Scandavian States
07-08-2004, 02:04
Aboard the HIMS Ryuho
Nights were always the best time for missile tests, especially public ones that would be broadcast over every news station the next morning. Launches and impacts simply created better eye candy, Admittedly, that eye candy was a propaganda tool to garner public support for new weapons systems and the military in general, but it was a relatively harmless kind of propaganda used the world over.
A Scandavian States New Network camera panned to a relatively tall man with Asiatic features and short-cropped black hair. Something indistinguishable was said and the man barked, “Bring us to 085 degrees, left standard rudder.”
This order was acknowledged by the captain’s XO and relayed to the navigation officer, who guided a snotty through the turn that was executed with a smoothness that belied the girl’s inexperience. When the new heading was confirmed the captain nodded and then asked a question from a section of the bridge that was occupied by people who were glued to a holographic representation of the Ryuho superimposed over what appeared to be a three dimensional map with all of the ship’s pertinent information displayed as well as a sphere that represented what could only be assumed was a target. An officer looked up from the display long enough to reply over the din of the bridge, although only “450,000 yards” was heard by the camera crew. Finally the captain directed a question at another officer in front of a two dimensional view of the ship, with what appeared to various weapons systems highlighted in various colors to represent the state of readiness for the weapons. The officer didn’t even bother to raise his voice, he simply nodded.
“Fire,” was the captain’s order to begin the test.
The camera slewed to the bridge window, where a section of 96 VLS cells began to spit out hundreds of rockets at a machinegun pace. Streaks of light followed the rockets as they accelerated to Mach 5 and began a ballistic path that would lead them to their target over two hundred miles away. Less than ten minutes later a similar crew, this time in a helicopter, saw the rockets coming in and followed their path with a camera until the first few exploded in what seemed like hundred of small pieces but what in reality was the rockets releasing their sub-munitions. After the initial firecracker-like display, the camera switched to night vision mode and made the resulting carnage visible to the viewers. Hedgehogs, bunkers, minefields, and even some outdated M1A3 armour layed strewn across tens of miles of beach completely wrecked.
Frankly, it was no wonder that the Imperial Armed Force enjoyed as much popular support as they did, none of the branches spared any expense in showing how the people’s tax dollars were being put to work, and effectively at that.
[Pure propaganda, but I'm bored. Besides, instilling a little fear in potentially hostile countries and casting a line for potential customers is always a good thing.]
Nights were always the best time for missile tests, especially public ones that would be broadcast over every news station the next morning. Launches and impacts simply created better eye candy, Admittedly, that eye candy was a propaganda tool to garner public support for new weapons systems and the military in general, but it was a relatively harmless kind of propaganda used the world over.
A Scandavian States New Network camera panned to a relatively tall man with Asiatic features and short-cropped black hair. Something indistinguishable was said and the man barked, “Bring us to 085 degrees, left standard rudder.”
This order was acknowledged by the captain’s XO and relayed to the navigation officer, who guided a snotty through the turn that was executed with a smoothness that belied the girl’s inexperience. When the new heading was confirmed the captain nodded and then asked a question from a section of the bridge that was occupied by people who were glued to a holographic representation of the Ryuho superimposed over what appeared to be a three dimensional map with all of the ship’s pertinent information displayed as well as a sphere that represented what could only be assumed was a target. An officer looked up from the display long enough to reply over the din of the bridge, although only “450,000 yards” was heard by the camera crew. Finally the captain directed a question at another officer in front of a two dimensional view of the ship, with what appeared to various weapons systems highlighted in various colors to represent the state of readiness for the weapons. The officer didn’t even bother to raise his voice, he simply nodded.
“Fire,” was the captain’s order to begin the test.
The camera slewed to the bridge window, where a section of 96 VLS cells began to spit out hundreds of rockets at a machinegun pace. Streaks of light followed the rockets as they accelerated to Mach 5 and began a ballistic path that would lead them to their target over two hundred miles away. Less than ten minutes later a similar crew, this time in a helicopter, saw the rockets coming in and followed their path with a camera until the first few exploded in what seemed like hundred of small pieces but what in reality was the rockets releasing their sub-munitions. After the initial firecracker-like display, the camera switched to night vision mode and made the resulting carnage visible to the viewers. Hedgehogs, bunkers, minefields, and even some outdated M1A3 armour layed strewn across tens of miles of beach completely wrecked.
Frankly, it was no wonder that the Imperial Armed Force enjoyed as much popular support as they did, none of the branches spared any expense in showing how the people’s tax dollars were being put to work, and effectively at that.
[Pure propaganda, but I'm bored. Besides, instilling a little fear in potentially hostile countries and casting a line for potential customers is always a good thing.]