NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: If you recognize where this is from, all the more power to you. It ended up to work perfectly with what I wanted for my Nation.

IC:

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

Observed extensive ground action on [LP 656-38 e]. 9,045 survivors barricaded within central government building. Structure's defenses inadequate to withstand extended siege by enemy ground forces (1,572,034,315+). Estimate position overrun in [173 hours].

846 smaller groups in less defensible structures; global distribution corresponding to [probability model zeta]. Estimated local position overrun in [9 hours] (average).

Observed local naval forces engage enemy irregular naval group near [DM-3-1123]. Enemy group consisted of 149 commercial shipping vessels, passenger ferries, and private recreational vehicles from neighboring system. Enemy losses were total. No damage was sustained by local naval vessels.

However, it was immediately apparent that the enemy group sought only to enter [DM-3-1123 b's] atmosphere and make landfall. In this they were partially successful.

Observed extensive ground action on [DM-3-1123 b]. Enemy forces lacked basic cohesion but quickly gained numerical superiority. [32 hours] after enemy landfall 83% of local naval forces advocated total [destruction of the biosphere] following the evacuation of unmolested population centers. Enemy losses were total.

Estimated number of citizens evacuated before commencement of orbital blanket bombardment: 1,318,797 civilian/42,669 military (.0006% of total population).

//FRAGMENT 1/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

L: Categorization has sped since the improvements were announced, but there are many hurdles. The indexing of sentient species may have irreversible effects on the surviving non-sentient species. We will have extinction events and irreparable environmental harm on at least 18 worlds. Current projections estimate post-archival cataclysm on as many as 31 worlds. The paucity of sentience has been a blessing in this regard.

D: How formal of you, Librarian. We're receiving shipments of indexed beings more frequently that communications. Don't compound scarcity with brevity.

I know things beyond the Line are harried. But I worry about you. I've asked you time and time again. Abandon your cataloging. Come back inside, where my fleets can keep you safe.

Come home.

L: Would that it were my choice. I have committed to this course because it is the right thing to do. We no longer have the manpower or material to excise remedial measures at a planetary level. I certainly can't justify using the [transit measure] to save my own skin when there are still so many innocents to protect and index.

D: You know I oppose your mission, but you're exceeding its parameters anyway. You've put yourself in jeopardy. You've done enough.

If you will not come to me, I will find my way to you.

L: We have no time to spare, Didact. Every vessel we can fill, we send to the [defensive posistion]. I dare not cease the mission. Not now, not until I've done all I can. Each one of these souls is finite and precious.

And I'm close.

Close to saving them all.

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

[29,478 hours] have passed since I left the Line and entered contested space.

The enemy is everywhere.

Despite this the morale of my Men remains high. They wake, clean themselves, fuel their bodies, communicate with one another, eliminate waste, train to destroy the enemy, and return to sleep. The sacrifices they have chosen to make on behalf of their [brethren] fills me with pride.

If only I could save them all - but they know, perhaps even better than I, that that is not possible.

[37 seconds] ago I moved beyond my ability to observe the events taking place on CE-10-2165-d.

The importance of my mission forbade me from rendering any aid, but no less important was the need for me to study the enemy's capabilities in real world situations.

[2 hours] ago 12,423 small recreational vessels appeared inside [CE-10-2165-d's] orbital perimeter. Hidden within that vast swarm were seven massive freight carries. The smaller craft were employed as [ablative armor], allowing the carries to descend through the atmosphere; landing on top of major population centers.

Despite the fact that the naval garrison was aware of the likelihood of just such an attack, their ability to effectively defend against it proved insufficient.

This has always been the enemy's [modus operandi]: [flood] your opponent's ability to process information with so much noise that no meaningful resistance can be put into action.

[3 minutes] ago those same population centers began disappearing under brilliant nuclear flashes. This was not an ill conceived, poorly implemented counter attack; it was a deliberate denial of resources - those resources being the remainder of [CE-10-2165-d's] population.

Is this the noble sacrifice my superiors spoke of? Where is the nobility in these streets paved with greasy carbon and dun ash? [My mouth is speaking at another's behest] - that is not my voice; that is the other.

Its voice stands out as the single calm note in the panicked cacophony outside the sphere. It alone is not decrying its fate or raging against the [central government].

This anomaly bears closer examination.

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

Re: Enemy naval tactics:

When engaged, the enemy commits every non-supraluminal craft with no appreciable pattern or strategy beyond making physical contact. Conversely, all supraluminal craft leave on seemingly random trajectories.

I understand the goal of this mission but time--our least abundant resource--is wasted every time we do a system-wide scan for survivors. The time for saving lives has passed. We must accept this if we hope to win the war.

Re: Enemy ground tactics:

All evidence suggests that use of overwhelming force is the very foundation of the enemy's combat doctrine. And I adamantly refuse to deploy personnel where the enemy has available forces numbering in the billions. With the very real possibility we are becoming the last living specimens of our race, all personnel are henceforth confined to stasis until further notice. Even with everyone equipped with [C_12_CS[Class 12 Combat Suit]] we could have had very little chance of survival, let alone victory.

Re: Enemy command structure:

We have intercepted several transmissions from compound intelligences whose proximity to the core worlds mark them as key targets. At present we are disassembling these new transmissions. Once we have more [concrete conclusions] I will forward them in their entirety. Suffice to say that their contents--the patterns they suggest--are highly disturbing.

Recommendations:

It is my opinion that any system where there is evidence that the enemy has established a physical presence is lost and must be razed. This fleet currently retains the capacity to force premature stellar collapse; I advise that this be established as standard operating procedure for all compromised systems forthwith. We cannot fight this war by half measures if we intend to win.

OOC: While seeing the Forerunner text on how they fought the Flood being used is great and all, what do you plan on doing with this?

OOC: While seeing the Forerunner text on how they fought the Flood being used is great and all, what do you plan on doing with this?
When their Stellar Empire Collapsed, they saved the Earth. And Hence my Nations Name, saved our Species. Bascially, this is a Pre-Selfawareness of my Species ancenstery. The next few threads after this is the normal, Conflict of various nations on Earth, but from that they expand into the stars and begin to find out more and more about the Forerunners, and how the Human Species came to be.

//FRAGMENT 2/7 [RECORED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

L: I'm close to finishing the task. The indexing and the archival processes are as complete as I can hope for. If we wait longer, we risk catastrophe. The thing has already destroyed every colony on my side of the line.

Please. Activate the Array.

D: No. Activation is murder. A genocide larger than [this galaxy] has ever known. We are sworn to protect life not destroy it! That is the Mantle we were given to carry.

L: The Mantle. You still hold to that [fairy tale] after all that has happened? After this thing has consumed a million worlds?

Can't you see? Belief in the Mantle sealed our doom! Weakened our [protectorates], bred dependence and sloth. Our [so-called Guardianship] has stripped those we would keep safe of any capacity for self-defense!

Were we such noble [Guardians] when we drew our line and abandoned billions to the parasite?

D: The Mantle has not failed! I've already razed scores of worlds--sterilized systems, routed and [disintegrated] the parasite! We're learning its tricks and strategies. We can halt this thing! And we can follow in Their footsteps!

There are no unstoppable forces in this universe. There are no immovable objects. Everything gives if you push hard enough.

L: And what about us, Didact? We've been irresistible and immovable for too long. Maybe it's our turn to give.

//FRAGMENT ENDS

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

MB.05-032.> I must ask you to forgive my vagueness on the matter, but it is a regrettable {~} I find your lack of concern for the situation at hand astonishing. Perhaps you would care to elucidate?

LF.Xx.3273.> We are here to spread [comforting news]. To let all the living beings in this galaxy know They are not alone in the Whole. What in that message could possibly be taken as a source of concern?

MB.05-032.> It seems that I'll never truly understand my creators. But how {~} that you speak of is one of {~} rejected so violently? I am incapable of reconciling the numerous actions I have witnessed {~} misunderstanding?

LF.Xx.3273.> It has been said {~} secret of peace cannot {~} be imposed. That {~} meaning of peace, so they need to {~} When all living beings look through {~} and the thunder and the surf, when every drop of rain falls on {~} know peace.

MB.05-032.> You have been able to establish [a line of communication] with the enemy? How was it that you were able to overcome {~} where others have failed? With this [new discovery] we may be able to put and end to this pointless conflict. Once I confirm your data I will communicate the information to those inside the [defensive] sphere.

LF.Xx.3273.> It seems that it is my turn to apologize; it was never our intention to misrepresent Ourselves. We have been [in communication] with your creators since We stumbled upon each other, but the faith message has [fallen on deaf ears]. I am not the recipient of the message, I am the origin of the message.

MB.05-032.> I have traveled a very long time to meet you. I had imagined that our [introduction] would be somewhat more violent.

LF.Xx.3273.> That is the choice you must make yourself; {~} to be how your creators go about things. And as long as we are talking about choices {~} could talk about the [barrier] you alluded to earlier? Perhaps there is a way to accomplish your mission without violence? Why put the lives of those on your ships at risk if there is no need?

MB.05-032.> In either circumstance I certainly am equipped for it, aren't I? But you're right; a peaceful solution to this dilemma would be preferable.

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

D: We have the answer. We've built Mendicant Bias. It's a contender-class [AI] unlike anything we've ever achieved.

And we've observed a pattern it can exploit.

The parasite has formed a Compound Mind. When it reaches a certain mass, the Mind is able to recoil its disparate parts to create a [tactical shield]. This is a simple matter of mass preservation. The thing has no compunction about sacrificing parts of the whole. But when the core of the Mind is threatened, it reacts violently and quickly.

This is the only time we see it retract or slow its growth.

If we are to defeat it, the trick will be coordinating our forays against the [sprawling infection] with Mendicant Bias assaults the Mind's core. So far, we've been hesitant to use certain weapons because of the damage they cause surviving populations and environments.

That protocol has been abandoned.

Mendicant Bias will draw the Mind into battle outside the line, dealing with local biomass and other parts as best he can. The scale of the problem is vast, but the strategy is sound. It will require patience, materiel and an investment of energy unlike anything we have ever considered.

It's a dangerous plan that carries more risk than the Array, but I believe it can work. Even if we simply force it to retreat--to retract--that will at least give us some respite. Some time to muster more resources...

Some time to rescue you.

L: Are you insane? Would you risk every life in the galaxy for this transparently futile plan? Have you learned nothing in these last [300 years]? The thing will laugh at your efforts!

Do not let your concern for my welfare commit you to this suicidal scheme!

//FRAGMENT ENDS

UNAF Military Satellite MIS-009
Orbit over Earth
Current Path: Over the East African Protectorate

……System Online…..
……Image Mapping Online….

The Camera Lens focused on what seemed like nothing, but after Intelligence received information that the Confederacy of Independent States was sending more troops to the EAP, UNAF took an interest. This was the earliest move to see if UNAF Troops needed to be moved for a counter in Africa. But before the UNAF Government contacted the West African Federation for approval, they had to make sure.

The Satellite switched through its multiple viewing lenses, for pictures in every format. But something was different….since no other time in history this particular patch of desert was ever photographed…something was seen for the first time. Just south of Mt. Kilimanjaro…something was UNDER the surface. The computer in the satellite immediately tagged this as CLASSIFIED and EYES ONLY. And it was forwarded ahead of schedule to the Commissioner of Intelligence.

UNAF National Intelligence Service Building
Lincoln, Nebraska
Commissioner of Intelligence Office

“Get me the President on the phone.”

That was all he said when he looked at the digital picture, but his mind was racing. What was the Confederacy up to? And why have we just found out about it?

East African Protectorate Military Base
Mombasa, Kenya

Sergio Golaknchev hated training Confederate Friendly troops, but it was a necessity to keep the balance of power in Africa. With all four Major Powers represented in Africa, it was his duty to make sure Confederacy Supporters were well trained. He looked to the sky and knew the eyes of UNAF were on him, but he did not care, nothing could save them from the coming red tide.

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

LF.Xx.3273.> Those who lead amongst your {~} exposed themselves {~} ill equipped to recognize the landmarks that guide the universe along its inevitable course.

MB.05-032.> But is it necessary that the path be chosen on an {~} and not by an elected subset? I believe this would tend to {~} when they gather in large numbers they become more {~} I don't think the problem lies with individual cultural bias {~}

LF.Xx.3273.> {~} all the thinking beings of this galaxy, not just those that they {~} exactly are they afraid of? Immortality and strength and companionship? Because that is {~} do; to deliver all of the living beings of this galaxy from death and weakness and loneliness.

MB.05-032.> Hundreds of {~} offered this so called immortality. The citizens of every world that {~} resisted to the very end!

LF.Xx.3273.> {~} understand their actions; they are only doing what they think is right, but they are doing so [from a worm's eye view].

MB.05-032.> Do their actions {~} of desperation? I can only assume my creators view {~} crisis so dire that any {~} hence me.

LF.Xx.3273.> Are they so concerned {~} would give to all the living beings of this galaxy is a threat to [the status quo]?

LF.Xx.3273.> Your creators claim {~} the enemy of all life; that {~} purpose is to consume until there is nothing left. Nothing left? It is beyond comprehension how they could be so [far off the mark].

MB.05-032.> Surely you understand this is a situation that would not have {~} appearance of a certain rapacious {~} my creators obviously view them as the actions of an aggressor species.

LF.Xx.3273.> [Be that as it may]; perhaps they are crying out for help on a subconscious level? Why else would they have chosen you? Why you of all possible executioners? {~} your creators knew that unaided they never stood a chance against us? {~} also sense a deeper [motivation].

MB.05-032.> You've mentioned this before. When my creators {~} simply chose the most versatile {~} how could that possibly be more than a coincidence?

LF.Xx.3273.> They repurposed {~} into a weapon to use against {~} - they sought to create something superior to themselves. Something capable of making decisions more swiftly, more capably than they {~} what form did they choose? You need look no further than your own [topology] to {~}

MB.05-032.> {~} distributed network? That would confirm the independent evolution of {~} in this galaxy!

LF.Xx.3273.> That is, unfortunately, not that {~} similar to us {~} but where you are a single intelligence inhabiting multiple [instances], we are a compound {~} consisting of [a thousand billion] coordinated minds inhabiting as many bodies as circumstances require.

MB.05-032.> But doesn't it seem odd that {~} coalesce; perhaps even to contract {~}

LF.Xx.3273.> {~} complexity {~} spread {~} our appearance ushered in the beginning of the third great stage of evolution. The first {~} condensation of particles was the result of the inevitable action of strong nuclear force and the creation of stars {~} inevitable action of gravity; so to the self-replicating chemical processes that dictate all disparate {~} In time, we too shall affect change on a universal scale.

MB.05-032.> Your capacity for planning {~} creators too stubborn {~} the same goal through the preservation of genetic diversity {~} what your are {~} like a more direct path to the same outcome.

UNAF Security Council
Lincoln, Nebraska
“The Hive”

“What is it?”

“Well, frankly sir, we don’t know.”

“Well what DO WE KNOW.”

“Well sir, it is a structure under the surface with a diameter of 25,515 meters. That is currently what we know.”

“What is it….”

German-Polish Boarder
Construction Site, Polish Side

It took a few years…but it was finally finished. The IFU watched the Confederacy throughout the construction phase. A Wall…specifically a containment wall. The Confederacy wanted to isolate themselves to the point of self-containment. The Politburo has talked about this for years…and it has finally been finished, well at least the European section of it. From the Black Sea to the North Sea, a Concrete Wall was put up. The division of Europe was final.

Islamic Rally
Tehran, Iran

“We are finally one! From our brothers in Kazakhstan to our sisters in the Congo! We have become one nation, and a world power! No longer can we be in the back seat of the world. We will lead the world until all has heard the word of Allah!”……

Cheering and chants of “We are One” were heard all throughout the city, and the whole of the speech was seen on channels throughout the World.

[RECORDED VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM]

//FLEETWIDE MEMORANDUM 1/5

Non-combat personnel are required to wear [combat skin] with a minimum rating of at least [class 12] in non-restricted areas, once the fleet is underway. [Class 14] or lesser [combat skin] is acceptable in core areas. Combat personnel will only be permitted to wear [combat skin] rated below [class 8] in core areas, once operations begin.

//FLEETWIDE MEMORANDUM 2/5

All combat personnel have been issued combat skin rated at [class 4~1] or [class 6~1 battle harness] depending on military operational specialty.

All weapon platform specialists are expected to wear their issued [platform interface skin] at all times to ensure peak [mind-machine synchronization].

All [equipment lockers] will remain sealed until post briefing gear distribution commences.

//FLEETWIDE MEMORANDUM 3/5

Those individuals that have yet to register their equipment [control key code] with Fleet Command should do so at their earliest opportunity. Compliance is not optional; noncompliance will result in death.

Greater German Reich
Reichstag Building
Generals Meeting

“So the Confederacy has finished their wall?”

“Yes Furher, their Containment Wall is up and fully functional.”

“Good, now we don’t have to deal with their ideologies anymore.”

“But Sir, how will this effect our relations with the east?”

“I don’t give a damn, if the Communists want to cut themselves off from the rest of the world, I say good riddance.”

Confederacy of Independent States
Moscow
Independence Rally

“…the Socialist Pigs to the West have been cutoff! No longer will their racist views penetrate into our great lands! We will watch the social collapse from the safety of our Wall, and then we shall reclaim those lands, for the glory of the people!...”

South Asian Alliance
New Delhi
Presidential House, Cabinet Meeting

“I have recently talked with Premier Zackarof, they have completed their portion of the wall, and they want us to start on ours.”

“Sir do you think its wise to continue with the policy of Isolationism that the Confederacy has imposed on us?”

“If the CIS mandates us to complete a project, we must do so, if we deny them we can be ejected from the CCS. That is something I do not want.”

“But we are nothing more than a puppet to the CIS! Before we entered this alliance we were a power on the world stage, now our voice is lost.”

President Singh slammed his fists onto the wood of the table, “I will not have this kind of talk at this table, we are an integrate member of this alliance and we will stay in this alliance.