-Bretonia-
11-11-2006, 14:14
Deep within the unusual cloud of gasses and anomalies that surrounds the nation of Bretonia, space was a very different affair. Instead of the deep black void punctuated by bright white stars, all one could see was bright blue. This was what Bretonians thought of when they thought of space and the night sky - the bright blue of the highly dangerous nebula that surrounded them, the inside of which was illuminated brightly by the nine stars it contained. Nine stars seemed like a small number for such a large expanse of space, and still the entire phenomenon was confusing scientists inside and outside of Bretonia, but nine was enough for plenty of activity to be taking place in this bustling nation.
One of these stars was locally known as Dublin. It was a large red-orange star, quite hot, and supported no planets. All of the planets that had orbited this star had been torn to pieces by its enormous gravity well a long time ago, and now all that remained in the system were vast clouds of asteroids. Asteroids which were renowned for containing vast quantities of gold, mined by corporations and civilians alike.
Gold was also the reason for the many troubles that plagued this system in particular, and Bretonia as a whole. Many of the miners who worked here had revolted long ago, forming a group known as the Mollys and terrorising civilian shipping in Dublin and beyond. Mining the system had become a much more expensive venture in terms of insurance, and only the richest companies could maintain the overheads necessary for its continued exploitation. And the Mollys made it as difficult for them as they could. Even the Bretonian military was having trouble keeping the terrorism at bay these days, with the terrorists now being provided with powerful fighter craft and even small capital ships in exchange for gold, by the powerful pirate organisation the 'Corsairs'. The HMS Hood, a powerful Victoria-class Battleship, had been permanently stationed at the Dublin Jump Gate for almost a decade now, to facilitate extra security.
One particularly massive asteroid at the edge of one of the main asteroid fields, almost large enough to be a planet in its own right, had been hollowed out and housed a civilian and corporate population for a long time now. It was originally constructed by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing, one of the largest corporations presently existing within Bretonia, but when the local asteroids had all been mined of their useful gold supplies the company abandoned it, and it had become a semi-autonomous civilian colony. They paid taxes, and in exchange the Bretonian government allowed them to govern themselves. Just over ten thousand people lived on the asteroid, making their money primarily from gold and other metal mining.
Now, this asteroid lay in ruins. Over half of its entire mass had been shattered and destroyed, killing essentially its entire population and leaving a charred chunk of rock in its place. The smoking gun resided not far away - a single shot from the main flak turret of the Bretonian Coventry-class Cruiser HMS George XI.
***
"In other news, we have just received reports that a Bretonian military vessel has completely destroyed the old mining colony in Dublin, known locally as Paradise Rock. Eye witness reports indicate that the colony was destroyed by the cruiser just over an hour ago, with its primary gun turret. There are no survivors on the colony, which had a population of over ten thousand.
The Dublin Independence Party leader, Harold Leonard, has condemned the destruction of the colony as a 'brutally unnecessary and morally reprehensible act', and has encouraged all legitimate Dublin citizens to write to the government in protest and to go on strike until those responsible are brought to justice. Meanwhile, BMM reports that the Mollys appear to have dramatically stepped up their attacks on transports passing through the Dublin Jump Gate, in spite of the heavy military presence there.
David James, Minister of Defence, gave a statement to the press just under ten minutes ago."
The screen cuts to a looking middle-aged man, wearing an elegant red and white suit and holding a wad of crumpled papers nervously. He was standing behind a podium with the Bretonian banner draping from it and the Bretonian colours behind him, camera flashes occasionally lighting up his harsh face. He had the expression of a man who didn't really want to be there, and who could really blame him - his face would likely become associated with being responsible for the attack. His political career would probably come to an end at the next election, if not sooner. The sound of dozens of people asking questions all at once was deafening, until the man raised his hand.
"People, people, please settle down," the main said in a gruff voice. "I am making a statement, not taking questions.
"Now, as of 0830 hours, New London Westminster District time, the HMS King George XI was ordered into the Dublin system by Admiral of the Fleet George Rochester himself, to attack and destroy the colony known as Paradise Rock."
The journalists immediately roused again, shouting out questions of all kinds, but James raised his hands again.
"Settle down!" he shouted, and they eventually complied. "The BRAF was acting on intelligence provided to them by BRISS, which contained highly compelling evidence for believing that Paradise Rock was being used as a major staging area not just for the Mollys, but also for the piratical organisation who call themselves the Corsairs. Alternative methods of dealing with the problem were considered, and discounted as being too dangerous, expensive and time consuming. The solution put into place was the safest and most effective course of action.
"Now it is most regrettable that so many of the people living at the colony were killed, and to grieving families and friends this government extends our condolences. But we need to send a message to the growing underground movement that is plaguing Bretonian interests. Terrorism is a great evil, it is uncivilised and it presents a threat to people everywhere, and the Bretonian people will not tolerate it any longer! Harbouring terrorists is a crime, it is treasonous, and it will be dealt with most harshly. We can show no weakness on this point, as to do so is to invite destruction.
Thank you for your time."
Minister James stepped down from the podium amid a cry of questions and a flurry of camera flashes, and the screen cut back to the newsroom.
"Minister James was unavailable for further comment. However, already several large protest groups have gathered outside of Parliament, and human rights groups are demanding that the government makes available to the public the intelligence which precipitated this attack.
I have been John Evans reporting for Bretonia Colonial News. Good night, good morning, and good afternoon to you all."
One of these stars was locally known as Dublin. It was a large red-orange star, quite hot, and supported no planets. All of the planets that had orbited this star had been torn to pieces by its enormous gravity well a long time ago, and now all that remained in the system were vast clouds of asteroids. Asteroids which were renowned for containing vast quantities of gold, mined by corporations and civilians alike.
Gold was also the reason for the many troubles that plagued this system in particular, and Bretonia as a whole. Many of the miners who worked here had revolted long ago, forming a group known as the Mollys and terrorising civilian shipping in Dublin and beyond. Mining the system had become a much more expensive venture in terms of insurance, and only the richest companies could maintain the overheads necessary for its continued exploitation. And the Mollys made it as difficult for them as they could. Even the Bretonian military was having trouble keeping the terrorism at bay these days, with the terrorists now being provided with powerful fighter craft and even small capital ships in exchange for gold, by the powerful pirate organisation the 'Corsairs'. The HMS Hood, a powerful Victoria-class Battleship, had been permanently stationed at the Dublin Jump Gate for almost a decade now, to facilitate extra security.
One particularly massive asteroid at the edge of one of the main asteroid fields, almost large enough to be a planet in its own right, had been hollowed out and housed a civilian and corporate population for a long time now. It was originally constructed by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing, one of the largest corporations presently existing within Bretonia, but when the local asteroids had all been mined of their useful gold supplies the company abandoned it, and it had become a semi-autonomous civilian colony. They paid taxes, and in exchange the Bretonian government allowed them to govern themselves. Just over ten thousand people lived on the asteroid, making their money primarily from gold and other metal mining.
Now, this asteroid lay in ruins. Over half of its entire mass had been shattered and destroyed, killing essentially its entire population and leaving a charred chunk of rock in its place. The smoking gun resided not far away - a single shot from the main flak turret of the Bretonian Coventry-class Cruiser HMS George XI.
***
"In other news, we have just received reports that a Bretonian military vessel has completely destroyed the old mining colony in Dublin, known locally as Paradise Rock. Eye witness reports indicate that the colony was destroyed by the cruiser just over an hour ago, with its primary gun turret. There are no survivors on the colony, which had a population of over ten thousand.
The Dublin Independence Party leader, Harold Leonard, has condemned the destruction of the colony as a 'brutally unnecessary and morally reprehensible act', and has encouraged all legitimate Dublin citizens to write to the government in protest and to go on strike until those responsible are brought to justice. Meanwhile, BMM reports that the Mollys appear to have dramatically stepped up their attacks on transports passing through the Dublin Jump Gate, in spite of the heavy military presence there.
David James, Minister of Defence, gave a statement to the press just under ten minutes ago."
The screen cuts to a looking middle-aged man, wearing an elegant red and white suit and holding a wad of crumpled papers nervously. He was standing behind a podium with the Bretonian banner draping from it and the Bretonian colours behind him, camera flashes occasionally lighting up his harsh face. He had the expression of a man who didn't really want to be there, and who could really blame him - his face would likely become associated with being responsible for the attack. His political career would probably come to an end at the next election, if not sooner. The sound of dozens of people asking questions all at once was deafening, until the man raised his hand.
"People, people, please settle down," the main said in a gruff voice. "I am making a statement, not taking questions.
"Now, as of 0830 hours, New London Westminster District time, the HMS King George XI was ordered into the Dublin system by Admiral of the Fleet George Rochester himself, to attack and destroy the colony known as Paradise Rock."
The journalists immediately roused again, shouting out questions of all kinds, but James raised his hands again.
"Settle down!" he shouted, and they eventually complied. "The BRAF was acting on intelligence provided to them by BRISS, which contained highly compelling evidence for believing that Paradise Rock was being used as a major staging area not just for the Mollys, but also for the piratical organisation who call themselves the Corsairs. Alternative methods of dealing with the problem were considered, and discounted as being too dangerous, expensive and time consuming. The solution put into place was the safest and most effective course of action.
"Now it is most regrettable that so many of the people living at the colony were killed, and to grieving families and friends this government extends our condolences. But we need to send a message to the growing underground movement that is plaguing Bretonian interests. Terrorism is a great evil, it is uncivilised and it presents a threat to people everywhere, and the Bretonian people will not tolerate it any longer! Harbouring terrorists is a crime, it is treasonous, and it will be dealt with most harshly. We can show no weakness on this point, as to do so is to invite destruction.
Thank you for your time."
Minister James stepped down from the podium amid a cry of questions and a flurry of camera flashes, and the screen cut back to the newsroom.
"Minister James was unavailable for further comment. However, already several large protest groups have gathered outside of Parliament, and human rights groups are demanding that the government makes available to the public the intelligence which precipitated this attack.
I have been John Evans reporting for Bretonia Colonial News. Good night, good morning, and good afternoon to you all."