Randalla

Happy to be a part of this rag tag gaggle.

The Morrighan approves.

Remember when I was the retired one? What have I done... 😂 I love me some birthday cake. 💙

No, LH. They will be allowed to resolve their issues themselves, without your "assistance".

I rarely feel the need to visit this particular area of Planet Bob anymore, but since we were mentioned, I thought I'd clarify a thing or two for anyone who cares enough to read this far down. The manner in which I handle our protectorates is determined on a case-by-case basis. No two people are alike, no two alliances are alike. Some of our protectorates have required quite a lot of hands-on instruction and very close monitoring. Others have a better feel for things and only need the blanket protection from raiders a protectorate agreement offers. The level of meddling I do in our protectorates' affairs depends on their needs or wishes, as well as my own observations. I'm well aware of what a fledgling alliance we've taken under our wing needs in any given incident. Occasionally, even a bit of fisticuffs provide an appropriate enough lesson for both sides, as long as it remains controlled, contained, and it is not a disproportionate reaction for only a minor offense. I encourage diplomacy and self defense, never bullying. Sometimes I think in our old age and the condition Planet Bob is currently in, we forget the valuable lessons that are best learned when young and wee little, rather than later, smack in the middle of a complicated treaty web. Let the younguns stretch and exercise their wings, give them the chance to make their own decisions and learn from an occasional scraped knee. We're so accustomed to the tiniest conflict blowing out of proportion to the point of triggering the next Great War that their youthful enthusiasm is smothered and trolled to death. Weren't we all in their shoes once upon a time? While I have absolutely no need to convince anyone else of my own actions on behalf of CotM where our protectorates are concerned, I will briefly point out that my attention was indeed directed toward this incident in question, and I did indeed step in to find out what I could of the other party's grievance. It was determined at that time that the wars would simply expire, so my role then shifted to offering monetary assistance to those who found themselves in the midst of the scuffle. While my counsel would have favored simply allowing the wars to expire as previously agreed, a different decision was made (obviously), which he felt would make it easier to clean house and make some positive changes in his alliance. I can't speak for other protectorates, but our protectorates are not our tech farms, their leaders are not my clones or servants. We do our best to show them what we know, what we've learned, advise as best we can, keep them as safe as possible, and give them the room, patience and opportunity they need to flourish, if they in fact have the drive and desire themselves to do so. I hope that satisfies anyone's morbid curiosity and puts to rest any lingering questions about their protectorate agreement or our part in it. Cheers, all.

I always liked STA.

Just call me the crazy cat lady. >.> o/

Like the new threads, dears. Congrats! o/

No, we're going to resolve things rationally and calmly. Instigators can feel free to calm down and have a seat. Move along, nothing more to see here.

Hails all around, lovelies.

Everything old is new again. As we welcome friends both old and new during this period of transition, we do extend an arm of protection over The Sandstorm Confederacy AA for the next 30 days. Carry on.

You're not worth my time, Hardin. You just keep telling yourself whatever bedtime story helps you sleep at night. You attack a peaceful, neutral alliance and then brag about chasing off a panicky youngling who's never fought before. And another of my members apparently treats you cordially despite your unprovoked attacks, and you plaster it up here to ridicule him. Oh, be still my beating heart, such a big brave man you are, Hardin. Heh, shows the content of your character, or lack thereof. I'm retired. I'm certainly not going around pretending to be relevant. You'll never be relevant, no matter how hard you try. When you grow up, after you've been potty trained, you can stop bragging about chasing off one peaceful rookie, and come knock on MY door. I'll look forward to picking the rubble of your nation and the chunks of your carcass out of the treads of my boots. Also, hi Walsh!

Oh, Hardin, give it up. Those two AGW members were former Apparatus members and personal friends from before our merger with Pax. Since you folks saw fit to attack us without provocation, our old buddies decided to come home out of their sense of duty and nostalgia, entirely of their own accord. They weren't asked, they weren't ordered. If anything else had been the case, more AGW folks would have come over to have some fun. You've been doing nothing but whining about us defending ourselves since the day we fought back, the day you decided to attack us. If you dislike being kicked back so badly, don't launch unprovoked attacks against peaceful alliances. Though we do thank you for the opportunity to dust off our nukes. It's been a long time for some of us ol' retired folk. o7

Lookin' for water/uranium, black team. Message me in game, lovelies. http://www.cybernations.net/nation_drill_display.asp?Nation_ID=185464

Oh I feel old. Just woke up from a nap long enough to help blow out the birthday candles. ;) Many thanks, lovelies. :awesome:

Crawling out of my cave for a few minutes to see what I've missed since I've been retired. :D

Speak of the devil and she'll appear. :ehm: Thanks for the birthday wishes, and I'm perfectly happy to be able to spend my retirement with all these lovely friends of mine. Here's to a few more! :awesome:

Well, stay for the coffee, too. :D And someone send me trades. I'm afraid to even check the mess I'm sure I have waiting for me after the holidays. Nothing like coming back to the office after a few days off to see what pranks folks have left on the desk. Staples in the chair, that sorta thing. S'what I get for retiring. :ehm:

In the end, Cerd proved to be more stubborn than I. ;) Congrats, lovelies. I've been one happy camper since crashing here, and have been beyond useless since my retirement. Seeing a long time Paxian goal accomplished is icing on the cake. :awesome:

To all my old steampunk lovelies, I wish you the best. I was in your shoes a few years ago, plodding along that non-neutral path. I might miss my old raucous days, but I'll be content to live vicariously through you Omega folks. ;) Good luck, and you know where I'll be when you want to share war stories. :war:

Thank you. The flavor might not appeal to everyone, but I thought Pax could use a little steam. ;) And thank you for that. We were on opposing sides more often than not, it seemed, but I do appreciate that very much. Cheers! :popcorn:

I am pleased that you have the time, energy and good health to continue on your current path. Unfortunately, not all of us are in that same happy boat. There are a good number of otherworldly obstacles that have been keeping me from devoting the proper amount of time, attention and energy to these political processes, and rather than continue to fall behind as I've been doing since the surgery a few months ago, this just happens to be one of those "sad but necessary" things. ;) More necessary than sad, from my perspective, to be honest. :ehm:

And of course, such a momentous occasion wouldn't be the same if I could actually free myself up from a hectic schedule to celebrate properly. This old war horse just doesn't have the energy anymore. But we're not really going anywhere, so it's not a sappy good bye. Just a much needed slower pace. I'd very much like to thank all of our friends who've put up with me over the years, and especially my awesome gearfolk who have REALLY had to put up with me all this time. Of course, some of them will STILL have to put up with me, so in some areas, not much is changing. ;) Thank you for watching over us and our protectorates during the transition. Some interesting things are still to come, and for once, it'll be nice to just kick back and watch the show from my rocking chair. Unfortunately, my schedule and health aren't really allowing me to do much more than that anymore. I will fight no more forever. Have fun, my dears. :wub:

Steampunks still love us some nuclear proliferation. Only thing I see different is paper, and who needs that anymore these days? :ehm: NPL, since it's not really good-bye, I'll just say cheers. :awesome:

Go in peace, sir. The Apparatus certainly holds no ill will for those who have none toward us. ;)