hapapants

That's disappointing. I was sure that someone so closely allied to Pacifia would have some insight into their political direction. But why don't we speculate? A good argument can be made that the "terms" at the end of the Disorder War set Pacifia down a path of vengeance. This is very easy to see if you look at their post-war diplomatic moves and treaties. Or better yet, why not ask the folks in Polar or TOP if they regretted pushing those terms through? This is what I said? I'm pretty sure this is what I said. You're pointing to a situation where terms were unenforcable and saying "See, see! I told you so!" That is not a remotely comparable situation. That in fact, is a situation where "strong leadership" tried to force "terms" through while ignorant of the status of their coalition, and it backfiring terribly on their faces. ...which sort of backs up my argument... no? You have been in many coalitions, but you seem to have taken the wrong lessons from them. Regardless, different members of a coalition will have different incentives. It is those on the periphery of the conflict, with the least involvement and the least at stake, than can afford to talk the loudest about punishment and vengeance.

You are off your rocker if you think Equilibrium is a good analogy to the current situation. There were no reps because the "Equilibrium Coalition" was so unstable that unity was impossible, and any desirable/effective reparations (targeted towards Umbrella/MK upper tiers) were basically unenforceable due to the military situation (Doomhouse upper-tier dominance, etc). But let us look at even more recent history and pose a simple question: were it not for reparations in the Disorder War, where would Pacifia have ended up in this war?

Normally I like what you post, but this is a bit ridiculous. You're confusing "good leadership" with "blind vengeance." I'd also be interested in you backing up the bolded, since recent history seems to show the opposite.

Congrats and well fought to everyone involved! Best of luck with the re-build and the new-found extra time on our hands =)

This is awkward.

It's not peace if you don't include terms that involve... well... peace.

Apologies for the shorter chapter. I had a busier week, and I'll make up for it with the next installment in the next few days.

"Step on it! Step on it!" Hershey screamed in terror, "They're gaining fast!" "I can't help it for now!" said an exasperated Cuba, "Once we hit the open road this baby will pull away!" The Red Mustang sped down Main street, with 10 sets of flashing lights in tow. Cuba's hands were beginning to shake. He pumped the breaks and veered onto a side road. The Mustang careened left, overshooting the turn. the right tail of the car clipped a lamp-post before speeding down the road. "Can't you !@#$@#$ drive straight?!" Hershey was braced against the mid-armrest of the car. "You may not value your own life, but I swear to god if you take me with you -" "Give me some tech." Cuba snarled. Hershey looked stunned. "You're in this situation and you want to get high?!?!" "Grab the needle and give me the tech woman! I need some to take the edge off! I haven't had any in the last hour.... it will help me drive just give me a damn shot!" "You're that addicted huh..." Hershey said blankly. "Whatever, grit your teeth because I only have one arm to do this and the car isn't steady." Hershey fumbled through the metal box under her feet. She grabbed a needle and filled it within seconds. With little subtlety, she jammed the needle in Cuba's right arm, quickly injecting the silver solution into his veins. Cuba let out a scream, and his spine shook. The car swerved right, but quickly straightened out. Cuba exhaled. His hands were steady, and seemed to melt into the steering wheel.. The world seemed to move slowly around him. His shoulders dropped and he straightened his back. "Thank you. Now get that needle out of my arm and we will take care of this mess." Hershey noticed the change right away, and quickly withdrew the needle. She opened the window and tossed it outside. "Just get us out of here." She muttered, gripping the armrest once again. She closed her eyes, continuously repeating her words. "Just get us out of here." She muttered, as the car quickly turned right. She was pushed into the armrest by the turn, but it was a surprisingly gentle force. "Just get us out of here." She was slowly placed against the back of her seat as the engine roared and the car surged forward. As she opened her eyes, she could see nothing but black on the road ahead of her. The starry sky was no longer drowned out by the pink neon lights. Hershey grabbed the head of her seat and turned around. The pursuit of flashing lights was far into the distance, growing smaller and smaller with every passing second. She sank back in her chair and sighed. "I owe you one." Cuba was silent, staring at the road ahead. "It's just like the old days." Hershey continued. "You were always so good with the wheel..." Her voice trailed off as she looked through the passenger window. The desert was pitch black, and the white speckled sky was hypnotizing. After a few minutes, she seemed to spring back to life. "So where do we go?" She popped out of her chair assertively. "Your friends live a few hours out of the city, right?" "Yeah." Said a stoic Cuba. "We're going to the Doom Cave. Let me text the guys."

On behalf of Doom Squad, well fought. We wish you the best of luck rebuilding, and we hope you had some fun over the last two months =)

It's coming out tomorrow :popcorn:

I'm more surprised that TOP's tactics aren't upsetting you.

Somebody clearly didn't read my blog. :mad:

"Laughably unenforceable" are the words that come to mind here.

http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=114848

Yep, a '71 Mach 1. I watched Diamonds are Forever the day before I wrote Chapter 1, so there you go.

Honestly, I just got tired of writing out Tywin's lines :/

Hardcore Lulzists: Part 3 Ghost and Hershey were crouched under one of the front windows. As the Sheriff shouted over the megaphone, employer and employee stared at each other. "Did they change their name from Pacific recently?" Ghost pondered. "That's so strange... why would they change something like-" By now, Hershey's face was as red as her hair. "You bribed the wrong <censored>'ing Order you dumb <censored>! I pay you to do you job, not to jack off in the back and stick needles into your arms!" Ghost expression was blank. He started, "Yell at me later, we have more pressing concerns now." Hershey's seething anger was quickly subdued, as she acknowledged the danger they were in. "We're going to have to abandon this place." she nodded, "I'll get Cuba. Get ready to burn this joint down." Hershey ran off towards the back. "Cuba!" she shouted, "We gotta get out of here! We're loading as much tech as we can into the car, get going!" Cuba was surprised, but nodded compliantly. Hershey continued. "Stack as many boxes as you can carry by the side door. We're going to make a run for the car when Ghost gets back." Meanwhile, Ghost ran to the bar and fumbled under the counter. He found a pack of cigars, and quickly lit one to steady his hands. As he inhaled the smoke, he began grabbing bottles of liquor and throwing them around the room. "I'm almost done!" Yelled Ghost, "Get read-" But as he was about throw the last bottle, a black van burst through the stage, rocking the building to it's core. Ghost was thrown off his feet and towards the floor. Wooden shrapnel sprayed across the inside of the building. Hershey and Cuba were thrown into the side wall. "!@#$!" Hershey yelled, her right arm tattered and bruised. "Ghost, we need to get out of here!" "I'm OK!" Ghost shouted back, "Take Cuba and go!" Hershey paused, but burst out the side door a second later, carrying a box in her working arm. Cuba followed with four boxes, barreling down the alley towards the garage door. Out of the broken stage and flying debris, the S.W.A.T. personnel emerged from the black van, spraying the room in bullets. NpO officers simultaneously broke down the front door, swarming into the building. The shooting stopped after 10 seconds, and Tywin made his way forward with a megaphone. "Attention lulzist fiends!" he started, "If you have survived, our emperor will grace you with his mercy. Please come out slowly and put your hands in the air." "I surrender, don't shoot!" Ghost yelled, behind the bar. He waived a white cleaning cloth over the counter, still ducking to avoid the hail of bullets. "Hail there you scum!" Tywin yelled. "Come out with your hands in the air! The Honorable Emperor, Djaboo, of the New Polar Order, will accept your surrender!" Ghost looked up at the ceiling. He felt a slight warmth on his leg. His cigar too managed to survive the attack, and he quickly took another puff and smiled. It was the first time he had felt anything since his tech addiction robbed him of his feelings years ago. With a quiet sigh, he put his hands in the air, the cigar in his mouth, and walked from behind the counter. He turned the bar corner to see hundreds of officers, guns pointed directly his way. He couldn't help but break a smile. "Even surrender does not rob you of your lulzist nature I see..." Tywin monologued, "yet fear not, the divine ways of our Emperor will help you see the light. You will see the flaws in your philosophy and come to see the truth of moral-ism and the order. You shall come with us-" "I'm not coming with you," Ghost chuckled, "I just wanted to look cool in the end." Ghost flicked back his head, his sunglasses rolling down from his hair to his eyes. "It's time to sell off some infra." "Shoot him!" Screamed Tywin, "Shoot that lulzist scum!" Ghost quickly turned, throwing his cigar towards the back of the bar. Any other man would have been stopped by the hail of rifle fire, but Ghost couldn't feel a thing. His body riddled with holes, he watched the cigar sailed though the air towards the back of the bar. He laughed slowly, as warmth slowly gave way to cold. A couple of cigar embers quickly roared into a fire, as thousands of dollars of shattered liquor lit up the floor like a candle. First the bar was engulfed, followed by the stage in seconds. Tywin watched the fire through his goggles. He stared forlornly. "I have failed my emperor..." he muttered. "...I will accept my death." Tywin let the blaze overtake him, without so much as an utterance. ------------------------------------------------ Outside, Sheriff Djaboo watched the blaze spread, clenching his binoculars as his officers fled the flame in panic. "Call the Fire Department," he screamed, "tell them to bring the copter! We need those sons of <censored> alive!" The corner of his eye caught a bright white light. Even through the roaring flame, he could hear the sound of an engine. Out of the alley way burst a bright red mustang. It burst through two cop cars, screeched left, and sped down Main street. Djaboo scrambled to his radio. "Suspects going down Main! Need 10 cars to pursue! " He fumbled for his keys, finally starting the car. As he gave chase, he shouted back towards the panicked scene. "Lieutenant Starfox is in charge until I get back!" Behind the bright red mustang followed 10 sets of flashing lights, all speeding towards the outskirts of the city. ----------------------------------------------- "Come in Double-O 8. Come in O-O-8. Respond. Come in O-O-8. Respond." "This is Agent O-O-8." "Where have you been Agent!? You've been off-grid for hours! What is the situation?" "Come now C. You can't expect me to be in contact all the time. It would blow my cover darling." "Situation report now." "Aren't you going to ask me about my day? Surely you must be worried about the well-being of your best agent - " "I swear to god Starfo-." "Now now C, everything is fine, don't get rash and blow my cover.. It is all going according to plan. Agent O-O-8 out." The blond, blue-eyed Lieutenant put down his phone, watching the panicked scene with amusement. "Their plan was surprisingly good. I was worried for a minute there..." he chuckled, slowly walking towards the blaze. "Well, I suppose it's time we start things up. God save the queen, hail Mi6."

Part 1: http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/blog/925/entry-4186-hardcore-lulzists-part-1/ Hardcore Lulzists: Part 2 The streets once bathed in pink were quickly overwhelmed in a sea of flashing blue lights. One-hundred cruisers and three-hundred uniformed men swarmed around the corner, taking up positions up-and-down the street. Out of the sea of uniforms, a burly, bald man slammed a car door and walked to the front of the formation. He was not a tall figure, but he was extremely well built. His thick stature made him stand out from the rest of his blue-uniformed companions. As he was handed a megaphone, he seemed uncomfortable - a feeling exacerbated by a uniform a few sizes too small. "This is Sheriff Djaboo of the N.p.O. You are under arrest for the illegal distribution of tech. We have you surrounded. Please come out with your hands in the air." Inside the building, Hershey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "N.P.O.?!" She shouted back, "The <censored>, I thought we made peace with you guys-" He was cut off by a visibly frustrated Dabjoo. "It's lower-case 'p' you <censored>!" he screamed back. The sheriff quickly snapped his head to his officers. "They probably won't go peacefully, get ready to storm the front." The 300 NpO officers were silent. A couple of heavy sighs were heard, but all were prepared to do their duty. Rifles were brought forward, firing positions were taken, and armored personnel quietly approached the face of the old strip-club. Djaboo briskly walked to the back of the firing line. "Where's the S.W.A.T. commander?" He barked. A man head-to-toe in body armor rushed up to Djaboo. His face and other distinguishing features were covered by his helmet and goggles, yet the less-armored portions of his body seemed unusually thin for a professional. "S.W.A.T. commander Tywin present, my Emperor." He folded his arm under his chest and deeply bowed his head. "I am ready serve you my lord. We will punish and purge these haute-lulzists who sow the seeds of such chaos and destruction in our city. We will purge the forces of parasitism from-" Djaboo let out an angry grumble. "For the last time Sergeant, I am NOT your Emperor," he growled, "I am your superior officer. You will address me as 'sir' or 'Sheriff,' understand?" "Sir, yes, Emperor sir!" shouted Tywin, almost fanatically, as he knelt to the ground. "Oh for <censored>'s sake..." muttered Djaboo. "Whatever. Start the operation Sergeant." Tywin bowed his head. At a quick motion of his hands, seven fully-armored S.W.A.T. personnel all quickly packed into a black-armored van. Tywin quickly jumped into the back, and the van slowly crawled away from the building. Sheriff Djaboo sat behind the barricade of police cars, scoping the scene through his pair of binoculars. A tall, blue-eyed officer approached him from the side. "Sherrif, are you sure it's OK to entrust this operation to Sergeant Tywin?" "Oh, Lieutenant Starfox. Don't worry about it. The Seargent may be a bit... unusual... but he has his talents... excuse me for a minute..." muttered Djaboo, as he returned to his binoculars, "...just start the operation when Tywin is in position." The young Lieutenant bore a worried look on his face, as he returned to his squad car. He looked down the street, and saw the black van in position, 300 meters down the street from the side of the building. Starfox picked up the radio receiver. "Start the operation, impact in 10 seconds. God help the New Polar Order." The street was silent except for the sound of an ignition. The lights of the black van flickered on, and it screeched to a start. The lumbering 3-ton vehicle reached 25 miles-per-hour as it careened towards the side-wall of the building.

Hardcore Lulzists: Part 1 Main-street was bathed in pink - hundreds of neon signs flashed in every direction, all beckoning potential customers in this gambling town. This was truly a city of sin, with casinos and clubs all competing to part men with their money. "STRIP SQ_AD" read the neon sign on one such establishment - at the corner of Main and 5th. It was one of many seedy "gentlemen's clubs" in the area. It would have been indistinguishable on any other night. But tonight, a bright red, polished mustang roared down the street. It made a sharp left turn into the alleyway, parking in the garage at the back. The engine shut off, and out walked a large figure in a black overcoat. He carried a large metal suitcase in his left hand. A smaller woman burst out of the side alley-way door. Her fiery red hair and eyes matched the color of the car, and her eyes lit up as she locked onto the man in black. She was dressed in white, business casual attire - an unusual sight for a woman at such a place. "Cuba Q! Welcome welcome!" She smiled warmly, "Please, come inside! I have much to show you!" "It's a pleasure as always Hershey," said the man in black. "You're as beautiful as always." Cuba bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek. A smiling Hershey grabbed his arm, and the size-mismatched couple hurried inside. A wall of noise greeted them at the door. Dance music blared in a room full of men and scantily clad women. The men all stood around the main stage cheering and tossing their salaries towards the poles. Neither Cuba Q nor Hershey seemed interested in this scene, as they walked toward a room in the back. A door behind the corner bar led to a small room. The only amenities were a desk, two chairs, and an escape from the noise. Cuba sat down and laughed. "I'm always amazed that a woman can run a place like this." "Cut the small-talk," snapped back Hershey, "you know why we're here. You said you can't pay in cash. What gives?" "Fine fine." muttered Cuba, as he fumbled for a key in his pocket, "We've been doing business for quite a while. I want to set up a new deal." "What, is 6/100 not good enough for you?" snarled Hershey. "Just wait until you see this..." Cuba found the key, and slowly opened the case. The inside was lined with rows of diamonds. Hershey looked stunned, mesmerized by the glitter of the gems. "Oh my god..." she whispered, "how much are you looking to buy?" "All of it." said Cuba, "Provided it's high quality." "Only the highest quality," replied Hershey, slowly regaining her composure. "Let me show you a sample." Hershey bolted outside the room, returning in seconds with a metal box. Here, take a look. She opened the lid. "This is the highest quality tech you can find. Take a sample. Taste it. It's from Columbia, made and purified entirely with the finest child labor in South America. It doesn't get better than this-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. "It's me, Ghost!" said an urgent voice from the other side. "The Order is out front!" "What!?" Hershey shouted, "I thought we paid them off?" "We did!" answered Ghost. "I don't know what's going on!" "Cuba, stay here!" said Hershey, as she ran into the main room. The music was off, and customers were apprehensive as sirens and lights blared outside. "Girls, get the customers out of here! The basement path will lead you five blocks down the street. Get the hell out of here while we fix this mess." Naked women and confused men slowly funneled towards a door behind the stage. Within minutes, the once bustling room was empty. Hershey slowly walked to the front, ducked down, and took a peek through the corner of the window. Outside were rows of flashing lights and police cars, labeled "N.p.O." Will Hershey and Cuba get out of this mess? What are the motives of the "N.p.O."? Find out in Part 2, coming tomorrow @ 8pm server!

Rey, might I introduce you to the term, Reverse Psychology...?

I believe Rush is talking about the importance of perception.

A hail to Doom-perilaism.

A lot of these seem are redundant and/or overlap, so gonna try and group some together: Alliance of the Year: IRON Most Powerful Alliance: IRON Best Diplomatic Team: IRON Best Alliance Growth: IRON Best Economic System: IRON Best Alliance Leader: The Warrior New leadership led a diplomatically-inept and compromised alliance into having one of the most secure positions in CN. Just think of what their reputation was at the beginning of this year. Was #1 on the Alliance Charts until recently. They've grown an impressive upper-tier that's probably as strong as Umbrella's right now (which should sound nuts if you were around for EQ). Scariest Alliance: DBDC Alliance Most Likely to Succeed in 2015: DBDC Most Immoral Alliance: DBDC Most Controversial Alliance: DBDC Player of the Year: TBRaiders Most Powerful Player: CubaQuerida Most Controversial Player: CubaQuerida Best Villain: CubaQuerida Fairly straight-forward here. DBDC's upper-tier dominance and political influence allow them to push the mechanical and political boundaries of the game. Cuba drops huge nukes. TBRaiders is the best diplomatic mind in the game hands down. Best Military: NPO Most Active Alliance: NPO Best Recruiting Staff: NPO ​Very impressive showing this war in both military and activity. Most Powerful Bloc: AZTEC ...the only politically relevant bloc in the game? Most Honorable Alliance: NpO I respect any alliance that goes down with a fight, and NpO's war-mode numbers speak for themselves. Best Propagandist: hartfw Best Poster: harfw http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/124928-the-wartime-comics-thread/ Best Treaty Announcement: IRON/DBDC "Burying the Hatchet Accords" Most influential and surprising political move of the year by far. Marked a huge change in IRON's diplomatic fortunes and was the start to DBDC's growing political influence in the game. Worst Alliance: SNX Worst Diplomatic Move: SNX Merger Funniest Event: SNX Merger Biggest Controversy: SNX/LoSS drama The SNX merger took a jumble of inactive alliances, merged them together under questionable leadership (Tywin), and expected to create a power-player in CN politics. Predictably, they painted a target on themselves and are on the wrong side of a beat-down. Most Missed Player (Player that has gone inactive/quit): Tito :(

By what metric is it not working? From what I see, DBDC has convinced a majority of CN not only that it belongs, but that it is a political entity worth treaties and respect. While I realize you and DBDC do not have a friendly history, it is depressing to see an alliance leader bury their head in the sand and ignore the new realities of the world we are in.