NationStates Jolt Archive

This RP is now closed to new participants.

The fascist Alphin Alano, who seized power in Mirfak last year, has begun executing foreign visitors, diplomats, and dignitaries in his latest move for what he is calling the "cleansing of inferiors" from the nation. It is not clear what nations may have had officials or visitors in the Mirfak System, but the KGB's government-driven crusade is considered likely to locate and capture most to all such parties. Reports from the few refugees able to escape the system show a trend of increasing violence and control being excercised by the national government, but no official reports have been recieved since the official shutdown of external communications and solar system-wide lockdown initiated by the Alphin four months ago. This is the Intergalactic News Network.

To: The Entity ofMirfak
From: Office of the Consul-General, Kingdom of Weyr
Subject: Atrocities
Type: Open

The Kingdom of Weyr strongly objects to the recent actions of the Mirfaki government. Any actions taken against Weyrean officials and visitors within any entity's space must be preceded by a warning period of twenty-four (24) hours. Failure to comply with this request will be viewed as an act of blatant aggression against the Kingdom of Weyr and the United Weyrik Prefectures, and may be treated as cause for war. Any reports of Weyrean visitors or personnel being maltreated or harmed in any shape or form within the entity of Mirfak may result in termination of that entity’s ability to further pursue such actions and/or the termination of that entity’s space faring capabilities.


Sincerely,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/Weyr/gibbs.jpg
Josiah Willard Gibbs
Consul-General

The Revenian Government, noting these...rumors...issues a straightforward Revenian-style statement.

It reads
---

Hey.

Morons.

Yeah, You. If any of our people that happen to be in your nation get hurt, we're coming down on your stupid little heads like the Pancreator's Fist. We'll smash your pathetic little GUVERNMINT, right before we open your country to external exploitation. See how you like being a R+R/P class Client State for a couple of hundred millenia....

-
Love,
Author Third Class Jameson Davis,
Department of Angry Letter Writing, Revenian Diplomatic Service.

Mirfak responds to neither message.

'The Aumanii government scoffs at the pathetic attempts of Mirfak at ethnic cleansing. Going to the extent of murdering the civilians of foreign nations to make yourselves feel superior. We see Mirfak as a self loathing and pathetic nation, so wrapped up in their own inferiority complex that they must go to such lengths. We will celebrate the lamentations of your women and dance upon the shattered remains of your armies! Fools! You will be destroyed!'

~Lord General Hanso Uthor, Aumanii General Staff.

In Mirfak, the Labule mobilizes to defend Mirfak III against a potential attack.

(P'tum. P'Tum. Shall we COMPARE statistics here for a moment? Mirfak has a population of less than five hundred million. Revenia has a population of three -billion.- Auman is even bigger than -I- am, and Weyr is still almost four times your size...hmmm........

And I'll tell you that I've been itching for a good, relaxing, deliverance of The Boot to the Rearmost Quarters of somebody. A good short, victorious war is just what Weyr needs, too, to take the populace' minds off the problems at home for a time.

Anyways, I suggested your government wises up starts paying attention to my (extremely half-hearted) attempts to reason with you. I don't do the globo-cop thing, and i doubt there are any Revenians in Mirfak. But I can just easily pretend that there were. 'n my nation would go to war over on death, especially if it was in a government purge.

You get what I'm trying to say here?)

OOC: In all honesty and frankness, yes. You attack; I lose. Not much to it. In fact, I encourage it. If you don't stop Alano, he'll just kill more people and could eventually pose a real threat to the international community. I'm here to get my ass kicked. I put on the sign and everything. So, whaddya say? Hell, you could be as benevolent or evil as you wanted. Once you've crushed the Labule and killed Alano you could try to start a democracy, install a puppet dictator, or just occupy or blow up the planet. Have fun with it. I won't stop you as long as you're realistic about it (well, as realistic as nations with FTL technology get). It'll be fun for me either way. Do note though that it won't be an easy job if you decide to try to rebuild the nation. The KGB is pissy, and won't die off quietly. They won't be able to stop you, but they'll make your people miserable as long as they're around. Keep in mind, as long as some of my people still live, I still control them, no matter what you do. Anyway, that's my needlessly-long OOC monologue. So, you decide: is it go time or will Revenia back off?

The magnate of Kamyr objects to Mirfak's ways. A document entitled Mirfak Boycott & Ban Article has been issued and approved by state cabinet. It reads that Mirfak is not allowed to try to establish a trade route, and any association with Mirfak whatsoever will not be tolerated. If Mirfak try to contact Kamyr in any way whatsoever, it reads, it will be regarded as an act of war. Also, if any Mirfak article of any sort whatsoever is found in Kamyr, it is to be destroyed and incenerated, and the bearer of the article shall remain in prison for up 1000 years and the minimum is 10. Sincerely, The Kamyr International Events Commisioner.

(ooc my gov is going to be pissed :P)
IC:
Message from the President and congress of the United states of the federal union:

The united states is rather angry that you do this and demand you stop . we will not tolerate our citizens and diplomats in your nation being killed.. we are willing to negotiate but if you do not want to , we will have no choice but to react to this act of war upon us! , the union shall send its top ambassador if you wish .. we will not tolerate any more of our citizens to be executed you kill one more federal citizen and the union will declare hostilities against you!

A couple and their two small children walk down the streets of Mirfak, trying to head home quickly. What may or may not be known is that they're Coredians that have important ties with the Coreworlds Royal Family, and if anything happened to them, a tiny beacon inside their bodies will light up, letting the State Department know what happened to them.

OOC:
Basically, they're prominent members of society and personal friends of the royal family, so you know what happens if they're killed...so kill them. *evil grin*

(OOC: Heh-heh. Great. I've been wanting to do a good occupation RP for a while, too. As long as its well-written, I don't have much of a problem with things. I was just making sure you knew what you were getting into. I -don't- want to get stuck in a long-term RP with some II-type who thinks they're the be all and the end all.

As for the KGB...it is a well known fact that a terrorist organization cannot exist without the help of the people. Something tells me that most people aren't gonna support the secret police...but...whatever...

Aaanyways, I suspect it -is- go-time...)

The scene is eerily calm, though there is certainly a dark overtone to the whole situation. People are quiet as they walk the streets, not even bothered by the all-to-frequent shots ringing about anymore. They've become used to it in the past few months. The once-bustling and diverse city has been silenced and thinned by the ever-present agents of the KGB. People fondly remember the days when torture was illegal and the agents usually asked questions before shooting people, but those days are gone. The dusty city, looking modern but not teribly advanced in the evening light, begins to darken as the sun sets over the eastern horizon, and the streets slowly clear. There is no official curfew, but the KGB is even less discreet in the nighttime, and anyone out past dark is generally shot with little or no provocation. The couple and their children make their way towards home, blending in nicely with kindred spirits none too anxious to be out any longer than they have to. The silence of the darkened suburban neighborhood is broken only by footsteps, infrequent animal cries, and occasional bursts of gunfire as the KGB continues to claim as its victims the so-called "inferiors," those enemies of the state.

"This isn't safe anymore, Javier." Sophia said quietly. "We cannot stay much longer!"

"I know, I'll think of something." Javier murmered. Their son Harold and daughter Christina were holding tight on their parents' hands. 8 and 6, the brother and sister are afraid of the "bad men" and the loud noises from the constant shooting. The parents hoped they could escape harm long enough to find a ship offplanet. Barring that, contacts in the underworld might be able to help them if they're able to escape the KGB. It's a long shot, as all long shots are, but it's possibly the only chance they'll have of surviving any longer in this hell.

Revenia: OOC: Cool, but I fear you'll have to wait now. CW has provided me with a most interesting diversion. I won't be inclined to acknowledge any planetary attacks until I'm done with him. Character RP is much better than flashy explosions and brimstone.

CoreWorlds: IC: With the planet locket down and the Labule guarding it from orbit, escape will doubtlessly need to be an excercise in unparallelled creativity and cunning. The underground is probably their best chance, though if they select the wrong people they're just as likely to be killed as helped. With options as limited as they are, however, any chance at all is a blessing. Such thoughts are cut short however as one of the KGB's trademark jet-black, unmarked cars passes by them on the street. The officer slows down, then turns around, coming up behind the group.

CoreWorlds: IC: With the planet locket down and the Labule guarding it from orbit, escape will doubtlessly need to be an excercise in unparallelled creativity and cunning. The underground is probably their best chance, though if they select the wrong people they're just as likely to be killed as helped. With options as limited as they are, however, any chance at all is a blessing. Such thoughts are cut short however as one of the KGB's trademark jet-black, unmarked cars passes by them on the street. The officer slows down, then turns around, coming up behind the group.
Should anyone have heightened hearing in the vicinity, they'll hear the quickening of heartbeats as the couple spies the black car coming up behind the family. They're near the apartment, a dark alleyway, and the street.

The father notices the car and sets down calmly as if to tie his shoes. In that time, he spoke with the children. "Harold. When I tell you to run, you head into that dark alleyway with your sister, and you hide as best you can!"

"But, Papa, why--?" The boy asked, sensing the fear of his parents.

"Do what your father tells you." Sophia insisted. "Javiar..."

"Right." Finished with the 'shoe tying' the family then heads calmly for the apartment, as if nothing happened. The alleyway is nearer, though.

To the Mirfak government although we are a small nation we cannot tolerate this behavior from you and consider any execution of foreigners to be an act of agression against our people as Dratheria used to be charged with the defense of the weak and if this continues we will be forced to act along with our allies to assist the defenseless.
Sincerely,
President General John Mercer

OOC: Mirfak: You decided to kill off people's civilians, now you get to take the response. Misfortunately, that response may not be very nice, or pretty. Aside from that Coreworlds is my ally, and the members of their ruling family were rather good friends of my former High King, (and hopefully Daniel hasn't forgotten about Kira). Oh, and...where are you located?

To: The Entity of Mirfak; Revenian Diplomatic Service; Lord General Hanso Uthor, Aumanii General Staff
From: Office of the Consul-General, Kingdom of Weyr
Subjec: Atrocities
Type: Open

Understanding that while it is the duty of a state to preserve its interests, Kingdom of Weyr considers acts against its people, and the people of other states, to be a blatant disregard for international laws both stated and implied.

As such, the Kingdom of Weyr does hereby call for a coalition of states to terminate the ability of the entity of Mirfak to endanger peaceful visitors within its borders and violate their safety without reason or warning. The world has no place for states that show such blatant disregard for civilian life and proper codes of conduct. The Kingdom suggests that while no military action should be taken at the moment in case a more peaceful solution presents itself, steps should be taken to ensure that any actions taken against the Entity of Mirfak will be swift and decisive.

Failure to respond to this message and cease actions against civilian and diplomatic foreign preson by the entity of Mirfak will be considered an act of war against the Kingdom, and will lead to immediate steps to terminate the entity of Mirfak's ability to perform such actions.

Sincerely,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/Weyr/gibbs.jpg
Josiah Willard Gibbs
Consul-General

YESTERDAY

"You know what needs to get done...go do it."

With these words, Darius Steele, President of Gawdly, turned and left the dark room. The men who remained searched each others eyes, then turned to their leader.

"OK, boys...you have 30 minutes to get yer gear in order, then head to the jump-ship. We're going in hot, and leaving before it gets hotter. Grab as many friendlies as possible, and extract them quickly. We'll deliver them to their respective worlds after their safety had been assured."

Devin Blackwall looked at his Razors. They were some of the toughest and deadliest men he had ever met...and they needed to be, because the situation they were about to enter was as deadly as they come.

"When you hit the ground, disperse. Keep your beacons on, but observe radio silence. You each have targets, based on their last known location. Get to them, protect them and get them out."

His team regarded him with cold eyes, professionals who knew their duty. he spoke to them, pride in his voice.

"You guys are the best of the best: now get out there and prove it."

OOC: However, the parents will have to be killed off for my own intel organization to get to work. The kids might live, but only so long. *evil grin*

IC:
The family heard the man and Javier recognized the voice of his contact, and they hurried quicker to the apartment.

OOC: CoreWorlds: You realize that Gawdly's action will initiate special ofrces action. I'll give you the chance to accept or deny his action now, before I post again, simply because it will completely change how the RP develops and you deserve to choose.

OOC: Gawdly: Your participation here depends on CW's approval.

OOC: Weyr: Dear dear.... Such a hurry you're in. I'm suspending my international relations interactions and any attacks until this character RP is over. You'll have your chance to take over soon enough. For reference though, the Mirfak system is located about 22 light-years from Sol.

OOC: Everone else not already here: This RP is now closed to new participants; at least for the moment. I've got a character RP already going and a line of people waiting to blow me up afterwards. There's no more room here.

OOC: Very well. I shall deny Gawdly's attack until after the KGB attack the family. The trigger to initiate special operations against the Mirfak government and the subsequent war must be the death of the family (if the kids manage to escape into the underground, all the better). Therefore, EMP attack is... *pulls out rubber stamp* denied. Mirfak...wipe them out, all of them. *evil cackle*

OOC: It'll probably happen, but escape, while difficult, is not impossible for your family. We will see how these things develop. My next question is this: do they know Mirfakan? Their not being recognized as foreigners probably hinges on it. It's not a difficult language, so if they've been around on Mirfak for a few years you can likely assume they speak it fluently. I will post a translation of the officer's words, which I will leave to you if they understand or not.

IC: The driver, a young, clean shaven man in KGB uniform, rolls down the window of his vehicle as he pulls alongside and calls out in a strong, but not unfriendly, tone. "Par! Uk nil est hunal to olinal tel tepal ibun. Cil hastal rodail cas?"
Translation: "Hey! It isn't safe to be out at this time of evening. Do you need an escort home?"

OOC: Most likely they know the language, with an accent for the parents.

IC:
"No, I don't need an escort, our home is just ahead. Thank you for your kindness." Javier said kindly.

The officer nods. "Yil. Xelkal," "Alright. Be careful," and drives on. The streets are nearly empty now but for a small scattering of people, many of which are undoubtedly just more KGB officers. The family remains unharrassed for the moment, as other agents in the area have doubtless seen their conversation with their compatriot.

The family are past the alleyway, and start on the last few hundred meters or so home.

When they are about halfway there, a shot rings out and a middle-aged woman rounds the corner, running past them with horror in her eyes and a silent scream on her lips. The right side of her face is splattered with blood and small fragments of brain tissue. A man in KGB trademark dark clothes and sunglasses steps around the side of the house and levels his pistol, killing her as she runs away with two shots to the back. She groans as she bleeds on the ground mere meters from the family, and within moments joins her husband in death. The agent eyes the family next, his pistol still in his hand. "Voyios mor," "move along," he says calmly, with a passive threatening note to his voice, motioning slightly with his pistol.

The children, shocked, start crying, and the family pick up speed, hurrying home as quickly as they could without looking like targets.

Fortunately the rest of the trip they go without further harassment or distraction and arrive at the home.

OOC: I don't know what kind of house it is, but since this is a suburban neighborhood I would expect a lower-middle to upper-middle class residence. One thing that we need to consider: is this family documented as foreigners? If they are, then... well, let's just say that it had better not be their house that they're going into.

OOC: Well, it'll depend on how much homework the KGB will do in their background work. But I will allow them to be killed off whenever you're ready.(the kids later on if the Twins don't find them in time).

The family managed to reach their house, and Javier turned the key in the front door...

OOC: The KGB functions as both a police force and the nation's internal intelligence agency. I don't know if they're documented or not, but something is definately not right if it's been four months and the family's home hasn't already been destroyed (preferably with them inside of it). For that reason if nothing else, we'll call you good at home until something else attracts them there. By the way, are you intending to try to get them out? I get the vibe from the way you phrase your comments that you want me to kill them. If that's your goal, I'll take it into account. I was planning on at least giving you a fair chance to get most or all of them out, but if you're not interested then that changes things.

IC: They find their home just as they left it, with no signs of intrusion or anything else alarmingly amiss.

OOC: For the most part, the two children will be survivors on the street or something like that, as a goal for my operatives before actual war. The parents are fair game. And yes, I do want you to off the parents.

OOC: As if I needed to give people more reasons to beat my nation down. Ah, well. Chances are that if they get one set they'll get the other. I'll see that the parents are killed one way or the other. In any case, it's your move, unless you want to wait for a knock on the door or something.

OOC: Can you get on MSN?

"Looks like we're safe." Sophia said.

"Hmm. For now." Javier replied. "I don't know how long, though. We'll just have to hope..."

"Yeah." Sophia said, gazing at the children washing away their bad memories with TV cartoons. "How long can we keep this up, though. If they dig enough..."

"Shh." Javier said, not letting the children get wind of the talk. "We have the escape route in the alleyway if we need it. From there, we could find a way offplanet."

"I don't know...what about the children? How would they survive?"

"Somehow, they will. I know it. Besides, we have friends in high places..." Javier trailed off, and Sophia knew who those "friends" are.

"We can't involve them! It'll mean terrible things!" Sophia cried.

"I know that, but I know the Masakis. We have no better friends than they, and if the KGB crosses them..." Javier said, trying to reassure her. "I just wish there was some way to contact them..."

"I know." Sophia said. If the KGB pissed off what could possibly be the most powerful family in the galaxy, woe unto them, for their days will be numbered. But small comfort to a family that's constantly looking over their shoulders.

Suddenly, a marked KGB car pulls in front of the house and a uniformed officer, a woman looking to be in her mid-thirties, steps out and walks to the house. She rings the doorbell and knocks, announcing herself in a loud voice. "Kusakal Gimesi Bule!"

Sophia gasped in shock, and she held the children tight. The proverbal knock on the door is not so proverbal...

"Get the kids to the back door, but watch out!" Javier ordered.

Sophia nodded, and ushered the kids that way.

Javier went to the door, picking up an old heirloom cane just in case. "What is it?" He called.

<<QUICK OOC>> Am I still in this, or have I been denied completely?>>

OOC: Still in. I suggest the operative stand by in the alleyway escape route to recieve survivors. *evil grin*

The special forces officers, naturally dispatched once the family's true record was uncovered, finish surrounding the house, keeping under cover. With all the entrances covered, they wait for the officer at the front door to conduct the proper procedures, standing by to apprehend anyone who resists or runs. The officer at the door knocks again, harder. "Watashi est Kusakal Gimesi Bule! Cil est apris! Binek, relios ro io!"
"This is the National Security Agency (KGB)! You are under arrest! Surrender and open the door now!"

"They've covered all of the entrances!" Sophia cried.

"Damn. Try to find a way out!" Javier cursed, then switched back to the language. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Sophia held the children close, trying to figure out where the kids could squeeze through the KGB surrounding the house...

Devin Blackwell watched intently as the security forces deployed silently around the house where his targets had taken refuge. He had been a step behind them since his insertion on Mirfak, and now his mission had been compromised. He wasn't equipped to deal with the small army of trained professionals that were between him and the Coredian family. He had a small window of time to get them to the extraction point, and the window was rapidly closing. Of course, Devin could simply pull out, and go for his secondary target. Secure in his hiding spot, deep within the shadows of an alley, the young officer called up the house blueprints on his wrist-comp. Wiping the cold sweat that had formed on his brow, he searched for a way to save Javier and his family.

Focused on their target, no one spots Devin yet.
Between the guards on each side and the sentries that watch from the rooftops around the building, the only possible escape from the house would be through an underground exit, if one existed. The woman at the door backs away a few steps, then speaks to her team through their built-in radios. "Voyios inkkeal," "move in." At the order, three agents at each of the two doors break through the portals and rush in, guns drawn and ready to shoot. "KGB! Mor nahen, nil voyios!" "KGB! Down on the ground, don't move!" The family, still out in the open, is immediately covered by the invaders. Two agents keep a bead on Javier while the other four train their weapons on the huddled mass of Sophia and the children. All are tense, their guns on hair triggers.

The children started to scream, but their mouths were clamped shut by Sophia, and Javier was forced to the ground in arrest. Now what for the family?

The agents work quickly to handcuff the adults and children, leading all four out to a KGB prisoner transport van that pulls up outside as if on que. They are put into the back and locked inside. They cover the van and watch for any outside interference while they wait for more vehicles to escort the van to a holding facility. With a foreign family of this status and no one among them sure just what the vaguely-described psionic abilities mentioned in the file they had been briefed with enables their prisoners to do they aren't taking any chances.

Fubar.

It had gone real bad, real quick. The takedown was clean and efficient, and Devin watched helplessly as the family were bound and hustled into the unmarked, but obviously armored van. Blackwell realized he may have a shot of getting them during transport, but it was a longshot. Even if he could get to it alone, disabling it and freeing the family without casualties would be problematic and extremely difficult. Based on what he's seen so far, there would most likely be escorts accompanying the prisoners, making his task impossible. He punched up the city plans, plotting out their possible final destinations.

The two most likely destinations are the local precinct and the central processing facility. The precinct office is closer, but for these high-class prisoners it seems unlikely that the KGB would risk bringing them to anything less secure than their central facility. The route to the processing facility, located downtown, is a fairly long one, about a half-hour trip over ten miles through city streets. If he is to make a move, and that is indeed their destination, he must do so before they reach the facility. Once they are inside, rescue will be all but impossible. The escort vehicles arrive, five of them not counting the original marked car and the unmarked cars of the special forces, which bring the total number of vehicles to ten, and the convoy moves off with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Their speed is slow, staying around fifteen miles an hour, but the security is tight, with two cars ahead of the van, one on each side, and the other five trailing behind. Altogether they take up almost two full lanes of the road. Fortunately, the narrow suburban road widens within a few blocks as they begin to move in to the city's center.

The files probably mentioned that the family are as mundane as any other, though may be linked to psionic stuff. What they probably don't mention is that prominent families like the McCormacks tend to use a form of trickery in times like this to protect their family lines.

When Sophia had went and found no escape route (no basement), she had decided to use a special, though simple, ninjutsu trick to hide her children. Two potato sacks were in the downstairs pantry, and when the bad men left with the parents and "children", the sacks disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real children are still here!

"Mommy! Mommy!" Christina yelled, but Harold clasped his sister's mouth closed.

"Shh! You want them to get us?" Harold hissed, looking around corners and out windows for boogeymen.

"Now, mom said to head to the alley way as quick as we can. Somebody will help us." Harold said to comfort his little sister, grabbing a loaf of bread from the counter. " 'The bread is our food, so eat small.' "

Playing Hansel and Gretal, the children head out to the alleyway at top speed, and slip into the night.

-----

Meanwhile, the illusion of the children in the van slowly began to unravel with distance from the real children, until they poofed into bags of potatoes accompanied by white smoke. The handcuffs dropped, no longer sustaining the Henge no Jutsu illusion.

Javier and Sophia exchanged glances, Sophia a little amused, yet sad. It was the best they could do for them...

OOC: Okay, I'm moving on. Gawdly is taking too long.

IC: The convoy arrives at the city's central prcessing facility; the KGB regional headquarters. The van is parked inside the secure garage, and armed agents cover the van as the doors are opened, ready for anything... except what they see. If it had been anyone besides the special forces handling the situation, there might have been surprise, confusion, even chaos. As it was, the lead agent simply looks disgusted. "Watashi arestios sel ist bal," "I knew that was too easy," he says.
His subordinate calls out, "Ast zek ninesios sashu orta to enlios uki?" "Shall we send another team to find them?"
The leader, who has picked up one of the sacks, now drops it to the ground, kicking the other one. "Nil. Uki est ortulim io. Uki ast enliosal zekal alpha desios." "No. They're gone by now. They'll be found by our comrades soon enough." He regards the two parents. "Varal. Varal yil, por uk ast nil fabrilios pelal deev." "Clever. Very clever indeed, but it won't make any difference."
He pulls them from the van, prodding them towards a door with the business end of his automatic weapon. "Voyios." "Move."

The couple move out of the van, and into whereever they are taken. Their only hope was that the kids were smart enough to avoid the patrols.

Playing Hansel and Gretal, the children head out to the alleyway at top speed, and slip into the night.

His infra-red sensors picked them up, well before the sound of their small feet, pounding towards him did. His onboard A.I. quickly ID'd the kids, confirming them to be Harold and Christina, the two Coredian whelps. As they ran towards him, he lifted his faceplate and stood up, blocking their path. He shut down the chameleon-mode on his skinsuit, and smiled his biggest smile as the kids became aware of him, and stumbled to a halt in front of him. He spoke to them in an even, gentle voice, his eyes glancing behind them, watching for danger.

"Easy now, kids...I'm a friend, and I'm here to help. Harry, Chris...my name is Devin. I need you guys to listen to me closely. We need to get away from here, and get you somewhere safe, as fast as possible. Then I'll be able to come back for your parents, ok? But we really need to get moving...are you with me?"

The parents are escorted to a tiny 1x1x2 meter cell, which they are both shoved into. The door is closed, leaving only a pinky-sized airhole in the door as a portal to the outside. The rest of the room is completely sealed. Four guards are posted outside the door, and the escorts leave.

"Easy now, kids...I'm a friend, and I'm here to help. Harry, Chris...my name is Devin. I need you guys to listen to me closely. We need to get away from here, and get you somewhere safe, as fast as possible. Then I'll be able to come back for your parents, ok? But we really need to get moving...are you with me?"
Harold was untrusting. "How do we know you'll help us, and not one of the bad guys?"

The parents are escorted to a tiny 1x1x2 meter cell, which they are both shoved into. The door is closed, leaving only a pinky-sized airhole in the door as a portal to the outside. The rest of the room is completely sealed. Four guards are posted outside the door, and the escorts leave.
Javier was shoved in, then grabbed Sophia and the door closed.

"What now?" Sophia asked, embracing her husband in fright.

"I don't know. Let's hope they're accomodating." Meaning they'll just be expelled, but that's only if they have hearts, which recently, doesn't seem likely.

An hour passes, then two. Finally, a female voice speaks to the couple from outside, his words filtering through the hole in Galactic Standard. "Javier and Sophia McCormack, you have been found guilty of illegal habitation of Mirfak and sentenced to be expedited to your own country. You have also been found guilty of obstructing justice and sentenced to death. As per Mirfakan law, the more serious crime overrules the minor conviction. In a moment the panel in your ceiling will open, releasing carbon dioxide gas. You will begin to feel drowzy, then fall asleep. As you are foreign officials, your deaths will be painless." Her voice fades as she walks away, addressing one of the guards. "Kirios uki." "Kill them."

The hole in the door is covered, and the small ceiling vent opens, accompanied by a soft hissing noise.

Harold was untrusting. "How do we know you'll help us, and not one of the bad guys?"

The last thing he needed was a smart-assed, suspicious kid slowing him down, but Blackwell knew he'd have an easier time if they followed him by choice, not by force.

"Kid, that's a smart question but...I'll be honest with you both. I don't have anything to prove that I'm one of the good guys, but if I WAS a bad guy, don't you think I'd be trying to arrest you? Harold...I need you to be a man now, for the good of your sister and your whole family. Please...trust me, and I'll do my best to get all of you to safety. Would a bad guy do this?"

With that, the big soldier pulled a slug-thrower from a holster, strapped to his leg. Reversing it in his hand, he offered it to the boy.

"Take it. You can shoot me if I try to cause you harm. You'll also be able to protect your sister if something happens to me." Devin continued to search through his pockets, pulling out two small packages.

"Open those, and put them on. They'll keep you warm and dry." AND virtually invisible, thought Blackwell to himself. The hooded cloak would absorb the wearers heat, making them undetectable by infra-red, and the outside of the cloak used the same liquid-light chameleon technology as his skinsuit. When worn, the children would be unnoticable to the naked eye.

He also gave them each a power-bar, containing nutrients and natural stimulants. Each one also contained a micron-tracker, a small homing device that when swallowed, attached itself to the lining of the stomach. Devin would be able to find these kids anywhere now.

"So...we got a deal? You keep the gun, I get you and your sister to safety, then I go save your parents...OK?"

Harold better decide quickly or the soldier was going with plan two: stun them both unconcious, sling them over his shoulders and extract them. The exo-skeleton in his skinsuit could easily handle their load.

An hour passes, then two. Finally, a female voice speaks to the couple from outside, his words filtering through the hole in Galactic Standard. "Javier and Sophia McCormack, you have been found guilty of illegal habitation of Mirfak and sentenced to be expedited to your own country. You have also been found guilty of obstructing justice and sentenced to death. As per Mirfakan law, the more serious crime overrules the minor conviction. In a moment the panel in your ceiling will open, releasing carbon dioxide gas. You will begin to feel drowzy, then fall asleep. As you are foreign officials, your deaths will be painless." Her voice fades as she walks away, addressing one of the guards. "Kirios uki." "Kill them."

The hole in the door is covered, and the small ceiling vent opens, accompanied by a soft hissing noise.
"What?!" Javier was enraged and scared, and when the hissing started, Sophia screamed. But soon enough, the air ran out and the couple fell asleep and never woke up again. A tiny beacon just under their skin in the chest and designed to activate once the heart shuts down, began beeping, sending a warning signal out into the cosmos and to the State Department...

----

12th Avenue, Sanguin, Tenetia, Coreworlds...
State Department Headquarters, Foreign Citizens Section

"Well, I'm going home now. My shift's up." yawned Ino Akiren. She and her crew was the current watch for the small Citizen Alerts subsection, that handles citizen deaths out of the nation. Usually, it handles natural deaths and sends condolences to next-of-kin in the nation and nothing else comes of it. But when citizens die unnaturally, that's when things get exciting...

"All right, see you tomorrow." Shika waved. He was working on the computers that handle all the alerts, and is currently bored, drinking coffee and playing Solitaire. Suddenly, a relatively loud beeping sound occured, a sound that Shika always dreads. He stopped the card game, and began clicking on the warning link. "Wait, wait, wait, Ino! Something's up!"

She sighed, grumbling about missing rush. "What is it?"

"Uh, let me see...McCormack, Javier and Sophia, age 30 and 28. Currently residing in...Mirfak?! 2 children, boy and girl, ages 8 and 6. Time deceased, 1845. Cause...CO2 poisoning! Damn!" Shika swore. "We gotta send this up the line, fast!"

"Right. Do it!" Ino ordered, and Shika began typing away, printed out a sheet then faxed it to the Secretary of State.

----

*Beep, whirrrr*

The fax machine in Secretary of State Yano Kingsley's office sang as it spat out a sheet of FLASH traffic. The Secretary was currently talking to his wife on the vidphone as the paper awaited.

"...and don't forget to tell Tommy that I'm bringing home a gift for his birthday...oh, sorry Susan, I got a fax. Hold on." The SecState rolled over in a chair with wheels and picked up the paper. His eyes widened, then narrowed with anger as he read the latest report. He had an edge in his voice that his wife picked up on the other end. "Uh, Susan? I think I'm going to be late today. Something just came up. Yeah, it's serious. Do you remember the McCormacks? Yeah, great family. I remember last year's reunion with the Masakis(Grandparents, mother, four grandkids) and the Sandlers (President, Mrs., and three kids)."

The wife asked. "Did something happen to them?"

The SecState sighed. "Do you remember a newspaper report recently on a nation called Mirfak?"

"Yes, it sounded pretty bad over there...no, don't tell me..." Susan gasped. "They had two small ones..."

The SecState nodded grimly. "I know. I'm going up to the President now."

"Alright...come home when you can." Susan said.

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

The vidphone turned off. What the SecState didn't tell her was that the children were still alive, and trapped on a planet where foreigners are now killed or forcibly deported. But to kill the prominent friends of the Royal and Presidental Families...the gloves will soon come off!

The Secretary of State canceled all his evening appointments and then ordered a car be ready to go to the Executive Mansion. He walked purposefully out of the HQ and into the car, which drove off quickly towards the Mansion.

-----

"Mr. President, the Secretary of State is pulling up. He says it's urgent." Bryan Sandler's top guard reported.

"Thank you, Michael." Sandler said, then called his secretary. "Nancy? Can you cancel the appointment with the Space Tourism rep? Something's come up."

"Will do, but they'll be unhappy with it..." The CEO wanted to talk to the President about the government agents 'nosing into his business'.

"Let them squawk. Thank you, Nancy."

"I aim to please, Mr. President!" The woman cheerfully said.

Soon, the SecState was escorted into the President's office.

"Yano, what's going on?" Bryan asked, noticing his friend's face.

"Bryan, Javier and Sophia..." He gave the FLASH message to the President, who then crumbled the paper angrily.

"We warned them. The other nations warned them. And now, they have unleashed a great dragon upon themselves." The President growled, and picked up his a special red phone for military purposes. "Get me the Black Order, immediately! I want to speak with Commander Masaki, now!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier on the other end said, and sent a hyperwave signal to the planet Wayland, HQ of the Black Order.

The last thing he needed was a smart-assed, suspicious kid slowing him down, but Blackwell knew he'd have an easier time if they followed him by choice, not by force.

"Kid, that's a smart question but...I'll be honest with you both. I don't have anything to prove that I'm one of the good guys, but if I WAS a bad guy, don't you think I'd be trying to arrest you? Harold...I need you to be a man now, for the good of your sister and your whole family. Please...trust me, and I'll do my best to get all of you to safety. Would a bad guy do this?"

With that, the big soldier pulled a slug-thrower from a holster, strapped to his leg. Reversing it in his hand, he offered it to the boy.

"Take it. You can shoot me if I try to cause you harm. You'll also be able to protect your sister if something happens to me." Devin continued to search through his pockets, pulling out two small packages.

"Open those, and put them on. They'll keep you warm and dry." AND virtually invisible, thought Blackwell to himself. The hooded cloak would absorb the wearers heat, making them undetectable by infra-red, and the outside of the cloak used the same liquid-light chameleon technology as his skinsuit. When worn, the children would be unnoticable to the naked eye.

He also gave them each a power-bar, containing nutrients and natural stimulants. Each one also contained a micron-tracker, a small homing device that when swallowed, attached itself to the lining of the stomach. Devin would be able to find these kids anywhere now.

"So...we got a deal? You keep the gun, I get you and your sister to safety, then I go save your parents...OK?"

Harold better decide quickly or the soldier was going with plan two: stun them both unconcious, sling them over his shoulders and extract them. The exo-skeleton in his skinsuit could easily handle their load.
It was the first time Harold ever held a real gun, and it was heavy in his small hands, not like a super soaker. He and Christina put on the cloaks. "Ok, I guess. Where do we go?"

It was the first time Harold ever held a real gun, and it was heavy in his small hands, not like a super soaker. He and Christina put on the cloaks. "Ok, I guess. Where do we go?"

The Razor was happy when the little boy agreed to go along with him. Smiling, he patted him on the shoulder. With a smile at Christina, he pointed to the far end of the alley.

"Yer a good man, Harold. OK...move quickly down towards the end of the alley. Stay in the shadows and watch yer sister. When you get to the end, stop and wait for me. Go now!"

Devin watched as the two children scampered down the alley. Calling up his terrain map, the soldier tapped in the coordinates for the extraction zone. He had less than an hour to get the kids to the drop off, and get them off-planet. He would join them of course, his mission over. There would be no returning to rescue the parents, who would probably be dead by now. His lie to the boy had been a necessary, if unpleasant, evil.

He needed to find the safest, and fastest route back to the zone. The last thing he could afford was to get into an altercation with the authorities and security forces. Afer his tactical AI spat out a few options, Devin took a calculated risk and sent out a short, wide-beam comm burst, which allowed him to triangulate the location of the rest of his Razor team. As lights began appearing on his map, his heart dropped when he saw the majority to be red. A green light would have indicated a living and operational soldier.

Red meant death.

Something horrible had happened, something that had been able to eliminate a crack Razor unit that were primed for the covert operation...not an easy task. Whatever had stopped them was still out there...Devin had to move fast now. Slamming off his wrist-monitor, the soldier turned and disappeared as he activated his skinsuit, jogging in the direction of the children.

Black Order Intelligence and Special Operations Division Headquarters, Mount Tantis, Wayland.

I, Commander Daniel Masaki, was furious at the news of our family-friends' deaths, and barely managed to hold off throwing lightning into my weapons cabinet in my office. "Yes, Mr. President, I understand. I'll send someone over to find the youngsters or mess up the KGB's operations, whatever is the case there."

"You have 36 hours to find them. At that point, we will begin combat operations against the Dominion of Mirfak as soon as I get the mobilizations done."

"Yes, sir." I said. "I have just the right team."

"Good. And tell them to be careful."

"I will, bye." I hung up, and then switched to intercom. "Taylor and Jacob, come to my office, immediately."

Twin thirteen-year-old boys entered my office. My brothers, Taylor and Jacob. Taylor's hotheaded and a fire/ice Jedi. Jacob cools him down with an extinguisher and is beginning to be known as the Jedi Alchemist.

Taylor after a fireball bowling attack. (picture #31, scroll mouse over pictures and watch the status bar at the bottom) (http://fma.xezi.com/index.php?page=images1.html)

Jacob babysitting a baby cousin. (picture #61) (http://fma.xezi.com/index.php?page=images51.html)

"What's up, Dan?" Taylor asked.

"I just got a call from the President. The McCormacks have been killed by Mirfak KGB agents." I said. The twins were shocked, and I continued when the news set in. "The kids are still alive, but for how long, we don't know. Your job now is to go and rescue those kids within 36 hours. If you can't find them, muck up the enemy as much as you can. Be careful out there!"

"We will, Daniel." Taylor said.

"Take a Stealth Shuttle." I suggested. "Major Walker will fly you to the system. All right, dismissed!"

The twins sped out of the office and went down to the hangar bay, after taking combat gear with them. The major, a sprightly 25 year old, led the kids up the stealth shuttle and soon, they were off the planet, and jumped into hyperspace.

-----

The kids did as told and hid in the shadows as they headed to the other side.

OOC: Alright, I am clearing the war RP to proceed as soon as the players are ready. I will now acknowledge invasion forces.

IC: The KGB hunt continues through the night, but no futher action is seen by the foreigners. Morning dawns beautifully, with a light mist that disappears as the sun finishes rising over the horizon. People begin emerging back onto the streets and the KGB lightens up on the population as people make their way to work and school. The city seems almost normal, and under the warm Mirfakan star one can almost forget the horror this planet is trapped in. Almost. Blood stains from the previous night's massacre still stain walls and sidewalks, and the occasional shot still rings out. Mirfak has not seen true peace since it was first colonized, and the false peace of the Alphinic government has been shattered. A sense of trepidation hangs in the air: change is on the wind.

The Steath Shuttle nears the system after three hours of travel. The shuttle drops out of hyperspace at the edge of the system, and the Major engages the cloak. The twins check their weapons (lightsabers, shuriken/kunai, blasters) and get ready to deploy.

Labule command is alerted as soon as the ship comes in range of long-range sensors, then drops off scanners when it cloaks. Five Bodemia class scout ships are dispatched and begin actively scanning the area for the intruder, escorted by Gel class assault ships. The quick execution of the maneuver cuts the foreign vessel off from the planet and places its crew in a position of having to choose either retreat or discovery by the heavily-armed task force.

OOC: Okay, now that is too much. Psionics are one thing, but that's just insane. Cloning a ship and remotely controlling it with one's mind? Force or no, I can't accept something like that. You might as well have mages.

OOC: Okay, now that is too much. Psionics are one thing, but that's just insane. Cloning a ship and remotely controlling it with one's mind? Force or no, I can't accept something like that. You might as well have mages.
OOC: Many apologies. *bows deeply*

IC:
Labule command is alerted as soon as the ship comes in range of long-range sensors, then drops off scanners when it cloaks. Five Bodemia class scout ships are dispatched and begin actively scanning the area for the intruder, escorted by Gel class assault ships. The quick execution of the maneuver cuts the foreign vessel off from the planet and places its crew in a position of having to choose either retreat or discovery by the heavily-armed task force.
"What now, kids?" The Major asked.

"Illusion?" Taylor asked Jacob.

"Illusion." Jacob replied to Taylor.

The twins gathered the Force together, and created an image of the ship that just dropped it's cloak and is trying to run. The twins pour Force power into making it look like it's dodging any fire, as the real ship stops moving for a while and coasts, allowing nothing to come out but the Force energies. The twins crossed their fingers, hoping it would work...

A few of the Labule ships start after the illusion, but sensor readings quickly confirm it as just that. The line holds.

A few of the Labule ships start after the illusion, but sensor readings quickly confirm it as just that. The line holds.
"Crap, that didn't work." Taylor said. "What now?"

The major then tried to go around the line, still keeping the ship under cloak.

RNS Victory, Flagship, RSN Third Fleet (Raider Fleet), en-route to the Mirfak System

(OOC: Weyr, assume arrangements have been made. Ditto with Auman if the War Duck decides to get involved.)

Not long now. Sol wasn't far from Mirfak, and forces had already been deployed in Sol for a certain abortive invasion. Forces that were now redirected to Mirfak...

Dysaryn Stark relaxed. This shouldn't be difficult...the challenge was not in winning, but in doing so with minimal casualties...

Not that he was terribly worried about that, RSN starships might not be the best armed, but they were tough. Damn tough. Also endlessly upgradeable, which was the idea. A good design doesn't die, it just gets upgraded repeatedly until it is cheaper to actually start over from scratch.

But that was entirely beside the point. He peered over the icons on his plotter and pondered...

He had his Third Fleet and Hamish Sinclair's Eighth Fleet, which should see off any space-based baddies rather nicely. Plus he had the two GFGs attached to those fleets, his Blood Guard, the Twilight Seraphim, and three Angel regiments.

Should be quick. Yes...

His eyes flicked over to the countdown ticker...

Three hours. Just long enough for a nice nap...

Dysaryn yawned and closed his eyes, the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep was the "two hours, thirty minutes."

It had not gone as smoothly as he hoped.

The kids were slow, too slow, and the group was also hampered by the darkness, and the security patrols that were around virtually every corner. They did make it to the extraction point, but too late in the game. Devin checked the clearing, risking another active comm burst, finding that he was the last member of the Razor team still on the surface of the planet. He looked at the two children, their scared tired eyes not realizing the direness of their predictament.

Rulebook states that if a mission goes fubar, a Razor must survive at all costs. It didn't really say anything about trying to do so with a couple of punk kids following you around. He stared at Harold and little Chris, and realized that for now, he was their only hope. Checking his terrain map yet again, he located an area that seemed remote, wooded and away from prying eyes. They would be able to camp there for the night, finding a cave with any luck. Alone, he'd have been there in 20 minutes, but with these kids, it could take hours. Hopefully, the stims in the nutri-bars would keep them going a little longer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of Coreworlds." A guard announced in the press room. Holocameras rolled and the reporters rose, when the President entered, and then sat down again.

"My fellow Coredians. A grave threat to the security of the galaxy has occured. The Dominion of Mirfak has gone too far in slaughtering foreigners, and even some of our more prominent citizens were not safe from the bloody hands of their KGB. I give warning to the Dominion. You have 36 hours to:

1. Send the bodies of the McCormacks back home for a proper burial. If any still live, then you will allow them safe passage offplanet. Another death, and the gloves come off.

2. Extradict the KGB members responsible for executing our citizens to stand trial for murder.

3. The leader or leaders of Mirfak and top KGB directors must resign and be brought up on charges against humanity. New leaders can be chosen however you choose them, whether by election or by coronation or otherwise.

If you do not do so, and you defy us, we will wage war against the Dominion. We will attack with a powerful coalition against your planet, and we will defeat you in the field of battle. And we will end your reign of terror!

However, even in warfare, we are merciful. To any persons on Mirfak who would listen, we are coming quickly. Rise up against your oppressors. Fight the true enemy in your nation: The KGB and leaders responsible for your atrocities. Don't let them keep you down any more. We will support you.

I will keep the people of Coreworlds and beyond updated on events from time to time. For now, we shall hope for peace, but prepare for war. Thank you, and may the Force be with you all." The President left admist the shouts of reporters.

"Get me the leaders of Weyr and Revenia immediately." The President ordered.

Rulebook states that if a mission goes fubar, a Razor must survive at all costs. It didn't really say anything about trying to do so with a couple of punk kids following you around. He stared at Harold and little Chris, and realized that for now, he was their only hope. Checking his terrain map yet again, he located an area that seemed remote, wooded and away from prying eyes. They would be able to camp there for the night, finding a cave with any luck. Alone, he'd have been there in 20 minutes, but with these kids, it could take hours. Hopefully, the stims in the nutri-bars would keep them going a little longer.
"So where are we going now, Mr. Devin?" Christina asked tiredly.

OOC: I knew the Black Order would come in handy some day…no leader, might want to contact either Consul-General Josiah Willard Gibbs or Fleet Admiral Roy Hawksblood.

WN3

The Star Guard has chosen a site for its training exercises. Two regiments and a battlegroup have translated two hours ago, destined for a location seven light-hours away from the Mirfak system.

The Mirfak system has been the site for what appears to be a growing international incident. Sources in the upper tiers of the Kingdom's government have stated that at least two Coredian citizens are presumed dead at the hands of the government. Core Worlds is a part of the Empire, and the Kingdom has had close ties with that state since before the Sith Wars. While there have been no formal statements to the contrary, the deployment of what is essentially the entire Sol fleet to the border of the Mirfak system, only twenty light years from Sol, may be an attempt to put pressure on the local government to cease its actions.

Black turned to white, white turned to black, and the universe inverted for a moment that took an eternity.

Space-time flexed, nearly a hundred ships dropping into realSpace with an inherent velocity of half the speed of light. Fusactors spun to life, shields flared online.

"Alrighty, assault formation," Admiral Fara Ito Lancer's thought-words pierced through the chatter of the upper-tier command net. Of course, at their current velocity it'd be some time before they'd be in the system itself, were they to alter their course, which was rather an obvious target, what with the two dozen troopships in formation, purportedly meant to simulate craft defense tactics. They were four light-hours from the border of the system, but that was beside the point.

OOC: All right. Contacting the Consul-General, then.

IC:
The President made a call to the Consul-General, hoping he'd pick up the phone, as he drummed his fingers on his desk.

"Honey, we're gonna find y'all somewhere warm and cozy to sleep for a few hours. C'mere..." Devin leaned over and scooped the little girl up easily, cradling her against his broad chest. He looked down at Harold, and put out his hand.

"C'mon boy...lets go for a ride." He pulled the boy into the air, and held him in his other arm. His exo compensated for the extra weight, and he directed additional power towards the leg servos, preparing himself for what was to come.

"OK guys, hang tight 'cuz we're going to the races!"

Devin broke into an easy gait, his speed growing with every step. Quickly, they were away from the outskirts of the small town and into the dense wilderness of the dark forest. He slowed as the path became more difficult to traverse, and finally settled into a steady walking pace. Christina had fallen asleep in his arms, the rythmic motion lulling the girl into unconciousness. Harold was still awake, his eyes wide, enjoying the fast pace they had set.

Devin located a fallen tree, lying propped against others. The angle created a perfect natural shelter for the group, off the beaten trail and covered by thick trunks and leafy branches. As Harold got off and stretched his legs, Devin lay the little girl down on the dry ground, the soft moss a welcome relief to the exhausted child. The soldier adjusted her cloak, covering her completely. Stepping away, he pulled out a few glowstix, cracking one and passing it to the young boy. Reaching into his napsack, Devin removed two slim canteens, offering one to Harold.

"Drink some...it's vita-juice. You want orange flavor or...uhm, orange flavor?"

Kids. Devin had no idea how to deal with them. He was trained in night-ops, not day-care. He'd have to figure out what to do with them in the morning. For now, he just wanted a few hours sleep, which he could'nt risk until both the kids were asleep. The boy looked wide awake, so Devin resigned himself to watching the sun come up.

"Orange juice." Harold said, then yawned. "I'm tired now."

CoreWorlds: The forces around the planet prevent the ship from entering orbit without being detected, and now the detached forces are executing a search pattern.

Meanwhile: As reports of invasion forces spread amongst officials and the size of the intended incursion becomes apparent, disagreements begin. The Grahalel is working with the Alphin, as is the Frode Kasna of the Nahbule. However, the Labule's Frode Kasna is not at all happy with Alano's plan to resist the invaders to the bitter end, and even less happy that his star forces will be the first to go. He leaves his video conference with a large chip on his shoulder. He was loyal to his Alphin, but he had no wish to send his forces into the maw of the enemy. An alternative was needed. The KGB seems split as well. Most of its leaders are prepared to support their Alphin even if it means taking their operation underground. The lower ranks cannot help but realize the events transpiring though, and most of them aren't particularly eager to leave behind their lives and families in the name of their genocidal leader. Civilians are not yet aware of the impending invasion, but they will be soon enough. There's no way for anyone to tell what will happen once the invaders arrive, or who will end up on which side of the fight. Only one thing seems certain at this point: whatever happens won't happen quietly.

CoreWorlds: The forces around the planet prevent the ship from entering orbit without being detected, and now the detached forces are executing a search pattern.

"We could try hijacking one of the ships. Let them board, and take the ship." Taylor suggested, as the major tried to get as close as they can while avoiding the search patterns, and keeping cloaked.

"And that prevents the others from blowing us up how?" Jacob asked dryly.

"Oh. Good point."

"Well, we could always try to make a break for it, probably have to lose the ship." The major said. "We'll have to find another ride offplanet after that."

"Can you do it?" Jacob asked, looking at the passive sensors. He saw an awful lot of ships around.

"Well, we have nothing else to do but go home and report a failure." Taylor sighed. "I think rerouting all power to shields and engines will do it, even draining the laser cannons if we need to. We have missiles, don't we?"

"Yes, but there's only a few rounds. Ten cluster missiles in two pods, and that's it. We have three volleys, and then we're out of weapons if we drain the lasers." The major said. "Well, we go or no go?"

"I say...go for it." Taylor grinned. The twins started rerouting all nonessential power to weapons and shielding. Unfortunately, this forced the cloak to drop, and the Major began evasive actions. Then, the shields grew strong and the engines had 100% power. Now, the nail-biting chase begins!

OOC: You would've had better luck just going in with the cloak and transporting down before the ship was pinpointed.

IC: The ship is scanned and fired upon by the combined firepower of the assembled forces. They even use hoksas for good measure.

So it was at THIS EXACT MOMENT that Third and Eighth Fleets made star-rise into the Mirfak System. Which was pretty damn impressive, because there were...y'know...a whole buttload of starships in Third and Eighth Fleets. Including two of them really huge Victorious class Fortress Ships.

One of which was the RNS Victory, Dysaryn Stark's Flagship. Which meant that the Warprince himself was in-system (as established earlier...), which meant that Defeat Was Not An Option...not that it mattered...so...

The hail went out.

"Mirfakite Forces. Just give the hell up. We can waste time blowing you the hell up and invading you and suchforth...but we'll tell you what. You surrender and we'll limit our random killings to your men and any females who give us crap. 'n we won't reduce the men to the point of which you aren't viable as a breeding population anymore.

If you make us invade, you best hope that the first shot takes us all out...because if it doesn't...you ever heard of the term 'unconditional surrender?' I hope so, because if we have to fight, those become our terms.

Love,
Author Third Class Josiah Weathervane,
RSN Dept. of Angry Hail Sending."

Yes...it -was- on.

OOC: Can't cloak while shielded and vice versa. Note, I have long established the ability of the Masaki Royal Family (passed on from generation to generation) to teleport. There is a distance-proportional-to-energy-amount-required limit, as you'll soon see here, and the twins can only 'port once per day at this point in their lives (Daniel can do more, but hey, he's 20, and he's not available in this RP). If you don't like it, then, well, there's nothing I can do but write all the kids off and just bomb the planet.

IC:
"All right, hold on!" The Major shouted, as he zigged and zagged to avoid the fire. "I'm going to get you as close as possible. Get ready to 'port!"

The longer the distance between two points the teleportation takes, the more energy is required, even for the Masaki family. The Major knows that that's the only way they'd get down now, and noone else with the same skill could go as far as the Masakis could. Hopefully, they'll 'port somewhere that's not in the middle of a busy street or something, or else they'll be too exhausted in the minutes needed to recover to do anything but surrender.

"Right!" The twins yelled, routing power from the lasers to the shields to keep them up. A particularly nasty hit from a nearby hoksa weapon drained power from the first laser cannon, while the cluster missiles shot out at any missiles nearby. The first volley, the missiles caught incoming enemy missiles and the Major avoided the rest.

"We don't have much power left!" Jacob yelled, draining power from the second cannon as the first died.

The shuttle flew into the lightest amount of firepower possible, but even so, it was hair-raising. Soon, the second laser cannon was drained. Now all the shields were angled forward, and the engines were beginning to overheat with the strain of the chase. The second and third volleys shot out as well, killing more enemies and missiles, and then, there were no weapons left.

The major flew as long and hard as he could until the planet started to fill the viewscreen. A warning light flashed, denoting the shield generators have overloaded, and another hit could doom them.

"GO! NOW!" The Major ordered, and just as a thick laser hit the shuttle, the twins disappeared from view. The shuttle blew apart in fiery death, and the major died giving his life for the mission.

-----

The twins reappeared a couple meters above a forest and hit the ground, exhausted from the long-range 'port they did. They won't be doing the skill again for a while.

"Well, we're here." Taylor said, breathing hard and looking up at the deceptively nice sky.

"Yeah." Jacob agreed, also hyperventilating. The two boys laid there for a little bit, then got back up and ate some MREs to restore energy. Safe for now, but they have two things to do: Get the McCormack kids, and get offplanet. The twins began walking through the forest, wondering where the little kids could be. Unbeknownst to them, a cave are nearby...

So it was at THIS EXACT MOMENT that Third and Eighth Fleets made star-rise into the Mirfak System. Which was pretty damn impressive, because there were...y'know...a whole buttload of starships in Third and Eighth Fleets. Including two of them really huge Victorious class Fortress Ships.

One of which was the RNS Victory, Dysaryn Stark's Flagship. Which meant that the Warprince himself was in-system (as established earlier...), which meant that Defeat Was Not An Option...not that it mattered...so...

The hail went out.

"Mirfakite Forces. Just give the hell up. We can waste time blowing you the hell up and invading you and suchforth...but we'll tell you what. You surrender and we'll limit our random killings to your men and any females who give us crap. 'n we won't reduce the men to the point of which you aren't viable as a breeding population anymore.

If you make us invade, you best hope that the first shot takes us all out...because if it doesn't...you ever heard of the term 'unconditional surrender?' I hope so, because if we have to fight, those become our terms.

Love,
Author Third Class Josiah Weathervane,
RSN Dept. of Angry Hail Sending."

Yes...it -was- on.
OOC: Making a call to your leader.

IC:
The President then called up the leader(s) of Revenia, waiting for an answer.

(OOC: I hate making random OOC notes, but, well, Coreworlds...if he doesn't like it, he can ignore you. Anyways, teleporting is a rather stupid hereditary family. Almost as stupid as a star wars nation being ruled by that dude from 'Tenchi Muyo' or however the hell 's spelled. Whatever. Don't respond to this, I'm just venting. Comes with job of being chaotic and whatnot...at any rate...)

Dys hummed idly...

"This is taking too long. Get me targetting solutions on everything insystem. If it ain't mirfakite, I want to know what it is. I want to know why it is here. Thank you."

That took about ten seconds.

Stan the Sensor Operator frowned, "Uh, Sir, them Mirfaki just blew up some poor feller's shuttle, sir. Uhm...we saw some real wierd fluctuations in reality going on just before it went up..."

Dysaryn checked his datscreen, "Right, those look like 'disturbances in the force.' That means we're gonna have to deal with pansies running around with glowsticks-swords. Could this get any better?"

Just then, Commander Inga Fitzgerald, Dys' Comm Officer, broke in on his monologue.

"Sir, I've got a transmission piped from TCE. Erm, live to some moron from Coreworlds. Errrm..."

Dysaryn groaned, "Fine. Line one."

Dysaryn composed himself, then the screen flicked to life...

"Evening, Mr. Secretary. My full use-title is My Highness Sir Dysaryn Stark, Warprince of Revenia, Prince Celestian, Heir to the Iron Throne, High Councilman, Lord Changer, Champion of Chaos, Grand-Master of the Fhellant'im, Chick-Magnet, and probably the most deadly guy in the galaxy.

But my -name- is Dysaryn. You can call me Dys. Not because I consider you a friend, but because I don't want to hear you talk too much. I can tell by your overly dramatic bullcrap that you'd annoy me. So. I presume this is about the Mirfak situation. Well. If you sent two jedi-types here in a small shuttle, it just blew up and they're probably both dead.

Or floating in space. Or they somehow teleported safely to the planet below. At any rate, if I find them, I'm going to have to murder them both in their sleep. So my suggestion is that you teleport them some caffeine pills so they don't fall asleep and I don't have to kill them, mmkay?

Anyways, what can I do for you?"

OOC: Yeah, basically, he can ignore me if he doesn't like it. I always give the chance for others to ignore times when I use 'special powers'. Meh, not that big a deal anyway. This was supposed to be a Taylor and Jacob mission though...

IC:
The President chuckled. "Well, thanks for letting us know that our nation's favorite twin operatives made it to the planet. Anyway, I just want to ask you to hold off invading and pillaging the nation until, *checks his watch* 27 hours are up. I'm giving them a chance to reply to my messages and all that politics stuff before we start the shooting, as well as getting my operatives time to find a couple of citizens and give the KGB massive migraines before we start beating them up. If they give up the stiffs and the murderers, fine. If they don't, we'll be shooting up the place. How about this? Our Dragonfire task force is en route to the system. When they arrive, I suggest some 'training exercises' with you and Weyr before the time is up. How about it?"

Dysaryn exhaled.

"Here, I'll explain.

We are not here to free these people. We are here to conquer them. Take them over. We like the Weyreans because they're mercenary bastards who know when to shut up. But it seems to me that you Coreworlds-types have yourselves a moral problem.

Anyways, we aren't going in to shoot the place up. We're going in to take it over. So if you've got a problem with that, I suggest we lay that down right now and work it out. I personally have no intention of fighting you guys (Because I, the player, would ignore you on principle,) but if you want to do some kind of idiot coalition thingy...

Anyways, my terms are simple. I get the system. I get the people. You can have your citizens back, Weyr can bugger off. Everybody is happy.

Deal?"

Damn, I was planning on conquest, too. The President cursed silently. "Well, seems we have a problem, because we've had eyes on pies for a while now, and this one seems good enough. So let's lay down the shit right now. We each get a third of this pie, no more, no less, and turn each slice into our own personal playgrounds. You don't like it, we can cross swords after this is over..."

(all it takes to take on a Masaki is to use a Force-inhibitor like ysalimari creatures to take away their Force powers. Barring that, another main character with powers and/or wits and/or rapid-firing weapons will be able to force them into a draw and maybe even beat them. They're powerful, but highly beatable if you outgun and outmaneuver them.)

(Nah. My characters are a bit more über than jedi with questionable sexual orientation. I just don't do star wars stuff. Period. I'll do it now 'cuz I'm not actually trying in this thread, but I'm really just goofing around here. Anyways.)

Dysaryn sighed...

"Listen, Steve. I don't want to be here, and I'm of half a mind to move in right now. I've got two fleets here with me, but I seem to recall there being more than one planet in this system...so we each get one. Hmm? As long as there are a couple hundred million people on mine, I don't care which one I get. Deal?"

(Nah. My characters are a bit more über than jedi with questionable sexual orientation. I just don't do star wars stuff. Period. I'll do it now 'cuz I'm not actually trying in this thread, but I'm really just goofing around here. Anyways.)

Dysaryn sighed...

"Listen, Steve. I don't want to be here, and I'm of half a mind to move in right now. I've got two fleets here with me, but I seem to recall there being more than one planet in this system...so we each get one. Hmm? As long as there are a couple hundred million people on mine, I don't care which one I get. Deal?"
"It's actually Bryan, but we have a deal." The President grinned like a teenager. "Dibs on the main planet!"

The President made a call to the Consul-General, hoping he'd pick up the phone, as he drummed his fingers on his desk.

Maybe the consul-general did not take phone calls. In fact, he did not have a phone. No self-respecting Weyrean had a phone, with that bit of technology having become obsolete two centuries ago, back when Josiah Willard Gibbs was still only three hundred years old, give or take a few decades. Either way, Gibbs didn't really care. He pulled out an earpiece, stuffed it into his ear.

"You have thirty seconds," he said quite simply.

And in the meanwhile the fleet kept on accelerating, because a hundred or so objects coming in at close to the speed of light was just plain cool, and because it made those craft harder to target, and because combat drones traveling at that speed were nearly impossible to target, in theory. That they themselves suffered from time lag was a minor detail, in theory.

Maybe the consul-general did not take phone calls. In fact, he did not have a phone. No self-respecting Weyrean had a phone, with that bit of technology having become obsolete two centuries ago, back when Josiah Willard Gibbs was still only three hundred years old, give or take a few decades. Either way, Gibbs didn't really care. He pulled out an earpiece, stuffed it into his ear.

"You have thirty seconds," he said quite simply.

And in the meanwhile the fleet kept on accelerating, because a hundred or so objects coming in at close to the speed of light was just plain cool, and because it made those craft harder to target, and because combat drones traveling at that speed were nearly impossible to target, in theory. That they themselves suffered from time lag was a minor detail, in theory.
"President Sandler here. Hold off invading until 27 hours pass." The President said on the other line. "Got operatives on the ground, and the moral shit to deal with."

"Sir, do you know how much it costs to recall a fleet on deployment?" Gibbs inquired as a maid came in, balancing a tray with a spot of tea. "I really have absolutely no idea what invasion you are talking about. The Star Guard has chosen to hold a training excersise with troopships simulating civilian craft.Now, if you are worried about your operatives, I do suggest you contact the Revenians. I beieve they are most keen on taking over that little system."

"Sir, do you know how much it costs to recall a fleet on deployment?" Gibbs inquired as a maid came in, balancing a tray with a spot of tea. "I really have absolutely no idea what invasion you are talking about. The Star Guard has chosen to hold a training excersise with troopships simulating civilian craft.Now, if you are worried about your operatives, I do suggest you contact the Revenians. I beieve they are most keen on taking over that little system."
"Did I say anything about recalling anything? Anyway, I was just letting you know that battle will commence at Mirfak in 26 and a half hours, whether or not your 'training exercise' is nearby." Sandler said. What he's really saying to Gibbs is this: "26 hours, 30 minutes, and we can all kick their asses together."

After watching the boy drain a few vita-packs, he helped him over to where his sister slept comfortabley. Devin tucked him in, wrapping an extra cloak around the two of them, and dropping a few heat-stix around them to ward off the damp chill of the night. He watched as Harold slowly fell into a fitful sleep, his eyelids fluttering from whatever dreams he was now living through. Devin reached over, uncharacteristically caressing the childs head until the strain left his face, and he fell into a deeper rest. Quietly, he moved outside the shelter, scanning the area around him. When he was certain that the terrain was clear around him, he pulled out a small cigar, lighting it quickly. He puffed, looking into the night sky.

At first he thought it was a shooting star, then his experienced eye realized he was watching a battle, far above the planets atmosphere. Things must be turning ugly, the Razor thought to himself, realizing that his chances for rescue had just lessened dramatically. He needed a plan, and unfortunately, he was fresh out of ideas at this point.

He was staring into the woods, lost in his own thoughts, when two beacons went off on the super-imposed terrain map in his eye-screen. Something had activated his passive infra-scan, something man-sized. Taking a last look at the kids, Devin activated the chameleon mode on his skin-suit, and brought his gatling-flechettes online. Moving like a wraith, he slipped away towards the signals.

A few moments later, he was watching from a concealed location, his long-range ocular implant bringing the scene into full illumination and magnification.

Two targets, both males, obviously armed...and seemingly having a leisurely meal in the middle of the forest. The two men finished, removing any traces of their temporary campsite before moving deeper into the forest, on a line that would take them perilously close to the children. Unacceptable. He followed them, moving parallel to them, flitting from tree to tree.

As the two stepped into a clearing, Devin acted, lobbing a sonic disruptor overhand, landing accurately in front of the two intruders. It activated, sending a stunning explosion of pure sound radiating outwards. The force of the sonics were blinding in intensity, and deadly to the inner-ear, causing immediate loss of balance, and vomit-inducing nausea. Devin kept his head down, his baffles stopping most of the higher-end frequency shrapnel from affecting him.

He stood up, his skinsuit blending him into the forest, both fists pointed at the two men, the sound of his twin gatling-flechettes whirring quietly.

"Waah!" The twins shouted, as the high-pitched whine smacked their ears like jackhammers. Disoriented for a second, the two went down to the ground and focused on the Force to clear the ringing, and shook their heads to end it. Now they're mad!

They stretched out their feelings and felt someone in the trees! But they couldn't see him, camoflaged as he was by the suit.

"We get 'em?" Taylor asked.

"We get 'em." Jacob replied.

The twins always say that before they begin a plan. Then, quick as greased lightning, they aimed and fired two shuriken each (4) at the general location they sensed the person, then hopped into the trees and split up. They knew this guy would be dangerous, so they had to take him out quickly!

He moved as soon as they did, surprised that they were still mobile, despite the sonic attack that even he felt, despite his built-in baffles. He felt a sharp, burning pain as one of the shurikens imbedded itself in his thigh. Another slashed through the piping near his neck, severing some wiring and very close to severing his jugular, as well. His suit, damaged by the lucky strike, reverted back to basic black, the chameleon-mode shutting down to self-repair.

Devin's mind was working overtime, and his body reacting automatically. As he hit the ground with a hard thud, he fired of a stream of flechettes in the general direction of the two men, unsure whether the narco-slivers had found their target. He lifted his head slowly, scanning the area. Both the intruders had dissappeared from sight, so the Razor switched to infra-red.

There!

He saw the fiery outline of one of them, hiding behind the bole of a large tree. Devin took aim, spitting out a hundred flechettes towards the slight contact. With his infra-red, he saw the green splash of light on the targets outstretched arm, indicating a hit. The narcotics would act instantly, shutting down a victims motor-reflexes and immobilizing them immediately. Turning quickly, he scanned for the other man.

"Jacob!" Taylor yelled as his brother went down. "Oh, no you don't!"

Focusing on the Force, he cooled the temperature way down around him, until he made a ball of ice, and he jumped in the air, then threw the iceball at the soldier. The ice, once hit, would turn the man into a block of ice, freezing him solid but alive.

He heard the other man's scream, and turned at the sound, in time to see something moving at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. There was no pain, but Devin realized that he was completely frozen in place, the cold already seeping into his bones. His skinsuit reacted immediately to the assault, dialing itself up to full heat distribution, but the Razor was frozen solid for now. With only his eyes truly free to move, Devin searched the area quickly, looking for escape or any option that would help him. There were none.

As he stood there, immobile, he thought about the children hidden away farther down the path. He deperately hoped that they would be safe, and barring that, he prayed that Harold would figure out how to use the slug-thrower he had left with him.

OOC: They're 13.

IC:
"Gotcha!" Taylor exulted, then ran over to Jacob. "Are you all right?"

Jacob focused his alchemic energies inward, feeling for the molecules that immobilized him and split them apart into harmless atoms with the energies. Slowly, he began to restore movement to himself. I'm all right. Give me a minute!

Taylor nodded, and stepped towards the man, using the Force to warm up his face so he could talk. "Who are you?"

Children. He'd been beaten by...punk kids.

Swallowing back his shame, Devin watched as the youngster approached him. He was stunned to see the other shaking off the effects of multiple flechette hits, each of which would easily stop a full-grown man. He was still frozen, unable to move anything except his eyes, which stared at the tousle-haired boy as he approached. The kid spoke to him, in a voice beginning to crack with puberty. Devin could not help but smile at the situation, before responding like the trained soldier he was.

He said nothing.

Children. He'd been beaten by...punk kids.

Swallowing back his shame, Devin watched as the youngster approached him. He was stunned to see the other shaking off the effects of multiple flechette hits, each of which would easily stop a full-grown man. He was still frozen, unable to move anything except his eyes, which stared at the tousle-haired boy as he approached. The kid spoke to him, in a voice beginning to crack with puberty. Devin could not help but smile at the situation, before responding like the trained soldier he was.

He said nothing.
Big, bad soldier, resisting interrogation. Taylor smirked. "Well, you fought good. But the Masaki Twins have done it again!" He flashed a victory sign. If the man was a Coredian, he'd be sporting a sweatdrop right about now.

The other twin finished with the alchemy and got up slowly, still feeling some aftereffects. "Y-yeah! It'll take a lot more than that to bring us down!"

The ice began to thaw.

"The Masaki twins...related to Daniel Masaki?" wondered Devin as the second boy, virtually identical to the first, approached where he stood, frozen solid. If they were the same Masaki clan, then they weren't Mirfakians which meant...they were here why? Daniel Masaki was known to most professional soldiers, the tales of his exploits well known. These two...children...must've been stuck on the planet when Mirfak shut its borders. Devin decided it was time to break the silence. His translator allowed him to speak using the native Coredian language.

"Daniel Masaki is a brave warrior...he has my respect, and the allegiance of my people."

"Daniel Masaki is a brave warrior...he has my respect, and the allegiance of my people."
"You knew him? He's our brother." Taylor said, Jacob walking to his side with a stick for support. "Bruised your ankle?"

"Yeah, when he hit me, I twisted it as I fell." He grimaced. "Not as bad as a full break, but still..."

"Hurts." Taylor nodded.

His brother? The plot thickens, Devin thought to himself. What were they doing here, now? Obviously, they weren't a threat to his mission, and in fact, may be able to help him. They displayed incredible powers, though they seemed to be dressed in normal tactical clothing. Still...the last thing he needed was two other kids to watch over.

"Well gentlemen...I think we need to talk. My name is Lieutenant Devin Blackwell, of Gawdly. I was sent here to help rescue some people, Coredians actually. Theoretically, we're both on the same side, and it may be a good idea for us to join forces."

He watched them as they processed this new information. He had to go easy on them, and not push them too hard. After all, he was still their prisoner, though he could feel the freezing effects wearing off slowly.

Taylor laughed, scratching the back of his head. "The funny thing was, we were actually sent to rescue the surviving members of the McCormacks as well, but we lost our ship the process. Where are the young'uns, anyway?"

They already knew about the McCormacks, and the children, so lying to them would serve no purpose. Why the frell would CoreWorlds send chidren on this job, even talented kids like these?

"Harold and Christina are safe, not too far from here. I...I didn't get to the parents in time though...I'm not sure what happened to them."

He felt that the freezing was lessening, and he tentatively tried moving. If he put some effort into it, he should be able to break free. He decided to not frighten the boys by making any sudden movements.

"I can lead you to them, but I'm a little tied up, it seems...?"

Taylor warmed up the ice, turning it into water. "There."

Jacob looked ahead sadly. "We heard about the parents. Good thing Harold and Christina are still around."

OOC: Dammit people.... Do I even need to be here? I'm limiting participation from now on to those already actively involved. That's CoreWorlds, Gawdly, Revenia, and Weyr. And me, of course. It's already crowded enough.
CoreWorlds and Gawdly: you have about ten posts to get your teams offworld or I'll find a way to have the KGB kill you. Security's in chaos right now anyway. If you can get past the invading fleets without having them fire at you you should be fine. I really enjoyed the character RP, but I've delayed the actual war that this thread was created for long enough. If you want fleets in this, break 'em out.
Everyone: Taking over is all well and good, but I like this nation. Try not to blow it up, because I'll be wanting it back. There's only one inhabitable planet in the Mirfak System. How you do or don't split it up is your decision.

IC: The Mirfakan fleet simply sits in space, some ships ready for battle, others not. The first admiral of the Labule sits in his office, weighing his options. He knows there isn't much time.

Devin felt immense relief as the ice around him quickly turned to cold water, running off in rivulets from his waterproof skinsuit. He stretched his stiff limbs, feeling the blood rushing through them. Once he was sufficiantly mobile, he stuck out a large hand, greeting the two boys like men.

"OK...lets get the frell outta here, and I'll get you to the kids. You guys have a plan to get them off-planet?"

He certainly hoped so...he was fresh out of ideas.

A little early, the Dragonfire Squadron reverted to realspace just outside of the system, accompanied by a Planetary Assault Fleet. That's a squadron of ten Star Destroyers, plus three Missile Star Cruisers, two Victory Star Destroyers, 6 Neb-B frigates, 3 Lancer antifighter cruisers, 3 Acclaimator Heavy Assault Cruisers and 5 wolfpacks (1 corvette, 4 gunships each).

Devin felt immense relief as the ice around him quickly turned to cold water, running off in rivulets from his waterproof skinsuit. He stretched his stiff limbs, feeling the blood rushing through them. Once he was sufficiantly mobile, he stuck out a large hand, greeting the two boys like men.

"OK...lets get the frell outta here, and I'll get you to the kids. You guys have a plan to get them off-planet?"

He certainly hoped so...he was fresh out of ideas.
The boys shook Devin's hand. Jacob answered. "Well, it's either grab a ship from here, or wait for the fleet to come down. Either way presents risks for all of us. Right now, I want to see how the kids are doing."

<<OOC: My planet will not participate in the upcoming war. We simply wanted to extract innocents from the field of battle. Once the kids are safe, Devin will make his way off planet as well. Hopefully, this will allow us to open diplomatic ties with the Coredians in the future, though that was not the main reason for this mission...>>

OOC: Of course not, but missions do change on the spot. ;)

"Then lets make tracks, soldier."

Devin turned and loped off into the forest, looking behind him to make sure the twins were following. A few minutes later, he guided them to the lean-to where the children were, still sleeping off their exhaustion. Putting a finger to his lips, he indicated the sleeping forms.

"Harold and Christina McCormack...healthy, safe but tired. C'mon, lets go over there so we can talk."

They walked over to a small outcrop of stone, the solid granite blocking the sound of their voices so as not to disturb the childen.

"OK, it seems our options are limited...steal a ship, wait for the cavalry or..."

Devin knew he simply had to call for extraction, and a dropship would appear shortly after. The only problem was that doing so would mean activating his long-range comm, opening them up to discovery. He may have to take that chance, but only after every other option was exhausted.

Why the hell hadn't they sent Daniel Masaki himself?

Taylor picked up the question by mistake, thought he asked out loud. "Before we left, Dan said he had something to do on Tatooine, that's all we know. For now, we might try stealing a ship. But if we can't, the fleet will attack in, whoo, another 15 hours." He checked his watch. "Earlier if we call 'em in now."

OOC: This is in reference to another RP I'm doing with him. You may have seen the Kelvin is Better Than You thread.

The smaller children stirred, and finally woke up, rubbing their eyes.

"Hey, Taylor." Jacob sensed the children awakening.

"Yeah, I sense them too." Taylor smiled, and walked over to them.

Harold was momentarily confused as to who this bigger kid is, then it dawned on him. "Taylor! Taylor!"

The little ones slammed into the older boy, hugging him tightly. Christina looked around and ran for Jacob. "Jacob!"

A moment of reunion for the good friends of two Families, they laughed and talked a bit, deliberately avoiding the Question for now. It was a small amount of peace and happiness in a world surrounded by darkness and evil.

Devin watched the twins, confused. One had a faraway look in his eyes, then turned to the other. Brief words were exchanged, then the one called Taylor walked off, towards the children. A few moments later, all four were exchanging hugs and happy words. The big soldier watched the touching scene, happy for the children. He realized that he had no one to greet him like this when...and if...he made it home. He let the foursome have their moment, while considering his options.

It occurred to him that if he could load them all into a dropship soon, they could extract quickly, and join up with the Coredian fleet heading towards the planet. He could unload the kids, then head home. He called out to Jacob, drawing him away from the others, and explained his plan.

"We'll need to decide, and move quick. Our dropships are fast and virtually invisible, but the Mirfakians are probably becoming more defensive in their posture, so the risk of discovery is rising every moment we wait."

Jacob nodded, Christina going to rid piggyback now. "Looks like we'll need to move quick, then."

Taylor also had Harold on his back. "Yeah, we'll follow your lead. The kids won't weigh us down, even if we do tree or roofhopping."

"Get them ready to move...when this goes down, it'll happen fast."

Devin moved off slightly, powering up his comm unit. A quick micro-burst message was sent, received and responded to. The Razor smiled, proud of his team to have answered and acted so quickly. He turned back to the twins, smiling grimly.

"OK...we'll have our ride in approximately twenty minutes...we need to get to the extraction point, and we need to go now. Let me take the kids..."

Devin knew they would be hampered if they were to let the children walk on their own, and there was no way they could move fast enough if the twins were carrying them. His exo-skeleton would be able to handle both the kids, making it easier to get to the target on time. The children objected slightly to losing their piggy-backs, but Harold was excited, remembering his last, speedy ride. After he had hoisted them in his arms, he looked down at the twins.

"Follow close, and keep an eye on our rear. No surprises is what we're aiming for...lets go!"

With that, the soldier started running full out towards the extraction point.

"Right!" The twins immediately began tree-hopping, moving fast enough to keep up with the soldier. As a bonus, they could get the drop on anyone foolish enough to attack them on the ground, with fire or ice from Taylor or just general lightsaber action.

They reached the extraction point without incident, a few moments before the small drop-ship touched down. it was not visible to the eye, just a slight wavering of light where it landed. Suddenly, a door opened in seemingly empty air, and a retractable ladder quickly rolled out. Four soldiers in heavy Razor armor hit the landing site fast, quickly securing the area. Devin carried the kids on board, depositing them gently inside. Two nurses quickly attended them, rushing them off while making motherly noises.

Returning outside, Devin looked around, his nerves on edge. He addressed the twins.

"Gents...the next move is up to you. If you want, we can drop you off on your ship, once we rendezvous with it. If you are staying on Mirfak, I can loan you each a light Razor suit, like the one I'm wearing. It may be of benefit to you..." though he didn't know how, seeing as the kids had some fairly unexplainable powers already. Still, the Masaki legend did speak of strange abilities...but those questions were for a later time.

"Either way, I need one of you to clear the way with your fleet so they don't shoot us down. The sergeant will bring you to the comm center."

A huge soldier stood in the opening, his scarred face indicating years of hard life. He waited as the twins walked up the stairs. Devin hoped they decided quickly...he wanted off this planet. Now.

They reached the extraction point without incident, a few moments before the small drop-ship touched down. it was not visible to the eye, just a slight wavering of light where it landed. Suddenly, a door opened in seemingly empty air, and a retractable ladder quickly rolled out. Four soldiers in heavy Razor armor hit the landing site fast, quickly securing the area. Devin carried the kids on board, depositing them gently inside. Two nurses quickly attended them, rushing them off while making motherly noises.

Returning outside, Devin looked around, his nerves on edge. He addressed the twins.

"Gents...the next move is up to you. If you want, we can drop you off on your ship, once we rendezvous with it. If you are staying on Mirfak, I can loan you each a light Razor suit, like the one I'm wearing. It may be of benefit to you..." though he didn't know how, seeing as the kids had some fairly unexplainable powers already. Still, the Masaki legend did speak of strange abilities...but those questions were for a later time.

"Either way, I need one of you to clear the way with your fleet so they don't shoot us down. The sergeant will bring you to the comm center."

A huge soldier stood in the opening, his scarred face indicating years of hard life. He waited as the twins walked up the stairs. Devin hoped they decided quickly...he wanted off this planet. Now.
"Take us to the fleet. From there, we can decide where to go." Taylor said. He pulled out a comlink, and smirked. "Private channels. Once we're offplanet, we can contact the Commodore to rendzevous with us."

"Take us to the fleet. From there, we can decide where to go." Taylor said. He pulled out a comlink, and smirked. "Private channels. Once we're offplanet, we can contact the Commodore to rendzevous with us."

The ship lifted shortly afterwards, quickly accelerating through the atmosphere, and out of orbit, using the the tactical analysis to sneak their way through the tightening Mirfak defenses. Once on board, Devin left his young charges and went to the command quarters to file his report. It was his hardest one yet...of the twelve Razors that had been inserted, only two others had made it out, both empty handed. The Mirfakian secret police had moved quickly, too fast for the team to save their targets.

Now that they were fairly safe, Devin was in less of a hurry to get home. The mission had been his first leadership role, and in his own eyes, he had failed completely. He would have to face the families of the men he lost, which would be tough.

Facin his boss, Darius Steele, would be tougher.

Once they were sure they were safely out of orbit, the twins contacted the Commodore, and had the pilot vector to the fleet which is currently doing 'training exercises' right at the edge of the system, and soon the ship was allowed aboard the Dragonfire.

After docking, Devin boarded the Dragonfire to debrief the Captain. He met the man at the dock, shaking his strong hand. He gave a brief and detailed account of his activities on-planet, and the rescue of the McCormack children. When he was finished, he handed the Captain a data-disc containing the video recording of the mission.

"This may be helpful to you...I was able to record some of their radar installations and a munitions plant. Give you something to bomb the crap out of later. Just tell your commander that Darius Steele and the planet Gawdly send their most respectful greetings, and we hope that this small service benefits CoreWorlds."

He took his leave of the ship Captain, and went looking for his young charges. He found Harold and Christina watching holo-vid cartoons, a blank look in their eyes. Not wanting to disturb them, he walked by, touching them each lightly on the head, wanting to remember their warmth. He then sought out the Masaki twins, and after thanking them individually, gave them each a small brass pin, a sword crossed with a stake.

"Gents, you have proven yourselves to be brave and worthy soldiers. Please consider yourself honorary Razors...we'll be there if ever you need us. Tap the sword twice, and you'll be able to communicate with us."

He looked at the Masaki twins, two young boys actually, and smiled warmly at them.

"Your brother Daniel would be very proud of you both."

Devin returned to his ship, strapping in as the pilot began his departure protocols. His part in this story was over, but other chapters lay ahead.

"Well, our first true mission complete, with success and no enemy contact whatsoever since we landed." Taylor smirked.

"Yup. Say I wonder what we'll do next..."

"Eh, same thing we do every day, bro."

"What?"

"Try to take over the galaxy!" Taylor chuckled evilly.

Jacob looked at him oddly. "Shut up, pipsqueak."

A vein popped on Taylor's head. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME??"

Jacob smirked. "You heard me, small fry."

Flames erupted as Taylor grew furious. "DON'T CALL ME SMALL FRY!!" Taylor lept upon Jacob and a fight cloud appeared as the twins tried to pound the crap out of each other. Commodore Horvath sighed, rolled his eyes, and ordered the fleet to Defcon 2 while he finishes up the paper.

Soon, the twins stopped fighting long enough for the Commodore to let them know that Daniel's on the planet Hoth. Later on, two shuttles soon fly out of the hangar bay. One contains the McCormack children, who would be taken in by the Sandlers for the time being. The other are the twins, who put aside the fighting to catch up to Daniel. The shuttles disappear into hyperspace in different directions, and now, things get serious!

"Mr. President." The Commodore said, as he got the latest orders. "All Coredians on the planet have been taken offplanet. We're now ready to begin anytime."

"Very well. Although it'll be ten more hours, begin combat operations immediately." President Sandler ordered. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, sir." The Commodore said. "All right, battlestations. Our objective: take this planet in the name of the Imperial Republic!"

The crew went to battlestations, and the fleet now moved in to fight...

Dysaryn drummed his fingers against the arm of his command chair..

"I hate waiting. This is retarded. Vek, take a note. Every casualty we take is a point. Those point will be extracted from those Coreworld idiot's backsides when this is over."

The AI beeped its acknowledgement, nothing more was required.

Dysaryn was in a distinctly bad mood. His military doctrine was based around surprise and momentum, and Mr. "Let's send THE SUPER TWINS on a POINTLESS MISSION" Sandler was denying him those two points. So it was down to 'Bash 'em.'

It could be done, but it was needlessly risky. At any rate...

Sensors made an announcement, "Sir, Coreworlds fleet entering system. Ten of those big wedge shaped 'destroyer' thingies. Plus three of cruiser equivalents, two of those smaller wedge shaped destroyer thingies, some more cruisers, yet more cruisers, and assorted small craft."

Dysaryn nodded idly as he checked his plot. He wasn't worried...those wedge things had zilch by way of armor and even less by way of actual combat capacity...but they could hold a lot of troops.

Not that -that- worried him. It was a universal fact that anybody who used those big wedge shaped destroyer thingies had troops that were incapable of aiming their weapons. It simply -was.-

But at any rate, it was now time to move in.

Dysaryn smiled idly and opened an all-ships channel. "Sailors of the Revenian Star Navy, we go now to vanquish a foe. I, personally, have next to no intention of dying. I also have no intention of allowing you to die. Regardless, it is time. All units, EXECUTE!"

With that, the battle line units of the third and eighth fleets (Two "Heavy Command Battlegroups" -- One Fortress Ship, Five Dreadnoughts, Ten Battleships, Twenty Battlecruisers.) lit their high drives and flicked off towards the Mirfaki fleet. They would close the range rather quickly, but stay out of weapons range. That was not their purpose...

Meanwhile, the three carrier groups would flush their torpedo tubes, each torpedo was targetted precisely by the command AIs in the RSN Victory, Dysaryn's Flagship.

Around twenty one hundred (2100) torpedoes burst forward from the one hundred eight carriers of Third and Eighth fleets CGs, tracking precisely towards the enemy. They were kinetic kill weapons, but there were a lot of them...and sixty tons of iridium at sixty percent of the speed of light didn't need much of a payload to make it any nastier.

At any rate, once those torpedoes were fired, the carriers would slowly follow their battle-line compatriots. Carriers were not primarily fighting craft, but they could do in a pinch. But what they were good for was carrying strike craft, and the RSN was, perhaps, most well known for its fighter component.

Not that the battle was expected to last long enough to require fighters.

While this was going on, Dysaryn was recording a message for the president of Coreworlds.

"Weyl, guess what, Steve. It turns out that there is only one habitable planet in Mirfak. Here's the deal. We start at the north pole, slice halfway-through. Then you veer off at a fourty-five degree angle in both directions. You have a planet divided into thirds. We each get one third. I get the most populous third, you get the second, Gibbs gets the third. If that's what floats your boat.

Anyways, Stark Clear."

"Sure, that's good enough." The president replied.

----

OOC: awaiting enemy response.

The First Admiral makes his decision, hailing the invading forces from his operations starbase. He sends the following message:

"Attention invading forces. Despite orders to defend this system to the last man against you, it seems pointless to sacrifice lives needlessly. I offer you the Labule's surrender on the sole condition that you will allow all my personnel to stand down and return to their homes and families in safety. I cannot, unfortunately, order the Nahbule or the KGB to stand down. This is all I can do. Please accept this surrender. These men and women volunteered their services to defend the people of this planet. They deserve your mercy."

He looks over his words with disgust. "Terrible," he says to himself. "Mercy?" In that moment, he curses the Alphin for bringing all this down on their heads. Mirfak would fall into darkness once again, and it was all Fiquil's damn fault. He waits for a reply with trepidation. His offer must not mean much to them with their vast fleets, but for the sake of his men's lives he cannot let them go into a pointless battle without even having tried to spare their loved ones the pain of such a loss.

Dysaryn nodded absently.

"Vek, kill torpedo drives. General Transmit to the Mirfaki Fleet Adm."

-beep-

The torpedoes reversed course, firing their powerful high drives and rapidly bleeding off their velocities. Tenders launched from the carriers to collect the torpedoes...iridium might be common in Revenia, but it was still valuable.

Then the line was open.

"Attention Mirfaki Admiral. I am Dysaryn Stark, Commanding Officer Armed Forces Star Supremacy of Revenia. I accept your surrender. Your forces are ordered to move away from the planet to the coordinates given to you. (Coordinates, Coordinates (These would be rather close to Dysaryn's Fleet.) As of now you will disarm all weapons on your ships. Upon reaching those coordinates you will disable all systems save for life support. You will then be boarded.

Non-compliance with any demands made by my forces will result in instant termination.

After your planet has been siezed, your military will be disbanded and all serving enlisted and officers will be allowed to return home. That is my base doctrine, and any variance from that doctrine will be on a case-for-case basis."

Dysaryn nodded idly and the message was sent.

The Admiral sighs with relief and transmits his orders to the Labule fleet, which stands down from combat alert and moves out of the invaders' path to the planet towards the given coordinates. Once they reach them, they stand down all other nonessential systems. The Labule starbases in the system all deactivate their weapons as well.

"Very good." The Commodore said. "Now, Acclaimators, go and take the portion of the planet designated for us. But watch the Revenians, they could be tricky."

The heavy assault ships moved ahead with a fighter and gunship escort and flew towards the planet. The rest of the fleet maneuvered to protect them against any aggression from whatever side.

The ships headed for the northeastern continent above the equator, the one called Nibel. There, they will set up bases and stuff, and make sure order is restored.

OOC: That leaves the Bulshin and Onnin continents for squabbling-over. Those and all the little islands and such.

IC: There is no further resistance from space, and the Labule is disarmed without major incident. Nibel itself, being the home of Alano's goverment, proves a challenge for CoreWorlds forces, despite their numbers. The Nahbule fights until they are killed off, which only takes about a week, but costs the invaders over a thousand men. The KGB, the majority of which remains loyal to Alano on Nibel, fights more discreetly, using bombs and snipers to inflict harassment damagfe on the enemy while losing as few men as possible. About a quarter of the normal KGB units remain neutral. That is to say, they enforce the law as best they can while taking arms neither to defend nor attack their government. The remaining eighth or so of the KGB's forces actively defect to the invaders, offering to do what they can to help them.

OOC: final count, 1322 men.

IC:
The troops continue to fight the forces of Alano, and with their superior firepower, soon box up the leader in his own house and lay seige unto it, not letting anyone in or out, period. They hope to either starve him out or soon force a storming, whichever comes first. The KGB that aren't doing anything but keeping order are being closely watched, and those who murder and rape are strung up like common criminals for the birds to peck. Coredians take no crap from anyone trying to break the law, and thus hopefully, law and order would be restored.

Throughout the cities across Nibel, advancing Coredian forces are greeted with a mixture of relief and uncertainty. The citizens are glad to be out of their psychotic leader's jurisdiction, but are wary of their new masters as well. It's clear that public support for the Coredians will depend on the image they present. Alano remains in the bunker underneath government headquarters, continuing to issue orders to forces that no longer exist. He is virtually powerless, but has plenty of supplies and shows no signs of giving up or coming out anytime soon. Besides that, he is surrounded with dozens of his loyalest and most skilled men. Clearly, going in will mean high casualties.

Dysaryn nodded. Eighth Fleet's battle line had veered off to deal with the surrendering Labule, leaving Third Fleet to deal with the third of the planet they were going to conquer. The Victory was now in orbit of Mirfak III, accompanied by the rest of Third Fleet's battle line and the two GFGs. Plus a few...others...

At any rate, the chosen site was the continent of 'Bulshin.' A likely site was chosen and cleared via the tried and proven method of carpet-nuking. It was secured by Marine Recon/Marauders, then the landings began. Two GFGs were landed, seventy two thousand infantry, seventy two hundred tanks, twice that number of combat cars.

The tanks lead, and those tanks were rather...bad-ass. A couple hundred tons of iridium with a twenty centimeter plasma cannon as the primary weapon, two tri-barrels, a set of two four-tube missile mounts, and two four-gun autocannon pods.

Yup. Very little could take out a RevArm Mark II, save for another Mark II.

Supporting the Mark IIs were Stormsilver Infantry Support and Suppression tanks, the infantry, and on-call artillery. If real resistance was found, then orbital strikes were a definate possibility.

Anyways, casualties would be much lighter for the Revenians...

Because Revenians were professionals. Not pansies in white armor.

Fifty casualties, a dozen of them fatal.

Throughout the cities across Nibel, advancing Coredian forces are greeted with a mixture of relief and uncertainty. The citizens are glad to be out of their psychotic leader's jurisdiction, but are wary of their new masters as well. It's clear that public support for the Coredians will depend on the image they present. Alano remains in the bunker underneath government headquarters, continuing to issue orders to forces that no longer exist. He is virtually powerless, but has plenty of supplies and shows no signs of giving up or coming out anytime soon. Besides that, he is surrounded with dozens of his loyalest and most skilled men. Clearly, going in will mean high casualties.
The people would be pleased to know that any collateral damage done by bombs and other weapons are quickly cleaned up by both humans and droids. Speaking of droids, family models slowly begin appearing in the markets, along with other trinkets like hologames for the tweens and teens, access to the Holonet to get information on anything [public] in the galaxy and other tricklings of Imperial Republic technology. Effective control of the continent is done by military government under the command of the Commodore, a well-seen public figure to constantly reassure the people that they will prosper as a Coreworlds member. He cites many other colonies that have been made prosperous like Kyoto and Andila, and acknowledges that "it's going to take time, but this nation will prosper under our guiding leadership."

Justice is swift but fair, with capital punishment restricted for the most serious of crimes. Current KGB members are incorporated into a new Police Force with lesser powers on a case-by-case basis. Training is given to those who remained in the military on Nibel, as the Commodore didn't dismantle it, but effectively made it a Planetary (or Continental) Defense Corp. Education is brought to Core standards, with classes in astronavigation and related for High-school student. And the one important thing: Government. Core lawmakers and the Commodore would meet over the next several weeks with political, business and industry leaders to hammer out a new government and perhaps a constitution of some kind. While the ineffective Alano remains a thorn in the Commodore's side, it would only be a matter of time before the leader is removed from the mansion, especially with the daily messages of surrender and promises of amnesity to any of the guards who lay down arms. But the time to get rid of Alano once and for all would soon draw near...

OOC: We don't wear white armor. Our Marines wear camo suits similar to C&C: Tiberian Sun GDI Marines but much better. They're smart, professional troops, not like the conscripts of the stormies. So STFU about my troops! :p

Bulshin falls quickly to the Revenians, with few units even having time to surrender before being blown away. Heavy damage is wrecked across the continent, and within a week it is completely conquered. However, underground resistance movements quickly grow in response to the brutal repression and high civilian casualties, and attacks on Revenian personnel and equipment are common.

Nibel is, for the most part, placated by the discretion and justice of the Coredians. Isolated pockets of resistance persist, but with low public support and the firm hand of Mirfakan and Coredian forces they are fading. For the moment the people seem to be behind the Coredians, but native advisors to the occupation advise that some sort of autonomous government will eventually be demanded. They encourage the creation of an interim institution and constitution as soon as possible.

Nibel is, for the most part, placated by the discretion and justice of the Coredians. Isolated pockets of resistance persist, but with low public support and the firm hand of Mirfakan and Coredian forces they are fading. For the moment the people seem to be behind the Coredians, but native advisors to the occupation advise that some sort of autonomous government will eventually be demanded. They encourage the creation of an interim institution and constitution as soon as possible.
To encourage that, lawmakers from Tenetia (Attorney General, etc) and the Commodore then began a sort of recruiting drive. Political, business and other leaders were sent a letter that invited them to a Convention within the next three weeks to iron out a new interm government. This will hopefully turn power over from the Commodore to a new leader and right the wrongs of the past. (Alano is still under house arrest and will pretty much remain so for the forseeable future unless the people wish otherwise.)

(Hey, sorry Coreworlds...but camo jumpsuits just don't match up against Fleet Marine combat battle armor. Aaaanyways..)

Dysaryn flicked his hands annoyedly...

"Alright. Who was the dumbass who authorized the genocide?"

Lt. General Dace Yrro, Eighth Fleet's GFG commander frowned...

"That would have be General Devin, here."

Dysaryn locked eyes with the indicated individual. General Devin was a political appointment from Horatria. Dysaryn had taken him to command his own GFG because Dys'd thought he'd be running any ground operations personally...as it turned out, he had had to deal with the surrendered Mirfaki space assets (which are 100% Mine,) leaving Gen. Devin to deal with the ground war...

and the results bit. Badly.

"Record."

Very few individuals every saw Dysaryn act to his capability. He did now. Almost before the camera could begin filming, he had his Warblade out. That deadly blue-tinted blade came whistling down and bit clean through General Devin's neck. The severed head hit the deck and bounced.

Dysaryn Stark was not a fan of Genocide. He did not believe in Genocide. General George Devin was and had. See where that had gotten him?

Dys sighed...

"People of Bulshin, My name is Dysaryn Stark. You will get to know me rather well, I expect, as I am your new best friend. In fact, I am your only friend. You are vulnerable now, as you are no longer allowed to maintain your own military. You are, however, a protectorate of the Star Supremacy of Revenia.

That means that you MIGHT want to stop attacking my people. Because those people are the individuals responsible for defending your lives.

This is the first time you have met me, and I am sorry for that. I have spent the last week inspecting the ships of the labule and preparing to integrate what few servicemen wish to stay on into the RSN structure. Those who did not wish to stay on are being returned home as we speak.

I did not run the ground campaign. That was the man you just saw me kill. He disobeyed my orders, betrayed me, murdered my people. Because you are now just as much my people as any Revenian.

Two people and two people alone have the right of High Justice among the Star Supremacy. Myself and the High King. No-one save for me, the High King, or those individuals to whom we extend our right may claim the life of a citizen of the Star Supremacy.

You Are Citizens of the Star Supremacy.

Those of you who even now attack Revenian Soldiers are murdering your countrymen.

Stop this violence. It is one sided. The invasion is over, the Fleet Marines act only in defense now. They are fighting their own countrymen. This is not right...and I will not allow it continue.

We are not cruel people, we Revenians. Tomorrow I myself will go down to your planet and see to it that anyone who wishes to talk to me may. Tomorrow, Citizens, you will be voting for your Council Representative.

As we speak, engineering teams are en-route from the Star Supremacy. I will be personally seeing to it that your cities are cleared of damage, that your infrastructure is upgraded. Your planet was once a Harsh World. I COME FROM A FAR HARSHER WORLD.

We survive on our world, you will survive, nay, you will THRIVE on yours.

Throw down your arms, Citizens. We are not your enemies. WE ARE YOUR BROTHERS!"

(Hey, sorry Coreworlds...but camo jumpsuits just don't match up against Fleet Marine combat battle armor. Aaaanyways..)
OOC: I use combat armor that's guaranteed to stop the likes of things like the Ewok problem. I just haven't explained it much yet. I'm more a fighter jock and space squid than a ground pounder anyway.

IC:
"Well, there we have it folks. An obviously oppressive government on what's left of Bulshin. This is HoloNews Network brought to you by Droid Systems Inc." Radios and holoscreens report. "The President has condemned the actions of Revenia for their foolishness and warns that 'You will soon no longer have enough citizens to fill a small village if you keep going like that. Your actions will only cause more death and destruction as time goes on, and we are not amused. Not amused at all.'"

The Mirfakan violent resistance diminishes slightly after the announcement, but for many citizens it just makes them angrier to be called citizens of the Star Supremacy. The attacks continue, accompanied by seperate, nonviolent protests calling for independent government on Bulshin. There are many left homeless and with dead loved ones by the initial invasion, and peace is not coming easily.

On Nibel, the response by and large to the call for representatives is business leaders, the majority of political leaders left over having been Alano's henchmen. It's an obvious disparity, and the XSP takes advantage of the situation by rallying support with their newfound freedom of speech. Within two weeks, the XSP has grown to insane proportions, claiming millions of members from across the continent. They, led by a woman of ninety by the name of Mika Ueda, demand entry to the Convention and the exclusion of most business leaders.

There were decidedly Weyrean ways of dealing with things like invasions. Weyreans did not like messy landings, parades, or blowing shit up. It took time to build that shit back up, and those power plants were damn expensive to get back up and running after being turned into so many craters. And, of course, there were the three kilometer-long ships and their dozens of support craft parking themselves over three major cities on the selected continent. There were always the chances a populace was not intimidated by massive gun barrels sitting over their heads, but what were the chances of that.

And, of course, there were the sixty thousand Dragoons and Grenadiers dropping into major urban areas, walking tanks, really, since a Grenadier tended to walk through walls instead of squeezing through doorways. Besides, seven feet of mitaril-steel carrying an assault cannon or a needle minigun was not something one was generally advised to mess with.

Major-general Markowitz generally didn’t relish his job, but he got paid well, and he did know his business. As long as the idiots down below didn’t start shooting, he wouldn’t need to start blowing things up. In the meanwhile he needed to find the local government officials, take control of the military installations, and have his people down in the urban areas by nightfall.

Either way, a perfectly Weyrean solution -- park lots of firepower, drop into the cities, tell the people to go home or stay in their offices, shut down transport, and the nation was as good as taken. That there were a few hundred parasites ready to glass anything military help, hopefully. The main question was whether the locals were sane enough to listen to the cool female voice hijack every conceivably hijackable form of transmission, saying

"People of Mirfak, please clear the streets immediately. Please return to your homes or stay at your places of work. Transportation will be shut down immediately. A curfew will be going into effect at sundown. Any person found outside will be terminated. All emergency service workers and law enforcement personnel are requested to maintain their current posts until relieved by Star Guard personnel. Thank you, have a nice day."

The violent resistance on Bulshin diminishes slightly after the announcement, but for many citizens it just makes them angrier to be called citizens of the Star Supremacy. The attacks continue, accompanied by seperate, nonviolent protests calling for independent government. There are many left homeless and with dead loved ones by the initial invasion, and peace is not coming easily.

On Nibel, the response by and large to the call for representatives is business leaders, the majority of political leaders left over having been Alano's henchmen. It's an obvious disparity, and the XSP takes advantage of the situation by rallying support with their newfound freedom of speech. Within two weeks, the XSP has grown to insane proportions, claiming millions of members from across the continent. They, led by a woman of ninety by the name of Mika Ueda, demand entry to the Convention and the exclusion of most business leaders.

Onnin is fairly chaotic by the time the Weyreans land, but the KGB holds order together the best it can. The military resists, but the relatively small force is crushed easily. In the face of such a passive-aggressive campaign, most resistance goes underground for the moment. Of all the takeovers, this is the most peaceful. The citizens would probably be intimidated by the fleet in orbit too, but most of them really don't have the time or resources to notice them. The smallest continent is quickly secured, though there is no government or significant military installation to speak of.

On Nibel, the response by and large to the call for representatives is business leaders, the majority of political leaders left over having been Alano's henchmen. It's an obvious disparity, and the XSP takes advantage of the situation by rallying support with their newfound freedom of speech. Within two weeks, the XSP has grown to insane proportions, claiming millions of members from across the continent. They, led by a woman of ninety by the name of Mika Ueda, demand entry to the Convention and the exclusion of most business leaders.
Madam Ueda was allowed entry due to her popularity, but only a few business leaders were forced out. Representation must balance the interests of business and workers after all.

Ueda proposes a three-branch government based on the classic Xanthalian system: an Alphin position to head the executive branch, a regionally-elected representative council, and a national judicial system. The business owners propose a council composed of the most powerful CEOs to run the government. Both parties are proposing constitutions, but Ueda's seems to focus more on the power and rights of the state while the business owners' focus on the rights of business.

Ueda proposes a three-branch government based on the classic Xanthalian system: an Alphin position to head the executive branch, a regionally-elected representative council, and a national judicial system. The business owners propose a council composed of the most powerful CEOs to run the government. Both parties are proposing constitutions, but Ueda's seems to focus more on the power and rights of the state while the business owners' focus on the rights of business.
The lawmakers suggest a compromise. Legistlative branch should be 1/2 business CEOs and 1/2 elected reps from the regions. The constituion must also clearly define the rights of the state (make war, treaties, taxes, etc) and the rights of the business. It must also clearly define the powers of the three branches and use checks and balances so that no one branch can easily override the other.

With there being no apparent cause for the Guard to maintain its invasion policies, a timetable will be implemented for the phaseout of Weyrik forces from the continent of Onnin.

For the timetable to be effective, the Peacekeeping Forces request your input into what the future of ths continent will look like. We are looking to set up a formal government to replace the current military leadership, and will be taking suggestions via all means available. A general meeting will be held twenty days from today at #Location#, and we request that representatives selected from local communities attend to discuss potential government styles.

Public transport will remain suspended for four days.

Private and public gathering places will remain closed for four days.

Schools and offices will remain closed for eight days.

The sunrise to sundown curfew will remain in effect for thirty-two days.

Police functions will be maintained by the Star Guard Marine Peacekeepers. All law enforcement officers are to be considered on paid leave. This includes the KGB. Persons wishing to assist the peacekeeping forces should contact them at #contact info#. All KGB files are to be submitted to the Peacekeeping Office of Intelligence for archiving and storage.

Government offices will remain closed indefinitely.

As a reminder, all weapons must be registered with the Peacekeeping Office for Public Safety. Non-Peacekeeping prrsons carrying firearms in the street may be subject to physical, psychological, and/or spiritual trauma.

Dysaryn whistled idly...

"Alright. Won't listen to reason, will we? FINE! VEK! Contact Kral, tell me I need an Inquisitorial Strike Team. Have 'em show up about the same time as the engineers...in the mean time, I'm going down to the aid centers."
---

Dysaryn was not a happy camper. This was pretty bad. He'd lived in worse, but the rag-tag aid center set up by the Third Company, 313th Batt was...well...rag-tag.

Nothin' that a little help from the Warprince and his one hundred man Blood Guard couldn't spiff up though.

"Get these people blankets and food. Damnit! DON'T TELL ME WE DON'T HAVE FOOD! WE COULD FEED A GODDAMN ENTIRE SYSTEM OFF THE SURPLUS FROM OUR HYDROPONICS SHIPS! SO GET IT DOWN HERE AND IN THEIR STOMACHS!"

OOC: I always feel so awkward on these multi-pronged RPs. Oh well.

IC:
Nibel: The business owners agree to the compromise, but Ueda and the XSP remain adamant. Rallys are held, and membership in the party grows to ten million people in a matter of days. Their organization is amazing, especially considering that they might as well have not existed just a few months ago. It quickly becomes the single largest political organization of any kind on Mirfak. With few exceptions, peace is maintained. The glove is laid down on the negotiating table soon enough however, when Ueda demands that either business have no hand in the government or her entire party and its growing membership will not comply with the government. She gives a passionate speech on the inherant corruption of big business and the dangers of giving political power to the economically advantaged, citing examples throughout history, then suspends her party's participation in the new government until a successful solution can be found.

Onnin: There is significant discomfort among the populace at the continued restrictions, but there are no major incidents. As the shutdowns expire one by one though, people begin to organize into political action groups and parties. Not long after that, the underground resistance, composed primarily of KGB agents and other loyalists, begins to resurface; and scattered bombings and sniper attacks begin.

Bulshin: Over the coming weeks the relief effort of the Revenian forces begin to gain them some support in the lower classes, but the violent resistance by insurgent groups continues. As things slowly begin improving, many of the protests stop for the moment, united with their conquerers in the effort to rebuild. Bulshin, by far the largest continent on the planet, is still difficult to placate and control however; and the relief efforts aren't enough to save all the people who lost their homes and neighborhoods in the attack. These continued problems lead business and party leaders to petition Dysaryn for a more concentrated rebuilding effort.

Nibel: The business owners agree to the compromise, but Ueda and the XSP remain adamant. Rallys are held, and membership in the party grows to ten million people in a matter of days. Their organization is amazing, especially considering that they might as well have not existed just a few months ago. It quickly becomes the single largest political organization of any kind on Mirfak. With few exceptions, peace is maintained. The glove is laid down on the negotiating table soon enough however, when Ueda demands that either business have no hand in the government or her entire party and its growing membership will not comply with the government. She gives a passionate speech on the inherant corruption of big business and the dangers of giving political power to the economically advantaged, citing examples throughout history, then suspends her party's participation in the new government until a successful solution can be found.
The Commodore didn't reach his position by merely pulling the trigger on guns. He sent a letter to the good Madame and this is what it would read in history books someday:

"My dear Madam Ueda,
Your objections to big business are sound and truthful. However, anyone in a position of power, whether it be the CEO or the worker who rises to the top of his company, can be tempted to abuse that power. It's human nature, and that is why we make compromises and laws to deal with it. I suggest this: you get yourself elected to the position of Alphin and get your party majority control in the legislative council, but compromise and allow a couple of business owners to that council so you can keep an eye on them. You cannot dismiss the business sector out of hand because it is they who create the jobs that your workers work in, and if they cannot create jobs, than the worker is out of luck and money to feed his family. But if you are in power as Alphin, as the wise matriarch of the big family, you can set the conditions on which business will work for you, rather than the other way around. The same goes for the XSP in the Legislative Council. I hope you would accept this, madam, because we all know that the people demand a government, and that includes every law-abider on this continent.

Sincerely,
Commodore Samuel Jacen Horvath."

(...multi-pronged RP? This is kid stuff...)

"Reinforcements have arrived, My Warprince."

Dysaryn nodded his assent, "Thank you, Ms. Kel. I will speak with the CO of the engineering force first, then with the Inquisitor."
---

Colonel Michael Ryan saluted sharply as he entered Dysaryn's "Office." Which was little more than a room of the facility that had become home to the Revenian Civil Government...

Dysaryn returned the salute and waved the Colonel over to the portable holotank, currently showing an image of the continent of Bulshin...

"Mike, we've got a problem. That asshole from Horatria raped this continent. I'm getting complaints and demands for help...but I can't do it with indigens because for all my efforts, I can't trust them yet. We've got resistance groups holding out all over the place, and...well...you get the idea.

We're going to use indigen labor for most of the civil stuff, but we have got to get that infrastructure rebuilt so we can get aid to the people who need it...the only way we're doing it now is by loading it onto air-cushion trucks and convoying them with a pair of combat cars...

Anyways, we need bridges rebuilt, water and power lines restored...you get the idea. If it's broke and it can be fixed, we need it fixed. You want me to detail guards for you guys?"

Mike Ryan frowned for a moment then shook his head, "Nah. My guys may not be marines, technically, but they wear powered armor standard for the extra lifting capabilities and suchforth, as you know. They -should- be fine...but I won't be going into any hotzones without support...but that's SOP, as you now."

'n Dys did know. He'd written the damn operating procedures.

Dys nodded, "Alright, get to work."
---

Irian Chellavan was a big guy, broad shoulders, muscular. He was also an Inquisitor. In fact, he was a Master-Inquisitor. He wore a suit of relic battle armor beneath his gray robes and his flamegun and mace had both seen use...

Revenian Inquisitor's weren't like earthly inquisitors. They were a religious bunch, but their primary religious function was more of a confessioner/local priest sort of thing. However, they were still superb internal security operatives...some of them, anyways...

But that wasn't why they were here.

Dys stood, Irian remained standing. Formalities were pointless.

"Irian, we have a problem. Rebel groups on our fringes and they have reason to be, too. That idiot general of Rebekka's raped the damn continent...and 's gonna take us some time to rebuild it. I want you and your team to start organizing the indigens. I'll give you practically unlimited funds, marines, whatever you need..."

Irian nodded and left. It would be done.

Onnin
Mirfak
WN3

The comparative peace in Mirfak’s smallest continent is still punctured by sounds of explosions, as insurgents launch attacks against civilian and Peacekeeper sporadic targets across the continent of Onnin. Grenadiers and mounted Dragoons stand in pairs at intersections, hospitals, schools, and utilities. It has been reported that undercover agents ride public transports. With the local armed forces apparently completely disarmed, only scattered underground insurgents continue to fight against occupation forces.

The lack of heavy weaponry exhibited by the insurgents has thus far made this posting the safest in the Star Guard's history. Less than a hundred marines, most of them comparatively-lightly armored Dragoons, have been reported injured thus far, and none have been severely wounded or killed since Weyrean, Revenian, and Coredian forces deployed into the Mirfak system. With modern Grenadier-3 and Dragoon-2 armor able to shrug off most handheld weapons, the attacks have apparently been designed to harm civilians more than soldiers. The exact civilian casualties remain unknown.

The safety of the Fourth Engineer Corps, scheduled to arrive in three days with additional relief materials and heavy construction equipment, remains in doubt. While engineers are outfitted with light body armor, experience has shown that logistics teams are not capable of handling heavy terrorist assaults. The engineers will be involved in rebuilding after damages caused by insurrectionist attacks, in setting up local Feed and fusactor lines for more rapid resupply of combat forces, and in constructing a series of military outposts at strategic points on the continent.

In response to the insurgent threat, checkpoints have been set up at all urban access points. Local and international ports remain off limits to non-Peacekeeper personnel. Major-General Horatio Markowitz, head of Star Guard Marine operations within Mirfak, has stated that continued attacks against civilian and military locations might push back the timetable for Weyrean withdrawal from the system. With curfew still in place, and workplaces only recently opened, an increase in terrorist activities may result in countless civilian and possibly Peacekeeper casualties.

The general has established headquarters on the outskirts of the continent’s largest city. The encampment is surrounded by a concrete wall, and protected by a series of gatling systems designed for use as counterfire systems on starships. Mapping terrorist strikes, city garrisons have been shifted around to better protect projected high-risk urban areas. Security in camps remains tight. Most are located on city outskirts, or in former law enforcement stations. While there are no ground patrols reported outside roads and major transport arteries, the Sol Regiment’s parasite complement of gunships, drones, and parasites continues to provide continuous ground cover. A series of observational satellites will be deployed later this week. Equipped with high-grade observation equipment, they are expected to help locate insurgent strongholds. Closer to the ground, arriving engineers are expected to bring urban aerostats. Aerostats are small, unarmed hover drones usually equipped with a small array of surveillance equipment and a pseudo-intelligence system for detecting potential criminal activity. While not perfect, aerostats have been credited with curbing crime, including terrorist attacks.

In the long run, the Major-General hopes to form a continental government within the year, and hopefully sooner. The time it takes for control of the area to pass back into the hands of its people depends, he has said, on their willingness to cooperate with the Peacekeepers. For now, he has invited local and national leaders to come to a general assembly, to be held at #location# for forming a framework for the future government.

WN3: Weyr Net News Network
Now in Mirfak, available where anything from print to NetImmerse is sold.

Nibel: Mika makes her reply concisely. "You are the fool here, Sir. Government must represent the people. If the people wish to elect business owners, they may. I will not allow you to install them as you propose. No reserved seats. For anyone. Half the legislature occupied by those who represent less than one percent of the population? The elite caused our destruction. I will not allow you to hand them even partial power. Try, and I will personally see, as the leader of the national majority, that your government has no control whatsoever."

Bulshin: The work is slow and unrewarding, as insurgent groups become even more entrenched. Protests begin anew as the people become more aware of their powerlessness. Many are frusterated that they have not been allowed to even help with rebilding, and the impending election of their representative is sabotaged time and again as voting places are destroyed and candidates assassinated. Even as more and more people come to terms with the occupation, the resistance only increases in strength.

Onnin: Resistance becomes more adamant as freedom of movement continues to be restricted for civilians. Bombings continue, as to protests of the restrictions being placed on the population. Observation satellites help somewhat, but have no real impact on the insurgent forces, which have no permanent strongholds and operate anonymously. The ex-KGB agents running the resistance effort are intelligent and well-trained to do exactly this kind of thing. The violence shows no sign of stopping, and a quandry quickly becomes evident. Violence and protests will not begin to lose steam until more freedoms are granted, and the occupational forces do not wish to reopen public functions until the attacks can be checked. Either way, it is evident that the violence will not stop in the forseeable future. Of all the continents, Onnin has the most problems now; and the lowest support among the population for the occupiers.

Nibel: Mika makes her reply concisely. "You are the fool here, Sir. Government must represent the people. If the people wish to elect business owners, they may. I will not allow you to install them as you propose. No reserved seats. For anyone. Half the legislature occupied by those who represent less than one percent of the population? The elite caused our destruction. I will not allow you to hand them even partial power. Try, and I will personally see, as the leader of the national majority, that your government has no control whatsoever."
A second reply, conceeding the fight as a government is needed and the Commodore has no wish to stop her. "Very well. If you feel so badly about business, then don't allow them control. But they won't be happy about it, I'm afraid. But I must warn that you must represent all the people, not just the ones you favor. If you would not do that, if you cannot compromise, then how will you govern? By will? Look what happened in your past when you do use will. You will effectively return to a state where the KGB's reincarnation can once again thrive. Look what is happening on the other continents. They are seeking to govern by will, rather than by example as we do. I still urge you to allow only one business owner you can easily outvote. But if it is truly will of the people that the CEOs be barred from the interm government, then so be it, we will step aside and allow it."

The Commodore sighed, wondering how much of a catch-22 will fall on him. Damned if you force the business and the XSP together, damned if you don't give the business some representation. He chose the latter damnation, and will calmly await the fall out.

Dysaryn glared at his map. That glare was not transferred to the short handful of people standing in the room with him.

Owen Stark, perhaps his closest friend and cohort...and bodyguard. Commander of his one-hundred man Bodyguard...and a veteran. Oh yes, a veteran.

Jennifer Rodriguez, CO of the Twilight Seraphim. Dysaryn's former elite assault unit...

Lt. General Dace Yrro, current CO of Fleet Marine operations on Mirfak....

a handful of others...

Dysaryn shook his head.

"This is going nowhere...Vek, overlay orbital heat-sigs on my map, concentrations of...10 plus people shown. Label cities, refugee camps, installations, etc."

Dysaryn eyed the map...

"Remove all sigs with labels."

That did it...

"Alright. Print map. Detach a proportionately sized unit to each cluster. Every. Last. One. No light infantry, power armor or armored units only. Orbital strikes free, arty free."

Dysaryn could be ruthless when he had to be...but now it was time to go outside.

He did so. Walked among the refugees, visited the injured in the field hospital and did a little work...he -was- a vitakinetic, after all...

Mostly he talked and listened. He was an expert judge of character and some people he tapped to become members of what would become the Civil Government...

CoreWorlds: The XSP returns to the convention, and Mika does indeed remove the business leaders as voting members. However, she instates them as an advisory council "to ensure that the constitutional decisions made by this convention take the concerns of private enterprise into full consideration." The business owners are grudgingly placated, and the proceedings continue. Between Mika, the lawyers, and the advisors, with no small amount of help from the occupational forces, a socialist constitution outlining three branches of government in the traditional executive/legislative/judicial format is drafted, which also has a section outlining certain universal rights of the citizenry. (OOC: Which I will actually write up in my own quaint not-being-a-lawyerish way sometime yet this week.) Anti-occupation violence on the continent of Nibel has all but ceased, and the population seems contented that all that can be done for the moment is being done.

Revenia: Though the strike does eliminate some cells, the majority of the insurgent forces are operating in cities, blending with the population at large. There is no easy solution to getting rid of them. A few days after the strike, an interesting event occurs. Several native construction units mobilize, against the orders of the occupation, and begin working on the clearing and rebuilding process in areas thus far not reached by the occupation's efforts. It is an interesting new form of passive, productive resistance. News of the good conditions on Nibel prompt many anti-Revenian protests and petitions for a Coredian presence on Bulshin.

CoreWorlds: The XSP returns to the convention, and Mika does indeed remove the business leaders as voting members. However, she instates them as an advisory council "to ensure that the constitutional decisions made by this convention take the concerns of private enterprise into full consideration." The business owners are grudgingly placated, and the proceedings continue. Between Mika, the lawyers, and the advisors, with no small amount of help from the occupational forces, a socialist constitution outlining three branches of government in the traditional executive/legislative/judicial format is drafted, which also has a section outlining certain universal rights of the citizenry. (OOC: Which I will actually write up in my own quaint not-being-a-lawyerish way sometime yet this week.) Anti-occupation violence on the continent of Nibel has all but ceased, and the population seems contented that all that can be done for the moment is being done.
The Commodore seemed satisfied that all is well on Nibel, and he soon turns his attention to the other continents, especially getting concerned about reports from his Navy about orbitial strikes in Bulshin. He orders a theatre shield generator to be placed on Nibel that will be able to cover the entirety of the continent once it is set up and running, in two weeks' time. With the shield, the populace could survive any [normal] bombardment for several weeks, more than long enough to ensure that the Navy will provide adequate support in the event of any war. Speaking of Navies, the Commodore also decided that Mirfak needed a new navy for itself, and asked defense companies to start rebuilding their own ships. The measure will also help the economy too.

OOC:
@Mirfak: #Location# means I have no idea where that location is, so it's up to you where it would be held.

Source == MirCentCom
Target == All.LocCom
Type == Memorandum
Priority == 2
Encryption == D100C4F

Statistical analysis shows low probability of decrease in opposition with current measures. Transit restrictions and curfew are to be removed. Citizens are, as always, to be required to display identification when prompted. Implement M-type biometric identification systems as soon as possible. Hold regional elections for municipal advisory councils as soon as possible.

People could keep attacking, and civilians would continue to get hurt, and the Star Guard would have to pay slightly more in armor repairs, and life would go on.

Dysaryn sighed...

"So. They're in the cities. Now -we- control the countryside...so they move into the cities. Idiots. Alright, order weapons free if fired upon, post bounties...rewards, you get the idea. Nothing extreme. Then find me the most ambitious, most capable bastard in this shit-hole. I'll be damned if some traitorous idiot from Horatria is gonna start his rebellion here, after all...

Now then, I believe I have speech to make."

He looked like hell. Which made him even scarier. Dysaryn was the kind of person who was threatening even in the nude. When his hair was sweat-matted and his face stained with blood...yeah...you get the idea.

"Listen up, all you rebels and freedom fighters out there. You aren't. You wanna do something useful? Do what your buddies are doing. Build stuff. That is the kind of thing that we support.

As to those of you calling for, what was that idiot term, "Coredian" intervention? Good luck.

Anyways, you've probably heard of the armed strikes on rebel groups outside of the cities. That went rather nicely. We now know that the rest of you traitorous bastards are in the cities. Where we can keep an eye on you.

The Star Supremacy has no problem with protest. We ALLOW protest. We do NOT allow armed protest. You have a problem with the Star Supremacy trying to help you. Okay. Great. There is a point at which we will take decisive action, and that point is growing nearer.

You don't want that point to be reached. That point is when martial law becomes not merely an interim up until the point at which we establish a Civil Government, a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLICAN CIVIL GOVERNMENT!, but the norm.

When that point is reached, we start bombing any place where armed resistance occurs. If we kill civilians, well, too damn bad. War. If we kill -all- the civilians...hey, not our fault. When that point is reached, that line is crossed, every time a "Freedom Fighter" fires at a Revenian soldier, he or she isn't 'striking a blow for freedom." He or she is causing the deaths of his or her friends, families...

Anyone who kills a Revenian just because he or she is a Revenian..."

Dysaryn shook himself visibly, forcing his muscles to relax...

"I am old. So old that my age is beyond the ken of mortal man. I have seen, done things that would make the blood run cold. I hate killing. I hate seeing my friends die. My people dying for no better reason than that you people don't like us...pisses me off. I tend to get really mean when I'm pissed off.

I am not yet angry, but I'm getting there. Risking the cliche, I'll say that you really don't want me to get angry. Maybe you don't know me very well...

I wonder how many it will take before you get the picture? A hundred, a thousand...

If you have a problem with us, come talk to us. We're available. Need help? Come ask for it. My people are doing what they can, but they don't know what is really vital. How could they? This is not their world. Help them, work with them. I don't want to see Revenians and Bulshites trading gunfire. I want to see them working together to make this place liveable again.

If you can't stand, get the hell off my goddamn continent. Don't like -me?- Then come fight -me.- Don't shoot my soldiers, they're men and women just like you. You have a problem with policy, you come to me.

Want to kill me? Fine. Try. Dueling is legal in the Supremacy. No to the wound bullshit, either. Swords, death. Maybe I should warn you first, though. I haven't led a peaceful life. I have fought, and I have lived to a -very- old age.

Every time a soldier of mine fails to get the chance to live to a similar age..."

He shook his head.

"My friends, trying to kill Revenians isn't some sport. It is wrong. Wrong. It is also incredibly stupid.

You attack my soldiers, you try to stop the voting...you try to keep yourselves from being represented? Why? You are like children, breaking things out of spite. Stupid.

I have been out to the camps, cooked, tended wounded with my own two hands. You want to kill somebody? Sign up for the militia. Sign up for the civil patrol.

You want to help your friends and family? Join the rebuilding effort. Work at the camps. There is so much that anyone with the will to do can do, so much good to be done.

We are the future.

Accept it or not, we're here to stay. You are in denial. Get over it. There are better things to do than fight a pointless and vain fight. This is a new world, any man or woman with the will could rise to become anything.

They once said about Napoleon Bonaparte's Army that there was a "Field Marshall's baton in every trooper's backpack."

Help us help you. Anything is possible for an individual with enough ambition...literally. Anything.

There is no reason that an individual from Bulshin couldn't rise to become High Chancellor of Revenia in time. None."

He paused for a moment, then inclined his head slightly.

"My friends. My people. We stand at the dawn of a new day. It is in your hands how that day will be made."

CoreWorlds: The elections are scheduled, and public facilities renovated to accomodate the new system. Three new buildings are planned as operations centers for each branch, but are not expected to be finished before the first officials are elected. This seems a trivial concern however, considering the success of the continent and the rapid progress being made in the socio-political rebuilding effort. Mika Ueda, the XSP leader who has helmed her party through the difficult years under the administrations of Kolani, Burkavik, and Alano, dies peacefully in her bed a few weeks after the convention recesses at the age of ninety one. A spirited young man by the name of Kevin Ailes takes her place, and the XSP continues to grow under his enthusiastic leadership. Life does indeed go on, and the election goes through without major incident. It goes pretty much as expected, with more conservative representatives being called upon in richer areas. Some minor party officials are elected as well, but the XSP carries the day by a large margin, with Ailes winning the nostalgically-named Alphin position at the head of the executive branch. The continental shield is erected without much incident, but construction of a new Labule is continually delayed until, a week after his election, Alphin Ailes calls upon the Commodore himself to request Coredian protection of the orbital military installations, which are continually compromised by the patrols of the Ravenian and Weyrik forces. He asks for nonaggressive action, simply a protective measure so that construction can proceed. Meanwhile, the legislature debates the status of Nibel, the first major issue of their tenure quickly surfacing: what should be the long-term status of Mirfakan relations with CoreWorlds?

Weyr:
OOC: I don't have any city or establishment names on record for Onnin, as it has in the past been a very unimportant continent. Location names are fine for you to make up.
IC: The situation on Onnin improves drastically after the first few chaotic weeks of the restrictions' removal. The insurgent effort fades considerably, though it is far from gone, and people finally begin to get their social bearings under the occupation. Political action begins to become apparent as well, as new parties begin to surface, led in popularity by the Xanthalian Socialist Party, and join the national assembly. Onnin's XSP does its best to work parallel to its Nibeli cousins, despite the occupational barrier, and the process of rebuilding the social and governmental structure of the continent finally begins moving forward. The primary agenda of most political action groups, including the XSP, seems to be the reunification of Onnin with Nibel, and eventually Bulshin. Despite early predictions, there seems to be little interest in an ununified planet on the part of Mirfakans, and as the most reconstructed continent on the planet, the Nibeli government is the one people are looking to join.

Insta-poll of citizens on each continent (because I feel like it):
Approval rating of occupational leadership:
Nibel: 73%
Onnin: 41%
Bulshin: 34%

Approval rating of reconstruction efforts:
Nibel: 89%
Onnin: 71%
Bulshin: 20%

Approval rating of security:
Nibel: 90%
Onnin: 42%
Bulshin: 30%

Overall civil stability rating:
Nibel: 95%
Onnin: 77%
Bulshin: 22%

Overall economic stability rating:
Nibel: 88%
Bulshin: 62%
Onnin: 61%

Overall political stability rating:
Bulshin: 91%
Nibel: 74%
Onnin: 41%

ALL: The response to Dysaryn's speech has the rather opposite effect that might have been desired. With the existing threat of subjugation to the Star Supremacy and the new threat of martial law, protests across all three continents are heard. Revenian popularity plummets across the planet to the single digits and attacks increase, along with both peaceful and terrorist demands for Revenian withdrawal. Private petitions for action against the occupiers of Bulshin are handed to occupational leaders on Nibel and Onnin, and the newly-formed Nibeli government issues several harsh statements denouncing the continued threats and insufficient rebuilding efforts of Revenia on Bulshin. Alphin Kevin Ailes makes several speeches to both Nibeli citizens and Coredian leaders pressing for sanctions against Revenia. Two assassination attempts are made against Dysaryn in three days, and what is left of the democratic convention disintegrates. Even the far superior defenses of the Revenian forces prove inadequate to protect them all, and several are killed.

New Bulshini ratings:
Approval rating of occupational leadership: 7%
Approval rating of reconstruction efforts: 18%
Approval rating of security: 10%
Overall civil stability rating: 4%
Overall economic stability rating: 21%
Overall political stability rating: 81%

(Two things. One. It is spelled "Revenia." "Ravenia" is a place where the inhabitants enjoy acquiring carnal knowledge of birds. Don't confuse the two.

Two. Star SUPREMACY. Star Empires require an Emperor. Revenia has no Emperor. Revenia is ruled by a High Council of three individuals--

The Warprince, Dysaryn Stark.
The High King, Adrian Stark.
The Elected High Chancellor, Sero Relaren.)

Dysaryn stared out what passed for a window these days...

Irian stood by with a distant, disgusted look in his eyes...

Dysaryn shook his head...

"Well. Somebody is being contrary these days...-sigh.- Screw it. Enough is enough. Cease all rebuilding projects, order units to dig in. On-call arty, on-call orbital strikes. Roving patrols. Nobody goes out without powered armor. Bulshites have gun, Bulshites get stunned. Bulshites shoot gun, Bulshites get shot.

Unless...well...you know the 'Unless.'"

Irian nodded.

"Then we send out a message. We'll accept one delegate. One. Delegate. To talk to me at a 'peace conference.' The only requirements are that the decisions at this conference will be binding."

Dysaryn smiled grimly...

"Datburst to Alphin Kevin Ailes."

-beep.-

"Heya, Moron. Name's Dysaryn. Dysaryn Stark. Warprince of Revenia. Maybe you've heard of me? Hope so.

Suggest you stop being stupid. Sanctions? Oh my god! SANCTIONS! I'm so scared I think I've wet myself. You operate on the assumption that I have had previous contact with Coreworlds. I haven't. We haven't. We don't care.

You seem to think we're automatically in the wrong because we're the invaders, eh? Perhaps you would have preferred us to not have intervened, hmm?

In conclusion, keep your nose out of our business, please. I've lost far too many people on this planet for me to cut free and loose with it. Profit. I'm not getting any. Suggest you look into ways that I might acquire some. Maybe I'll think about allowing Bulshin to become a protectorate instead of a province. Then we can start talking confederation.

I have no problem with unification. None. I have every problem with my people having died for nothing. You get me? Hope so."
---

Dysaryn shook his head and grabbed his jacket, which he pulled on over his thinsuit. He strapped his commo helmet into place and lowered the visor, then let his hand play across Heartsflame's pommel...

"They want food? They come to us. Unarmed. They want medical help? They come to us. Unarmed."

He paused for a moment...

"International message: Bulshin is closed to incoming traffic without prior clearance. Any non-cleared aircraft will be fired upon and destroyed."

He exhaled annoyedly.

"As for the Labule, I keep my promises. They go home. All of them. Every. Last. Single. One. Warships get towed to Nexus for study. Freighters...

See if Weyr wants to buy them. If not, scrap them. Our orbital/stationary assets...see about recruiting crews for them. Set them up as independents, owing allegiance to nobody. Any money we spend on them is a loan that they must repay."

He nodded, then stepped outside...to touch base.

CoreWorlds: The elections are scheduled, and public facilities renovated to accomodate the new system. Three new buildings are planned as operations centers for each branch, but are not expected to be finished before the first officials are elected. This seems a trivial concern however, considering the success of the continent and the rapid progress being made in the socio-political rebuilding effort. Mika Ueda, the XSP leader who has helmed her party through the difficult years under the administrations of Kolani, Burkavik, and Alano, dies peacefully in her bed a few weeks after the convention recesses at the age of ninety one. A spirited young man by the name of Kevin Ailes takes her place, and the XSP continues to grow under his enthusiastic leadership. Life does indeed go on, and the election goes through without major incident. It goes pretty much as expected, with more conservative representatives being called upon in richer areas. Some minor party officials are elected as well, but the XSP carries the day by a large margin, with Ailes winning the nostalgically-named Alphin position at the head of the executive branch. The continental shield is erected without much incident, but construction of a new Labule is continually delayed until, a week after his election, Alphin Ailes calls upon the Commodore himself to request Coredian protection of the orbital military installations, which are continually compromised by the patrols of the Ravenian and Weyrik forces. He asks for nonaggressive action, simply a protective measure so that construction can proceed. Meanwhile, the legislature debates the status of Nibel, the first major issue of their tenure quickly surfacing: what should be the long-term status of Mirfakan relations with CoreWorlds?
The Commodore made a point to attend the funeral of the fiery-spirited old woman. Despite the early arguments and discussions, the Commodore respected Ueda very much so and vowed to keep her dreams alive, even if she herself would no longer be around to see them bloom.

To help out the military installations, the Commodore has redeployed some of the smaller ships at the installations so that if they are attacked, the aggressors will have to deal with the Core Navy. The larger ships are patrolling the sector around the Mirfak system, but can be available within minutes if at all needed. Now the other question remains: What should be the status of relations with the rest of Coreworlds?

"A referendum is needed." The Commodore muttered, sitting in his current office northwest of the center of the capital. "What would the people suggest?"

Sometime later, a special topic came out on the various public forums. "We are currently suggesting a status of alliance between our two nations. However, we will listen to other options and opinions and decide the one that is most popular, and right for the future of Mirfak."

Revenia: Despite the security efforts, attacks continue and claim more assets. Bulshin no longer has any economy whatsoever, and virtually all food and other supplies are coming from the Revenian relief effort. Tens of thousands starve. Everything shuts down, and what little popularity rating is left for the occupation is thanks to the fact that they're still feeding the inhabitants. Violence and disease are rampant. Continental conditions are deplorable. At the rate the Bulshini people are consuming Revenian resources simply to survive, the worth of the place is below zero. Buildings decay, and the construction projects that have been going on cease. Bulshin is now little more than a black hole, consuming more lives, property, and resources every day. The Nibeli Alphin sends a reply to the warprince that is little more than an eloquent "screw you," citation of the brilliant leadership of the Coredians, and a demand to withdraw and spare the people of Bulshin further misery. The next major movement on Bulshin is an immigration effort. People use private boats and set out for Nibel.

HNN NEWS ALERT!

"The President has just issued a statement of protest against the Revenian government for their harsh treatment of the Mirfakans on their continent of Bulshin. We go to him now!"

----

"Revenia, take a good look at your 'newly acquired lands'. Look at what you are doing. I have warned you that in time, you would have no people to support you. Your harsh measures are nothing more than a bully beating on a small child. For what? To keep power? You'll fail there. To make yourself look good? You make yourself look bad in the eyes of the galaxy. I suggest you take a good look at how we do things on Nibel. Maybe you could learn something from us, rather than to just hope forcing them to respect you would cow them into submission. It never does. It never will. I foresee you would have to resort to more and more violent measures as you go on, and in the end, you will...have...nothing! I hope you can reconsider your policies and Force help you if you continue to use harsh measures. Thank you for your attention."

CoreWorlds: The national consensus is overwhelming, but problematic. The Mirfakan population of Nibel wants and indeed needs the protection of the Coredians, but they also want sovereignty. The Alphin drafts a proposition with the legislature and presents it to the Commodore. Signing it will make Nibel (and any other Mirfakan area that joins it by legislative consensus) a protectorate of CoreWorlds, and require the backing of the Core Navy for protection, and in return make the Nibel government subject to any executive orders handed down to them from the Coredian government as long as the orders do not violate their constitution. It also calls for 10% of the Nibel national budget to be paid to the Coredian government as "partial repayment" for their services.

Dysaryn shook his head idly...

"Burst message to Coreworlds."

-Beep.-

"Heya. Newsflash. Not our fault people are stupid. We work our way, you work your way.

As for "harsh methods..." You haven't seen nothin' yet. Next casualty on our side, we start nuking shit.

Later."

-end.-

CoreWorlds: The national consensus is overwhelming, but problematic. The Mirfakan population of Nibel wants and indeed needs the protection of the Coredians, but they also want sovereignty. The Alphin drafts a proposition with the legislature and presents it to the Commodore. Signing it will make Nibel (and any other Mirfakan area that joins it by legislative consensus) a protectorate of CoreWorlds, and require the backing of the Core Navy for protection, and in return make the Nibel government subject to any executive orders handed down to them from the Coredian government as long as the orders do not violate their constitution. It also calls for 10% of the Nibel national budget to be paid to the Coredian government as "partial repayment" for their services.
"Wow," The Commodore whistled as he read the document. "They really love us. Ok. I'll just sign this, and then, we could send it up the line to the Senate for ratification."

He signed it with his full name and title, and sent it up the line. A day later, the Senate ratified it with an 88% approval rating and now Nibel, Mirfak is a Protectorate of Coreworlds. The question is now: What to do about Revenia?

Dysaryn shook his head idly...

"Burst message to Coreworlds."

-Beep.-

"Heya. Newsflash. Not our fault people are stupid. We work our way, you work your way.

As for "harsh methods..." You haven't seen nothin' yet. Next casualty on our side, we start nuking shit.

Later."

-end.-
"Damn you, fool." The President ripped apart the paper as soon as he finished it. "You will destroy yourself and a wonderful people in your attempt to subdue what is not yours. The Senate is not going to like this, nor the media. Neither will the Jedi Council, or the Navy, for that matter."

Timetable Released for Guard Withdrawal
Onnin, Mirfak
WN3

With decrease in military insurgent action on the Star Guard-occupied continent of Onnin, Major-General Horatio Markowitz has issued a timetable for the withdrawal of Weyrean soldiers from the system. The current one hundred twenty thousand strong force will be reduced to thirty thousand soldiers over the next sixty days. The timetable assumes locals applying for law enforcement positions in reasonable numbers, and submitting a plan for a continent-wide government within at least thirty days. Government offices remain closed, with former workers on paid leave by the Guard, until a working plan for a new government is submitted to General Markowitz for approval.

The curfew has effectively been lifted, although locals have been requested to stay off the streets as much as possible after sundown and to not display weapons unless they feel necessary. Locals have also thus far been required to carry identification cards with them, although relatively few persons have been requested to produce them, according to Peacekeeper officials.

A program for training law enforcement officials has been initiated in all urban areas, headed by Peacekeeper specialists. Under the program, the Star Guard will also be providing Hoplite-3 non-powered light body armor and non-lethal weaponry, as well as various surveillance and transportation vehicles. No official plans for possible Mirfaki self-defense forces have been issued.

Elements of the Sol Fleet have initiated preparations for a return to Terra. Having taken no casualties throughout the deployment, they will resume station at Earthbound. Accusations of Weyrik intervention against Coredian-backed space assets remain unfounded, but an investigation by the Council of Weyrik Freecorps has been launched into the matter.

Engineer corps has begun constructing a military base at the continent's capitol, a major city constructed on the local river delta. With Bulshin only a scant three-dozen kilometers away, and with conditions there deteriorating as locals fail to comply with Revenian requests, refugees may consider entering Guard-occupied zones. Gunships operating from the unfinished airstrips have initiated patrols around the continent. Thus far, no unidentified watercrafts have been sighted, and Guard forces are under orders to incarcerate rather than eliminate refuges.

Several Weyrean companies, headed by the Integrated Automotive Consortium, Paradigm Staryards, and Weyr Sky and Space have begun constructing manufactories within Onnin. The extent of future net Weyrean investment in the area remains unknown. The entrance of two of the Kingdom’s major starcraft construction leaders means that thousands of new jobs will be created when the yards and their supporting industries come online and as local industries expand. Less well-known corporations are also expected to invest in the area, assuming socio-economic stability holds in the area.

The Weyrik Board of Estimates has stated that it will not place any pressure on the Mirfaki government, if it forms, to offer special treatment to Weyrean corporations.




OOC: worked out with Revenia over IRC. Bigger post later tonight or early tomorrow.

Star Guard Purchases Continent
Onnin, Mirfak
WN3

In a startling turn of events, the Star Guard has agreed to purchase the rights to the continent of Bulshin, currently occupied by Revenian forces. With the continent’s current condition being what it is, the investment is questionable, at best, and Star Guard stocks have dropped several points since the announcement was made. The sum paid for the continent remains unknown, but is guessed to be at approximately one billion Revenian Firebirds. The drop in price, compared with the offer to Coredians to purchase the same territory for eight trillion Firebirds, has raised questions of misconduct by Guard officials. The Star Guard is expected to make a formal announcement regarding the accusations and its plans for the new territory, later today.

Dysaryn smiled idly...

"WE ARE LEAVING! GRAB WHAT YOU WANT, GET ON THE SHUTTLES..."

There was little looting, per se. The 'Grab what you want,' was more, 'Grab any sick refugees and/or locals who've attached themselves and book.'

It was quick, fast, efficient...Revenian professionalism. Only one thing was left behind, a note to be delivered to the President of Core Worlds.

"You have made the mistake of believing we care in the least about what you think. We don't. We were great before you were anything more than single celled organism. We exist still. We hope we never meet again. You...disgust...us.

Kal-Kree'Kas"

The Navy grants the Revenians safe passage through the system, the last time (hopefully) that they will do so.

The move is surprising and mildly pleasing, but whatever joy there is in the Revenian withdrawal is overriden by the immediate cries for help. Bulshin is dying. Their last source of food and aid has disappeared. Despite resources that amount to almost nothing, Nibel's government dispatches its entire military and most of its public aid sector to Bulshin. Alphin Ailes issues a passionate plea to both CoreWorlds and Weyr to divert as many resources as they can to Bulshin. "Revenia is gone, but now our brothers and sisters are dying of hunger, violence, and disease. Of the three continents, they were hardest hit by this occupation. They will fight us, they will kill us. They have lived this past year in darkness. We can expect nothing else than their suspicion and hatred. Still, they are victims. They deserve our mercy. They deserve our help. Please, help them where I can not. CoreWorlds and Weyr; you have done so much for us that I cannot stand and ask you to do more. From my knees, I beg you. Save Bulshin."

The move is surprising and mildly pleasing, but whatever joy there is in the Revenian withdrawal is overriden by the immediate cries for help. Bulshin is dying. Their last source of food and aid has disappeared. Despite resources that amount to almost nothing, Nibel's government dispatches its entire military and most of its public aid sector to Bulshin. Alphin Ailes issues a passionate plea to both CoreWorlds and Weyr to divert as many resources as they can to Bulshin. "Revenia is gone, but now our brothers and sisters are dying of hunger, violence, and disease. Of the three continents, they were hardest hit by this occupation. They will fight us, they will kill us. They have lived this past year in darkness. We can expect nothing else than their suspicion and hatred. Still, they are victims. They deserve our mercy. They deserve our help. Please, help them where I can not. CoreWorlds and Weyr; you have cone so much for us that I cannot stand and ask you to do more. From my knees, I beg you. Save Bulshin."
The pleas for help reached the ears of Naval Command, and with the possible help of Weyr, begins emergency shipments of food, bacta medicine and carpenters (hey Weyr, what say we send a few alchemists, eh?) with building equipment for shelters to Bulshin. The continent is a horrible place to live right now, but to rise to an occasion like this is what the Imperial Republic does best. After all, it is considered a shining beacon of the galaxy.

OOC
@Core Worlds: Are you going to actually explain why you suddenly have indigenous alchemists in your state, alchemists nearly identical on the surface to mine, or will I have to slap an IGNORE on you? I can’t just accept someone suddenly popping up with alchemists; and I certainly will not accept someone popping up with characters that come directly from the show. If the US dubbed version were actually complete, maybe, but seeing as you don’t even have enough information on most characters to properly RP them, please hold off on that.

Plans For Bulshin Revealed
Onnin, Mirfak
WN3

The Star Guard has halted its withdrawal from the Mirfak system, and now appears to be preparing for large-scale deployment into the continent of Bulshin. As forces are moved to staging areas for rapid deploymet into urban areas, work is already underway in the beleaguered continent.

After three days of apparent inaction, the Guard's First Peacekeeper Company has entered Bulshin, marking the beginning of the Kingdom's formal involvement on the recently acquired landmass. Escorting Remorak dropships filled with emergency supplies, the four hundred fully armed and armored soldiers are expected to set up a temporary base camp at the center of Bulshin’s de-facto capital city in expectation of further reinforcements. Supplies have been distributed to women and children as much as possible.

Currently, the Guard is expected to draw on food stocks in Onnin, which has been left relatively unharmed by the occupation, to supply locals in Bulshin. Engineers are expected to begin work on Feed lines for matter compilers later in the week. Feed lines are vital to further efforts, drawing directly on planetary resources to provide necessary supplies, but are highly vulnerable to sabotage. Carrying countless tons of highly reactive substances every day, Feed lines have been subject to sabotage in the past, and Bulshin is expected to be no different. Engineers operating within Bulshin are expected to be escorted by Marines, and will most probably wear hardened powered suits, at least in high-risk zones.

For the next several days, it is expected that the Guard will be tasked with beginning vital material shipments to Bulshin. More soldiers may be called from Sol to deal with peacekeeping, should military action continue against Peacekeeper soldiers as it had against Revenian forces. For now, a curfew has been placed from sundown to sunrise, and the Guard has warned that anyone found outside after hours may be imprisoned or eliminated. All work places have been closed, but emergency workers, especially hospital workers, are urged to return to their posts. Transit between cities has been shut down for the time being in order to facilitate the transport of resources to areas across the continent by preventing refugees from clogging transportation arteries. Persons caught between cities are requested to halt where they are, and shelters and supplies have already begun moving to provide for those caught in transit.

Parasite coverage over the continent is virtual guarantee that anyone not identified as a friendly will risk certain death after nightfall.

It is expected to take at least a week for food distribution to reach all persons within Bulshin.

Reconstruction plans have not been disclosed as of yet, and are not expected to start in full until relative order is restored in Bulshin. In the meanwhile the Guard is expected to provide shelters and supplies for the displaced populace. The Guard may call on corporate assistance in the coming days.

All non-Weyrean forces planning to enter, or already within Bulshin, have been requested to contact Major-General Horatio Markowitz at #contact info# before coming within twelve kilometers of that continent. Guard forces are permitted to fire on any armed persons in Bulshin, and the General hopes to avoid unnecessary casualties and to coordinate further relief efforts. “While we [the Star Guard] don’t want to hamper any potential aid, neither do we want unidentified soldiers and unmarked weapons entering the territory,” Markowitz has stated from his office in Onnin. “Bulshin has become a virtual war zone, and the Star Guard will not suffer needless casualties in order to protect militants.”

OOC: I wasn't being serious anyway, so I won't send any. And besides, the show's almost to the twenties now, so I think I have a pretty good idea of how the characters act, thank you very much. So if you want to ignore me, fine. Don't let me stop you. But don't presume to lecture me on what I can or can't do.

IC:
Considering that there are soldiers already on the ground clearly marked with Coredian symbols when the Weyreans came in, it's just a basic formality for the Commodore to contact the Major General and let him know that there are Coredian troops on the continent and that they will help with the reconstruction efforts. The Mirfakian government did ask for both nations to aid Bulshin after all.

OOC: No ignores please. Since I'm in the middle that would mean I'd have to choose one of you to ignore, and that would suck.

IC: Nibel's personnel do their best to contact the Major-General, but some of them either don't recieve the message or don't have the means to reply. The precautions being taken by Weyrik forces are understood and obeyed as best as possible by relief personnel. Elections are finally held on Onnin, calling into service representatives from each region, and the council begins working with the Nibel government and Weyrik officials to determine the quickest course to reunification and continued compensation to Weyr itself for its investment. By the time aid finally reaches across the continent of Bulshin, an estimated four hundred thousand people have died of various causes. The concentrated efforts of Weyr and CoreWorlds successfully resupply the continent, and the elected governments of Nibel and Onnin begin acting as consultants to Weyr, recommending the best course to rebuilding. And rebuilding is now by far the greatest concern. With Bulshin now successfully on life support, the process of bringing it back to self-sufficiency looms large ahead. Though Revenia had made significant progress in rebuilding many of the demolished metropolises, millions remain homeless. Industry and commercial sectors have completely ceased to operate, and what few means of food production remain could barely feed a small city, let alone a continent of Bulshin's size. Violence from both insurgent forces and simple criminals continues in strong numbers. It is no mystery that Bulshin will consume much more time, energy, and resources before it begins to produce anything in return.

But to say there is no good news would be the furthest thing from the truth. Onnin's government seems stable and ready to move forward, as do Onnin's industrial and commercial assets. Rebuilding on Nibel is complete, and the government carries public support almost as strong as the support for the Coredians. Violence against occupation forces on Onnin have all but stopped as public support for the insurgents evaporates. And, if nothing else, Bulshin's people have food in their mouths and a new reason to hope. Alano's holocaust is over, and a new era of Mirfakan society is developing under the watchful guidance of Coredian and Weyrik leaders.

Five years later:
Nibel and Onnin are again united under a single government, with Bulshin, now almost completely rebuilt after the chaos of Revenian domination, expected to join soon. The islands across Mirfak were successfully re-annexed without violence with the combined work of Mirfakan and occupation forces, and a sense normalcy is returning to the people. The first new Mirfakan defense fleet has been launched, based on the same designs of the old Labule. The nation's security forces have been organized into a new KGB, now stripped of its power to pass judgement on suspects autonomously. The Mirfakan Nahbule has also been reorganized as a reserve military, with only its high officers and clerical staff in active service during peacetime. Many changes have taken place across the Mirfakan government's jurisdiction. Large corporations have been dissolved, their branches devided up. Utilities, food production, and housing sectors have all been transferred to public ownership. Mirfak is a very different place now than it ever has been before. Plans are on the table to end Coredian protectorate status and create a general alliance, as are various propositions to begin compensatory payments and pass trade agreements with the Weyrik government. On April 17, 2889, the Mirfakan government submits a Request for Systemic Autonomy to Weyr, asking for control of the Mirfakan star system in its entirety to be returned to the Mirfakan government in return for annual payments of 10% of the national budget until all Weyrik costs incurred on Mirfak are covered, plus an additional 100% grace payment.

As Mirfak is once again able to stand up on it's own feet, the protectorate status will conveniently expire soon (unless renewed), and an alliance treaty is being drawn up when it does. The new military has allowed Core troops to withdraw, leaving a Star Destroyer task force for defense and as a trip-wire in case of major invasion. All in all, things are looking up for the Mirfak system.

OOC: OK...a few things happened in five years. You got police, you didn't get ANY military forces, at least not on Onnin or Belshin. If you have tried to get a credible military without coming through Markowitz, I would have told you to piss off and siezed whatever you tried to bring in.

Private ownership is good, but I suspect that Weyrik corporates now own a good chunk of your economy, what with the rock-bottom investment costs to set up shop there diring the reconstruction. Anyhoo...big treaty post.

Chapter 1
Article I
The entity of Mirfak, and all of its current and future parts, does hereby agree to limit its armament as provided in the present Treaty.

Article II
The entity of Mirfak may retain any two ships it currently possesses existing outside the bounds of the articles of this Treaty. Ships exceeding the parameters of this treaty shall be scrapped in accordance with the terms of Chapter II.

Article III
The entity of Mirfak will terminate all programs for the construction of ships exceeding the limitations of this Treaty.

Article IV
No ship in possession of Mirfak or any of its parts may exceed one hundred fifty thousand metric thousand metric tons in mass after full loadout.

Article V
The combined mass of all ships possessed by Mirfak shall not 5,800,000 metric tons after full loadout.

Article VI
No ship in possession of Mirfak or any of its parts may exceed 1,500,000,000 cubic meters in volume.

Article VII
No ships may be purchased, bartered for, or accepted as a gift, that do not comply with the terms of this Treaty.

Article VIII
No ships may be constructed for use by another entity that do not comply with the terms of this Treaty.

Chapter 2
Article I
A vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combatant use.

Article II
This result must be attained in any of the following ways:
a. The permanent sinking of the vessel
b. The breaking up of the vessel, including the removal of all drive systems, bulkheads, weapons systems, navigation and control systems, shield systems, aerospace launch and retrieval systems, life support systems, and armor plating.
c. The conversion of the vessel to permanent target use, involving the removal of all systems except basic navigational systems and drives. No more than one capitol ship may be retained for this purpose.

Article III
The entity of Mirfak may replace its craft with newer craft after the initiation of this Treaty. All new craft must comply with the terms of this treaty; all

Chapter 3
Article I
Total ground forces in possession of Mirfak will not exceed 100,000 in front-line personnel.

Article II
Support personnel accompanying those soldiers will not exceed 500,000 personnel.

Article III
Law enforcement personnel will not be included in the above figures. Law enforcement personnel may not possess any vehicles exceeding 20 metric tons in net mass.

Article IV
Mirfak will not construct or purchase transports capable of superluminal speeds for the purpose of transporting any forces.

Article V
All mercenary forces employed by Mrifak will count towards its total ground armed personnel.

Article VI
Mirfak will not accept or assume command of any forces not originating within its borders.

Chapter 4
Article I
The entity of Mirfak shall communicate the specifications of all weapons systems in its possession to the entities of Core Worlds, Revenia, and Weyr.

Article II
Inspectors from the entities of Core Worlds, Revenia, and Weyr shall be permitted to inspect Mirfaki facilities, weapons systems, and all implements and facilities of war at any time.

Chapter 5
Article I
No action may be taken by Mirfak of any of its parts against any foreign citizens without prior consultation with the entities of Core Worlds, Revenia, and Weyr.

Article II
Mirfaki forces may not conduct any operations outside the Mirfak system without prior approval from the entities of Core Worlds, Revenia, and Weyr.

After five years, preparations to control underway
Mirfak
WN3

Over the past few months, the Guard has been slowly moving its forces from Mirfak and back to the Sol system, in preparation for a day when the system would finally be turned over to local control. With local governments in place, and with most of the planet relatively restored, there appears to be no reason for peacekeeper soldiers, now numbering in the low thousands, to remain deployed there.

The treaty, as it was proposed in response to the request for independent governance from Mirfaki elements, gives Mirfak limited military powers, and implies the ability for Mirfak to follow its own course regarding all non-military issues. As with all such documents, what is not stated is as important as what is.

While the treaty has come only from the Kingdom, it is expected that Coredian and Revenian elements will participate in its enforcement, should such enforcement become necessary.

The continents of Bulshin and Onnin, however, fail to accept the treaty. Nibel, unaffected by it, supports them. Representatives from all three governments protest the restrictions, citing the need to defend themselves against foreign attack. Alphin Kevin Ailes of Nibel is among the chief opposition. "Mirfak owes everything that it has today to the nations of CoreWorlds and Weyr, but we will not be opressed from without as we were previously opressed from within. Nibel has been given complete sovereignty and the means to defend itself by the Coredians. As long as Bulshin and Onnin's citizens are under these restrictions, their governments can never join with us to reunite this planet. We are seeking to create a world of peace, but not a world that can be crushed by its enemies. The reign of Fiquil Alano taught us one thing: justice must be afforded equally to all. Your invasion taught us another: we must always be prepared to defend what is ours. Because of that invasion, some among you now think you have the right to control us. I say that as long as Mirfak says that you do not, you do not. We can never fully repay the service you did for us in deposing Alano and rebuilding our nation; but I and my colleagues in the world's governments refuse to abridge the authority of Mirfak's people."

The continents of Bulshin and Onnin, however, fail to accept the treaty. Nibel, unaffected by it, supports them. Representatives from all three governments protest the restrictions, citing the need to defend themselves against foreign attack. Alphin Kevin Ailes of Nibel is among the chief opposition. "Mirfak owes everything that it has today to the nations of CoreWorlds and Weyr, but we will not be opressed from without as we were previously opressed from within. Nibel has been given complete sovereignty and the means to defend itself by the Coredians. As long as Bulshin and Onnin's citizens are under these restrictions, their governments can never join with us to reunite this planet. We are seeking to create a world of peace, but not a world that can be crushed by its enemies. The reign of Fiquil Alano taught us one thing: justice must be afforded equally to all. Your invasion taught us another: we must always be prepared to defend what is ours. Because of that invasion, some among you now think you have the right to control us. I say that as long as Mirfak says that you do not, you do not. We can never fully repay the service you did for us in deposing Alano and rebuilding our nation; but I and my colleagues in the world's governments refuse to abridge the authority of Mirfak's people."
The Sandler Administration has joined the Mirfakians in throwing out the treaty, citing inadequete protection for them to protect themselves.

"We will not accept any treaty that does not allow them the ability to protect themselves from foreign invasion, and and if somehow ratified, will not abide by any article, rule, law or whatsoever that would be binding to Mirfak in this fashion." The President has reportedly remarked.

In response, he has proposed an alternate treaty.

Treaty of Mirfak:

Article I:
The nation of Mirfak shall be allied to the Imperial Republic of Coreworlds (and the Kingdom of Weyr) without restrictions other than what is stated in their own Constitution.

Article II:
Should Mirfak be attacked, (Weyr and) Coreworlds shall render any assistance deemed necessary to stop and drive off the attackers.

Article III:
It shall be at the descretion of the Mirfak Government whether or not to aid Coreworlds in her own times of trouble. When they do, aid may come in whatever form they wish. Only binding agreement shall be to allow in refugees in times of trouble. (Weyr may insert his/her own clause of ally-help here)

Article IV:
Should Mirfak once again fall to the hands of evil leaders, it shall be the duty of Coreworlds (and Weyr) to render aid, allow refugees, and if necessary, defeat the leaders with whatever means possible including but not limited to military intervention.

OOC: Parts in parantheses are if Weyr accepts the treaty. Otherwise, it's a separate Coreworlds-Mirfak treaty.

Representatives, primarily from Nibel but also from Onnin (and one from Bulshin), protest the Coredian treaty as unequal. Kevin Ailes, busy with the oposition to Weyr's treaty, appoints a Councilwoman, Sasha Kutal, to be spokesperson for the second treaty. She proposes a change to make it fairer to all sides. "The Coredian government has again been generous with us in proposing its treaty. However, we must oppose it. It is overbalanced in our favor. If CoreWorlds and Weyr are to be compelled to assist us when we are in danger, we must be required to do the same for them to the best of our ability. We also cannot in good conscience sign a treaty that compels action against 'evil,' yet fails to define it. We propose that the clause either be removed or that it be rephrased to forbit non-representative government."

OOC: OK...you have a group of people who have allowed a psychotic dictator to come to power, have done nothing to reverse this, and are now walking away with a full-blow military and a pair of alliances. *wonders what CoreWorlds is smoking*

And...I screwed up on the mass and volume figures...those are revised.

From the desk of the Major-General

While the Star Guard of the Kingdom of Weyr does much preffer the Imperial Republic's spirit in proposing a treaty giving so many aids to a nation only now recovering from its own idiocy, the Kingdom cannot accept such terms so quickly. The Guard has seen too many states walk away from wars of their own making with little more than a slap on the wrist to see it done again.

The limitations placed upon Mirfak allow them more than enough power to defend themselves from assault. A hundred thousand soldiers are fully capable of protecting a planet, just as five million tons of star craft are more than enough to garrison a system. The Star Guard's own armed forces are only double the figures we have proposed, and the Star Guard is responsible for the defense of thirteen settled systems.

Should Mirfak wish to go to war, all it has to do is approve its warmaking with three states. While the Guard sees no reason for Mirfak to go to war, it is fully capable of doing so. Neither is Mirfak prevented from constructing static defense platforms around its space to bolster its defenses, platforms which give it no offensive capability while providing additional defensive capabilities.

Because of Mirfak's history, the Kingdom is not interested in watching another dictatorial government come to power unopposed, and claiming a powerful and rebuilt military. Should Mirfak prove to be able to govern itself, the Guard will be more than happy to drop its restrictions. A period of fity years should more than suffice for Mirfak to show whether or not is is capable of moderating itself.

That aside, the Guard proposes to integrate the two proposed treaties, such that Mirfak will be protected by the combined fleets of Core Worlds and the Kingdom, but will not be capable of wide-scale military action. Mirfak will thus have nothing to fear from external agressors, and will have ample forces to deal with a goodly number of threats.

The Guard does agree with the representatives from Mirfak that the Coredian treaty as it stands leaves unclear the exct nature of the government unfavorable to Core Worlds. The Guard sees no reason to restrict Mirfak's ability to choose a government, but will weigh the government chosen by Mirfak when it revises the treaty in fifty years, should said treaty be accepted.

OOC: Notice the clause about 'evil' government. We come back if a dictatorship pops up again.

IC:
REVISED Treaty of Mirfak:

Article I:
The nation of Mirfak shall be allied to the Imperial Republic of Coreworlds (and the Kingdom of Weyr) without restrictions other than what is stated in their own Constitution and in this Treaty.

Article II:
Should Mirfak be attacked, (Weyr and) Coreworlds shall render any assistance deemed necessary to stop and drive off the attackers.

Article III:
Mirfak shall render all necessary aid to Coreworlds (and Weyr) when they are under attack themselves.

Article IV:
Should Mirfak once again fall to the hands of non-representative government (dictatorship like Alano's), it shall be the duty of Coreworlds (and Weyr) to render aid, allow refugees, and if necessary, defeat the leaders with whatever means possible including but not limited to military intervention.

The three planetary governments, meeting in convention, have issued the following statement: "We are willing to abide by military restrictions along the lines proposed by Weyr under the following conditions:
1: We be allowed to maintain a planetary military force of one million armed personnel, with no limit on unarmed support personnel.
2: The maximum space fleet tonnage be increased to ten million tons and applied only to combat-equipped starships.
3: We not be required to divulge specifications of technological developments to anyone.
4: No nation shall be presumed to have the right to inspect our technology, only to inspect and enforce the numerated restrictions.
5: The restrictions will expire after no more than fifty years' time.
6: We be held as an unconditional protectorate of Weyr and CoreWorlds until the restrictions expire.
7: Operation range of Mirfakan vessels of any kind shall not be externally restricted."

"Well, that's better than our proposal. Who the hell wrote that crap, anyway?" The Secretary of State, attending the convention, was quoted as saying.

From the desk of the Major-General

The Star Gaurd will accept an increase in armed forces. However, it will permit no more than two million total armed forces for Mirfak.

The Guard sees no need for Mirfak to object to deployment restrictions, unless it is already planning to use its military forces to exert its will upon its neighbours. Failing that, Mirfak should have no need to have troopships capable of superliminal transit, since it will have no need to deploy its armed forces in bulk to neighbouring solar systems.

The tonnage increase for ships is unacceptable; once again, the Guard sees no need for Mirfak to maintain a greater self-defense force for a single system than some states maintain for multisystem defense. Mirfak should be more than capable to provide for daily defense with the current force estimates, and will be backed by the full force of the Guard and Core Worlds, making for little need to maintain a great fleet. The Guard suggests that Mirfak spend money towards the bettering of its people rather than towards the implements of war.

Naturally, tonnage restrictions will not apply to merchant shipping, as that shipping will not be employed by the military. However, merchants equipped to carry military-type weaponry will be classified as military craft and treated as such.

Inspection of installations is a requirement for ensuring that Mirfak does, in fact, adheres to the statements of its military Treaty. Mirfak should not be worried as to the theft of its technologies, since inspection will deal with numerical overview.

The specifications to be provided must include the dry and loaded tonnage, the volume, the armor scheme, the drive output, the weapons types and numbers, and the numbers of each type of craft. These numbers must be verified by both Weyrean, Revenian, and Coredian officials, and possibly by a third party.

The Guard will not hold Mirfak as an unconditional protectorate while Mirfak builds up its armies. If Mirfak has indeed decided to follow a more peaceful and less warmongering path, it must accept that it will not be permitted to construct a large force under the cover of the Guard's and Coreworlds' militaries.

The deployment restrictions are unacceptable for the sole reason that merchant ships must be allowed to leave the system and military forces may be required to escort them or participate in other, exploratory missions. Note that we have not asked you to lift the troop transport restrictions from the treaty.

Your tonnage restrictions are unacceptable. Many nations have single ships that exceed your restriction of the total tonnage of all Mirfakan ships. The total tonnage allowed must be increased to at least ten million if you expect us to accept your terms. Expanding the military and administering to the general welfare of the people are not mutually exclusive.

Naturally the restrictions must not apply to merchant ships, but your treaty does not exempt them. Revise it so that it does, also exempting defensively-armed craft. Space is a dangerous place, and unless you plan to escort all Mirfakan merchant vessels, your restriction is unacceptable.

Your treaty allows you to inspect not only our numbers, but our technology. While we have no problem with the former for enforcement purposes, the latter is not acceptable. Remove those provisions.

We will provide you with weight information and general design. Once again, we will not reveal the technology or the specifications for its applications, as this would leave our entire defense program vulnerable to you and anyone who had access to your information. That will not be allowed.

You must protect us unconditionally as long as we adhere to the treaty. Anything less will be rejected.

Revenia will not be granted any rights under this treaty, as they had no hand in rebuilding and no longer own any interests in the Mirfak System. Mirfak, CoreWorlds, and Weyr are to be the only parties in this treaty.

The restrictions must have an expiration date if you expect us to comply. You proposed fifty years. That is acceptable.

Revised Weyrik treaty:

Article I

Section 1
The entity of Mirfak, and all of its current and future parts, does hereby agree to limit its armament as provided in the present Treaty.

Section 2
The combined mass of all ships possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 5,000,000 metric tons after full loadout.

Section 3
No ships may be constructed by Mirfak for use by another entity.

Section 4
Ships exceeding the parameters of this treaty shall be scrapped in accordance with the terms of Article II.

Article II

Section 1
A vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combat use by the removal of all systems except basic navigational systems and drives. It may also be disassembled in its entirety.

Section 2
All new craft constructed by or for Mirfak must comply with the terms of this treaty.

Article III

Section 1
Mirfak will not exceed 1,000,000 armed personnel in public service, not counting law enforcement personnel.

Section 2
Mirfak will not posess transports capable of superluminal speeds for the purpose of transporting any armed forces.

Section 3
All mercenary forces employed by Mrifak will count towards its restriction totals.

Section 4
Mirfak will not accept or assume command of any forces not originating within its borders.

Article IV

Section I
Inspectors from the entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall be permitted to inspect Mirfak’s military numbers at any time to ensure compliance with the restrictions herein.

Article V

Section I
This treaty shall be made null and void fifty years after its initial institution or if any party shall be conclusively shown to be in violation of its terms, whichever event occurs first.

Section II
As long as this treaty is in effect, Weyr and CoreWorlds are required to defend Mirfak against any foreign aggression with the full force of their respective militaries.

Article I

Section 1
The entity of Mirfak, and all of its current and future parts, does hereby agree to limit its armament as provided in the present Treaty.

Section 2
The full mass of any single military ship possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 500,000 metric tons.

Section 3
The combined mass of all military ships possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 5,000,000 metric tons after full loadout.

Section 4
Military ships constructed by Mirfak for use by another entity must follow the terms of this treaty.

Section 5
Ships exceeding the parameters of this treaty shall be scrapped in accordance with the terms of Article II.

Section 6
Stationary defense structures shall not be subject to therestrictions of this treaty.

Section 7
Commercial craft shall not be subject the restrictions of this treaty.

Article II

Section 1
A vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combat use.

Section 2
The above must be attained by:
a. Complete and irreversible disassembly of a ship, including the removal, reuse, resale, and/or destruction of all systems and armor plating.
b. The conversion of a ship to target practice via the removal of all systems except basic navigational systems and drives.

Section 3
All new craft constructed by or for Mirfak must comply with the terms of this treaty.

Article III

Section 1
Mirfak will not hold more than 4,000,000 armed personnel in public or private military service, not counting law enforcement personnel.

Section 2
Law enforcement personnel may not employ vehicles over twenty metric tons in mass.

Section 3
Mirfak will not possess transports capable of superluminal speeds for the purpose of transporting any armed forces.

Section 4
All mercenary forces employed by Mirfak will count towards its restriction totals.

Section 5
Mirfak will not accept or assume command of any forces not originating within its borders.

Article IV

Section 1
Inspectors from the entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall be permitted to inspect Mirfak’s military numbers at any time to ensure compliance with the restrictions herein.

Section 2
All base specifications of current and future ships are to be made available to Weyrean and Coredian governments.

Section 3
Above specifications will include:
a. The mass of the craft in metric tons.
b. The net and usable volume of the craft in metric tons.
c. The full weapons loadout of the ship.

Article V

Section 1
This treaty shall put up for review before Core Worlds, Mirfak, and Weyr fifty years after its initial institution or if any party shall be conclusively shown to be in violation of its terms, whichever event occurs first.

Section 2
The termination of this treaty will be put for consideration at its review, and granted by a simple majority vote unless violations in treaty terms are noted.

Section 3
As long as this treaty is in effect, Weyr and Core Worlds are required to defend Mirfak against any foreign aggression with the full force of their respective militaries.

Section 4
Mirfak is required to assist Weyr and Core Worlds against foreign aggression with the full force of its military.

Article I: Mirfakan Spacecraft

Section 1
The full mass of any single military ship possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 500,000 metric tons.

Section 2
The combined mass of all military ships possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 5,000,000 metric tons after full loadout.

Section 3
Military ships constructed by Mirfak for use by another entity must follow the terms of this treaty.

Section 4
Mirfakan ships exceeding the parameters of this treaty shall be scrapped in accordance with the terms of Article II.

Section 5
Stationary defense structures in the Mirfak System shall not be subject to the restrictions of this treaty.

Section 6
Privately-owned and commercial craft operating in and out of Mirfak shall not be subject to the restrictions of this treaty.

Article II: Mirfakan Scrapping of Vessels

Section 1
A Mirfakan vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combat use.

Section 2
The above must be attained by:
a. Complete and irreversible disassembly of a ship, including the removal, reuse, resale, and/or destruction of all systems and armor plating.
b. Removal of all systems except basic navigational systems and drives.

Section 3
All new craft constructed by or for Mirfak must comply with the terms of this treaty.

Article III: Mirfakan Armed Personnel

Section 1
Mirfak will not hold more than 4,000,000 armed personnel in public service, not counting law enforcement personnel.

Section 2
Mirfakan law enforcement personnel may not employ vehicles over fifty metric tons in mass.

Section 3
Mirfak will not possess troop transports capable of superluminal speeds.

Section 4
All mercenary forces employed by Mirfak will count towards its restriction totals.

Section 5
Mirfak will not accept or assume command of any forces that would exceed the limitations set forth in this treaty.

Article IV: Enforcement

Section 1
Inspectors from the entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall be permitted to inspect Mirfak’s military numbers at any time to ensure compliance with the restrictions herein.

Section 2
All base specifications of current and future ships are to be made available to Weyrik and Coredian governments by the Mirfakan government.

Section 3
Base specifications are:
a. The mass of the craft in metric tons.
b. The net and usable volume of the craft in metric tons.
c. The number and destructive force of each weapon type on the craft.

Article V: Coredian and Weyrik Responsibilities

Section 1
Full autonomy and control of the Mirfak System and its assets shall be immediately returned to Mirfakan governmental authority.

Section 2
The entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall fully withdraw their combat forces from the Mirfak System within one week of this treaty's activation. All future presence, with the sole exception of unarmed inspection teams, is subject to the approval of the Mirfakan government.

Section 3
Weyr and CoreWorlds shall defend Mirfak, with the full force of their respective militaries, against any foreign military action taken against Mirfak without military provocation by Mirfak not provoked by foreign military action.

Section 4
Military action is defined for the purposes of this treaty as any action taken by an entity or its agent(s) against any other entity intending to cause harm to people or property native to the entity acted against outside of the acting entity's generally acknowledged territories.

Article VI: Activation, Nullification, and Review

Section 1
This treaty shall be activated when it has been signed by such parties as to make it legally binding to the governmental authorities of CoreWorlds, Mirfak, and Weyr. Once activated, it is binding to all three entities by domestic and international law.

Section 2
All articles of this treaty with the sole exception of this sixth article shall be null and void fifty years after its initial activation so long as Mirfak has not been proved in violation of one or more provisions before that time.

Section 3
This treaty shall be reviewed by all parties if any party is shown to be in violation of the terms herein before the above time. During review, provisions may be added or removed or the treaty voided by majority vote.

Section 4
Nullification of this treaty as provided in Section 2 of Article VI shall not be used by any party as cause for military action in and of itself.

OOC: Weyr has until March 20 to reply. If he does not, I will presume that he has withdrawn unconditionally.

OOC: Apologies. Treaty accepted because IC-ly Weyr doesn't care, and because the Star Guard has more profitable things to do than keeping a few companies of marines tied up in what to them is a pisspot system. IC post coming soonish.

OOC: Okay, good. I was starting to worry that you weren't coming back. Maybe I should just be more patient.

The final treaty draft to be signed is posted here. This post will not be edited. CoreWorlds and Weyr, please post your official IC adoptions of the treaty. Mirfak's signature post will follow yours.

Article I: Mirfakan Spacecraft

Section 1
The full mass of any single military ship possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 500,000 metric tons.

Section 2
The combined mass of all military ships possessed by Mirfak shall not exceed 5,000,000 metric tons after full loadout.

Section 3
Military ships constructed by Mirfak for use by another entity must follow the terms of this treaty.

Section 4
Mirfakan ships exceeding the parameters of this treaty shall be scrapped in accordance with the terms of Article II.

Section 5
Stationary defense structures in the Mirfak System shall not be subject to the restrictions of this treaty.

Section 6
Privately-owned and commercial craft operating in and out of Mirfak shall not be subject to the restrictions of this treaty.

Article II: Mirfakan Scrapping of Vessels

Section 1
A Mirfakan vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combat use.

Section 2
The above must be attained by:
a. Complete and irreversible disassembly of a ship, including the removal, reuse, resale, and/or destruction of all systems and armor plating.
b. Removal of all systems except basic navigational systems and drives.

Section 3
All new craft constructed by or for Mirfak must comply with the terms of this treaty.

Article III: Mirfakan Armed Personnel

Section 1
Mirfak will not hold more than 4,000,000 armed personnel in public service, not counting law enforcement personnel.

Section 2
Mirfakan law enforcement personnel may not employ vehicles over fifty metric tons in mass.

Section 3
Mirfak will not possess troop transports capable of superluminal speeds.

Section 4
All mercenary forces employed by Mirfak will count towards its restriction totals.

Section 5
Mirfak will not accept or assume command of any forces that would exceed the limitations set forth in this treaty.

Article IV: Enforcement

Section 1
Inspectors from the entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall be permitted to inspect Mirfak’s military numbers at any time to ensure compliance with the restrictions herein.

Section 2
All base specifications of current and future ships are to be made available to Weyrik and Coredian governments by the Mirfakan government.

Section 3
Base specifications are:
a. The mass of the craft in metric tons.
b. The net and usable volume of the craft in metric tons.
c. The number and destructive force of each weapon type on the craft.

Article V: Coredian and Weyrik Responsibilities

Section 1
Full autonomy and control of the Mirfak System and its assets shall be immediately returned to Mirfakan governmental authority.

Section 2
The entities of CoreWorlds and Weyr shall fully withdraw their combat forces from the Mirfak System within one week of this treaty's activation. All future presence, with the sole exception of unarmed inspection teams, is subject to the approval of the Mirfakan government.

Section 3
Weyr and CoreWorlds shall defend Mirfak, with the full force of their respective militaries, against any foreign military action taken against Mirfak without military provocation by Mirfak not provoked by foreign military action.

Section 4
Military action is defined for the purposes of this treaty as any action taken by an entity or its agent(s) against any other entity intending to cause harm to people or property native to the entity acted against outside of the acting entity's generally acknowledged territories.

Article VI: Activation, Nullification, and Review

Section 1
This treaty shall be activated when it has been signed by such parties as to make it legally binding to the governmental authorities of CoreWorlds, Mirfak, and Weyr. Once activated, it is binding to all three entities by domestic and international law.

Section 2
All articles of this treaty with the sole exception of this sixth article shall be null and void fifty years after its initial activation so long as Mirfak has not been proved in violation of one or more provisions before that time.

Section 3
This treaty shall be reviewed by all parties if any party is shown to be in violation of the terms herein before the above time. During review, provisions may be added or removed or the treaty voided by majority vote.

Section 4
Nullification of this treaty as provided in Section 2 of Article VI shall not be used by any party as cause for military action in and of itself.

The treaty was sent to the Senate for ratification, and was passed by a 76% majority vote. The President of Coreworlds then signed the document, and it is now binding and official between both nations.

OOC: Two things.
1: I'm tired of waiting for Weyr. Since he's already accepted the treaty OOC, I'll just assume he's signed it IC if he hasn't posted it by tomorrow evening.

2: Here's that Mirfakan Constitution I said I'd show you a week ago, done finally. It's based off the U.S. Constitution, so you should be familiar with the basics:

Constitution:
We the people of Mirfak, in order to, establish social justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and secure liberty for ourselves and those who follow us, do ordain and establish this Constitution for Mirfak.

Article I.

Section 1.
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a representative Council of Mirfak.

Section 2.
Clause 1: The Council shall be composed of five hundred Councilors chosen by direct election every fifth year by the citizens of Mirfak residing in their provincial district.
Clause 2: No person shall be a Councilor who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, and been ten years a citizen of Mirfak, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that Province in which he shall be chosen.
Clause 3: Five hundred Councilors shall be apportioned among the several Provinces according to their respective citizen populations. The actual enumeration shall be made within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. Provinces having more than one seat in the Council apportioned to them will define Provincial Districts in which each Councilor shall be elected. These districts shall have populations as equal as may be. Each Councilor shall have one vote in the Council.
Clause 4: When vacancies happen in the Council from any Province, the executive authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such vacancies until the next election.
Clause 5: The Council shall choose their own officers, including the Speaker, who shall be granted a second vote if the Council be equally divided on an issue.
Clause 6: Councilors shall be divided as equally as may be into five classes, each of which shall be elected on a different year.

Section 3.
Clause 1: All citizens of Mirfak shall vote for their Province’s Councilor, the method which shall be prescribed by law.
Clause 2: The Council shall be in session for no less than two thirds of each year, the exact dates which shall be prescribed by law.

Section 4.
Clause 1: The Council shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller Number may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members.
Clause 2: The Council may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of three quarters, expel a member.
Clause 3: The Council shall keep an official record of its proceedings, and publish the same on a yearly basis, excepting such parts as two thirds may judge require secrecy. The votes of Councilors will be included in this record.
Clause 4: The Council shall not adjourn for more than three days while it is in session.

Section 5.
Clause 1: Councilors shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of Mirfak. No law varying the compensation for the services of the Councilors shall take effect until a full election cycle shall have intervened. Councilors shall in all cases, except offenses of the first or second class, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of the Council, and in going to and returning from the same. For any speech or debate in the Council session, they shall not be publicly charged.
Clause 2: No Councilor shall accept any compensation outside of that which is allotted equally to all Councilors by law.

Section 6.
Clause 1: Every bill which shall have passed the Council with less than two thirds of voting members its favor, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the Alphin of Mirfak. If the Alphin approve the Alphin shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections, to the Council. If two thirds of the Council, after entering the objections into record and reconsidering, votes to approve the bill, it shall become a law. If any bill shall not be returned by the Alphin within ten days after it shall have been presented for approval, the bill shall be a law. No bill shall be passed in the Council if a majority in its favor cannot be obtained in voting.
Clause 2: Every order, resolution, or other decision the Council may pass shall be subject to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.

Section 7.
Clause 1: The Council shall have the sole power to impose and collect any taxes deemed necessary to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of Mirfak;
Clause 2: To regulate commerce conducted within Mirfak or involving a party native to Mirfak;
Clause 3: To regulate citizenship;
Clause 4: To coin money and regulate the value of domestic and foreign currency, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
Clause 5: To determine actions that may be taken on those convicted by the judicial power;
Clause 6: To establish public organizations for the promotion of the general welfare;
Clause 7: To promote the progress of science and the arts by securing for limited times to developers the exclusive right to their respective works and discoveries;
Clause 8: To authorize offensive military action, and make any rules of warfare it deems necessary;
Clause 9: To raise, support, and call forth militaries;
Clause 10: To make rules for the government and regulation of military forces;
Clause 11: To exercise legislation over such districts controlled by Mirfak or its citizens not within the territorial boundaries of Mirfak, and provide for the erection of publicly owned installations within and without Mirfak;
Clause 12: To initiate impeachment of government officials; and
Clause 13: To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of Mirfak, or in any department or officer thereof.

Section 8.
Clause 1: The migration of persons into, out of, or within Mirfak shall not be prohibited by the Council.
Clause 2: The right of anyone forcibly held within Mirfak or by a party of Mirfak to a judicial review of their sentence shall not be suspended.
Clause 3: No legislation providing for public sentence without trial or retroactive enforcement of laws shall be passed.
Clause 5: No preference or titles shall be given by any legislation to any person(s), or place(s) over other person(s), or place(s) within Mirfak.
Clause 6: No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and an annual Provincement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published.

Article II.

Section 1.
Clause 1: The executive power shall be vested in an Alphin of Mirfak, who shall be elected every five years by popular vote of the citizens of Mirfak at large.
Clause 2: The Council may determine the time and day on which the vote for Alphin is held, which shall be the same throughout Mirfak.
Clause 3: No person shall be Alphin who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty years, and been fifteen years a citizen of Mirfak.
Clause 4: In cases where the office of Alphin is vacated through conviction of impeachment charges, death, resignation, or inability to discharge official powers, the Speaker of the Council shall assume the executive power until a new Alphin shall be elected. Upon taking the office of Alphin, the Speaker shall immediately resign from his office in the Council.
Clause 5: The Alphin shall receive an annual compensation, and no law varying the compensation for the services of the Alphin shall take effect until a full election cycle shall have intervened. The Alphin shall not accept any compensation outside of that which is allotted by law.
Clause 6: Before entering office, the Alphin shall take the following oath: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of Alphin of Mirfak, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and people of Mirfak."

Section 2.
Clause 1: The Alphin shall be Grahalel of Mirfak’s military forces.
Clause 2: The Alphin shall have power to make treaties and appoint ambassadors, public ministers, judges of the Daiho, and all other officers of Mirfak whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for; but the Council may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the Alphin alone, in courts of law, or in heads of departments.
Clause 3: The Alphin shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Council by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

Section 3.
The Alphin shall annually give to the Council information on the Province of the nation, and recommend to its members such measures judged necessary and expedient. The Alphin may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the Council, but cannot adjourn it. The Alphin shall also receive ambassadors and other foreign officials, and shall commission such officers on behalf of Mirfak.

Section 4.
The Alphin, and all civil officers of Mirfak, shall be removed from Office on impeachment for, and conviction of, offenses of the first or second class.

Article III.

Section 1.
The judicial power of Mirfak shall be vested in one nine-justice Daiho, and in such inferior courts as it may ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Daiho and inferior courts, shall hold their offices for life except in instances of resignation, conviction of impeachment charges, or inability to discharge official powers, and shall receive an annual compensation for their services, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Section 2.
Clause 1: The judicial power shall extend to all legal cases arising under this Constitution, the laws of Mirfak, and treaties to which Mirfak is party occurring within the physical territory of Mirfak or involving a citizen or representative of or to Mirfak.
Clause 2: In all cases affecting foreign representatives, and those in which a Province shall be party, the Daiho shall have original jurisdiction. In all other cases before mentioned, the Daiho shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact. The Daiho is responsible for the faithful execution of the laws of Mirfak.
Clause 3: The trial of all crimes shall be decided by a panel of three or more judges for all but offenses of the lowest class as the Council may determine. Such trial shall be held in the Province where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any Province or when involving parties from more than one Province, the trial shall be held by such federal court as the Daiho may by law direct.
Clause 6: The Daiho shall have the sole power to try all impeachments, and shall not convict without the concurrence of six of the nine justices.
Clause 7: Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office and disqualification to hold public office of Mirfak, but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law.

Section 3.
Clause 1: Treason against Mirfak shall consist only of a citizen of Mirfak levying war against the nation or giving illegal aid to its declared enemies. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act or on confession in open court.
Clause 2: The Council shall have power to declare the actions that may be taken on those convicted of treason. Treason shall not include any inactive offense on the part of the accused.

Article IV.

Section 1.
Full faith and credit shall be given in each Province to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other Province. The Council may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

Section 2.
Clause 1: The citizens of all Provinces shall be entitled to equal treatment and protection under the law.
Clause 2: A person fleeing from judicial authority in one Province, if found in another Province, shall on demand of the judicial authority of the Province from which he fled be removed to the Province having jurisdiction of the crime.

Section 3.
Clause 1: New Provinces may be admitted by two thirds of the Council into the nation of Mirfak; but no new Province shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other Province; nor any Province be formed by the junction of two or more Provinces, or parts of Provinces, without the consent of the legislatures of the Provinces concerned as well as of the Council.
Clause 2: The Council shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to Mirfak; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of Mirfak, or of any particular Province.

Section 4.
Mirfak shall guarantee to every Province in this nation a three-branch republican form of government on the model of this Constitution, and shall protect each of them against invasion and domestic violence.

Article V.
The Council, whenever two thirds shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the Provinces, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the Provinces, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Council; provided that no Province shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Council.

Article VI.
Clause 1: This Constitution, and the laws of Mirfak which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of Mirfak, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every Province shall be bound thereby, any thing in the constitution or laws of any Province to the contrary notwithstanding.
Clause 2: All public officers, both of Mirfak and of the Provinces, shall be bound by oath to support this Constitution; but no religious, ethnic, preferential, or other such biased test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office in Mirfak.
Clause 3: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for any reason.
Clause 4: The right of the people to be secure in their persons and property, both tangible and intangible, from unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and warrants shall only be issued on probable cause that particularly describe the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
Clause 5: No person shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor have judgement or sentence passed without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.
Clause 6: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial panel of the Province and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of qualified legal counsel for his defense.
Clause 7: All suits held before the courts of Mirfak and the Provinces shall be subject to the same rules and regulations, and no bias shall be accepted on the part of court authorities.
Clause 8: In all cases the rehabilitation or punishments handed down by the court must fit the crime committed as well as possible, and all such judgements given equally. Torture, both physical and psychological, shall be in all cases forbidden.
Clause 9: The enumeration in this Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage other such rights retained by the people.
Clause 10: The powers not delegated to Mirfak or prohibited to the Provinces in this Constitution are reserved to the Provinces respectively, or to the people.
Clause 11: The judicial power of Mirfak shall extend to any legal issue involving foreign people or interests and a party of Mirfak or Mirfak itself as far as international law allows.
Clause 12: No involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been convicted in a court of law, shall exist within Mirfak or any place subject to its jurisdiction.
Clause 13: All persons born or naturalized in Mirfak and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of Mirfak and of the Province wherein they reside.
Clause 14: The right to vote free of discrimination and charge shall not be denied to citizens who have attained the age of majority specified by law for their species.

Mirfak signs the treaty after Weyr, and it is adopted into law.

OOC: I'm ending this thread. Link to aftermath events coming soon.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=406629