SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Third

[Siege]

Co-written with Steve

Allies

Somewhere near the Coilerburg-Sabikan border

The party of four was strolling across the savannah. The two presidents and their bodyguards had left the outer edge of the forest some time ago, and were now slowly descending downhill across the sparsely vegetated bush-bush of western Coilerburg. Now that the adrenalin of the first few hours of their flight had worn off the pace had noticeably slowed down, for which Sidney Hank could only be grateful. His ribs were killing him, and the wide variety of bruises across his body weren’t at all improving the matter. Not for the first time since the crash Sidney cursed his addiction. He’d kill for a good stiff drink just about now, anything for a little alcohol. The irony that he might very well have to kill to ever taste a proper Vineyardian brew again wasn’t lost on him.

He wasn’t too surprised that the two bodyguards didn’t seem to have much physical issues with the cross-country trek. After all, they were trained, if not specifically for this then at least for situations like it. The fact that Stephen Garrett seemed to be having not nearly as much problem as he did still rankled though, for reasons that arguably weren’t entirely rational. I’ve spent my life in board room meetings, Sidney thought bitterly. Fat lot of good that is doing me right now. Especially considering the fact that if that if at one of those very same board meetings he hadn’t decided to take over this blasted piece of dirt, they wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Sidney shook his head. That wasn’t a particularly healthy line of thought to be pursuing right now. I haven’t spent six years on this goddamn planet just to get shafted in some goddamn rimboo, a dark corner of his mind fumed. Then he thought of Daphne, and he straightened his back, slinging the Grenke assault rifle back across his shoulder. I’m not going to give these fuckers the satisfaction of offing me, dammit.

His line of thought was interrupted by a muttered warning by agent Satter, and the party went down in the waist-high grass on the side of the dirt trail they were following. In the near distance, a cloud of dust was approaching across the road, signaling the approach of one or more vehicles.

The trek was taking its toll on Stephen as well, though unlike Sidney he had some excess fat on his bones that his body could burn for energy in this situation. He wasn't the young Army soldier he'd once been - at least the part of him native to this world, his Earth-self had always been overweight and had never actually served - and wasn't managing the forced march as well as he would have thirty years before. The chance to rest was a welcome one, even if it was accompanied by the anxiety and uncertainty of who was in the vehicles.

They came closer; a jeep and a pickup, painted to blend well with the area, but they didn't strike Stephen as military. Their potential friendliness increased when it was clear that their vehicles bore both faded and new Sabikan flag decals, not official ones but bumper-sticker types.

"Lots of pro-Sabikans around here, right?" he whispered to the others. "Maybe they can help us out?"

The two bodyguards looked dubious. Sidney dug through his memory to see if there was anything he remembered about the pro-Sabikan militias. From what Willie Bank had reported they had long been a nuisance. Though not exactly hostile the militias ruled their little enclaves as de facto independent territories. Suffice it to say that was plenty enough to put them on the bad side of nationalists with aspirations of a ‘Greater Coilerburg’. He nodded. “It's worth a shot.”

Slowly the four men stood up as the technicals approached, careful to keep their guns pointed at the ground. Sure enough the two vehicles slowed down as the drivers noticed the small group. Sidney ignored the fearsome machinegun mounted on the back of the jeep in the front of the convoy, and waved lazily at the soldiers as the vehicles came to a halt.

In the passenger seat of the jeep sat a militia soldier with lieutenant’s stripes on his epaulettes. He wore a black beret and curiously eyed the four men as they approached his vehicle.

“Howdy”, Sidney drawled. “Nice day for a drive, yeah?”

The upward twitch of the soldier’s eyebrow was the only indication of surprise on his part. He let his eyes drift from tattered suits the four men wore to the guns they carried. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” he archly demanded.

“Ah. Well”, Sidney smiled despite himself. It didn’t happen too often that he had to introduce himself anywhere these days. All the dust and grime caked to their faces probably made them harder to recognize. Or maybe they didn’t have TV in these parts. “These two upstanding gentlemen are Mr. Satter and Mr. Wakefield”, he indicated the two bodyguards. Then he pointed at Stephen. “That’s Mr. Garrett. And I’m Sidney Hank.”

The man’s eyebrow rose slightly at the mention of the last two names. “You… Wait.” He peered intently at them, a confused frown on his face. “You are the President of San Dorado”, he concluded, and then looked at Stephen. “And you are the President of Cascadia. I saw your faces on the news.”

Sidney glanced at Stephen. “Our reputation precedes us.”

Let's hope it's a good one to them he replied in his mind, mentally considering that given their nations had let Coilerburg keep this territory, the local militias might not be too happy with them. Aloud he remarked, "Yes, unfortunately our helicopter was shot down. Some people in the Coilerburg Army apparently want one or both of us dead."

"That is how they think, the Coilerburgers," the militia lieutenant grumbled in his accented English. He barked something in Eaeli - the dominant dialect of Eastern Sabika and a part of the Northwestern Frequesuan language family - and the men in the back of the jeep began moving to make room for them, one heading over to the truck to make the necessary room. "Come!" he said to the party in English. "We will take you to safety in our compound."

Stephen gave a look to the back of the jeep. It'd be cramped, especially with Stephen's frame, but all he could think about was the chance to get off his aching feet. I would've worn my walking boots if I'd known this was going to happen.

The men in the jeep rode mostly in silence as the small convoy turned around and made its way downhill and deeper into Coilerburg. Sidney guessed they’d been riding for about 45 minutes when they came to a small, fortified village. Simple houses made of bricks and concrete lined a sparse few streets of paved dirt. A low trench surrounded the hamlet, and the excavated sand had been used to erect a low wall around the village. Three rickety watch towers provided militiamen with some degree of overwatch across the surrounding plains. The two-car convoy rumbled across a shaky wooden bridge and past a perimeter of bored-looking guards, coming to a stop in the middle of the village next to a concrete structure that had antennas jutting from its roof.

The lieutenant, who had identified himself as Laurent Soro, beckoned them to come in. “This is our regional headquarters”, he announced proudly as he and the four-man party entered a gloomy room in the small structure. Sidney looked around. Racks of guns and maps of the region lined the wall. Men and a few women in khaki uniforms looked up from the various things they had been doing to stare at the four men with unabashed curiosity. On a table at the far side of the room stood an old-fashioned Bakelite radio set of a type that Sidney guessed hadn’t been in production since the end of Iler’s War.

“Say”, Sidney murmured, looking at the ancient broadcaster. “Would you mind if we borrowed that radio for a bit?”

The lieutenant gave him a weird look. “We have also have a satellite phone, you know.”

An embarrassed grin split the president’s face. “Uh, I guess that would work as well.”

Soro rolled his eyes and handed him a bulky-looking satphone. For a moment Sidney just started at the number pad. It was one thing to finally have a working phone again, but it was quite another to recall any numbers from memory. After all, it wasn’t like he had the number of the Tower of Commerce central switchboard or FTO JNAC memorized. He barely recalled the number to his own office for that matter, or--

Hold on a second. There was one number he knew from memory. Smiling faintly he began dialling.

Several thousand kilometres away, behind a polished wooden desk on the other side of the continent, acting chairman Daphne Sinclair knew she was quickly approaching a nervous collapse. She’d been up for twenty-five hours straight. Six hours had passed since news of the shootdown had reached the Tower. Six hours of chaos, of international phonecalls, hurried reports and rushed meetings. Six hours of worry.

The EIA had orbited a Keyhole-11 over the crash site, but the only thing that had revealed was the burnt-out wreck of the helicopter, and traces that suggested a firefight had taken place. The military had assured her that a bewildering number of troops from a wide variety of nations was converging on the site. But the Indhopali border guards closest to the crash site had come under fire from unknown assailants, which had significantly bogged down their progress. And the troops in Coilerburg proper weren’t moving nearly as quickly as she’d like. Meanwhile six hours had passed without a single word from Sidney, and the Cascadians assured her that they had likewise heard nothing from their own president. Her secretary had suggested she get some rest ‘in the meantime’. As if there was any chance she’d be able to get to sleep right now.

She sighed wearily as her highly secure BlueBerry smartphone began buzzing softly. She picked it up, and was slightly nonplussed when she saw the number was unknown. Probably the next boffin to offer his sympathies, she thought.

She sighed again and accepted the call. “Sinclair.”

“Hello luv” said an intimately familiar voice on the other side of the line.

For a brief moment Daphne Sinclair was quite convinced she was going into cardiac arrest. “Sidney! Sweet Lady, are you okay? What happened? Where are you?”

Two thousand kilometres away, Sidney Hank smiled despite himself. “I’m fine. Our helicopter got shot down. Stephen and I and two of our guards are in a place called…” he looked at lieutenant Soro, who mouthed the answer. “Uh, Tubmanburg. Were there any more questions?”

“Fortune Sidney, this isn’t the time to play the suave sardonic macho. You’ve got half the bloody planet fretting over what the hell happened to you! I’m damn near beside myself!”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Look, things got pretty ugly for a bit, but we’re okay now”, the president decided to omit the death of the two bodyguards for the moment. “The thing is though, there’s Fortune knows how many rebel Coiler troops crawling this area, so we need someone to pick us up here pretty badly.”

Daphne snorted. “That won’t be much of a problem. Every soldier north of the CFR is looking for you right now. Half the world’s nations have dispatched troops to aid in the search. Tubmanburg you said the place was called? Alright, you just sit tight and we’ll get you out of there ASAP.” She briefly hesitated. “It’s damned good to hear your voice again, Sidney.”

“Likewise Daphne”, the president’s smile widened. “Look, I don’t know who might be listening in on this, so I’ll better go. I’ll see you first thing when I get back. Yeah. Me too.” He put down the phone, drew a deep breath, and let it escape slowly.

“So what do we do now?” asked Satter, who was leaning against one of the chart tables.

Sidney shrugged. “Now we wait.”

[Ryan Thunder]

Eagle's Eye

Sabika-Coilerburg border

Master Sergeant Zakhar Kasabian made his way through the woods with a silence that most would have found unnerving. Every so often, something would catch his attention; a sound, usually, sometimes a smell, rarely a sight. He would pause, reach up and tap the side of his helmet-cam, then look around with infrared vision. The jungle was hot and humid, which played havoc with his visuals, but it was still better than trying to stare through underbrush. The system would doubtless be more useful to him after nightfall. He looked to his left, and saw hollow squares super-imposed over his vision, marking the rest of the section.

They came to a road--of sorts. It was a dirt and gravel affair, and muddy. "Grey, this is Eagle," a distorted voice squawked in his ear. He slowed and brought himself to a kneeling position. Five kilometres overhead, an Echelon electronics warfare plane flew wide circles over the operational area, beaming whatever intel was deemed relevant down to the Sergeant.

"Hold." He whispered to the rest of the soldiers through his helmet mike. To the flight crew overhead, he replied, "I hear you Eagle, go ahead."

"We just picked up some radio traffic from the Neighbours to your North. We think it involved the Subjects. We didn't get the whole thing, so we couldn't quite get a fix on it's location beyond that it was around seven klicks down the road you're near now--"

"Right, then."

"We're getting some serious infrareds from over that way, and you're going to have to assume that they're hostile. Avoid direct contact, if at all possible, and return fire only. We'll let you know if you need to engage once we get a closer look. Command is bringing the cavalry in on stand by to secure things if there's a problem, you'll know when they're avaliable. Oh, and they're your ride out of here, by the way, so don't let them leave without you. That's all. Good luck, Greys."

"Thanks, Eagle." He relayed the orders to his section along with his own instructions. They needed to move quickly, so they would stick to the road, for now...

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Stasograd, UCSR
VERY Unreal Time

Lelouch's VC-137C arrived at the Stasograd air base at dusk, the setting sun casting a lurid orange light on the venerable airliner as it alighted onto the tarmac under the protection of four Sukhoi Su-30s. As the Su-30s departed, Lelouch and his consorts disembarked from their plane and were met by a small detachment of VDV soldiers, all fully armed and clad in their finest combat dress. "Comrade Lelouch, welcome to Stasograd," the lead VDV soldier said as he saluted. "It is an honor to finally meet you at last."

Lelouch returned the salute. "And it is an honor to visit your esteemed country at last," he replied. "I'm here to congratulate President Shady on his victory in your recent elections. Where is he, anyway?"

"He's hosting a banquet with the other CATO leaders and ex-President Stanislav at the Palace of the Soviets," the VDV detachment leader replied. "We've already readied some transportation for you and your female companions," he continued as he ushered Lelouch, C.C., Kallen, and Shirley towards a prepared ZIL-41047 limousine. "We'll personally be taking you to the party, if you don't mind."

"Please do," Lelouch said as he entered the limo. "Lead on, comrades." Once he and his consorts were in, the limo started towards Stasograd proper, causing quite a bit of havoc within the city as it and the accompanying motorcade made its way to the Palace of the Soviets.

[Shroom Man 777]

Stasograd Steakhouse



Shroom hadn't expected such in-depth discussion by Emperor Heraclius, but he guessed that he should've been expecting it - the Byzantine imperator had always been all about serious business. So, Shroom tried to keep up to speed while Paul's wife quickly got bored and excused herself halfway through. Shroom himself wanted to go over to the men's room to freshen up and go powder his nose, but that would've been in poor form.

At least Alison had pulled out a legal pad from somewhere and was hastily scribbling down notes.

When Heraclius and Shady said their piece, Paul - probably as unprepared for the serious business as Shroom - made his reply:

"Why, that was...well, unexpected. I came a little unprepared for a detailed discussion like that, so the best I can offer are general remarks. The way I see the evolution of CATO's defence over the following years is twofold: integration of command protocols and technology, already happening with the Continental Air Defence Agreement, and standardization of weapon systems. The MESS benefits greatly from integrated logistics: their airfields can service aircraft from any member country, UNREP ships can resupply all their ship classes and so on. Therefore, we should decide on common weapon systems, especially for navies and air forces, and strive to upgrade them to these common standards."

"I truly hope, however, that our armed forces will remain a matter of prudence, rather than necessity. I happen to agree with the good President...", Paul still couldn't quite get used to calling Shady 'president', "...good relations are the best way to assure continued peace. Not even Japanistan is insane enough to go to war with the entire world."

"I agree, that it would be best to have integrated logistics and common weapons systems - but we shouldn't just go around overriding the domestic defense industries of some member nations by adopting some standard design originated by only one CATO member nation and adopting it on all the other nations. That wouldn't be very nice to the domestic defense industries of some member nations.

"Instead, we should gather the best and brightest of all our nations and have them work cohesively and as one on the development of future defense systems. Shroomania itself is big on working with other nations in things like these, from commercial aerospace applications in BAM to the more military ones - like those YAKs Heraclius mentioned, and the stratos. There's also our cooperation with PeZookia on submarines and how both our nations will be working with CATO on that new submarine program in 2020. And, yes, we've also been busy working with the Crimsons on... brain technology."

That last line raised a few eyebrows, but Shroom swiftly shifted topic.

"These multi-party projects have yielded great results and as we've seen in other ventures, like FASTA, if we all put our heads together then we can stick it up and show even Imperiums what-for.

"For defense policy in general, perhaps we should concentrate mostly on the defense of CATO members and the security of the Continental region. We shouldn't be too eager on any kind of military adventurism whatsoever, as that's the last thing we should do in light of all the discomfort CATO's creation has caused. Whatever big stick we have should be used in self-defense only and we should avoid waving it around when not necessary. Discretion is the better part of valor, and keeping things calm will be healthy for all of us. Unless if it's time to be un-calm, and then we can make things as unhealthy as we please.

"As for bettering CATO's relationships with our neighbors, after we're finished here I'm looking forward to going around for a while - starting with Canissia, and then to places like Shinra and Cascadia and all that. Making new friends and rekindling old flames and everything, just to alleviate any of those unfounded worries that Shroomania and CATO's gone off the bend. It'll give us all some good publicity.

"Anyway, I say we should freshen ourselves up for the dinner party. Looks like Duke Lelouch's going to be here with us as well again, just like back in Shroomania," Shroom laughed, remembering the wretched faux pas that had happened in the Eye of Farbanti.. "With all these dinners and parties, I think my Prime Ministerial suit's getting a bit too tight around the waist, hah!"

[Shroom Man 777]

LIVE on ShroomSat/StratTV
The Mushroom Military Messenger
FUNGAL FOURTEEN FOR FREEDOM


The Sovereignty's Navy commences construction of additional Yer Mom-class guided-missile submarines.

In light of PeZookia's additional orders for Yer Mom-class SSGNs, the Sovereignty of Shroomania will also order an additional seven more submarines to add to the Sovereignty's seven serving Yer Moms, creating the strategic deterrent force that will be called the 'Fungal Fourteen For Freedom'.

Yer Mom's are perhaps the most advanced strategic missile submarines in the world, and are the product of joint Shroomanian-PeZookian naval engineering.

[PeZook]

FASTA internal briefing: status of rocket technology

[...]

Section B: Projected and operational rocket families

11K59 Soyuz Booster

OPERATIONAL

Payload to LEO: 12.7 tonnes
Programs serviced: Soyuz, Selene, Manned Orbital Presence
Configuration: Three stage booster. First stage: four hypergolic boosters using second-generation RD-100 engines + single core engine. Second stage: single core RD-100 engine. Third stage: single restartable RD-110 engine.

Projected lifetime: Phased out by end of 2015

Zenit

[PLACEHOLDER - TO BE FINISHED LATER]

Lucrelance III

OPERATIONAL

Payload to LEO: 33 tonnes
Programs serviced: Soyuz, Selene, Manned Orbital Presence, Lunar Reconeissance Orbiter, FASTA Lunar Lander, Unmanned Planetary Exploration, CATO military programs.
Configuration: Three stage booster. First stage: two RD-170 core engines + up to two solid-propellant boosters. Second stage: two RD-170 core engines. Third stage: single restartable RD-120 engine.

Projected lifetime: Phased out in favor of Lucrelance IV by end of 2018

Lucrelance IV

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Payload to LEO: 48 tonnes
Programs serviced: Selene, Manned Orbital Presence, Lunar Reconeissance Orbiter, FASTA Lunar Lander, Unmanned Planetary Exploration, CATO military programs
Configuration: Three stage booster. First stage: two RD-171 core engines + up to four solid-propellant boosters. Second stage: two RD-171 core engines. Third stage: single RD-120 engine.

Projected lifetime: Introduction in 2018

Saturn I

SEVERAL FLIGHT TESTS COMPLETE

Payload to LEO: 11 tonnes
Programs serviced: CATO military programs, satellite launches. Technology demonstrator.
Configuration: Two stage booster. First stage: five F-1 engines. Second stage: two J-2X engines.

Projected lifetime: Introduction in early 2015

Saturn III

DESIGN STAGES

Payload to LEO: 90 tonnes
Programs serviced: Selene, Permanent Lunar Presence, Manned Orbital Presence
Configuration: Three stage booster. First stage: five F-1 engines. Second stage: five J-2X engines. Third stage: single restartable J-2X engine. Provisions for hypergolic strap-on boosters, though none planned for Saturn III configuration.

Projected lifetime: Introduction in early 2017

Saturn V/Energia

DESIGN STAGES

Payload to LEO: 190 tonnes
Programs serviced: Permanent Lunar Presence, Manned Orbital Presence, Manned Solar System Exploration, CATO military programs
Configuration: Three stage booster. First stage: five RD-0120 engines + up to four hypergolic strap-on boosters. Second stage: five RD-170 engines. Third stage: single restartable J-2X engine.

Projected lifetime: Introduction around 2020

[Lonestar]

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Nexus City exchange tumbles
The Nexus City Stock Exhcnage(NCSE) tumbled 400 points yesterday after Sirnoth Telecom announced a "revenue adjustment" of -$487mil, as well as a Sirnoth Government report stating that new home construction has virtually ceased in the country.

"Sirnoth has been having severe economic problems since the Astarian BioWeapons attack on Shepland," A leading economist said "Government economic policy has been autistic, at best." ...More


Dominion Boeing "Sonic Cruiser" airliner makes first passenger flight


A Dominion Airways 7S7(the model number for the Sonic Cruiser) left Newport News International Airport for the first commercial flgith for the model, it's destination was Canissa.

"Long as the Old Dominion been subject to the Tyranny of distance." Said a Dominion Airways spokeswoman. "This plane will provide inexpensive, fast reliable transit between Shepland and the rest of the world"...More

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

CATO Military Journal

BAM shows off the NH-101 Helicopter

BAM, a joint venture between Byzantine Aeronautics and Air MacMillian, today showed off the new NH-101 helicopter. Built using many technologies used in the NH-90 helicopter, the NH-101 is a new heavy class helicopter designed to compete against the CH-53K. "The NH-90 helicopter has proven to be quite a reliable platform and is now in use in Shroomanian and Byzantine military forces. The NH-101 makes use of proven technology, and has excellent power to weight ratio in its class," says a spokesman. The Byzantine Navy and Shroomanian Navy is expected to make purchases of the helicopter.

SU-53 accepted in CATO acceptance trials.

The SU-53 has been officially accepted after a lengthy trial period. The original Su-50 aircraft was redesigned substantially to withstand the stresses of catapult assisted take-off. Billed as a carrier based long range fighter-bomber capable of carrying 2 large Klub IIs internally and 2 R-77M2 and 2 R-74M1s, and capable of other roles such as ASW and maritime patrol, the fighter is expected to be purchased by CATO members, and may be offered for foreign exports. "It is another excellent product of joint BAM and Sukhoi collaboration," smiled a Sukhoi representative.

MiG SKAT revealed.

The MiG SKAT was officially revealed today. Billed as a stealth UCAV, the MiG SKAT is described as a multi-mission platform capable of long range strikes as well as reconnaissance missions, similar to the OD Global Hawk. The MiG SKAT can carry up to 2 large Klub II missiles, or 2 2000 lb bombs. The MiG SKAT is likely to be purchased by CATO members and may be offered for foreign exports. Whether or not a manned version or a larger SKAT exists, BAM and MiG representatives refused to comment.

[PeZook]

Orena Evening News

Budget balanced, announces Finance Ministry

A fiscal report for FY2014 was released today, in which economic figures for the year have been tallied. Most predictions were realized, and in one case - outstripped. Instead of the projected 3 billion budget deficit, in Q3 2014 fiscal institutions have already noted a budget surplus.

Currently, projections put the FY2014 surplus at 4.2 billion Shroomanian dollars. Statements of the Finance Ministry indicate that the surplus will be used to pay off parts of the staggering 712 billion national debt accumulated over the last decade due to infrastructural, military and science projects.

Several social groups, however, are protesting current fiscal policy, claiming that cuts in social and health care spending should not be used to cover government expenses in other areas. Most notably, several conservative MPs have begun a campaign to cut PeZookia's commitment to FASTA and CATO military programs, claiming that these expenses are not justifiable considering the precarious budget situation of the country.

Taxes in PeZookia have hiked more than 10% on average in the last five years.

Six dead in Sjenska shooting

Authorities in the Shadow Republic of Sjenska are still unable to locate the mysterious assailant who shot six people to death in a home in People's Victory more than three months ago. Of particular note is the fact that one of the victims was a NOD officer, who was apparently attempting to infiltrate a dangerous criminal group dealing with people trafficking. Local police and NOD officials denied comment, and western journalists are not allowed to investigate the shooting in any way.

[CmdrWilkens]

"Sterling to go the wayof the Pound Sterling?"
James J McAvery
Columbia Evening Post

"Its long been the conventional wisdom that the redhorn silver lodes of northern Wilkonia woudl contnue to produce their annual yield far into the forseable future with the consequent impact on the host of government programs which derive their funding almsot excluisvely from the total national control of the field...but why has this year's report been delayed so long?

Speculation began surfacing more than a half dozen years ago when the Navy announced a huge expansion of the existing fleet along with an almsot complete replacement of every hull in the inventory. There was immediate furor from the far left and right benches both in terms of the outrageous spending and in terms of the impact of further militarization. While the later was quieted by several large scale reclamation projects being funded from the general treasury (projects which in truth have been too long delayed) the former objections were stilled by pointing out that the naval share of the Redhorn Lodes had never approached its legal limit and the Navy planned to now enforce its right to a full 50% annual cut of the lode. The question unanswered was why now? The government was running a bare surplus at the time (though massive debts from the last Tonkin war were still ebign paid off at ridiculous rates) and certainly could have afforded most of their programs without tapping into the silver fund.

The answer is that the lode may be finally running out. Its something which obviously has to happen sooner or later and with Wilkonia being far and away the world's largest producer of silver it was likely enough going to happen sooner but few expected it so soon. While certainly it coudl be market fluctuations have caused a delay the question one must now ask is if Wilkonia's supply of sterling is about to go the way of the pound sterling after the introduction of the ROB?

[Zor]

Port Adria, Zorian Veleria

With the Jihad long over, work on Port Adria had picked up. Even with the termination of logging activities and a decrease in the size of the RZA Garrison the population had increased to over 35,000 personnel. Recently completed was an expanding the oil storage facillities and transfer systems to better unload oil from bargdes and load it onto tanker ships, with the port facillities being expanded by extention. With the increased population, housing had been improved while the entertainment district had been expanded. A new war Memorial had been erected in the park, a simple black monolith four meters tall with the names of the fallen Zorian Soldiers and Sailors inscribed upon it flanked by a pair of burning hearths. However, the most notable addition was still under construction, the Queen Adria tower. Just yesterday, a pair of three tonne bronze statues of Marsupial Lions had been completed for its front enterence and would be shipped over in a few months. When completed, this Art Decco Skyscraper would stand 25 stories tall and serve as the Center of the Zorian Government in Veleria as well as a symbol of Zorian Power.

Fort Michael, Ironridge mountains, Zorian Veleria

Upriver, the Hub of Zorian Operations in the Ironridge mountains known as Fort Michael had quickly grown as well. A few years ago it was little more than a research base with a few chain link fences and a couple of warfs. Now it had grown to a central administrave center, as well as a vital storage center and a key transportation hub. It's population had bloomed to some 15,000 people. Being well upriver, the Logistical demands of running this settlement had forced the creation of various methods to make it profitable. For the various construction projects, concrete was being produced locally to meet with the demands while cropland had been cultivated in the surrounding valley. Several Rice Paddies had been set up, as well as a few feilds for vegatables and grains as well as three new stations for cattle, pigs and giant wombats. These agricultural endevors were the product of Private Development with healthy government assistance. It was not enough for export and it did take some effort to get the land cultivatable but did cut down operating costs by a sugnifigant margin.

Around Fort Michael were over a dozen smaller developed areas, either mines or oil feilds, connected by the various mountain tributaries of the Dragonsnake River and by rough roads, as well as various outposts for refueling and rescue operations. Soon these would be supplemented with a railway leading to the more productive areas.

[Shroom Man 777]

LIVE on ShroomSat/StratTV
The Mushroom Military Messenger
ARSENAL ACQUISITIONS

The Mushroom Military continues the systemic upgrade of its air, land and sea-based defense systems in a massive purchase that has involved a wide variety of new weapons, vehicles and machines from a range of continental contractors, including MacMillan and Byzantine Air MacMillan, SchromCorp, Kontos Munitions, Byzantine Heavy Industries, Sukhoi, Mikoyan-Gurevich, PeZookian Palisade, Shadow Strategic Systems and many other subcontractors and defense corporations.

Amongst the purchases will include new military logistics aircraft, namely the BAM A400 transports, NH-90 and NH-101 utility helicopters. Also, he Army and Mushroom Marines will be looking for a massive upgrade of their dated tank and artillery systems - integrating modern armor and modern electrothermal cannonry courtesy of Byzantine Heavy Industries and SchromCorp Schrommetall.

Moreover, the Shroomanian Air Force will be bolstering its stealth strike capacity by the additional purchase of more joint BAM-Sukhoi Su-50s and Su-54s - or F-22s and FB-22s as they are designated by the SAF.

Additionally, the Sovereign Navy has contracted the MacMill Megacorp, Kontos Munitions, Byzantine Heavy Industries and Shadow Strategic Systems to design next-generation warships to fill the cruiser, destroyer and frigate roles for the Sovereign Navy's future fleet.

MacMillan, SchromCorp and PeZookian Palisade are also working together to provide a new weapons system - perhaps a stealthy cruise missile, or a long-ranged hypersonic one - for the new Yer Mom-class vessels commissioned by the Sovereign Navy to complete its Fungal Fourteen For Freedom deterrence force.

This series of purchases is meant to modernize obsolete components of the Mushroom Military while enhancing its overall commonality and fulfilling its obligations to the joint CATO defense forces. The contracting of defense corporations from all over CATO may also be the first step of a purported "continental contractor consolidation plan", otherwise known as the CCCP.


As the upgrade continues, it is expected that the Mushroom Military will be putting many of its unused weapons, vehicles and machines on the market for sale to the highest bidder.

[DarthShady]

Palace of the Soviets, Stasograd, UCSR

The party had begun a while ago, and now coming a bit late the CATO leaders had joined the high ranking UCSR officials and the rest of the Presidents Guests. King Paul walked with his wife, who quickly made him go dance with her; Shroom and Heraclius began discussing the virtues of Vodka cigarettes while Shrooms assistant tried to stop him from having too many of them. President Shady briefly spoke with Stanislav, before being himself forced onto the dance floor by Elena. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and why wouldn't they; Shady had made sure that the finest food and drinks were made available to his guests, and they were to be entertained by the finest musicians the UCSR could provide, the famous Stasograd Orchestra.

Various other entertainers were brought in, including Shroomanian and Byzantine dancers and performers. The party was going amazingly well, and it gave the CATO leaders a chance to relax and enjoy themselves. The Party was soon joined by Duke Lelouch and his lady escorts, who came a bit late, but just in time to enjoy the party. Shady finished his dance with Elena and looked around, he was pleased, his friends were enjoying themselves.

"We have such stressful jobs.", he said, "It is good to simply relax and have fun for a change."

"Just don't overdo it.", Elena smiled, "Remember what happened in Shroomania. You and Comrade Stanislav have a nack for getting drunk, and your other friends are never too far behind."

Shady smiled.

"There is nothing wrong with having a good time.", Shady laughed, "Now come, let us join our friends and enjoy the party."

[DarthShady]

Palace of the Soviets, Stasograd, UCSR
Unreal Time

"Gentlemen, I've called you both here so we can set things in order.", Shady said, "I don't want us to have any problems with this matter."

Shady paused and looked at the two men in front of him, Kane and Yuri. Both of whom had very serious expressions on their faces.

"I have decided that NOD and PCIA will remain separate agencies, which will work tightly together. NOD will focus it's efforts on the Re-joined territories, while PCIA does what it did up until now, only slightly more.", Shady said, "You will share resources when necessary, and work together in every possible way to ensure the safety of the UCSR. I don't want to hear of any problems between the two of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Da, Comrade President.", both men said.

"Good. Now if you would excuse us, Comrade Kane.", Shady said, "Yuri and I have matters to discuss."

"Of course.", Kane said and left the room.

Shady got up and poured himself and Yuri a drink. Handing the glass to Yuri, he smiled, "Now my friend, we have much to discuss. We will be working together quite closely for the foreseeable future, and I need to know that you are on my side."

Yuri's look remained indifferent as he took a sip of his drink.

"The people have chosen you to be their President, and as long as you work in the best interest of the Motherland, you can count on my support.", Yuri said.

"That...is good to hear.", Shady smiled, "The people may have chosen me as their President but they are also quite fond of you. How would you feel about taking on additional duties within the government...a Ministers duties?"

"I would be honored, Comrade President.", Yuri said.

"Good.", Shady smiled.

[PeZook]

New Military Journal

AFV Upgrade Program bids finish

The Defence Ministry has released a list of contractors who won the bids for upgrades of PeZookia's Leopard 2A6 fleet. The entire upgrade package, and its winning contractors, are as follows:

- 120mm drop-in Electrothermal gun to replace the Shroommetal L55 smoothbore: Koltos Munitions, Byzantium

- ARENA-II active anti-rpg protection system: Canissian Arms, Canissia

- RPG-resistant grate armor: Lucznik Arms Factory, PeZookia

- Sensor & Battle Information Management Package: McMilllan Electronics, Shroomania

- TARCZA reactive armor: Mazhury Chemical Combinate, PeZookia

- Munitions production: Lucznik Arms Factory, PeZookia ; Koltos Munitions

- Systems integration: Centre For Weapons Testing And Development, PeZookia

First Dominion Hawks enter service

Assembled in Mielec Aircraft Factory, the first of these unmanned long-range reconeissance aircraft have entered service with the PeZookian military. A total of 40 aircraft are planned for assembly, and are expected to be fully operational by end of 2018.

Air Force Expansion Program initiated

With the budget stabilized, the Defence Ministry has begun planning for an expansion of the Air Force. Leaked documents indicate that current iterations of the plans call for a formation of three new fighter squadron equipped with variants of the Su-50 stealth air superiority fighter, and creation of a strategic arm which will operate both aerospace and space-based assets such as the Mig-110 and Soyuz-BK.

No concrete date or airplane numbers are available at this point.

Kirov purchase finalized

PeZookia will purchase two of four Byzantine Kirov-class cruisers to supplement its navy during its transitioning period to a modern force oriented more for strategic deterrence and defence of the Mediterrenean, in accordance with CATO strategy.

[PeZook]

The Ring

Fabowice, PeZookia. Voyvodship Police Command building

"Jesus christ...", Sebastian shouted while paging through the report, "...twenty women, kept drugged and raped daily, in a pleasant suburban neighborhood..."

"And nobody noticed anything. Curious, isn't it?", Amanda commented from her desk. She was reviewing photographs of all the women they rescued from the horrible house on Srebrzycka, "One almost has to wonder..."

"We're interrogating the neighbors right now. Some of them may have...participated."

"Goddamn...", Amanda shook her head, "...it's one of these days where I really hate this job."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, we'll make Brzytwa have a really bad day as soon as the prosecutor gives us a warrant."

Sebastian smiled, but stopped when Tomek ran into their office. His expression betrayed that something important has just happened.

"Sebastian...we're not getting the arrest warrant for Brzytwa."

People's Victory, Shadow Republic Of Sjenska

Javor entered the restaurant without showing anyone his badge. This wasn't a visit where his NOD rank would gain him anything, and could, in fact, be detrimental. His...associates were sitting at a table to the side, away from the windows and the crowds.

The place wasn't very luxurious, as few people in Sjenska could afford opulence. The decor was basic, the tables covered with plastic, the floor - cheap tile. Still, it was clean, and the food was inexpensive and good enough that even some foreign visitors didn't shy away. All the better, since the crowds made local staff less likely to notice Javor and his friends.

He approached the table and sat down. He was met with heavy, almost hostile looks from the two men sitting there.

"Finally", one of them, a nasty-looking, balding man called Pietia, said, "You're not supposed to meet us in person."

"Don't teach me about fieldcraft. Do you retards have any idea who you've kidnapped?"

His question was met by angry looks. Pietia looked like he was going to do something violent, but his friend muttered something which made him calm down.

"A little friendlier, please. What's the problem?", he asked. Pietia just sat there, obviously unhappy with Javor's insult.

"The girl you've kidnapped five days ago is a sister of Ana Midzic...", Javor said and tried to gauge their reaction. Not seeing any, he continued, "...the most wanted woman on the continent. Maybe the world...and she's here, looking for Nadya."

Pietia and his calmer friend became obviously agitated with this information.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. You're in some deep shit, my friends."

Pietia snorted and grinned, but said nothing. His friend, which for some reason seemed to have taken the conversation over, also smiled.

"On the contrary. Thank you for this information."

They got up an left, leaving Javor dumbfounded. He expected the men to be scared, or at least a bit worried - but they looked downright glad. He's seen a lot of things during his career, both in Karic's government and now with NOD, but this took the cake.

Whatever happened here, his plan to take care of Ana seems to have failed. He needed a new one - fast.

[K. A. Pital]

Order of the Crimson Banner Northern Open Seas Fleet


The New Nuclear Carrier NNC-01, the pride of the USCR fleet, built without a name and christened "Comrade Stanislav" soon after the Crimson President's peaceful retirement, crossed the waves of the Northern sea, accompanied by large nuclear multi-purpose escorts - not as large as the usual "Kirov" class, the hulls of which were now in the process of being decomissioned, but still huge - and new Union destroyers 21956 which replaced the Pr.956 Sovremenny class. The "21" stood for XXI century.

Today the best Union Navy battlegroup would be trying out, for the first time in naval aviation, the Navy's Su-53 air superiority fighters. The "Comrade Stanislav" was the only carrier so far given these new machines, and the trials which would be conducted were nothing to scoff at.

The "Comrade Stanislav" would be coming up in mock combat against a group with the preceding Crimson carrier class, the Ulyanovsk-class carrier "Crimson Revolution", whose full airwing of the latest Su-30 family naval fighters was eager to prove themselves against the new machines.

The fighters were, as it was usual for the latest Crimson designs, built with extreme long range in mind - for the war may not always allow the carrier to near the coast with impunity. The mock battle soon commenced, observed by ELINT ships which recorded the performance of both fleet commanders.

The Union Navy was moving into a new era of air superiority. If the production plans for the Su-53 will be faithfully executed, soon all the carriers of the Crimson Navy will have 5th generation air wings.

[Steve]

Final Battle

Co-written with Siege:


After Sidney had made his call it was Stephen's turn. He knew that Hank had handled the more immediate arrangements so he was intent on a more personal purpose.

"Only two minutes," the militiaman said upon handing him the sat-phone. "We are not so wealthy as to have a great amount of time for the phone."

"I understand," Stephen answered before putting in the number sequence, starting with Cascadia's country code for an international call and then inputting the eleven digit sequence for a number back home.

"Hello," a woman's voice answered the call, a voice he was well acquainted with.

"Hi dear," he answered.

"Stephen?!" Sophia al-Razma Garrett's voice betrayed the shock and relief he knew she was feeling. "Oh God, you're alive! They told me they couldn't tell..."

"I figured," he answered. "We've been running so long I feel like I'm back in the Army on maneuvers. Just thirty years too old for this shit now. Is.... is Deirdre there?"

"She's staying with Thomas and his fianceè," Sophia said. "Oh my God, I've been so worried. They told me you were shot down, that no survivors were found in the crash area, my God what's going on?"

"Somebody wants either me or President Hank dead. Possibly both of us. We're safe for the moment now and waiting for some help," he answered. "Not sure when this will end. But I wanted you and the kids to know I was okay and that I'm, we're, going to get through this. Okay?"

"Okay," was the answer, with clear signs of her voice breaking up on the other end. "But if something happens..."
"Then the kids will need you to be strong for them." Seeing the militiaman motioning, Stephen added, "But that's not going to happen, so don't worry about that. I love you, dear, and I'll be home before you know it. I have to go now."

He let her say goodbye before ending the call and handing the phone back to the paramilitary lieutenant.



The next hour or so was surprisingly uneventful. Sidney Hank didn’t know when he’d passed out in the chair just outside the militia HQ, but he groggily awoke when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Stephen standing next to him. “What?”

“Maybe trouble”, the Cascadian president whispered. “Better grab a rifle.”

Great, Sidney groaned inwardly. He followed Stephen to the checkpoint at the entry into town, arriving just in time to see dust clouds rolling in from the direction of the border hills.

“Okay Mr. Former Army Man”, Sidney murmured under his breath, frowning worriedly as the clouds drew nearer. “Those don’t look like approaching helicopters to me. So, what are they?”

"Trucks or jeeps, maybe even wheeled AFVs. Moving a bit too fast to be tanks save the lightest ones," Stephen answered. "Of course, I could be wrong. Most of my training was centered around countering an Ashanti invasion of Adabani or the unlikely apocalyptic scenario of playing hit-and-run with a horde of Tian Xia tanks crashing through the Solderman Gap, and neither of those places has quite as much dust as this steppe does."

"We are expecting reinforcements from Guolani," one of the militia officers informed them, leading the squad of six men that the local major had granted as the Presidents' "lifeguard". "They would come from that direction."

"Well, that settles..."

Stephen was interrupted by the distant flare of an explosion. The entire compound began to react almost immediately, the children below twelve being led into bunkers with their mothers and sisters and the men racing through their armory. "Okay, what was that?"

"Our western perimeter outpost is under attack. Two Coilerburger wheeled AFVs and four trucks," their lifeguard commander informed them, translating what was being said over the radio. "It seems your pursuers have beaten our reinforcements here. Come, quickly! We must get back to one of the pillboxes!"

At a brisk pace the two Presidents followed their protectors into one of the prepared concrete pillboxes that the militia had constructed for their compound's inner defenses. From there they watched as the sounds of vehicles in the distance drew closer, accompanied by a rise in gunfire.

An open space at one of the pillbox openings provided Stephen with a place to raise his rifle and join the others in laying suppressing fire down upon the assaulting Coilerburger nationalists. Firing the weapon and enduring the thunderous roar of battle in his unprotected ears, nearly deafening, he couldn't tell if any of his shots actually struck an attacker. But such fire wasn't truly meant to kill or wound, but to make the opponent keep his head down.

Before he could call out to Sidney to ask for an ammo reload, a thunderous boom enveloped a nearby pillbox, struck directly by an unknown anti-tank round. Sweeping his eyes across the twilight outside Stephen could see that at least one of the wheeled AFVs was carrying a large gun, possibly 80mm or larger, which was sweeping across the compound looking for more hard targets.

"Get out!" One of the militia captains grabbed him by the shoulder while the surviving PSS man and another militiaman assigned to their lifeguard took Sidney. "Get further into the compound before they fire here!"


The ragged defenders stumbled out of the pillbox mere moments before the 80mm gun on the AFV discharged and the bunker exploded in a ball of fire. Sidney was hurled bodily through the air, but mercifully managed to cushion his landing at least somewhat. Slightly dazed he sat up, checking first if the rifle was still slung over his shoulder, then if everyone was okay. Stephen and the two bodyguards were in various stages of picking themselves off the ground; as were two militiamen. The pillbox was a blazing ruin. Anyone still inside wouldn’t be coming out. In the distance, the AFV was already moving on, looking for other targets. Suddenly, Sidney recognized its profile and couldn’t help but snigger.

“I don’t see what’s so funny”, snarled Stephen.

“That’s an M-115 Antlion”, Sidney shook his head. “We sold those damned things to Coilerburg. That thing wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my signature.” He made a throwaway gesture. The fatigue and adrenalin were getting to him. “Never mind. Good news is, those rotten things aren’t nearly as well-armoured as they look. You don’t happen to have any rocket launchers around, do you?”

One of the militiamen nodded and beckoned them to follow him through the compound. Somewhere behind them erupted bursts of machine gun fire. Explosions tore through the small hamlet as the AFVs unloaded at anything they suspected of being a fortified position. All around, militiamen were falling back from the rubble of the first perimeter to the second lines. Scattered mortar rounds began to fall down on the abandoned positions.

Sidney took the Grenke rifle from its sling and released the safety. It wouldn’t do any good against those AFVs but it sure made him feel better. They hurried through the village, chased by the din of battle. Suddenly a wave of soldiers swept over the rubble two hundred meters away, clearly intent on making it to the militia HQ. Even as their small group sought cover near the buildings that lined the street machine gun fire chattered in short bursts, chopping down the leading Coilers, the rest crouching behind the rubble of a demolished guard tower, then returned fire.

“We can’t get to the armoury this way”, one of the militiamen whispered, and gestured at the Coilers. “They are in the way.”

“There’s people fighting back the way we came”, Sidney murmured. He ventured a brief look around the corner and turned to Stephen. “You think we can take them?”


"Possibly. Training was thirty years ago for me, y'know," he replied sardonically. "Best bet is to find room to flank them, set them up in a crossfire. Wakefield, you and Sidney go with a couple of our remaining militia guards around the hut on the right, and remember to stay low Sid. Satter and I will lead a group to draw their fire from the center."

The group split up. Stephen crouched low, double-checking his rifle as they moved forward. "Sir, as your remaining Security Service bodyguard, I must really insist that you not endanger yourself further," Satter remarked.
"Insistance noted, Agent," he answered before they moved into the field of fire of the Coilers that were blocking their way to the main armory. They were unengaged at the moment, likely a flank guard for the central attack on the militia HQ. As soldiers they were trained well, better than normal conscripts in the Coiler military which, given their clear membership in the "Greater Coilerburg" movements, wasn't too surprising; where lesser soldiers might've slacked off a bit they picked up on the movement toward them and sent fire over Stephen's party. Some of their number fired, others began creeping forward low to gain ground. Stephen spotted one doing this and carefully lined the sight of his Grenke up before pulling the trigger. He'd set for semi-auto fire so there was no sudden burst, just a quick thunderclap. The bullet he fired missed, so he fired again and this time his aim was better, catching the soldier in the neck.
Lifting himself to move a bit further over, Stephen found himself being thrown down by a sharp pain to his left shoulder. He reached over and felt warm blood coming from the glancing hit - the bullet had torn through flesh in his left shoulder but hadn't hit anything truly critical - while getting himself back to his knees. Several shots cracked as Satter and a militiaman gave him cover fire to get back to the side of a building, using its curvature for cover. As the bullet hadn't hit anything critical, he still had full use of his left arm - with a great deal of pain, it had to be noted - which meant with concentration he was able to keep his left arm up to aim his Grenke.
First, though, he retrieved from his pocket a bandage wrap that the militia had supplied him and carefully tied it around his left shoulder, applying enough pressure to keep the blood loss minimal until the wound could clot.

Unknown to him - or to Sidney - a teenage girl in a nearby hut had her own satellite phone, a newer model cell phone given to her as a gift from a favorite uncle in Saffonburg. The Coiler jamming wasn't effecting it and the girl was taking full advantage of this, recording for the benefit of her friends the images of battle around her, including the gunfight that the two Presidents in Tubmanburg were engaging in.




Sidney, Alexander and four of the separatist militiamen crawled around the smouldering ruin of what had once been someone’s home, circling around in order to flank the group of soldiers holding up the main group. “Sir!” hissed his bodyguard, who crouched beside him as the president peered around the corner. “I really must object to this course of action. You’re intentionally putting yourself in grave danger!”

The president briefly glanced sideways. “Look, Alex-- way I see it, in the immediate future I’ll be in grave danger no matter what we do. These guys aren’t here for tea and cookies, they’re down here for war, and in war doesn’t every extra rifle adds a little bit of security?” He didn’t give the bodyguard time to explain, but rushed toward the next house around the corner from where the Coiler soldiers were holed up.

“Ever fired a rifle in combat conditions before?” Wakefield whispered sarcastically as he caught up with Sidney.

“No,” Sidney admitted.

“My point exactly! You’re more likely to be a liability-”

“I’m not an idiot, Alex. And you’re not going to deter me either. So, are we going to do this together or not?”

Wakefield sighed and shook his head. “I guess we are.”

“What about you?” the president asked the militiamen with a husked whisper.
They nodded wordlessly. One of the militiamen dug in his pack for a sec and then pulled out a thin red bandanna, offering it to the president.

“Advanced combat bandanna,” explained the man with a grin.

“Does it offer any advantage to me whatsoever?” Sidney asked dubiously.

“Naw,” the separatist shrugged as he tied another one around his own head. “It just makes you cool.”

“Ah,” Sidney said, accepting the offered cloth and tying it around his forehead. It left a couple feet trailing behind him. His bodyguard looked at him with an incredulous look on his face. “What?”

“With all due respect sir… I think you’ve quite possibly gone mad.”

Sidney snorted. “I’m stranded in a world of action and intrigue, and headed into battle without a single shred of combat experience”, he commented dryly. “Mad or not, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride.”

They came around the corner guns shouldered, hearing the rat-a-tat-tatting of Coiler rifles as they responded to the fire put on them by Stephen’s party.

“Let’s go!” Sidney shouted. No more whispering now.

More by luck than anything else they managed to completely surprise the Coilers. and the six men of the flanking party found themselves firing straight down the enfilade of soldiers. The six men opened up, Wakefield and the militiamen with carefully aimed single shots, Sidney with three-round burst fire from the Grenke he carried. Having neither combat experience nor familiarity with the automatic rifle he knew that accuracy was pretty much out of the question, so this would come down to spray and pray- literally.

The first four enemies went down practically as blinking cursor, each hit by half a dozen rounds before they crumpled. Not everything went their way though. Through the smoke and noise, Sidney saw enemy soldiers turn around and raise their weapons. Popping erupted from their muzzles, and two militiamen were cut down instantly. A whizzing sound buzzed past his ear, and with detached curiosity Sidney realized that was the sound of gunfire coming in his direction. He fell into an improvised crouched position, a rush of adrenalin seemingly rendering everything in slow-motion, pointed the rifle in the general direction of the soldiers and opening fire. The rifle bucked against his shoulder and the uncontrolled spray of fire mostly went wide, but one round actually took one of the enemy soldiers in the chest, catching in his gear as he flailed, surprised by the impact. Half a second later the other went down as Wakefield put three rounds through his head in quick succession.

Then everything fell silent.

“Holy shit”, murmured Sidney. “I can’t believe I’m still alive.”

“Holy fuck”, Wakefield scowled and clutched his leg. “I can’t believe I got hit.” One of the separatists was already binding his leg. “Don’t worry sir,” the bodyguard rolled his eyes as he saw the worried look on the president’s face. “It’s just a flesh wound.”

“Ha”, Sidney smirked. “I’ve heard that line before.”


The two Presidents and their teams stepped over a pair of dead militia on their way into the armory. The dusty old shed was still well-stocked save for personal weapons. A Shepistani-model anti-tank rocket launcher was to be found in particular abundance, from markings being a Klavostani-built license production run predating the Pathogen War. "That's good," Stephen remarked upon getting one out of its case. He removed the plastic trigger guard and loaded one of the included guided rocket rounds into the weapon. Looking over he saw Sidney was doing the same thing with one of his own while a limping Alex Wakefield helped. Satter, being a tad too small to wield one of the weapons, was getting a grenade belt and ammo reloads, as were the militia.
"How exactly do you use one of these things?" he heard Sidney say aloud.
Wondering the same thing, Stephen brought the weapon up to his right shoulder, grunting from the wound in his left that complained every time his left arm was used. His quick bandage job was already starting to work loose and needed to be further reinforced with gauze and disinfectant, but there was no time for that.
"Yeah, I should've realized. It's a Shepistani-designed weapon, Sid. Meant for use by barely-literate conscripts straight off the farm. Just point it toward a target, hold the button on the top for laser-aiming, and pull the trigger to fire. It's fire-and-forget."

The two men, joined by their bodyguards, left the armory and moved back toward the center of the compound, taking the extreme flank to avoid coming under fire. Alex Wakefield and a militia man brought a third along, though Wakefield was barely keeping up due to his leg injury.

"Here, here!" They could see the Antlion AFVs moving forward, undoubtedly planning to put shells into the militia's HQ. Stephen went down to one knee to better balance himself with the weight of the launcher, prompting Sidney to do the same thing. Their bodyguards kept covering fire up long enough. "I take the front, you the rear," he shouted.

"Roger that!" was Sidney's reply, a slight smirk on his face.

From a distance the girl with the satellite cell was still recording, and she focused on the prominent image of the two men in torn up business suits bringing the rocket launchers up to fire. Stephen looked through the scope and settled the crosshairs on the AFV he was targeting. His right index finger pressed the button on the top for the laser to come on, which he focused on the AFV for a couple seconds before he pulled the trigger.

The forward Antlion's gun had been focusing on the militia HQ, seconds from firing, when the rockets erupted from the two Presidents' respective launchers. Each plowed into a thinly-armored M-115 and produced a magnificant explosion that engulfed the two vehicles, killing those still inside and reducing them to charred, burning wrecks much like their helicopter had become earlier that day. With the sun setting at their backs the two Presidents put their emptied launchers down and brought back up their rifles, remaining low as they poured fire into the Coiler forces. The nationalist forces had been become disrupted by the loss of their two big guns while the pro-Sabikan militia of Tubmanburg were emboldened by the unexpected victory. They counterattacked vigorously and began reclaiming their town.


For another thirty minutes the battle raged as the militiamen slowly but surely drove the Coiler soldiers, clearly demoralized by the sudden loss of their heavy support, out of the village. Their demise was only hastened when suddenly the vanguard of their retreat abruptly came under fire from patches of man-high grass just outside the compound. Coiler soldiers suddenly found themselves under fire from two side, anyone trying to run from the village getting indiscriminately cut by the unknown attackers.

It was over in minutes, the last remnants of the attackers throwing down their weapons to surrender. A guarded peace settled over the village as the militiamen moved to secure their new prisoners. Stephen and Sidney found themselves enjoying the sudden quiet, sitting on a shattered block of reinforced concrete, RPGs nonchalantly propped against the wall of the HQ.

Suddenly, Sidney sat up and pointed at an innocuous-looking girl down the street. “Wait a minute, is she..?”

Stephen looked. “Holding some sort of recording device, you mean? Yeah, looks like.” The two presidents looked at each other. Stephen grinned sardonically. “Too bad the election’s over already.”

Sidney rolled his eyes and shook his head, briefly touching his dirty bandana. “Daphne is going to kill me”, he murmured.

Then their attention was distracted by a group of heavily armed soldiers in advanced kit emerging from the bush-bush at the edge of the village, escorted by wary-looking militia. Their apparent leader, a giant of a man with a skin as leather, walked up to the two men. Apparently unperturbed by the less than usual attire the presidents were wearing the man gave them a crisp salute. “Sirs! Master Sergeant Zakhar Kasabian, Third Miratian Grayhelm Battalion at your disposal, sirs.” He eyed the launchers. “And if I may say so sirs, nice shots. Wouldn’t have been able to close for the kill without those.”

“Yer welcome”, Stephen drawled. “Are you the cavalry?”

“Me and a whole bunch of people”, the Miratian sergeant nodded. “The airborne are…” he glanced down at a military-issue wristwatch. “Thirty minutes out, give or take five minutes.”

Sidney raised an eyebrow. “You sure got here quick. No… Unpleasantness along the way, apart from these guys I mean?” The president admitted that wasn’t what he’d imagined. If two AFVs and a few dozen soldiers was all the Greater Coilerburg movement could manage to scrounge together…

“Walk in the park”, Kasabian grinned. “You should know that there were three more columns headed this way, but from what I commie air support sure took care of that.”

“Commie-” Sidney caught himself, then frowned. “The CSR sent aid?”

“Only they and all the rest of the world”, Kasabian’s grin widened. “Word is there’s spec-ops teams from a dozen nations milling about Halisbad AFB, and more coming in every hour.”

Sidney let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Suddenly he felt very tired. “Hey, Stephen?” he asked weakly.

“Yeah?”

“Did we survive?”

Stephen nodded gravely. “Yes, Sid. We survived.”

[Beowulf]

Ares Blog

TXN retires Westchester

The Westchester was originally bought by the then Duchy of Westchester in a fit of hubris towards becoming a carrier navy. Naturally, it was named after the Duchy itself. It has reached 40 years in age at this point however, which means it's time for it to be retired. For the past several years it has been serving as a training ship, but it was apparently decided that it was too expensive to keep in that role.

The Tian Xia Peace Department has decided to sell it for scrap, and is currently looking for buyers.

TXAF initiates SRAM III project

The SRAM III is known to be a replacement for the aging SRAM II missile. It's projected to be inservice within 3 years. It's also known that it will utilize a throttleable ducted rocket for propulsion. It will most likely fit in the same form factor as the SRAM II, and have the same warhead options, including a 300 lb conventional warhead, and the euphemestically named special warheads. It will also most likely maintain the low observability characteristics of its predecessor.

[PeZook]

Miranda

Farbanti International Airport, Shroomania

"Thor shall punish you! He will descend from the heavens and deliver INDISCRIMINATE JUSTICE upon you, heathens! Release me at once!"

The two Central Bureau of Investigation officers looked around sheepishly, at the people who stared at them in disbelief. They were half-leading half-dragging Miranda Moonbeam, astronaut-turned-cultist across the floor of Terminal A, chock-full of passengers. All the time, she was alternatively cursing them in the name of Thor and demanding to see her dad. She did the exact same thing on the flight here, making her caretakers weary and short tempered.

"You have stopped me on my mission! You will PAY FOR THAT! My dad will make sure of that! THOR will make sure of that!"

One of the CBI officers twitched slightly. It took all of his willpower not to snap and start screaming back at her - fortunately, their counterparts were waiting, and close by.



The group of FBI agents waved merrily from across the receiving hall, grinning and preparing their autograph pads. Miranda was a bit of a celebrity in Shroomania now, and assaulting a PeZookian cop with a stale baguette brought up all sorts of amusing dirty images - playing right into the personality of a typical Shroomanian.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me...", one of the PeZookians groaned after the customs official asked if he could take a photo of himself with Miranda, "...no! Get the hell out of our way!"

"Fine, fine. You don't have to be so rude about it, you know. Pass along."

Miranda began laughing! Laughing loud and clear, and turning everybody's attention to the PeZookians.

"You're the FBI crew which is supposed to pick her up?", an angry PeZookian asked upon them approaching the grinning, waving merry group of cops.



"We sure are, sport! My name's Micksterander MacMallen, pleased to meet you fine lads!", one of the officers answered.

"Fine, fine. Whatever. Here's the arrest documentation, her personal belongings, and our receipt. Sign it here, here and here", the PeZookian went straight to business, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out away from Miranda, "That double-headed axe of hers was confiscated. We'll ship it over on a week or so."

"What?! You seized the weapon of a TRUE WARRIOR?!", Miranda screamed upon hearing that, "YOU WILL BURN IN HELL FOR THIS!"

MacMallen took his time reviewing the documents PeZookians, "You know lads, this reminds me of this time where me and a fellow caled Sanders were hunting..."

"Just sign the goddamned papers, okay? We don't care."

Looking insulted, MacMallen placed the three required signatures and handed the PeZookians their recepit. The duo took it and disappeared with inhuman speed, gunning for the outbound flight hall.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

Secret

Scraps

1. ... A new Kh-215 to replace the Kh-15. It will feature a throttleable ducted rocket similar to those deployed in our latest AA missiles... stealth coating... reduced heat signature...

2. ... A new Kh-201 to replace the Kh-101. New RAM coating and reduced heat signature....

3. ... Updated Klub III missile to feature a throttleable ducted rocket in the terminal stage and updated RAM coating and further reduction of heat signature... use of more composites to reduce weight...

[Siege]

This… Is Worldwide One, news and entertainment straight from the heart of San Dorado!


The Tian Jiaoan carrier Westchester being towed into San Dorado Harbour

Billionaire real estate tycoon Andrew J. Stanford’s Gildorff Group confirmed today that it has reached an accord with the Tian Xian government over the purchase of the Westchester, a 40-year old aircraft carrier currently berthed up in the harbour of Fielding, Tian Jiao.

“We have a comprehensive plan for refurbishment of the Westchester”, a Gildorff spokesman announced at a press conference. The real estate group plans to dock the demilitarized carrier in San Dorado Harbour as a landmark attraction part of the New Docklands, a large plot of land Gildorff is developing in Delta City.

Gildorff Group intends to transform the Westchester into the Floating Pagoda, an attraction with a “traditional Tian Xian theme”. It will feature a floating casino, the ‘private club Courtesan’, a hotel, an observation deck at the bridge, a lounge bar, several oriental and Eastern Fusion flavoured restaurants, a golf course on what used to be the flight deck, and a fast food joint selling carrier-themed food like ‘Afterburner Cola’ and ‘Super Pilot Ace Fries’.

Purchase of the carrier will set the real estate conglomerate back 20 million ROB, with refurbishment taking at least another 20 million dollars. Gildorff Group stock soared at news of the purchase however, with prices up by 10 percent at the time of publishing. Majority shareholder Stanford is rumoured to have a 52 percent stake in the company. Other major shareholders are Sheik Yusuf Al-Dollari of Saudi-Shroomania, as well as Shroomanian playboy-entrepreneur Michelangelo MacMillan.

The deal between Gildorff and the Tian Xian government is notable because Stanford for years has been a prominent criticaster of the Duchy of Westchester, wasting no chance to lash out at Westchester for “betraying Frequesuan principles” and “hanging its allies out to dry” during and after the 2009 war between Westchester and the PRSF. His companies were even explicitly forbidden from doing business with the Duchy until the removal of the previous governor by the Huangi-Di and the subsequent normalization of relations between Tian Jiao and San Dorado.


[OOC: Playing it a bit fast and loose with the picture, just consider it an 'artists impression' until Beo is done dismantling the weapons etc.]

[RogueIce]

Midgar, Shinra Republic

President Shinra was looking over quite a bit of paperwork. In a world where it seemed everybody was modernizing - many expanding - their militaries, he was facing pressure to keep the Shinra Republic's defenses up to date. And so he would.

The Navy was going to acquire F-26s. Unlike other countries however, he was not going to insanely order a full run before he had a test and evalutation batch. Still, from what he heard, it was likely these birds would replace both the F-14s, and probably the A-6s still in service. Additionally, the Old Dominion was asking for some AV-35s, and he knew the Marines had already approved those. It seemed fair, given they were enjoying the EFVs so much. EF-18Gs were also going to be replacing the EA-6Cs, as the carrier air wings needed a faster EW aircraft to keep pace. As these too came from the Old Dominion, it would be a happy time for the Old Dominion military-industrial complex indeed. Finally, the F/A-18Es and -Fs were going to be replaced with F/A-35s, rather than the half mix currently operating. He was still undecided on whether they would head over to the Marines, or if he might transfer them to another MESS state. Wilkonia might like them, and a simple transfer would be attractive, given their budget constraints.

The Air Force would be getting their Air National Guard component as well. Already forming, the plan was for them to use retired F-15s and F-16s. However, they could wind up with F-22As, as the regular forces would be going with the improved F-22C models from Tian Xia. F-15F and A-10C replacements were also underway for the tactical side, and B-1Cs were replacing the B-52s used as a stopgap. Finally, the AWACS fleet was getting a needed expansion as well, with the EC-42 airframes. To increase airframe commonality, the tanker fleet would be replaced with the KC-42 aircraft. Other acquisitions were on the horizon as well, though those would have to wait.

The biggest benefitor of all would be the Army, however. They would see their force structure increased with the addition of some twelve new divisions, though not all would be full active strength units. Additionally, three Field Armies would be created: First Army, Second Army, and Third Army. X Corps, XI Corps, XII Corps, and XIII Corps would also be created to fill out the Armies. Additionally, the tanks, APCs, IFVs, helicopters, and other equipment would also be getting an upgrade as well, to keep them competitive. And, of course, there was still Project SOLDIER, though this remained Top Secret.

Results
Since every-fucking-body else is all into this "new, improved, larger" military kick, I guess I have to follow suit to maintain strategic balance and all that.

[K. A. Pital]

COMMUNE-2
The sun never truly rose over COMMUNE-2, because COMMUNE-2 itself was, for the most part, concentrated in immense underground factories which never saw the light of day. The city over it was small and looked like a typical small "secret Soviet city". It even had mock rocket engine assembly factory complexes over ground to make the MESS satellites consider fiction a reality. In fact, the flats of a typical COMMUNE-2 high-rise were mostly 1 room per person, a modern version of highly concentrated condominiums. This way allowed to concentrate a dozen thousand personnel in a settlement that looked no larger than a small town.

The sinister twin of the soviet communist techno-megapolis COMMUNE-1 - essentially a large city think tank for peaceful projects - the COMMUNE-2 was a concentration of the most powerful think-tanks of the Union military-industrial complex, which quietly siphoned modern technological knowledge from COMMUNE-1 and elsewhere in the world. It was like a black box which consumed tons and tons of information every day, and for years it could lay in wait before producing a deadly weapon.

And today the engineers of the Sukhoi along with their Byzantine counterparts were readying a present for the recent inauguration of Presiden Shady.

The Su-54 stealth medium strike craft was the child of the ever-enlarging bomber program - the 1980s M.F.P. program evolved, and despite the temporary halt in the 1990s which was caused by the vain hope that a medium-sized craft could replace every need of the airforce for heavier machines, a specification for an over 50-ton stealth bomber were given out in the 2000s. The Su-2/3X generation, while faithfully serving for around 15 years after it's conception, and it's Su-34 strike craft, were about to face fierce competition from this new metal beast. The Crimson solution to problems of internal bays were rather simple - if you use lightweight composite materials, make the plane heavy and big and the bays likewise big. The sheer size allowed to use the most powerful AL-51F engines which were denied for the PAK-FA program due to size constraints. The huge plane designed by the bureau was capable of carrying over 10 tons of ordnance, and over 7 tons in pure stealth mode in internal bays.

In the end, using many elements of the PAK-FA Su-50 program, this mighty machine was getting ready for it's first flight. It was christened "Aurora" in the homage to the old mythical goddes of the crimson rising star, whose name was invoked in military operations of the Second World War.


[OOC: well, Fingolfin wanted a large and long-range stealth strike craft based on the Su-50 to replace the Su-34 family (which itself replaced the Su-24 strike craft), and I thought that if we want to deploy that fully by 2020, we'll need to have the proto fly off now, 6-5 years until deployment in measurable quantities would exist]

[Siege]

Late Arrival



Camp Kittyhawk Air Force Base

With a dull clank of metal on concrete the Hercules’ cargo ramp came to rest on the landing strip. That sound had a sense of finality and release to it, like the first waking breath after a nightmare. The familiar humidity of the San Dorado summer swept into the dim cargo bay. Sidney heard the clamouring of crowds; the drums-and-trumpets of the army band.

Taking a deep breath he got up, making a face as bruises scraped past the metal of the chair. “Careful sir”, Wakefield said as he helped the President up from the chair bolted to the floor of the cargo plane.

“It’s okay, Alex”, the president grimaced at his bodyguard. The man was leaning on a cane. “I can do this on my own.”

Slowly the two descended the ramp, and for a brief moment Sidney simply savoured the feeling of the sun on his face and the clammy wind against his face. Then he turned toward the terminal. Crowds of people were applauding. Cameras were buzzing. The marching band played ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’ as the two men strolled toward the waiting reception committee of military men and Board of Directors officials. With some exasperation he noticed an ambulance parked next to a nearby hangar.

Sidney smiled broadly when he saw Daphne at the head of the committee. He was rewarded with a wan smile in return. They both knew they had to keep up appearances for the lenses of the camera crews and photographers, but Sidney noticed her eyes were slightly red when she reservedly stepped forward to greet him.

Of course Wakefield’s fiancée had no such issues, and practically hurled herself into the bodyguard’s arms. Sidney’s smile widened and he glanced from the couple to Daphne, raising an eyebrow, daring her. He saw her eye the happy couple. Her shoulders straightened. You didn’t dare Daphne Sinclair to do something, and then expect her to back down.

“Sod it”, she murmured.

The next thing he knew, she had both her arms wrapped around him. And there goes that secret. Sidney winced as her hug brushed his injured ribs. But he didn’t protest. He didn’t even flinch back. He didn’t care about the cameras and the crowds when she pulled his head down onto her shoulder and the smell of her subtle perfume filled his mind. Sidney was distantly aware of uncomfortable-looking bystanders and of crowds of people giving a mass ovation in the distance, but for that moment he was content to just hold her, running his fingers through her hair, his attention on the dazzling patterns of silver and gold the sunlight made.

“Dammit Sidney,” her voice whispered in his ear. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.” He cleared his throat, his hands on her arms as he looked her in the eye. “I don’t suppose this is a good time to ask you to marry me?”

Result: Sidney Hank is back in San Dorado. Also: romance!