TheShammySocialist

"Inciting citizens to take up arms across borders, to join a destabilizing cause, is a provocation to our government. That is what makes it a concern to us. If we had no regard for diplomatic niceties, we would have detained a Euphaian government official who stormed into our embassy without any second thoughts and berated our ambassador there. Our regard for national sovereignty and international laws is measured by our unwillingness to allow for threats to build against our nation, decisions must be made that will effect that regard. Please, continue to make baseless accusations against us, and whitewash the fact that if your government is incapable of controlling its political instability. That is the only reason why we chose to move when and why we did."

"When the Euphaian government shows itself able to responsibly coordinate its efforts against the FARC, not allowing itself to kowtow to such a violent organization, will we coordinate with it. We have concerns with the stability of Euphaia as a whole, including its government being able to maintain a level of operational security. The Stormlands will act in accordance with its right to pre-emptively strike at threats that spill across our borders. Whether or not we give you forewarning of these strikes is our prerogative, given the condition and status of events on the ground in Euphaia. Monetary reimbursement will be considered by the Stormlands, but unlikely, due to our strike being made against what we deemed to be a legitimate target. It was not Euphaian government property at the time of the strike, and therefore a weapon of the enemy."

Instead, Rhaemon Rhys'gar was not at the embassy in Euphaia, as he was not the ambassador to Euphaia. He was the Fist of the Protector, and seeing cranky foreign officials was usually not his job. The Stormland ambassador that was there in Euphaia when the Euphaian official came to his office, would simply sit behind his desk and not say anything to the official as he let loose his tirade upon him. There would be no reply to the Euphaian official's tirade, the Stormlands' ambassador simply letting the man get all his frustrations out. He would smile strangely when the official said there would be a bill coming to Stormsend. Before he could offer any real response, the Euphaian official was gone almost as quickly as he had come. When the door closed after the Euphaian ambassador was gone, the Stormlands ambassador looked at one of his aides, and responded with a chuckle, "Well, that was interesting..." --- The Administration of the Exterior would issue an immediate evacuation alert for all Stormlands citizens to leave Euphaia whenever they could, and citing diplomatic concerns, would withdraw the Stormlands diplomatic staff from Euphaia's capital. The evacuation would also include the complete wipes of data memory from computers and electronics, as well as destruction of all documents before evacuation. Security personnel would lock down the embassy during this operation, with operators from the 330th Lancers and Task Force Cyclone on high alert in the Amazonas Region, ready for deployment should the evacuation go awry.

"Spreading lies and verbal filth, for what you call a 'noble and just cause' inciting people to commit acts that would destabilize the general regional peace, whether or not its in Euphaia's borders, is uncalled for. The Stormlands will continue to act against FARC-PR and anyone who seeks to shelter it, with impunity, so long as we believe there is a credible threat to the Stormlands, and the region at large. By all means, direct your attention towards the borders of the Stormlands, we'll give you a reason to be afraid." [b]Open Statement from the Administration of the Exterior[/b]

With Stormlands Air Forces surveillance continually flying patrol along the Euphaian border, as well as the Brazilian border, after high intensity training operations undertaken by the latter earlier in the month, pinpointing the radio broadcasts on open channels would be quite easy. With broadcast transceivers and SIGINT aircraft using basic triangulation, the Stormlands Air Forces, in conjunction with the Administration of Internal Affairs, would make minute course adjustments to one of its imaging satellites that was monitoring the border for a closer look. After confirmation was made, and permission gained from the High Council, the Stormlands Air Forces would deploy one of its Thunder Strike Bombers from Joint Forces Base Blackfoot, in the interior of the Catatumbo Commonwealth. The bomber would retain a position from within Stormlands territory and launch two stand-off long range low-observable cruise missiles, at the fixed broadcast tower and its alleged station in FARC-PR-held territory. The missiles would pass over the border and were guided on target by navigational datalinks established by overhead satellites, to decapitate the FARC-PR propaganda campaign before it even got into full swing.

"You look pretty worse for the wear, Rhaemon," said Rafael, the tone the lord protector was using seemed a little amused, but the look on his face was full of ice. "Casualties?" "Base security confirms around fifty total, killed and wounded, they're still reviewing surveillance for an identity on the bomber, sir," responded Rhaemon, his voice echoing a little in the cargo hold of the aircraft he had arrived in. Posa had immediately ordered the aircraft to be moved to a hanger and the building secured by her contingent from 'A' Squadron, 330th Lancers. She had also gotten a hold of base communications equipment and a secure uplink to Stormsend, leaving the Fist alone in the cargo hold. A combat surgeon had arrived shortly after Rhaemon had moved into the hanger, and under the watchful eyes of Posa and one of her trusted squadron medics, the doctor had given Rhaemon a variety of tests, concluding he had suffered a moderate concussion, but aside from scrapes, bumps, and his ringing ears, he was going to be alright. "Who knew I was coming to the Highlands Base?" asked Rhaemon, looking wearily at the head of state. "Someone let something slip." "Me, Fetter, the High Council, some of Fetter's staff, who he's already vouched for." "And who is vouching for Fetter?" "Rhaemon, that's a serious accusation you're making, Fetter is one-." "Of the High Council, I know, but at this point, the only people I trust are you and Posa. Who knows?" interrupted Rhaemon, looking at the Lord Protector. Rafael didn't say anything for a few moments, seemingly thinking for a moment, before clearing his throat, and looking directly at the webcam he was using for the video-conference. "I realize that you're shaken up by the attack, but until I have reason to not believe Fetter, he's on the trust list. The point you bring up troubles me, however, seeing as very few people knew when you were leaving for the Southlands, and where exactly you were going. Those were details that were kept within the High Council." "Then Fetter has to start monitoring them, sir. We have a leak somewhere, someone is either leaking information, or actively helping out Culcera and Hert," responded Rhaemon, gritting his teeth when he shifted an ice pack he was holding against his shoulder. "I need you to worry about Culcera and Hert down there in the Southlands, we need to build an investigation against them, and then crucify them publicly. They and those that follow them will be made example of, and that's why you are there, Rhaemon," said Rafael, looking firmly at his trusted right hand. "If there is someone actively helping Culcera and Hert, the danger is not only here in the Southlands, sir," replied the Fist of the Protector. "But the base, the very nexus of the problem is there, Rhaemon, the root of the vile weed resides in the Southlands. Others will worry about my protection here in Stormsend, you will eliminate the issue at its root. Once that is done, the rest will wither and die," said Rafael. "Once you find out where Culcera and Hert are exactly, I need you to contact me with a status report. But ultimately, how you deal with Culcera and Hert, and their proteges, is up to you." "Yes sir," replied Rhaemon, nodding respectfully as Rafael cut the video link, and he stood up, and unlatched a door on the side of the cargo hold, and stepped down the deployed stairs into the large hanger. Posa was having her arm looked at by a combat medic, and she looked up when he came out of the aircraft, taking a look around the hanger, which now was becoming the nexus of operations for Rhaemon, with personnel setting up electronics and computers at fold-out tables. "How's the arm?" asked Rhaemon, as he stepped up next to his trusted associate, looking at the medic carefully stitching the wound. "Nothing in it, sir, just a good gash, doc here thinks I need a patch up though," responded Posa, not looking at the stitching job, but wincing ever-so-slightly when the medic threaded the needle through her skin. "Had worse, sir." "I'm aware," he nodded, as he grunted a little when he sat down next to her, looking into her eyes. "What's our status?" "The audio-visual boys and girls are getting things set up and synced right now, they're doing a bang up job, considering the circumstances. We'll have an operations center up and totally running within the next hour," she responded, nodding at the technicians as they set up electronics equipment. "As soon as possible is preferable, Captain," nodded Rhaemon, as he held the ice pack to his shoulder firmly. "We need to establish where Culcera and Hert are, odds are they are in one of the urban areas where they enjoy lots of support. They could be on the move, since they know we're here, and if they know we're here, then we're already one step behind, we need to be in stride with them." "What do you need me to do, sir?" asked Posa, her tone dutiful. "We need surveillance established to help figure out where they are, signals, electronics, anything to get a lead on them. We have information on some of their leading supporters, we move on some of them, bleed the base of power. We might just get somewhere with that," he said. "Once this operations center is live, I need you to put a strike team together, best guys you got, we're going to brief them, then they're going hunting."

[b]Stormsend[/b] The High Council has announced, after a referendum put to the citizens of the Stormsend Metropolitan Region, the creation of the Stormsend Autonomous Capitol Region, which now encompasses the entirety of the Stormsend Metropolitan Region. A long planned move, the creation of an autonomous region now essentially makes Stormsend and its surrounding lands into a Military District of the Stormlands, allowing martial law to be declared without a formal action made by the High Council with the "simple consent" of the Grand Council of the Free Citizens. The creation of the autonomous region also allows for the government to better control the movement of certain goods in and out of the capital, which already has strict laws prohibiting certain materials and chemicals from entering parts of the city itself. Although this will not effectively make Stormsend a "closed city", the measures are expected to tighten security and make military and police presence more visible to the general population of the city. The city's population, despite what are expected to be strengthened security laws, were optimistic in polling results, with 84% of the population voting for the measure. One optimistic citizen, a government worker, said, "We understand the concerns that the leaders have about attacks against the government, Stormsend is like the brain of this great nation, would you want to have terrorists or external threats having easy access to such an important part of ones body?" Government workers make up close to eighty-five percent of the population in Stormsend's Metropolitan Region, and their loyalty to their administrations and the government typically falls into the category of 'unwavering'. Some Representatives have decried the move as "totalitarian" in nature, but most Stormland citizens have been generally approving of increased security, particularly in the aftermath of attacks in Europe and the Middle East. *** [b]From the Administration of the Exterior[/b] The Administration of the Exterior has issued a statement condemning extremism in the wake of a wave of deadly attacks in Europe and the Middle East, targeting the Athenian Federation. Executor of the Exterior Taman Volcer stated in a press conference that, "The idea of nationhood, at its core, is to protect the lives and interests of her people, safeguarding them against corruption, against usury, against exploitation, the good of the people, to protect them. Extremism is barbarism, it flies completely in the face of such laws and order, it seeks to destroy what others build up in the interests of peace and protection, attacks against normal citizenry and the people who serve them are unacceptable. The Stormlands heartily condemns the violence in the Mediterranean periphery, and stands abreast its' partners in Europe to face such attacks, and pledges that it is ready to assist in the interests of executing justice on those who would provoke terror in the streets of civilization." *** [b]Fort Paez, Catatumbo Commonwealth[/b] The Stormlands Air Forces announces the successful rocket-assisted-launch of its manned Typhoon Spacecraft today at Fort Paez, bringing the first Stormlanders into space, two years to the day after Rafael Sha'am announced his intent to "put as much resources as economically feasible" into space exploration and orbital technology. Although the Typhoon Spacecraft was only in orbit for what would amount to a total of twelve hours, the Typhoon Spacecraft performed "admirable" in its work, and demonstrated the ability to deliver a payload into space, these being three "miniature" satellites, built for strategic communications purposes. The crew of four voyagers on the Typhoon Spacecraft was led by Brigadier Xavier Flogera, former commander of the Stormlands' Air Forces 3rd Fighter Wing. Flogera reported in a press statement that, "... riding the rocket into space was a dream come true... nothing compared to it, not aggressor or interceptor training in the Air Forces... nothing..." The mission commander continued by saying that, "The mission was a short one, it wasn't intended to be long, it was intended to test the abilities of the Typhoon Spacecraft, and it did that without a hitch. Everyone made it back to the surface safe, and we all had to kiss the ground when we did, it was the ride of a lifetime, and I can't wait to do it again." The Typhoon Spacecraft success comes on the heels of an incident that almost claimed the life of the program a year ago, when a test rocket with a satellite module, testing the boosters for the Typhoon Spacecraft, exploded only twenty seconds after takeoff. After internal investigation into the failure, the Stormlands Air Forces' Orbital Division has been run by the intrepid Esteemed Executor Doctor Marianna Comex, whose exhaustive efforts in coordinating the program up to this point earned her respect amongst her peers at the High Council, and a public notation of congratulations by the Lord Protector on an open broadcast evening broadcast. Comex has hinted that the Typhoon Program is "just beginning" and that the Stormlands "will be making a much more high profile missions into orbit in the future". Experts have stated that a variant of the Typhoon Spacecraft is expected to not require being launched from the pad, and could be launched, using booster assistance, from a large airstrip.

Following his encounter with Ines at the shop, and Joao's refusal to let him take a closer look at the vase, Rhaemon retired to his hotel for the rest of the afternoon. It was clear that the shopkeeper was not at all interested in he seeing that vase, or for that matter, anyone handling it. Even more so, putting it into a museum would make viewing it up close and personal that much more difficult. He was sure that after seeing the light bounce off his Executor's pendent, and onto the vase itself, which in turn produced characters around it, that the vase was a definite clue. This would force Rhaemon to improvise, and he concluded that he would have to get some sleep that afternoon, before getting up that night for an evening jaunt. If Joao was not going to let him have a look at the vase willingly, well then the next best option was to have a look at the vase when he wasn't there at all. After examining the fine naval cutlass he had acquired for an hour or so, and dating it in a guide he had brought along, he would lay down for a nap. When Rhaemon finally woke from his nap the sun had set and orange street lights lined the avenues of the city. He was not the only person making his way back to Joao's shop. After taking the vase to her district precinct for safe-keeping, Ines returned to the streets. She waited for Rhaemon to return to the shop and prover her suspicions correct that he was more than a simple weapons collector. He was a theif and he wanted that vase whether for money or other purposes. She wore her uniform this time, a black button down shirt with black pants, armed with a gun, mace, and a night-stick. Ines waited at the corner for anything to happen. Unaware that other problems were surfacing down at the precinct. Unaware of Ines' renewed presence near the store, nor intending to sully towards violence, Rhaemon was unarmed, beyond a simple multitool that was clipped in his pocket. He wore a relatively lightweight zip-up sweatshirt, the zipper halfway down and his hood up, along with a simple ball cap and jeans. The outfit matched a fair number of guys who were roaming the street after the sun went down, the cool coastal air settling over Rio. Moving quietly along the sidewalk, and keeping close to a group of laughing and relatively intoxicated teens, he approached the corner where Joao's shop was located. He would duck into the alley beside the store as the teens passed by it, moving to locate what he hoped to be another entrance than the front. Adjusting his eyes to the dark, he moved slowly along the alley, trying to watch his footing, as he snuck towards what he made out to be a back entrance. When Rhaemon started moving toward the back entrance to the shop, Ines moved. She crept slowly across the street, reaching down to take out her pistol, holding it against her body. The shadows of the alley helped her blend in as she approached the entrance. Taking a deep breath, she tried to cancel out the sounds of the teens yelling and screaming, concentrating solely on Rhaemon's movements. Once he broke in, she'd follow him inside and at that point he was fair game to be arrested and taken away. Rhaemon slipped the tool from his pocket relatively quickly and quietly, when he found the back entrance, and tried the door. Wearing thin gloves, the doorknob would not give, and he slowly pushed the tool into the keyhole, slowly working it inside as he produced a pin from his pocket to work the lock. He worked as silently as possible, and would finally, after a couple minutes, in which he got extremely warm from nerves, be rewarded with a simple *CLICK* that echoed down the alley. He moved his hand to the doorknob and tried it again, the door knob turning this time, he pushed the door open quickly, then moved to close it back up as quickly as he had slipped inside. When he closed the door, Ines walked up and laid her hand on the knob. She waited for a few seconds, tightened her grip on her gun, then slammed open the door with a loud bang. "Freeze Rhaemon!" she shouted and pointed her gun at him as he crossed the room. "I know what you're doing here, you're after that damn vase, huh? Get down on the ground! Now!" "Shit," cursed Rhaemon, under his breath, when the door slammed open, but instead of staying still, he ran across the shop. The dim light in the shop itself would not afford the policewoman, whose voice he recognized as Ines' a clean shot at him. Nonetheless, she had a gun, he had little more than a pocketknife with tools on it, but that wouldn't deter him just yet. As he ran across the shop, around a display, he grabbed a large silver platter from a rack and hurled it at the police officer. He ducked and weaved, hoping that the suddeness of his counter would unsteady her aim. The plate smacked Ines in the face as she fell down and cussed, rolling on the floor, blood dripping out of her nose. She jumped back up and ran over toward him, unable to take a clear shot in the dark. Ines had no intention to kill him or ruin Joao's shop, for as much control as the police had in Rio, problems still surfaced if the police used too much force. Taking out her night-stick with her other hand she swung at Rhaemon's head, trying to knock him to the ground. "It's no use, I have the vase. Just give up, you're not getting out of here." When Ines drew her night stick, it was apparent that her gun was clearly of last resort, and as Ines drew down on him, he would try to slip the blow to the head. He succeeded in that respect, but caught the night stick in the shoulder, and he let out a growl, as he lashed out with his other arm, his hand batting away the gun from her hand as he grasped at the other wrist, trying to keep the night stick at bay, as he pressed forward against her. "I'm going to... urgh... get out of here, whether you like it or not..." he growled at her. Ines pushed him up against the wall with both of her hands as her gun spiraled across the floor. Slowly, she began to overpower him, forcing Rhaemon down to the floor as she barred her teeth. With a last effort in tripping out his legs, Ines straddled him at the waist and held the stick over his neck, choking him. "Give up Rhaemon, you're mine! You're coming with m--" The window of the weaponshop exploded into a thousands shards of glass as gunmen from outside fired into the building. Ines howled in pain as one of the bullets hit her shoulder, knocking her off of Rhaemon. She laid on the floor, writhing as blood shot out from her arm. "Ahhhh! Fuck!" she cried out, holding the wound whild bullets continued to fly into the store. Rhaemon had fought against a few lads before, but Ines was very determined to bring him in, and he was surprised when he found himself on the ground. His breaths had started to come in wheezing pants when her night stick pressed against his throat. At that point, it was becoming clear to him that he was probably going to have to face the prospect of being hauled into a police precinct. The surprise arrival of gunfire and the blast that knocked Ines onto her back, wounding her, caused him to almost curl up in a ball. He quickly moved to gather his wits about him, cursing under his breath as he dove behind the counter, as shards of glass and splinters seemed to fly everywhere. Whoever these people were, they were not joking around, and they weren't friendly to his cause either. He looked over at Ines, thinking for a split second, before shaking his head and scuttling out to drag her behind the relative safety of the counter. It was then, after he had pulled her back behind the counter, that he rolled over it and onto the floor again, feeling around in the dark for her dropped pistol. After Rhaemon dragged her behind the counter for safety, the gunfire ceased and silence returned to the streets of Rio. Splinters fluttered in the air as Rhaemon heard car doors open and close and then cars driving off. When looking over the ruined window, he saw nothing on the street except for some fresh tire marks. "Ahhhhh...fuck!" Ines moaned as she held her wound, the blood soaking into her uniform. "The hell was all that?" she didn't get to say anything else before a booming sound, like a hundred fireworks went off at once, echoed through the city. Ines went silent then the sound of sirens and people screaming joined the din moving through the city. She looked at him, holding her arm. "Who are you?" Rhaemon recovered her pistol as the car sped off, and had made it to the window in time to just see a pair of indistinct tail lights heading off onto a side street. The front of the store had been devestated by the gunfire, which had torn holes in the door and walls, shattered several displays, and of course, left him rattled. He flicked the safety on the pistol, and stuck it in the back of his pants, before going to stand over her. "You owe me for that, you know that right?" he asked, as he grabbed hold under her good arm, and hauled her to her feet. "We need to get you some care for that shoulder of yours," he said, as he pulled her up to her feet. "Rhaemon Rhys'gar, Esteemed Executor of the High Council of the Stormlands, if you really must know," he answered her, after considering her question for a moment. "Is it normal for your city to have random people shooting out storefronts... and then setting off a bomb?" "No, not like this," she sighed in pain. Ines turned on the radio attached to her belt, "Captain, this is Officer Varejo, I--" The only sounds that came out of the radio were screaming and the occasional gunshot. "Oh my God! They're attacking the station. This...this is a planned attack on the entire city. But why would..." Ines turned back to Rhaemon and scowled, "Why is that vase important?!" Rhaemon raised an eyebrow when he heard the gunshots ringing out of the radio, accompanied by screams and shouts. It was clear that this was a well-organized attack against public safety authorities within the city, but this was hardly his concern. What was his concern was securing that vase, no matter the cost associated, but he also had a moral twinge to see the officer cared for as well. He looked down at her, "It's an important cultural artifact that my people value very much. Where exactly did you say you put the vase?" Ines clenched her fists and closed her eyes, "Back at the station...the station that is being attacked..." "And who are the most likely people to perepetrate such an attack? In this city? You know this city much better than I do." He leaned up against one of the broken counters in the shop, helping her stand up straight. "We need to get that wound looked at, you're bleeding pretty good," he said, grabbing the arm of his shirt, and ripping one sleeves deftly. He wrapped it under her armpit and up over the wound, tightening it off quickly. "I've never seen anything like this, nothing so perfectly planned. Most of the criminals are just after some loot, this is organized." Ines winced as he tied the sleeve around her wound. "I'll be alright," she looked down at the blood, "At least for now. I can get us to the station, but I don't know what we're going to face when we get there. Do you have anything more powerful than a dagger?" Ines walked toward the ruined front entrance, still holding her wound. "I have a feeling we're gonna need more firepower than a pistol and a knife." Rhaemon grabbed the pistol he had taken from her and slid it back into her hand, as he walked beside her, watching her carefully. "It's hard to believe this city has no organized crime whatsoever, they seem like likely culprits to such an attack. Unless you've declawed all of them to minor operations?" he stated, with a grimace as he looked down at a splinter wound in his arm. Rhaemon looked around the shop for a moment, and looked over at one of the glass cases in the armory section of the shop. He grabbed a broken cuckoo clock, which would sound off as he hurled it through the air, and it smashed through one of the display cases. Walking over, he grabbed a double-barreled shotgun from the now-ruined display case, the gun engraved with ornate gold trim, featuring mythical beasts around the breech. "Does your friend the shopkeeper keep any ammunition in his store?" "It's different when the police function as one of the factions of organized crime." Ines sighed then watched as he destroyed the display case for the shotgun. "I don't know, I don't hang around here all that much, I just came in earlier because I was following you. You seemed interesting and well, dammit, look at all the problems you've caused since we've met. Those people are after your vase, Rhaemon." She walked over to Joao's counter and started rooting through it, there she found two shells for the gun. "I have two, that's it, so use them wisely, until we can stock up better." She threw him the shells then walked onto the streets of the city. Screaming and gunfire echoed down the narrow streets of Rio. "Sounds like a damn battlefield down there. Are you ready?" "I find it humorous that you actually admit that the police are a faction of organized crime. Not that its a rarity, one of my friends in the security forces once told me the only thing that seperates a cop from a criminal, is a badge. Sounds like your police department exemplifies that," chuckled Rhaemon, as he caught the shells and loaded them up, but not cocking the hammers back. "I didn't know that my coming would trigger mass assaults on your police friends, I think this was more than just my coming that brought this assault. There are others who know the value of that vase, few, but there are a fair number." Rhaemon stepped out onto the streets with Ines, walking beside her as screams echoed and sirens wailed. The city had seemingly become a battlefield, and Ines' precinct could possibly be the epicenter of the violence. He looked over at Ines, "How far is it to the precinct from here? Where did you put the vase in the station? Could it still be secure there?" "Do you peg me for a criminal, Rhaemon?" Ines said as they started walking down the street. "You have no idea how this city works, there are a lot of innocent people who are in the middle of a civil war that takes place behind closed doors and in back alleyways. In Rio, if you want to survive, you need to use every means at your disposal. For me," she tapped her side, "It's carrying this badge." The precinct was not far off, but a series of dangerous road blocks prevented their route. The center city had become rife with conflict. When the police station fell under attack, news traveled fast through the underbelly of the city and with one of the factions creating stability in Rio out of commission the other factions went off on a rampage. Houses, stores, and tourists came under attack from the various gangs, while personal vendettas were sovled with quick and deadly force. In the middle of this maelstrom, Rhaemon and Ines wandered near the sides of buildings, trying not to draw attention from the riots in the streets. "Keep that gun ready," she said as they wandered toward the station, blood dripping from her arm. "It's not far off. I kept the vase in my office, we'll see what the damage is, find the vase and then..." she paused, "Well I'm not sure, but maybe find somewhere to take care of this wound. Fuck." The policewoman winced in pain and lifted up her eyes. The precinct stood in front of them, fire bellowing out of the windows as police officers in the building engaged black robed men with machine guns from their cars on the street. "Damn." "I take you for a member of the class where power rests its head," said Rhaemon. "I have an idea of how society works, power always finds a place to rest its head. When someone gets the ability to overpower that authority, another person will take their place at the seat, and the cycle goes on and on. That is the basic underlying principle everywhere in the world, its human nature, Ines. And right now, I'd not be carrying that badge around, the power that you hold is now under assault." He let the advice he gave her sink in some, as they continued to walk through the streets, having to take multiple detours around checkpoints and roadblocks that had been set up. He stayed in the shadows with Ines, staying behind her and keeping a watch on her rear, watching everywhere, holding the shotgun at the ready, but trying not to draw the attention of any of the rioters or people who were taking out personal grudges on others. Given his appearance, he didn't give off the scent of rich or high society, or even a tourist. "Did you at least lock the vase somewhere in your office? I'm not liking what I am seeing here," responded Rhaemon, looking at her. "Do you recognize these guys? In the black robes that is, you seen them before? They don't seem like they're messing around," he said, pulling her down behind a smoldering car so they could stay relatively concealed while reviewing the situation of the precinct. "These guys are well armed...," remarked Rhaemon, raising an eyebrow, as he watched two police officers get torn down by gunfire. Ines stayed quiet after Rhaemon told her about the dangers of holding her badge. The statement did more than simply sink in. She looked at him and evaluated their sudden relationship, a few moments ago, she had tried to kill him, now there was the potential that they would be working together for a very long time. "Recognize them?" she looked at him, "They look like the same guys who shot up Joao's store. This is organized." Wiping her brow, she leaned back against the nearby building. "It's locked in my office, but the question is how we're supposed to get in there. Either way, we're going to get shot, unless we wait for the building to collapse from the fire, then I don't like our chances for finding the vase." They watched the officers get killed then looked at each other. "You have a plan, cause right now, I don't give a damn about that vase." "Well, its clear as day this is organized. I was wondering if you knew any creep factions in your city who liked wearing black robes and running around with machine guns," replied Rhaemon, with a bit of a snarky tone to his voice. The chance to be a bit of a smartass with his compatriot was not lost on him, despite the situation, and he found himself wearing a small smile when he looked at her. He frowned when she announced her true feelings about the vase, but held his tongue, knowing that he'd probably feel the same way in her positions. "So, besides a gun and a nightstick, what else do you carry? Got any pepper spray? If so, I need to borrow it." He looked at her a little more, the dancing flames from the fires around them softening her features a little bit. His eyes flicked to the wound in her shoulder, then back to her eyes. "You know, I would probably feel the same way about that vase if I were you, but those are your friends getting killed in there. Every body counts for your faction right now." "Yeah," she reached into her belt, "I have mace, what do you need it for?" She handed it over and they looked at each other in the eyes, her lips trembling for a moment as the fire turned him into a large silhouette looming over her body. "I..." then she hardened her features back at him. "I know, I get that, but you're not the one suffering with a bullet wound right now. So give me a damn break. Now, what's your plan?" "Thank you," he said, taking the mace and looking at the bottle a little bit, as he looked back at her. He softened his stare at her when he flicked his eyes to her shoulder again, and nodded, muttering a small apology. "Sorry," he mumbled, heaving a sigh, before looking her back in the eyes and nodding. "We're going to walk in the front door, we're going to cover each other as we move. I just hope my arm is as good as it was a few years back when I played pickup games of ball."

[b]Classified[/b] In response to large-scale military drills being undertaken by the Empire of Brazil, the scale of which unseen before by the Stormlands, the Council of Shields, after an emergency meeting with the High Council, has raised the nations' military ALERTCON Status to [b]CONDITION [color=orange]ORANGE[/color][/b]. The large maneuvers of amphibious forces just southeast of Trinidad and Tobago would bring an immediate deployment of one airborne division and one infantry division from the eastern Catatumbo Commonwealth to Trinidad. These units would be used to reinforced the large Naval Assault Forces presence on the islands, and include additional strategic air and naval defense units to bolster the islands' defenses, the deployment of these forces being done under the cover of darkness utilizing large LCACs and LCU amphibious craft deployed from Trinidad City. This would complement the departure of the Stormlands' Navy from its base in Trinidad City, deploying surface assets westward under the cover of darkness, whilst subsurface elements deployed into screening positions to the east and southeast of Trinidad, with orders to remain on station and limit noise and movement for the time being. Autonomous underwater search submersibles would be deployed from small bases in the Orininoco Delta to track any subsurface movements into Stormlands waters, including the EEZ. Infantry and armor units, seven in total, would be moved to bolster the eastern border with Brazil, moving into spread battalion bivouacs away from the border, but close enough to counter any movements across the border, whilst light infantry formations would reinforce, supplement, and beef up border security patrols. These patrols would be supplemented by helicopter and UAV patrols back away from the border, tracking movements from Stormlands' airspace, whilst additional tactical mobile radar units would be brought up to supplement existing radar coverage in some locations. Strategic reconnaissance aircraft, including SIGINT and ELINT aircraft would be deployed to the border regions as a response to large Brazilian aircraft deployments. The Stormlands Air Forces would enact its measures to beef up Sovereignty and Interception Air Patrols (SAIAPs), with various fighter aircraft deployed with large air-to-air missile complements, whilst leaving their own active scanned arrays off to mask their electronic signals. Deployments of ground units would balance towards the eastern portions of the Stormlands, shielding the rest of the nation, as reserve formations were briefed and brought to full activation for movements, the mobilization occurring in the early evening and overnight hours. Attempts to enact any breach of airspace, including by high altitude aircraft, or sea space of the Stormlands would be met with verbal warnings broadcast over open channels, before interception and engagement envelopes immediately assigned. Strategic surface-to-surface weaponry would be immediately dispersed from bases to predetermined positions as the Air Force enacted its STOCKPILE protocol, moving surplus weaponry and parts to their predetermined storage sites. Naval assets were deployed from bases along the Caribbean Coast to defensive war stations in the Central Caribbean, including the two remaining carrier battle groups in the Atlantic Theater, whilst the Pacific Fleet was dispatched towards the Panama Canal, to be ready for immediate transit be needed. The [I]Dahromo[/I] and [I]Grockall[/I] Battle Groups, screening a convoy of ships in the North Atlantic, would be forced to turn around, along with the attendant convoy, for redeployment back to the Stormlands. The movement of Brazilian assets would also force the immediate departure of Rhaemon Rhys'gar from negotiations in Brasilia, bringing him back to Stormsend. The movements of the Brazilian forces, despite the warning, would draw a strong public reaction from authorities in Stormsend, which would be internationally broadcast, for such large maneuvers taking place close to the borders of the Stormlands. Notices of Stormlands movements would be broadcast over secure channels to Tianxia, the Athenians, American Commonwealth, and Tikal, informing them of the defensive nature of the movements.

Rhaemon's senses were blurry, the sound of a siren wailing was somewhere far off as his ears were still ringing, and he could feel intense heat, the blast had lifted him off his feet and thrown him and those around him back close to ten feet. The front of the Highlands Base Operations Center had engulfed in flame in a sudden explosion, knocking him unconscious for at least a minute or two, and as he sat up, he held up a hand in front of his face at the intense heat from the fire that had engulfed its front. He heard a groan, and then a growl to his left, and he felt strong wiry fingers in his armpit, grasping him, and Rhaemon felt himself rising, and his feet sought to help this person find his feet, he had intense pain in his back and legs, the sound of Posa's voice was distant, dim in his ears, as she yelled out, "C'mon sir, we got to get you out of here!" "What... of all the heavens and hells, what the hell happened!?" he yelled back, as he looked over at Posa, whose fair face was blackened with soot and had several small cuts and a bruise forming above one of her eyes. "Bomb attack, good one too, little ill-timed though! We got lucky!" she yelled, her voice sounding like it had to go through water to reach his ears, as she guided him backwards, as another set of hands grabbed his other side. He looked to see one of Posa's soldiers, a sergeant, grasping him around the shoulders to help steady him as they all limped back towards one of the Tiuna tactical transports. Splinters and pieces of mortar littered the area, and the Tiuna still had some pieces of flaming debris laying on its top, as Posa threw open the rear door and pushed him inside. "This is Captain Villaben, Ops Center is black, I repeat, Ops Center is down, I need a transport aircraft refueled on the tarmac immediately, base fire and recovery to the Ops Center now!" yelled Posa, into the radio she kept strapped to her front. "Refueled? Why?" yelled out Rhaemon, as he pulled himself up when Posa threw herself into the passenger seat of the Tiuna and began barking orders at the driver to get them back to the airstrip. "This base is not safe, sir, we need to evacuate you now. I'm in charge of your security, this base is not secure, we need to relocate immediately," said Posa, looking back at him, as she grasped her sidearm and held it in her lap. "Urgh...," moaned Rhaemon, grasping at his flank as he leaned back in the seat, pain shooting up his side. "You... you will not do anything of the sort, we are not leaving this base now. We're here to stay." "Sir, I'd advise against this course of action, we can't guarantee your safety here, not with people willfully planting-." "If we leave now, then this situation only gets worse, we are here to stay, leaving is unacceptable, Captain," growled Rhaemon, steadying his train of thought and hardening his glare at his associate. "Lock down the base immediately, I want a temporary command center set up in one of the smaller hangers, establish a series of perimeters around that command center. I want base security to immediately begin reviewing who could have planted that device, no one gets in or out of the base until we can guarantee the safety of this facility. Then we start hunting," he continued, looking at Posa with a hard stare. "As you will, my lord," said Posa, heaving a sigh, that was audible enough even over the dull ringing in Rhaemon's ears, as he clutched at his head, shutting his eyes hard as a headache set in. Despite the pounding in his head and the ringing in his ears, it was now clear enough to Rhaemon that someone had let slip that he had been on his way, and they had been able to organize quickly to counter it. Whatever was brewing in the Southlands was much more potent than anything in Stormsend had an idea of, and that had now been confirmed by what had just happened. Not only were the security forces in the region infiltrated, but there was a leak somewhere, both in Stormsend, and the ability to maneuver quickly enough to react to Rhaemon's arrival. The bomb had been planted with someone that had access to the operations center at the Highlands Base, which was disconcerting to Rhaemon; Culcera and Hert had contacts in the Stormlands armed forces. "I need a secure uplink to Stormsend when you can manage it, Posa, find out who was in that operations center when the attack occurred," said Rhaemon, as he lay his head back and blinked his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the Tiuna, trying to focus his eyes.

We would also like to inform you that for the next twelve hours, there is an annual purge on large Texan farm owners and their families.

Looks like we have two contenders for the third place here. Which means only one thing! [url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/121720-gm-runoff-election/]RUNOFF[/url] ELECTION!

At 7:18pm EST, 5/19/2014, past the deadline for GM Vote Counts, we had two third string candidates, Evangeline and MostGloriousLeader, tied at nine votes apiece, as we are not counting xoindotler's votes. Therefore, this runoff election shall run for the next twenty-four hours to decide the vote. Thank you all for your cooperation.

Rhaemon Rhys'gar slowly opened his eyes as the sound of boots on the metal floor of the air transport brought him out of a slumber, wholly induced by the seemingly lulling drone of the turboprop engines. It had been a relatively long flight from Stormsend to Cusco, one of the principle cities in the uplands of the Southlands Commonwealth. The Fist of the Protector had been ordered south, after it had been determined that the Euphaian border had been secured and was well sealed. There had been little in the way of disturbances in the border region, but the experience had brought Rhaemon valuable experience in spending times with military officers and soldiers alike. He had ate and slept in similar quarters like junior and field officers, went on foot and helicopter patrols on a regular basis with normal foot soldiers, preferring to wear a non-commissioned uniform set, the only giveaway being the military-style patch worn over his heart that denoted his true rank within the national government. The revelations of large scale corruption amongst officials in southeastern portions of the Southlands Commonwealth had been reported to the Lord Protector only that morning, and by nighttime, Rhaemon was headed south to investigate the evidence and lead an operation that would snuff out those responsible. As the Fist of the Protector, it was his sworn duty to carry out the will of the Lord Protector, and Rafael Sha'am was infuriated over the allegations against representatives that was considered treasonous and gross misuse of public offices. Rhaemon had been briefed by Fetter Childress, the Executor of Internal Affairs, on the situation at hand, and the allegations had gained a similar reaction. This was activity that simply [I]could not[/I] go unpunished or unabated, especially how corruption had seemingly seeped into every check and balance in the region, essentially, two representatives to the Grand Council of Free Citizens, two men by the name of Diego Culcera and Xavier Hert, were lording over the region as their own personal fiefdom. What's worse, they had several prominent supporters at the Southlands Commonwealth Great District Assembly, as well as the wardens of several city districts and towns, support of several affluent and influential members of the community, the support of security forces, and a fairly large base of citizenry. What Fetter had uncovered was a mass abuse of power, ranging from stuffing ballot boxes, to what appeared to be assassinations of people who stood up against them, and the cover up of these crimes. Reports of low wages being paid to the working classes were going unheard, being shuffled under the carpet by local magistrates, whilst public funds were being used to fund private parties and gatherings for supporters and their families. Culcera and Hert were well liked by the regions' upper middle class, wooed by their promises of business support and their charismatic attitudes, and many being prominent supporters of the Archbishop of the region, Mendoza, who had denounced the religion of the state leaders and its growing popularity in the populace of the north. Mendoza had toned down his rhetoric after a visit by members of the Administration of Internal Affairs, but it appeared that his rhetoric had now been replaced with subterfuge, with undermining the local government. The true strength of Culcera and Hert was unknown, and it was that fact that disturbed Rhaemon as he blinked his eyes a few times, after opening them, the red lights of the interior of the transport plane making it easier for him to open them, as he slowly looked around. The transport shook a little bit as it hit a little bit of turbulence, and Rhaemon grasped the straps on his seat reflexively, and looked up at an approaching dark figure. A red light near Rhaemon flashed on the man's face, revealing the identity to be Captain Posa Villaben, one of Rhaemon's trusted associates from the Stormlands Ground Forces, her normally hardened features a little softer in the dim light, and she grasped a cargo retaining handle next to Rhaemon. "My Lord? Are you awake?" she hissed, as she bent down near him. "Just now," sighed Rhaemon, blinking his eyes a few times and looking up at the soldier again. "What is it Captain?" "We're making an approach on the Highlands Base right now, sir," she replied quietly. The Highlands Base was a major joint forces base shared by the Ground and Air Forces in the Southlands Commonwealth, standing roughly halfway between the cities of Juliaca and Cloudview. The base was to serve as Rhaemon's operations nexus in what he was now amicably referring to as 'Indian Territory', as he brought the hammer down on those who sought to undermine national governance rule. With a firm grip on the region that his opponents had, staying in a public locale was ruled simply too dangerous, and flying into a military base would provide him with some security and surprise, as his arrival was sure to stir up rumors of what could truly be impending for the corrupt government in the region. "We're flying into a storm, you know that Posa?" asked Rhaemon, a little wistfully. "We might be, but if my weather knowledge serves me right, its typically the bigger storm that invests the smaller one," she said, in a categorically confident voice.

Too much potential to ruin utopia.

"I understand, I look forward to their decision," responded Taman, smiling politely at Ionaster and clasping his hands in his lap, as he leaned back in his chair. "I have nothing further to discuss at this point, do you have anything else of your own that would be important that you would like to discuss with me at this time?" he asked.

Taman would thank the Sudanese leader for the drink, taking it in his hand, he swirled the cup in his hands, making the vodka flow in a circle before taking a sip from it and setting it down. "Well, as an upstanding state in Africa, we're trying to break out of relative diplomatic isolation to build relationships abroad," started Taman. "The honorable Athenians do hold much sway over Africa, but several other nations have been doing much to earn respect. We're hoping that this meeting will form the basis of a relationship that we can develop further over time."

Bastard! :mellow:

The thought still floors me! Woe is me!

I'm both saddened and angered that you would think I would do such a thing to fellow mankind... :mellow: Why would you all do this to me?

[b]Private[/b] Following a thorough review of the Stormlands' foreign policy, it was determined that in line with recent efforts of proactive, Stormlands-requested, diplomatic meetings with several nations across the world, this would be matched by a similar approach in terms of movements and actions. This marked a significant shift from the Stormlands being relatively insular in mind, reactive to regional and world developments, rather than meeting them head on, to doing the exact opposite. To this end, after deliberation between the High Council and the Council of Shields, the Stormlands Navy was put to sea once again, with the [i]Dahromo[/i] and [i]Grockall[/i] carrier battle groups, reinforced with surface and significant submarine support forming the nucleus of the convoy. These ships would be accompanied by two [i]Arsenal[/i]-class Heavy Assault Carriers, and three [i]Inflexible[/i]-class LHDs, bearing the balance of the reinforced 1st Provisional Naval Assault Division, formed from the elements of four Naval Assault Expeditionary Units (NAEUs). Further ships in the convoy included four large fast-moving roll-on/roll-off vessels loaded for bear with humanitarian aid supplies with ship-to-shore amphibious support ramps added, several at-sea fast replenishment vessels, a handful of depot vessels, and a depot vessel converted into a hospital ship. These vessels would depart from various ports along the Caribbean coastline, and sail eastward, the convoys rendezvousing east of Trinidad, and tracking east-north-east, before making a bearing due north, once a safe distance away from the outer Caribbean islands.

Why do I feel like any fighter feasibly going over Mach 3 would shred itself? I mean, the Foxbat went over Mach 3, but it shredded its engines in the process... With the weapons loadout capabilities and range, I'm questioning the ability for this aircraft to operate at Mach 4 without disintegrating...

Nominations can be viewed [url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/121611-gm-nominations/]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!

Results are in! Our victims for the elections are as follows; TheShammySocialist - 11 Evangeline - 8 MostGloriousLeader - 6 Lynneth - 5 Justinian - 4 Zoot - 4

"The problem isn't with recycling, its starting up the corporation, and they don't run at a huge profit margin. Most corporations are looking at heavier profits, Metacycles does well, but it isn't making the same kind of money that it could be in other industries. Many investors look for a high profit return, Metacycles isn't a high profit return company, its certainly lucrative, and it supplies almost all the industries of the Stormlands with recycled raw materials, but it has a relatively low return rate. Its a stable company, and one that has a growing market and sees profitable returns, but most companies prefer to just let Metacycles provide the materials to them, and not dabble in the process itself," explained Rafael, as they walked across the bridge towards the facility. "You are quite correct, Your Highness," added Taman, as Rafael opened the door to the facility. "The Stormlands tries to enforce a very strict policy of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions to try to limit air pollution and keep it clean, especially in major cities. How fares your own nation in dealing with such things?" As Rafael held the door for the rest of the individuals in tow to step inside, they would enter a long corridor that overlooked the facility, off to one side was a large entrance for employees only. The corridor overlooked the entire facility's interior, the place where they entered being in a portion of the factory where workers could be seen scuttling about on the floors below, sorting pieces of old computer units, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and other electronics. The corridor was lined with high definition screens that could be keyed for more information, there were also places to sit and watch the entire goings on below, essentially providing a any member of the public free access to glimpse of the operations being done below.