NationStates Jolt Archive

Dateline: Cannon Island, Roycelandia

Reports this morning that Roycelandia's Orbital Weapons Platform- codenamed the Jupiter Cannon- has misfired, levelling the Maritime Research Centre on the remote Barramundi Island.

Search & Rescue teams are unable to land on what is left of the island owing to the incredibly high levels of radioactivity, but satellite photography confirms that the Island is now little more than a coral reef and a few bits of earth above the ocean.

Computer Analysis reveals that anyone not immediately killed by the Cannon's Projectile Impact or the resultant shockwave would have either drowned or died from the extreme Radiation.

Speculation is rife as to what could have caused the mis-fire, with blame being attributed to everything from "technical fault" to deliberate sabotage, or perhaps even Human Error.

Sources inside the Imperial Defence Bureau say that the Jupiter Cannon was being test fired as the uninhabited island somwhere in The Pacific near Roycelandia's colony of Coral Palm Island, but declined to speculate on when the test firing was originally due to take place or how the projectile aimed at an island in the Pacific could have instead levelled an island on the other side of the world, in the same (vague) geographical region as Roycelandia itself.

The Imperial Defence Bureau is conducting a full enquiry and we expect an outcome sometime in the future.

More news as it comes to hand, this is Palm Islands News Network...

On behalf of the people of the Kingdom of Keol, we demand a full enquiry and a complete assessment of the environmental damage caused by such accident, if it can be described as such. Our nation takes great pride in its forefront environmental policies and our economy depends largely on the fisheries along the coast of the Pacific.

Olivier Krunt
King of Keol

Any news on the misfire? We have a capsule capable of instant launch to inspect the platform for your nation, if you are currently unable to do so.

Lapse condemns the holder of such a powerful weapon which can be so faulty. We believe it would be best for the world if this faulty weapon and all others like it were abolished.

The Imperial Aerospace Bureau has sent the Shuttle Starbug to inspect the Jupiter Cannon.

Preliminary indications are that everything is in order, and that the fault may be due to a Computer Error or deliberate mis-targeting by either Anti-Roycelandian Elements or disaffected Security Bureau Personnel, or possibly pure negligence on someone's behalf.

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Royce I wishes is to be known that he is just as concerned as the International Community.

"I have ordered a full enquiry, and as soon as we know what has happened, you'll be second to know. I say second because we'll know first, but you know what I mean."

No-one from the IDB was available for comment this morning, but an Imperial Guardsman who commented only on the condition he not be named, said "Several people are getting their asses kicked. Everyone's just glad it took out some small, remote Island and not New Lusaka City or somewhere else politically sensitive to this kind of thing."

More news as it comes to hand, from the Palm Islands News Network.

New Lusaka City, Office of Secretary Miyanda

"Tsk. Bloody Europeans, how many times have I said that they can't be trusted to run their own orbital weapons platforms?"

;)

I think you should stop researching orbital defense weapons for awhile.

Our condolences on the accident. We hope you sort out the problem soon. However, we think that all nations agree that they would feel safer that the platform would be kept shut down, or the weapon at least disarmed, while the systems are being checked.

We would demand that this weapon and all others like it get permanantly dismantled and never built again. This time we were lucky and it hit a deserted island. Next time it might hit one of our cities. For the sake of the international community we plead that these weapons be destroyed.

In Imperial Enquiry ordered by the IDB has determined the cause of the Accident as "Human Error/Negligence".

It would appear that a scheduled test-firing was being conducted when one of the Targeting Operators sneezed, accidentally selecting a different target.

The Target Co-Ordinatation Team have all been charged with Negligence Endangering Life and can reliably expect to spend the next 5 years imprisoned on Shark Island Penal Colony, for failing to note the dangerous mis-positioning of the Cannon's target before confirming the order to fire.

Roycelandia has rejected claims to deactivate the Jupiter Cannon, on the grounds that the project is vital to Roycelandia's security and has proven useful for security in the past.

Are you crazy?! You need to disable the Jupiter Cannon, it is unstable! If you continue with that, okay, but if you stop, you will have our gratitude as well that of other concerned nations.

Very well, if the accident is due to poor human actions, then the platform itself cannot be blamed. Thus, there is no real reason to disband the cannon. However, we will offer a friendly suggestion of tightening checks on workers' competence in the future to avoid accidents like these.

If the accident was due to human negligence, we therefore insist that these weapons shouldnt be under control of negligent people. We insist that Roycelandia abandon these weapons to more competent nations or that they be destroyed.

OOC: im not trying to attack you personnaly here, i just feel like a good ol diplomatic RP

The USSNSA would like to emphasis the need to disarm such WMD. There is no need to kill more than what is necessary. It is because of such weapons that the people in many countries must live in constant fear of all out war and a major role in civilian deaths. It would also like to note that creating such weapons is a danger to you're own country's well being as well as others.


THE USSNSA regrets the happenings of this tragic event and wants to see closure to the investigation as to the cause.

Jupiter Command, Cannon Island, Roycelandia

"Sir, many of the other Nations are calling for the dismantling of the Jupiter Cannon. They say it isn't safe."

"Bah! What sort of world would we live in without our Ortillery? Remember how we used it to righteously smackdown those peasants in CorpSac? We should have MORE accidents, to remove anyone who disagrees with us..."

"No, I don't think His Majesty would like that..."

"Even so, the Cannon stays. Anyone who disagrees can just get stuffed..."