Executive Minister

[quote name='Mara Lithaen' timestamp='1338011336' post='2972663'] Jade bought a fast, maneuverable dirtbike from a kid in the town - paying him three times what the bike was actually worth out of a combination of pity and impatience. She set off, traversing the hellish moonscape of the wastes about Dallol, heading due west towards the mountains. She rode for hours, for though the bike was fast the terrain was as close an approximation of an alien world as she'd ever encountered, hindering her progress and speed, often having to double back on herself just to negotiate a feature of the terrain - a crater, a lava vent, an acid pool that could eat her dirtbike, much less her. Her robes flared in the wind behind her, and then she found it, guided by a vision, following an apparition, a wounded timberwolf whose breath froze in the air. The temple was not as she had seen in her vision - in point of fact, it was far different, something far more akin to an African Cheyenne Mountain complex, only even better hidden and far less well known. She made her way to the gates, walking slowly and with the Imperial Aquila visible on the case that carried her letter. [/quote] [b]Dallol, Outskirts [/b] It is said that the ruling Monarch of the Principality, the beloved Princess Rhianne Lucretia Sidamo, single handedly took the reigns of East Africa from the Nodic military command through sheer will and grace alone.She introduced a philosophical viewpoint unimaginable by unbelievers, an esoteric way of peace and love so effective, it turned anyone it touched. While this was true in the southern, more heavily populated portions of the Principality, a different fringe group persevered, preparing itself for encroachment upon the soft-spoken, docile Aeon. Jamil grinned greedily as the stranger stuffed a wad of indecipherable bills into his grubby little hands. As the woman took his most prized possession, he fought back pangs of guilt as she rode off into the distance. Jamil knew the price of his people's freedom was something that could not be named, and he stood and watched in silent obedience as Jade left. Stuffing the Imperial dollars into his pocket, he made a dash to one of the concrete prefab housing units set into the hard earth. It was here that Ethiopian laborers of the past had toiled needlessly in the harsh salt flats of Dallol - but it was also the place where East Africans grew to know hardship, embracing it to become the strong, hardy people that they now are. Now, work crews baking under a relentless sun as they tugged at salt slabs with ropes and chipped with chisels were replaced by the lowly pilots and minders of dedicated harvesting vehicles. Jamil's family had worked under the Nodic regime of old, and still worked under the Aeon. Nothing had changed at all besides who was receiving the precious salt. Rushing towards his room in the spartan quarters of the residence, Jamil simply threw the bills unto a steel table, rushing past his mother. "Jamil! What's-" The normally soft-spoken and obedient boy did something out of the ordinary as he shushed the woman with a sound and accompanying wave of his hands. His mother stared daggers as the boy passed and ran into his room - only stopping when she saw the boy return with an unmistakeable small black object in his hand. "Can't talk now, ma! [i]Business[/i]..." he said as he began prepping the hand held transmitter for use. Her eyes widening, she shot a warm, knowing look at her son as she quickly ran to the windows, activating the automated blinds with a press on a wall panel. Checking to make sure no one else was near the house, she set to work at a security panel near the door. Fiddling with a button sequence memorized with mere muscle memory, she ensured that no one would be able to enter until Jamil was finished. There would be no worries - Jamil's father was working a harvester today, and was not expected back for several hours. Content that measures were complete, she looked at her son, chattering into the device. "Yes, I have the bills here! Yes, i'll have her transmit the last known position at once... No, she has no reason to expect anything." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b] Aeon UAV DR-6 designate: BIGEYE Transmission # 9-19 INTERCEPT via DE-69 unit codename: LAMPREY [/b] [b]27 km West of Dallol[/b] The elegantly shaped drone banked gracefully as its all seeing eyes scanned for hundreds of kilometers around. A high performance, all-aspect, multi-spectrum stealth reconnaissance vehicle, the Aeon craft had no inclination to realize that it had a lone tailgater following it ever since it set 'foot' in Nodic territory. LAMPREY, a sleek, beetle-like craft, had been following BIGEYE for several dozen hours now. It had been relatively easy for Nodic command personnel to track the Aeon DR-6 drone as it transmitted data back to its Aeon handlers further south. The Nodic DE-69 had caught its target unawares, as the normally 'hard-to-detect' DR-6 drone was flying in what it deemed friendly territory and was not following normal stealth protocols regarding emissions. In the barren wastes surrounding Dallol, BIGEYE had been the only emission source for kilometers. The two drones had begun a crucial dance that had been played out countless times before - out of a necessity that Nodic survivors not be detected in force by the Aeon. Drones in the vicinity of secretly held Nodic territories were constantly tracked and followed by units such as the Nodic DE-69, which fed falsified transmissions to the Aeon while sapping vital data back to Temple Cuatro. Nodic survivors could use the Aeon's own eyes to hide in plain sight, while gaining valuable situational intelligence for themselves. <<Recalibrate azimuth sweep angle, adjust elevation scan.>> The DE-69 handlers were hard at work, for today's sortie had taken a turn for the worst. Hastily given instructions from Temple Cuatro, LAMPREY was ordered to begin remote access and manipulation maneuvers against their target BIGEYE. In short - they needed to actively take control of the Aeon drone in order to find a particular target amongst the terrain below without alerting Aeon handlers. <<Copy that, angle decreased>> Powerful optical imaging hardware aboard BIGEYE had been turned upon a lone figure riding a small, one-man motorized vehicle. At once, a slew of data filled the banks of the Aeon vessel before being sent out, only to be immediately captured and altered by LAMPREY just enough to avoid suspicion. But the charade would could not last long. If BIGEYE was not returned to the Aeon's projected flight path shortly, Aeon controllers would notice the change in position and heading as soon as LAMPREY's invasive conduct ran out of juice. The window of opportunity was quickly closing. After tense moments, the data was acquired, and BIGEYE was sent on its original path with LAMPREY in tow.

Africa is open Mogar

[quote name='Californian' timestamp='1338235084' post='2973667'] Kanks... can we please make that a thing? [/quote] I already did...

Exactly, the AUP is comprised of a collective of civilized pan-African, multi-ethnic citizens and should uphold the rights of all [b]law abiding[/b] individuals within its ball of influence. OOC: Sphere is over used in CNRP. I say let the AUP have its balls of influence.

I'm down to just having an unwritten rule that everything besides troop counts and other undebateable facets of CNRP is up in the air. The Moderators have given their blessings for the community to completely govern itself, so lets *crosses fingers* not show them they made the wrong decision *knocks on wood*. Everything is common sense unless the community finds something to be wrong. That way, we see what GM rules stick and which ones are merely unneeded.

Yeah only i doubt the forum actually has a way to limit you to only 3. In any case, I placed my votes.

While ruling House Sidamo would continue its ongoing public decry of nuclear weapons, those within the ranks of the Office of the Avatar-of-War would send messages of congratulations and assurances of full Aeon cooperation.

I take the best of both worlds, Kanks.... I wonder what that makes me.

Must you all graduate to buyers all at once? [b]FOUR[/b] slots open. OP applies.

The Principality would provide logistic backing for both the Haven and KwaZulu initiatives for Evonian restoration. Two flights of Bestower ultra heavy transports would be sent immediately pending allied military successes in the theatre. Onboard would be a substantial amount of rations and humanitarian supplies.

The Principality would like to request a formal report on the present muster strength of the African Union Security Forces (AUSF) at present. We are currently evaluating the Principality's present contributions, and will adjust accordingly. OOC: We need more meat for the meat grinder guys

Unless you're putting it in my pants, I don't really care where you put it. As for shutting up... i'm not THAT mean.

I'm quite flattered by the nominations. Thanks guys

Whats this I don't even... Rotavele, DOE wherever you want. No one needs up to the minute details about how your OOC land negociations are going.

We have had 'space carriers' in cnrp that were used against Ty/JED canada not too long ago. Said carriers had 'space drones' that targeted sats with 'space jamming'. Starwars indeed.

Im sure cnrp has been humbled by the faith the CN mod team has given to its community. We'll do our collective best.

Athens has a history of propping up communist insurgents in the past. If Isaac is able to see Athens move forces to the vicinity of NA, even I would assume he's preparing to help commies out.

The Principality would later contact Mauritanian national financial departments to gauge Mauritanian interest in a program of mutual and co-operative economic growth. Said program would involve heavy investment by Aeon and other interested parties in the AU, with concentrated semi-labour intensive processing of imported raw materials and semi finished goods for the international as well as pan-African export market. Of course, said labour would revolve around Aeon 3D Manufacturing technology and maintenance, with the Aeon fronting technical training and education regimens as a means to foster a Mauritanian transition from an industrial to high-tech economy. Textiles, food processing, metal and metal products as well as chemical products would be the focus. Later approached by the media, Principality sources from ruling House Sidamo would be quoted as saying, "The world presently has a false image of Africa's own infrastructural and economic prowess. So long as the Aeon remains a part of the AU, no African nation need cannibalize itself in order to remain competitive in today's markets."

The Principality has created the first few of several Sternbild rockets that we feel will facilitate Africa's inroads into space. With more and more infrastructure being devoted to Space initiatives in the Principality, we feel this fleet of conventional ultra-heavy lift rockets will grow more and more larger, with reduced costs down the line. African partners within the ASCP are welcome to contribute to the manufacture of additional Sternbild, or Sternbild variants to use at their leisure. *CLASSIFIED* Regardless of AU levels of cooperation with the Aeon/Papuan Sternbild initiative, a separate fleet of Sternbild component vehicles was being simultaneously built for the Principality's combined armed forces, secretly accounting for the less than optimal rate of production of the ASCP civilian Sternbild fleet. The Aeon vision of a terrestrial 'planetary defense weapon' would come to fruition - soon the Aeon would be able to deploy a myriad of anti-space ordinance at a moment's notice with silo launched Sternbild-based weapons. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classified as a 'big dumb booster', or BDB system, the Sternbild showed much promise with is relatively linear cost when compared to contemporary conventional rockets and its massive payload. However, tests with the Sternbild also gleaned that it is cheaper to mass build and operate a large, strong, heavy rocket of comparatively simple design than to build a few smaller, lighter, increasingly complex ones. Efficiency may go down if this up-scaling is taken too close to heart, but ease of production, operation and maintenance is cheaper, especially when massive payloads are taken into consideration. Of course, to even think of building a rocket larger than the Sternbild would be a logistical nightmare with regards to the fledgling space infrastructure afforded to the Aeon, and to a lesser extent, the African Space Cooperation Program. One would need to significantly overhaul existing launch sites to allow for larger and larger rockets to be launched from existing ASCP sites. Enter the Deduco. A fully reusable, two-stage, sea launched rocket capable of lifting 550 metric tons to LEO with a projected cost of 59 to 600 dollars per kilogram. At 168 m tall and 23 m in diameter, it is the largest man-made rocket in existence. [center][img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww106/mofailla/seaDragonArt.jpg[/img] [/center] To lower the costs of operation, the rocket, dubbed 'Deduco' or 'Founder of Colonies' is launched from the ocean, requiring little in the way of support systems such as gantries or launch infrastructure. An enormous ballast tank system attached to the bottom of the first-stage is used to erect the Deduco in a vertical position for launch. With the cargo placed at the tip or top of the structure, this system ensures any payloads to be delivered are readily accessible from the waterline. The first stage is powered by a single gargantuan 80 million lbsf (360 MN) thrust engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen. After engine burnout at launch plus 1 minute 21 seconds, the rocket would be 40 km up and 33 km downrange, travelling at a speed of 1.8 km/s. Normal mission profiles expend the stage in a high-speed, parachute retarded splashdown several hundred kilometers downrange. The second stage is equipped with a single engine of its own, a 6 million kgf thrust engine burning liquid hydrogen and LOX. This stage burns for an entire 4 minutes 20 seconds after first stage burnout, placing the Deduco 230 km up and 940 km downrange. Typical Deduco operations would start with the vehicle being reassembled and mated to cargo modules and ballast tanks on shore or beneath specialized nuclear powered tender ships with a catamaran-like or SWATH hull configuration, massive in scale. RP-1 and nitrogen fuel is loaded. The Deduco is then towed to its projected launch site via tender ship, military vessel or detachable waterjet girdle systems. At this time, LOX and LH2 would be generated in transit via electrolysis. Power supply is granted via the nuclear tender ship or ballast mounted generation system. Once launch is imminent, ballasts are filled to get the rocket vertical, and payload is inserted at the waterline. Plans are underway to begin construction of Deduco rocket systems, with schematics forwarded to all pertinent ASCP member personnel. The Deduco is envisioned to ease the strain of the terrestrial bound Sternbild system, eventually complementing or potentially overtaking the Sternbild as the ASCP's ultra-heavy lifter platform. [b]Specifications[/b] [b]Function:[/b] LEO and Exo-atmospheric Reusable Launch Vehicle [b]Height:[/b] 168 m 'Tall' (Ballast tanks filled for vertically erect launch position) [b]Diameter:[/b] 23 m [b]Stages:[/b] 2 [b]1st Stage Thrust:[/b] 360 MN [b]2nd Stage Thrust:[/b] 60 MN [b]Payload:[/b] 550 metric tons to LEO [b]Cost Per Payload Kilogram:[/b] $59/kg to $600/kg

[quote name='Joel James' timestamp='1337733008' post='2970781'] While talking about character kills, does that mean you could kill the leader of another nation by a roll? Or am I missing something here? [/quote] You most definitely cannot. Kills are only allowed against an owning RPer's will if the character in question is put in an explicitly dangerous situation, or is allowed to be captured by an enemy.

The Principality recognizes the added military responsibility is owes the AU and its members. Burdened by a disproportionately sized military, we will earmark the following forces to be immediately folded into the pan-African AUSF. [quote] 3rd African Union Corp - 72,000 men Located- Adahunat Air Base 5 Divisions (Aeon Standard) 2 Air Assault Divisions 2 HAHO/HALO Paratrooper Divisions 1 Armored Infantry Division 4th African Union Corp - 72,000 men Located- Khartoum District 5 Divisions (Aeon Standard) 3 Armored Infantry Divisions 2 Mechanized Infantry Divisions 5th African Union Corp - 72,000 men Located- To Be Announced 5 Infantry Divisions (Aeon Standard) 3 Mechanized Infantry Divisions 2 Armored Infantry Divisions + 2 Rocket Forces and Artillery Divisions [/quote] Of course, is additions forces are required, the Principality is able and willing to devote additional warriors to supplement the AUSF.

The Principality would later request tissue samples from "He Who !@#$% Diamonds", mentioning something off hand about engineering ones farts to smell of roses.

The Principality of Aeon confirms that it will be sponsoring in part the Mauritanian election committee as per obligations as an AU member. We wish the Mauritanian people well in its endeavors for self determination.

[quote name='Kankou' timestamp='1337361239' post='2969154'] Defensive as usual, Triyun. Why not let things be? [/quote] Because he got called out. Me and him usually don't see eye to eye, but he's got a right to defend himself here. Not to say I agree with his defense, but it IS necessary nonetheless. Gotta keep people from putting your name in their mouths.

[quote name='Triyun' timestamp='1337275079' post='2968703'] OOC: They may, but you've thought people were nords who really never were. The last gasps of the silver revolution were extinguished in Sweden. Anyways this is a fair IC criticism, and btw entirely consistent with my character's mockery of norse pagans in Europe as well. [/quote] OOC: There's a difference between Nords and nords. You just don't know which type i'm referring to. In any case, sad to see you go Tiberius... there is lots of land in Africa if you'd like. I won't be desecrating this tombstone any longer.