It only takes one...

[Silhouette]

* Classified* (ooc: sort of. A missile launch can't be that easily hidden after all )

The small team of scientists looked on with bated breath as the countdown hit zero. In the silo a few hundred metres away, the first missile stage ignited, sending a low orbit ballistic missile on it's short journey. In the skies above, several satellites were tracking the exhaust heat, and advanced computer systems were coordinating with units on the ground. In a matter of seconds, the first stage was spent, and the real test began. As the missile reached low orbit, the heat signature was lost, and the satelites had to track it visually for a short amount of time.

Five minutes later, the dud RV started it's hypersonic descent back to earth. By the time it reached the half way point, it was being tracked both by satellites in the sky, and by RADAR on the ground. Three interceptor missiles had already been launched. They were equiped with complicated proximity fuses, which, hopefully, would shred the RV, even at those high speeds.

The first interceptor reached it four kilometres up, but detonated too late, and created a fuzzy cloud behind the RV. The second was also unsuccessful, it's motor burning out before reaching the inbound projectile. The third, however, worked exactly like the scientists had promised, so long ago. It detonated at the exact moment, the cloud of shrapnel obliterating the RV, leaving nothing but dust in this case, but, in the event of a real nuclear attack, hopefully nothing but a useless lump of nuclear material, falling into the ocean.

Anybody standing in the control room would have been deafened. The team were ecstatic. After years of hard work, they had finally done it. New Cymru would finally have it's own nuclear defence system, although it would take some time to implement.

OOC: Bought an SDI today.

[Teriethien]

Something flared on the radar of one of the French frigates in transit to the East Asian war zone. Officers of the ship hugged around the monitor, wondering what the little blip that suddenly appeared and then got swallowed up by the nothingness of space means. With the sensitive, modern equipments at their disposable intelligent estimates could be made about the nature of the detected object.

"It's a sheep!"

"No no it's a bird!"

"Wait it must be..."

OOC: congratulations!

[king of cochin]

STRATEGIC COMMAND CENTER

BISHKEK

"Sir, we have valid launch from sector 37143SE, " the watch controller informed his officer.

"What are the parameters?"

"Sir, it seems to be a low orbit SRBM. Tactical."

"Display the feed into the main display, " the Colonel ordered.

"Yes Sir. We have re entry now. We have faint blooms indicating further launches. Is there any war there, Sir?"

"No. At least not yet. God knows which part of the globe will be in flames tomorrow."

"Sir, we have a thermal event. The warhead exploded before attaining terminal altitude."

"Hmm. So Cymru have mastered Missile defense. Send a notification to RCDF Central Command."

OOC: Congratulations.

[JEDCJT]

OOC: Congrats on getting a SDI!

[Subtleknifewielder]

***Classified***

The launch itself was not detected immediately, despite them being neighbors, but the very fact that they were neighbors ensureed Promised Land did detect it long before it reached space. Warily, they monitered the situation, but they had heard nothing from New Cymru, and so did not yet intervene.

And it was just as well. Their friends apparently were performing a test of some sort, and the incident was duly noted and logged, and promptly forgotten once more.

OOC: Indeed, congrats!

Edited July 7, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder