TheShammySocialist

Upon receipt of the message from Tikal, the Stormlands would send both the Commonwealth and Tikal a formal letter of acceptance for the tasks that they had been honorably nominated for. With information in hand, the Administrations for Progressive National Development and Exterior would form a task force of officials and workers from both administrations to be dispatched to the fallen Mexican State. These would include election specialists and individuals with experience in dealing with election fraud and vote processing and screening. Chartering a number of aircraft, a total of close to seven hundred task force members would be briefed and sent north to oversee referendum stations in Mexico at the behest of the two governments.

Rafael took Valmy's response with an expressionless look, Taman seemed to grin at the threat that Valmy threw down in front of them. The expression he wore didn't seem to be condescending, it seemed to be genuine, almost as if he was expecting her commentary. Taman was known on the High Council for his feisty attitude, and wasn't afraid to throw down a challenge to a policy that Rafael or another Councilor put forth. It was an endearing quality that earned him respect, and he wasn't about to back away from the challenge that these talks were going to be. "Madame Valmy, what you see as a demand, we meant as a suggestion and it was not, in itself, one sided, as much as it seemed to be. Our proposal would require the American Commonwealth to withdraw from what I can only assume is a very active build up and mobilization along the frontiers of your nation. For this mediation and for the diplomacy, in this situation to work, there must be concessions made by both sides to work out the differences between them, and both sides be able to walk way content with that. This process could take more than just this meeting, but if it ultimately avoids war, then every minute, nigh, second spent here, is worth its weight in the blood that both sides will have to pay. I do not question either side of their determination to fight a war, but the costs of blood and treasure associated with, and the ripple effects felt across the region, would be long term," stated Taman, in a firm voice. "We realize it is not up to us to determine what path your government takes, my suggestion was merely that, a suggestion, and possibly a roadmap." Rafael, who had seemed to be thinking deeply whilst Taman spoke, finally interjected, "It seems as though we've examined fairly thoroughly what we can consider some of the root causes of this conflict and the current status of it. I ask both of you right now, as a starting point, what kind of stipulations would your government want to see in any accord set down here? If these are just minor steps taken to try to build confidence between both your states to begin with, surely that would be useful to working on a solution to this enflamed situation."

"I'm sincerely thankful that you both have offered responses this time around without deflecting a level of personalization towards your counterpart in the room. That, in and of itself, is a bit of a step forward, I believe," stated Rafael, taking note that neither representative had personally addressed the other between their two responses offered. "Madame Valmy, if I may offer an opinion," nodded Taman, breaking into the conversation again, "I'm going to utilize some of our nations' own history to offer some advice on this matter at hand, these lands owe much of their freedom from colonial rule by the work of the great Simon Bolivar, and his associates. As George Washington is to any person from the American Commonwealth, Simon Bolivar is almost equally important to anyone who lives in this part of the world. Bolivar was a soldier, a good one at that, a leader of men, he successfully led the revolution and governed afterwards. Unfortunately, his military prowess wasn't exactly matched in governance, surely, he governed to the best of his abilities and tried to uphold a constitution that ensured guaranteed rights for the citizens of the nation. To save his nation, he eventually proclaimed himself a dictator to save his nation, but he did this as a temporary measure, to save his nation. He did this for the good of the people, but fully expected for a civilian government to take control of the nation once again." Rafael seemed to pick up where Taman left off, and spoke in a polite manner, "I will be the first to admit that the Stormlands are far from being a democratic government, this is an oligarchy, led by the High Council. We are servants of the people, but we have checks and balances in place, and I, and my colleagues, answer to the law as much as the next person does. We have the Great Council of the Peoples' Will to ensure that every voice is heard, so that we may effectively govern. Throughout history, any rise of military governance has led to oppression, the military might be a firm organization, but it does not uphold principles that are needed for true, compassionate governance that puts the peoples' will first. It is my opinion that Quebec needs to find the balance that Bolivar never was able to find, being able to have effective civilian governance, that has control over the military, rather than vice versa. I believe that democratic representation can work in any country, provided you mold a system that can effectively govern around it." "It is my belief that, with help, we can find a government that fits Quebec's needs, that includes fair representation for the people, omits military control of the government, and satisfies the desires of the American Commonwealth. The path of military government, right now, I don't think is one that will give Quebec the ability to govern effectively in the long run. Your desires for wanting control over your internal workings are well founded and I think that any state would want the same, the Stormlands themselves would want the same. But this is perceived as a threat to others, and the tensions that have arisen because of this military takeover are, in my opinion, not unfounded. History has shown that militarist governments are likely to commit acts of war and conflict on a much more common basis. I am not asking you to give up your sovereignty, but I am asking you, as a representative of your nation, to consider the risks inherent of military governance and what that means for your nation in the long term," said Rafael, in a carefully worded statement.

Taman Volcer finally interjected here, after taking a sip from his glass of water, his intense blue eyes sweeping from both Martinez over to Valmy, "I don't think that the Lord Protector cited that anyone had to ignore anything. The purpose of diplomacy is to discuss, and if possible, come to a compromise, and we aren't asking the American Commonwealth to accommodate anything at this point." Taman's voice was a measure sharper than Rafael's, businesslike, curt, cold, to the point, yet still seemingly having a conciliatory edge to it. Despite his diminutive stature, even in terms to the relatively average-height Rafael, his appearances and demeanor usually left a large impression to those who spoke with him. "The logic of threatening neighboring states, and dragging them into a conflict that was precipitated by a coup is a bit of an alarming line of thought, a dangerous line of policy, Madame Valmy," continued Taman. "The right to exist as a sovereign state might be inferred to any nation, but when your own sovereignty is threatened? Why would you take that inferred right from another?" Rafael held up his hand, to stop Taman for a moment, "This line of discussion brings up a valuable question that might not have been asked in prior diplomatic engagements. Why is it, that Quebec abandoned democratic institutions? Why were they suddenly dismantled? What drove your current government to overthrow an elected one? Militarist coups don't succeed for no reason whatsoever, so how did this one gain the support of the population, enough so to drive out the former leaders?" "And I have my own query, for you, Mr. Martinez," said Taman, switching gears quickly. "What did the American Commonwealth have, for expectations, when Quebec regained independence again? Were they explicitly made to your counterparts in Quebec?"

1-70 Success 71-100 Failure 60 74 One success, one failure, guv'na.

Settling into their seats, glasses of water were poured by a young female aide, whilst Martinez immediately began presenting his own governments' views on the matter. Both Rafael and Taman were equipped with electronic tablets, but it seemed like Taman was taking more copious notes as he spoke, whilst Rafael seemed to be keeping his hand over his mouth as the American spoke. He wouldn't stop Valmy from making a rebuttal to the initial statement, and Rafael would nod at points with both of them, seemingly comprehending what was being said by each individual. Before the argument could be rebutted by Martinez, Rafael spoke up with a conciliatory tone, whilst Taman continued to take notes, his hawk-like features lit up by the screen of his tablet, "If I may? What we've initially established here, and something we can work with, is that both your governments have firm stances on this dispute. While all of us know this is a last ditch effort of diplomacy, the stances that both of your parties need to take, I believe is that these firm stances cannot be intractable. They need to know when to give and when to take, as both of you, I'm sure, well know." "Quebec favors its internal sovereignty, whilst the American Commonwealth desires democratic institutions and governance, this much is clear. I think working towards an agreement means also establishing facts on other concerns, and it seems that these revanchist theories rate highly amongst concerns. If I may, Mr. Martinez, has your government any inkling or posturing that suggests that this new government or Quebec, in general, might seek to recoup what it sees as 'lost territories'?" "On that same token, Madame Valmy, on the same topic, why do you say that revanchism shall occur due to what your nation perceives to be hostile and aggressive diplomacy on the part of the American Commonwealth?" he asked, turning to the Quebecois diplomat. "I also believe, that these talks would benefit, if we not personalize these talks, accusing Mr. Martinez directly is unsettling, Madame Valmy and we're trying to create a comfortable environment here. For both of you, to speak like all civilized leaders should. The views of your counterpart are worth noting, so handily dismissing them without token thought might be a misstep. I understand that these are times of emotion and stress for both of you, but we are all officials of state here, we are the some of the best minds our societies have to offer, and that means maintaining a sense of professionalism as we talk to one another here," Rafael added, trying to address the accusatory tone that Valmy was taking on towards the Commonwealth's diplomat.

In an effort to create a less tense atmosphere, every effort was made to ensure that Martinez and Valmy were kept comfortable and relaxing before the appointed time they were set to meet at. This included ensuring that both delegates did not arrive at the same airport, at the same time, with Valmy's aircraft being directed to Joint Forces Base Meier, and Martinez's aircraft being directed to Stahel International Airport. The two would be greeted by low-level officials belonging to the Administration of the Exterior and whisked into the city of Stormsend itself to their respective lodgings; which were separate luxury hotels in the middle of the Council District. Meals would be prepared for the appointed meeting time, and they were given access to secure lines of communication that they could make contact with their government and discuss any last minute details that might be required. Following these preparations, both delegates were brought to the Hall of Righteousness, the seat of the High Council, that dominated the center of the Council District of Stormsend, with each being brought in from different entrances, all of them flanked with massive statues devoted to deities that dominated the religion of the Stormlands, figures with massive swords, or carrying old scripts, all cast in fine bronze and seemingly standing watch over the various entrances to the Hall of Righteousness. The meeting room that they were led to would be actually a balcony on the eighth floor of the interior of the building, overlooking a massive atrium that featured a large garden with tall-growing trees and the like. The building seemed to have been cleared of most individuals, and the heels of shoes would click loudly on the massive long marble hallways that were featured in the building. The large balcony was actually a less formal affair than most would be used to, with a wicker table surrounded by padded wicker chairs. A wheeled cart of light refreshments was available upon request, and two individuals already sat waiting for the two North Americans to arrive. Entering from two opposite sides of the balcony, Valmy and Martinez would find two individuals already there; Rafael Sha'am, the Lord Protector, and his Executor of the Exterior, a man with hawk-like features and intense eyes, Taman Volcer, both of them standing in the center of the room. Both were wearing the typical toga of a Stormlands High Council member, with a national flag as a sash draped across their fronts. "Mr. Martinez, Madame Valmy, welcome to Stormsend, I'm glad that both your governments decided to send a representative, having tried to already resolve this at a similar table of diplomacy. My chief hope is that we can avert what might seem as a path of catastrophic collision, and truly, unneeded bloodshed. I'm honored to have you both joining me here today," nodded Rafael, with a polite smile, both he and Taman raising their fists to their hearts and bowing in a show of respect. "If you do me the honor, we could have a seat and get started?"

"While the Stormlands recognizes the need for representative systems about the world, and the need for the will of the people to be heard, we feel that the course of action in North America is deplorable. Americans have not killed other Americans in many years now, and it would be a tragedy for that to begin once anew. The consequences of armed action would have ripple effects across the hemisphere that could last for years, short term solutions to quandaries are never the answer, and we feel armed action would be just that, a short term solution. Therefore, it is at the highest request of the Stormlands' High Council that the American Commonwealth and Quebec dispatch delegations to Stormsend for mediated talks before the bloodletting truly begin on both sides of the St. Lawrence. The Americas have had enough tragedy, let us, as a hemisphere, work to avert such useless waste now." [i]Public Statement from the Chambers of the Lord Protector[/i]

"As a member of the Imperium, the Stormlands would like to request access through the Panama Canal during these times of conflict. We understand the reasoning for these measures, but given our navy's incomplete status, and with vessels being constructed on both sides of the Isthmus, we would like to have continued access to allow for the passage of ships so that they may proceed to their home ports. If this requires a formal declaration of neutrality in this newfound conflict in Africa, we will gladly provide one." [I]Private Dispatch to the High Offices of the Holy American Imperium[/I]

"The Stormlands congratulates this new nation of Europe on attaining its independence, we shall watch it with mild interest. As per usual standards, the CDR is encouraged to dispatch a diplomat to our capital, Stormsend, to establish a diplomatic mission there." OOC: Welcome back, JED. :awesome:

Hail! Hail the new GM! Leader Most Glorious! Mogar, thank you for your service. :)

Private After some careful consultation between the High Council and Council of Shields, the High Council has sent the Deity-class Air Combat Carrier, Dahromo, and an attendant carrier battle group, on a shakedown cruise. The purpose of the shakedown is to test the endurance of the Stormlands' navy in a projection situation, including resupply and replenishment at sea, operating carrier aircraft in open ocean situations, and task force maneuver skills. Several other skills will be tested during the cruise, which will depart one of the Stormlands' major bases at Trinidad City, and proceed east, and then north, into the North Atlantic. The task group will stay on station at a location determined to be roughly equidistant northeast of Bermuda, west-north-west of the Azores, and southeast of the Nova Scotia peninsula, this will keep them from straying too close to any nations' shores, and hopefully prevent any unease. The presence of this training force will made known in a regional public announcement by the Administration of the Exterior. The battle group will be centered around the Dahromo, but will contain a heavy guided missile cruiser, three destroyers, three frigates, and two submarines. The composition of the battlegroup, aside from the carrier will not be made public knowledge, and the group will also contain replenishment and resupply vessels.

[b]Public[/b] Hearts of Iron Shipbuilders proudly announces its first marketing campaign targeting the maritime security market, with the [url=http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa325/VictorDeltaRomeo/StormlandsCorvette_zps96f70514.gif][i]Swift[/i]-class Multimission Light Surface Combatant[/url]. The [i]Swift[/i]-class of vessel has a high degree of modularity and can be built around expressed specifications, including a variety of sensor packages and weapons modules. This makes it ideal for almost any country's navy or coast guard as a fast, well-armed vessel that can operate in the functions of anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, general escort duties, fleet picket duties, anti-piracy operations, temporary brown water operation command, control, and support, and countering fast, light surface threats. Currently, the Stormlands version of the [i]Swift[/i]-class utilizes a heavy 127mm 55 caliber main gun, an upgraded twelve-tube strategic strike vertical launch system package, a SeaRAM CIWS and RAM CIWS launcher, four anti-surface cruise missile launchers, two 30mm dual automatic cannons, four heavy machineguns, and a lightweight torpedo delivery system. In addition to this prodigious firepower, the Stormlands current version of the [i]Swift[/i]-class is equipped to handle two [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland_AW159_Wildcat]Jaguar[/url] Multipurpose Maritime Helicopters, or one Jaguar helicopter and two weapons-capable helicopter UAV aircraft. Current information on sensor packages on this version are currently unavailable.

Nominations can be viewed [url=http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa325/VictorDeltaRomeo/0419141542a_zpsfd335cb1.jpg]here[/url]. This vote shall run for forty eight hours! You must have a CNRP Nation to vote, and you are allowed three votes. Go go go!

In finality, I nominate Horo, MGL, and Yawoo. --- Final tallies are as follows; TheShammySocialist - 10 LeaderMostGlorious - 6 Lynneth - 4 Yawoo - 3 Horo - 2 Centurius - 2

I concur with Mogar in this aspect. The autoadvance was granted with the expressed interest of moving the roleplay along. This does not give wholesale nor blanket coverage to roleplaying Kankou's citizens at this point in the roleplay, we're still at a stage where she can respond. Whether this happens or not, does not matter in terms of this objection. Such claims of loyalty or roleplaying of citizens cannot be assumed until we've established her as officially inactive, or at a critical juncture, where Noord-Uniestaat has essentially been completely invested by invading forces. And even then, we still have a period of time in which a dispute can be accorded, until she is formally inactive. As such, the objection stands, and I suggest editing the highlighted parts provided by Evangeline, out of the in-question roleplay.

Upon the reciprocal offering of establishing a diplomatic mission in Abuja, the Executor of the Exterior would immediately appoint a new ambassador to the Union of Guinea. This ambassador, Rowald Krinjing, would be dispatched with a group of staffers and aides to Abuja to begin the process of establishing an embassy in the new nations' capital.

"The Stormlands congratulates the Union of Guinea on achieving sovereignty and full independent status and hereby appoint it full diplomatic recognition. We invite Guinea to establish a diplomatic mission in the Statesman's Quarter in Stormsend."

[b]Classified[/b] As part of rapidly expanding the Stormlands' armed services, there was a noticeable uptick in training for all branches of the military. The recently-ended exercises had been a good basis of success to grow upon, but there was still some coordination issues between the ground forces and air forces to work out. The ground forces and Naval Assault troops had proven their durability under a lot of forced marching and round-the-clock exercises, and shown their capabilities well. Several junior officers would be given notes of recommendation in their official record for their displays of tactical sharpness and quick thinking during several of the grueling exercises that had tested endurance and the limits of the ground forces. The Stormlands' Navy was also not without its own exercises that were ongoing, with the newest testing the endurance and limits of two newly-fitted out [url=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MFRBNmeQJcU/UDULJx19SXI/AAAAAAAABic/7qV6Wb6Dx_U/s1600/HDW-Submarine10a%255B1%255D.GIF][i]Shadow[/i]-class[/url] Diesel AIP Ultraquiet Submarines, the SWS [i]Shadow[/i], the leader of her class, and the SWS [i]Spirit[/i]. Given the long-range endurance of the submarines, and their capabilities to stay submerged for almost three weeks at a time, they would be dispatched on a long range navigation and training exercise that would take them into the South Atlantic. Partway through their voyage, they were to rendezvous with an naval auxiliary refueling tanker that would refuel them and replenish any needed stores. While the exercise was both a test of underwater navigation skills, it would also test the capabilities of the two submarines to evade detection throughout their journey, although no breaches of maritime boundaries were to be carried out. Both submarines would work in tandem with one another throughout their navigation exercise, whilst using recently-updated maps of the seafloor to undertake their mission, testing the crew in navigating broken underwater terrain. The training mission would also see the [i]Spirit[/i] carrying experimental signals and electronic surveillance equipment, fitted in modules that could be released to the surface, and then recovered through the modular workspace behind the [i]Spirits'[/i] conning tower. The submarines were expected to complete their exercises within fifteen weeks, and were only instructed to send messages if they were in distress. Daily updates were to be provided to the submarines over encrypted datalink satellite communications networks at an appointed time frame.

Classified Despite the end of the first combined forces exercises of the Stormlands' armed services, with several lessons learned and refinements needed to be made, the expansion of the armed forces was ongoing. This included the ever-growing number of aircraft joining the Stormlands' air forces combat wings and naval aviation brigades, building up their combat strength by leaps and bounds. For the latter, much of the last few months had been spent on developing naval aviation skills' - taking off and landing on a confined carrier deck built in Barcaleone to serve as a stand in for a real carrier deck. Much of the air forces were being built from a small basis of veterans into a highly capable force, engaging in highly rigorous training in air to air and air to ground tasks, as well as other missions, including suppression of enemy air defenses, electronic warfare, and maritime strike focuses. The ability for pilots to utilize their assigned aircraft in these tasks meant that most could be called upon in time of war to conduct a variety of roles. This meant training to minimize any shortcomings their aircraft had in any roles that they were not primarily designed for, to increase the air forces' overall effectiveness. As a large fighting force, the air forces had a large variety of aircraft that Condor Aerospace had procured for them to call upon for specific roles that they excel in. --- As the most versatile ground attack and close support aircraft, the Javelina is a friend to any infantryman or tanker in the Stormlands Ground Forces. Utilizing age-old plans for the old Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot, Condor Aerospace redesigned the aircraft in a more modern light, seeking to upgrade on an already well-used aircraft that has proven itself in a number of conflicts. To do this, Condor Aerospace completely redesigned the engines of the newly christened Javelina, named for the wildly unpredictable female boars that were common in the region, to increase fuel economy and increase loiter times for the aircraft. The newly designed engines, utilizing turbojets with increased cyclic improvements by increased pressure in the engines themselves, which use improved materials to withstand the higher pressures, give the Javelina a speed of almost Mach 1 at sea level, and increase its combat radius to over five hundred nautical miles. This is coupled by the increased use of composite and titanium armor that surrounds the pilot and around the wingroots and tail of the aircraft, which give the aircraft more resistance to anti-aircraft fire it is sure to be facing. The use of composites and titanium in these areas have not increased the overall weight of the aircraft, given their lightweight design, which was developed by Condor in conjunction with the Stormlands' National Institute of Polytechnics in Hallowed Waters. Most of the improvements in the Javelina come in the form of its' avionics and sensor equipment, which include a new helmet-mounted HUD for increased awareness and system processing for the pilot. As part of the system, these new helmets display information in an intuitive manner to the pilot, presenting the most pressing threats first, with sensors that are built not only to follow a pilots' eyes, but his head maneuvering as well. This system also includes utilizing the aircrafts' sensor systems that analyze ground targets to pick out friend and foe, which reduce the threat of targeting friendly forces. Utilizing a newly-redeveloped targeting system, the aircraft can independently command multiple guided weapon systems at a time onto their target, or utilize cooperative engagement systems to put them on target, including infantry laser range finders and target designators. Sensor and electronic warfare systems upgrades include improved FLIR and distributed electro-optical aperture systems, along with sophisticated synthetic aperture radar modules. Electronic warfare modules include improved datalinks and communication encryption equipment with frequency-hopping capabilities, X-Band pulse doppler surveillance radar, and signals processing equipment to pinpoint locations of high sources of frequency interference. To combat surface to air missile threats, the aircraft is equipped with an array of countermeasures, including advanced chaff modules, high-intensity flares, and towed decoys. Both the Stormlands Air Forces, as well as the Stormlands Navy operates the Javelina, with the aircraft having a carrier-capable variant which is operated by Naval Assault Troop pilots. In any standard "mixed" allotment on a Stormlands carrier, navalized Javelinas typically make up six of a standard forty-two complement. The aircraft is well liked by ground crews for its relative simplicity, and especially by Ground Forces commanders, for its ability to operate from rugged airstrips close to the front line. --- The premier air superiority fighter of the Stormlands Air Force, the delta-winged Arrow lives up to its nickname with a high rate of speed and good maneuverability and stealth characteristics. As the primary aerial defense fighter of the Stormlands Air Force, the land-based Arrow is designed to have superlative stealth characteristics, utilizing its overall design, use of materials, active infrared signature management, and active signals management. All of these, combined with highly durable non-flash paint that is also designed as an extra radar absorbent characteristic. With delta wing designs and reduced leading edges, and the exclusion of tail fins in favor of utilizing the delta wing, the Arrow's overall shape increases its stealthy features. Specially-designed air intakes that have been contoured specifically for the leading edges of the aircraft decrease radar signature as well, Condor Aerospace having gone through several design processes to fit the intakes in the most suitable manner and design possible. The aircraft has a high rate of speed that tops out close to Mach 3, and its thrust-vectoring nozzles with its large delta wing give it high rates of maneuverability. Weight has been decreased by the exclusion of heavy air tanks for pilot breathing purposes, and replaced with an onboard oxygen production system. Utilizing radar absorbent materials rather than stealthy paint coatings, the Arrow is able to operate without climate-controlled maintenance, with standard hangers and temporary aircraft shelters hosting the aircraft during maintenance routines. Baked on fiber mats made out of radar absorbent material increase the durability of the aircrafts' stealthy characteristics. The newest (and first mass production) block of the Arrow has seen an improvement of its' tail thrust-vectoring nozzle design in an effort to improve infrared and radar signature characteristics, replacing the current design with one seen on similar fifth generation concepts like the F-22 Raptor; with flat tops and bottoms. Active cooling of the aircraft's leading edges and large flight surfaces during high speed travel has seen a decrease in infrared detection capabilities, with heat absorbent tiling around the thrusters helping to cool the engine nozzles. The internal weapons bay that can carry up to six BVR air to air missiles, as well as three short range air to air missiles in a forward internal magazine-loaded weapons port. Weapons load can be increased through the use of external hardpoints on the wings, a total of three on each wing with a capacity of close to five thousand pounds. These points can be fitted with conformal fuel tanks that slightly reduce the RCS of the aircraft, but must be dumped should aerial combat ensue. The aircraft can also be fitted with conformal tanks along its upper fuselage, though these non-jettisonable tanks pose risks if they were to be hit, and are mainly used during transit or safe, high-altitude air-to-surface support missions. The Arrow also carriers a twenty-five milimeter caseless ammunition cannon, designed specifically for long range accuracy and high rates of fire along with increased ammunition capacity versus similar non-caseless models. Pilots of the Arrow also enjoy a similar helmet-mounted HUD found on the Javelina for presenting aircraft and targeting information. Equipped with a powerful LPAR AESA radar, with a multifunction integrated RF system array, the Arrow can utilize its radar for a wide array of functions. Advanced air-to-air modes, munitions guidance, air-to-ground modes, multiple ground target tracking, combat identification, and electronic warfare, and frequency-hopping high bandwidth communications. The Arrow's electronics suite does not end there, and includes a distributed electro-optical aperture system, electronic warfare modules that include active cancellation and frequency modulation equipment, cyber attack capability, and highly capable jamming modules. To combat pilot disorientation, the Arrow's flight computation systems is equipped with automatic aircraft recovery during negative flight conditions. --- Serving the Stormlands Air Forces as a tactical strike fighter, the Eagle is a newly-produced version of the classic F-15E Strike Eagle design, built with upgraded avionics and engines. Much of the upgrades to the Stormlands' take on the Eagle have been to upgrading avionics to make it more lethal in its expressed role; that being providing high altitude or close air support missions in highly contested airspace. Its newly-redesigned AESA multifunction radar, along with integrated synthetic aperture radar and distributed electro-optical system is well-built for engaging ground targets in all weather situations, including fog and rain. Terrain following radar has increased low level strike operation abilities, allowing the aircraft to almost hug the ground as it rolls through almost zero visibility. Its electronic warfare suite includes frequency modulation equipment and active cancellation technology, as well as providing it with encrypted datalinks and communications abilities in highly contested airwaves. Fuel efficiency has been increased with a new set of turbofans that have improved cyclic rates giving it a higher speed when needed, but most of the improvements were targeted at increasing its range and loiter time when needed. These improvements have given the classic design a new lease on life, and the Stormlands utilize close to one hundred-twenty aircraft for their needs. --- As one of the most numerous aircraft in the Stormlands' Air Forces, the Condor Aerospace Dart is a highly capable multirole fighter with highly maneuverable characteristics. Although not classified as a stealth aircraft, the Dart is built to engage in aerial combat in highly contested airspace, with a reduced radar cross section utilizing its overall shaping. Its avionics and electronic warfare suite, which are comparable to its more accomplished air-to-air cousin, the Arrow, are its strong suit, and it is well able to participate in air-to-surface strikes. With a delta-wing shape and maneuverable canards, one of the Darts' strongpoints is its high maneuverability, which is further enhanced by its flat-head/flat-bottom thrust vectoring nozzles which allow it to perform extremely negative maneuvers. Like its more advanced and stealthier cousin, the Dart utilizes automatic aircraft recovery in negative events where pilot blackout is quite possible, and utilizes an oxygen producing system to lessen weight. In combat aircraft training, the Dart has proven itself a more agile dogfighter than the Arrow, able to turn inside of it and perform more harsh evasive maneuvers than the Arrow. The utilization of lightweight composite materials for construction and aircraft coatings allow for the Dart to have a fairly reduced radar cross section, but the aircraft has not been classified in any way, a stealth aircraft. It is harder to pick up than most 4.5 Generation Fighters, but it pales in comparison to the stealth that the Arrow enjoys, especially in ranged combat. In the air-to-air role, the Dart is specifically built for supporting the Arrow in aerial dogfights, and providing general combat air patrols and intercept duties, which it can do well with its high speed and supercruise capabilities, the Dart can max out at close to Mach 2.5 for a maximum speed without damaging its' engines. These air combat missions also complement a general surface strike mission capacity, but the Dart has been envisioned as a more capable escort for the Eagle strike fighters, who have more enhanced air-to-surface avionics system, in contested air space. This has led to the Dart to be called the "Official Sidekick of the Stormlands Air Force", but its general ease of maintenance, agile but forgiving flight characteristics, and wide array of capabilities give it high desire to be able to fulfill most mission packages it is assigned to. With a multifunction AESA array that is of a similar capacity to that of the newly-designed Eagle, and with the same air-to-air qualities seen in the Arrow, it has a superlative electronic warfare suite. With advanced radar warning receivers and detectors, the suite identifies threats from both infrared, electromagnetic, and laser guided munitions and accurately localizes them to present these threats to the pilot, and provide reaction decision time to counteract these threats. Utilizing a series of dispersed infrared array detectors around the aircraft for ranging threats and gaining a spherical view around the aircraft, the Dart can unleash directional infrared countermeasures at a missile that is threatening the aircraft. The aircraft is also equipped with active cancellation modules, and frequency modulation equipment that can produce false returns to combat electromagnetic sensor systems. Utilizing plans from the Arrow, the Dart also has active cooling of leading edges to lessen infrared detection of the aircraft. Like the Arrow, the Dart also sports a caseless cannon, but it also has a total of thirteen hardpoints with a total hauling capacity of close to eighteen thousand pounds of mixed munitions or fuel tanks. The aircraft also carries two onboard short range air-to-air missiles in top-mounted angular launch weapons pods built into the fuselage. An upgraded version of the Dart has been slated for service in the Navy, nicknamed the Dart-N, the navalized variant has upgraded engines for carrier operations, and is classified as a naval interceptor/strike aircraft. In a mixed carrier air group, the Dart is expected to make up close to two full squadrons' worth of aircraft. --- The shadowy fist of the Stormlands' Navy, the Condor Aerospace Stormcrow is the only fifth generation multirole aircraft in the Stormlands' possession, built specifically to operate in naval aviation environments alongside the Dart-N and Javelina Close Support Aircraft. Although not as agile or nimble as the Arrow or Dart aircraft, the Stormcrow possesses very similar stealthy characteristics as the Arrow, and combines that with the enhanced electronics warfare package carried by the Dart. The Stormcrow is built specifically for air combat in highly contested air space, and the ability to engage in air-to-surface strikes in similarly contested environments. As the "first fist swing of the fleet", which it has been dubbed, the Stormcrow is the basis of naval projection in terms of naval aviation; throwing the first punches in any combat situation that the carriers are involved with any given enemy. The Stormcrows' stealthy characteristics are built from similar traits found on the Arrow; baked on composite materials in a fiber mat, which have an overlay of anti-corrosive paint containing radar-absorbant composites structures. Not only does this allow for the aircraft to retain its stealthy features through its material, it protects it from the inevitable corrosive nature of salty spray and the general humidity of the maritime environment. The general shape of the aircraft enhances these stealthy characteristics, along with taking into account general facets of construction, including cockpit opening/closing hinges and engine intakes. Infrared emissions are decreased with standard active leading edge cooling and the paint used to retain anti-corrosion also helps modulate temperature from air friction. Air intakes are designed along a similar flat head configuration, but are not thrust-vectoring modules. These stealthy characteristics are only increased with the inclusion of the same electronic warfare package seen on the Dart, which can modulate frequency and actively cancel radar waves. The Stormcrow also enjoys the same electromagnetic, laser, and infrared warning system seen on the Dart, which will actively deploy countermeasures, including directional infrared countermeasures equipment. Similar multifunction radar attributes from the Arrow are also employed on the Stormcrow, and like all Stormlands aircraft, a helmet mounted HUD with compatible software is standard on the aircraft. Armed with the same radar system as the Arrow, the Stormcrow is quite capable of engaging in air-to-air missions, as well as air-to-surface missions, including target surveillance and tracking for cooperative engagement systems. Like most aircraft, the Stormcrow is also armed with a caseless air-to-air combat cannon, this is complemented by an internal weapons bay that can hold up to five BVR missiles in a "three-two" configuration. Two internally-mounted short range air to air missiles can be found mounted in internal pods, one on either side and rear of the cockpit. Four retractable hardpoints on each wing allow for additional armament to be carried, and can be used to carry conformal fuel tanks to increase range, with only a small reduction in counter-RCS characteristics. Stormcrow aircraft also have the capability to utilize a buddy-to-buddy refueling pod, and can be used to refuel another Stormcrow, or another Stormlands' aircraft, a useful characteristic in some situations. --- As the premier first strike and long range attack aircraft, the King Raven is a culmination of efforts by Condor Aerospace and several other corporations to create a viable stealth bomber for attacking targets in contested airspace. The stealthy characteristics of the King Raven give it high regard in the Air Forces, along with its large payload and ability to conduct both general bombing missions, and long-range stand off missions. Condor Aerospace, following the request by the Air Forces for a highly modular aircraft, designed the King Raven to be able to host a large amount of electronic warfare and various surveillance modules. Similar to the classic B-2 Spirit, with a flying wing design, the King Raven is built with the same materials as the Arrow and Stormcrow, utilizing baked on radar-absorbent composite fiber mat with a stealthy sealant coating that is highly durable against weather and heat friction wear. The sealant was specifically designed to eliminate heat build up on leading edges or flight surfaces. Along with active cooling of leading edges, this makes the King Raven difficult to spot through infrared detection methods, and with engine afterburners located on the top of the aircraft, ground-based infrared detectors are especially susceptible to spoofing, especially with specially-designed heat dissipating composite tiles keeping flight surfaces around the engine afterburners actively cooled. The King Raven has very similar electronic warfare modules to that of its smaller cousins, the Arrow and Stormcrow, with laser, electromagnetic and infrared warning receivers dispersed throughout the aircraft to give a three hundred sixty degree threat analysis. Passive electronic scanned arrays provide the King Raven with a quiet means of defensive detection, and allow the aircraft to dispense or enact countermeasures, both physical and electronic. Direct radar frequency modulation and active cancellation technologies are standard on any King Raven aircraft, and the aircraft can also be fitted with sophisticated jamming and cluttering modules that give it capabilities to disrupt enemy communications and air defenses. The King Raven is also able to be fitted with various surveillance modules, including SIGINT and ELINT modules, and has sophisticated datalinks to upload targeting information if needed during strike missions. A long range SAR rounds out its electronic capabilities, able to provide targeting information in all forms of weather, and capable of increasing its surveillance capabilities during intelligence-gathering missions. The King Raven has the capability to carry a total of forty five thousand pounds of munitions of various configurations and types in its internal bomb bays, and able to actively guide weapon systems into their targets if needed. Advanced chaff modules and directional infrared countermeasures are equipped standard. The King Raven boasts an ultra long range, with the ability to operate on the intercontinental scale with airborne tanker support, and has amenities that allow for the two-person crew's comfort. --- In order to fill the gap of a fast strategic strike role within the Stormlands' Air Forces, Condor Aerospace has devised and put into production the Thunder Strategic Bomber, a high speed, low-observable variable altitude strategic strike aircraft. Although not classified distinctly as a stealth aircraft, the Thunder was built with strong lightweight composites with radar-absorbent qualities and properties. The Thunder's main defense, is not its low-observable profile or composite skin, but its high speed capabilities, built specifically for active evasion of air and surface aerial defenses, with a non-engine damaging top speed of around Mach 2.95. Built to complement first strike capabilities against foes of any capability, the Thunder is able to deliver both freefall munitions, as well as guided weapon systems from its internal weapons bay or removable wing pylons. Fully loaded, the Thunder can carry up to forty-five thousand pounds of munitions, with close to twenty-seven thousand pounds in its internal weapons bay. Able to carry large numbers of standoff munitions, and its fast speed and capable electronics suite make it an ideal first-strike platform, able to launch missiles and glide bombs from significant distance or penetrate into enemy airspace to destroy vital infrastructure with impunity. The Thunder is also able to carry air-to-air munitions in its internal bays and on its removable wing pylons, making it a highly capable missile truck, and these capabilities are being tested in air-to-air warfare drills. One of the main strengths of the Thunder, beyond its speed and weapons-carrying capability is its electronic warfare suite, which has plug-and-play options to deploy modules for intelligence gathering missions, a role that it can serve in with relative ease given its high speed. The thunder possesses a very sensitive PESA radar, and a powerful distributed electro-optical aperture system for targeting and weapons guidance, along with distributed warning receiver systems akin to those on other aircraft, giving the aircraft operations crew an almost unparalleled spherical situational awareness of outside events around the aircraft, especially when coupled with helmet-mounted HUD systems. Capable of carrying out electronic attacks, including jamming of both radar and communications, as well as radar frequency modulation, the Thunder is tailored specifically for supporting SEAD missions. Like other aircraft, the Thunder carries directional infrared countermeasures and advanced chaff countermeasures, and can be fitted with false lightweight target drones that can be utilized to provide intelligence back to the mother aircraft when launched. The aircraft possesses a strong frequency-hopping datalink transceiver, that is highly capable of continual operation even in highly contested and electronic warfare sensitive environments.

Much of this topic was written on my lunch break, so perhaps my point of this conversation did not get across. There were a handful of people that brought up these concerns with me, I saw no forum discussion about it formally, so I moved to open it. I think that my own views about the whole situation, on a personal level, were similar to those of Markus. Take a picture, quick, this is one of those few times that he and I actually agree on something, on a personal level. I brought up this thread to foster discussion, especially considering there was concerns about the GM Team not doing their jobs. I do not believe that given the current status of rules, that any GM intervention on this matter, that being the invasion of Great Britain, would have been able to be a binding resolution. Such invocation of rules would set a precedent that forces the GMs to judge what IC hooplah anyone can cook up, is not actually "OOC based". To answer your question, and to be honest on both a personal (player) level, and professional (GM) level, I don't feel as though the GMs should be King or Queenmakers. I wanted this thread to be formal discussions on these recent matters, that seem a little more pronounced than normal. What results of it, I do not know. Making the GMs King or Queenmakers is not my intent, as I feel at the core, they are arbitrators that have little power beyond that. Was this the conversation we were having with Centurius? About how blurring the OOC/IC line happens all the time (something I agree, happens all time)? To be honest, I can hardly remember what I had last night for dinner, I come home and do my thing after work. CNRP is a hobby for me to play around with. But when a handful of people speak to me in confidence, I'll bring up the problems that they have, and I see right here. Which is exactly what this thread is about, because at the end of the day, the GM serves at the community's behest. And facilitating discussion, if its not happening, I see as part of that role. Instead of being the one of the few, if not, the only person taking a dump on the GMs for their alleged "spinelessness", you'd be in a better position to argue your case without continually insulting people if you actually brought your true concerns out here. If you don't like the current GM team, make a CNRP nation, and boot me, Mogar, Lynneth, or the whole lot of us out. Hell, I'll even nominate you if you come back to CNRP, so you can show us how an alleged "non-spineless" GM deals with things.

Let's face it, the GM position in CNRP has meant less and less since it became an elected, rather than moderator-appointed position. That's not to say that it isn't relevant anymore, but the decisions made come under a lot more scrutiny than they used to. That's a reality we face now in CNRP. To be honest, I usually don't react when people lash out at the GMs or joke about them, as most of the time, it is an emotionally or jokingly driven affair, and really tends to not draw my attention. Some people have chosen to view the most recent events in CNRP, and if you're completely out of the loop, that being the invasion of Britain, just highlighted "spinelessness" within the GM Team as a whole. Whether or not things would have been different if we had other members of the GM Team is irrelevant now, as the roleplay is essentially over and done with, and basically revisionist history, which I for one never particularly liked dealing with in college. I personally found that the invasion of Britain and the killing off of lkfht as distasteful, and I can't say that I found myself feeling some sympathy for the latter mentioned because of it. On that note however, there have been recent allegations concerning this as OOC reasons, brought over into an IC event. But I'm not here to talk about whether it was or wasn't. I think this event highlighted the issue of OOC crossing over into IC, but it also yields a new question; if a player uses an IC reason to attack someone, however farfetched as it may be, can we claim that an OOC/IC line was crossed? There is no checks to whether people can wholesale invade others without warning, anyone can claim propaganda or lies anything ICly through words, so long as it doesn't break the standard tech rules or the forum rules. It doesn't have to be true, no one has to like it, but its a sworn fact that this is a truth in this particular roleplay. I'll state that right now, such cases pretty much nullify the extent of a GM's powers. One side can claim it was OOC, others can claim that it wasn't. And who hasn't done things in CNRP that weren't OOC driven? I don't think I can think of anyone to be honest. Basically, it boils down to the fact that the OOC/IC line cannot be enforced properly by the GMs, and without the community acting to correct that, they cannot enforce a proper OOC/IC line. I'm asking the community as a whole, to discuss how they feel on this matter that I'm highlighting. Basically, I am doing this on my own initiative because I've heard a sizeable amount of commentary making accusations on whether the GMs do their jobs. Does anyone feel that this can be rectified in any manner, do people even want it rectified? How do we go about it? Seriously, I am putting this up for discussion, because I feel as though the time is right for it and there has been notably more discussions about it.

From what I understand though, Centurius directly quoted her post in another thread. This would make a red notification icon pop up in the 'Notifications' subfolder at the top of your forum interface. So there was an attempt to make contact. In that same post he quoted her, he provided a direct link to his thread that he attacked her in.

Given that they had close to a week before the first ships arrived in Gabon, the Stormlanders who arrived by air set to work organizing liaison teams with Gabonese officials, both at the national level, as well as the local level. This was seen as quite important to the health of the project, as cohesion and coordination at all levels of governance was key in keeping their work on task. With Gabonese laborers signing up in droves, the Stormlanders would conduct preliminary training lessons, as well as establishing safety and health guidelines, putting a priority on paying attention to the work environment around them. The Stormlanders stressed that they wanted no lifelong injuries or deaths to happen throughout the entire project, and set that as a primary goal for their newfound laborers. The workers were told to get good nights' rest after work every day, and stay healthy with their nutrition as much as possible during these meetings, where the Stormlanders got acclimatized to their labor force. When the vessels did arrive, and the large crowds showed up to greet them, the Stormlanders who were already in Gabon would quickly move to offload cargo to predetermined marshaling areas they had already set up in the week preceding the ships' arrival. As heavy construction vehicles and equipment rolled off the boats, many of the Stormlander laborers would ride on the relatively slow-moving vehicles, passing off sweets and candy to children who would run alongside the vehicles, many of them not expecting such an impromptu welcoming "ceremony". Every effort was made to ensure these convoys of heavy vehicles moved at a safe speed with the assembled people of Libreville who had turned out to view their arrival, so there were no pedestrian accidents. The Stormlander foremen and managers saw to it that the local Gabonese police forces were well briefed on the large measure of vehicles that were being offloaded, to ensure that they were well organized for the movement of this heavy equipment. Preplanned movement of the steel rails that had arrived had also been worked out with local Gabonese trucking companies, to ensure there were vehicles waiting to be loaded once the ship pulled into port. These organizational processes would ensure that work would begin almost immediately on laying the first sets of tracks out of Libreville, within the first week of equipment disembarkation.

It's that time of the month, again a little later than usual, but hey we always get things done! Please throw down your nominations for GMs! You can nominate anyone who has a valid nation in CNRP, willing to accept the nomination, and is, of course, not you! You can nominate up to three people. You need a valid nation in CNRP to nominate your desired candidates. You gents and ladies have forty eight hours, then April/May '14 Elections begin! Go Go Go!