2014 STGOD Story Thread I

[Siege]

The day after the very public execution in the royal palace gardens a priority air mailed package arrived at the palace. It was addressed simply to King Alexander the Second and came with a special note for palace security. Inside the package the King's guards found a bow-wrapped box of polished mahogany laser-etched with the royal seal of Orion. The inside of the box was lined in exquisite red velvet, and snuggly in the middle of that velvet sat a matching pair of chromed modern handguns. A hand-written note on thick and perfumed paper was pinned on top. It read:

"Your majesty,

Congratulations for the bold statement your highness made yesterday to his nation and the world. We at Helix Industries are keenly aware that swift and tough action is often necessary to ensure concrete and beneficial outcomes.

We noticed that your highness elected to use a revolver to accentuate his position with regards to express justice. This is in our humble opinion an impressive but outmoded weapon, especially for the monarch of a nation renowned world-wide for its progressive industry and scholarship.

It is our hope that your highness will accept our gift of a pair of semi-automatic Helix Aggressor pistols chambered in 9mm parabellum, as a sign of our esteem and in the interest of a future of expeditious justice and affirming action.

With utmost regards,

Lyman Mortimer
Managing Director
Helix Industries"

[Simon_Jester]

Broadcast facility of KNYE Radio, Pahrump, Nevada

Pahrump, Nevada, Cascadia
Coast to Mountains AM
1130 Greenwich Mean Time
0330 Pacific Standard Time
January 11, 2014

"Art Dingaling here for Coast to Mountains AM! You are on the air!"

"Art, I hope you'll excuse me if I'd rather stay partly anonymous. I've been doing my own analysis of the 1/3 bombings. I think it's profoundly significant that the first bomb exploded not at the thirteenth second of the minute, or the thirty-third, but the twenty-third. Possible Illuminati involvement, if you ask me. But important as that may be, that's not the real issue at the moment, and it's not why I wish to remain anonymous. That, Art, is for fear of the Orion secret services! So... I'd appreciate it if you could just call me... Jimmy."

"Really? What have you discovered about the event? They seem very interested in punishing those responsible- we've seen that much from the execution footage."

"Art, something doesn't add up about those executions. It just doesn't."

"What do you mean, Jimmy?

"Well, think about it. Why did the terrorists- alleged terrorists, should I say, confess? Why would they admit to their actions so quickly on national television and remove any chance of escaping punishment?"

"We know the Orion government said it was because they had plenty of evidence... but I'm guessing that's not what you mean."

"Exactly, Art, that's exactly right! See, they had to know their crimes would be punishable by death, so what threat could have convinced them to confess within only a few short days of the attack, on international television?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Jimmy... do you think something in particular?"

"Well, it's impossible to say. Perhaps the Orion government tortured them or used some kind of brainwashing technique. Maybe they threatened their followers or their families. But in any case, it's certainly reasonable to wonder if somehow they forced the 'terrorist' leaders to confess to the 1/3 attacks. In which case Richmond may have been saying exactly what the Orions wanted him to say, whether it was true or not, to avoid torture, or to protect friends and family... never suspecting that a head of state would pull out a gun and shoot him dead as soon as he was finished saying it!

"My god, Jimmy! But if the confessions were faked, then..."

"Then the so-called 'terrorists' in Orion may not have been the real perpetrators of this dastardly act at all! The Orion security forces may have faked up the whole thing for public consumption. They might not even know who did it. Or maybe... maybe THEY did it! I'm sure most of your listeners have heard of a 'false flag' operation..."

"I'd bet my last dime they have, Jimmy! But we may have a few new listeners turning in, and just in case, let me remind them, a false flag operation is one where people from one organization or... group of people... do something, pretending to be from another group, to make that other group look bad."

"Anyhow, with this brutally violent coverup, we may never know. Maybe the Serenade Tower bombing and the others were done by terrorists. Even if it isn't true, lots of Orion think so. Maybe even the King of Orion thinks so, who knows what they tell him? But maybe, maybe it was inside job. Yes, Art, we may never know the truth... and I think I'd better sign off. Thanks for hearing me out, Art."

<click>

"Well, Jimmy, if you're still listening on the radio, I think you've made some very interesting points, and ones that make me glad I live in a free country, no matter what anyone says about the black helicopters, or the federal government's coverup of its psychic research programs and contacts with the alien 'Dory.' On which note it's almost time to invite in our next guest! I'll be interviewing Dr. Smythe about remote viewing, what it can tell us about the celestial struggle between the Grays and the nucleo-bears of Ursa Major, and what the ongoing conflict might mean for life on Tellus..."
______________

Result: 1/3 trutherism begins to spread, fueled by crackpots and loonies... and by the King of Orion's decision to personally erase some of the most critical pieces of evidence.

[KlavoHunter]

South of the Exclusion Zone, Champa

Gonselo sat in the shade on the porch of his daughter's home, halfheartedly swatting at the fly that buzzed about him in the summer heat. He tried to ignore the aches in his old bones and joints, and the empty gnawing hunger in his belly. Those were the sorts of pains he'd stubbornly worked through all fifty-plus years of life. Now, though, he knew the pain of not knowing what to do to keep his family safe and healthy.

When the warnings had blared over the radios to evacuate the 'irradiated' zone, Gonselo rallied his wife, daughter in law, and grandson with just the essentials and walked south to the village where his daughter's family lived, where it was said to be safe from the 'fallout'. That had been easy enough, marching along the side of the road past stalled-out trucks that had run out of gas in the panicked flight of their owners.

Now, he had done everything he knew how to do. As the refugees filled the village, they had eaten everything they could find, down to boiling grass into soup, and cooking the last rotting joints of meat that were no longer refridgerated without steady electricity. Gonselo had made sure the little ones got as much to eat as they could find, and availed himself of only the smallest bits his family tried to share with him, along with anything feared contaminated by this mysterious, tasteless, odorless 'fallout' that would kill them slowly if they contacted too much of it.

It wasn't enough. His daughter's babies cried from hunger, and his he feared the most for his grandson - all he had left of his dear son after God decided to take him in a terrible work accident - who was a strong teenager now, one who was hungry and angry. Swearing to find food no matter what, his grandson had left despite all Gonselo's protests and demands that he not go. He knew how it would end - there'd be violence over what little there was to eat, and Gonselo did not own a gun. His grandson would be shot and killed by those who did have guns, and then where would his family be?

Familiar shouts from down the road caught Gonselo's attention, and he adjusted his hat as he stood up. There his grandson was, sweating as he dragged a huge white sack across the ground. What was this? Soon his entire family was outside to see the commotion, minus his son-in-law who himself was out searching for food.

"A plane passed by and they dropped from the sky from parachutes! There's more of them back the way I came!" the proud young man announced, as the Champans looked over these gifts he'd ingeniously hauled back so many of in the parachute. Writing upon the plastic packaging in the local language and pictograms revealed their contents. Gonselo's granddaughter babbled excitedly to ask if there was any of her favorite food. The babbles turned to shrieks of joy when her mother was able to tell her yes, as she sorted through the MREs, each containing traditional Champan dishes.

"Comrade Workers of Champa, Eat and be strong, a gift from your friends in Komradistan," Gonselo slowly read the large font. He cut into the plastic with his knife and settled back down into the shade to enjoy the best meal he'd had in days.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Daily Trials and Tribulations

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us, intoned Ecumenical Patriarch Frensis I Vasin.

The people replied, Amen

May the holy Trinity protect all of you. And may the blessing and the mercy of the Lord be with you.

At this, the last hymn was sung and the people slowly filtered out of the Church of Holy Wisdom. Ecumenical Patriarch surveyed the vast interior of the cathedral, which until the rise of the Church of God's Infinite Wisdom, was the largest church in all of the UOCSR, and the Daedalean empire that came before. Ornamentally decorated, with many beautiful icons that covered every ceiling and wall of the Church, the Church of Holy Wisdom represented one of the best examples of medieval Salonikian architecture that survived many calamities, including the Kagarians. Frensis breathed and took in the air. Yes, he thought. This place still exudes its history and grandeur. He walked up to his office and sat at his table. He lit his pipe and starred out into the city of St. Pawelgrad.

Named after St. Pawel, the greatest and holiest of saints, the city of Pawelgrad was similarly old, and well-preserved and untouched. The city survived the Kagarian invasions in the 11th century and had survived countless civil wars and more recently, the Petrov Revolution. No Salonikian dared to invade or touch this holiest of holy cities and thus, the city remained as immaculate as it could ever be. Beyond the city walls lay the river Bosfor that led to the Great Ocean and across the river was the huge industrial city of Stasograd. The two cities cannot be of greater constrast. The city Stasograd was a city filled with industry and the Special Economic Zone was one of the largest in the UOCSR. Stasograd produced many things, from oil rigs and drilling ships for the state oil company Salonikian Oil, huge cargo vessels for the state shipping company Grad Shipping to military ships for the Navy. Many design bureaus found in the city as well engaging in commercial and military activity and some were even working with capitalist companies. Because of its close proximity to St Pawelgrad, the pollution from Stasograd was heavily regulated to protect what were regarded as national monuments.

But it is because of Stasograd's proximity that it becomes a central focal point for the anger of the more virulently communist and religious members of the clergy, Frensis thought. He knew what Ferramenta pursued the policies she espoused. The state was bankrupt in the 70s and with so many people homeless, no amount of communism would house the people, much less feed them. Resorting to making deals with the capitalist devil was the fastest way to restore the country to its former strength and to restore its ability to defend itself, especially after the disastrous war with the Pyotrian heretics. He sighed. There was much to do to keep the various factions in the Patriarchate in line, and so he began his morning duties of meeting the various people who requested an audience with him. Such a busy day again...

[Steve]

Near the Exclusion Zone, Champa

The parachutes were seen coming down by those with the sharpest eyes, bearing food from Klavostan for the poor of Champa, not forcing them to wait for their inept masters and their greedy bourgeoisie overseers of the capitalist powers to decide it was time to feed them.

It was, on the surface, a masterful propaganda stroke. A declared contrast; Klavostan was trying to feed the poor while the other states tripped over themselves to save property or to showcase military muscle.

Unfortunately, there was a flaw in the plan, and the reason why the food relief from the other states was being more carefully directed; when you drop food by parachute over territory you don't control, you have no way of controlling who gets it.

The village of Ranapan had swelled from about three hundred people, including neighboring farms, to four thousand in the space of two days. The farms were stripped bare, the granaries emptied, and now all were threatened with hunger. So the food drops should have been a good thing.

The only problem was that the newly-arrived refugees included a criminal gang from the exclusion zone.

A man named Paran led them and had seen his chance with the coming of the food drops. His armed thugs had been quick to secure every box. Those who resisted were beaten and threatened with guns. Some even joined Paran out of hunger, agreeing to virtual slavery for scraps of the food. As for the rest....

He assembled the boxes of foodstuffs in a circle of his men as others looked on. "Those who want to eat know to pay!", he declared. And since he was, if not book smart, still quite cunning, he already had a contingency in mind should raw numbers of desperae starving people come for his outnumbered group. "And if you try anything...!" He motioned. His men began pouring gasoline around the boxes. He held up a match. "All gone! You will eat ashes! You want to eat, pay! Pay and obey! Ranapan is mine now!"

If any of the people of Ranapan wanted to eat, they would pay. And Paran would have plenty of booty and favors to keep the loyalty of his gang. The rest of which was even now setting up things to ensure he held this area for quite a bit of time.


Claudia Kirchner had spent two years getting used to the tropical heat of Champa compared to the cool climes of her native Nordrheinland. At the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree in linguistics, the young brown-haired activist had joined the International Peace Corps and been sent to Champa where they worked to help the poor villages of the countryside. She remembered trepidation over this assignment; the Champans were known to hunt and eat whales, a horrid thought for Rhenish. But compassion won out over disgust and she had become quite fond of the people here, especially the inlanders who, for obvious reasons, didn't eat the beloved creatures of her homeland.

She was in the back of the cargo truck that was bouncing around the rough dirt roads leading to Ranapan, near the southwest end of the exclusion zone. Boxes of food and medicine were stacked around her and one of the three other Peace Corps members she was traveling with. Annette Lansing was, despite her Britonian-sounding name, from one of the First Nations of America, a Tlingit from the Republic of Alyeska. Of all the others Claudia liked her the most, especially as they shared a similar concern for the whales and dolphins of the world's oceans.

Sitting up front was the driver, a large young Umerian man named Clever Eagle, and Yoshinara Sagimoto of Fuso, a linguist like Claudia who specialized in the languages of northeastern Ausfrica.

When the truck pulled to a stop she knew something was wrong. Claudia and Annette got out of the back and found Yoshi and "Clev" walking up to a fallen tree blocking the road. "What happened?", she asked.

Clev looked it over. His Umerian accent spoke English in a strange way, but Claudia knew the language and could make out his words. "It is not a natural fall."

Annette began to speak. "You mean someone blocked the road on..."

There was a loud crack in the air.

Yoshi's head exploded.

Or rather that was how it seemed to Claudia as a large caliber rifle round hit him in the forehead and kept going, causing the back of his head to explode in a shower of red and gray. He fell over into the muddy dirt road, not moving. Harsh laughter echoed in the forest.

They did the only thing they could do; they ran back to the truck. Clev cried out as a bullet found his calf. Annette, being six foot one and with the lean muscle of a runner and basketball player, helped him up and got him into the passenger's side of the truck. Claudia made it to the driver side and, without even closing the door, yanked the shifter to pull it into reverse. She hit the gas so hard that the tires peeled, sending mud flying, until they found enough traction to move backward. All the while more sickening cracks filled the air.

She backed up until the road became wide enough to make a three point turn. With the truck pointing the other way now she went as fast as she dared over the uneven road, causing bone-jarring jumps and impacts as they moved on.

With the fear gripping her and threatening to crush her heart, all she could think about was poor Yoshi. He hadn't been given a chance.

Who would do such a thing?



His name was Lagap, and at the moment he was enjoying the winnings of his bet for getting a headshot on the poor bastard foreigner. It was the best bet, in terms fo winnings; since the oher choices were larger. And they didn't want to shoot the girls. Although their boss, Paran, had decided against it, they'd been ready to rush ahead and claim the truck. The girls would have been more useful alive. Worth more too.

Still, their work was done. Ranapan was their's, and would be until they'd wrung it dry.



Summary
The Law of Unintended Consequence strikes! Klavostani's food drops, meant for charity and propaganda, provide the means for an armed gang to seize control of the remote village of Ranapan. Four thousand refugees and villagers are now under their power, with all approaches to the village through the jungle being blocked and held by armed thugs. Said thugs kill a member of the Peace Corps and wound another.

One Fuso national is now dead. One Umerian national is wounded, and could still die if they don't get him medical attention.

Nice Job Breaking It, Commies.

[Siege]

Mangroves | Near Ranapan
Exclusion Zone, Champa

Patiently, Sajra Linsky waited in the undergrowth, listening to the heavy approaching footfalls. She cursed her bad luck. Six days crossing the jungle without trouble. Six days within Champa and never a sniff of trouble. Now, a few hours before they were supposed to pull out again, these assholes were all over the place. It was just like the Colonel used to say: things always went wrong just when you least expected it.

The footsteps were coming closer now. She hoped none of the others would take a shot. The sound would carry through the jungle and alert every living soul within half a dozen klicks. She prayed no one would be so foolish. She trusted Hayao not to. Hayao had been trained by the Colonel. He was reliable. Linsky didn't know about the new troops though. She believed they would be. She had trained them herself. Still, it wasn't the same as working with a team that had been trained by the Colonel. You knew you could trust them with your life. She hed her breath, praying that she wouldn't hear a shot ring out.

The footsteps were close now. Linsky could hear their breathing, smell their sweat. Five men, she guessed, from the sound of the feet. One of them was limping. A branch tickled her face, displaced by the body of the man moving around the bend.

Linsky would take the leader. She'd have to trust the others to take care of the ones behind. If one of them blew it, Linsky knew she'd take a bullet to the back. No time to think about it. Now was the time to act. Linsky crouched low and sprang. She ripped through the jungle canopy and put her hand over the man's mouth. Her free hand pushed her knife through the man's vertebrae. The man flopped like a fish out of water. Linsky cut his throat, quickly and quietly just like the Colonel had taught her. Another one bites the dust, she thought.

Delgado emerged from the bush. There was blood on his long combat knife. His voice was muffled underneath his NBC mask. "None of them got away, major. We made sure of it."

Linsky nodded wordlessly. One by one the other members of her Archeus Team emerged from the dense jungle, silent like ghosts dressed in digital camouflage. "Chalky. Tell Bigbird."

Chalky crouched next to the body at her feet. It was dressed in worn-out fatigues. An old marksman's rifle lay next to it. Chalky pointed a small box at the corpse, then hooked it to the CNT-59 from his hip and activated the microphone. "Cronus, Omar 21, five hostiles neutralized at my location. Please advise, out." He pushed the encryption button, then another that activated the data link and sent the burst transmission burning into the sky to the Acheron communications satellite in orbit.

The reply came a minute later when a tinny voice warbled with static came over his headset. "Roger. Topdog advises bandit presence near your box knocked off a Grape convoy at sixteen twenty local. Move to position Delta and go to shadow condition. Report all activity to Bigbird. Out." Grape was code name for civilian emergency workers in the area. Topdog was high level Acheron management.

"I was fed up taking air samples anyway," Linsky murmured. "Alright, you heard the boss. Let's find out who these assholes are. We might get to take some scalps after all."

The Archeus team packed up quickly and wordlessly, and scuttled off into the jungle as silently as they had come. It looked like their work was finally getting interesting.


President Nambara's office | Capital City
Champa

The President of Champa looked at the memo that had been delivered to his office by the woman from Acheron Energy who liaised with his crisis team. It had rapidly gone up the chain of aides and deputies, each one handing it off to their superior almost as soon as they laid eyes on it like it was a cursed artefact, until it ended up on his desk.

The brief note was marked with the stylized tornado funnel logo of Stormbrink Security, and informed the President that the corporation had become aware of a severe banditry issue near to and inside of the radiological exclusion zone. It then listed a series of options Stormbrink offered for solving this problem - options that rapidly increased both in cost and violence. They started with the provision of real-time tactical information to Champan authorities trying to combat the problem themselves, and escalated through deployment of specialized counterinsurgency personnel all the way up to precision air strikes.

The company, the note ended, awaited his decision on how best to solve the problem.


Results:
- An elite Archeus Team from Acheron's Stormbrink subsidiary switches from radiological (and SIGINT) surveillance near the exclusion zone to monitoring bandit activity.

- Stormbrink pitches its highly expedient troublemaker removal services to the president of Champa.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Ferramentagrad Times

Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces additional aid will be sent to Champa

In a recent announcement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that more aid will be sent to Champa. The Komandovaniye Voyenno-Transportnoy aviatsii, or KVT, of the UOCSR air force will airlift at least 100 tonnes of aid and a helicopter transport brigade will airlifted to Champa to assist in distribution of aid. Calls for volunteers have been made in the various churches to assist in the distribution of aid in Champa.

[madd0ct0r]

Diplomatic Communique: All nations with navy stationed off Champa Coast.

Following the submarine incidents on Jan 4-5th and Klavostan electing to 'deliver aid directly to the people and not the corrupt regime', we would like to issue a friendly reminder to all present ships that if you aren't doing anything useful, you don't need to be inside Champa's EEZ. Umerian submarines in particular are welcome to start plotting the radiation plume along the sea floor, and if not they are equally welcome to return to their own waters before a piling rig accidentally tries to contain them.

Champa feels deeply responsible for the ongoing issues, and so we would like to run a deepwater seawall out around the plant. This should give us a chance to contain the radiation slowly being washed out by rains and groundwater and prevent further contamination of the world's shipping gorunds. Assistance in this endeavour from already present navy ships would be appreciated.

In addition, the plume is starting to move beyond the reach of our brown water navy. In the interests of science, would any of the present ships care to track it as it moves into the deep ocean?

END DIPLOMATIC COMMUNIQUE

Private Message -
Hello Stormbrink,
We are pleased to learn of your presence in between the exclusion zone and the Hakistan border. While dispatching a dozen bandits who have slipped over would normally be a difficult proposition for our military, happily, we happen to have a few thousand armed men and patrol boats in the area. Helicopters have already been dispatched. As such, we will apologetically decline your kind offer, but we thank you for the information.

In return, you may wish to steer closer to the exclusion zone you are monitoring and further from the border area. When we explained to Hakistan, 'this land mine' after that regrettable issue in '89, we did mean it. We would hate to increase your HR costs.

Yours sincerely,
the Under Secretary to Outer Minister for Internal Affairs.

[Simon_Jester]

To:
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs

We apologize if you have been alarmed by the actions of the Umerian Navy off the Champan coast. All warships have been under strict orders to keep to international waters, or the Umerian side of our EEZ boundary. If there have been any violations they are inadvertent, and the navigators responsible will be punished accordingly. Our sole reason for the heightened military presence in the northern seas is to monitor the actions of the numerous foreign task forces in the region. It is our hope that we may thus ensure that they retain proper respect for both Umerian and Champan sovereignty in this time of crisis.

The unplanned antisubmarine warfare exercise on the 4th and 5th of January was pursuant to that goal, as a nuclear submarine now surmised to belong to the Kingdom of Orion was engaged in provocative activities worryingly close to the Champan EEZ.

A précis of all planned Umerian naval movements near the boundary of the Champan economic exclusion zone should have been forwarded via the offices of our naval attaché. Clearly there has been an error in communication, and on consultation with the naval staff we have sent a fresh copy enclosed with this note.

Pursuant to the planned construction of a 'second seawall' near the reactor site, our state would be pleased to offer you whatever supplies and assistance we are able to mobilize in erecting the needed seawall. I have placed a request with the Ministry of Construction that available supplies and equipment be mobilized, and am informed that underwater cement and other necessary goods will be loaded aboard ships in several of our northern port cities as soon as possible.

We would also be happy to assist to the best of our ability with radiological monitoring. It seems to us prudent in the interests of international amity that we rely chiefly on unarmed auxiliary vessels of the Maritime Law Enforcement Division for this mission. We inquire as to whether this would be helpful.

Respectfully:
Dr. Illustrious Mahogany
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
_______________________________

Results:

I thought the submarine incident took place outside the Champan EEZ, but maybe I'm confused.

Some of the Umerian nuclear submarines may have penetrated into the Champan EEZ for short periods, but wouldn't be planning to hover there. I don't know if the Champans would have detected them if they did (your call, Doc). Umerian nuclear submarines are considerably more quiet than their diesel boats, actually in line with what a Cold War submarine should be capable of, if not in line with the stealthiness of the most modern designs now existing.

All the surface ships and diesel boats were supposed to stay on the high seas or (in the case of the Umerian carrier group) in the Umerian EEZ.

Also, our naval attaché to Champa was SUPPOSED to keep you abreast of everything (except, perhaps, any penetrations of the Champan EEZ by nuclear submarines, I actually don't know if my navy would have done that and you can pick whichever outcome you find most amusing, Doc).

He is getting reassigned to a position whose sensitivity is more in line with his competence. We're thinking "Inland Mountain Province Coastal Defense Command."

[Beowulf]

QN-728
Waters off Champa

Ting

"We've got someone who went active. Bearing 120"

"That's interesting... Estimated range?"

"Long, based on the strength. Maybe 200 li? Doubt they could pick us from it. "

"Let's see if we can make anything from their mistake. Bring us to 210. Let's unmask the flank arrays."

QN-728 spent a day listening to the Umerian and Rhenish Navies playing with their prey.

--

4 Xiaohan (8 January)
Premier's Palace
Tianjing
Tianguo

"He shot them on air? I knew the Orionians were bloody thirsty, but that's still a bit over the top." Foreign Minister Jessica LIANG was a bit conflicted. On the one hand, it was terrorists being shot. And terrorists deserved it. On the other hand, it was Orion. They were a bunch of butchers. They actually kinda deserved the 27 Daxue bombing.

"Yup. So how do we respond?" asked Premier YANG Shangkun.

"I'd like to send them something saying the terrorists had a good idea, but that wouldn't be a good idea. Probably could get some intern to write a letter with some platitudes extending our condolences, and that their King executing the terrorists so soon probably wasn't a good idea."

"That's an excellent idea. I'll want to see the letter before you send it. Now about the Rhenish proposals."

"The response of: we shouldn't have anything to do with those butchers, won't fly?"

"Maybe for their space station. After all, we have a manned orbiting laboratory up there already. But their United Nations idea? We shouldn't just blow them off."

"Fine. The rotating location is somewhat stupid. Someone will have to build a new building every time it moves. And there's enough countries that it's going to be a long time before it gets back to the beginning. We should probably see about getting it placed in one of the smaller countries. Isla Aurum maybe? Funny how the Kanzler neglected to mention that whaling is still legal here though."

--

Author's note: Tianguo uses a non-Gregorian calendar. It's divided into 12 months, based on the amount of time it takes for the sun to move across the celestial longitudes. The first month is Lichun (start of spring), and occurs approximately 4-5 Feburary. Tianguo names when transliterated typically have the surname capitalized to avoid mistakes with mis-identification of surnames from given names.

[Siege]

To the Champan Under Secretary to Outer Minister for Internal Affairs

Your eminence,

It would appear there has been a miscommunication in your department. In a recent communique addressed to our company your office writes that it has learned of the presence of Stormbrink personnel "in between the exclusion zone and the Hakistan border".

It will no doubt please you to know that we have no personnel in that area. Our memo to your government was based on carefully vetted and verified HUMINT sources abroad. Our company is not in the business of confirming or for that matter volunteering the positions of its personnel one way or the other.

As far as those costs you mentioned are concerned, your recent reactor boondoggle continues to significantly hamper operations at a number of Acheron coal and lignite extraction facilities in eastern Hakistan. I am to understand our parent company will be in touch with your office shortly to discuss how your government will reimburse the costs associated with these disruptions.

Cordially,

Col. Malik Lau
Stormbrink Security

[madd0ct0r]

Corps General Biswajit was not amused.

"Gentlemen, we have 500 years of managing refugee populations in this room. What happened at Ranapan?"

The excuses came quickly.
"the operating paradigm is for short circular displacements during a storm. Ranapaan is a tiny village, its flood refugee is designed for about 300 people and associated livestock. When the exclusion zone was set, Noakhali had to evacuate, and it's population is an order of magnitude larger.."

"And why weren't the Noakhali population spread between multiple villages then? We've managed it everywhere else."

"There was no-where else sir. Beyond Raanpaan is mangrove and the Hakistan Border. The stocks held out for a while, but the local's were also cut off from fishing since the exclusion zone covered a loop in the river, so they couldn't get out to sea."

"So why weren't they prioritised for food aid?"

"They were sir. But a lot of places have been prioritised too. Klavastan decided to skip down the list for places small and close that could be airdropped quickly. It wasn't a totally stupid move on their part. It helped it was them too, Hakistan gets twitchy if they think we're running troops in. We didn't expect bandits to be coming across the border. Cyclones tend to put them off."

"Humph. A poor showing. Has the problem been resolved?"

"We've sent 100 men up in 10 patrol boats. They can face down anything up to light mortars, and there's a helicopter standing by. We're expecting about a dozen goons who will melt back in the mangroves. It's a show of force to reassure the village. 20 of the men will stay on and try and get things back onto plan."

The Corps General shuffled his papers. "Right. next?"

[Simon_Jester]

January 6, 2014

To:
[Insert Star Wars/Final Fantasy Reference Here -SJ],
State Department of the Shinra Republic

It has lately come to our attention that the armed forces of the Shinra Republic recently conducted a rapid insertion into the territory of the nation of Eulica, and staged an airborne descent upon an isolated site in the temperate rainforests of that nation, apparently an encampment of international terrorists.

On behalf of the people and state, we would like to inquire, point the first, whether the Republic desires our assistance in locating any other such concentrations of terrorists, and point the second, whether the Republic expects that its forces are likely to become regular guests upon Eulican soil.

Respectfully,
Dr. Illustrious Mahogany
Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Eternal_Freedom]

TO: Champan Foreign Ministry
FROM: Foreign Minster Natalie Abrams

Your excellency,

WE have received your request regarding foreign Task Forces operating off your coast and have issued orders to Rear Admiral Scott to move his force outside of the EEZ, with the exception of the support ship Mary Wallace and the hospital ship PAtricia Luscombe as they are actively engaged in relief efforts. All armed vessels will begin mapping the fallout plume and all data will be dispatched to your Naval Staff immediately.

Kind regards,
Natalie Abrams

[The Romulan Republic]

Minister Clark stood in front of a group of reporters.

"I am here to address the execution of alleged terrorists without due process by the Kingdom of Orion. Corona unreservedly condemns attacks on innocent civilians and our hearts are with the people of Orion, but this administration does not condone executions without due process or the sensationalistic manner in which some of the executions were carried out, which suggests a king concerned with his image and an appearance of justice, or at least vengeance, rather than actual justice.

We urge the government of Orion to refrain from such actions, to disclose all information obtained during or regarding the interrogation of the alleged terrorists, and to allow a neutral party to investigate the interrogations and executions. This administration also urges the Senate to pass a bill prohibiting the sale and transportation of weapons from Corona to the government of Orion.

We hope that, despite our differences, Corona and the people of Orion can, in time, stand side by side against injustice and terrorism."

[That_Guy]

"Well shit..." Hyde glowered at the file he had just been handed, "Lynched, here in the capital of all places! Parliament will go mental, they always did fear the rise of the extreme right and now one of them is dead at the hands of them." He paused,"when was this discovered?"

" Last night sir. we have yet to identify precisely which group is responsible for this, but we have our suspects..." Hyde's chief of security paused, unsure of whether to go on. "we believe it may, have been a splinter of one of the major groups."
"Then they have gotten out of hand, we must nip this in the bud as soon as possible. I want those responsible found and dealt with."
"with pleasure sir", The security man grinned " I will personally head the task force to hunt them down"

With this the head of presidential security withdrew allowing Hyde's assistant to enter.

"Sir we have a number of issues on the agenda today, firstly Orion, our SAR people and fire fighters have arrived and started relief efforts, digging through the rubble and such. they will be occupied for a while. As such we have alerted the reserves to take up the slack in case of issues over here."

He handed Hyde a large folder detailing the movements of these assets.

"Can do better than this," he muttered, "Tell Orion they have the use of our hospitals for wounded if needed. We must however look to our own borders as well, it is a relatively short hop over the straits to our shores. As such we must work with Orion to ensure these Terrorists have not joined us over here. That said, it is unlikely, with King Alex shooting their ringleaders I doubt they will be wishing for a repeat any time soon."

Hyde Chuckled, "Remind me to congratulate the King on his diplomatic finesse, Whilst they deserved what they got he has brought down a pile of bricks on his head. But we cannot let this sort of thing continue, such people cause nothing but trouble as long as they exist."

Hyde's aide grinned. "Next on the agenda is the task force, they have left our territorial waters and are steaming at full speed to Champa, on arrival they will link up with the Orion task force and provide as much assistance as possible."
"Fair enough, what else?"

"Rhineland has put forward an open invitation for the creation of a body of dialogue and proposed a joint project for the construction and maintenance of an International Space station."

"well, we shall definitely go for this International body idea, it would provide a very useful soapbox and help us develop our international image. The space station though is a different matter, we shall have to look at the books to see if we can afford such an endeavour."

"Yes sir, I shall organise a meeting with the finance minister to discuss the space station. That said, if Orion is backing it we can divert space industry support we are giving them to it.

*****
Actions
The Republic of Underwood Supports the formation of a body of international dialogue.
Underwood offers more aid to Orion, and assistance in assuring security and prevention of further incidents.
Underwood will assist in the creation of an international space station having decided it can afford to help.
The Republic states its support for Orion's actions in dealing with terrorists responsible for the attacks upon its people.

[Eternal_Freedom]

OBC Special Report
Orion Interior Minister Ralph Emmerson responds to Corona's condemnation.

"The Kingdom of Orion acknowledges the thoughts and sympathy of the Coronan people in this time of difficulty. However, we object in the strongest possible terms their public condemnation of our King's actions and their calls for a neutral third party to review our judicial process. Such a review would be an intolerable violation of our sovereignty.

However, in the interests of transparency, we are at this time releasing the full transcripts and video footage of the interrogations and confessions of all one hundred and eleven captured terrorists. We wish to stress that this decision was made at the time of the executions, the intervening days were required to compile the transcripts and video footage.

Press packs containing the transcripts will be distributed later today and a complete copy of the files has been sent to the embassy of any nation that has made such untrue claims against the Kingdom. Any other nations which are interested in reviewing these files are welcome to do so and will be provided with copies upon request. That is all for now."

Actions:

-Transcripts and video recordings of terrorist interrogations released
-Orion objects to the diplomatic message, specifically the call for an independent review.

[The Romulan Republic]

To the Republic of Shinra:

We welcome your offer of port visits to Corona as a chance to build a stronger relationship between our countries. Accordingly, we wish to explore the possibility of joint military exercises at some point in the near future, with a particular interest in naval exercises focussed on countering piracy. To this end, we wish to arrange a meeting between a representative of your government and our Ministry of the Armed Forces.

We have also been asked by his highness King Gregory the 1st. to convey his support for this proposal.

Sincerely,

Minister of Foreign Affairs Evalyn Clark.
Minister of the Armed Forces Alexander Lock.

[RogueIce]

January 7, 2014

To:
Dr. Illustrious Mahogany,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Technocracy of Umeria

We thank you for your kind note, as well as your offer to assist in locating other groups of terrorists that may be in the region, particularly in light of the tragic events that have occurred in the Kingdom of Orion.

The Shinra Republic would like to assure the Technocracy of Umeria that it has no intentions of regular military deployments in Eulica. As was stated at the time, the actions of our forces were conducted with the full knowledge and consent of Eulican governmental authorities; although for reasons of operational security this notice was not made public to the broader international community ahead of time. Any further military actions in Eulica - or indeed, in any sovereign nation(s) of the world - would only be conducted with the prior knowledge, assent and cooperation of the host government(s), absent of course a formal declaration of war against said nation(s), in the unlikely occasion such a terrible event should come to pass.

The Shinra Republic fully respects your concerns in this matter, and pursuant to the offer of assistance your nation has graciously made, we would like to schedule discussions regarding a more formal arrangement to share information regarding terrorist activities, as well as the means to cooperatively address such activities, within our region. If the Technocracy is open to such a dialogue, similar invitations would be sent to our mutual neighbors so that we may better address these issues amongst us all.

Respectfully,
[I haven't come up with a name, either. ]
[Or a title, for that matter. ]

[RogueIce]

To the Republic of Shinra:

We welcome your offer of port visits to Corona as a chance to build a stronger relationship between our countries. Accordingly, we wish to explore the possibility of joint military exercises at some point in the near future, with a particular interest in naval exercises focussed on countering piracy. To this end, we wish to arrange a meeting between a representative of your government and our Ministry of the Armed Forces.

We have also been asked by his highness King Gregory the 1st. to convey his support for this proposal.

Sincerely,

Minister of Foreign Affairs Evalyn Clark.
Minister of the Armed Forces Alexander Lock.

President's Office, Shinra Building, Midgar

"That is an interesting proposal. And given what has been going on as of late, well, I don't see any harm in strengthening friendships in that region," remarked President Shinra. He smiled as he picked up the phone and began dialing a number. "Rufus, how would you like a little trip to the Kingdom of Corona?"

---

TO: Minister of Foreign Affairs Evalyn Clark,
Minister of the Armed Forces Alexander Lock,
The Kingdom of Corona

The Shinra Republic thanks you for accepting our offer to allow our ships to visit your cities. The Republic would also like to extend an invitation to the Navy of Corona, as well as any interested government representatives, to participate in our annual "Fleet Week" activities which will be held during the month of April.

The Shinra Republic is also interested in the possibility of joint naval exercises between our countries, and our Naval Attaché stationed at the Embassy will be empowered to make the necessary arrangements with your Ministry of the Armed Forces. The Shinra Republic is also interested in sending a representative to meet with your government on this and other matters, and to that end proposes to send Vice President Rufus Shinra on a formal state visit to the Kingdom. If this is acceptable, we would look forward to working with your government on the necessary arrangements and a meeting schedule.

Respectfully,
[See above ]

[madd0ct0r]

Leader of the Opposition, Nigelli Farhat was touring the disaster site. A long time in the politcal wilderness, some grumbled he was too comfortable as the government's goad. He was certainly happy to use his position, equal to that of a minister, to direct development money towards his home districts, but he'd also challenged the Goverment hard over suspected immigrant abuses in San Dorado, after rumours had leaked of Champans being charged double for the return trip at the end of their two year work visa. Emigrant policy was still the center plank of his manifesto, but he had recently taking to tilting at windmills, in particular "this loopy idea that we can cover Champa in ugly disgusting ghastly windmills and that somehow our future energy needs will come from that." Without significant reserves of anything except peat, he'd been relying on nuclear energy to quash the greens, whilst also funnelling construction money through his constituents. The doomed reactor had sparked a bitter round of debate in Champa, with mobs demonstrating outside the remaining ThorR and ThorQ sites but remaining wary of 'invisible radiation worms eating you from the inside' as one talk show host had put it.

In a developing country, two things mattered: money and power. This affected both.

Helicopters thrummed overhead, each carrying a thick bag of sand they dumped well above the reactor. The wind spread most of it out, but the central area was slowly being buried and contained. Jury-rigged robotic bulldozers were slowly pushing the wind spread up sand back up against reactor shell, supporting it from the outside as the internal weight grew. Colonel Stone was dimly visible in the distance, shouting through a megaphone as the latest batch of pilots ran through practice runs, dumping their sandbags onto a battered target mark. Beyond him, Belkan and Champan soldiers worked to bend the rebar and tie the panels together. Once the sand fill was in place, the steel bars would be airlifted over the buried reactor, and the robots would guide concrete spray booms to seal the baleful mound.

Nigelli pointed at the Belkan helmet visible in the distance and bellowed over the helicopters to the group he was with,

"You see that? Dangerous Foreigners working on matters of national security. You know they're stealing our jobs over in San Dorado? Bad enough you let the Umerians in, have they tried to shoot anyone yet?"

The guide tried to placate him. Despite some misgivings, the Belkans had been useful, digging drainage trenches, stacking sandbags and on this work too. The Corps General had privately expressed similar misgivings about letting them loose in the countryside, so the wider work in the exclusion zone was being carried out mostly by Champan conscripts, army and corps. Houses had to be cleared of rotting food, feral pets exterminated, and the rice crop bagged ready for burial. Quick growing water spinach and duckweed was being spread over the fields, and that too would be bagged and buried in it's turn. Around the disaster site, flood embankments were being raised and a series of deep sump pits being dug around it's perimeter. They would keep the water table under the reactor lower then in neighbouring paddies, ensuring the ground water moved in, keeping the radionuclides contained. The muddy water was currently being dumped into the sea, but already the seawall was starting to take shape. Despite Nigelli's protestations in parliament, a description of the plans for the seawall had been sent to neighbouring countries: Indore, Hakistan, Umeria (as a formality), Belkan and the other one.

ACTIONS:
updated plan for site sent to countries on east end of Ausfrica

[Gill]

“Damn it man: I’m a soldier, not an architect!”
-Bayandur Tabanian, designer of the Galm city defenses (1810-1881)

Galm and its Walls
Text from City Walls: Urban Defenses Throughout History by Nick Plains

Finished in 1876 after five years of construction, the city walls of Galm represent one of the few examples of fortifications in the country of Belkan. Notable for their striking red appearance, enormous slopes and numerous redoubts, the city walls were among the last so-called, “star fortifications” ever constructed in the world. While they were nonetheless very potent creations at the time with and once equipped with the most modern breach loading weapons to take best advantage of the many overlapping areas of fire, the walls were in fact built to take advantage of a labor surplus that plagued Belkan in the mid to late 19th Century.

Many of the nation’s military aged men were out of work and wars had become relatively far and few in between at as the 1870’s came into being, and the decision was made by the Belkan government to keep them occupied in the Belkan Army with the help of various projects. The wall was also seen as a way to test Belkan officers on their engineering knowledge so as to better understand how to conduct siege warfare later, and it was a tremendous success despite the coming obsolescence of permanent fortifications in general. Yet the demonstration of Belkan labor provoked a far more meaningful railway construction project by the Belkan Army.

While several other such projects were planned by the Belkans, they never came to fruition as renewed participation in foreign wars and a later series of plague and famines eliminated its labor surplus by the beginning of the 20th Century.

Somewhere in the Champa Disaster Zone

Private Razmik Pilibos had never imagined how unpleasantly warm Champa could get. The humidity of the local climate made him terribly uncomfortable as he, as most Belkans were, accustomed to a dry heat. He had endeavored to keep his uniform on to retain his modesty, though sweat had long since broken through the dark Belkan Army uniforms. Likewise, his helmet stayed on despite the climate: Only prostitutes went bareheaded in public, and the thought would have never entered the minds of any true son of Belkan! Though it was bad enough that they had to leave their rifles back at camp, as losing their firearms normally warranted severe punishment. While there wasn’t much they could do with their 8 millimeters in Champa, Belkans liked to be prepared. What if terrorists decided to attack them admit the chaos?

Yet the task at hand that Razmik had been assigned to was not terribly unpleasant. It was simply difficult. He, as most of the others in his regiment, had been directed to the job of proofing the area surrounding the afflicted power plant against further disaster by digging ditches and filling up sandbags. It kept him busy and the scenery was nice even if it was almost unbearably humid.

The Belkans and Champans actually had a lot in common, despite the fact that very few Champans had actually met a Belkan before. He had thought, as many other Belkans did, that Champa would have been better off. Truth be told, it was about in the same boat as Belkan: Poverty, corruption and hard times all around. Razmik actually felt good helping out whom he thought of as being brothers, and he hadn’t actually heard any complaints regarding the labor from the rest of his section. Some of the other companies in the regiment were stationed elsewhere, with at least one aiding in the construction of concrete barriers that were being hastily airdropped over the site of the disaster for reasons that eluded Razmik. There were also rumors of there needing to be people to make runs into the reactor.

At least it was all better than having to ride in that infernal boat!

It was about midday when his section’s lieutenant briefly interrupted the work with the additional presence of Minister of the Interior, Leonid Libarian. He, as well as the fifty or so other men in his section saluted the two men (dropping their entrenchment tools at the same time with a chorus of metallic clanging) but they were quickly asked to resume working. While Libarian was a Navy man, he was still owed the same respect as an Army officer. Likewise, it was nice to know that at least some one from home was appreciating the work going on here. Minister Libarian didn’t offer any of his usual platitudes about how they were serving Belkan’s best interest (there were no cameras around to capture a small speech or two for the evening news), but was instead taking a legitimate interest in the current activities

One of the men digging besides Razmik, a rifleman from his own combat group whispered to him that they might be having to move out. It seemed the Champans were interested in having the Belkans continue to help them, and a surge of satisfaction kept Razmik focused on the task of digging despite the anticipation of another mission. Maybe they might become famous?


Actions
1. The Belkan 2nd Infantry Regiment continues its work in Champa and is willing to expand its efforts.

[Simon_Jester]

"There is another nation which population is economically disadvantaged compared to the world average. Like our good citizens in Ost - and Westrheinland these people, through no fault of their own, face themselves at an economic disadvantage. We thereby extend an offer of cooperation on matters of economical development to the Technocracy of Umeria. Our shared experiences shall benefit us both."

Keiko believed this to be another futile offer. The technocracy would most likely refuse. She knew it, Fischer knew it, everybody knew it and understood this was a long shot, for the technocracy was very likely to reject any such offer. They believed they knew best and would most likely not even consider sharing information on what went wrong and what actually worked. Still, if nothing else it showed goodwill and as Fischer had said, appearing conciliatory and non-aggressive was the objective of this speech.

January 19, 2014

From: Offices of the Ministry of Education, International Pedagogical Liaison Division
To: Office of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

We at the Liaison Division were enthused to hear of the honorable Chancellor Fischer's call for stronger bridges of cooperation between our two states. We humbly propose a number of undertakings by which such bridges might be constructed in the matter of greatest value to all development: proper and versatile education.

In particular it would be a great pleasure to have the aid and advice of our sister ministry of the northern hemisphere as we struggle to find proper solutions to the Electronics-in-Education Question. The wisdom and experience of your nation's schoolteachers in this matter might be of great value to the ongoing dialogue within our ministry.

We suggest that through the joint offices of our ministries, a series of frequent conferences might be devised through which teachers of our nations could share insights into the art of education, and by which all such matters might be discussed to the benefit of future generations.

Also, pursuant to the goal of exchange between peoples and states for the greater development and enlightenment of all, we would be delighted to extend our hospitality to a delegation from your noble Ministry should you wish to examine the schooling methods of those prefectures which exceeded the Rhenisch national average in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment.

In turn, we hope you will forgive us if some portion of the delegates to your own nation are drawn from from less illustrious prefectures, that they may learn from your scholars in turn.

Respectfully,
Dr. Combat-Ignorance-Blossom Westman
Assistant to the Minister
____________________________

Results:
The Umerian Ministry of Education is first to respond to the proposed cooperation schemes.

[TimothyC]

"Hawai'i can never afford to stand on equal footing with the other Pacific powers - it simply does not have the population or the resources. What it does have is location, and combined with it's status as a center of trade and information, has selected a defense strategy of being a poisonous shrimp. Far to importantly located on the table of the Pacific Ocean to ignore, the entire defense establishment has been based around being simply too much trouble to actually invade and occupy."

-Dr. Stargazing-in-Wonder Sea-Hound, Umerian Ministry of Defense 1970

January 31, 2014

Office of the Admiralty, Naval Base Pearl Harbour, O’ahu, Kingdom of Hawai’i

The Admiralty of the Royal Hawai’ian Navy announced today an issuing of an RFP (Request For Proposals) concerning the replacement of the Battleship Chiefess-Apostle Kapi’olani. The RFP was sent to major shipyards both civilian and government around the Pacific. The RFP, which is only for designs to be submitted for further study/development and the funding thereof, includes a wide range of requirements, but no specifics as to what is being sought...

---

Actions:

RFPs sent to various yards & design firms with a 3 month response window. The following specs are included in the RFP:

• A standard displacement of not more than 35,000 tons
• Principle waterline dimensions of not more than 900ft by 100ft by 34ft
• Target waterline dimensions of not more than 800ft by 92ft by 30ft
• Fully Integrated Electric Propulsion
• Steam may not be the primary means of power generation, but may be used as a secondary source (such as regeneration)
• Sustained speed of not less than 25 knots and not more than 32 knots
• An automatic main gun battery of not less than a single gun of 57mm caliber and not more 6 (six) 12” (305mm) rifles
• A ships compliment of not more than 700 individuals, not counting detached forces abroad such as aviation.
• Target manning of 500 individuals
• Aviation capacity for not less than two H-60 sized helicopters
• Target aviation capacity of 4 H-47 sized helicopters.
• Not less than 64 Mk 41 sized VLS cells
• Target VLS capacity of not less than 128 Mk 41 sized Cells
• Space to include either Hawai’ian Advanced Mast/Sensor System (HAM/SS, as seen on the KING class Destroyer) [Minimum] or AEGIS (as seen on the Kû Uaki Class Destroyer) [Preferred] with at least two Advanced Phased Array Missile Guidance Units (seen on both classes of destroyer and to be provided by the RHN)

[Eternal_Freedom]

January 12th, 2014
TO: Lyman Mortimer, Managing Director, Helix Industries
FROM: The Office of His Majesty King Alexander the Second

Dear Sir,

His Majesty wishes to express his thanks to you, both for the sympathy you showed for the tragedy we have suffered and for your support of our stance on terrorists, a class of people we consider the enemies of all mankind. Knowing that your great corporation supports our cause is of great comfort to the King and to the nation.

Additionally, the King thanks you for your most generous gift. There are exceptionally well-crafted pistols. The King and his son and Heir, the Prince Samuel, had the pleasure of test firing them on January 10th. His Majesty pronounced them to be excellent weapons, whilst His Royal Highness believes it to be the finest handgun he has ever fired. Your gift will be treasured by the Royal Family for many years to come.

Finally, His Majesty has also asked me to enquire, informally, about purchasing a number of new weapons systems for the Armed Forces. He has asked me to extend an invitation for you to send representatives of your great corporation for a series of demonstrations of your latest and most advanced weaponry, so that the Kingdom may better protect our citizens.
With kind regards,

Dr. Sir Simon Wallace, Private Secretary to His Majesty the King.


Royal Palace, Paradise City,
January 10th, 2014

In the King’s private shooting range, buried underneath the Palace, gunshots rang. This was not an irregular occurrence, the King often enjoyed recreational shooting along with his family. Mostly he shot along with his wife and eldest daughter, who found the Warhammer games to be fairly tedious so had no interest in joining the endless tournament that Alexander and the Princes Samuel and Edward enjoyed. Queen Jessica and Princess Isabella, however, absolutely loved shooting.

Tonight was an exception however. Prince Samuel was in the range alone with his father, test-firing the beautiful pistols sent as a gift from Helix Industries. Alexander was pleased to note that his Heir was definitely improving as a marksman, his last five-round string had been very well grouped at fifteen yards. The King, however, was still the better shot, as he proved by raising his Aggressor and blasting five neat holes in the bullseye. With the magazines empty and the weapons made safe, the Prince removed his ear defenders and smiled at his father.

“Well Dad these are brilliant guns. Nice weight, perfectly balanced, real smooth action.”

The King returned the smile. “They’re fine weapons, sure, but I still think the 9mm Parabellum is a bit lacklustre. Give me a .357 Magnum revolver any day.”

“You just like the old shiny revolvers, like some Wild West cowboy.”

“What can I say? I think they look awesome, and I look damn fine riding a horse.”

Prince Samuel smiled. “Yeah sure old man. Listen, I’ve been thinking, maybe we should invite Helix Industries over here to show off their latest toys. I know we like to build as much hardware as possible here in Orion, but we don’t have a monopoly on smart weapons designers.”

The King looked at his Heir with pride. “Very good point Sam. I think we will extend an offer. I hear the San Doradans make a tilt-rotor version of the Spectre, I wouldn’t mind seeing one of those.”

The King and his son set about cleaning the pistols, idly bantering about shooting and who would be “buying the beers” next time. Of course, buying the first round was fairly irrelevant when you were the King or the Prince, but both men loved a wager.


Results:
Orion thanks Helix Industries for their gift and support, and extends an offer for representatives of that corporation to visit Orion to demonstrate their newest and most advanced weapon systems for possible sale.