SDNWorld Redux: Story Thread the Third

[Master_Baerne]

Costa de las Cinquos Muertes
Sandypoint
Revolutionary Headquarters

For the first time in thirty-six hours, Sam Austin left the command post set up across the street from the remains of the local Army headquarters, heading towards his apartment. Several men from his own organization fell in behind him, and a Klavostani major in charge of the city's air defense saluted as he passed, but apart from returning the salute, he paid them no mind, entirely focused on finding some sleep.

It had all gone spectacularly well, he reflected, stepping around a small crater. The Klavostani planes had arrived just in time to strafe a column of government tanks heading towards the city, and he had been waiting at the docks to welcome the three companies of professional armor that had accompanied the planes, mostly Gripens and MiGs. With the competent Klavostanis supporting the more numerous members of the Anticorruptionists, they had quickly swept the local loyalist forces into a pocket on the outskirts of town, where artillery had torn them to shreds. After that, it had been simplicity itself to destroy the disorganized remnants of the column the Klavostani planes had decimated, then to move outwards towards the capital.

Unfortunately, Austin mused, it would not be so simple to actually take the seat of the government, as several of the best regiments loyal to the corrupt masters of the Costa were based in and around it. Well-nigh impossible, perhaps, as government troops outnumbered his own forces rather substantially, and would have the advantage of the defensive position. He would have to investigate alternative measures of cleaning up the Costa's government. Several highly-placed military officers had sent messages expressing a willingness to talk (defect, Austin substituted cynically), so perhaps there was a solution there. Or perhaps not. In any case, it was a problem for the next day.

[Beowulf]

Costa de las Cinquos Muertes
Sandypoint
Revolutionary Headquarters

Sam Austin stared at Colonel Abdullah ibn Aziz. "What the hell do you mean you're withdrawing?"

"Pursuant to our contract, section 5, paragraph 10, subsection A, our forces may be required to withdraw from battle when nationalized by the Sultan."

"Why can't you stay? Can't you ignore him?"

"The Sultan says we must go, so we must go. We cannot ignore him any more than we can ignore the tides or the wind. I'm sorry."

--

Result: "Sultan Osman VII" nationalizes all Klavostani troops in Costa de las Cinquos Muertes, and brings them back to Klavostan.

[PeZook]

MOONBEAM MADNESS, P.2

Low Earth Orbit

"She's coming out!", Maurizio called, still glued to the capsule's optics, "No tether...wait, she has something in her hands..."

Alan looked up from his couch below, where he was comparing notes with Jerusalem. He and Svetlana were making plans for a possible rescue mission and tried to ascertain how much more time in orbit they had to try and pull it off. Maurizio's call was a surprise both to them and Jerusalem, though.

"What? In her hands?"

"Oh for crying out loud!", Maurizio cried and turned to his fellow astronauts, "It's a freaking axe!"

There was silence, with all three astronauts not quite able to believe that. Finally, Alan took a look himself.

"Jerusalem, uh...Moonbeam has left the orbiter. She has an axe."

After yet another shocked pause came a laconic response.

"Copy that, Three. Erm...stand by."

Alan sighed. Then he shrugged.

"Well, it's not like she can reach us, anyway...she doesn't have the right equi..."

"She coming straight for us!"

"Great. Now you've jinxed it.", Svetlana commented.

The radio came alive suddendly, with Miranda's crazed voice, "Alan Shroompard! I am coming! We shall duel like WARRIORS OF OLD! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Low Earth Orbit, outside

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!", said Miranda, "MWAHAHAHAHAHA again!", she said again. The San Doradoans were kind enough to provide her with an Eva Maneuvering Unit that she now had strapped to her back. The Gods themselves must've prompted that to happen - now, propelled by the might of the unit's thrusters, she was flying fast towards the Selene capsule where her COWARDLY enemies hid. Her Odin's Folding Axe in hand, she'd duel them - to the DEATH!

The approach was a little fast, though, and Miranda never qualified on the EMU. Her attempts to correct course were unsuccesful, and she overshot the capsule. Surely, such bad luck must've been more than just fate?

"Curse you, communist witch! Curse you and your socialist curses! YOU WILL NOT STOP A TRUE WARRIOR!", she screamed into the radio, feeling dizzy from the spin she induced herself while trying to turn around.

She finally managed to figure it out after a few minutes, thanks in no small part to the EMU's automated attitude control system. She began to pick up speed again - this time, heading straight for the capsule. Yes, this time she would hit...and it would be a GLORIOUS moment!

Selene 3

"Where did she go? Where did she go?!", Maurizio asked, trying frantically to locate the mad astronaut who just screamed past them trailing ice and curse words, "And with what?!"

"She must have a EMU. San Dorado copied some of our designs a while ago, there might've been one aboard Bellerophon.", Svetlana answered calmly, "Alan, we should deorbit before she manages to hit us and damage the capsule."

"Damn it, there are people aboard the orbiter! That crazy bitch is going to kill them all...I'm not gonna just leave them here!"

"There's nothing we can do!"

"There she is! Uh...she seems to have lost control...", Maurizio shouted from the optics station, interrupting the argument.

"Svetlana, she wasn't trained to use the EMU. If we act quick, we can regain control before she manages to come back, and save these people!"

They both looked each other in the eye for a second, Svetlana's cautious rationalism trying its strenght against Alan's desire to help. In a way, that Shroomanian was real Hero Of Space material. Of course, in space, heroes generally ended up dead sooner or later.

"What are you people waiting for? We gotta move, do something!", Maurizio broke them out of their stupor, "Besides, Jerusalem's asking what's going on."

"Oh. Right. Svetlana, get on it.", Alan finally said and went on the radio, "Jerusalem, this is Three. Moonbeam is currently EVA and, uh, trying to hack us to pieces. I'd like permission to transfer over to Bellerophon and deorbit it."

"Negative, Alan, too risky", the response was almost immediate.

"Jerusalem, only I'm put at risk. If I fail, both Svetlana and Maurizio can deorbit the capsule on their own."

"We copy that, Alan. Will have to consult Flight, standby."

Svetlana didn't wait - she disabled the automated station-keeping systems and moved the capsule closer to the orbiter. However, the Silver Streak was still on computer control, and the automatic pilot moved the spacecraft away to a minimum safe distance on its own.

"Pizdets!", Svetlana shouted in frustration, "We're not getting any closer, Alan."

"Thruster fuel is at critical levels, guys. If we are going to try something, we should do it now."

The radio crackled to life and instead of the mission's CAPCOM, Selene's crew heard Connoway's voice.

"Alan, you have a go. Do it now."

Alan grinned and dived behind the crew couches for his suit helmet and gloves.

"Finally", he muttered and opened the hatch to the orbital module, "Wish me luck"

Alan floated forward into the orbital module, which served as Selene's airlock. He checked the suit's integrity and secured his tether inside the module - he'd cut it if he managed to float over, and pull himself back if he didn't.

"Radio check. Check check."

"We hear you, Alan.", he heard Svetlana's voice, "Just be safe, okay?"

"Sure thing. I closed the connector hatch...depressurizing the orbital module..."

Suddendly, the entire spacecraft shook, and a metallic noise reverberated throughout its skin.

"What the hell was that?", Alan asked

"I have no idea...what the..."

In the cabin, alarm lights flared to life and sound signals began blaring.

"We're venting propellant!"

"What the...how?!"

Outside

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!", Miranda laughed, pulling out the axe from the massive gash it made in the capsule's service module. The fools probably thought she lost control and would float out into space forever, but Odin would not allow that!

She hacked at the service module again, and must've pierced a propellant tank - a fine mist sprayed forth, boiling in the vacuum of space and giving the spacecraft some sideways rotation. She would've hit it a third time, but noticed the front hatch opening. Surely, Alan must've realized his mistake and was coming out to face her!

She moved over towards the front of the spacecraft, grasping at emergency clamps welded to the outside, and made it just in time. Alan was emerging from inside the orbital module.

"I have you now!", she bellowed through her radio and raised the axe high, "You denied me communion with the Gods, and now I shall send you to meet them!"

The speech allowed Alan to duck back into the capsule and avoid Miranda's swinging axe blade. She shrieked in anger and attempted to follow him, but got stuck in the narrow passage.

"ALAN SHROOMPARD! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, YOU COWARD!!!", she screamed, trying to fit herself, the axe and EMU unit through a passage way too small for that.

"Uh...guys? I could really use some help here...", Alan pleaded weakly. Suddendly, Svetlana came on the line.

"Get away from him you BITCH!", both Alan and Miranda heard...and then, all of a sudden, the Service Module Main Engine fired, slamming the entire multi-ton capsule into the crazy astronaut. She screamed in pain as she tumbled over the entire lenght of the spacecraft, but managed to grasp one of the emergency clamps.

"Alan, get the hell back here! I'm deorbiting us!", Svetlana shouted.

"No! I have to try again!"

"Alan, we have two minutes before we lose enough propellant to be unable to make re-entry! I want your ass here RIGHT NOW!"

Outside, Miranda slowly crawled over the capsule's outer skin. She lost her axe somewhere, but it didn't matter. She'd strangle Alan with her bare hands if she had to!

Then she felt something strange. The capsule was turning, maneuvering for something...some vile plan of that Crimson she-devil, no doubt! She had to hurry up before it was too late!

Before she could do anything, however, the main engine fired again, and the sudden shock made Miranda loose her grip. All she could do was watch in horror as Selene 3 sped away, engine blazing, and taking Shroompard with it.

"CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU A HUNDRED TIMES!", she screamed into the void, and then noticed the Bellerophon orbiter. If she could just make it back...and unlock the controls somehow...

Jerusalem Mission Control Center

"Engine burn! I've got an engine burn!"

"What are they doing? Find out!"

"Three, this Jerusalem. Come in three!"

"I have them venting propellant and oxygen into space!"

"What the hell is going on there?!"

"Silence!", Common Carter Connoway stood up, "Order, people! One by one! CAPCOM, any response?"

"Yes, sir. Three is reporting they've been forced to perform an emergency deorbit. There is damage to the service module. They confirm venting propellant, but not oxygen.", the CAPCOM reported dutifully.

"Guidance, where are they going to land?"

"Just a minute...oh, damn. Calculations indicate...Khitan."

"Oh....fuck"

Khitan was one of three worst places in the world to land. The first one was Japanistan, the third - inner Velaria. The country was isolationist, paranoid and Selene 3's crew would be lucky if they weren't shot down on their way down.

Damian Kaklamanis turned to one of his assistants immediately when he's heard that.

"Get me someone in the Khitanese government. Anyone."

High above, the Selene spacecraft jettisoned its orbital and service modules and hit the atmosphere, resembling a falling star to anyone who watched. Radars of the Khitanese air defence system acquired it immediately, and many defence batteries were readied, in case it was determined to be a ballistic missile, opening of an attack by the sneaky Old Continent powers.

The capsule streaked through the sky away from major cities and industrial sites, however - into the massive steppes of the Outback, where no settlements existed.

Bellerophon

"Work, damn you! WORK!", Miranda screamed at the computer, banging on it with a hammer, "I have to fulfill my destiny!"

The computer was stubbornly unresponsive, however. She managed to already smash the outside antenna, so that the heretics at Mission Control wouldn't interfere, but unlocking the controls was still quite hard."

Finally, however, she's managed to hit something important. The MFDs turned green from their usual red, and displayed a message of the Gods themselves!

"CRITICAL SYSTEMS DAMAGE. EMERGENCY RE-ENTRY PROCEDURE INITIATED."

The orbiter's main engines fired, and it screamed down towards the Earth. By the time it happened, though, Bellerophon's orbit no longer passed over the Old Continent, or even Messica. The trajectory it took ended right in the deppest, darkest heart of Inner Velaria.

[Shroom Man 777]

THE PROPHECY



Outer Mongolia Khitan

There was a rumbling sound, like that of distant thunder, and the heavens lit up as a great ball of fire plummeted from the sky.

It flew over the tribe's teepees and left a contrail of flame, lighting the land like a second sunrise for all to see and exclaim at, for such a sight had never been seen for one hundred years!



Children gathered around in fear, huddling their parents or their elders, who hushed them and calmed them with soft whispers from their barbarian tongue. But the parents, and the elders, had themselves never seen such a sight - not for one hundred years!

Was it a good omen, or an ill sign? They did not know, for their primitive superstitions did not encompass such celestial events, and so they sought to consult the most ancient of their tribal elders - who had lived for more than one hundred years!

Thus it was, that they spoke to her of what they had seen, for her feeble eyes could not such great spectacle from afar, and then she consulted the sacred scrolls within her urn-jars, kept with the ashes of her ancestors. She read it by touching it with but her finger tips, and then she gasped.

And uttered but two words:

"The prophecy!"


Inner Velaria



The last of the cultists came at them, brandishing an obsidian knife and shrieking in his heathen language. His face embedded with jaedite jewels and trinkets and nose rings, smeared in warpaint, was a grimace of anger and fear.

Anger, for the mujahadeen had desecrated the most unholy sanctum of their ancient temple in the jungle's darkest heart. Fear, for Allah's true warriors were slaughtering all of his kultist kin.

He waved his blade in reptilian rage, intent on burying it in the chest of his foe, to carve out the still beating heart.

"KALI MA!" he shrieked.

"All of Velaria!" Mohammad Jihad answered as he shot the man in the face. The dead man collapsed to the ground like a sack of hashish - right after his teeth were blown out the back of his head. Last one of the infidels, slaughtered and sent pack and parcel to Allah to be judged and sent to hell, the day was done. "We are finished."

"No, we are not yet done. This one is still alive!" proclaimed one of Mohammad Jihad's fellow god-warriors. "What shall we do with him?"

It was an odinist, bloodied and shot, dying but not yet dead. Mohammad Jihad aimed his gun at the satan's remaining eye to end his misery, but fortunately the weapon was out of bullets. Mohammad Jihad threw it to the ground.

The cultist laughed.

He laughed.

Then Mohammad Jihad drew his scimitar.

"Any last words, before I spill the remainder of your blasphemous blood?" Mohammad Jihad asked him calmly.

"Aye," the odinist sputtered. Blood was seeping inside his lungs and with every word he spoke, he hacked and coughed painfully.

Deacon Saito looked up at the blackened sky with his last remaining eye, looked up and saw the blood-red streak of fire that scarred the night. He spoke his last piece:



"The prophecy."

[DarthShady]

The X Files
Travnik, Zagor, UCSR

Travnik was a rather small town, located in a hilly part of the Former Republic of Zagor; now the UCSR. It was a place where the people lived peacefully under the watchful gaze of NOD and the local milicija. Life had improved substantially since Zagor had been absorbed into the USSR, and now into the UCSR. Crime was at an all time low and the people relaxed, thinking that the horrors and bad things that happened regularly before the USSR came along, would never return. They were wrong. The recent incident that happened in one of the nearby forests proved them wrong. Four people were found dead, two men and two women, their bodies mangled beyond recognition. A terrible monster lurked in the forests of Travnik, a monster that the milicija was apparently unable to find and stop. Luckily for the people of Travnik, one of the agents of NOD had decided to come in and help the local authorities with their investigation.

That agent was non other than Special Agent Lisac Mulderovskic, a man who held quite a reputation, as a driven man; obsessed with weird cases and paranormal phenomena. His focus on these abstract cases had earned him quite a few enemies among members of the Brotherhoods inner circle, but quite a few friends as well. Most important of all was perhaps the fact that Lisac's father was a powerful man within the Brotherhood, and he had used his influence to help his son many times. He even helped his son form the X Files, a special unit within the Brotherhood, which focused on the weird, unsolvable and sometimes down right insane cases.

Drawn to Travnik by the new weird case, Special Agent Lisac Mulderovskic begun his investigation.

Crime Scene, small forest clearing, outside Travnik


"As you can see, this is the place where we found the bodies.", Inspector Mustafa Alibegovic said, "It's not a pretty scene, even after the bodies have been removed. I hope you can make some sense out of this, Agent Mulderovskic. Because I...can't."

There was a brief pause before Mulderovskic decided to speak.

"I've seen the pictures of the bodies...what has been done to them seems unnatural.", Mulderovskic paused for a moment, "It would take someone of great strength to be able to do that to a person."

"Can a human being really be that strong?", Inspector Alibegovic asked with an almost panicked voice.

"I'm not sure.", Mulderovskic answered slowly and looked out, towards the forest, "Where does that path lead?"

"Deeper into the forest, it's a hiking trail.", the Inspector answered, "But it hasn't been in use for quite some time now. Ever since the new army base was set up, a few years ago. It is forbidden."

"New army base?", Lisac Mulderovskic asked.

"Yes. When the USSR absorbed the Republic, they built a new base there.", the Inspector said, "The area has been off limits to civilians ever since."

Lisac looked at the path one more time and then turned towards Inspector Alibegovic.

"I want to go and check it out, care to tag along?", he said.

"What? No, you can't. I told you, it is forbidden.", Mustafa said, clearly surprised with Mulderovskic's idea.

"I'm NOD. We go where we want.", Mulderovskic said.

Inspector Mustafa Alibegovic thought for a moment and realized he had no choice.

"Alright, give me a moment to grab a few things from my car, and then we can go.", he said.

"Fine, I need to make a phone call before we leave anyway.", Mulderovskic said.

As the Inspector left to get his things, Lisac took his cellphone from his pocket and dialed the number of his partner.

"Danica, it's me. I need your help with something.", he spoke into the phone.

Danica's home, Sarajevo,

Danica Skulinski was Mulderovskic's long time partner, ever since the X-files were first opened. She was the logical and reasonable half of the partnership, she was also a Doctor. And she was also sleeping, when her phone rang and woke her up. She answered it, half a sleep.

"Yes."

"Danica, it's me. I need your help with something."

"Lisac, I was sleeping."

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but I have an interesting case on my hands and I need you to do an autopsy on some bodies."

"Alright. Where are you?"

"Travnik in Zagor."

"What the hell are you doing there?"

"Investigating a case. I really need your help."

"Fine, I'll be there soon."

She said and hang up the phone. "Dammit Lisac.", she thought to herself and went to get dressed.

Travnik, Zagor, In the forest, hours later

Mulderovskic and the Inspector had been walking for hours and now finally they had reached the army base, only what they found was nothing like what they had expected to find. The base was massive and spreading over a kilometer in the valley, but it didn't have the look of a standard military base. Several of the buildings seemed weird and out of place for a military installation.

"That has got to be the strangest military base I have ever seen.", Lisac said to the Inspector as they hid in the bushes atop the small hill.

"I haven't seen many, but I have to agree.", the Inspector said and took his binoculars from the small bag he brought with him, "Care for a closer look?"

"Yes, thank you.", Mulderovskic smiled and took the binoculars. He scanned the base from one end to the other, trying to determine the exact purpose of the complex.

"What the hell?", he said clearly surprised by something he had seen.

"What?", the Inspector asked.

"The troops guarding the base...", Lisac said with a small hint of fear in his voice, "They are not army soldiers. Those are..."

"What do you mean?", the Inspector asked, clearly not liking what he was hearing.

"Those are Black Hand soldiers.", Lisac said slowly.

"My God.", the Inspector panicked, "We have to get out of here. Now!"

"Agreed.", Lisac said.

"I'm afraid, you're not going anywhere gentlemen.", A voice came from behind them, they turned to face a group of Black Hand soldiers pointing their weapons directly at them."

"How did they...", the Inspector tried to speak but was cut off by a command from one of the soldiers.

"Silence!", the Black Hand soldier shouted, "Seize them."

To be continued...

OOC: I'm trying to improve my writing skills, which currently suck(as far as I can tell), so any comment is appreciated. If you bother to read this at all.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Presidential Office, Akori Republic

President Somare flipped through the folder in front of him. He seemed to maintain a careless attitude, despite the fact he had already finished reading the contents and discussed them over with his officials.

Sitting opposite from him, Lord Eikyu Mak, of the House of Mak of Serenity. Long believed to have been consumed by cannibals in Veleria.



"Mr. Mak, let me get this straight. You're offering to us...what the Blue Sun and the Tachibanas have already offered. How am I going to benefit from this, besides cutting ties with two major corporations which have been investing a lot over here?"

"25% share for yourself. It's simple math. Currently the Tachibanas and especially Blue Sun are relying a lot from Akori. They use your resources, your manpower, and a lot of the money they make in Veleria, in Akori, goes to their pockets. It's about time you started getting more."

Somare lit a cigar, "And in return..."

"Cut the ties with the Tachibanas and the 'Sun. Plus, there will be further steps."

"Ah, now you're talking, 'further steps', eh? There's always a string tied."

"Well Mr. President, you can quit anytime, we can seek others, such as Vice President Dibela. Let him take the responsibility and risk."

Mak took out a small bag of carefully wrapped betel nuts and offered some to Somare. The president grabbed a few, and tossed one in his mouth, the odor began to mix with the tobacco smoke.

Somare chewed for a few minutes, spit out the juice, and said, "This 25% share...how am I going to get and keep it safely?"

"We can arrange that for you."

"Good...but before we make the deal, show me what you have..."

[Siege]

One: Ralson Runaway



Low Earth Orbit

Somewhere a crazywoman was screaming. Thrusters fired and the world shook and rattled. A synthetic voice said something about emergency protocols whilst pinpricks of light swirled through an endless black void. Samuel ‘Sam’ Ralson woke to the noise of yelling and fists banging on control panels. He smelled faint traces of chloroform. He tried to move, but it appeared he was strapped into his seat.

Okay, what the hell just happened?

Ralson shook his head. His brain felt like it was filled with cobwebs. He dug in his memory. The last thing he remembered was that crazy Moonbeam girl handing him his canteen with a weird smile…

Oh. Oh damn.

Many things could be said about the CEO of Ralson Concerns Ltd., but not that he was slow on the uptake. He was in space. He was tied up. He was at the mercy of an insane bitch who’d somehow managed to dope him. His eyes snapped open. Suddenly, Sam Ralson was very much awake. He surveyed the passenger bay of the Silver Streak, took in the unconscious bodies of his fellow astronauts. He heard the roar of the engines and the mad rambling voice that came from the cockpit. And finally, through the windows of the orbiter, he saw the Earth.

The Earth, which grew noticeably larger even as he stared at it. Which meant that they had to be accelerating toward it at an awfully rapid pace. With Miranda Moonbeam at the wheel. A part of Sam Ralson wanted to utter a girly scream of pure existential terror. He swallowed and struggled against the restraints.

Luckily binding someone in zero-G was not an easy task, and Miranda Moonbeam had no prior experience with tying people up. The ropes almost immediately began to shift, and within seconds Sam Ralson found himself free to move. He suppressed his urge to set off toward the cabin. Moonbeam was crazy, and had far more experience with microgravity than he. If he was to take her on, he was going to need help.

Ralson turned to his unconscious compatriots. Clinton Westwood was closest. The cataleptic gold tycoon hung against his restraints, a drizzle of drool running down his grizzled chin. “Clinton”, Sam whispered in the man’s ear. “Clinton, wake up. Wake up, dammit!”

No reaction whatsoever.

Sam glowered. Time for horse medicine. “Clinton, your company just dropped fifty points on the SDSE!”

A sharp intake of breath. Bloodshot eyes shot open. Clinton Westwood was suddenly awake. “What-” he began, but Sam closed a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up. We’re in some serious shit. Let me get these off for you.” He helped undo the restraints, and the two men quickly moved on to the final astronaut.

Vincent Blues was a man with a reputation. He and his twin brother owned the Blues Brothers shipping consortium, and reputedly controlled half of the La Palma underworld. The gangster-CEO was a lean and muscular man with shoulder-length black hair that was tied in a pony tail. Ralson had never trusted the Blues twins, but now that it came down to fighting there were few people he’d rather have aboard.

Waking up Vincent Blues was a simple matter of hissing ‘cops!’ in his ear. The three men talked with hushed voices as they tried to come up with a battle plan to take back the orbiter, but in the end couldn’t come up with a better plan than barging into the cockpit and taking it by force.

The Battle for the Bellerophon Cockpit was as short as it was inglorious. Miranda Moonbeam was so preoccupied trying to figure out the controls of the orbiter that she only noticed her three fellow astronauts were awake when they were floating through the doorway. And experienced as she might be in microgravity antics, a scrawny girl was still no match for three men with violence on their mind. There was some yelling and cursing as Miranda kicked and screamed, and then she was tied up and gagged in the back of the orbiter with Clinton looking over her, and Sam Ralson was sitting at the controls of the Silver Streak.

“Can you can pilot this thing?” Vincent sounded skeptical.

“Of course I can’t”, Sam scowled. “But I built it. And I know a thing or two about aircraft-”

As if on cue the astronauts’ world began to clatter and shake as the Silver Streak hit the outer edge of the atmosphere. The tip of the orbiter seemed to point straight down and the Earth filled the cockpit windows. “Uh”, Sam frowned as PeZookia whirled by underneath them. His eyes scanned the dozens of lcd-screens and hundreds of unfamiliar buttons and switches. The shaking seemed to increase with every second. “Uh, uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh?” Vincent muttered, “Don’t you uh-oh me, Ralson. What’s going on?”

“We’re on autopilot. Computer’s executing an emergency re-entry.”

“What’s that even mean?” growled Vincent, whose eyes were transfixed on the rapidly growing Earth outside.

“It means”, Ralson answered, “that we’re on an automated course for a landing in Velaria. And before you start, I can do sweet fuck-all about it, ‘cause if I take this rotten thing off autopilot we’ll probably break apart and burn up halfway through re-entry.”

Vincent Blues silently considered this news for several seconds. Then he sighed. “Well, fuck.”

The shaking increased incrementally as the surface of the planet drew progressively nearer. Flames licked past the windows as the friction caused by the orbiter’s passing ignited the very atmosphere itself. “Valhalla!” shrieked Miranda, who had somehow managed to undo the gag. “We are VALKYRIES, riding to VALHALLA!”

“Shut up!” yelled Westwood.

“Keep your arms and legs inside”, Miranda laughed hysterically, “until this ride has come to a-”

“SHUT UP!” Westwood roared and punched her in face, knocking her unconscious, which considering the g-forces the astronauts now experienced that was quite a feat.

The amateur astronauts received no warning before the retro-thrusters fired. A deafening WHAM WHAM WHAM filled the cockpit as the onboard computer desperately attempted to slow down the rapidly descending aerospacecraft. The Silver Streak was an artificial comet, streaking down from the heavens on a tail of rocket fire far faster than it was ever intended to travel, trailing a torrent of sonic booms. Across the continent people dropped whatever they had been doing and looked up to the sky to see the ball of flame passing overhead, arching down on a steep ballistic trajectory toward the Earth.

“Hang on!” Sam hollered, g-forces pressing him deep into the pilot’s seat. “We’re in for some chop!” The ground was approaching truly quickly now, the orbiter was dropping at thousands of meters a minute. The retro rockets had expended all their fuel. The airbrakes were complete extended but barely seemed to affect the absurd speed of the orbiter. They only had the braking chutes left, and there was no runway in sight. “Ten kilometers…. Six… Four… Sixty seconds ‘till we hit the ground!”

“Oh crap”, Vincent gritted his teeth as he saw the green jungles of inner Velaria race by at eye-blurring speed, now seemingly only single meters beneath the shuttle. “We’re effin’ doomed.”

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Serenity Sentinel

Taoists Comment on Zorian Faith Expansion

With the first Shintoist shrine established in the Wudang areas, west coast faiths have set up their beachhead in the Taoist-heavy east coast, a result of 3 years of intensive preaching activity. Last week, after the 601st birthday celebration of the High Heavenly Xuan God, a few Taoists of the Wudang area were interviewed by the press for their opinions.

"I quite welcome to the Shintoists," said Yun Feiyang, disciple of the Wudang Sect, "We are a tolerant religion."


"It would be good interaction between the east-west coasts. We can do what the politicans have been trying for decades, bringing harmony to the Kingdom," said Li Muocho, of the Old Crypt Sect.

However, Taoist elders have different views.


"Shintoism is insignificant to Taoism. Odin is nothing compared to even the lesser deities of Taoism. It is a joke to see how mortal beings are claiming that the Shintos have 'established beachhead' here in Wudang," said Paimei, elder of various sects and temples, "Anyone who disagrees is welcome to visit my little monastery at the Northern Cliff at Mt. Wudang. If they have the guts to climb it."

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Moonbeam and daughter banned from ever entering Byzantium again

Recent events involving Lord Moonbeam and his daughter with reference to FASTA has sufficiently irritated the Byzantine Emperor, that he told the Foreign Ministry to make sure that Lord Moonbeam and any relative of his never ever set foot on Byzantine soil ever again. "If I catch that rascal even setting foot on one square centimeter of space or even brief one ounce of air here, I will have him locked in the dungeons deep in the Imperial Palace," says the Emperor. "That goes for his damnable daughter for making herself a damn nuisance." Inquiries were launched as to how and why Moonbeam's daughter managed to get into the FASTA compound in Jerusalem.

Response to allegations of CATO 'land grabbing'

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the recent expansion of CATO: "It's quite amusing that people would say CATO is indulging in land grabbing or attempting to spread communism when more than half of CATO isn't communist, and those two nations in Frequesue chose of their own free will to join us. It's an insult to the territorial dignity of these nations to insinuate that they were coerced to join us. CATO stands for peace, scientific progress and economic progress. Agitators ought to try to get their facts right and keep silent," says a foreign ministry spokesman.

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus

The Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus (Japanese: 大紅蓮章, Dai Guren Shō; Spanish: Gran Orden del Loto Carmesí) is the highest military decoration awarded by the Duchy of Langley government. It is bestowed on a member of the Duchy of Langley Armed Forces or a member of a friendly foreign armed force who distinguishes himself/herself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his/her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of the Duchy of Langley; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the Duchy of Langley is not a belligerent party." Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously.

Members of all branches of the Langley military and friendly foreign militaries are eligible to receive the medal; while current regulations explicitly state that recipients must be an active service member of the Langley Armed Forces or a friendly foreign armed force at the time of performing a valorous act that warrants the award, exceptions can be made at the behest of the Duke or Duchess. The Order is often presented personally to the recipient or, in the case of posthumous awards, to next of kin, by the Duke or Duchess of Langley. Due to its high status, the medal has special protection under Langley law.

The Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus is one of two military neck order awards issued by the Langley Armed Forces, the other being the Commander and Supreme Commander's Degrees of the Order of the Orange Triangle.

...

The badge of the Order is a Maltese cross in gilt enameled red, with an enameled laurel and oak wreath between the arms. The obverse central disc is in gilt, featuring a red flaming skull wearing black sunglasses (the current insignia of the Langley Armed Forces), surrounded by the legend "DUCHY OF LANGLEY" and the year 1948 on a red enamel ring. The reverse central disc is also in gilt, with the Langley state coat of arms, surrounded by the legend "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?" on a red enamel ring. The badge is suspended by a gilt lotus enameled red and attached by a hook to a red moiré silk neckband with gold trim that is 30 mm in width and 552 mm in length.

The star is similar to the badge, but without enamel, and with the wreath replaced by a cluster of rays in between each arm. The central disc features the insignia of the Langley Armed Forces and the legend "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?" It is worn on the left chest, 6 mm below the center of the ribbon bar on a full dress uniform.

A ribbon which is the same shade of red as the neckband with gold bars on the side edges is worn for situations other than full dress uniform. When the ribbon is worn, it is placed alone, 6 mm above the center of the other ribbons. For wear with civilian clothing, a red rosette is issued. The ribbon and rosette are presented at the same time as the medal.

In the rare case where a service member has been awarded more than one Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus, current regulations specify that an appropriate award device be centered on the Order ribbon and neck medal. To indicate multiple presentations of the Order, the Langley Army and Air Force award oak leaf clusters, while the Langley Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard award service stars.

---

San Dorado
VERY Unreal Time

Two Langley Air Force VC-137Cs touched down at Camp Kittyhawk AFB instead of Kittyhawk International Skyport; one was carrying Lelouch and his consorts, while the other was carrying an entire platoon of Langley Royal Guards (thirty-two women, divided into four squads of eight and armed with SIG-Sauer P220s and FN SCAR-Hs) and the gift for President Hank. After disembarking from their respective planes, the two groups met each other on the tarmac, with the Royal Guards all saluting Lelouch and Kallen as they approached. "At ease, ladies. Now, where is the gift for President Hank?" Lelouch asked.

"I have it with me, Your Highness," the lead guard replied as she handed a black leather case over to Kallen.

"Excellent," Lelouch replied as he led the Royal Guards towards a waiting San Doradoan Army Aérospatiale Super Frelon. "You and your women will be accompanying us to the Presidential Palace. After we give President Hank his gift, one squad is to remain with us at all times; everyone else is to return home and remain there until my group gets to Cascadia. Hold on to President Garrett's gift until then."

"Understood, Your Highness," the lead guard said as she and her troops boarded the Super Frelon. After seeing the Royal Guards off, Lelouch, C.C., Kallen, and Shirley boarded a Eurocopter Panther and followed the Super Frelon to the Presidential Palace.

As the two helicopters approached the Palace, Lelouch and his consorts took the time to gaze at San Dorado's hyper-developed cityscape. "Such a rotten hive of scum and villainy, wouldn't you agree?" Kallen commented.

"I really wouldn't say that in front of President Hank if I were you, Kallen," Shirley admonished.

"No, Kallen's right, and I'm very sure that President Hank is all too aware of his country's reputation for crime," Lelouch interjected. "Why do you think San Dorado invests so much in its law enforcement? You think we're the only ones whose police are equipped with helicopter gunships and military-grade armored cars? The AIP puts our own National Police to shame in that regard."

Shirley sighed. "Sorry, then," she said sheepishly. "Guess I must have forgotten about all that."

"We'll be touching down at the Presidential Palace shortly," the Panther pilot announced.

"Excellent," Lelouch said as he looked over at the massive skyscraper that was the Palace. "Quite the nice dwelling," he said to himself as the Panther and Super Frelon simultaneously alighted onto the helipad.

After disembarking from their helicopters, Lelouch, C.C., Kallen, Shirley, and the entire Royal Guard platoon were escorted to the Palace's Smoking Room by an equally large contingent of San Doradoan security forces. Three of the squads were left outside the room with the San Doradoans, while the lead squad accompanied Lelouch's group inside; needless to say, the various CATO leaders assembled were caught a little bit by surprise.

"Prime Minister Shroom, Presidents Shady and Hank, good to see you again. Duke James, President Sinclair, Chairman Lorenz, King Leighton, it is a honor to meet you at last," Lelouch greeted.

After the other leaders returned their greetings with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Lelouch decided it was time to get down to business. As C.C. and Shirley sat down at the table and the eight Royal Guards in the room took up positions, Lelouch and Kallen walked over to President Hank. "Mr. President, if you would be so kind as to stand up, please?" Lelouch said.

President Hank stood up from his seat. "What for, Your Highness?" he asked.

Kallen opened the case she was holding. "President Sidney Hank of the North Frequesquean Trust," Lelouch began. "For displaying conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of your life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the Duchy of Langley is not a belligerent party, it is my honor to present you with the Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus." Lelouch gingerly took the badge out of the case and draped the ribbon around President Hank's neck, then took the star out and carefully pinned it to Sidney's left breast; finally, Lelouch took out a smaller case containing the ribbon and rosette and presented it to Sidney.

"Congratulations, Mr. President," Lelouch said as he shook Sidney's hand.

---

RESULTS:

President Sidney Hank has been awarded the Grand Order of the Crimson Lotus for actions undertaken against Coilerburger nationalist militias on the Coilerburg-Sabika border. (Better late than never, I suppose.)

[Siege]

Crimson Lotus



Presidential Palace, downtown San Dorado

(Extra super very unreal time)

It didn’t happen very often that Sidney Hank was left completely flabbergasted. He had been a corporate politician for a long time now, and a fast-talking manager for even longer than that. He’d seen too much and considered himself to be far too jaded to be easily shocked into stunned silence.

That being said, Duke Lelouch managed it just fine with his solemn announcement and presentation. Sidney found himself looking at the small case with the ribbon and rosette, and completely lost for words. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. All of a sudden he was uncomfortably aware of just how many heads of state were in the room and looking at him.

Daphne met his thousand-yard stare. There was a twinkle her eyes, but the imperative was unmistakable. Say something!

“Your worshipfulness”, a voice said, and it took Sidney a moment to realize it was his own. “This is truly an honor. And quite unexpected…” He briefly considered his next words. “You know, I’ve never been decorated like this before” Discounting that time at Number 10, he fleetingly realized, when Shroom got drunk and nearly beheaded me with that rusty sword, “so this really means a lot to me.”

He pinched a glass of champagne from the table and raised it. “A toast”, Sidney called. “To you, good sir duke, and to Sir James, and King Leighton. To all of us, and to the friendship between our nations. May it never fade!”

[Ryan Thunder]

Then and there, the Prime Minister of Shroomania - Shroom the 777th - strode down the stairway that had folded out of the craft's side. Gracefully, in his ceremonial Shroomanian attire of fine leathers, venison and a fanciful wig, he set his booted foot on Miratian ground.

"Hello!" he declared for all to hear and, in the case of the temporarily dazed or deafened, not-hear. "Morning, my Miratian mateys!"

The Sovereign of Shroomania had arrived at Miratia.

Gero was both awed and enraged all at once. For one thing, the entire carpet that the Sovereign was supposed to walk down had been blown away, and now rested some thirty metres behind him. For another, the band was making cringe-worthy noises, as though an entire herd of wounded animals had landed on the tarmac with the mechanical monstrosity that now sat in front of him. Half of the musicians had been rendered tone-deaf by the sheer volume of the engines. The other half were missing their sheet music.

The grating cacaphony was just too much for him to tolerate. "WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, PLEASE!?" he demanded. The band fell silent. Some of the soldiers cracked thin smiles before bringing themselves back to stony attention. He'd deal with them later.

He dusted himself off a bit before walking across to where Shroom now stood waiting for him. He extended his hand for a handshake, and forced a smile. In the warmest, friendliest voice he could manage after all that, he said "Welcome to Miratia, Sovereign Shroom."

[Master_Baerne]

Costa de las Cinquos Muertes
Sandypoint
Revolutionary Headquarters


This was a problem.

Sam Austin chuckled mournfully to himself, dropping the lists of equipment still under revolutionary control after the Klavostani pullout. It was hopeless - Years of planning, most of his own personal fortune, the best chance in decades to overthrow the corrupt scum who ran the Costa...Now lost, thanks to the cowardly mercenaries. There was no way they'd actually been "recalled by the Sultan"; it was quite obvious to Austin that they were just frightened of the government's forces. Scared of losing, and ruining the reputation of Klavostan's soldiers of negotiable loyalty.

Scum.

The enormity of the event hadn't quite registered with the rest of the organization, as evidenced by the way things still happened in the headquarters. A staffer wearing a lieutenant's patch above the revolution's tree insignia strode up purposefully, saluting before placing a message printout on Austin's desk. Assuming it was another sitrep from one of the units facing the government's 3 Brigade across the Muertes River, he reached for it slowly, only to sit bolt upright when he spotted the anachronistic seal on the envelope. A crown over seven stars and a tree - The seal of the Sovereign Duchy of Baerne.

Mr. Austin,

It has come to the attention of His Grace's Government that certain setbacks have recently affected your noble bid to remove the corrupt leaders of the Costa from power. We feel that this goal is worthy of success, and are prepared to offer support both financial, and in troops to secure your rear areas. This will allow you to focus exclusively on combat operations, going some way towards reducing the numerical disparity between your organization and government forces. In addition, several BDAF squadrons will be detailed to prevent loyalist aircraft from further harming the innocent citizens of the Costa.

Sincerely Yours,
Countess Truman, Minister for War

RESULTS: In the interest of preserving human rights and fair government in the Costa, the Sovereign Duchy will be providing rear-area security, aircraft, and general support to Austin's revolutionaries.

[Shroom Man 777]

WARM WELCOMES
In Goddamn Unreal Time

Shroom grinned as he surveyed the scene of devastation around him and casually walked over to Mister Gero, shaking his hand firmly, giving him a tight squeeze and a good shake.

"Thank you, Mister Gero," the Prime Minister replied cheerfully. "It's good to be in Miratia!"

He was still holding on to Gero's hand and still shaking it.

Gero couldn't help but stretch his face into a simulacrum of the Prime Minister's grin as well - wondering, in his brain, if mental illness was indeed contagious and what manner of virulent brain-disease had the Shroomanian Sovereign infected him with. He released his hand from the Prime Minister's. "You'll forgive my ceremonial parade band, they haven't had time to... practice."

"Ah, yes. My trip to Frequesue was really a spur of the moment thing. Even I didn't have time to practice myself," Shroom said slyly. "But that's okay. I have my own band too!"

With that, ceremonial Musical Marching Mushroom Marines in dress costumes emerged from the Prime Ministerial rotocraft and clambered atop the mechanical monstrosity's wings. And then they played the Shroomanian National Anthem for all to hear.

"Ah, excellent!" Gero declared after the song was done, clapping his hands politely - even though they were balled into fists. His cabinet followed him accordingly. "Ah, you Shroomanians, you certainly have a flair for the dramatic entrance."

"We try," Shroom offered modestly and pleased to see the strange Miratian custom of clapping their hands while clenching their fists at the same time. What a strange thing, one that he'd never seen before. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Indeed," Gero's left eye did an involuntary neurotic tic, which Prime Minister Shroom mistook for a suggestive wink. "Now, let me show you the magnificence... of Miratia!"


As they boarded Mr. Gero's limousine, Prime Minister Shroom waved at his Musical Marching Mushroom Marines and swiftly the ceremonial cadets clambered off the wings and returned inside the Prime Ministerial rotocraft.

Then, to the horror of the remaining Miratian welcoming committee - the delegates, cabinet members, military men, bureaucrats, and politicians - the Ka-22's quadruple rotors began spinning once more, with a horrible noise and a gust of wind.

The sandstorm began once more as the rotocraft lifted off.




Mister Gero thanked his Frequesean gods that he was already in the armored limousine. Despite the bulletproof glass, the obscene flying machine could still be heard from outside and the master of Miratia felt the vibrations in his teeth. But that was better than being out there, amidst the blinding storm of sand.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he found himself staring at the Shroomanian Prime Minister's face and realized that it wasn't over yet, that it was only just the beginning. Gero's eye twitched in a neurotic tic and Prime Minister Shroom returned favor - winking right back at him.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imperial Chronicles

"So you are suggesting that it might be better to make the general orientation of the Kataphrateoi and Comitatenses legions more balanced," asked the Emperor.

"Yes Sire. I would recommend that we readjust the current balance between Kataphrateoi and Comitatenses brigades more on the 4:3 ratio and 3:4 ratio for Kataphrateoi and Comitatenses legions respectively."

"Fair enough. What is the status of the penetration rate of the B-3 Black Tiger?"

"Slow sire. Approximately only 25% of front line units have been re-equipped after nearly two years."

"That needs to be sped up. I want 100% of units to be re-equipped by the end 2018. How goes the heavy infantry support 155mm vehicle?"

"Work continues. As it is, they believe trials can commence at the start of the next year."

"How was the performance of the B-3 in the latest exercise."

"Battalions who employed the vehicle were wowed. The tank outperformed the B-2 Black Panthers which were still using the old bog standard ammunition," said Selenov, handing the field exercise report.

"Should we institute an upgrade program for the B-2s?" asked one strategos. "They are pretty new hulls relatively, and we can still squeeze some life out of them."

"Question is cost? Is it better to get a brand new B-3 or give the B-2s a new gun?" replied Selenov.

"How much will it cost?" asked the Emperor.

"Well, it's not a simple matter of merely removing the existing guns. A refit of the turret is required."

"I am open to having the B-2s refitted as they start to filter into the Limitanei formations. It will give them teeth should they have to fight the Japanistanis or who ever barges into our borders. We want them to be able to hit anything out at 8km further out than any known tank."

"Theoretically, that monster Japanistani tank can hit any tank at 40km or more ballistically," pointed out the Stategos

"That's the point of the new heavy infantry support tank. That thing can hit any object as far as 100km out with rocket propelled projectiles. How goes the general expansion of the new legions?"

"Progressing. We are suggesting we increase the size of the Airbourne and Mountain Comitatenses units though to the following configuration:

Legio XIV Airbourne Comitatenses Order of Battle:

• 3 Motorized Comitenses brigades (Uses BDRM-4 variants, including Sprut-SD 2S25)
• 2 Helibourne Assault Comitatenses brigade (Mi-17 and Mi-35)
• 2 Light Infantry Assault Brigades
• 2 light Onager brigades (light SP artillery)
• 2 Air Defence Onager brigade (light AA defences)
• 2 Attack Helicopter Brigade (12 Helicopters each)
• 1 Helicopter Reconnaissance Brigade (14 Helicopters each)
• 2 CAS Brigade (12 aircraft each)
• 1 Logistics Brigade
• 2 Combat Engineer Battalion
• 3 Military Transport Aviation Sqn (Several Transports for airlift)
• 2 Heavy Helicopter battalion
• 2 Utility Helicopter battalion
• 1 Air Reconnaissance Sqn

"That's effectively doubling the size of the airbourne legions isn't it?"

"Yes it is. It will increase the effectiveness of our airbourne legions."

"I take it that it will take 2-3 years to effect the transition."

"Yes."

"Alright. I give my approval. I also take it the army is asking about having its own CF-01 squadrons."

"Yes they want at least air regiment of these aircraft covering them when they move an entire tagmata. For now, transferring the F-15s will be a great boost."

"I think the Air Force aren't going to be happy being relegated to defending only home territory."

"Yes, I would imagine that is a problem. Though as it is, the Air Force does have lots of interceptors for that purpose."

"I will keep that in mind. Because ultimately, the Air Force also have to deal with stealthy invaders and the army as well. We might split the CF-01 units in between to simplify matters."

"Agreed."

"Also, one more thing, I hear there's talk of adopting a 6.8mm round. Is that a good thing or bad thing? I would imagine that it will take years to implement that change."

"Yes sire. A version of the G36 can be readied for 6.8mm."

"Sigh... money and time. I guess we can ready the gun, but I don't want the change to happen too fast. Now, we are running into a budget issue. We can't possibly implement an acquisition of new stealth fighters too quickly. At most a regiment a year for the air force, and one for the navy. We spent a goodly tonne of the budget acquiring F/A-22s that took 3 years to settle in and now we are acquiring a new bunch of fighters that require a different maintenance regime. The navy is happy about the way things go because they never had to be saddled with them, but the air force is at a loss as to what the do with the F/A-22s. I say we keep them, but the F-15s are to be replaced with CF-01s and the F-15s transferred to the army, but half of the birds that are over a decade old will be either sold off, mothballed, or scrapped."

[Karmic Knight]

Rufus spoke up at this point. "Nobody is attacking anybody here, gentlemen. We're working together toward a common goal: peace for your nation." He looked between both of them, and then continued on. "Now, there are a number of governments out there which combine a monarchy with democratic representation. Surely we could look to their examples, and then determine a suitable balance between royal and parlimentary power. Agreed?"

"So long as the parliament is able to be4 organized by me, with little to no interference on any of your parts, this is acceptable," Jeffery responded.

"Now, Jeff, what about joining the Commonwealth then? My goal is to keep as much of the work I have done complete, and the Commonwealth is part of that, so, will you join?"

"Yes, but we will negotiate the details of this arrangement later."

Result: Success, fucking finally.

[PeZook]

Orena Evening News

Providence Organ Transplantation Facility opens near Corona, PeZookia

Cofinanced by several Old Continent nations ; Resulting from decades of intense research and countless billions of dollars, the Providence Organ Transplantation Facility has opened today.


Providence Organ Transplantation Facility

The state-of-the-art facility will custom-manufacture human organs out of artificially created stem cells. The technology has been approved for human use after five years of clinical testing, which found it safe to use. Organs grown out of stem cells greatly enhance the quality of life of their recipents, who no longer need lifelong immunosuppresive therapy to avoid organ rejection ; Year-long waiting lists are no longer necessary, as from now on organs can be simply grown on demand. As king Paul I put it during the inauguration speech:

"Immesureable suffering, thousands of pointless deaths ; Crippling disease and horrible pain can all be averted, as we prove today with the opening of this magnificient facility. Human ingenuity and scientific endeavor bring us, together, towards a better future for us and our children."

The Providence Organ Transplantation Facility will also conduct further basic medical research, perform prosthetic implantation and run clinical trials on treatment methods for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkison's disease.

Critics of stem cell research have already voiced their protests against opening of the facility, arguing that the technology is unnatural, unsafe and unreliable. Unintended consequences and failures are bound to plague the program, critics claim, and the government acted too fast in approving the technique for human use.

[Lonestar]

Freyburg, Sirnoth

3 Months Ago

"Sweet FSM, what a dump." Anton Shepilov said. Not 20 years ago Sirnoth was considered one of the soft, incredibly wealthy interloper countries who had destroyed the Native Shepistani Kingdoms. Just by looking around, the country was in far worse shape than Shepistan ever had been. They had seen a murder take place on the drive from the airport to the Dominion Motor Works, and no one did anything about. Even in the ghettos of Al-Philli a swarm of constables would have descended upon the scene in minutes.

"Indeed." Marius Mercure said. "It blows my mind that DMW has waited until now to begin to exit this hole."

Anton Shepilov rubbed his chin. The former Colonel of the SRGC has head of Shepilov Solutions, a PMC created after the fall of Shepistan. Marius Mercure was a former ODA Ranger Colonel, and the two had actually fought on the same mountain against each other during the One Week War. Pecae has finally came to Shepland...the lion has laid down with the lamb... Anton thought wryly. Since then the two had seen Shepilov Solutions through contracts ranging from East Shepistan to Japanistan.

The door to the conference room opened up, and Georg Schneider, President of Sirnoth Operations, Dominion Motor Works, stepped in.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming. I must admit that I didn't expect you yourself to show up to sign the contract Mr. Shepilov..."

"I always prefer to do this face-to-face." Anton said seriously. "So my clients know I mean what I agree to do. We are not some third world concern without honor."

Schnieder nodded, his chins wiggling. "Yes...well, thank you. So the price is agreed upon? The mission?"

"We will make sure your company gets it's personnel and equipment out." Mercure said. "We will protect you from the Ruffians."

"And if those Ruffians are Sirnoth Army?"

"Them too." Shepilov smiled.

-----


Freyburg, Sirnoth.

Today

"Here we go, last shipment." Mercure said. He had been instructed by Anton to ride the last convoy from the plant out, but would have done so anyway. DMW employed almost 60,000 people in Sirnoth, and within a month of the announcement of the cessation of operations in Sirnoth, the government had moved to seize the factories and tools, only to be stopped by almost 500 Shepilov employees, most former SRGC, ODA Rangers, or Japnistani Kempeitai. The local and Federal Police were unable to do anything about it, and most rioting workers were dispersed with "pain rays" racked onto the back of Eagle utility vehicles. So far lethal force had only been used sparingly.

The convoys had dashed between the DMW compound and the small airfield where Shepilov's fleet of C-22s awaited, and were defended by another 600 Shepilov personnel. The Sirnoth Army had sent a Battalion down from the Hecate Mountains, but for some gormless reason it had just sat outside the city as the evacuating DMW people flew and drove out. This was the last day, and there was still a significant amount of equipment being left being. As the convoy pulled out the explovies in the plant went up.

Overhead a Shepilov Mi-25 flew.

"Marius this is Cutlass." Came the pilot. "Sirnoth army units are entering the city. Looks like a few 2A6s and other armored Vehicles. They are moving to interdict. There are no, repeat, no Sirnoth aviation assets seen." There was a pause. "Okay, it looks like they are moving down only one route, Freyburgstrasse. Orders?"

"Fly over and tell them to keep away."

"Roger." The Mi-25 flew off, seconds later you could hear it's loudspeakers blaring. "They aren't stopping. Guy in the lead leopard gave me the finger."

Mercure was silent for a bit. This was it, the last convoy. Our honor was at stack for getting this cargo out. "Stop their advance." Mercure said.

"Roger." The Mi-25 went farther out from the Sirnoth army column, circled around, and launched a AT-9. There was an explosion and an eruption of small-arms fire. "Lead tank destroyed..."

A MANPAD rocket went up, but it missed the Mi-25. The convoy was entering the airfield. The last 6 trucks were pulling up to the three remaining C-22s. Two C-12s were waiting farther down, and the Shepilov personnel were establishing an ever-tighter defense perimeter. Two dots appeared on the horizon: Two Shepilov Mi-38s that had extracted a strike team to take out the Freyburg air defense radar.

The burp of the Mi-25s chin gun could be heard, and Cutlass launched another AT-9. "Tank two is destroyed."

Mercure had hopped out of his Eagle and was glancing at his watch. "Dog Team get to your foxholes, everyone else start boarding the C-12s." He noted with satsifaction that all the trailers had already been removed from the trucks and were being loaded. The Eagles would soon follow. One of the two Mi 38s came in for a landing. Grinning, Anton Shepilov.

"Have fun, Anton?"

"Always, my friend, always. Young Smitson didn't make it, and Jurgensen has a sprained ankle, but otherwise a complete success. The bastards finally made a move, huh?

Mercure's response was interrupted by the whistling of artillery. "Everyone down!" 155mm shells went up around the airfield, but none had struck the aircraft. Mercure wondered if the intel they had got about the Army's inability to maintain the firecontrol equipment was true. The idiots had a month to register the airfield and didn't! Mercure shook his head. "I think it's time to go, Anton."

"Oh yes, I agree." Dirt started to kick up as Sirnoth Army infantry started to arrive and open fire. The two men stepped aboard the Mi-38. "Get the last cargo loaded and go, destroy whatever eagles we can't take!" Anton shouted. On that order the cargo doors for the C-22s began to close, and the C-12s began the roll down the taxiway. The Mi-38 lifted off and joined the other, heading to a secluded airfield in the Hecate mountains controlled by the insurgency there. Cutlass made two more passes on the Sirnoth army units, then joined the helicopter formation. The cargo planes took off one by one. Mercure would later learn they all made it to the Old Dominion.

[Steve]

Smith-Hall Defense Quarterly


Navy seeks to go nuclear by 2040

According to sources in the Department of the Navy, leading planners are looking to enact a long-term acquisition plan to have the Cascadian Navy field nothing but nuclear-powered combatants by 2040, when the last Cascadia-class amphibious carrier would be close to undergoing SLEP or decommissioning.

"Even with new petroleum discoveries in Veleria and other worldwide measures to convert away from petroleum-fired power plants, we must face the fact that the price of petroleum fuel will rise in the future," a memo from the Office of Naval Planning stated. "Conversion of the fleet to nuclear propulsion, utilizing new and less-costly nuclear plants, is going to be necessary to limit the costs of the sustained Cascadian naval presence in North Veleria."

Reconsideration of the issue of nuclear power for escorts is one of the reasons the Future Destroyer Concept Design was delayed, as it was to be a conventionally-fueled design initially, in favor of replacing the remaining Jiang Kai-sheng-class destroyers with a second block of John Q. Adams-class vessels. The Navy intends to delay fielding the Future Destroyer Design until the launch and operation of the CRS John Monroe, the first nuclear frigate, and up to two sister vessels provides needed insight into the problems and advantages of using nuclear plants in sub-10,000 ton naval vessels.

As of yet the Cascadian Navy has not proposed production of a nuclear-powered missile cruiser or amphibious vessel, but such developments may come in the following years if the Navy is serious about the 2040 deadline for an all-nuclear combatant fleet.

[Siege]

ARMY magazine



Fighting Continues in South-Western Coilerburg
Heavy fighting erupted earlier today in South-Western Coilerburg where remnants of anti-incorporation hardliner groups continue to battle against NFTAF troops. After a series of light skirmishes and hit-and-fade attacks earlier this month separatist forces now appear to be massing their efforts in a drive toward Berlaymont, the third-largest city of Coilerburg and largest urban agglomeration in the Coilerburg hinterland. According to a Paragon spokesperson the 1st Heavy Armor Brigade and other elements of the 2nd Mechanized Division, as well as two fighter squadrons have been mobilized to defend the city and squash the insurrection.

CATO Systems Integration Begins
The North Frequesuan Navy announced today that it has begun a comprehensive overhaul of its radar and battle management systems. Goal of the overhaul is to detach the NFN from the FTO and ultimately achieve total compatibility with existing CATO communication standards. Over the course of the three-year crash program a number of systems and sub-systems aboard ships of the fleet will be upgraded or replaced entirely with modern-day CATO equipment.

FELIN Specs Finalized
After several rounds of debates and delays the NFA has finalized the specifications of the FELIN next-generation infantry combat system. It combines a modified FAMAS rifle with a host of other electronics, clothing, pouches, and body armor. The helmet is an integral SPECTRA helmet fitted with real-time positioning and information system, and with light amplifiers for night vision. Power sources will be made of two rechargeable Li-ion batteries.

Over the coming years FELIN will be gradually introduced in service, with the first unit to receive the new system being 3 battalion of the 2nd Airmobile Brigade.

Ralson Concerns: Aerospike Prototype ‘Ready’

Ralson Concerns' aerospace division has successfully tested a prototype of the RA-UM-1 twin linear aerospike engine. Construction of the prototype began nearly three years ago. Ralson Concerns and Universal Motors are cooperating on this project to produce the world’s first viable aerospike engine, believed to be necessary in order to bring about a generation of single-stage-to-orbit aerospace vehicles.

SinTEK Expands LifeGiver Line
The LifeGiver™ line of Class III augmetics produced by SinTEK’s biomech division is set to expand again. According to a company spokeswoman the company has perfected a range of ocular implants capable of restoring sight to the blind; “a breakthrough”, according to SinTEK. A small camera implanted in the eyesocket transmits video images to a series of ‘wetware’ chips implanted directly in the brain.

First person to receive the Mk I Augmetic Eye was sergeant Emilio Cruz of the NFA, who lost an eye when his Dunecat APC was hit by a roadside bomb during a routine patrol in Eastern Occidental. The installation procedure of the Mk I costs about $210,000. SinTEK BioMech already produces a series of high-end augmetics, including the JARVIK artificial heart and the C3 mechanical hand prosthesis.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Constantinople Times

Army to go fully professional in 2 years

In a bid to reduce the bludgeoning military budget, the Emperor has decreed that the Limitanei formations would be reduced to 4 legions over the next 2 years, thus ending compulsory military conscription. Voluntary conscription will be in place and these young men and women who elect to serve in the army will be staff these legions. The decision was made in the light of the fact that individual legions have increased in size over the last year years and are thus more than strong enough to hold their own. "Army reorganisation continues at this moment to ensure that our army has enough teeth to face down any potential enemy. Also, I have spoken to the finance minister of the need to make cut backs to the military, to reduce the size of the military budget which has grown over the years." says the Emperor. The army will be reorganised into 4 tagmata as planned. It has also been revealed that the army is currently in the process of renewing the comitatenses equipment in a future warrior project.

Reorganisation to single type of Tagmata

It has been decided that there will be only one type of tagmata where there will be an even balance between Kataphrateoi and Comitatenses legions.

[Shroom Man 777]

LIVE on ShroomSat/StratTV
The Sovereign Shroomanian Sentinel
DOLPHIN DIANETICS


An artificial anatomy of a partly-cyberized dolphin.

FARBANTI, Shroomania - Scientists from Shroomania's Continental Consumer Cybernetics Company and the UCSR's Comrade Stanislav Friend of All Animals Institute of Biological Research and Science have recently announced a breakthrough in their cybernetic organism research and development efforts. Namely, the development of cybernetics not only for human use, but also for animal applications as well.

Together with Shroompeace, both organizations intend to produce a series of so-called "wetware" augmentations - with the first products designed specifically to be implanted on dolphins and cetaceans. The line will include artificial fins and flippers with memory-muscle actuators, and even synthetic sonar interfaced to the sensory lobes of whale brains, as the cybernetic implants are designed to rehabilitate injured animals currently under the care of Shroompeace's terminal-care aquariums.

The dolphins that would otherwise be euthanized or sold for meat will be given a second chance at life.


An injured dolphin being cyber-rehabilitated.

"These dolphins are beautiful animals and are more like us than we would believe," said Professor Petrov Pietrovich Pushkin. "The dolphin pod, for example, is a wonderful example of animal socialism - each marine mammal working for the common good, namely for cetacean communism and marine Marxism! Thus, we must help our baleen brothers by giving them artificial flippers, electric echolocators, and artificial blowholes powered not just by batteries, but by energized ideals!"

The Continental Consumer Cybernetics Company is a MacMillan Megacorporation subsidiary known for its wide range of cybernetic products - ranging from artificial hearts and prosthetic wheels for below-the-knee amputees to military applications such as truly literal digital weaponry.

The Comrade Stanislav Friend of All Animals Institute of Biological Research and Science is a UCSR design bureau specializing in animal applications, and has generously facilitated the CCCC's experimental efforts with its laboratories in COMMUNE-1.

The joint research effort is funded in part by Shroompeace and by donations from Lord Mordecai Moonbeam and his daughter, Miranda Moonbeam, noted animal rights activists.

[Coyote]

TIAN XIA FOREIGN MINISTRY




"Please, Minister Tenn... allow me to direct your questions towards the Chief Minister. I am simply a Deputy Assistant Minister, sorry for the confusion," Said DA Minister Han. He brought the Canissian FM to meet Eric Doyle, the sitting Minister for Tian Xia, and they quickly ran down the list of discussion topics.


"In truth," Doyls said, "We've been approaching King Brandon of the Vinyards for Observer status for awhile, we're primarily waiting to see how the treaty works out between him and Jeffrey-- if it does, I suppose I should quantify, but it looks like it might be a done deal now."

"All for the better," Minister Tenn said with some relief. "Soon we can get our ships out of the region."

"Indeed. As for a Légion étrangère base in Tian Jiao, the Emporer is favorable to that idea. We can select a smaller base in the north, and expand it. I forget the names of the bases we have available; I'll have to get with Defense on that. But we can work out all the details and overflight agreements, so on and so forth, that will be easy."

Foreign Minister Ral Tenn nodded, smiling. The Army was looking forward to opening a base in the area. Not just the global strategic advantages it gave, but also it limited the amountof stretched the Canissian Army had to do to carry out global missions.
"More of the 'home army' can stay home, then," Tenn said, "Excellent. Domestically popular as well. And Frequesne's never-ending guerrilla wars seem to be a source of ongoing trouble."

Minister Doyle agreed, and continued. "Tian Xia is amenable to building a carrier, but we suggest that Canissia buy it's carrier from Wilkonia, due to the much greater experience base of the Wilkonians." FM Ral Tenn made note, and added 'Wilkonia' to his list of places to go.

"As for the space elevator idea," Doyle said, "The Emperor finds the idea of a space elevator delightful, and would happily help finance the construction of one."



Results:
Canissia will hit up Wilkonia for Carrier
Canissian Légion étrangère will get a base in Tian Jiao
The Vinyards will be given opportunity to act as Observers after treaty.
Space Elevator plans are a go.

[Lonestar]

Royal Palace

Lonestar was watching a showing of Space Wars VI with the Lady Sterling when the phone on the end table rang. Annoyed he lowered the volume and Sarah snapped "I thought you had the night off???"

"I never have the night off..." Lonestar grumbled. He picked up the handset. "What?"

"Sir, My name is Major Huang..." The man had a Tian Xia accent.

"That's nice Major, who are you?"

"I'm the watch officer on the SHAPOD floor. SHAPOD SIGINT has started to intercept a television broadcast coming out of the Sirnoth legislature. We can patch it through your secure VTC."

"Goddamnit." Lonestar muttered. He stood up, ignoring Lady Sterling's glare. He walked over to his office and turned on his Tandberg. "Alright, I'm at my desk. Let's see it."



"What the Hell?"

"Sir, that's General Cortes, the leader of the hardliners in the Sirnoth military. He burst into the morning session of the joint chambers, and started to read off names of 'Traitors.' The Office of the Sovereign issued a statement announcing Cortes as the new "Minister of General Affairs. We also know that Cortes was very buddy-buddy with the Astarians, once upon a time."

"What...why is he doing this now?"

"Remember the Shepilov Solutions incident?"

"Yes..."

"Apparently what was left of the civilian government was what was holding back the military from stopping the DMW evacuation. We...oh, uhhh..."

"What? What did he say? It sounded like he was talking about Shepistan and the Old Dominion."

"He's just announced that he's going to deal with Sirnoth's Dominionite and Shepistani populations 'like the 5th Columnists that they are'."


"Fuck. Get the Joint Chiefs on the line...."

[Karmic Knight]

News From the Vinish Press

'Reconciliation Day'

The signing of the new Articles of Union, reestablishing the Commonwealth of Vineyards will henceforth be known across the commonwealth as 'Reconciliation Day, a day of celebrating the unity of Commonwealth.

Commonwealth Application for MESS Observership signed by King Brandon, King Jeffery, and Lord Earles.

Today, the members of the Triumvirate officially applied to the MESS for Observer status, by signing the application for said status as a group. This is significant in that it sets the precedent for future discussions of who controls foreign policy in the new Commonwealth.