.

The PSS man - Alex - had to go down as well as a burst of shots went over his head. Satter squeezed off a couple of shots in the kneeling man's direction but from her position on the ground her aim was off, the bullets going just over the man's head.

Ignoring Satter's insistant demand that he remain in cover, Stephen took the moment to come out and level his gun at the wounded man he'd hit before. Trying his best to aim he pulled the trigger in rapid succession, sending three rounds. One clipped the wounded man's neck, one missed entirely, but one was a grisly bullseye, going straight through the chin and lodging into the spine at the throat.

The unwounded soldier started to turn toward him when a single rock came from behind and to the left of him. It didn't catch him in the head but it did hit his back, distracting the soldier for a critical second during which Stephen, Satter, and Alex all pumped him full of lead.

And like that the ambush was over. "Their guns, get their guns," Alex said, indicating the Grenke Automatic Rifles that the men were carrying, native Frequesuan designs of "sufficient" quality (though not world-beating by any stretch of the imagination, not even really comparable to AKs).

Not to be left out, Stephen joined the two guards in retrieving a Grenke. "Sidney, thanks for throwing that rock," he called out.

Sidney Hank threw Stephen a distinctly predatory grin and picked up one of the automatic rifles. At an intellectual level he knew the weapon was far from formidable, but after the haphazard chase the wooden stock and cheap pressed metal body of the assault rifle felt immensely reassuring. He was unfamiliar with automatic weapons, having nothing but dim memories of bolt action rifles and an afternoon on a firing range in a previous life to call on, but it was still better than nothing.

After engaging the safety and checking the magazine the president slung the Grenke onto his shoulder and turned his attention to the four dead bodies. “Now, let’s see who these fuckers are”, he murmured as he rolled a dead man onto his face with a shove of his foot. The man wore a khaki uniform, and although those were a dime a dozen on Frequesue, the faded rank insignia and the shoulder sleeve patch identified the dead man as a soldier of Coilerburg’s 5th Mechanized Infantry Division.

Alex whistled. “Well, well. Looks like someone really doesn’t want us here, sir.”

Sidney cursed softly. “Fucking renegades. That’s just great- here I was hoping they’d just be stragglers of the Sons we somehow missed…” Out of frustration he kicked the body. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. We ought to get going, someone may have heard the shots and if these guys don’t show up after a while people will start asking questions.”

His bodyguard bent over another of the bodies and picked up a walkie-talkie. “If they start chatting, might be better if we know in advance.”

The president nodded. “Smart thinking.” Then something occurred to him. “Think we can call for help with that thing?” Sidney had tried his own sat-phone earlier, but the fragile device hadn’t survived the rough landing. Stephen had lost his in the crash, and the simpler GSM phones carried by the bodyguards were useless in the jungle.

Alex shrugged. “Do we really want to try, sir? People might be listening.”

“Look, it’s been how long since our chopper crashed?” Sidney glanced at his watch. “Just over five hours. Every loyalist soldier north of the CFR should be converging on our position just about now. I think it’s worth the gamble.”

"Before we use the radio we should at least find a good defensible position," Stephen remarked while chambering a round into the Grenke. Out of all four men he seemed to be at ease the most with the big rifle, as his "native" self had been trained as a rifleman in the Cascadian Army. "I guess the stories are true and Coilerburg did steal the Watson-Littel," he remarked, referring to the "brand name" of the mainstream army rifle during his service. "And rechambered it for 5.56. A pity."

“Then we’d better be moving on”, Sidney shrugged, a gesture that didn’t look nearly as casual as he’d hoped. The four men collected their things and moved further away from the crash site, into the North-Frequesuan bush. We better get somewhere soon, Sidney thought privately. His ribs were hurting abominably, and he was fast running out of stamina, though he tried not to show it. And I could really use a good stiff drink just about now.

[CmdrWilkens]

Pegasus 2 Finishes a Succesful Mission

Early this morning the crew of HIS WHORE Stacey Keibler finished retrieval of the crew and capsule from the second manned MSA mission into space. 4 days ago the two astronauts, Major John Meadow of Wilkonia and Colonel Kyle Kano of Canissia, launched from the Southern Flight Range located on the coast of Wilkonia near the 10th parrallel. Riding aboard the Delta IV series of rockets the two men were hurled into space at speeds that would literally make a bullet seem slow by comparison. After establishing themselves and proceeding through a series of minor manuevers in orbit Colonel Kano became the first citizen of an MSA nation to engage in a spacewalk.

The procedure, called an EVA or Exta-Vehicluar Activity, lasted for slightly longer than 1 hour and took place on the second day of the mission. While limited in scope planners at MSA's Johnson Space Center indicated that a succesful series of EVAs will be neccessarry to begin compiling the data needed to plan for longer term human activity in space. Moreover this paticular EVA was being used mostly as a check on the systems used especially the suits worn by the astronauts as well as those onbaord the Orion spacecraft itself. Since the MSA had not previously ventured into space outside the confines of a vehicle this was, according to all sources, a huge leap forward. Plans remain to increase the frequency, duration, and complexity of EVA attempts on a slow but steady basis throughout the rest of the Pegasus program. System planners are insistent of the need to begin preparring for longer term missions when the MSA's planned orbital and lunar facilities begin construction in the decades to come.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

Half a year after the first tests of the Zenit-L and Zenit-S, and a few more tests and a couple of failures later, it was time to actually place a payload on top. For that purpose, a MiG-105 Uragan was placed into a Zenit-L and a Zenit-S rocket. The two rockets were launched 1/2hr apart, on two rocket pads 20 km from each other. The two rockets lifted off into space, and then disengaged their payload. The two MiG-105 Uragans spread their wings and were operating in full autopilot with ground control. They streaked over the sky, doing some engine tests, before flipping around and letting their cargo bays face Terra Nova. When they were in the right position, they released a conical payload each, which fired up the rocket and headed straight down into the atmosphere. Wings opened on the payloads, each sheathed with ceramic material to allow them to withstand the heat of re-entry. The wings helped stabilize the payloads. The conical payload consisted of two stages. As they entered the upper atmosphere, the ramjets on the first stage of the payloads kicked in and provided greater acceleration, so much so that the payloads were racing in a very straight ballistic path, with the Earth's rotation the main force causing them to 'drift'. After the first stage was exhausted, it was released and the final stage kicked in.

X-Band Command ships and a UCSR command vessel looked up into the sky and watched the payloads come down, taking data on the trajectory. The payloads crashed into the sea off the UCSR at speeds exceeding MACH 12. Ships rushed in to pick up the sinking payloads before they sank too deeply beyond recovery. The two MiG-105 Uragans then landed back in Siberia, where they will be examined closely by the engineers.

[DarthShady]

Pravda
Presidential Election Special

The Presidential election for the President of the newly formed UCSR began today, it will be a tense race between the three leading candidates; PCIA Chief, Yuri Andropovsky; Construction and Industry Minister of the CSR, Alexei Ustinkov and the former leader of the USSR, Premier Shady. All three men are extremely popular with the people and have many supporters within the new government. Former President of the CSR, Stanislav has announced his support for Premier Shady. Some believe that due to President Stanislavs popularity among the people, his support of the former USSR Premier might gain Shady an advantage in the election.

Still, experts claim that the election is far from over and that it could still go either way. Whatever the outcome of the election may be, one thing is certain, it will be the peoples choice.

Palace of the Soviets, UCSR


"Do you think Yuri might be a problem?", Shady asked, "He didn't seem exactly thrilled with me running against him in the election."

"You need not worry about him.", Stanislav answered, "Yuri is loyal to the motherland. He will try to defeat you in the election, but I doubt he will try to use any dirty tricks. He is simply trying to protect his interests."

"And what of this, Alexei Ustinkov character?", Shady asked while lighting his cigarette, "He seems to have a capitalist mind. I don't like that."

"He wants to change things, a lot of things.", Stanislav said, "To stimulate the Industries, the housing industry in particular."

"So, he does think like a capitalist?", Shady smiled.

"I guess you could say so.", Stanislav laughed, "He is a proponent for change, he wishes to improve things, such as the housing industry which has been doing kinda lousy the last couple of years. If you win, he could be of great use to you, but he could also be a problem, so be careful."

"There is still a question mark on that, isn't there?", Shady said.

"You worry too much, my friend.", Stas said and poured himself and Shady a drink, "With my support your victory is almost guaranteed. Now a toast, to the future."

"To the future!", Shady said and downed his drink.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

"What would it take for Premier Shady to win the election?" mused the Emperor.

"Maybe .. bribes?" ventured the Byzantine Intelligence Agency chief.

Decius choked, "Well, if we are going that direction, might as well buy votes by the millions."

"Maybe.. But it would be advantageous to us if Premier Shady won."

"Yes indeed. A valued partner of the Byzantine Empire," nodded the BIA chief.

"Indeed. Perhaps a small disinformation campaign? Excuse Yuri out of this. He has his uses."

"Uses indeed. And bears watching," warned Decius.

"Offer him a Carrot then," the Emperor drank his glass of wine. "And show him a Stick."

[PeZook]

The Ring



Damascus

The comfortable, air-conditioned limousine waved its way through chaotic daytime street traffic, using its horn quite liberally. Its passenger was obviously an important man in quite a bit of a hurry, often glancing at his watch and angrily urging the driver to go faster.

The man had a good reason to be irate, too. He was running late thanks to these damn streets, which seemed to be populated by utter maniacs: and a man of his stature should not be late for a meeting with an important client like prince Issam bin Mahmoud al-Herat. The Prince valued punctuality greatly - and, of course, being an important official of the Syrian government, he could cause no small amount of trouble if angered.

The limo's passenger was used to dealing with such people, having spent most of his adult life gathering wealth and influence. He was past forty now, well respected, influencial and very, very wealthy, but contrary to instinct, maintaining this influence was far more difficult than acquiring it.

The driver finally announced they have arrived at the Prince's palace, and with more than five minutes to spare.

"Excellent, Haytham. Most excellent.", he complimented the man and got out of the car, marvelling at the ostentatious opulence of one of the grandest palaces in all Syria - or perhaps even the world.

A servant approached him promptly and bowed, uttering the customary greeting: "Salam Alaykum, honored one. What service may I render to such a grand guest?"

"Alaykum Salam", the man returned the greeting, "Please tell the prince that Karim Saffayed has arrived, and respectfully requests an audience."

"The honored prince has been expecting your visit. It will please him that you arrived so punctually. Please follow me."

Both men walked across the palace to the prince's study. The place was decorated in the old Arabian style, and lavishly so as well: prince Issam spared no expense on the finer things in life. Karim mused idly that a man in his post should really care more about security of his country than material trinkets: but then again, the prince's love for the finer things in life kept Karim's pockets full, and the Syrian police off his back.

The servant left without entering the study, and so Karim opened the large two-piece door himself. He walked inside and bowed.

"Assalamu Alilkum Wa Rahmatulah Wa Barakatuh, your highness.", he said formally

"And to you as well", the prince responded from behind his massive oaken desk stuffed full of various papers. He rose to meet his guest, "I am pleased to see you in good health, Karim. How was your journey?"

"Quite pleasant, thank you."

"Please, sit down", the prince pointed to a comfortable armchair sitting quietly in the corner of the gigantic office, "I shall call for some coffee. I trust the business in PeZookia went smoothly?"

"Yes, most smoothly indeed. I am sorry I had to leave on such short notice."

"Ah, I quite understand. No harm done, business demands such things from time to time.", the servants appeared as if from nowhere, bearing tiny pots of strong coffee, ground and prepared in the Turkish way. Both men chatted for a while about neutral things, such as the weather, sports and politics, before finally moving on to business.

"I understand you wanted to place an order for some of my merchandise.", Karim began the meat of the conversation.

"Yes, yes. As gifts, you see - two of my closest allies at the Caliph's court aided me greatly in recent times. I wanted to express my gratitude, and make a little purchase for myself, as well."

"I see. Are those...allies...trustworthy not to reveal their benefactor? It would be most unfortunate should word of our dealings get out..."

"Oh, I trust them absolutely."

"In this case, we can certainly arrange something. What did you have in mind?"

"I have enjoyed my last purchase most thoroughly. Could you, perhaps, arrange more of the same type?"

"Eastern Continental? Naturally, without a problem. Any particular tastes to consider?"

"Oh, not really. I would have one serious request, however...I'd like my compatriots to be able to see the merchandise before purchase."

"I see. This will complicate things, but it's doable. Let me make a few phone calls, and see what I can arrange."



Fabowice, PeZookia - Outside of Srebrzycka 18

Pawel sat in the car, half asleep. The cigarette he was holding in his hand smoldered slowly, trailing smoke into the cold night. He wondered idly what was taking his buddies so long - he was already late for dinner, and eating it cold again wasn't a very attractice prospect.

And the goddamned dogs have to bark at everything they see..., he thought when two vicious Dobermans chained up near the front door to the elegant house at Srebrzycka 18 started barking and howling. They did that every time a car passed the house, or another dog barked, or a bird flew by. It was really starting to get on his nerves.

He looked around, yawning, and took another long drag on his cigarette - and he stopped halfway through, when a hunched figure appeared on the driveway. He stared in disbelief at the silhouette, locked up with surprise, and only realized what he was supposed to do when it was already too late.

"Police! Out of the car!", the counter-terrorist shouted, pointing a mean-looking rifle straight at Pawel. Another one opened the car's door and swiftly pulled him out, throwing him to the ground. The team zip-cuffed and left Pawel on the driveway for patrol officers to take away.

The dogs were treated with pepper spray, before the team stacked up at the front door.

Srebrzycka 18, living room

The owner of the house was a huge, bald man with severe asthma, going by the nickname Wielki ; Somehow, he's managed to build up an impressive physique, and the constant state of irritation caused by his sickness made him a bit of a legend in this shady community. Right now, he was having a conversation with Brzytwa's men who brought the suspicious stranger into his "place of business".

"Brzytwa thinks we should keep the guy in here? Well, Brzytwa can go fuck himself. I'm not keeping him here for his friends to come and get him."

"What if he's a cop?"

"Especially if he's a cop. Hell, if he's a cop, we need to get rid of the fucker right now."

"Brzytwa says we should find out what he knows..."

"Am I speaking Turkish? I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT WHAT BRZYTWA THINKS. You two idiots can go and drag that shithead out here and drive him out into the forest.", Wielki took a shot of his asthma medication, "And get that stupid whore who tried to fuck up one of the customers, too."

One of Brzytwa's men got up, apparently outraged, "We're not here to do your dirty jobs, Wielki! Get one of your own dickheads to do this."

"You watch your fucking mouth in my house, boy, or I sweat to God I'll..."

Wielki didn't quite finish the sentence: he was interrupted by the front door being thrown out of their frame by a deafening explosion. Masked, heavily armed figures rushed inside the room right afterwards, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"POLICE! HANDS IN THE AIR, NOW!"

One of Wielki's guards reacted by going for his gun, but never had a chance: the rifle shots rang out in the living room, adding to the general confusion. Wielki attempted to run at first, but having nowhere to go, he kneeled down and raised his hands.

The police commandoes rushed to secure rest of the ground floor. Sporadic gunfire erupted here and there, as the counterterrorists encountered slavers too stubborn or too stupid to give up.

Patrol officers charged into the house straight afterwards and radio cars rushed onto the driveway. It was quite a spectacle, the symphony of police lights painting the entire neighborhood red and blue, the shouts and radio calls and clipped commands.



Sebastian observed the operation, leaning against his car. When counterterrorists signalled the all-clear, he entered the perimeter - and noticed Wielki, being led out of the house by two officers.

"Why Wielki! I didn't expect to meet you here", he said sarcastically, "Branching out a bit?"

"Fuck you, pig!"

"Yeah...we'll talk about that in a couple of hours.", he turned to the patrol officers, "Make sure to get his medication, too."



People's Victory

Javor Belic enjoyed walking home after work. He could whiz through the streets in an armored limo, of course, and in the old days, he probably would do just that. But times have changed, and Javor was grateful for that. It was safer, less stressful. Less dangerous to work his everyday job.

Being born in Sjenska made him appreciate the newfound peace.

He rounded the corner and heaved his briefcase into his left arm, fishing for the keys with his right. The apartment block he lived in was one of the new ones, dozens of which were growing in place of the sprawling slums which not two years ago surrounded the former capital of Sjenska with a huge, smelly and nasty-looking ring. Now they were being replaced with apartment complexes, interlaced with parks, schools and community centers. God only knows how much such a project had to cost the Shadow taxpayer, but nobody complained. The waiting lists for flats in these new blocks were horrible, though.

"Sir? Would you happen to have a few roubles to help a homeless woman?", came a raspy voice from near the garbage chute, followed by rustling.

"No. Get lost.", Javor answered, not even looking. He finally managed to grab his keys and open the front door.

"Thank you", the voice came again, and then Balic's world exploded with pain.

"Inside", the woman hissed and pushed him through the door, expertly twisting his arm behind his back. Javor tried to resist, but all he managed to achieve was more pain.

"Sloppy, Javor. Very sloppy.", he heard the woman say. She fished out his gun from its holster, "I'll be keeping that, if you don't mind. Now, I'm going to let you go, but I see one sudden move and you're a corpse. Got that?"

Javor nodded weakly. He tried to say something, but was interrupted, "I don't care about your money. Open the door."

He did, and both of them - victim and assailtant - entered Javor's nice, freshly finished flat.

"Sit down. Not here, away from the window.", the woman pointed to an armchair in the corner. Javor followed her command, and for the first time caught a glimpse of her face.

"Oh my God...that's not possible..."

"Yes it is.", Ana locked the door and pocketed the keys, "And you're getting sloppy, Javor. Let me guess...you're a desk rat now?"

He nodded weakly, staring at Ana in disbelief. The former shadow figure behind Karic's system of opression, the second most powerful person in Sjenska, now wearing ragged clothes and smelling of trash.

And holding a gun, he reminded himself.

"Yes...", he admitted weakly in response to Ana's question, "A desk rat."

She grabbed herself a chair and sat down as well, staring at Javor.

"I actually knew that. Funny what usual people know about their rulers...", she said, aiming the gun straight at his face.

"Ana, what the hell do you want?", Javor bursted out suddendly, but not without his voice trembling a bit.

"I need you to get some things for me. More precisely, I need a list of names, a gun and some explosives."

She raised her hand seeing him try to speak, "Right, now you're thinking why you should help me at all, rather than run to your new Shadow friends and just have them deal with me. But, since you're not a fucking idiot, you should remember that Shadows have a grudge against people like us...and I know all about the work you did for Karic."

Javor felt a chill run down his spine. His 'work' involved such things as organizing interrogations of opposition activists at the infamous Pearl Of Sjenska Penitentiary Facility. As far as he knew, the UCSR had only one punishment in store for him.

"You see? It's better for you if I don't get caught. Ever. So now, let's talk about that list."

[Beowulf]

Atlas System Project Office
Lockheed-Tian Xia

"Has it occured to anyone else that we could just skip the Centaur stage? I did some rough calculations, and I think we'd still be able to stick a fairly hefty payload into LEO."

"How hefty?"

"Enough to make it pretty close to pointless to have the small centaur for LEO missions. I figure with 4 SRBs, it can make about the same payload as the 501 configuration. If we use a smaller and lighter fairing, we could drop that down to 3 SRBs."

"We'd need to relocate the avionics. Currently it's all on the Centaur. Also, we'd need to get the RS-84 to throttle down. A lot. Losing the 32 tons that a Centaur weighs won't be good for keeping the acceleration tolerable."

"We'd need to get the engine throttled down to what, 30%?"

"If we want to keep the X-38 folks happy."

"Of course, decreasing the number of parts also makes them happy. Less stuff that can fail. This would reduce the non redundant parts to just the RS-84 itself and the LAS."

--

Grumman F-14F plant
Tian Xia

"The AFAC has decided to do what should have been done all along: They're redesignating the F-14F."

"It's not as if it's got many parts in common. It amounts to what, the radar?"

"Sounds about right. I think there's a part from the landing gear that's the same."

"So what is it now?"

"F-26. Unsurprising. It is the next number in the series. I hear the guys at the NTR are testing AGM-131s on a couple of our birds."