O1 World IC thread

[Shroom Man 777]

Superbia

Chancellor Roosevelt was tired of this. They lied, they mocked and insulted him and his great nation. Generals Jacob Featherston and Theodore Roosevelt were there with him, as well as his body-guards.

But he would end that.

'Gentlemen,' he said. 'I am about to make a historic announcement. Hear my worlds, people of the world.'

'A house divided against itself cannot stand,' Roosevelt said. 'Such is the sad case of the world. The world that we treasure, that we cannot bear losing. Too many peoples are divided against each other, formed into camps that hate and revile, and are prepared to go to war with each other, over the slightest offence. The World Forum is an attempt, to hopefully mend these differences, so that one world, united, can form.'

'But heed my words furthermore. I spoke of divided houses - such is also the case of New Byzantium. I seek peaceful re-unification, but that seems that that will only happen when Norton dies. I do not wish to cause a war, when it is not in the interests of justice and humanity, as was with the Phoenix Clique of New Athenia, a group of businessmen, politicians and generals motivated solely for power, who sought to make a mad future - a boot stamping on a human face for all eternity - possible.'

'I consider the seeking of peace the noblest endeavour - but war is always a possibility, and one I must keep in my mind. Thus was the case of Daimones I Eliphas, no criminal, but a brave an good man, a father to his men. He fought to keep the peace in Rio, but was betrayed by the Spaniards. Who fought to save our country from the Japanese invasion of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Such is the fate of some men - to die unmourned and unsung except by those who remember them.'

'Such is the fate of those who fail.'

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company
A New Byzantium Corporation

ROOSEVELT RHETORIC REVEALS RUTHLESS RESOLUTIONS?

The latest statement of Phoenix Chancellor Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the death of New Byzantium's leader, Emperor Norton. FDR specifically stated that re-unification will "only happen when Emperor Norton dies".

New Byzantine officials, from politicians to security officers, as well as civilian citizenry from the laymen to seasoned political analysts, have interpreted the Phoenix President's statement as encouraging even more assassination attempts against Emperor Norton's life by extremist groups.

"That would-be assassin, Daniel Bradley, he confessed that he was motivated by a failed reunification plebiscite," stated Baron Rheinhard von Reagan. "We know there are terror groups that are being armed, that Daniel Bradley was one of them, and we've been trying to establish where those arms are coming from. We have our suspicions, and we have evidence supporting our suspicions, but we're not going to be naming names when it's premature. However, these statements by Roosevelt, by the Phoenix, calling for the death of our nation's leader, it's tantamount to an admission."

"He [Phoenix Chancelllor Roosevelt] has stated that 'war is always a possibility' that he 'must keep in mind'. Looking at the way the Phoenix unilaterally gobbled up New Athenia, dystopian nightmare or not, this has raised a whole load of concerns. A lot of people are worried about what Phoenix intends to do with New Byzantium."

Baron von Reagan later added: "I'm afraid Roosevelt wasn't really tactful about it. You don't go around calling for the death of a nation's leader, or talking about how 'war is always an option' when that nation has the backing of the international community."

"If this is the Empire of the Phoenix' reaction to the New Byzantium declaration of sovereignty and the ratification of Proposition 69, then Emperor Norton was right to seek alliances with neighboring Texas and faraway Yugoslavia. These events will definitely factor into New Byzantium's future political and international decisions."

[Czernobog]

San Dorado Research Base, Empire of the Phoenix

Theresa Ashcroft tired in the sweltering noonday desert sun, as she walked into the door of the San Dorado Research facility, a large white building in the Arizona desert. There was the runway, in which experimental aircraft were tested, and the test pilots were swaggering home, including one particularly tall one, Test Pilot Hal Jordan.

Then, she took the elevator down to the hidden places no-one knew existed, the places where strange artefacts were stored. Things that had fallen from the sky, or appeared overnight. There was, in one display case, a green ring with a strange symbol on it - in another, a necklace resembling a drill. They had been classified as safely useless.

Then, she walked to the Fusion Research Facility, full of failed experiments. The 4 pi laser system, magnetic approaches, laser inertial devices, pinch devices, and other systems.

This was the big day, when the umptieth experiment would take place. This one was based on recently translated blueprints from the alien mothership, and the people involved barely knew how it would work, if it would work at all.

She watched as the power went up, as it would come on - no, it wouldn't, she was sure of that.

Then, power flooded into the systems.

Whoops of excitement were heard throughout the control room - it had worked. Power, energy was pouring out of the reactor, more than what had been put in at the first place. The power generation resembled a nuclear reactor working at maximum capacity, but with no waste or radiation, and no chance of a meltdown.

It would take time, lots of time, to build and install these reactors all over the Empire. But it was a success, a breakthrough in a field that many had called a useless waste of money.

It would also take a lot of time, a decade by the most optimistic accounts, until they were able to miniaturise it enough to put in small vehicles. But it had proved the concept was sound, and that was enough.

Fusion had just been proved to be useful.

[Czernobog]

THE SUPERBIA TIMES




Roosevelt Responds

'I never called for your leader's death. I merely stated the truth. Norton stands against re-unification, his madness making it clear why. We share a common language, a common culture. New Byzantium concocts elaborate lies to keep re-unification away, when it is obvious that it [re-unification] is not only wanted but necessary. Why must we stand apart, when together we can perform great things?'

'Norton is no saviour - he only seeks power, and his voice speaks an endless babble of lies. He is a madman, demanding that we do certain inane things to please his bleeding-heart sensibilities, where war is an expletive on par with the worst insults in the world. He acts as though he is divinely ordained to rule all this great country. He will die, he will suffer, and I hope the traitor rots in Hell itself.'

'I hope that Norton sees sense, that he ceases his poisonous lies, that he will begin reconciliation and re-unification programs. But what am I talking about, this is a madman we are speaking of here. Logic and sense have no meaning in the private little world, he, like a child, has constructed around himself. If he will not see reason, we will make him do so.'

'And when he dies, we will end his nation. Either we crush it like the bug it is, or they see reason and join us once more. No matter what else may come, it will happen.'

[Siege]

In response to continuing verbal aggression and posturing on part of the Phoenix Empire the Mahrata Air Corps has upgraded the alert status of Permanent Squadron III (Pacific) to condition orange. Several NB-60E atomic bombers have been dispatched to orbit fail-safe points above the East Pacific as a gesture support toward New Byzantium, a regional partner of the Raj.



NB-60E atomic bombers can remain aloft for months at a time due to their on-board nuclear reactors.

[Shroom Man 777]

THE SUPERBIA TIMES

http://s586.photobucket.com/albums/ss30 ... Empire.png


Roosevelt Responds

'I never called for your leader's death. I merely stated the truth. Norton stands against re-unification, his madness making it clear why. We share a common language, a common culture. New Byzantium concocts elaborate lies to keep re-unification away, when it is obvious that it [re-unification] is not only wanted but necessary. Why must we stand apart, when together we can perform great things?'

'Norton is no saviour - he only seeks power, and his voice speaks an endless babble of lies. He is a madman, demanding that we do certain inane things to please his bleeding-heart sensibilities, where war is an expletive on par with the worst insults in the world. He acts as though he is divinely ordained to rule all this great country. He will die, he will suffer, and I hope the traitor rots in Hell itself.'

'I hope that Norton sees sense, that he ceases his poisonous lies, that he will begin reconciliation and re-unification programs. But what am I talking about, this is a madman we are speaking of here. Logic and sense have no meaning in the private little world, he, like a child, has constructed around himself. If he will not see reason, we will make him do so.'

'And when he dies, we will end his nation. Either we crush it like the bug it is, or they see reason and join us once more. No matter what else may come, it will happen.'

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company
A New Byzantium Corporation

ROOSEVELT RANCID RAMBLES REAFFIRMS REVOLTING REGRESSION

"The double standard of someone who claims never to have called for Emperor Norton's death, yet who - in a public statement, no less - hopes for our leader to 'rot in hell' while saying that he will suffer and die is really quite astounding," said Baron Rheinhard von Reagan, who was recently appointed as New Byzantium's Foreign Minister. "It's really quite a class act they've got themselves."

"Moreover, I don't know where Roosevelt is coming from when he talks about 'poisonous lies'. Does he mean actual events and actual articles from old Athenia, such as the charges against former Athenian President Coleman that successfully impeached him?"

"Be that as it may, I think Chancellor Roosevelt isn't going about this the right way at all. He wants peaceful reconciliation and reunification, yet in the very same address talks about ending our nation when our leader dies. Roosevelt just said, in his own words, that if our nation does not capitulate and does what his nation wants us to do, then he'll crush us 'like the bug' we are."

"Insectile insinuations against our nation aside, all this talk of war being 'always a possibility' that he 'must keep in mind' and now these statements regarding the death, suffering and eternal damnation of our leader, and the crushing of our fair nation 'like the bug it is', this is really disconcerting for us in New Byzantium," Baron von Reagan continued. "It seems that Emperor Norton was right about this, sadly. These statements are heavily reminiscent of Old Athenian rhetoric back when it was in the warpath, and it seems like Superbia's choice in leadership is no different and hasn't changed much from the time of Old Athenia."

"Yes, we are heavily concerned. We're really worried, the people of New Byzantium are very uneasy with these recent developments. They see Chancellor Roosevelt of Phoenix talking about the death of our leader, of crushing our nation like an insect, of course they've got every right to be cautious and even alarmed."

"Of course, New Byzantium has readied certain precautions, just in case. But we're ready to ask for international assistance, if it becomes necessary to do so. We have greatly appreciated the recent show of support the international community has given us, particularly Texas and Yugoslavia in their allegiance with us, and in the Hindu Raj's economy aid during the dark times after the Civil War. It shows that we are not alone, and that we can stand even in the most difficult or worrisome of times. Good day."

[Heretic]

In an unknown location, near China

Doctor Manchuria curled his lips down into a menacing scowl. Inside the dim and crowding submarine, crew members were working diligently around control consoles; charts,graphs, rudimentary maps, and stats were on the screens.

"We are ready, Doctor." A tall man in a general suit stood next to him. Doctor Manchuria nodded.

"Good. Soon, the world will tremble before me! Even the Mighty Lion Throne of India shall be turned into a humbled kitten when I unleash my new weapon!" With that, Doctor Manchuria opened up a small glass cover over a red button and pressed the damn red button. Sirens went off as the submarine shuddered. The missile was launched!

It's destination: Jingshi herself.




It was quiet in the capital of the Chinese Sovereign. Curfew was in effect and the only movements were stray animals and patrolling guards. Despite this, the buildings were alive with lights and activities. Streetlamps were on, the houses had their televisions and lamps on. A private plane was overhead, doing a run around. It was a starless and moonless night, where everything was pitch black. And despite this, the ground was teeming with lights.

A bright flashing dot with a blazing trail of smoke was zipping into view. Some people commented on this, looking up at it. Some said it was N. Korean secret weapon, but those commies were too dirt poor and dumb to make something this precise and high. Others said it might be a Texan plane, but Texan planes don't blaze through the night. Maybe it was a falling plane, yet the object stayed the same altitude. Whatever it was, the UFO was slowly zipping over above the Forbidden Palace and...

a bright flash whitened the sky and then a blast wave curled the sky around. A fireball. People came out, curfew or not, to look at the blast.

Everything then went dark and haywire. Lights turned off. The train system stopped. Compasses twirled around. In a distance, the private plane crashed into a slummy neighborhood as the navigational instruments were going haywire and the whole world seemed to go pitch dark. Car crashes and screams could be heard in the distance. People began to become frantic as everything just turned black. A few elders lit torches and paper lamps. Police officers tried to calm the people down, but due to their loudspeakers not working anymore, had to resort to old fashion shouting.


In space, satellites picked up a wide blackout through whole towns and cities. Doctor Manchuria, seeing this, smiled. The first EMP missile was a success. Even though the nuclear explosion itself was pitiful, all things electronic were screwed. Yes, this was the weapon for....

...an explosion from above.

"Sir, a depth charge explosion has been sighted above us, though our sonars detect no bombers or ships!" Doctor Manchuria paced to the radar. Sure enough, a few meters above them, a temperature reading of massive radius was shown.

"Damnit, we might be near an old minefield set up during the Franco-Sino war. Get up higher!" Doctor Manchuria said. And that was before a loud thud and water exploded inside. Thankfully for Doctor Manchuria, he was near the submarine lever door. Climbing frantically up, he twirled the hatch around. Water was gushing inside as men shouted and screamed. Another explosion, this time, underneath. Water reached Doctor Manchuria's knees. The trapdoor spilled open, and water came in. Doctor Manchuria pushed himself up into the sea. It was dark, with a taint of blue from the reflection of the blasts. He was a few meters from air. As he got himself out of the sinking sub, he looked at where the front of the submarine platform was. It was standing on the platform, underwater, a rocket tube on its shoulder.



And then Doctor Manchuria found himself up out into the surface, gulping for air. The wave ripples from the explosions pushed him towards a small cay.

[Shroom Man 777]

FLASH FLASH FLASH

The Soviet Union has detected the seaborne launch of a missile via its early warning facilities and systems, and has tracked its ballistic trajectory from its point of origin within waters proximal to China to its point of termination over the Sovereign Chinese capital of Jingshi. The subsequent nuclear initiation was an airburst, high in the atmosphere, that resulted in high doses of radiation in the form of an electromagnetic pulse. While the weapon's yield was relatively low, the initiation nonetheless dealt severe damage to electrical systems in the Chinese capital, although thankfully actual physical destruction has so far been minimal.

The Soviet Union has received confirmation from the Hindu Raj, Japan, New Byzantium, France, Oceania, Korea, and the Philippines - all powers with assets operating in the area - assuring they did not have any part in the incident. The Soviet Union has also issued a statement to the Sovereign Chinese government that it had no part in this unwarranted nuclear attack on their capital.

Due to the weapon's point of origin in waters proximal to China, Soviet assets in the form of warships and naval aviation aircraft currently engaged in the Pacific Anti-Piracy Patrol have been redeployed from their bases in Vladivostok and Brazilian Formosa to search the area determined to be the missile's point of origin.

The Soviet government offers the Sovereign Chinese government humanitarian aid, response assets and emergency personnel, ready to fly to the Sovereign Chinese capital within a minute's notice, to deal with the sudden disruption and damage dealt by the surprise nuclear initiation. Such aid, assets and personnel include not only medical and engineering/damage control teams, but also radiological specialists trained in dealing with nuclear situations.

Premier Shroomanski has attempted to personally contact Doctor Manchuria, but court eunuchs have stated that the Doctor's whereabouts are currently unknown.



Result:

The Soviet Union is scouring the seas near the location of the launch site, because we have an early warning system (ground sites, radar birds, picket ships) designed to detect exactly these kinds of things. We've got navy ships and those naval bombers (the ones armed with cruise missiles that killfucked ex-Athenian pirate ships) moving in.

The Soviet Union is also offering humanitarian aid and assistance to Sovereign China.

[Siege]

OTH radar STEEL YARD C
100km from Kathmandu
Raj Canton of Nepal



Torrents of snow twirled down through the thin atmosphere, covering the mountains with a wedding cake-like white topping. This high up in the Himalaya Mountains the air was very silent: few animals and even fewer humans chose to live at this altitude and when the weather got this bad most of them had the good sense to stay in. The only sound was made by the steel matrices of the immense radars, which buzzed with static electricity as they transmitted their high frequency signals. STEEL YARD C was known to radio amateurs world-wide as the 'Yeti Call', because it could be heard on shortwave radio bands worldwide as a sharp, repetitive tapping noise at 10 Hz. Its massively powerful, randomly hopping signal disrupted legitimate broadcast, amateur radio, and utility transmissions worldwide and had resulted in thousands of complaints from shortwave broadcasters, but since the Raj had never officially acknowledged the existence of the STEEL YARD radars, such complaints fell on deaf ears even though triangulation of the signal placed it well within Raj territory.

At the mountain facility the day had begun pretty much like all other days: the engineers, technicians and other personnel at the base were all housed in great interlocking bunkers, constructed in such a way that they did not have to go outdoors unless they wanted to, so as to minimize exposure to the hostile Himalaya climate. Dozens of technicians were manning the banks of primitive computers and CRT monitors displaying the feedback of the powerful radar signals, which used ionospheric reflection in order to pick up objects located many thousands of kilometers away. Several facilities like STEEL YARD C had been built throughout the Raj over the past few years as part of an elaborate multi-layered air defense network that was supposed to detect incoming missiles and bombers at extreme range and coordinate the defense of the Raj against such threats. Luckily no-one, not even the Athenians, had been crazy enough to launch a strategic missile without ample warning.

Until now.

All across the base klaxons blared the three-tone warning signal as the huge radar picked up the faint but unmistakable reflection of a target rising up from somewhere in the East China Sea. The target was at altitude already when it was picked up by the over-the-horizon signal, but it was still picking up speed as it entered a ballistic trajectory toward the mainland. “We have positive confirmation of missile launch in the East China Sea” the base commander spoke into the red phone that had been installed on his desk for exactly this sort of situation. “I say again: we have positive confirmation of missile launch in the East China Sea. Tracking one, say again one target on ballistic trajectory headed for the mainland. Final destination is uncertain at this time, but current trajectory is potential for Lhasa or Thimphu. Message repeats...”

Those three sentences were enough to throw the entirety of the Raj airspace defense system into high gear. Foreign ELINT personnel saw the massively complicated networked system come roaring to life like an anthill that was kicked over: as Raj-wide emergency protocols were enacted, power flooded into the primary early-warning systems. Radars that had operated in peace-time modes boosted their signal to the rated maximum and switched to the Nuclear Threat series of frequency sequences, jitter and twitter ratings. Secondary and tertiary radars powered up, lighting the skies with enough electromagnetic radiation to cook geese at dozens of kilometers distance. ABM batteries rotated their payloads toward the heavens. Bomber and high-Mach interceptors on hot standby took off from airstrips toward fail-safe points, their bellies loaded with nuclear munitions. CRITIC messages went out to forces in the field, which immediately dispersed to predesignated positions and enacted CBRN protocols.

Of course by that time the missile had already detonated above Jingshi, but the commanders of the Raj were not about to take any chances. Protocols written for just such an occasion demanded that all Rajastani forces were to remain at DefCon 1 status for at least 48 hours. That meant that for two days all forces in the field were weapons-free. Field commanders would be given authorization codes for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. And all strategic assets would be on dead-man's trigger alert, meaning that if anything were to happen to the High Command, the strategic bomber pilots orbiting fail-safe points and warship commanders steaming toward their predesignated patrol boxes would open their sealed target orders and execute the doomsday protocols contained therein.

Across the territories of the Raj, military telexes began to chatter.

++CRITIC CRITIC CRITIC++

This is a War Warning. A hostile missile launch has been detected in the East China Sea. All Rajastani forces are hereby placed on DefCon 1 status.

All commanders are ordered to recall all personnel and report readiness to MOD within 4 hours of this War Warning. This warning serves as orders to activate all Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear Protocols of the Armed Forces of the Hindu Raj. A state of emergency has been declared.

All Mahrata Army units shall consider foreign forces targeting or attempting to target them as a hostile action. Local commanders have weapons release authority for all conventional and unconventional weapons necessary to secure against attack, and will maintain launch capability per provisions of Case Green at Alert Status DefCon 1.

All CVBGs at sea will surge to predesignated wartime patrol boxes excepting units in Theater East which shall immediately proceed to Launch Bravo and standby under Condition 3. All submersible units are hereby authorized to engage any and all contacts deemed hostile per ROE Revision 2.1.2.G issued prior to sailing.

All RAC wings and batteries have weapons release authority. Combat and interceptor wings shall maintain BARCAP with full combat loads under standing orders for Case Green. All bomber forces are authorized to remove Key Checks 4 and 5. Say again Key Check 4 and 5 are authorized for removal.

All MMC units will remain on station, all MEUs afloat are ordered to rendezvous at Assembly Foxtrot and await command decision for deployment or recall.

National Aerospace Commission will begin official shutdown of Rajastani airspace in 2 hours, flight information will be relayed and any vehicle aloft after final shutdown shall be considered hostile. Commanders in South Sector 1 through 5 will operate under restricted ROE for Case Green, aircraft approaching out of Australian airspace must be positively identified as non-civilian before engagement.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

++CRITIC CRITIC CRITIC++

[Shroom Man 777]

* Naturally, all Soviet forces are going to be in high alert as well. I assume everyone is going to likewise assume high ready stances because, shit, a nuke just popped!

** Same goes for the Byzantine, STRAK, ChiCom and Rio guys.

[Magister Militum]

MOST URGENT MOST URGENT MOST URGENT

At approximately 0925 hours UTC+8, OTH radar Nostradamus-II* detected a ballistic missile launch from the East China Sea and the subsequent nuclear detonation over Jingshi. Effective immediately, all French military forces are to be at Vigipirate Level Red. NBC protocols are now in effect for the Imperial French Armed Forces. All field commanders are to report combat readiness to the Ministry of War within the designated period.

All FAF wings are to be fully combat ready and to await further instructions. Verdun ABM batteries and early warning arrays are now fully active and armed and are to begin immediate coordination with CONADCOM**. CFAS bombers and ICBM sites are now at Level Crimson and are to redeploy to their designated coordinates/begin launch procedures and standby for final authorization or recall.

Grande Armee formations are authorized to deploy tactical nuclear weapons and chemical/biological ordnance should potential hostiles engage French and Concord military assets. Army of Shanghai and Army of the Levant are now at Level Crimson and will begin immediate redeployment to designated zones. Civil Defense procedures are now in effect for all departments.

All Fleets of the Imperial French Navy are now fully active and are to deploy to designated patrol zones. Strategic forces under FIFTHFLT command are to begin preparations for launch and final authorization or recall. All submarine forces are authorized to engage and sink all non-friendly assets approaching French CVBG's and BBG's.

A state of emergency is now in effect.

MOST URGENT MOST URGENT MOST URGENT

Result: France and the Concord are now paranoid as fuck and ready to kill anything that even vaguely looks like its going to make a move on us or our interests with nukes and biowarfare payloads.

The Emperor naturally sends his condolences to the Chinese Government and will render any aid if asked.

*In real life, the NOSTRADAMUS OTH radar didn't come on-line until the 90's, but 01 World France is much more stronger and spread out, thus necessitating such an expansive array.

**Concord Air Defense Command - coordinates and manages the immense radar and ABM network that covers Europe and the Concord. It's our NORAD analog.

[Shroom Man 777]

SOVIET STATE



With the Duga-3 arrays' detection of the missile launch, and the ABM-1 Galosh and V-1000 defense systems at prime alertedness, the entire Soviet military - from the Red Army, the VVS and PVO Air and Anti-Air Defense Forces, the Navy and the Strategic Rocket Forces - was now on the highest alert phase, the whole of the Soviet Union in utmost ready condition with all manner of planned preparations put in place should the unthinkable occur.

One amongst these pre-packaged people's proletarian postapocalyptic preparation plans was the DEAD HAND, a contingency for the off-chance that a successful first strike would decapitate the Soviet chain of command despite the already excessively paranoid measures done to ensure the safety of all Soviet VIPs. DEAD HAND was a system of automated nuclear retaliation, where even if there was no one left alive to authorize a Soviet counterattack, the system itself would ensure thermonuclear retribution on those who would dare assault the Motherland.

It was now in place. Should the end begin, should instant sunrise dawn on Soviet lands, then DEAD HAND would ensure that the doomsday clock would indeed strike midnight.


But for now, the clock was still ticking. The instant sunrise had not shone on the people of Russia, unlike their poor Chinese counterparts. The alarms and sirens and klaxons had rang and blared and people had been ushered to the Civil Protection shelters, had been marshaled by the Proletarian Defense Force to the safety zones outside cities and potential target areas. The working-class proletariat of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were now huddled, ducked and covered, with blankets on them as taught by the drills to protect them from the blinding burning flash. The commissars and the PDF men tasked with protecting the citizens and civilians had donned their mass-issued eyepatches. The eyepatches would ensure that even though the uncovered eye would be blinded by an atomic flash, the other eyepatch-covered eye would remain usable afterwards.

Other PDF, volunteer and conscript civilian units were also tasked with safeguarding other key assets, such as infrastructure and vital cache depots of supplies, logistics and other such materiel. The Red Army and border guards stood on standby over the Iron Curtain, watching the moves of the Soviet Union's neighbors with tense frostiness. The KGB's agents abroad began relaying information back home, along with Soviet military intelligence assets, ELINT, satellites and spy-planes, ships, submarines, and human-assets, all while the diplomatic offices in the various embassies and consulates and missions too sent information.



All this was now pouring into the tiny desk of Premier Shroomanski. The large Moscovite could barely fit in the crammed interiors of his current workspace, which now served as the de facto nerve-center of the whole Soviet Union. At least, it wouldd be the nerve-center for now, the DEAD HAND might end up becoming that nerve-center should something happen to him, the Premier grimly noted.

He looked at the wall clock. At this hour, it was five minutes to midnight. Aside from the wall clock, there was nothing - no windows, no view of the outside world. For what little his environment revealed, the Premier might as well have been in a subterranean bunker, or in a soaring Shroomanski One airplane, or in transit in an armored train, or deep underwater in a submarine, or even back in an office in the Kremlin. He might have been in one of these places, or in all of these places at once, or in none of them.

It didn't matter now, as the second-hand of that clock ticked and the minute-hand went closer to the thirteenth hour.

Reports were coming in from China. Minimal casualties, high-atmospheric airburst, relatively little physical damage but nonetheless quite a neutron flux. Many Chinese people had been blinded when they looked up at the descending missile right before it initiated with its telltale flash of fission.

The Chinese reaction was disorganized. The Premier knew that the Sovereign Chinese leader, Doctor Manchuria, was out of the picture - whether it was temporarily or permanently so was unknown. This complicated things, but oddly enough the Premier's concerns were not exactly in China itself. Kim Jong Il had told him, in a stream of profanities, that he and his daddy had nothing to do with this - and so had Chairman Mao. Shroomanski himself then told the three tyrants, as stern as he could, that they were not to do anything that might be seen as an untoward attempt to take advantage of the situation. The Premier had no allusions regarding the Little Kims and the Big Maos.

However, most importantly, the Premier was currently in contact with his counterparts in France and the Raj - the Soviet Union's largest and most powerful neighbors, the two other great powers in Europe and Asia that the USSR had to contend with. Understandably, both the French and Rajastani militaries had assumed heightened alertness postures, as had the Soviet Union.

With all the strategic military readiness, one wrong move might end up being construed, in a very unfortunate misunderstanding, as one thing or another that might lead to the situation spinning out of control. It was thus the job of the leaders of these nations to ensure that that exact situation would not happen.

So, the Premier picked two telephone receivers at once and began dialing numbers on both phones at the same time. Then, placing one receiver on each side of his face, the Premier called both Napoleon and the Maharajah. His call was rerouted and bounced around many antennas on land-sites and on birds in the air, just to make sure he couldn't be traced even if Napoleon or the Maharajah had Caller ID. Just in case.

"Comrades," the Premier began, speaking to both phones. "Perhaps now would be a good time to talk as any, da?"



*The REAL Steel Yard

[Siege]

TOP SECRET

THIS IS A COVER SHEET

FOR CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

All individuals handling this information are required to protect it from unauthorized disclosure in the interest of the national security of the Hindu Bharatavarsa Raj.

Handling, storage, reproduction and disposition of the attached document must be in accordance with applicable executive order(s), statute(s) and agency implementing regulations.

TOP SECRET

EVALUATION OF THE EAST CHINA SEA INCIDENT, JAN 04 1966 -- PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS

... tiered early warning and centralized aerospace defence systems deemed to function at better than expected efficiency, however primary command & control elements located on the Indian subcontinent are still imminently vulnerable to decapitation attack by submarine-launched weapons. Despite the presence of layered underwater detection grid and extensive MAN anti-submarine interdiction the admiralty does not feel it can rule out the possibility of a surprise alpha strike by hostile subsurface elements in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or China Sea.

The Commission therefore recommends that the following measures be taken:

* Permanent dispersion of primary C4I assets to minimize chances of complete annihilation in case of a first-strike scenario

* Introduction of increased command & control redundancy at the primary and secondary level; expansion of existing systems with tertiary and quartary backup nodes

* Expansion of military-grade EMP hardening requirements to cover all armed forces electronical and electromechanical hardware

* Expansion of the Interstate Highway System to include requirement for one in every five miles of road to be straight and flat so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war

* Expansion of the aerospace defence system to include at least one additional civil air defence group (12 batteries) per one million citizens

* Restructuring of cruise IRBM forces from fixed and semi-fixed positions into road/rail-mobile batteries

* Continuation of LONG WATCH atomic bomber project; fast-tracking of NB-60I development

* Formation of naval fast response wings equipped with B-71 Blackbird bomber; development of AS-4 AshM variant for use on B-71

[Magister Militum]

"Comrades," the Premier began, speaking to both phones. "Perhaps now would be a good time to talk as any, da?"

"Agreed," noted Napoleon V. Surrounded by his top advisor's and minsters, the Emperor of the French was conducting conference not from the regal splendor of the Imperial Palace's throne room, but from the fortified command bunker buried deep underneath Paris. One of many such sites, the bunker complex acted as a refuge for the Imperial Government (or what was left of it) should the worst case scenario become a reality. So far, France had not been the victim of another nuclear strike, but the lack of solid facts meant that France continued to be on high alert.

"Do we have any indication as to which country perpetuated the nuclear strike on China? Based on our mutual reactions, I can assume we can all agree that neither of our nations was involved, but that does not exonerate any of the lesser powers nearby. Japan, in particular, has nuclear weapons and has made comments in the past regarding the restoration of its former glory. Perhaps, this is the beginning of a Japanese invasion of the mainland?"

[Siege]

"Comrades," the Premier began, speaking to both phones. "Perhaps now would be a good time to talk as any, da?"

"Japan, in particular, has nuclear weapons and has made comments in the past regarding the restoration of its former glory. Perhaps, this is the beginning of a Japanese invasion of the mainland?"

"We do not believe the Japanese are responsible." The Maharajah responded. Despite the pleas of his staff the monarch of South-East Asia had defiantly refused to evacuate his great Mumbai palace. The endless rooms and hallways were oddly quiet now that all but the most essential of courtiers and courtesans remained behind. Jaghathai Singh Bahadur paid the silence no mind, but paced up and down in front of his throne of ivory and gold, holding a jewel-encrusted phone with a very long extension cord pressed against his ear. "Their submarines are ancient hand-me-downs inherited from the former Athenian regime, models which have to surface in order to fire.* We believe this is a newer type of weapon, which can be fired from beneath the waves -- and unless our spies have missed something important, the Japanese do not currently possess such weapons."

The Maharajah scratched his chin. "We know the Athenians once had a program developing submarine-launched ballistic weapons, but all evidence pointed to that project falling by the wayside much like all their other superweapons programs after the disintegration of their fiendish empire... Perhaps we were mistaken in this impression. But that does not explain why the target was Jingshi." Instead of Mumbai thought the Maharajah, but he decided not to utter that thought aloud. It wasn't like the feud between Athenia and the Raj was new to anyone. "Frankly we are at a loss to explain why anyone would want to black-out the Chinese capital. Unless it was a sort of live test... Or a warning to the world."

* : The first underwater guided missile ever was UGM-27 Polaris, test-fired for the first time in 1960. Since we're now in 1965, only a handful of submarines with such weapons should rightfully exist, and I kinda wonder how China got hold of one, being all poor and impoverished and such... Maybe they bought it from the Cartel?

[Shroom Man 777]

"Frankly we are at a loss to explain why anyone would want to black-out the Chinese capital. Unless it was a sort of live test... Or a warning to the world."

"Da, but who could gain from such a thing? Such a needlessly provocative 'test' or 'message'? None of the parties and factions we know of, at least those equipped to do such a thing, would benefit from something like that." Premier Shroomanski rubbed his eyebrows. In this 'safe place', the office reserved for the Premier was not exactly spacious and Shroomanski had to make some adjustments to fit his paunch behind the table. He was now leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table, and supporting his head on his hands - hands which also held the two phones connected to both Calcutta and Paris. "I likewise have reassurances from Mao and the Korean Kims that neither of them played a hand in this event, and neither of them have the capacity to do such a thing anyway. So, what other suspects are there?

"The Japanese, aside from not possessing such weapons at all, do not even have the manpower for their Navy and cannot stage any invasion attempt. Likewise, the Athenian successor-states are busy with their own regional affairs to make a play for China," the Premier referred to the tensions between New Byzantium and the Empire of the Phoenix, which he was sure France and the Raj, together with the USSR, had a close eye on. "Perhaps the best course of action would be to obtain fallout samples from Jingshi to determine the origin of the nuclear weapons material. We have assets ready to move if the Chinese allow us into their territory for humanitarian purposes, as I doubt violating Chinese territory will be the most... ah, tactful thing to do in these sensitive times."

The Premier had Soviet assets readied to move if the Chinese allowed them into Jingshi. Aside from humanitarian supplies, the Soviets would also have equipment designed to identify where the uranium or plutonium in the initiated weapon was from. Premier Shroomanski knew his two phone pals possibly had similar assets prepared as well, the Maharajah with his newfound high-Mach spyplanes and Emperor Napoleon with his very conveniently located French Shanghai.


[OOC: Hey, Siege, perhaps the Chinese sub didn't launch from underwater? It wasn't explicitly specified...]

[Magister Militum]

"Da, but who could gain from such a thing? Such a needlessly provocative 'test' or 'message'? None of the parties and factions we know of, at least those equipped to do such a thing, would benefit from something like that."

"If that's the case, then we must entertain the notion that a rogue faction or organization has carried out this attack. They would have to be well-organized and funded, and it is very likely a possibility that we may be dealing with rogue elements of a nation. We need more information, however, before we can determine how is ultimately behind this."

"Perhaps the best course of action would be to obtain fallout samples from Jingshi to determine the origin of the nuclear weapons material. We have assets ready to move if the Chinese allow us into their territory for humanitarian purposes, as I doubt violating Chinese territory will be the most... ah, tactful thing to do in these sensitive times."

"Perhaps that would be most prudent thing to do at the moment," noted Napoleon V. "I have assets ready for immediate airlift from Shanghai for humanitarian purposes, and I am sure the Raj can provide assistance as well. We need to move quickly, however. I have a feeling that this may just be the beginning of something cataclysmic."

[Shady]

Beograd, Socijalistička Federativna Republika Jugoslavija



"An EMP? How interesting..." Tito commented as he was updated on the situation. "But who could have done this?"

"Unknown Sir, it is a mystery." The Minister of Defense said. "And right now every major power in the world, wants an answer on that question. Our intelligence assets have been directed to gather as much informations as possible about the incident."

"Good." Tito said. "And what of our defenses?"

"All branches of our military are at maximum readiness levels, prepared to defend the nation against all possible attackers. Every precaution that can be taken, has been done. But..." The Defense Minister sighed. "Considering the nature of the attack, I doubt we can do much - should any attack on us come in nuclear form..."

"We live in wondrous times my friend." Tito said and leaned back in his chair. "We need the capability to strike back...speaking of which - how goes the project?"

"You mean BIJES BOGOVA?" The Minister said. "It is coming along nicely, but it will be quite some time before we can really count on it."

"Hopefully we will have the time and this will all be a false alarm." Tito said and scratched his head. "And what of our space projects?"

"They too are coming along nicely..." The Minister said with a smile. "We are launching the first, of a new series of satellites - that should prove to be quite useful."

"At least something is going right..." Tito said. "Speaking of which, how goes the situation with our neighbors?"

"Better than expected, the recent incident, has put the fear of death into them, or at least the fear of Nuclear winter...They are now much more receptive to our offers. Our people are already seizing the moment, and are making them...an offer that they cannot refuse."

Tito smiled.

"Some good may yet come of this whole mess." He thought.

Rocket Launch Facility, Undisclosed location, SFRY

"3....2....1....We have liftoff!!!"

[Siege]

"Perhaps that would be most prudent thing to do at the moment," noted Napoleon V. "I have assets ready for immediate airlift from Shanghai for humanitarian purposes, and I am sure the Raj can provide assistance as well. We need to move quickly, however. I have a feeling that this may just be the beginning of something cataclysmic."

"I can have an A-12 spy plane with aerial sampling equipment over Jingshi in..." the overlord of the Orient looked at one of the beautifully sculpted clocks in his throne-room, "two hours. After that it will be a relatively trivial matter of tracing the origin of the fissile material used in the warhead." He sat down on the mighty Lion Throne. "I'm afraid humanitarian aid will be more difficult. The only way to get assistance over there right away is to airdrop aid packets from bombers. Considering worldwide tensions and the coinciding high alert status of SAM forces... Suffice it to say I would rather not risk my aircraft being accidentally fired upon. One such incident and the situation could spiral quite radically out of control."

[Shroom Man 777]

"I can have an A-12 spy plane with aerial sampling equipment over Jingshi in..." the overlord of the Orient looked at one of the beautifully sculpted clocks in his throne-room, "two hours. After that it will be a relatively trivial matter of tracing the origin of the fissile material used in the warhead." He sat down on the mighty Lion Throne. "I'm afraid humanitarian aid will be more difficult. The only way to get assistance over there right away is to airdrop aid packets from bombers. Considering worldwide tensions and the coinciding high alert status of SAM forces... Suffice it to say I would rather not risk my aircraft being accidentally fired upon. One such incident and the situation could spiral quite radically out of control."

"Indeed... until the Sovereign Chinese give the 'go' word, our humanitarian assets can just sit tight. But I certainly hope that no such incident might occur if you deploy your A-12," Shroomanski replied. "Nevertheless, unlike our humanitarian aid, we can't sit tight. We must know who did this and why as soon as possible, and cooperate on dealing with the responsible parties appropriately."

[Siege]

"Oh, considering the sad state of the Chinese armed forces in the wake of the struggle with the communists and the fact that the electromagnetic pulse has in all likelihood burnt out most electronics in the area I think my spy plane will be quite safe", the Maharajah said confidently. He didn't voice his personal belief that barring skilful deployment of entire squadrons of extreme high speed interceptors there was nothing on the planet that could reliably threaten the A-12, which after all could reach speeds upwards of Mach 3.35, far in excess of most fighters. In testing scenarios that pitted the aircraft against flights of F-108 Rapier interceptors the A-12 had demonstrated that it could in fact simply outrun many of the missiles fired at it, making interception a dubious prospect even in the best of circumstances.

[Czernobog]

Six months later, in unreal time

The Blacklight Agency

Theresa Ashcroft was bedazzled by the multitude of alien artefacts on display. There was a strange green ring, and a gigantic walking machine the size of a large car. They both seemed to be dormant.

'How does it work?' she asked the Commissioner of the Blacklight Agency.

'We believe,' the commissioner said. 'That it's powered by pure motivation. Essentially, as long as the pilot is sufficiently motivated, he can do anything.'

'Really?' Ashcroft asked.

'Yes,' the commissioner replied. 'As an aside, we tested our most powerful nukes on it - not a scratch. We think it could take the world's nuclear arsenal without a single dent. Anyway, you're not here to gawk. You're here to design the world's first pure fusion bomb.'

They passed suits of large futuristic armour with gigantic shoulderpads on one side, then the commissioner laughed.

'The future of warfare - if it would only work for us mere humans. Fortunately, Professors Naldorssen and Hynkel are working on that.'

They then entered a door marked 'Fusion Bomb Research', then Theresa looked around. There were scientists and engineers in it, tinkering with things, drawing blueprints, and stuff like that.

'This whole project is filled with the most trustworthy people,' the commissioner replied. 'New Byzantium must never hear a word of what is happening here.'

'Okay,' Theresa said, then looked at the centre. The structure of something resembling a bomb was there - half-built, but still under construction.

I must be needed for the final stages, Theresa thought, and then set herself to work.

One month later, in unreal time

Theresa Ashcroft put on her goggles as the countdown to detonation reached its end.

The bomb had been set in a mock-up of a city constructed by the New Athenians, doubtless to train their soldiers in urban warfare, then abandoned and forgotten in the midst of the desert. Now it was being put to better use.

The first pure-fusion nuclear weapon on Earth detonated with the force of 100 kilotons of TNT, devastating the city and tearing it apart. With a flash, a fireball and a mushroom cloud, it destroyed the city with contemptuous ease. As predicted, there was no fallout or radiation.

Tactical and strategic versions were already on the drawing board.

The Empire of the Phoenix had just created a new kind of weapon.

[Dakarne]

In the bowels of the Blacklight Agency's storage bunker that night, the so-called strange green ring, having lain dormant for all of these years, had very suddenly activated after many, many years of deep hibernation buried beneath the sands of the nearby deserts. Its internal artificial intelligence began searching through its database, automatically repairing long-degraded systems and functions, reconstructing its own purpose piece-by-piece. Memories eventually flashed to the surface of its emotionless data core.

Abin-Sur, Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, deceased. Scanning for replacement sentients.

The ring rose up from its pedestal and phased effortlessly through the bulletproof glass which contained it to hover there in the air, surrounded by an aura of green light for just a few seconds before it seemed to decide upon somethng.

Replacement sentient found.

With that, it shot through the ceiling like a bullet, easily exceeding the speed of sound as it rapidly approached the city of Detroit. It didn't take long for it to arrive inside an apartment in the middle of the slums, hovering in the middle of the bedroom and casting its green glow across the room brightly enough to have woken up the sole occupant.

As the architect and former soldier raised a hand to shield his eyes, squinting up at the glowing green ring, he was confronted with a very simple yet very life-changing announcement which reverberated through his skull as the ring flew onto his outstretched finger.

John Stewart of Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.

-----

OOC: A bit of moderative action.

[Czernobog]

In unreal time...

The Superbia Times

Fusion reactor opened


The first fusion reactor in the world opened in Superbia today, to surprisingly little fanfare, although diplomats of other nations were allowed to tour the structure.

No information on how it worked was given away to foreigners, although representatives of other nations did confirm that it was not a hoax.

[Dakarne]

OOC: Engaging moderative action, phase 2 of 3
------

John Stewart soared through the air, leaving a trail of green light behind him as he flew towards the source of his impressive power ring. Having been trained and drafted as a soldier of Athenia, he had seen firsthand the atrocities of the now-dead nation, and he knew that this so-called Empire of the Phoenix would be no different, and would possibly be worse. People starved in the Empire of the Phoenix, while the government went on building more and more weapons. It was an absurd attempt to create devices which would allow its leader, Roosevelt, to take over the world.

Except that John Stewart had grown up reading about people who had tried to take over the world with doomsday devices. They were the mad scientists, dictators and supervillains in the comics he'd grown up reading about, people who delighted in destruction and domination, and who were always stopped by superheroes like the Green Guardsman, the Streak or Black Siren. Only that there had never been any superheroes, until now. This power ring, though it had been a potential weapon for Athenia, could be used as a force for good, and it had turned him into his own superhero, a member of an intergalactic police force which called itself the Green Lantern Corps. It reminded him quite a lot of the Green Guardsman, in fact.

He would perhaps join them after his task was completed, his flight taking him towards the bunker where this power ring had originally come from, a secret bunker belonging to a secretive Blacklight Agency. Full of secret weaponry, it could be used to assault the world.

It didn't take long for Stewart to land, and though he was new to the powers, he knew instinctively what he had to do. Summoning up the energy of the ring, he blasted straight through the front entrance with a single beam of light that tore the reinforced steel steel as if it were paper before gliding inside and going to work, forcibly containing the scientists and security staff in force fields. A walking tank which could resist multi-megaton nuclear weapons was child's play for his ring to dismantle and slowly dissolve into nothingness, as were the powerful suits of powered armour. Slowly, piece-by-piece, John Stewart erased data tapes, burned paper records, annihilated files, and destroyed weapons of all shapes and sizes, collecting all the information into his ring as he went.

Eventually, he came across the Empire of the Phoenix's latest weapons, the fusion bomb, and set them to detonate as he left, destroying the entire facility and erasing just about everything that his ring had missed.

He didn't stick around to watch, instead flying out to the city of Superbia with the scientists and security staff in tow as he aimed his power ring straight at the central fusion reactor which powered the entire city. Unleashing a single blast of energy, he blasted a hole in the roof and systematically destroyed every piece of equipment upon entering, blasts of energy and flame-thrower constructs destroying each and every scrap of information that wasn't in someone's head. And that was something that also had to be dealt with, he thought to himself as he eventually flew out into the streets of Superbia.

'Ring,' he said quietly. 'Signal the Guardians of the Universe.'

Signalling.

There were certain things to be dealt with. The world had seen enough of Athenia, and perhaps it would be better left in the judging hands of the higher authority provided by the Guardians.

To be continued in a later post. I apologise for how rushed this one is.

[Dakarne]

OOC: Phase 3.

----

OAN NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT

The Guardians of the Universe today imposed sanctions against a single nation on a planet called Earth in Space Sector 2814, in response to the attempted stealing of a Green Lantern ring, and the theft of numerous alien devices. This nation, the Empire of the Phoenix, was later decommissioned militarily and the entire planet has been put under a fifth-grade sanction protocol by the Green Lantern Corps. Any attempt to build artificial metahumans or utilise alien technology on that planet will provoke what the Guardians are calling an 'appropriate response', and all species planning a visit will have to cancel those plans due to these changes.

The Green Lantern operative of Sector 2813, scientist Kal-El of Krypton comments that 'This is an unfortunate and depressing situation, the people of Earth are very similar to my own, and have similar potential. It is hopeful that this species will grow past its anger and rage in the future. The Guardians have informed me that we will keep tabs on the Earth, but not interfere with their development unless they breach the terms of the sanction.'

Some good news is to be had, in that the newest addition to the Green Lantern Corps, John Stewart, a native of this planet, has decided to stay with the Corps and take over the duties of Abin Sur. He states that he will not be returning to Earth, however, and will instead try to create a life as a full-time Green Lantern in his specific sector, making a more temporary space station home on the far side of his native solar system, having been disgusted by the state of affairs on his homeworld.