NationStates Jolt Archive

To: ZMAF@zmi.gov
From: Freethinker Ministry of Defence, Defence Procurement Office (Main)
RE: TYPE 800

Dear sirs,

Having reviewed our current military capabilities and extrapolating our future needs based upon current world events and trends it has been decided that our Aerospace forces will soon require the capability to conduct extended operations against distant targets within a relatively short reaction and response time.

With this in mind and with budgeting approved by parliament, we wish to acquire a number of TYPE 800 HYPERSONIC BOMBER AEROSPACE CRAFT for the Royal Freethinker Aerospace Force. A total order of NINETY (90) units has been cleared by the Defence Procurement Office.

As concluded with previous negotiation, the following payments will be made;

i) A CASH TRANSFER of $US EIGHTY BILLION (80,000,000) to be moved directly from DPO Accounts to the respective accounts of ZMAF and its agents;
ii) An INDEFINITE LEASE for the unrestricted (conventional) use of the ARCTIC WARFARE RANGE and basing rights for enclosed military facilities.
iii) An INDEFINITE LEASE for the unrestricted (conventional) use of the GRIMCOMLEH DESERT WARFARE RANGE and basing rights for enclosed military facilities.

We hope that this deal can be completed as swiftly as possible and that we can look forward to the quick and speedy arrival of our new purchases. Attached with this communication are the necessary flight path data and clearance codes for the aircraft.

Thank you for your time.

Signed,

Admiral Sir James Cunningham, MC, FN.

The email was flagged as it hit the periphery of the ZMI Earth real time secure data sphere. Copies were sent to demographic analyses, the ministry of industry, the ministry of foreign affairs, and the ZM Air Force. Finally they would reach the office of the board and the gestalt itself, a purchase of such size gaining attention at all levels of government. Replies were made, a few being of note.




To: Freethinker Ministry of Foreign affairs
From: Peter.Hule@ZMIDOFA.gov

Salutations,

In the name of the citizens of ZMI and the Gestalt we hope this purchase is the first of many, and that in future our states can work together. As such I am happy to formaly request the exchange of embassies.


Digital Signature
Peter Hule
Minister Foreign Affairs

“D.O.F.A. relations without borders”.






, Defence Procurement Office (Main)
From: ZMAF@ZMI.gov

-Automated ZMAF Sales Response System-

ZMAF accounts debited $80,000,000 USD from DPO accounts . Lease terms accepted.
Sale accepted under conditions stated. Units dispatched. Arrival time 1.3 hours.

ZMAF. “Shield from above.”



Air marshal Charles Hayworthy sat in his seat in the control tower of the now buzzing mil zone airport. He was balding man in his fifties, in his hand he held a cooling cup of tea as he watched the buzzing flight boards. It was night and the Megacities glow and noises filled the air, echoing over the defence towers, the endless lines of hangers, and the huge tiered runways of the mil zone. However the event the air Marshall was watching with interest was not taking part in the ZMAF mil zone at all.

The wasteland. In the bleak Neo Europe ZMI had been ripped from in the brake this is what the lush fertile plains of most of mainland Europe had been reduced to. Endless seas of grey dried out polluted dust. The few hundred square kilometres of it that had been dragged along with the Megacity during the brake had left the city surrounded by this dead blasted landscape. Long ago any valuable minerals had been strip mined, leaving vast gashes in the surface. The only thing moving out here were the eternal air borne drone patrols, and the huge clanking mass of Landcrawlers on exercises.

It looked like an abandoned civilian maglev train yard. A terminal building sat in the distance, smashed and decaying ground cars in its forlorn and cracked car park. The sea of grey dust around it with the occasional black mass of a dead tree left no clue to what lay below the surface.

The base hummed, buzzed, personnel tested hundreds of links, and systems, drones checked systems out of reach to human hand and lifts moved unloading a seemingly never ending stream of aircraft onto handling cradles mounted to ceiling rails that would carry them to their destination from a huge underground heavy maglev rail track that led all the way back to the city.

Dust moved. The oxidised rails creaked and groaned as an entire section of abandoned track and landscape first dropped half a metre then slid back to reveal a huge ramped run way. For a moment it was silent and dark, the hissing of moving dust being the only noise to disturb the silence. Then one by one if the eye could see them UV runway lights flicked on. The first huge black shape taxied onto the end of the runway from a ramp that led to a massive lift system. It turned, then with shudder one by one tested its jets, eerie blue white flame arcing out into the night. Then it raced forward, dust whipping outwards in great swirls, the jet reached skywards, landing gear retracted. The next black shape was already positioning for launch as the first Type 800(1) left the ground.

Similar scenes would be played out all over the wasteland.


Haysworthy watched until the first 40 aircraft were safely in the air from three of the wasteland basses and on remote guidance mode before he decided he needed another cuppa.

In the distance the megacities masses slumbered.


(1)Specs and Image: http://www.deviantart.com/view/14458601/

To: Freethinker Ministry of Foreign affairs
From: Peter.Hule@ZMIDOFA.gov

Salutations,

In the name of the citizens of ZMI and the Gestalt we hope this purchase is the first of many, and that in future our states can work together. As such I am happy to formaly request the exchange of embassies.


Digital Signature
Peter Hule
Minister Foreign Affairs


Dear Sir
With regard to your request for an embassy, we are pleased to state that your wish for an embassy here and for, in turn, our establishing of an embassy in your great nation, has been accepted and arrangements are already underway.

We have cleared two sites for your appraisal.

SITE 1) Navarre. Embassy Row. The traditional home of embassies in The Freethinkers, a terraced row of former offices in the leafy government district of the capital. Half a mile from Government House and the Royal Palace, this is the best location for secure and rapid communication with the Freethinker Government.

SITE 2) Puerto Valadola. Victoria Park Terrace. Puerto Valadola is the regional capital of our Haven territories, and is much more temperate and more living space than the site in Navarre, but more distant from the central Freethinker government. Is ‘onsite’ for Haven matters, however.

One or both sites may be transferred, with standard protocol for these international relations. The full sovereignty of said embassies will be respected. The standard Freethinker policy regarding embassies is a reciprocation of its counterpart’s treatment in the respective nation-state.

We look forward to your reply.

Signed

Sir Alex Broxtowe
Foreign Minister

Hule slowly sank into the thick white leather of one of the Paladin executive air transports chairs. Ordering some tea from the hostess he un rumpled an active flimsy that had been lodged in his pocket. Lines of distorted colour arced across it where it had torn. Hule groaned, the damn things cost 13 rungs a piece and unlike the others he had been carrying this had been one of his own. Dropping it hastily into the disposal unit clamped to the side of the chair Hule pulled out the small table in front of him and steadying himself as the VTOL transport banked he opened his brief case and pulled out another wad of flimsies. Thumbing through them for a moment he found the one he was after, pulled it out and then took out his stylus and started to compose.




To: Sir Alex Broxtowe ,Foreign Minister
From: Peter Hule, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dear sir

On consideration to our purpose we wish to establish an embassy the Navvare site for quick access to your government. I am sorry to report that given the congested nature of Megacity one only one area has been set aside for diplomatic purposes. It is however within Zone one, and in what is known as the “old zone” or “old city” in sector 8. It is facing the sea front and the original city bay. “Shareholders Avenue” was originally built for the founding shareholders of ZMI, who were known as the great share holder families. These families faded from our history at a point during our last major civil uprising and thus the area has an abundance of luxurious accommodation that now lies vacant. It is now mostly used for embassy purposes and is 20 to 40 minutes from the Ziggurat depending on traffic levels and well outside cargo vessel over flight paths, which we do try and keep seaward.

We look forward to further correspondence and co-operation.

Yours Truly

Peter Hule
Minister of Foreign Affairs




Megacity One, overlooking the old zone. (Old image, therefore cruddy.)
http://www.deviantart.com/view/9051377/