NationStates Jolt Archive

"Sir are you sure this is a good move? I mean, look at them. They're barren wastelands, how many miles away from home. Sir, I think it's 6,900 miles to Easter Island, 8,600 miles to the Galapagos, 8,900 miles to Hawaii, and 10,600 to Layarteb City. Sir, it's in the middle of no where. What hope can we gain from them? They're glaciers!"

"They present, with themselves, a unique opportunity."

"What is that sir? To mine ice? Sir, excuse my tone here but I can't see any possible value in these islands?"

"A naval refueling port?"

"It's so far away that we will have to refuel ourselves just to supply the place. Aircraft can't fathom to reach the site unless they are big as hell. Only the C-26 has a range big enough to reach it and even then, it isn't long enough. We could, maybe, stretch 6,500 miles out of a C-26B Condor. We need another 400. Are you proposing mid-air refueling just to drop off supplies? Where would they refuel? Over Nauru? Sir, if we were to fly from the Galapagos to Nauru to the islands it would be over 13,000 miles. We would have to fly all the way to Hawaii, refuel, fly to Nauru, refuel, and then down to the islands. They could be cut off so easily it isn't funny sir."

"The value of the islands presents, to us, as a sort of outpost. I will establish several things on the islands. First and foremost, we will have a naval supply base for refueling. Submarines will be given their own pens, as usual. Then, an airstrip. We've got a remote place here, that is unfortunately cold so we will have to do our best to construct an airbase that can survive the chilling weather of the Antarctic. Lastly, a major research facility."

"Of what nature?"

"Well Minister. That is something that I have been pondering. The further away we go, the harder it is to maintain security, totally that is. However, there are some things we need to focus on here. The further away we go, the more remote and less prying eyes. I would gather that this remote place would be perfect for our VALKYRIE project to be based."

"Sir. Wasn't that shelved and done away with ages ago?"

"It was. But I am finding it useful so I think we ought to bring it back."

"Sir, if I remember correctly, we need a unanimous vote from the cabinet."

"We do. Do you think that it will be a problem?"

"Sir, that was a very unpopular program. I mean, we've had some unpopular ones."

"Which ones? The Cinco Muertes? Nova Prospekt? Easter Island?"

"Yes sir all of those. But VALKYRIE was far less popular."

"That's because it was misunderstood at the time and funding was needed elsewhere. We've established ourselves. The Empire has been realized and we have little to go for now. What other territories could we take? The Falklands? Cape Verde? The Azores? Quintana Roo and Campeche?"

"Sir. Those are options."

"Not entirely. We control the Azores with the Fourth Reich. Cape Verde is the epicenter of the COH. Thus those two territories are not our concern anymore. We've removed them from the plan. What else is there? The Falklands? Well we'll discuss that at a later time. As far as the Mexican land goes, that is something for another time as well."

"Understood sir."

"So it would make sense to put VALKYRIE here."

"Sir. What was the estimate of Project VALKYRIE back in 1987?"

"Almost §200 billion."

"Yes sir. Currency has changed. What do you think it will cost now?"

"I'd imagine almost §800 billion."

"Yes sir. That is a lot of money to have to push over onto the cabinet. We're at peace right now. Project VALKYRIE has little meaning anymore. It's demonic sir."

"That's a given. It was not meant to be puppy friendly. It was meant to get results."

"I know sir. I voted for it, I admit. I cannot see it passing this time though. Presentation is crucial and we cannot present this in any light anymore. How could we even present this as a necessity of the Empire? The wars are over."

"That they are. Perhaps because they are over it is a time to begin the project."

"Sir. I object. I supported it then but I cannot support it now. Look at the nature of it sir? We've authorized some of the worst of humanity. I cannot say I am proud of..."

"Neither am I Minister. I apologize for the interruption but now is the time. The money is of no concern. I can manage the money. The Ministry of Finance will approve of the monetary allocation. That is not the worry. The voting is the worry."

"Understood sir."

"We'll convene again at 06:00 hours. Understood?"

"Yes sir." The Minister of the Interior stood and departed the office after shaking the Emperor's hand. As usual, the office was dark and dull lighting from the burning torches and chandelier lit the room. Night time over the city was peaceful and the lights from across the bay, from Manhattan Island flooded through the darkness of the moonless night. The navy was already underway, travelling towards Heard Island, some 10,700 miles away from Layarteb City. They had surged and sailed from Hawaii, the closest place aside from Nauru. They would meet up with construction and merchant forces staging on Nauru and then proceed, in convoy, towards the islands, which were far into the Southern Ocean, over 4,000 kilometers away from Australia.

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Nature took its cue from the meeting that was about to happen. The sky was gray and the clouds overhead not only loomed with rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and winds, but also coldness. The ominous storm overhead was the size of a small tropical storm and it had developed as a tropical storm and a hurricane. This was the remnant of Tropical Depression Ernesto and as it headed north, it decided to stop over in Layarteb City. The skies moved fast, very fast, with rain and 57 mph wind gusts just looming. Travel over the bridges was restricted to cars only. Tractor trailers wouldn't be able to cross until the gusts died down, there was just too much of a risk.

Governors Island was already feeling the storm as waves almost three feet high crashed against its shores. Surfers were out all around southern Long Island, boggie boarding and surfing some very nice waves. Occassionally, they saw a 6 footer but those were rare. The bridge to Governors Island was watched closely as waves rushed underneath it, against the pillars. Driving over it was difficult although possible, if the driver limited himself or herself to under 40 mph. All drivers were warned of this as they approached the initial gate at the start of the bridge.

When the Cabinet arrived at 06:00 hours for the meeting, they were pleased to be inside the warmth of the Emperor's office. The castle had many windows missing and the winds swept through the corridors and stone hallways. Each breeze that came through brought fourth chilling winds that brought the temperature down to 50°F, at times. Suits weren't warm enough when the winds were kept within the corridors. They were ice boxes, in some places, and, in others, freezers.

Inside the Emperor's office, the little sunlight that peaked through the constant overcast above seeped into the windows on either side. Torches lit on the walls, that seemed to always be burning, gave more light whereas the chandalier above gave the most light. The chandalier hung twenty feet in the air and kept the ceiling very warm, which was something that was beneficial to a stone structure. Heating was installed in the office but it wasn't on, it wasn't needed. Instead, a large fire burned in a fire place on the opposite side of the room, filling the room with nature warmth from the burning fire. Logs that were tossed in would burn for hours.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Good morning. I trust that today's breakfast is enjoyable?" The Emperor said with a smile, a malevolent kind of smile. "Now. I wish that we should skip the normal pleasantries this morning. We can cover those later. I want to bring up Project VALKYRIE as well as Operation Broad Smile."

"Sir?" The Minister of Finance interjected. "Broad Smile?"

"The annexation of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. They are uninhabited."

"Yes sir. But why? They are sheets of ice with a mountain?"

"That they are. A perfect and remote place for Project VALKYRIE."

"Hasn't that project been terminated?" The Minister of Justice asked.

"Yes it was. Quite some time ago. Nearly 20 years if I recall."

"Sir. That project was, perhaps, the most sinister that we've ever discussed. It is far worse than our relocation of the 'diseased' to the Cinco Muertes, Nova Prospekt and the Galapagos, or any of the other projects that are currently underway as 'black' projects sir. It seems that bringing back Valkyrie is equal to raising the devil."

"Understood."

"If I may, what is Project VALKYRIE?" The Minister of Finance asked. She was not on the cabinet when the project was initially discussed.

"If I may sir?" The Minister of the Interior took over. "Project VALKRYIE was a project that was originally, we think, proposed by certain elements of the Republic. We found little data other than that it might have just been the idea of a single madman. Then, in the early days of the Empire, a scientist from the Umbrella Corporation approached us with this project. You see each race or ethnic group, if you will, has certain elements within their DNA that are unique only to their race or group. The goal of Project VALKRYIE was to identify those elements to create selective biological contagions that could be unleashed, so to speak, to wipe out an entire race or ethnic group without harming the others. The contagion would attack the host through those small and specific elements within their DNA and, eventually, kill them, through probably some of the most grotesque ways we've seen yet. Skin would fall off, eyes would explode, brain tissue would swell so severely as to cause severe bleeding from the ears, nose. Internal organs would liquify. You get the picture. It would; more or less, take the abilities of CAF and make specific strains that would be able to attack certain ethnic groups and races.

"Then, in addition I must add. Project VALKYRIE had another purpose as well. It was to create the most lethal biological contagion known to man. You see CAF is deadly, very deadly, perhaps too deadly, in that it kills itself in a matter of days, a week at most. The virus cannot live without a host and thus it is the perfect biological weapon. In a week to two weeks, nobody is left alive. This contagion would be different, sustainable, devestating. The contagion would kill worse than botulism. It would kill like this. First, the contagion would attack the central nervous system, rendering the victim paralyzed from about mid-back down. It would, more or less, sever the spinal cord. Now, as it replicated itself inside of the victim, it would begin attacking the lungs. Its subsequent attack on the lungs would leave the individual with pnemonia-like symptoms. Hours after the initial attack, the virus would simultaneously attack both the brain stem and the heart. Replicating itself in both areas, the virus would, in essence, cause the victim to lose all essential bodily functions: digestion, breathing, you get it? They would, in essence, die a pretty painful death that came with severe hemorrhaging. It was pretty gruesome. After that, the virus would move on, mostly through the air but through bodily fluids as well. It could spread through animals and humans alike, insects even. Anything could transmit it and it could lay dormant in a system for a time as well. Birds would mostly be carriers. Their droppings would contain the contagion and the virus. Anyone who came in contact with an animal with the contagion or a human who had died from the contagion would be attacked by it as well. Predictions are that it could, effectively, erase all animal and human life off this planet in under 45 days. No pandemic on record could have the killing potential of this virus."

"I think that sums it up nicely."

"Thank you sir."

"Now. Yes. Everyone here knows what VALKYRIE is about I take it? It was shelved twenty years ago because we were in the midst of a major war, trying to establish our Empire. That is over. We have the resources, we have the time, and we have the technology now to make this work."

"What is the cost sir?"

"Well Minister. That is a good question. For completion of the project it could cost upwards of an estimated §800 billion. Which would include personnel, equipment, facility, everything. A hefty price I understand."

"Very sir. Where do you propose we divert the money from?"

"Arms sales."

"But sir that is strictly used for production of new military hardware."

"And what do we need to produce, at the moment?" He asked the Minister of Defense, a quick retort. "Is our military set at the moment?"

"Mostly sir."

"Major naval vessels, air bases, nuclear weapons, bombers?"

"No sir."

"Very well. Projects now are small, are they not?"

"Yes sir."

"And the alotted budget?"

"Over 90 trillion sir."

"Very well. Regardless. I wish to establish Project VALKYRIE on Heard Island, in total secrecy. The wars are over, the Empire is here to stay. We have the time and the resources now. According to the decision made when we shelved VALKYRIE, we have to have a unanimous vote to establish Project VALKYRIE. So now I would like to put it to a vote if nobody has anything else to say?" Nobody spoke up, pondering the implications of this project and of their vote.

"Well I believe that was a very constructive meeting." The Emperor said as he said his final farewells to his Cabinet for the day. He had few meetings planned for the rest of the day and the Empire was quiet. He returned to his desk and took in the warmth from the fire across his office. The room was grandiose in size. The ceilings went up to 20 feet and it was at least 50 feet long and 40 feet wide. His desk and "office" area was in the far end of it. Facing the large doors at the other end, he sat at his desk and looked around the room. There were windows on either side of his desk and a large television screen was at the far end. To the right was the fireplace and chairs, arranged around the fire. To the left was the large conference table, which stretched for at least 20 feet. A massive, custom made, 24 x 18 foot wide area rug sat on the floor. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all stone, as was the rest of the castle. The chandalier hanging above and the twelve torches on the walls gave perfect lighting for the office. It was dark and gloomy, just like the internal mood of the Emperor. When he sat back down at his desk, he buzzed his secretary. "Angela. What does the day look like?"

"Sir. You have an appointment with the Minister of Education at 10:30 hours. You are scheduled to speak with the Cottish King at 13:30 about the situation with the teenagers. Other than that sir, you're free and clear for the rest of the day."

"Thank you. How is Russ?"

"He's working again sir. That accident was bad."

"Indeed. Well thank you. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Yes sir." Russ was her husband and he had a bad car accident six months earlier. He had just returned to work after a severely broken leg and arm injury. The income that he lost during those six months was not lost at all. The Emperor, for the temporary time being, instated Angela at a combined salary of her and her husband. The last thing he wanted was to have his secretaries working two jobs or stressed out more than any normal level. She and her husband were both very appreciative of his move and it was something that he had no second thoughts about doing. Now, he was sitting at his desk, looking over the paperwork for Project VALKYRIE. The vote had been unanimous. It was approved and the §800 billion would be allocated for its funding.

Construction projects on Heard Island would take up to six months to complete, during which time six facilities would be built. They would include a naval port and an airfield, capable of handling C-26 Condor aircraft. The naval port could hold surface ships and submarines, the latter of which would never have to surface to enter their pens. The other four facilities would include the VALKYRIE research facility, a maximum security prison, a command center with satellite uplinks, and a small barracks. The entire cost of the island, including Project VALKYRIE, construction, and the interdiction would be estimated to be around §900 billion, the bulk of which was VALKYRIE and its entire program.

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Heard Island was cold, very cold. Subject to an Antarctic climate, the island was a great sheet of ice. The current temperature was around -115°F and the water was a freezing 31°F. The summer was approaching for the Southern Ocean and that meant temperatures could go as high as 40°F for the water and -85°F for the land. This area was, by no means, inhabitable, and construction crews would face the biggest challenge. On the decks of the approaching naval vessels, nobody was seen outside. Inside the heated vessels, people took warmth and refuge. Heard Island was, essentially, a volcano peak, stretching as high as 9,006 feet from the surface of the planet and was named "Mawson Peak."

Construction on Heard Island began as planned but was immediately slowed. The Coast Guard icebreaker, a La Palma class nuclear powered heavy icebreaker, had pushed through enough of the localized ice to allow for the navy to get in close to the island. They had already offloaded their equipment and established a secure perimeter around the island group, ensuring that nobody wandered into the project. The workers were tortured by the chilling Antarctic temperature but they had to do it, it was tantamount to national security. If they failed, they could jeopardize the security of the entire Empire and its 1.25 billion people.

The projects were being done simultaneously. On the northern side of the island, they would construct the airport and the naval port. On the western side of the mountain would be the research facility and on the eastern would be the prison, the coldest and most remote prison in the world and possibly the harshist. It would be reserved for people who were meant to suffer the most. They would have up to 2,500 cells there, all of them maximum security. Nova Prospekt on the Galapagos, a still secret prison, was notorious amongst those who knew about it for it being a nightmare. The prisons in the Arctic, north of Labrador and west of Greenland were just as harsh. However, here, it would be totally different.

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