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News from The Nation of Selenarctos


iKrolm

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OOC: IC and OOC comments welcome (within reason).

IC:

In two seperate press releases today, the government addressed both the announcement of the Asian Union and growing concerns over a population discrepancy.

Regarding the Union, First Economic Director Stevan Roces pledged a 75% reduction from the current import tariffs for Union members to be fully implemented by the end of the month. How this will effect the economy is unknown, but analysts believe it may lower the rate of inflation for the remainder of this year.

Regarding the population discrepancy, recent investigations into records kept by the Philippines Freestate indicate the population exceeded 50,000,000, while the most recent census, hastily taken after the emergence of the Selenarctan Central Government, calculate a population of just over 8,000,000. Even allowing for the loss of the Northern and Southern Tanah Malayu states and immigration away from the islands during the occupation period between the fall of the Philippines Freestate and the rise of The Nation, this leave an estimated 11,000,000 persons unaccounted for. In response, the Popular Council unanimously approved a new census to be completed within 4 months with First Popular Director Pacita Arellano to personally oversee the process.

EDITS: Various changes to the header over time.

Edited by iKrolm
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At approximately 4:30 this morning the SS Oénsel, a Spruance-class Destroyer designated DD-104, reportedly suffered an explosion that left 2 crew members dead, 1 in critical condition and 12 others with varying degrees of injury. The Oénsel, which at the time was in the eastern Sulu Sea, was able to safely reach the port in Andalia without further damage.

The Sea Force has yet to release the names of those killed and the exact location of where the explosion occured, however they have told us that the explosion was most likely caused by a small floating naval mine carrying between 10 and 20 kg of explosives which exploded several meters off to the side of the vessel. The Sea Force requests that citizens remain calm, and reminds everyone there are know known minefields in the Sulu Sea. (OOC: Correct me if I'm wrong.) So far, the origin of the mine is unknown however the fact that it detonated away from the vessel would appear to indicate a significant delay in the firing mechanism, most likely caused by age.

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Earlier today, the Bureau of Health announced a new mandatory vaccination program to be gradually phased in over the next year and a half. The program requires all citizens, except those deemed to have a 'high risk' of reaction, are required to be vaccinated for the following diseases and, where applicable, keep those vaccinations up to date.

Anthrax

Chicken Pox

Ebola

Flu

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Human Papillomavirus (women only)

Influenza

Japanese Encephalitis

Lyme Disease

Malaria

Measles/Mumps/Rubella

Meningococcal/Meningitis

Monkey Pox

Pneumococcal

Polio

Rabies*

Rotavirus

Rubella

Small Pox

Tetanus-Diphtheria

Tuberculosis

Typhoid

Whooping Cough

Yellow Fever

The vaccinations will be available at your local doctor's office, and citizens are advised to get the vaccinations as soon as the are available. Failure to have at least half of the vaccinations one year from now, and all of them six months after that will result in a yearly fine until the vaccination requirements met.

*The Rabies Pre-Exposure Vaccine is only required for those whose line of work brings them into regular contact with agricultural or wild animals, however will be available to all citizens.

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In a surprise announcement from the Economic Division, the launch of the first of six Mars probes was confirmed for the end of this month. Until this point believed to be only rumors, it appears that the government does have it's sights set on Mars, though they have yet to reveal a long term plan for missions to the planet.

In any case, all six probes will launch from rockets similar to the one pictured below, however two different types probes will be launched. The first type, picture A, will remain in orbit and provide comprehensive imaging of the entire planet while the second type, picture B, will land on the surface to study the Martian surface.

rocket.jpg

(conceptual rendering of the launch rocket)

Picture A:

061127-mars-probe_big.jpg

(conceptual rendering of the orbital probe)

Picture B:

6a00d83452a77469e200e5527e47e78833-.jpg

(conceptual rendering of the ground probe)

When approached for a comment on the upcoming launches, Danilo Villar, Chairman of the Astrophysics Department of the University of Isifth, said "No, I will not speculate on the government's long term goals for space exploration or Mars, however we are all very excited for the new data that will come from this series of missions."

And in other news, as the Census draws to a close early estimates pin The Nation's population somewhere between 17,500,000 and 19,000,000 citizens. We will of course have a full report once the Popular Division releases their findings, so be sure to check in with us later.

OOC: EDIT: Change the first picture for a smaller one.

Edited by iKrolm
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  • 5 weeks later...

Selenarctan Power, Inc. is proud to announce today the completion of 100GW of wave and current generators. Two years in the making, this large though little publicized project aimed to supply power for Selenarctos' growing urban population and replace the aging Fernandez Coal Power Plant located outside of Fieres. Of the units laid, approximately 75% are Type 1 Generators (see the pictures below) which draw power from the contracting and expanding of mechanical joints as the separate flotation units pass over the crests and troughs of waves. The remainder are Type 2 and generate power as the water rotates the turbine, much in the same way wind turbines work. The Type 2 generators are located in an areas of sustained water flow such as a river mouths, natural current flows, or areas significantly affected by tidal flows.

Type 1 Generator:

wave_e32.jpg

Type 2 Generator:

under_water_turbine.jpg

Classified: The new electrical infrastructure has built in systems to redirect power from the Type 2 generators (which, being spread out around the ocean bottom, are more difficult to destroy) to military facilities should the remainder of the power grid become compromised due to enemy action.)

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The results of the impromptu census have finally been released by the Popular Division, and according to them the population of The Nation of Selenarctos is 18,021,030 citizens with an error of plus or minus approximately 1,000. Please note that this figure does not include illegal or unreported immigrants and any births within the last two weeks. Tied into this announcement, the Popular divisions also announced a program to create a database of iris (eye) pattern scans to allow for rapid identification of citizens by Security Division personnel. Data collection will involve a set of scans being taking during a regular checkup at the doctors office, the results of which are immediately sent to the Security Divisions' secure Identity Database, which currently keeps track of fingerprints. While not mandatory, citizens who wish not to be entered into this database will be required to pay a $50 per year Domestic Force Support Tax.

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The Airforce today announced plans to replace it's Predator A UAV fleet with Predator Cs (pictured below). The plan, which precedes the upcoming Air Force overhaul, leaving some to speculate the Air Force overhaul may have been postponed, does not really come as a surprise, however it does end the previous cooperation between the Air Force and the Domestic Force with whom they shared the Predator As. Instead, the Predator As, their command infrastructure and maintenance facilities will gradually be transferred to the Domestic Force as the Predator Cs are completed.

Dimensions: 12.5m long, 20.12m wingspan

Operation Ceiling: 18,288m

Max Speed: 740km/hr

Range: 7,400km

Armament: Up to 1,300kg of missiles, guided or unguided bombs.

Predator C Unmanned Ariel Vehicle (UAV)

predator.Large.jpg

avenger.jpg

predator_c_avenger.jpg

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2 bits of information today:

First, the Cytostome RFV project, plagued by technical problems since it's birth, has officially been canceled. In total, the program spent over 55,000,000NSC to produce only 3 prototypes, none of which matched up to the original design specs in the areas of armor, cost or communication bandwidth.

And second, Martin Tagalog, the Popular Division second director who so far has kept a relatively low profile, when asked directly for his vision of the space program admitted, somewhat embarrassed, that yes, a manned mission to Mars was in the works but declined to comment further. For those keeping track, this should come as no surprise with the six launches last year and four more rumored for later this year, however it does bring up the obvious question, how much is this going to cost? Honestly, we have no idea but we'll certainly be trying to find out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

OOC: Bought a Mars Base IG, so eventually I'll arrive at the RP building of it... IC:

In an announcement sponsored by the Popular Division earlier today, the analysis of all six of the original mars probes was summarized and the results are believed to be overwhelming successful: underground iron and ice deposits were located (though not near to each other), and traces of what is believed to be uranium deposits were also detected. While the exact size of these deposits is unknown and under dispute, the government publicly committed itself to placing a permanent manned Selenarctan presence on Mars and announced three more upcoming launches. All three will carry satellites similar to Type As, however these will be geared specifically to look for mineral deposits and potential landing sights for a manned space craft. The first two will launch later this month from Cerries Launch Facility while the third, scheduled to launch in the middle of next month, will become the first craft to launch from the almost-complete Templo Island Launch Facility.

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Today, the Selenarctan Security Division landed 50 Ground Force soldiers on Pratas Island (population 0) to annex the Pratas Reef system. The following message was published for the international community:

TO: [insert nation name here]

FROM: Security Division, The Nation of Selenarctos

ENCRYPTION: 0 (NONE)

SUBJECT: Pratas Island/Pratas Reef

MESSAGE:

At 800 hours today, Selenarctan forces landed on Pratas Island and claimed the reef system for Selenarctos. Our goals in this action are: A, protect and study the reef system and B, prevent the island from being used as a base of piracy. Toward these ends, we have undertaken the landing Ground Force soldiers and appropriate equipment, to be followed soon by construction workers and equipment in order to build a permanent research facility on the island and a small base for up to 150 Security Force personnel. Once completed, we extend an offer to scientists from any country to use the the facilities for study of the Pratas Reef system or the surrounding area.

We will not be claiming an exclusive economic zone around Pratas Island, however we do (as is customary) claim sovereignty over 10nm around the Pratas Reef system. This zone will be enforced per the standard water policy.

Thank you,

Marcelo Bonifacio, First Director of the Selenarctan Security Division

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Ersch Electronics, Inc. announced today that it would begin a 2 year process to replace all remaining telecommunication wires that service at least 100 people with fiber optic cables and, additionally, lay 3 new 250 gigabit/second fibers between Manila, Preh and Rrenes.

***Classified***

Ersch Electronics has also been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to outfit all government communication channels with fiber cables and provide EMP-proof hardware at both ends and all relay stations along the way.

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The Ground Force announced earlier today that it will be more than doubling the number of soldiers under it's command (currently numbering 45,000 regulars) to approximately 100,000 soldiers over the next year. Though controversial, General Celerio expressed his conviction that this was a necessary move for Selenarctan national security.

The Security Division hopes to meet this high recruitment goal through increased enlistment benefits and advertising campaigns.

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Although there are still months until the second set of probes arrive in Mars orbit to locate a landing site, initial astronaut selection and training has begun for the popularly dubbed 'Martian Project.' All citizens are welcome to apply, however preference will be given first and foremost to astronauts of the current space program and second to those with the desired skill sets (namely flight experience, geology, mechanics, construction in hazardous locations, mining, work in environments of varying pressure, machining of exotic compounds, and more but preferable a combination of as many as possible). Of the expected 500,000 applications (which may be submitted online via the Popular Division), only an estimated 250 to be asked for a second round of interviews. To accommodate the volume of applications, all preliminary processing will be preformed by computers and only the most promising applicants passed onto human reviewers.

Finally, in the midst of the growing rumors surrounding the design of the spacecraft, the government announced that as a security measure it would not be releasing no further information regarding the spacecraft, including which companies are involved and where components were being built, except for cost estimates and completion date estimates.

Happy-Mars-Astronaut-Custom.jpg

Artist's Rendering of workers on Mars.

OOC: EDIT: Change the picture for a smaller one.

Edited by iKrolm
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  • 2 weeks later...

OOC: A little bit late on the time scale, but I wanted to finish the RP I started in Sands in the Wind, so assume it happened earlier. All classified.

Final Battle of Raochin, +300 hours

Captian Carlos Romero's 40 man command already more than 150km from their position near front, yet thing hadn't changed much. Heading south-east, away from the frong, they drove past group after group of dejected, broken Raochin soldiers. How many? Romero lost count. Countless numbers heading away from the front on vehicles if they had them, but on foot for the most part.

Missing seemed to be the commanders. Only occasionally did Romero come across an officer and the highest he could find was a Colonel and from them came only conflicting rumors. Rebel Army forces were holding back, advancing cautiously, wary of traps. Rebel Army forces were already to their right and left and their only hope was to continue onward faster than the Rebel Army forces could. They were already surrounded by Rebel Army, who was moving inward and taking no prisoners.

And the Raochin command network was in shambles. Static across half the bands they were supposed to use, no answer across the other half and cries for extraction from the rest of the bands. Communication with Selenarctos Command was likewise impossible. Romero tried the village phone in the first few towns they passed through with out success. No power, no dial tone, no network connection. The fifth phone connected, but reported no international links. After that, Romero stopped ordered the unit to keep moving without stopping.

Every so often, jets roared in the distance, and Romero could only hope they stayed there. For an un-challenged air force, a line of obviously-modern, still functioning artillery guns could prove a tempting target. The Raochin soldiers didn't seem to notice the planes at all as they trudged onward and Romero's convoy drove past.

Final Battle of Raochin, +2330 hours

Romero kept the convoy moving through the night and though his soldiers were clearly unhappy, the sooner they contacted Selenarctos Command and reached an extraction point, the sooner it would all be over. And they were all ready to get out of Raochin. +500 hours after their retreat had begun, they'd passed the last of the retreating Raochin soldiers. Around +800 hours, they'd paid a small fortune for gas, but the Raochin currency was probably worthless by now anyway. Finally, +2300 hours by Romero's watch, they'd reached Al Hufuf to find it strangely quiet for a city it's size. The streets were empty and silent except for the clanking of Romero's command as it drove by, the store front lights were off, only the occasional restaurant was open, though no customers could be seen inside.

Another half hour using the (barely adequate) maps they'd been issued before departure, and they finally reached the Al Hufuf Defense Command. Or where Al Hufuf DefCom should have been. Now, it was as empty as the streets surrounding it. Walking through the base with his pistol drawn, Romero couldn't even find evidence of a rushed exit, of hastily emptied filing cabinets and rummaging around for things to take. No signs of looting either, anywhere in the city. It has simply ceased to function.

The door to the General's office turned out to be the only locked door in the entire building, though Romero fixed that with a single bullet. The office was as immaculate as the rest of the base, everything in it's place including, Romero had expected and was glad to find, the telephone hard line to Raochin High Command. Dial tone and it rang too, but nothing else. Gave five rings before it cut off and wouldn't connect again.

Second phone proved more useful. No links to mainland Asia, however routing the call through the Aether Emprie (the operator on the other end was more than willing to accept Raochin credit, apparently she hadn't heard of Roachin's fall), NoN, and who-knows-where-else until it finally reached the Selenarctos grid. From there it was a piece of cake, so to speak, to reach the Security Division and Selenarctos Command.

After two explanations and subsequent bumps up the chain of command, Romero found himself explaining the situation directly to General Celerio and his staff. The orders were simple enough: proceed to to Dubai and hold out for extraction. Use necessary force, but try to keep it minimal. Don't get captured. And good luck. You'll be fully debriefed upon your return.

Returning ourside, Romero and his recently-appointed second-in-command Rey Canseco found 4 poorly clothed men standing just inside the compound's main gates, hands over their heads, AK-47s at their feet, and about 25 SG550s pointed at their heads. Called themselves the 'Liberators of Novak,' here to restore order, secure the compound and all of that. 'Course when they'd walked around the corner, they hadn't expected to be staring down the 120mm barrel of an M1A2 Main Battle Tank. When the first shout of 'drop your weapons' came, they couldn't wait to comply.

Couple minutes later, Romero had the whole story (well, as much as he thought they knew) out of them: Merlin was dead, they didn't have any doubt of that, and Raochin along with him. Some guy named James had returned, and he was bringing back Novak, ordering all former Raochin soldiers amnesty if they surrendered peacefully and handed over all their weapons, and these four patriots thought to give themselves some fame when they single-handedly 'captured' the Al Hufuf Defense Command.

Well, it hadn't turned out that way and it left Romero with more than one problem. First, these guys were clearly civilians, yet they now knew where a heavily armed, supposedly Raochin, force was located, and could most likely find out where it was headed. Second, authority was returning to the area faster than Selenarctos Command had predicted (the satellites still showed Rebel Army forces hanging back at the border), and the new authority understandably wanted to disarm the Raochin soldiers. Romero couldn't let these men let whatever provisional government this 'James' set up know where his troops, and he certainly couldn't let his command be disarmed.

Hell, this was war.

"Bayle."

"Sir?"

"Take three men, find a room with a metal door and no other exits, some food, water, spray paint and a torch. Lock these men inside, weld the door shut, mark what's inside, and leave the torch right outside the door. Someone's bound to check out the base within the next few days and if not, may their god be with them. Everyone else, we leave in five minutes."

Final Battle of Raochin, +1 day, 2200 hours

Since Al Hufuf they'd been going slower, no longer alert for the small possibility of detecting an approaching aircraft before it blew them to bits, but for the very real threat of running into a disarming force of 'Novak,' signs of which had become more and more clear. Sometime around +1 day, 600 hours a radio transmission from the 'James' the 4 liberators had talked about began to play across the channels. Over the next couple hours and into the night normal broadcasting gradually resumed, though with frequent interruptions to announce the surrender of one brigade or another, the arrest of some important Raochin official, or some other bit of pro-Novak propaganda.

The increased vigilance paid off when, at +1 day, 1300 hours by Romero's watch, the lead MTRV reported a roadblock around the next bend and about-faced back around the closest hill before the Novak irregulars guarding the roadblock registered what it was. Two scouts sent up the intervening hill reported 4 pick-up trucks, a half-track with freshly painted Novak-colors on it it and a single light macinegun nest. 2 more cars through, and the only people around would be the Novak irregulars. Couldn't be simpler for an artillery unit.

2 minutes later, 7 155mm shells landed on the roadblock and the M1 roared around the road, both 12.7mm machine guns blazing. Romero couldn't find a working radio in the wreckage, but he was fairly confident no message got out, assuming the Novak Command even knew this roadblock was here in the first place.

Now, 200 clicks out from Dubai, things were beginning to look grimmer. Apparently, since the are hadn't been part of the original Novak, James and company felt the need to send in extra soldiers to pacify the area and ensure Raochin-loyal resistance groups didn't build up. Or perhaps they'd just been in a lightly protected area earlier. In either case, they'd blown up a pair of pickup trucks blocking the road at almost point blank with the M1 when the truck's former owners drew guns and they'd spent an extra hour going around another roadblock.

Final Battle of Raochin, +1 day, 2300 hours

100 clicks out from Dubai, a lone man jumped out of his car parked on the side road, frantically waving a Roachin flag until the lead MTRV slowed down enough for him to shout a warning of an upcoming 'disarmament zone' for Raochin soldiers returning to Dubai. He couldn't provide anything specific, just that they were heavily armed with at least two tanks (unknown model) and more soldiers than Romero possessed. Hadn't seen any artillery, though, the man said as he eyed the massive XMs continuing down the road. Didn't know exactly how far down the road either, but yes, there were building in close proximity and probably civilians ('Raochin citizens') too. And no, he didn't have a cell phone.

Nearest alternate route according to the map was 30km back, 50km longer, led into Dubai on a wider, main road that probably held a larger roadblock in the middle of a heavily residential area. So here or nothing. Well, he was authorized to use force at his discretion and hopefully collateral damage could be minimized.

Closing in on where Romero believed the roadblock to be (right in-between two large, steep hills where it was most difficult to go around), they were presented with a sign informing them, in 3 languages, that 1 km ahead all Raochin soldiers were required to surrender their weapons and, in exchange, would be granted full amnesty and citizenship in Novak. Romero's convoy chose an alternate path, veering sharply off the road to the left, a soldier on the last MTRV planting a single bullet straight through the O in 'Novak.'

Around a kilometer off the road so that, by Romero's estimate, they would approach the roadblock at a 45º angle, standing on the top of an MTRV on the crest of a small hill, it was just possible to make out the blockade: 3 tanks, at least one of which a main battle tank, numerous machine-gun nests and a mountain of barb wire surrounded by 6 or 7 mud-brick civilian buildings, from the looks of it recently abandoned but you never could tell by appearances. Well, there could be a tank or artillery gun hidden behind one of those but it was unlikely: terrible firing angles.

Battle plan took all of about 5 minutes: M1 advances forward, flanked by the XMs on either side firing direct, LOS shots of the least explosive ammunition left into every vehicle and machine gun pit in the area while the M1's machine guns mow down everything in the street. Another minute for Canseco to point out that XM 8's front armor might have been compromised, reassign it back with the MTRVs and M911, and then the vehicles began to move into position.

Cresting the last hill in between his command the the roadblock, Romero risked one more nervous glance at the buildings before giving the fire order and his discomfort was drowned out in the sounds of battle. The two secondary tanks and half the machine gun nests went down in the first barrage, the MBT took a close hit and was still turning it's turret when it swallowed a shell from the M1. Two more shots from the XMs, two more obliterated machine guns nests when an anti-tank gun opened up from the top of a building on the far side of the road, the first shell tearing into an XM and exploding, the second flying off on a wild trajectory as a shell from XM 8 landed directly on top of the building, collapsing the structure. The rest of the XMs, just realizing the shot had come from a building, opened up and the remaining building were leveled in seconds.

A quick search of the rubble showed no civilians (that is to say, no bodies with out a gun nearby, only the presumed commander had a uniform of any kind) while Canseco led the MTRVs, M911 and XM8 to catch up with Romero's force.

"Valero, place one of the charges in the wreckage of XM 15. Canseco, follow me, " Romero turned with out waiting for a reply and led the way just out of earshot from the rest of the men and around a pile of rubble. "What the $%!& was that?"

He didn't need to follow up, Canseco already knew. Canseco had remained back with the M911 and other vehicles and though he didn't have direct orders not to engage, it had certainly been implied. "Sir, I know you wanted to minimize collateral damage, however I was nervous about those buildings. You never know what could've been hiding in them, behind them or, as it turned out, on top of them, so I took the liberty of entering the coordinates of each into XM 8 and when the AT gun opened up, XM 8 responded accordingly.

"Yes, I'd already figured that much out, thank you. What I need know, and you need to answer with complete honesty is: when you suggested leaving XM 8 with the M911, had you planned any of this? Because if not, I'll put it down as a command decision made in the heat of battle without access to superior officers, but if you planned it out beforehand, that falls under wartime insubordination."

"Sir, I had no plans to utilize XM 8 at the time, and the subsequent decisions I made were all based on plans formulated after your departure with the main attack group."

"Then in the future, I trust such ideas will occur to you before the battle or else you will go through proper channels."

Final Battle of Raochin, +2 days

From the final blockade onward, it was a race against time. Romero needed to find a location, preferably a small valley around 5km from Dubai, where his command could park and not be visible from the road, he needed to contact Selenarctos Command for extraction orders, and they needed to avoid detection until the extraction boat or boats arrived.

Finding a suitable valley turned out to be simple enough. Not quite ideal to deploy aerial camouflage in and a little closer to 6km from the outskirts of Dubai, but closer to the ocean and an adequate beach to load the M1 and XMs straight onto landing boats. Transportation into to Dubai turned out to be another challenge as they could hardly drive a Raochin-marked MTRV, which should have been surrendered at the checkpoint, into a heavily populated city without anyone taking note. So Romero and Canseco set out with an elaborate story of their circumstances in mind towards the nearest road (not the one they had come in on) to buy a ride into downtown Dubai. The ride turned out to be less of a problem than expected: the second truck to pass stopped and the climbed into the back with a camel and 5 other dejected Raochin soldiers as the truck accelerated towards Dubai.

Final Battle of Raochin, +3 days, 1800 hours

It took another day and a three-quarters for the extraction team to arrive, during which Novak military traffic on the nearby road increased dramatically. A convoy of jeeps and trucks would roar past every hour of so, carrying loads of soldiers and equipment into or out of Dubai, a convoy of Main Battle Tanks every couple of hours though, so far, they were not searching with planes of off the main roads.

When the extraction team finally arrived, 6 small transports gliding quietly up the Persian Gulf in the middle of the night underneath a blanket of stars, Romero could honestly say he'd never seen a more beautiful sight. Even without the customary Selenarctos flags blowing in the breeze, it was majestic. And they'd done it. He'd done it. They were going to live, they were going home to the green islands of Selenarctos and leaving behind these desert plains upon which Selenarctan blood had mingled with the blood of so many others.

FROM: Melchoro Diokno
TO: Joey Celerio, Ground Force Command
CC: Marcelo Bonifacio, Alejandro Tiempo
ENCRYPTION LEVEL: 1024-bit

SUBJECT: XM1203 NLOS Cannon Test Mission Analysis

MESSAGE:
Dear Director Bonifacio, Director Tiempo and General Celerio,

First of all, let me thank you for your interest, patience and continued support of the XM1203 NLOS Cannon project.  All of us here at Intel and Analysis look forward to such a day when such weapons of war are no longer needed, but that day may be many years in the future.

We are pleased to announce the completion of the XM1203's first field test, and our evaluation of the XM1203's performance has been overwhelmingly positive.  Not only did the gun meet or exceed every benchmark set while remaining only modestly over budget, the field test has demonstrated it's clear superiority over all other contemporary guns Captain Romero reported seeing in action.  We therefore recommend the Security Council push for the allocation of funds to deploy the XM1203 to all heavy-artillery brigades created during the Ground Force's current expansion program.

As for Captain Carlos Romero and the shape of his unit, we are prepared to allocate blame on a combination of poor command choices on the part of the Raochin High Command and Romero's lack of a higher officer for oversight.  Captain Romero preformed adequately, though by no means extraordinarily, given the circumstances but he is an officer who requires a constant command structure above him for support and oversight.  He is certainly not at fault for this, and it is an excellent quality in many officers, however it does mean he is not well equipped for covert operations or missions where a break in the chain of command ranks a high probability.  This is a quite common trait and, unfortunately, often can not be detected with training and simulated testing.  To prevent problems like these on similar covert operations and field tests in the future, we recommend either A, a larger command infrastructure be dispatched, or B, measures be taken to reduce the likelihood of a loss of communication between the unit's commanding officer and Selenarctos Command.

Additional information is available in the full debriefing report (attached), should you wish to review it.  Once again, we would like to thank you for your time and continued funding.

Sincerely,
Melchoro Diokno
Security Division Intel and Analysis

EDIT: Name fix.

Edited by iKrolm
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Stevan Roces, First Director of the Economic Division, was found dead in an alleyway earlier today, just 12 blocks from the Economic Division's headquarters in Manila. Preliminary reports show Roces was assaulted and beaten by 2 to 4 men around 3AM this morning and received several minor injuries before a single 9mm handgun shot was fired execution-style into the back of head. The police released no information on the suspected assailants, only responding to say no arrests had been made yet.

As the Economic Division's First Director is voted into power in a general election, under normal circumstances a special election would be held to elect a new director. With the general election only 3 months away, however, the Popular Council has delayed the election of a new director until the general election as a cost-saving measure. Critics fear this will upset the balance of power as Roces, known for his fiscal conservatism, will be missing during the upcoming Security Division budget allocation votes. Rumors of a petition to postpone the budget allocation are spreading, however there is little the opposition can do until the general election when both Popular Director's seats come up for reelection.

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Earlier today, the Security Council approved a new rank system for the Ground Force and designations for the Security Division, details of which can be found below. Also today, the Economic Council voted approval for the next year's budget, which as expected, boosted military spending to a record 99 billion NSC, 351 billion NSC to education and health care, 63 billion to transportation, 26 billion NSC to the space program, 22 billion NSC to non-space related research and 75 billion NSC to other programs.

Ground Force Ranks (in ascending order):

Non-Officer Ranks:

Private I

Private II

Sergeant I

Sergeant II

Sergeant III

First Sergeant

Officers:

Lieutenant I

Lieutenant II

Captain

Major

Colonel

Minor General

General

Force Commander

Designations:

Selenarctos Command (SelCom): Command structure of all Selenarctan assets. Under normal circumstances, the Selenarctos Command plays a minimal role in military command and only assumes control in extreme emergencies.

Security Command (SecCom): Command structure of the Security Division with the Security Council as the highest authority. The Security Command is tasked with the organization and deployment of Security Division assets.

GroundCom, AirCom, NavCom: Command structure of the respective force, each under the command of its Security Council-appointed Force Commander and responsible to the Security Command.

***Classified***

Security Division Intel and Analysis (SecDev I&A): The Security Division Intel and Analysis reports directly to the Security Council and the Force Commanders. The Security Division Intel and Analysis does not exist outside of this circle, and is charged with operations which are deemed inappropriate for the more open Foreign Intelligence Force.

Edited by iKrolm
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Elections results are in, with Francis Mumar winning the First Directorship of the Economic Division and Tim Toribio replacing Martin Tagalog as Second Director of the Popular Division. Overall, not a huge shake up but with the election of Mumar and Toribio, both nationalists and fiscal conservatives, a clear message has been sent to those in power: the people want change. They want increased attention on Selenarctos and less extravagant spending on distant projects.

Edited by iKrolm
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The Mars Rocket's design has finally been released by the Economic Division, conceptual renderings of which appear below:

01-MarsOrbit_3.jpg

02-Mars-1.jpg

The rocket will be assembled in orbit, requiring 3 launches to boost all the parts up and 2 more for assembly crew to connect it together. The first segment contains the crew's living quarters and supplies for the trip there, life support and most of the equipment needed to sustain the 18-person crew for 3 years on the Martian surface. The second segment contains the remaining equipment, the Martian Lander to shuttle personnel and equipment from the rocket down to the surface of Mars and part of the fuel. The rest of the fuel to reach mars and the engines (conventional rockets) make up the third segment.

It will take the Mars Rocket 6 months to reach martian orbit, and another month while the crew gradually transitions from the Rocket to the surface. During this month, one-third of the crew will live on the surface in the Lander and assemble a prefabricated, 6-man temporary shelter. Once assembled, 6 more crew will be shuttled down from the Rocket to build a second 6-man shelter while the 6 remaining in the Rocket will begin to disassemble and package the life support system of the Rocket for transfer to the surface. Once the second temporary shelter has been been built, all remaining personnel and equipment will be transferred down.

For the next 2 months, the crew will live in the temporary shelters and lander while a permanent base is constructed using local materials, equipment brought from earth and the Mars Rocket's life support system. The base will be built out of bricks made from deposits of a clay-like substance found in the martian soil by two of the first probes sent to Mars, and covered with martian soil to provide increased protection from micrometeorites and solar radiation.

Base4.jpg

Initial Base Construction

Base7.jpg

Base Half-Constructed

Base13.jpg

External Base Construction Completed

The permanent base, once completed, will have a maximum capacity of 36 personnel plus research research facilities. The central area will be covered with 5cm plastic sheets (coated for increased UV and scratch/impact resistance), pressurized and used to experiment with agriculture in martian soil. The primary food source, however, will remain hydroponically grown vegetables. The base will be powered primarily by solar power with a small nuclear reactor to provide backup power during nights, prolonged bad weather and during emergencies.

A second ship, the Mars Rocket II, will be launched a year and a half later carrying 18 additional personnel, more scientific equipment, 2 vehicles designed for long-distance transportation and any replacement parts/materials the base may be in need of.

The launch date has been scheduled (OOC: 12/15/09) and while final crew selection has not been announced, it should be expected within the next few months and those who fail to make the cut will be automatically entered into the pool for the Mars Rocket II's crew. The success of this mission, and the feasibility of later ones will rely entirely upon the Mars Rocket's crew, however Economic Division Second Director Antonio Pilar calmly stated from the podium earlier today: "There are 100 men and women in the astronaught training program for Mars, and these are 100 of the finest men and women Selenarctos has to offer. I have no doubt that they can overcome any obstacle and solve any challenge that may confront them here, on Mars, or anywhere in-between."

Edited by iKrolm
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Selenarctan Defense Industries, Inc. is proud to announce the opening of the largest military-specific research facility to date. Pictured below, the multi-hundred million dollar facility will be a central point for research and development to keep the Selenarctos Security Division equipped with the latest and most modern defensive technologies.

USAMRICD.jpg

OOC: Weapons Research Complex

EDIT: OOC: Shrunk image.

Edited by iKrolm
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Excerpt from 'The Modern Communist', the official publication of the Communist Party of Selenarctos.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I am going to be direct: We are approaching a crossroads. The current system of government is failing us and the time for change is rapidly approaching. Don't misunderstand me, our nation has been led excellently through it's birth and growth, however nothing lasts forever. There is no disguising the fact that our nation is led by a dictator. No matter how many elections take place, IKrolm maintains the ultimate authority within the government through the system of Councils, Divisions and Directors that our constitution, enacted by none other than IKrolm himself, put into place.

And as I've said before, it worked. It worked very well at the beginning, it kept a sense of stableness, stableness even, and we the people were willing to go along with it. But the government no longer represents the will of the people and if nothing else, the latest elections have shown that: two new directors with different views brought into power. But does this signal a change, of different things to come? No, because no matter what happens, each new Director is complemented by a second Director with an opposite opinion and IKrolm holding the deciding vote in every Council. So yes, the people have spoken. They have spoken, but their voices have been ignored.

How have they been ignored when the election results were announced barely 3 months ago? That's hardly enough time to see what the new Directors have to offer. Of course, but take a moment to examine their past: Francis Mumar, First Director of the Economic Division, served two terms as mayor of Rantél and Tim Toribio, Second Director of the Popular Division, was Chief of the Preh Domestic Force. Both were well regarded, and both did next to nothing while in power. Mumar was mayor for two years, yet during that time he led no initiatives, headed no campaigns and generally procrastinated on signing bills until the law required him to either sign or veto as a token resistance to spending policies enacted by these bills. And Toribio? During the 2 years he led the Preh Domestic Force, his greatest accomplishment was to cancel more than 8 public awareness and education efforts to save money at a time while funding to the Domestic Force was reaching all-time highs and in their place he created the Preh Domestic Force Reserve Fund which accumulated so much money the Preh City Council voted to decrease funding to the Domestic Force.

So how did these two individuals become elected Directors of their respective Divisions and heralded as 'sending a message to the government'? It began just over a year ago when the little-known Selenarctan Nationalist Party, a conservative slightly-xenophobic splinter party, approached the National Conservative Party and the Center Party assuring them each an elected Popular Director of similar ideology in exchange for cooperation and endorsing the other party's candidate. I'm not going to break off into speculation on how, only that after several closed door meetings the three parties formally announced the Conservative Coalition and the selection of the two candidates they all could agree on: Francis Mumar and Tim Toribio.

It didn't there, as you probably know: Francis Mumar became the First Economic Director rather then First Popular Director after all. It comes back to the enormously successful Martian Project open recruitment program, when Pacita Arellano's popularity as First Popular Director rose dramatically and it became almost certain she would win reelection. The Conservative Coalition was on the point of breaking as the National Conservative Party refused to endorse the Center Party's candidate if theirs was going to lose and the Center Party would rather not endorse a losing candidate when Stevan Roces died. Suddenly, there was a new position open, a large number of people were unhappy over the delay to refill the position and Francis Mumar with his fiscally conservative history perfectly positioned to win the election. Graciously withdrawing from the race against Arellano to 'run for a position where his unique background could more effectively help our great country,' Mumar and Toribio drew across-the-board support as a symbol of how Selenarctans could work together overcoming different backgrounds and circumstances, always with an emphasis on nationalism. Two weeks after the election and just days after Cacoy Vibal replaced Tomás Nakpil as Foreign Intelligence Force Commander on Toribio's suggestion, the Conservative Coalition broke apart when the Selenarctan Nationalist Party withdrew and the National Conservative Party and Center Party's talks stalled over minor disagreements.

And since then, what have Mumar and Toribio done? Mumar publicly spoke out against the Security Division's budget, Toribio spoke for more effective use of public funds and the two voted vaguely along party lines except where necessary to pass a bill supported by IKrolm.

To recap, the opposition barely wins a majority (still contested in some regions), the opposition's candidates vote with their rivals, and the opposition breaks up immediately after their triumph? I'm not going to go so far as to call it a coup, but it doesn't add up for the powers-that-be.

My fellow Selenarctans and Communists, we stand at a crossroads of the future of Selenarctos. We have two choices: we can leave things as they are and see what happens or we can act before it's too late. When Democracy has failed us, the time for direct action has come. Whether you listen to the signs is up to you, but I for one am not content to sit idly by while our great nation heads blindly down the path to ruin.

Marcos Aguinaldo is the Editor in Chief of The Modern Communist and long time friend of Arnel Lucero, National Director of the Communist Party of Selenarctos.

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The first product of SDI Inc.'s newest weapons research complex (although the majority of research was preformed before the facility opened), the S-500 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (prototype S-400 pictured below) will be integrated into the Ground Force over the next 6 months. With advanced anti-stealth capabilities and the ability to track and engage multiple targets at ranges of more than 600km and speeds up to 5km/s, the S-500 is set to become the Ground Force's primary defensive SAM against aircraft and ballistic missiles.

S300PM_FIRE01.JPG

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***Classified***

Due to recent circumstances, over the next year the Selenarctan Security Division will be launching 10 radar equipped satellites (6 in equatorial and 4 in polar orbits) to provide continuous global radar coverage capable of detecting and tracking planes, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. All data will be transmitted down through one of 3 existing and interchangeable receiving stations: the Space Program's Mission Control in Manila, the Air Force's satellite receiver array in the Cordillera Central Mountain Range, or the Sea Force's GlobeCom receiver array outside of Preh. Once received groundside, the data will be sent through preexisting fiber optic cables to Air Force Command and archived in the Selenarctos Command Bunker.

(Side note: The location of Mission Control and GlobeCom are relatively well know but both inside of secure compounds. The Air Force array's location is classified and camouflaged against aerial identification (both from planes and satellites).)

Edited by iKrolm
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