The Phalanx Editorial Office

[Googlie]

Hmm - I wonder if instead of divulging that we are on the Crater, and have a coastal base, we just referred to them by our internal code?

Thus: Now playing at the SC3 Holotheatre 8 and Now playing at the GH Holotheatre 14, etc

[Zeiter]

Right, right. Good idea. Article edited.

[Zeiter]

Here's another article for issue #5.

BTW, I've been bashing Yang quite a bit with my newspaper articles. Tell me if you think it's too much. You see though, he's such an easy target! Contacting him was a godsend as far as giving me creative potential for stories.


Making a Difference: How You Can Volunteer and Help Your Community


Volunteering is one of the noblest and most rewarding things you can do, surprisingly enough. Every community needs some volunteer help. Whatever your skills are, there’s always something you can do. Just look at Major Jamski. Here you seem him teaching some neighborhood teenagers the “Jamski Chokehold Maneuver”.

[insert Jamski chokehold pic here]

Maybe you’re not so much the physical combat type. Perhaps your expertise is in the field of electronics. There are still plenty of things you can do to help your community. You could teach the neighborhood kids how to disable a Hive security interlock. Or, you could do like these men are doing, and instruct the kids on how to plant plastic explosives on a Hive terraforming unit.

[insert drill sergeant pic here]

If you really can’t think of any activity to volunteer for, you could at least hold a community seminar for the elementary students on how to use a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. As a Spartan citizen, you should have at least basic knowledge of most militia-grade weapons. Of course, volunteer efforts in non-military fields are also welcome. For instance, baking cookies for the community youngsters is a great way to volunteer. And remember, it never hurts to add a little subtle anti-Hive propaganda into your volunteer efforts, as the delicious blue icing on these cookies demonstrates.

[insert cookie pic here]

Whether your specialty is chokeholds, explosives, or freedom cookies, there’s a volunteer activity for you! Good luck!


(Here's the drill sergeant pic

[Zeiter]

And here's the cookie pic:

[Kassiopeia]

Tell me if you think it's too much.

Nothing will be too much

[Googlie]

How about this:

Breaking News

Situation Report

M.Y. XXXX C E N S O R E D, Rolling Thunder Brigade commanded by Lieutenant Rynn

We crested the ridge just east of [deleted] and there to our east was what appeared to be a Unity Seed Pod. I led the way in the Command Rover, and designated the 3rd platoon of 1st Company to move ahead and dismantle the pod.

This was accomplished without much difficulty, and a [deleted] was uncovered. While the crew was relaxing we were surprised to be hailed from the [deleted], and were astonished to find that they were fellow survivors of the UNS Unity.

After some initial parleying and bickering to and fro, we succeeded in patching in Lt Colonel Maniac who conducted negotiations with the [deleted] representative, who claimed to have likewise founded a faction and was nation-building on this alien planet.

We discovered that we had some technologies that they lacked, specifically [deleted] and that they had some that we lacked, Lt. Col. Maniac being especially interested in [deleted]. We also discussed the exchange of commlinks of other surviving factions that we, respectively, had met. The conclusion of discussions was eminently satisfactory for both parties.

We have now received revised orders which we are putting into effect.

Lt. Rynn, acting CO, Rolling Thunder Brigade

[Zeiter]

Hmmm, giving them a little hint of our contact with Zak? Interesting...what will they think of it? Will they become jealous at our good fortune and accused us of being greedy with the commlinks, or will they be more eager to contact us and trade with us now that they know that we have access to Zak's tech? Very clever story there. There's still a hint of doubt concerning who it could be. For all the Gaians know, it could be the Morganites or Data Angels, and for all the Morganites and Data Angels know, it could be the Gaians. Or, it could be Lal (although if we've met Lal, it's implied that we've gotten the commlink to Zak, and vice versa). Yes, very clever indeed.

[Googlie]

and here's another:


Mission accomplished!!

We finally got that sodding forest planted and were able to move on downriver towards the small lake.

It was hard work for all the crew – some 367 of us. We were in 2 shifts, working 9 hours on and 9 off, and slept in the crew compartments in the vehicles themselves. It took us almost 4 years (Chiron years, that is) to prepare the land, plant the saplings, then work with the foresters in setting up the management and maintenance protocols. We finally got Major Googlie’s OK to move on and now we are to become farmers!!

Babs took a cool pic of me in one of the Tomcat-1 formers:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (insert tomcat-1 pic here)<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Heard last week that we’ve been re-organized by Major Googlie into an official Division, ranking right up there with the 1st Army and 2nd Armored Divisions. We’re the 1st Battalion, Sparta Engineering Corps. That means that there will be some promotion opportunities for all of us early crew – especially us noncoms. And we have a great logo and cool-sounding moniker, too:

Proudly We Serve

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(insert Engineering logo here)<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Rumour has it that after we’ve finished this farm we’re off to build some interconnecting roads between our bases, to help speed the movement of our mechanized divisions. They keep getting bogged down in this almost impermeable fungus to say nothing of this jungle.

Ah, well. All in a day’s work for the Tomcat team.

Anon

[Zeiter]

They keep getting bogged down in this almost impermeable fungus to say nothing of this jungle.

Hehehehe, that's a good one!

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Zeiter
There's still a hint of doubt concerning who it could be. For all the Gaians know, it could be the Morganites or Data Angels, and for all the Morganites and Data Angels know, it could be the Gaians. Or, it could be Lal (although if we've met Lal, it's implied that we've gotten the commlink to Zak, and vice versa).

Of course, if any of the other 3 have met Zak already, they'll know that it's him we've met (as his commlink won't appear on their list of techs to trade to us). Likewise if they've met Lal, they'll know that we haven't (his commlink will appear)

- and the "jungle" is all relative. To the Tomcat crew, that nut goodie must have seemed like a jungle - did you see how big it was? (if a tile is 480 kilometers square, then that plant is 200 kilometers tall !!!!!)

[Zeiter]

But I doubt they've met Zak yet. Although we could check, couldn't we? Next turn, using the simulator?

Yeah, a crew would definitely think of some of our terrain as jungle. Not only the nutrient bonus, but also those huge swathes of rainy tiles, both the yet-to-be colonized Messenian plains up north, and the land in between SC1 and SC2.

[Googlie]

Just checked from our presend - none of the other 3 have yet met Zak

[Zeiter]

Woohoo! And as long as they or Zak don't pop a trannie, get doc:flex, or pop a commlink pod, they won't be contacting each other anytime soon.

[Googlie]

Well, Zak must have popped a trannie (it's a 1-1-2 slow that he has, with his scout in it). If Buster had started him with a Transport Foil it'd be a 1-1-3.

(Which substantiates my theory that he's on that continent to our east, and popped a shoreline pod with that scout, so hopped in the trannie and crossed the divide)

[Googlie]

And don't forget our Phalanx footer: