CNN Issue 15

Chironian News Network Issue 15

Monopole Magnets Revolutionize Transport
By GeneralTacticus

The face of the UN changed forever with the development of new Monopole Magnets, as the vast UN former army set about building up a vast network of new ‘magtubes’, which allow for extremely high speed transit along them, even faster than by air (though oddly enough, it would appear that aircraft cannot be transported on them; one of life’s great mysteries…). In any event, with the entirety of the UN mainland now linked up to this network, one can now travel from one end of the faction to the other in record time – a development which was greeted especially by Directors and senior government officials, as it allows them to attend cabinet meetings in person with a minimum of inconvenience.

Great Strides Taken in Nanotechnology
By GeneralTacticus

Building upon data files recovered from an Alien Artefact some years ago, our faction has made great progress in the field of Nanotechnology, the field of science dealing with very small devices used for various purposes. Beginning with the discovery of ancient alien computer containing information that brought us hovertanks and a huge reduction in the size of many devices, we have now progressed to the application of Nanorobotics on an industrial scale, allowing for the construction of Robotic Assembly Plants to fill in for TKG’s frustrated plans to build Genejack Factories throughout Aurillion Province. They have now been installed throughout the 4 main bases of Centralis, along with one in DEM and several almost online across the rest of Aurillion. The presence of the Assembly Plant in DEM had the side-effect of provoking a massive fungal bloom, described below.

Increased Production in Deus Ex Machina Induces Massive Fungal Bloom
By GeneralTacticus

Looking back at the situation in DEM a short while ago, it would seem that the old saying that every cloud has a silver lining also applies in reverse; the construction of a Robotic Assembly Plant in Deus Ex Machina, and the pollution this created, caused a huge fungal bloom outside the base. It was reported that no less than 11 separate mindworm boils emerged from xenofields after this, along with a swarm of Locusts of Chiron and an Isle of the Deep offshore. News of this resulted in a scramble by the UN Psi Brigade and private hunting firms to get to DEM in time to fight, and in the event the vast mindworm boil was annihilated. Matters then devolved into a race to secure the most planetpearls, with the total fortune up for grabs at 440 ECs. The only fly in the ointment was the abject failure of an attempt to eliminate the Locust Swarm, which destroyed the Empath Choppers sent to deal with it.

Foreign News Remains Poor
By GeneralTacticus

In a continuation of the trend which saw our relations with the outside world diminish, Lady Deirdre of the Gaians recently declared war on the UN, citing our Free Market economy as her reason for doing so. Although no hostilities have been reported as yet, and a recent poll indicated support for peace, the resultant halting of commerce between us caused some economic damage.

Great Victories Scored Against Hive
By GeneralTacticus

In contrast to the news from the Foreign Affairs Directorate, our military has been doing very well recently. In what has been described by those who took part (and those who witnessed it) as a ‘turkey shoot’, the squadrons of Fusion Choppers stationed in UN Slippery Ground destroyed approximately two thirds of the Hive air force on the ground, along with a number of other Hive military units, and shot down several more enemy jets at various other areas. They have also been effective in destroying Yang’s attempts to attack our formers and bases (although not before some damage was done).

Theory of Everything Formulated by Concordian Scientists
By GeneralTacticus

There was jubilation throughout the scientific community recently when scientists working with the Concordian Supercollider announced that they had devised a Theory of Everything, designed to explain all the forces of the natural universe. This discovery has greatly accelerated scientific research, and has made Concordia far and away the greatest research centre on Planet.

Massive Land-raising Project Completed in Aurillion Province
By GeneralTacticus

In what is the first recorded instance of such a large project being undertaken, engineers in the employ of Governor TKG of Aurillion recently raised a substantial proportion of the planet’s surface hundreds of meters, in many cases creating new land out of the sea, with the expressed intention of creating new land for boreholes and forestry. Due to a bureaucratic oversight, however, this also resulted in the beaching of trawler in the area being raised, much to the irritation of the Akirian government.

Interview with DPO
By GeneralTacticus & MWIA

Our respected Director of Peacekeeping Operations, MrWhereItsAt, was kind enough to recently grant an interview to the CNN on some issues of military policy. Below is a transcript of the interviews (edited for clarity; for the unedited log, please see the editor privately).

(GeneralTacticus> What sort of strategy do you plan to have our military implement?

(MrWhereItsAt> Well, this war is something we Peacekeepers have not seen since the final, bloody days on Earth, and few of our population have ever experienced a real war! (cont)

*LONG PAUSE*

* GeneralTacticus slaps MrWhereItsAt around a bit with a large trout

(MrWhereItsAt> The - hey that hurt! Is that what reporters are supposed to do now? Because we could always do with more volunteers for the chemical testing division... just kidding, really.

(GeneralTacticus> I believe it's called 'neurological encouragement.'

(MrWhereItsAt> As I was saying, we can't take this threat lightly. Yang has built up a sizeable force, and even with our superior weaponry, we can't just blaze on in and hope to win right away.
(MrWhereItsAt> What I propose to do is to use our substantial air superiority to destroy and damage as many of the defenses in targets as possible.
(MrWhereItsAt> I hope to draw their Needlejet battallion out and engage them. Once these jets are out of the way we will have a much easier task of it.
(MrWhereItsAt> Rather simply, we are going to go with massive aerial bombardment before a ground invasion to seize key target. Stick to what's worked in the past, eh?

(GeneralTacticus> Okay, this leads me on to another quesiton:
(GeneralTacticus> What is your position on the targetting of what could be classified as civilian targets (formers, colony pods, terraforming, facilities, etc)?

(MrWhereItsAt> To answer that question, we have to assess the value in destroying what may soon be essential to help the latest UN members recover their standards of living.

(GeneralTacticus> And on what criteria will you base this decision?

(MrWhereItsAt> Since we expect few difficulties in the actual invasion, it shouldn't be necessary to attack any of the infrastructure built up, as when we have freed the Hive citizens we will need to build on the meagre resources they have right now anyway.
(MrWhereItsAt> In some cases, it may be desired to disable a particular mineral production site in order to prevent rushed reinforcements and the loss of further lives, but this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

(GeneralTacticus> So, basically, unless it's of immediate military importance, we ignore it?
(GeneralTacticus> How does this apply to CPs and formers?

(MrWhereItsAt> Well as for CPs and Formers, we have to determine our objectives in the conflict - we don't want to attempt to destroy the Hive if it can be helped. Rather we wish to convince them of the importance of signing a Treaty and joining the UN. This will require that we eliminate some of their capacity for military and offensive strength, namely by taking some bases into UN protection.
(MrWhereItsAt> It would be a logistics nightmare if we were aiming to oust Yang completely - rather we wish to damage his ability to warmonger, and protect the UN members. All else is peripheral. Once the threat is neutralised, we can return to other objectives.

(GeneralTacticus> Okay: "What would you like the composition of our forces to be?"

(MrWhereItsAt> The composition of our forces is an important issue if we are to successfully end this conflict within an absolute minimum timeframe. Already present are Choppers, which have the unique advantage of being able to engage multiple targets in different zones within a short time frame.
(MrWhereItsAt> These are being reinforced, and it is these Choppers armed with Fusion or better technology that will provide the bombardment phase of the war,
(MrWhereItsAt> Air cover will be provided by Interceptors in the staging base, UN Slippery Ground, and we need to look at bringing these jets in.
(MrWhereItsAt> Finally, since we can't rely on Air Power to take and hold Hive bases, we must have the ground troops in place. These are being trained in various regions as we speak, and these defensive infantry troops will be shipped over en masse to act as defenders of the taken bases against any Hive counterattack.
(MrWhereItsAt> The whole reason for a military built against the Hive is that they present an immediate threat to UN members. Their Needlejets can reach some of our outlying bases, and with better technology, more and more of our citizens will be endangered.

(GeneralTacticus> Okay, final question: Do you believe that we should employ military force against the Gaians, Beleivers, and Spartans in order to end the war with them, once the Hive is dealt with?

(MrWhereItsAt> The Gaians, Believers and Spartans all declared war following the Hive's example expecting the large might of the Hive to win through. They are not privvy to the same information we are due to our status as Planetary Governor, and if they were, they would see that we have quicly met the threat of the Hive with our own military.
(MrWhereItsAt> It is much my belief and the beliefs of my Generals and Peacekeeping Experts that none of these Factions will attempt to mount a strong campaign against Peacekeeper territory or civilians. Since we do not fight except in direct relation to an immediate threat, there is no reason to seek armed conflict with these factions at the present time.
(MrWhereItsAt> However, if Deirdre, Miriam and Santiago do not realise their tenuous position once the conflict with Yang has begun and return to peaceful development of their own, there will be advance warning Cruisers and Crawlers located in the sea approaches to our continent, thus allowing us to repel any invasion, or prepare for a stronger retaliation. I remind the reporter that it is Government policy and plain common sense not to attack in self-defence unless immediately threatened. We have learned the lessons of the past from Earth, and I assure you there shall be no more such mistakes again.

(GeneralTacticus> Okay, I believe that's it then. Thank you for your time.

(MrWhereItsAt> Glad to help you keep your readers abreast of developments.

Second Energy Market Crash
By GeneralTacticus

In a repeat of events that occurred a few decades ago, the UN Energy Market recently crashed for a second time, effectively wiping out more than 5000 Energy Credits from the UN treasury and greatly disappointing our distinguished DIA Cedayon, who had hoped to use it greatly speed up our production rates. It would appear, however, that this is of little long-term significance, given that the UN economy is rebounding very quickly.

UN Economic Growth Rate Passes 10% Per Annum
By GeneralTacticus

In an announcement that provoked celebrations in many quarters on the UN, the Directorate of Internal Affairs reported that the UN economy had grown at an average rate of over 10% per year for the last five years. The sector in which the most expansion was concentrated was the satellite industry, which expanded enormously to fill the demand for Orbital Power Transmitters. The vast flow of solar energy this released was what largely drove the expansion, and the massive outflow of capital from Morgan Industries that resulted became such a drain on their economy that Morgan was forced to suspend the Free Market which has been the central principle of Morganic ideology since Planetfall. What impact this will have on his political future remains to be seen.

Environmental Engineering Incorporated Announces Completion of Solarian Energy Park
By GeneralTacticus

A spokesman for the partly state-owned Environmental Engineering Corporation announced yesterday that their five-year contract with the Internal Affairs Directorate to build an energy park in northern Solaris was now complete, after a massive transferral of formers to the area via magtubes. When the crawlers arrive to begin sending the energy into our bases (it is expected that New Apolyton and Concordia will be the main users of this), it is highly likely that the energy park will become the single most economically important region in the UN.

Announcement