NationStates Jolt Archive

John Quartz paced in office, overlooking the City of Jewels. The view was breathtaking. Each and every tower was lovingly crafted from glass and multicolored crystals. In the reddish early morning light, the city sparkled. The air was clear as far as the eye could see. That wasn't very far, as the city was surrounded by mountains.

The idyllic landscape was not a peaceful as it might look at first . If one were to listen, the sound of gunfire rang out constantly. People down on the sidewalks were running, and one of them stumbled. Two of his fellows went back for him, and they all fell to the ground, one of them screaming horribly. The gunman came into view, and put another bullet into each of the men.

John looked away from the window. As the leader of Crystalon, he should have been able to do something. But he couldn't. The crime syndicates were too powerful for the meager police force and near-nonexistant military to handle. The City of Jewels was a center of drug trade and violence, and the fact that it was the capital city did nothing to stop this.

Even petty crimes went unpunished. Much of the time, a theft was tied to syndicate activity, and an arrest would inspire retribution. Criminals took advantage of this, and all the government could do was stand by helplessly.

John walked to the door of his office, and it opened automatically. He paused. Something was wrong. Something . . .

He walked on down the corridor, which was made of frosted glass. He heard a noise. The tinkle of breaking glass. And louder - gunfire! He looked for somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere to go but back to his office. He turned and started to walk back, quickly. He was starting to panic. One of the syndicates was taking over! He broke into a run, taking a few turns instead of the most direct route to his office.

He got to the door, and it slid open. Shots rang out, and he collapsed, gasping. Blood pooled around him. He tried to say something, but he couldn't find the strength. He went limp. One of the people who shot him walked over to John's inert body and felt for a pulse.

"He's dead."

OOC: No wonder all new players are n00bs. You pay no attention to RP, but notice "OMG 1 N00K j00!" Really, people...

OOC: I learned the hard way that it is best to RP a bit in other people's RP's first and make a name for yourself before making one of your own if your new here, otherwise everyone will blow you off.

OOC: Probably true. But since I've started . . .

Ah yes, if this RP ever gets to the point where other nations intervene, any numberwanking will be ignored.

[Looks good... but, ah, how exactly are other nations supposed to get involved? There doesn't seem to be much reason for anybody to notice and intervene until you somehow start impacting another nation or the international community in general.]

OOC: When I posted this first, it got like 3 views and 20 people were in the forum. It irritated me. You're not meant to get involved, (yet) but noticing is good.

OOC: I enjoy a good story - go on, please.

Heidi Rose was in sitting in front of a compact laptop in the office of the late John Quartz. Absent was the sound of gunfire from the city. The only sound audible in the room was the soft sound of typing. She stopped, shut down the laptop, and flipped it closed. She paused for a moment to look out of the huge windows. The skyline had changed in the few weeks since her crime syndicate had taken the city. A few buildings were missing, just piles of broken glass and crystal shards.

Heidi got up, and exited the room, flanked by a pair of guards. She entered the first door that she came to. It was a comference room, currently empty. A meeting was planned in a few minutes, and other high-ranking members of the Golden Eagle syndicate would be arriving soon.

They filtered in, each with a pair of bodyguards, who took up places along the wall. Heidi called the meeting to order. She wasted no time on greetings, and went immediately to the business at hand.

"Is the city secure?" she asked.

One of the people, a large man with dark hair, answered, "There are a few pockets of former government resistance. They have control of nowhere strategic."

"Good. See to it that those groups are gone by the end of the week. You are dismissed."

The man left. There was nothing left to go in the meeting that he needed to know, and he needed to be working.

"How are the negotiations with the Claw going?"

The man on her right replied with an amused smile, "Negotiations ceased six hours ago, when the Claw leader suddenly died. They are under Eagle control.

"Excellent. Are there any other syndicates left in the city?"

"No. They have all fled or surrendered."

"And you," she said, nodding to a woman across the table, "Are all of our forces concentrated within the city?"

"Several cells are out of contact, presumed dead. They are all within Port Jade. It is suspected that another syndicate has seized control of the area."

"How many people?"

"No more than twenty."

Heidi turned again to the man on her right. "Are all communications under Golden Eagle control?"

"Yes. All radio, telephone, and television has been captured."

"And the populace?"

"They've seen this coming for a long time. No one will resist."

"Meeting dismissed. You all know what you have to do."

She strode out of the room, and her guards followed.