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Antarctic Newswire


rok

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Following the founding of the new Antarctic Federation, the nation is working diligently to set up a stable political and social environment. The overseeing body of the government, the Federal Enforcement Service, is now aiming to create an official set of laws to safeguard the nation. After completion of the first set of laws, citizens will be able to communicate through secure government channels to propose laws in collaboration with all Antarctic citizens.

 

As of now, the entire Antarctic Peninsula belongs to the Federation. All research stations in the area have been converted previously, with the exception of Rothera Research Station, which belongs to the United Guyanese Republic and shall operate under UGR rules. The land is to be divided into several city-states operating autonomously from each other. City-states will be centered around research bases and the surrounding land will be governed and maintained by the state. Each state will be overseen by a Federally appointed governor for a term of two years, after which citizens may elect a new governor for their state. There is no term limit, however, should a governor abuse their power, they can be ousted through impeachment or military force. Each state will have Enforcers' Guards Brigade units acting as a police force alongside a volunteer force comprised of citizens from the area. The seat of Federal Enforcement Services will be located in the newly built capital city Wakefield.

 

The FES currently plans to start diplomatic relations regarding Rothera Research Base with the UGR.

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The first set of laws have been finalized by the FES and have now taken effect throughout the nation. You can read all official laws at your state's local archival database. Physical copies are currently in production and will be available soon.

 

Diplomatic relations with the UGR are currently underway at Rothera Research Station. More details to emerge once the talks conclude.

 

The FES has currently struck a deal with the Starfast Manufacturing Co. to manufacture the Atlantic Federation's mechanized fleet, ranging from tanks, IFVs, aircraft, and ships. The Starfast Co. also manufactures civilian vehicles available in the market in Antarctica now. The company's operations are set to expand later this year to sell internationally, but keep manufacturing local.

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The Federal Enforcement Service is seeking to expand the Antarctic Federation into the rest of Antarctica. This would serve to avoid congestion and over pollution of the Antarctic Peninsula and allow a larger population. Candidates and means of expansion are currently being decided, although West seems like the most obvious route.

 

Diplomatic relations with several other nations will be attempted. Any governments seeking to contact the Antarctic Federation for diplomacy are free to do so at any time.

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"Baffin Island is happy to see a new nation finally arise in Antarctica. We would very much like to offer assistance in setting up warm geothermal areas in your land so your citizens may be warm year-round. If interested, feel free to contact Baffin Island at 1 State Court, Baffin Island."

 

-Lindsey Mitchell, Baffin Island Representative of the Third

Edited by Knights111
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The Antarctic Federation welcomes both of your nations. If you send an ambassador over to our capital, we will get to work establishing embassies for the Northlands and Baffin Island. We shall do the same.

 

And while our nation has geothermal technology, we would love to work in a joint effort with your scientists to improve the existing systems to further both of our nations.

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The Antarctic Federation welcomes both of your nations. If you send an ambassador over to our capital, we will get to work establishing embassies for the Northlands and Baffin Island. We shall do the same.
 
And while our nation has geothermal technology, we would love to work in a joint effort with your scientists to improve the existing systems to further both of our nations.

"We will get into this right now. We will be sending over Mikal MacDonald to the capital of your nation, and we hope you will do the same. We usually do not engage in foreign relations and affairs, but this is a special case.
As a cold-weather nation ourselves, we would be honored to work with your scientists to make this great geothermal energy for all cold weather nations to use. "
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We shall begin establishment of a Baffin Embassy right away. Expect construction to be completed in the coming months. You may send over engineers and architects to help the building meet your standards.

 

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In other news. The FES has reached a decision in expansion of the nation. The 12th Reconnaissance Battalion, The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and the 9th Expeditionary Battalion will be venturing out into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The Ice sheet is to be explored by all three military groups consisting of a total of 5,000 military personnel and 100 civilian scientists assigned to  each group.

 

The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion will be moving towards the now derelict WAIS Divide Camp to reestablish the research center and become the current capital of the region.

 

The 1st Reconnaissance Battalion will move along the Amundsen Sea Region to conduct research of the region and establish a small research station in the area.

 

The 5th Expeditionary Battalion will move along the South of the Ice Sheet and survey the area for potential locations for cities and military outposts to be built.

 

All three groups are expected to launch tomorrow. [1/7]

Edited by rok
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The Druk Yul sponsored space program has accepted Antarctic candidates for training for the Mars Program. Candidates Cynthia Washington and Dave Arthur are currently being trained for the mission. Both are currently already experienced in Aeronautics with Washington being an experienced pilot and Arthur being a member of the Air Force. This is the Antarctic's first step to an official space program. While observatories are common at research stations, Antarctica's fragile and icy climate make it highly unsuitable for creation of a new Space center. The creation of such would be highly destructive to the ecosystem. However, with this small first step, Antarctica may receive a full fledged space program in the near future.

 

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The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Expedition has now launched. All three groups are now in transit to their respective destinations. The battalions will be moving on foot and in vehicles, specifically APCs, helicopters and snowmobiles, and allowing the scientists and surveyors to map out the area in detail and take samples of the environment to give an accurate understanding of the area to Antarctic Federation citizens. More news as the teams update with the FES.

 

[2/7]

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While our nation appreciates the offer from BMC, we have little use for most automobiles as the majority of transport within our nation is done by snowmobile and helicopters. If our nation were to maintain more paved roadways, we may accept the offer if it still stands in the future.

 

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The 3r Reconnaissance Battalion has arrived at the WAIS Divide Camp. The station is currently being repurposed by the Engineers from the Battalion. Engineers and scientists are also attempting to recover and old research that the abandoned American station may hold. The station should be up and running by the end of the week.

 

[3/7]

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The 1st Reconnaissance Battalion has arrived at a suitable location and has constructed a small research station in the Northern WAIS. The Amundsen Research Station will be focused solely on the monitoring of the Ice Sheet and researching ways to prevent the destruction of the Ice Sheet and combat climate change in general. There will not be a city constructed around the station and the area will be heavily monitored by the military to ensure safety of the region.

 

[4/7]

 

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After negotiations with the Principality of Tikal, our nation was not able to obtain any American soil for future endeavors. While the Americas are off limits from outside influence, our nation will be looking for other more temperate or tropical regions to integrate.

Edited by rok
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We have currently concluded our first diplomatic talks with the Principality of Tikal. As a result, a Non-Aggression Treaty was formed to ensure peaceful relations between our nations. It has taken effect already.

 

We have started diplomatic discussions with the Imperium of Japan. Hopefully this will find us the land we were looking for.

 

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The 5th Scout Battalion reached the end of the Ice Sheet. After surveying the region, some ideal locations for construction of cities and other facilities have been uploaded to government databases. Contractors and government construction teams are being sent to four of these locations for construction of basic facilities. A program is being started to allow citizens to sign up and be the first to move to these areas after integration.

 

[5/7]

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The WAIS Divide Research Camp is now online. After renovations and scouring of the old computer systems and physical files valuable old research was recovering which should speed up research efforts on the ice core drilling projects. All old research would be transferred onto new systems and placed on the national database. The Camp will function solely as a research station and military outpost so as not to disturb the project.

 

[6/7]

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The integration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the Federation has been completed. The Southern portion of the sheet is currently being settled in four locations. Once basic construction is complete, a larger civilian population will be free to move to a location they deem fit. Incentives are being offered for the initial wave of citizens to the area.

 

The northern region of the Ice Sheet is officially a nationally protected zone.  There will be no further development in the area in order to minimize damage to the fragile location. The EGB along with a separate group of Park Rangers will be monitoring the area to keep any illicit activity out.

 

The region will also be home to largest military base in the nation. Once construction of the base is complete, it will house many a large portion of the Army.

 

[7/7]

Edited by rok
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After talks with the Imperium of Japan, we have managed to buy the island of Nendo in the Santa Cruz Islands. The island will be home to the Antarctic's first Space center. Government construction teams as well as civilian contractors are being sent to Nendo to create the space center. The current airport in the area will be the center of the integrated military base.

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Military and government construction crews have arrived at Nendo to begin building the new space center. The Japanese and civilian contractors will be arriving soon.

 

Another team of scientists and Enforcers' Guard Brigade troops have arrived at Byrd Station to repurpose the station, as was done with the WAIS Divide. Suitability for construction of a city will be determined later.

 

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The long abandoned South Orkney Islands will now be the destination for the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. The small group of Islands is the closest unoccupied cluster of islands to the Antarctic Peninsula. It containing two research stations and it's easily accessible location would make a great location for a port, boosting trade greatly, as our nation currently only trades by cargo planes. Both research stations will be reactivated with annexation. The entire region is set to be annexed soon.

 

[1/7]

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With the entirety of West Antarctica's 'permanent' ice sheets under Federation control, there wasn't much to work with. The region was more temperate than the East of the continent, due to polar vortex and ozone depletion. The region was also less stable, with more ice over water than land. Building a thriving country wasn't very doable. Six cities on this huge mass of ice that we've just secured isn't much. The Federation will need more land if we're to be more than a footnote on the world stage. The South Orkney Islands currently being secured will only give us benefit on the sea, and not much else the rest of the world would care too much about. The only other way is to travel east to get more essential space.

 

The South Pole; we're heading past the Transantarctic Mountains to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the end of the Western hemisphere. The former US base has been abandoned and is a vital asset that needs to be secured. The 4th Scout Battalion will be heading to the base to bring it back online. The South Pole's currently in it's winter and it will be nearly pitch black until the September Equinox. All units will have standard issue night and thermal vision.

 

[1/7 South Pole]

 

Another team, the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, would be heading toward Berkner Island in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. Being a popular landing site for Antarctic Expeditions, the area needs proper regulations to ensure that the island remain secure and stable for arriving parties. A city and research base would be established to represent Antarctic control.

 

[1/7 Berkner Island]

Edited by rok
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Confidential

 

Out of the hundreds of soldiers on the South Orkney Islands, only a few were dedicated to monitoring the sensitive radar equipment which was situated near some of the higher peaks on the main island of the South Orkneys. The job was dull, not even fishing vessels came this far south so nothing showed up on the radar except for the few Federation ships which came to the island to deliver supplies, troops, scientists, or food. Nothing unexpected ever showed up on the radar unless a blizzard made the base blind. August 30th, however, was a clear day for the three soldiers at the South Orkney Islands Radar Field Office. 

 

"James I'm going take a piss, think you can watch the screen for me?" The officer stretched his arms and got up from his desk, "Aye aye sir, but we aren't going to see anything" said the rookie private. The third soldier on the job was outside on a cigarette break. It took James all but twenty seconds to lean back in his chair and start to get drowsy. Mike, the officer who went to relieve himself, had to head to an outhouse next to the Field Office which was a two minute walk away. James was already entering RIM sleep while a light "bloob....." echoed through the room. The radar lit up with a small blue dot south of the Orkney Islands. "Bloop..................Bloop.....................Bloop.......................Bloop." 

 

"PRIVATE!" yelled Mike. He kicked James's chair and watched the rookie fall to the ground. "Wha... What?!" Mike focused his eyes on the screen closely. It took about thirty or forty-five seconds for the small cluster of blue bloops to flash near the bottom edge of the radar screen. From their speed and the weak signal the rather strong signal they were sending from far out, Mike knew they were most likely aircraft. He put on his headset and carefully adjusted the only equipment they had to contact the other two bases on the islands which had been occupied by Texas troops and scientists. First, he made contact with the PFS Amarillo, the Arleigh-class battleship situated south off of the South Orkney Islands which had originally brought troops to the islands. 

 

"PFS Amarillo, this is Radar Field Office do you copy?"

"PFS Amarillo copies Field Office. Over." 

"I have something at the bottom of my scope. It seems to be a few aircraft heading towards the islands. I thought it might have been birds at first but their speed makes me think aircraft. Over." 

"Aye aye Field Office I'll see if we can identify them, stand by." 

The Amarillo detected a weak signal from the south, but could not confirm that it was aircraft. 

"Field Office we have something on our radar but we can't identify. Go ahead and alert Orcadas Base and the Signy Research Station. We're going battle-ready. Over." 

"Copy Amarillo. Over and out." 

 

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Once word reached the commanding officer on the islands he activated the air raid sirens. Hundreds of soldiers rushed out of the barracks in camouflaged battle-gear. The soldiers at the South Orkney Islands were highly trained members of the Texas National Guard. Some were regular foot-soldiers, but many were snipers trained in snowy conditions, explosives experts, and others trained in tactical warfare. The camouflaged anti-aircraft weapons were activated and manned in the event they were needed. Meanwhile, the dozens of scientists and the handful of doctors who had already arrived ran for cover inside the newly built buildings and few original structures. While the soldiers entered defensive positions, the PFS Amarillo prepared for battle. 

 

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"Now hear this! Sailors to your battle stations, sailors to your battle stations!" The Amarillo was a top of the line battleship which was specifically chosen to separate from the rest of the fleet and head down to the Antarctic Ocean to assist in settling the South Orkney Islands. It and its sailors were well-trained and prepared for any offensive measure that would be taken against them. The ship was armed with counter-measures and plenty of weapons to defend itself. Jeffry Wicker, Captain of the FPS Amarillo, entered the bridge of his ship. His coms experts put him on a public frequency so that the incoming aircraft or vessels would be able to hear him. "Attention unidentified aircraft or vessels, this is Captain Jeffry Wicker of the PFS Amarillo, the largest battleship in the Plains Federation Maritime National Guard's fleet. You are to identify yourselves and alter your course, you are heading towards Federation airspace. If you do not divert your course and identify, you will be considered a threat and blown out of the sky. Over." 

 

The captain waited for the UFOs to respond while his sailors prepared to open fire.

 

OOC: I have been annexing these islands but I don't think you noticed. The Plains Federation and the Antarctic Federation have not had diplomatic dialogue yet, it would be nice to do that. I think me shooting your aircraft might be a bad way to start though :P 

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OOC: I didn't see it in marked in the Plains Federation color in the World Map or listed as a protectorate so I thought it was fair game. Since everything in your thread was listed as Classified regarding the islands, I'll use that so we can get diplomacy out of the situation. I

 

Aboard one of the Buffalo aircraft, the plane received a transmission over a public frequency. This was odd as the Battalion wasn't expecting to find civilians on the islands. When they heard the transmission to identify was from a military naval vessel, then things were getting heated. First Lieutenant Ron Wolf responded "This is First Lieutenant Ron Wolf of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion; Antarctic Federation. On a mission to the South Orkney Islands, which were assumed unoccupied. We do not wish to engage and request permission to land at Orcadas to negotiate.. Over"

 

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It was a surprise finding the Plains Federation on the Islands. The islands were presumed to be empty but it looks like there's a new Forward Operating Base on Laurie. The whole mission's probably going to be waste now. Due to the situation, Lieutenant Wolf contacted Command to inform them of the situation.

 

"Command this is Lieutenant Wolf. The South Orkney Islands are occupied by the Plains Federation. Orcadas Base is a Plains Federation facility. The PFS Amarillo has requested we identify ourselves. We've requested permission to land and are waiting for a reply. We need somebody down here if we're going to negotiate with the Federation."

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The Berkner Island expedition was able to reach their destination within a day. Their landing site at the southern coast of the island proved relatively stable. The team would clear the area of snow in order to make a small airstrip to allow the cargo planes to provide essential materials for construction. The temporary shelters were already built and would be converted into a Guard Brigade barracks for the city to be built as annexation nears completion. Once a construction team arrives, Alpha Company will guard the Engineers and the rest will fan out with the rest of the scientists to survey the island.

 

[2/7]

 

The South Pole was almost absolutely dark but this didn't pose much of a problem. After the planes landed, the facility was inspected for stability. The station was remarkably intact with barely any damage to the structures. While some snow would have to be cleared, that was about the only repair task. The structure's importance to the former USA must be the reason behind it's sturdiness. Even the ceremonial area nearby showed little deterioration and all of the old flags from the Antarctic Treaty System signatories still stood. Scientists were eager to use the station nearly immediately to get as much research done while astronomical observation conditions were still optimal.

 

[2/7].

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OOC: It's no problem. Now we have a good reason to RP something. I'm not sure what kind of aircraft you are using, I'm assuming some type of helicopters? I don't think there are not any runways there but I might be wrong.

 

IC:

 

"First Lieutenant, I'll permit your troops to land here provided that they do not outnumber two-hundred. If you need to refuel I can contact the Principality of Tikal and see if they will permit you to head towards the South Sandwich Islands or South Georgia. Do you copy, over?" The soldiers on the island had manned all of the anti-air and anti-missile weaponry. The battleship itself was a floating fortress, however it seemed at this point the entire situation was a misunderstanding instead of an attempted invasion. "Get someone in coms to relay a message to Governor Sparks and brief him. Make sure he knows we're going to permit a small number of them to land here. He has connections in the State Department so I think we can work with Tikal on this if we have to." 

 

Governor Sparks was pulled out of a meeting with the Texas Education Board and briefed on the situation. He immediately got in touch with the State Department and the Deputy Secretary of State, Samuel Ireland. The governor concluded his work with the board and began packing his bags to head to the island or Antarctica. He knew an encounter like this would need to a much needed diplomatic dialogue provided one side didn't start shooting at the other.

 

The landing area near Orcades would be cleared except for the defensive weaponry and soldiers. The Antarctic reconnaissance battalion would be cautiously welcomed. 

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"Copy, Captain. A group of 150 men will be landing at the in Seahawk and Osprey helicopters. The rest of the aircraft will be returning to the Antarctic Peninsula. Another White Hawk aircraft will be coming in approximately 12 hours from now carrying a team of diplomats, including the Head Director of the Antarctic Federal Enforcement Services. Over."

 

After the communications several platoons were being readied for the change in mission. Six helicopters landed at Orcadas Base and followed strict procedure. This  was definitely not what they were expecting. The only living things they thought they'd be seeing were the plants and the birds that needed the security of these islands.  Looks like the Plains Federation beat us to here and had very similar plans. Antarctica may not be seeing it's first major port for a long time.

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"Roger. Austin will be sending someone over within a day. Until then we'll accommodate you at Orcades. Over and out." The national guardsmen kept their posts manned while the Antarctic soldiers landed. Captain Wicker had already made it to the island by the time they were landing at the base. "Good afternoon First Lieutenant. Welcome to the island. I'm sure your men are cold and maybe a little hungry. Let's head to the cafeteria, we can discuss everything over some fish until the politicians get here. Before we go inside, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to insist that your men turn over any weapons. I promise we're all safe here." Once the Antarcticans were disarmed everyone head to the cafeteria where fresh fish was being fried. Meanwhile, Governor Sparks was on his way to the island with a military escort. He'd arrive a few hours after the Antarctic diplomats arrived.

 

OOC: I just noticed this is your news thread... If you want we can move it to another thread.

Edited by PresidentDavid
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OOC: I'll start up the diplomacy thread.

 

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The Berkner Engineers had finished the construction of a small landing strip. The strip would allow cargo planes to fly into the area more rapidly and provide civilian contractors and more supplies. The first such flight would be coming in under 12 hours. The Engineers were currently devoted to building a Research station's basic facilities. The contractors would be split between creating buildings for the future city and facilities for a large airport, which would be used by a majority of visitors to nation.

[3/7]

 

While snow had been accumulating at the base, the station's design allowed most of it to be blown away. The jack wouldn't need to be used for a while. The IceCube neutrino telescope was remarkably still operational. The snow would be uncovered to save the world's largest neutrino telescope from simply being buried and forgotten. The station would be largely unaltered from its previous state under US care. Expansion would be adding a similarly designed building to act as a barracks for troops to stay. Communications would also need to be upgraded to standard issue.

 

[3/7]

Edited by rok
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