Turns of AXT042 Fourth Thread

[Flubber]

2241 to the gaians

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The foreman was sitting at a supervisors meeting when his aide slipped into the room and beckoned silently. The foreman excused himself as the aide led him to an adjoining briefing room. The head of the DIA was waiting for him and quickly handed over 2 sheets of paper. The foreman quickly began scanning the first, his brow furrowing. He flipped to the second page and sighed. he waved the paper and quietly asked "are you sure about this?"

The security chief met the foreman's gaze , " Certain"

"You were right to tell me immediately. I presume that these are our only viable options . . . In that case implement option HOMEGUARD. Tell no one of this news but contact Captain Steele of the Foreman's Loyal Fusileers and tell him to meet me tonight. He is the best person to advise on how to control this situation.

[Tenchusatsu]

Year 2241 to Stephen.
_______

The Planet's Enquirer.com, Gaia's Leading Tabloid Journal
Year 2241, Feature Story

GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR 'SECRET POLICE' REVEALED!!!

In an exclusive, TPE has heard from "trusted sources" that the Gaian federal government is authorizing the creation of a nationwide Secret Police force.

According to these sources, the Secret Police will use unconventional methods to force law and order upon the Gaian people. Word has it that the Cloning Vats have led to unprecedented population booms in every base of the Gaian nation. This had turned into a nightmare for law enforcement, who sees crime increasing exponentially as population and number of Gaian bases increase.

So instead of managing population control through conventional means, we have learned that some in the Gaian high command are advocating the creation of this new Secret Police force. They plan on using ultra-modern technologies like eugenics and covert psionic telepathy. These technologies are currently just beyond the reach of Gaia's scientists, but there are reports that covert research projects are nearing a breakthrough. These projects, among other things, will enable the discovery of tools necessary for this new gestapo.

No one in the Gaian Headquarters nor in the Covert Ops Center had any comment, but at least one Senator in Parliament has raised suspicions. Stay tuned as we keep you updated on the latest developments, only on The Planet's Enquirer!!!

Because enquiring mindworms want to know!

[Flubber]

2241 to Allen

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The foreman had spent a sleepless night after sending dispatches to all his trusted friends. his meeting with the captain of the Loyal Fusileers had given him some comfort but the captain was uncertain that he could control the situation. the foreman had finally managed to doze when the he was awakened with a start by the head of his intelligence agency.

The foreman rubbed his eyes "What of homeguard ??"

The intelligence officer sighed " It was a moderate success. the fusileers put on a show of force and nothing materialized in the home island. All bases and units seem to be under control. Your government is still in control of the bulk of the Drone homeland."

" MODERATE SUCCESS ??? THE BULK ??? What does that mean?"

" I am sorry to inform you that dissident elements have taken control of the bases and the forces stationed at Xi hero's Waypoint, Onward TO Gaia, Phi Sector and Xi Bunker. We believe that forces loyal to Colonel Xi initiated attacks against the gaians. The rank and file probably just followed orders from their officers without knowing anything about the lack of authorization. There are several other frontire bases with which we have been unable to make contact."

"Is there news from the front?"

"Only a message from Colonel Xi making exhorbinant claims of capturing two gaian bases. He claims that if you do not publicly endorse this attack, he has enough clout with the council to have you removed as the leader. If these attacks were as successful as he claims, he may very well have that support."

The foreman slumped back on his bed as he contemplated the resumption of war.

"What of the bases we control. What is their status??"

" We have ordered increased readiness for all troops and have begun to gather energy credits but we have not begun to call up more troops. The bulk of the empire continues to build peaceful infrastructure"

"Do we have any response from the gaians"

" Not yet but they will hardly be suprised. We had a cease-fire only. We were not pact brothers or even signatories to a peace treaty. heck in 4 more years the cease fire would have been over and we would have gone back to shooting at each other full scale."

" I fear that full scale shooting is exactly what will happen. By the actions of these few I may be forced to pursue a war that benefits neither side. . . . That is NOT ACCEPTABLE. I want options. Be back here in two hours with some viable options that lets me avoid a full scale war and does not allow the government to fall completely under the control of those that reject peace. I want OPTIONS damn it !!"

[Flubber]

The foreman looked up from his dispatches as the intelligence chief entered

" WELL ??"

" You are still not in total control. The homeland is secure for now BUT your control of the Council of Supervisors is tenuous if you intend to oppose the confront the dissidents directly. The gaians are demanding the return of those bases immediately"

The foreman stared at the wall charts " well that is what we should do but I am not seeing many loyal bases in the area"

"Unfortunately you are correct, in three years at best you may gain control of all your forces. There are those four bases that are in open revolt and about 5 more that appear to be supplying the dissidents while waiting to see how this plays out."

"So what are my options?"

The intelligence chief handed the foreman a memorandum and slumped onto a nearby chair as the foreman began to read.


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CLASSIFICATION : FOREMAN"S EYES ONLY

RE: OPTIONS TO DEAL WITH DISSIDENTS


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Put succinctly, your leadership has two immediate problems, one military(logistical) and one political. The dissidents controlo the bulk of the military forces on the frontier an it is estimated that it would take 3-5 years to gather the forces necessary to suppress this revolt, assuming the loyalty of current troops.

The political problem is even trickier. The dissidents are not oublicly announcing anything of their military gains at the moment. When their plans to unseat you failed they changed tactics and now hope to pressure you into supporting this resumption of hostilities. They are even willing to let you take credit for this stroke. if you denounce the attack and attempt to suppress and prosecute them, the political situation gets dicier. many moderates are not in favor of the attack but given its success will oppose any attempt to militarily suppress the dissidents.

OPTIONS

1. Publicly endorse the attack and war

This will result in full scale war. The gaians will have no trust whatsoever for your leadership and future peace may be impossible to maintain.

2. Publicly Denounce the Attack

The political result is impossible to predict. Xi is a popular commander with his troops, the politicians and the public. He has chosen well in making a highly successful surgical strike with minimal loss of life on either side. Our projections include a variety of scenarios that continue the conflict. Our estimate is 25% that you can maintain control of the government if you denounce the attack.

3. The border Skirmish option

In many cease fires there are artillery duels and the like with related fighting. It might have been possible to portray this as such but the magnitude of the gains make this difficult. Intelligence reports that the strike force captured TWO size fifteen bases of the gaians. It is difficult to dismiss this as a border skirmish.

4. Attempt to deceive the dissidents and then suppress them

This option is to praise the dissidents actions while moving secretly to suppress them. The chances of success are estimated at less than 10% since a large force would have to travel through many bases and there will surely be dissident spies.

5. Stall

At this moment dealing with the gaians diplomatically is difficult since you do not have the ability to impose any diplomatic solution you seek. This option involves "supporting" the dissidents while at the same time garnering council support for a later peaceful solution, including the return of the captured bases. There is a high likelihood that the gaians will not believe our intentions in any event


As can be seen there are really no superior options. Some lead to a full scale war, others likely lead to a full scale war with a pro-war Drone leadership that would never accept peace.

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"So I am completely boxed in ??"

" Not completely sir, but any talk of crushing the dissidents will likely result in your removal from office. Once they learn of this, many on the council will se Xi as a hero. You could find support for a peaceful withdrawal with Xi getting a medal for his masterstroke. Xi is a pragmatist. He now sees that you cannot be unseated by force and that you have sufficient support as long as you take a middle position. he will look for a way out of this that maintains his position and status. Here's what you do . . .

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A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD FROM FOREMAN FLUBBER

Tonight I speak on a grave subject. Today, Colonel Xi of the 14th air wing detected a threat in a border region between ourselves and the gaians. The colonel immediately and on his own initiative ordered a pre-emptive strike to neutralize this threat. These attacks were precise and surgical and attained their objectives with a minimal loss of life on either side.

WE salute our success but believe that, in the interests of peace that continued occupation of these gaian bases are not necessary. If the gaians agree, I have ordered a phased withdrawal. We will vacate the southernmost base in 3 years and the northernmost in 4.

To the gaians, I say this. . . . Today we stand upon a precipice. We have demonstrated Drone military power and now seek to withdraw in peace. If you attack us, or attempt to probe us, we will fight . The choice is yours.

[Tenchusatsu]

Well, this is my reward for pursuing peace and assuming you'd keep your word. How naive of me.

The game is pretty much in your hands now. With this act of betrayal, the balance of power may now be permanently tipped in your favor. I'll continue playing the game, but just for a few more turns. If you don't return those bases in three years, I will no longer waste any more time on this game.
_______

Public Statement from Lady Deirdre Skye
Mindworm Pass, Provisional Headquarters

As you may have seen on the holonews by now, the Drone military has broken the cease-fire prematurely and have now taken control of Song of Planet and Gaia's Landing. Worse yet, many of our other bases were attacked as well. They chose the perfect time to slip the knife into our back, and we have paid the price for foolishly trusting them.

Right now, I ask everyone to remain calm. I realize that mass disorder has broken out across our great nation, but please understand that panic will only make the situation worse. We need to be united for the coming years ahead.

I have asked Druid Tenchusatsu to do whatever is necessary to prevent further military incursions. However, I specifically asked him not to strike back. Unfortunately, he was not able to stop a couple of police squads from making ill-advised hasty attempts to retake our capital. We admire their courage and patriotism, but we cannot endanger any more lives needlessly. This is a time to regroup and rebuild. Any token attempt at retribution will only anger our aggressors even more.

The Foreman has contacted me and told me he will return Song of Planet and Gaia's Landing to us in due time. He also tells me of a military coop that he is trying to suppress. Whether or not we believe him is beside the point. The damage is done, and we must do whatever it takes to protect what remains of our Gaian nation.

Please bear with us in these very difficult, tragic times. As I have said before, we must focus on rebuilding and protecting what we still have at the moment. We must put aside our anger and our desire for revenge, for those emotions will only lead to recklessness and further loss of life. Let us unite in rebuilding and refortifying our great nation of Gaia once again. Thank you, and may Gaia bless us all!

[Flubber]

The foreman was meeting again with his intelligence chief

" well foreman, it appears that the dissidents will withdraw since there will bw no negative consequences at home for them other than the agreed reprimands. Early indications are the gaians are accepting of the timetable for withdrawal but a word of caution. . . the gaian leadership feels that you have betrayed a sacred trust. You must remain on guard"

" A SACRED TRUST ??!! We are the last two factions standing after decimating all the others and they expect trust ?? Up until 10 years ago we were sworn enemies and our cease-fire was due to expire in 4 years. I don't condone what our troops did but the gaians can hardly be suprised. The dissidents had less than 10 units at their disposal and 2 would have been sufficient to capture the two gaian bases."

"All the same the gaians are screaming "

" Ahh #$@^%$#$ If those darn dissidents had not succeeded we could have dismissed this all as a border skirmish. I am demonstrating the ultimate in good will by ordering a withdrawal when pushing on could decimate the gaian homeland. . . . I will heed your warning though. We will continue a posture of armed vigilence on all frontiers. "

" And foreman you will have to expect that the gaians will arm themselves after this incident. "

" As they have every right to do. As for us I want an AAA troop and an interceptor in every base on ther frontier. See that it is done. . . . and sweep for those dang probeships."

[Tenchusatsu]

Year 2242 to Stephen.
_______

Gaia's Tribune.com
Feature Editorial
G. Gordon Giddy, Author of "I'm Smart, You're Dumb, and Other Laws of the Universe"

ALL DRONES DESERVE TO DIE

I don't know about you, the reader, but I'm pissed. I'm pissed not only at the Drones who attacked our defenseless bases and raped our homeland, but also at the doves, those idiotic, tie-dyed, tree-huggin', and weed-smokin' hippies who ignored my cries for a stronger military.

Anyone who's watched my talk show knows exactly what I've been saying for the past ten years. We cannot simply toss away our guns and expect other nations to do the same. I've received criticism after criticism for what they called "radical, extremist" views. I've been called a "barbarian," a "warmonger," hawk, baboon, you name it. I've even received a death threat or two, supposedly from the same people who hypocritically preach non-violence.

Well guess what? The same four words that I've said countless times before come to mind: "I told you so." But that's beside the point.

Now we have Lady Deirdre "Pie in the" Skye stubbornly holding onto her pacifist views. She tells us not to retaliate, that somehow it's only a minority of the Drone nation that supported this blatant attack on us. By implication, she is saying that the majority of Drones are peace-loving and disapprove of this travesty.

To that I say one word: Bull. And here are three reasons why:

1) The Drones are still a Democracy.

By the propaganda coming from the Foreman's Headquarters, you'd think that the Drone government has switched to a fundamentalist military regime all-of-a-sudden, no? But that is not the case at all. They are still a Democracy, which by definition is a government "of the people, for the people, and by the people." Whatever the government is responsible for, the people are responsible for, because the government is the people, and the people are the government.

2) No Drone is ignorant of current events

We now live in an age where information is free-flowing and freely exchanged. It is obvious that each and every Drone citizen knows what just happened in Gaia, despite the Foreman's obvious attempts to play dumb. If they were somehow sheltered from the news or denied access to such information (if that's even possible), I could understand. But their economy and their societal values tell otherwise. Their economy remains a Free Market, which itself depends on a free-flow of information. And up until recently, their societal values revolved around Knowledge, which depends even more on the same free-flow than a Free Market.

3) The silence coming from the Drone population is deafening.

So now we can conclude that the Drones know exactly what is going on. But instead of feeling sorry for us, they go on with their business. That means they approve of the rape of our nation.

Now as a former law-enforcement officer, I know that if you are present with an acquaintance, and your acquaintance commits a crime, you are also guilty of that crime by association, even if you did not directly carry out the act yourself. I state the obvious: Each and every Drone citizen is guilty of this heinous crime against our Gaian nation by association.

So I call upon each and every red-blooded citizen and patriot of our Gaian nation and ask him or her to make life extremely difficult for the Drones. Bomb their Children's Creches, poison their waters, refuse to comply with anything a Drone wants you to do! The only good Drone is a dead Drone!!!
_______

Personal Log, Year 2242
Druid Tenchusatsu, First Advisor to Lady Deirdre

I remember a quote from old America. Their revered general and first President George Washington said, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."

However, we followed another slogan, one that is almost the inverse of what Washington advised. The slogan goes like this, "You cannot simultaneously prepare for both war and peace."

Now I know who was right.

I just had lunch with the Defense Minister in his quarters on Alpha Prime, home of the Command Nexus. Though I wondered if he even had the time to chit-chat considering our dire situation, he insisted on this meeting. And what he told me was shocking, something that, if true, would suggest that our offer for peace with the Drones was a fatal miscalculation.

He claims that we were on the verge of a major strike which would have tipped the odds of the war in our favor. But before he could give the order, Lady Deirdre called for peace, and he was forced to withdraw the attack. Although he was just as weary of war as I or the Lady was, many of his immediate subordinates were not. Some of them even said that his order to withdraw was the hardest order they have ever had to obey. They were obviously very eager to press the advantage that I did not know we had.

(For the purposes of security, I won't record the details of the planned strike. Suffice to say that there was nothing the Drones could have done to stop it.)

As for the here and now, I am overwhelmed with a sense of despair. As much as I'd like to kill each and every last citizen of the Free Drone empire, I must admit that we were not entirely without fault in this tragedy. Obviously we were naive to think that a cease-fire could hold up if they have a stronger military than we do. I think we even took our Citizen's Defense Force for granted. But more than that, I think we became blinded by our own greatness and arrogance. We should have known that the Drones were jealous of our progress. We should have known that they desired our medical technology so much, they would have killed for it. The occupation of our Cloning Vats and the stealing of our Human Genome Project prove this theory. And we should not have traded prudent defense for speed in research.

Now I am faced with the daunting task of rebuilding our broken nation. Right now we are at the mercy of the Drone military occupying our former capital. The Foreman claims that the attack was not carried out by his orders, that it was actually the result of a military coop. I don't know why he continues to stick to that story, since practically no one in our Gaian nation believes it. But what choice do we have?

He promised the return of those bases in three years, along with their projects, but I no longer trust his word. This time, we are building up a massive military to hold him to his word. Even if our military buildup is belated and hopeless, we will not go down without a fight.

Yet I know that Lady Deirdre ordered me not to retaliate, and I understand her position. Retaliation would get us nowhere. But this time, we will bring about peace through strength. Even if our efforts seem futile from a militaristic point-of-view, perhaps our sheer willpower will make up for it. I can only hope ...

[Flubber]

2243 to Allen

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The foreman reviewed the intelligence reports. He saw that the gaians were constructing 26 helicopters and 2 new probeships. he knew that all of those were offensive weapons with absolutely no defensive value. he told himself that their reaction was to be expected . He decided to continue to force the withdrawal of Drone troops but to recommence troop production himself across the lands of the Drones as a precautionary measure if the gaian buildup continued next turn.

[Tenchusatsu]

Year 2243 to Stephen.
_______

Transcript of Security Holocam Footage
Provisional Headquarters, Mindworm Pass
Conversation between Defense Minister and Head of Intelligence.

DM: I don't get it. The Druid is ordering a military buildup of massive proportions. None of the units we are constructing or training are defensive units. But the Lady has ordered him not to attack. What's the point of building all those units if we're not going to attack?
HoI: Well, for one thing, the Drones don't know that.
_______

Intelligence Report
Covert Ops Center, Fallow Time
The State of the Occupied Bases

We have overwhelming evidence that the citizens stuck in the occupied bases, Gaia's Landing and Song of Planet, are indeed being mistreated and oppressed like prisoners of war. Once thriving centers of a proud Gaian nation, the two cities have now been transformed into grey desolate wastelands.

Many of the domestic centers of commerce and recreation have been decimated by the invasions, and that has created widespread drone problems for the Drones, ironically speaking. They've had to resort to using Drone empaths to "drug" the populace into a psionic stupor. As a result, production and energy gathering is non-existent, research has shut down, and farms are left unworked. Food reserves are rapidly dwindling, and soon a severe famine will claim thousands of lives.

Meanwhile the bulk of the Drone occupiers (who aren't in the military or the team of empaths) are busy trying to operate the Cloning Vats. Combined with their societal value of Power, they appear to be cranking out clones of top elite soldiers. But not only that, they are also using the Vats to spit out more factory hands, farmers, stock market analysts, and other workers of menial positions. This has led to a population boom in the Drone bases, much like the booms we've experienced when the Vats were under our control.

In short, "rape" is definitely the most appropriate word to use for the occupation of Gaia's Landing and Song of Planet.

[Flubber]

Open message from Foreman Flubber


People of Planet

I stand before you bearing sad news. In recent years, Free Drone forces acted on their own initiative to attack our rivals, the Gaians. I was not a part of planning this attack but saluted the success of our forces.

Colonel Xi the architect of the attacks has been recalled home and has accepted that further aggression by the forces he controls is unwarranted. Loyal Free Drone forces have been moving into positions in all frontier bases to ensure that the governance of the central command structure is obeyed. We have promised that we will vacate the Gaian bases and we shall be good to our word. The southernmost base will be vacated on this year and the Gaians have indicated that they will re-occupy the base without any spy actions. The northernmost base will be vacated next year and returned to gaian control.

Unfortunately, dissident groups are unhappy wiyh our overtures of peace. In two frontier bases, radicals have exploded devices at the main energy terminus,causing the destruction of those bases. Conversely, misguided pacifists at 4Drilling Grounds have purported to join the Gaians. WE have advised the gaians not to interefere as we will deal with this as an internal Drone matter and police units will shortly restore control.


We have come through a difficult time but note that the gaians are permitting our forces to withdraw as agreed. We hope this is the beginning of a new era of understanding and good will. However, we also note that the gaians are undertaking an unprecedented arms buildup. We understand their renewed caution but will state that the massing of large numbers of offensive weapons is provacative and can lead to misunderstandings. We hope they will see fit to focus their military might on weapons of defense.

[Tenchusatsu]

I'll play the turn later today, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to advance the storyline ...
_______

Transcript of Secure Holovid Conference Call
Newly Constructed Gaian Headquarters, Mindworm Pass
Conversation between Druid Tenchusatsu and an Intelligence Agent somewhere within Drone territory
Security Level: TOP SECRET

(Image of the agent is on the screen. He is hunched over his portable spy camera. Surrounding him is crimson xenofungus, obviously providing cover for this clandestine conversation.)

DT: Say that again? You said they want to de-fect? (The word comes out of his mouth like it was in a foreign language) As in change sides? Join us? Renounce Drone citizenship and call themselves Gaians?
IA: (in a whisper) That's exactly what I meant. The rebel leaders tell me that they have just taken control of the base.
DT: (a mix of extreme nervousness and elatedness crossing his face) Rebel leaders? What rebels? Why wasn't our intelligence network aware of them in the first place?
IA: We knew that the Drones had widespread problems trying to control dissidents in most of their bases outside of their home island. It makes sense that some of those dissidents could organize and become a formidable rebel force. And it's not surprising that they escaped our infiltration networks. If we were able to detect them, so would the Drone authorities.
DT: Hmmm ...

(Brief pause, but too long for the comfort of the Intelligence Agent.)

IA: Uh, sir, I can't remain here for long. I need your orders on how to proceed soon.
DT: OK, for now hold off on their offer to defect. As much as I'd like to count them as our new friends, recognizing their defection may have grave consequences for us all. I'll call an emergency meeting of the senior advisors and discuss the situation with them. Understand.
IA: Yes, sir.
DT: Good. I should have an answer for the rebel leaders by the time of your next call. Druid Tenchusatsu out.

[Flubber]

At a town hall meeting at 4Drilling Ground

" . . . mayor Quimby, did I just hear you right?? I thought you said that you had unilaterally declared OUR town has joined the Gaians. Are you mad ??!!

Mayor: " Well . . . er . . . I thought it was best. . . . you see . . . Planet spoke to me last night and told me to protect the plants and the animals and the fungus and everything. I also passed some bylaws banning industrial development, eating meats or using animal products for any purpose. In addition I decided to spend our entire budget on a "pretty flowers" festival. . . ."

The deputy mayor seized the podium " I had no part of this I swear to you and I managed to get a message out to the Drone forces. A police unit should be here shortly to take control. We plan to hospitalize the mayor, cancell the festival and appropriate funds to necessary public works as per the budget"



The crowd left the hall murmuring oaths at the mayor, who, oblivious to his surroundings, was continuing to speak eloquently on the beauty of nature.
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Back at Central command


" Foreman, we have news that there was no real uprising at 4Drilling Ground. Apparently their mayor is mentally unbalanced and declared the town as sovereign gaian territory. We have the mayor headed to hospital and the deputy mayor has revoked the decree"

" So the town is now back under control"

" Not quite foreman. The town sheriff is obeying the last order given by the mayor and has not permitted the Gaian flag to come down. He says he will only leave his post when relieved by another police unit. A unit should be dropping into town any minute now and the gaian flag will come down"

[Tenchusatsu]

Year 2244 to Stephen.
_______

Transcript of Security Holocam Footage
New Gaian Headquarters, Mindworm Pass
Emergency Meeting of Senior Advisors

Foreign Relations Minister: This is a bad idea. Recognizing their cessation from the Drone union will be a futile gesture! And the Drones will only become enraged at the token proclamation!
Lindley Ling, Head of the Mindworm Trainers: We just can't turn our backs on them! They are oppressed people crying out for our help! We can't just let the Drones walk all over them! At least make a public statement!
Defense Minister: Lindley, I hope you realize we have no way of sending reinforcements to the rebels at 4Drilling Grounds. They are too far away for even our finest elite needlejets.
Colin Cooley, Head of Gaian Intelligence: (muttering) Yeah, great job our "finest" did in defending our homeland ...
DM: Hey! We sure didn't get any warning of attack from your crack agents, I mean, agents on CRACK!
Druid Tenchusatsu: (right as Colin rises in anger) That's enough! We all share the blame for not defending our homeland, and now hundreds of thousands of our people are suffering because of our arrogance. The last thing we need is to destroy what little unity we have left with juvenile blame games.

(Colin opens his mouth, as if to say something, but the Druid sends Colin a cold, stern gaze. Colin stares back briefly, then sits back down and bows his head slightly, knowing well what the Druid just silently ordered him to do.)

Druid: Very well. I've heard enough arguments for one night. Mr. Defense Minister, is there any way we can arm the locals? Any way whatsoever?
DM: The rebel leader tells me that all of their Formers have been recalled into their base. They were able to add some Plasma Steel Armor to one group of Formers, and they were also able to use our tools, techniques, and training methods of our Citizen's Defense Force.
Druid: I see ... And the bad news, now that you've already run out of good news?
DM: Well, none of our AAA defensive weaponry is compatible with the Drone Former machines. And we know that the Drones are sending at least one task force of their new Shard Choppers to retake the base. Yes, the only thing the rag-tag band of rebels can do against the Choppers is fire desperately into the air with handheld shredder pistols.
Druid: >SIGH< Well, I guess that's it, huh?
DM: I'm afraid so.

(A sullen silence fills the air of the conference room. Every person there knows they are sending their new friends to certain doom.)

Druid: (as if able to read minds, despite having no psionic ability) Well, we're not going to let them die in vain. I'll make an announcement tomorrow morning, saying we officially recognize the rebels' request to join our nation. I'll also proclaim that we will do everything in our power to defend each and every Gaian citizen, including our new rebel friends.
FRM: Sir, I understand the PR motives for making such a statement, but do you think it will carry any weight, especially if we can't even arm them against one simple Drone task force?
Druid: There are many other dissidents within the Drone empire. Maybe if we turn the rebels at 4Drilling Grounds into martyrs, they'll be inspired to follow in the rebels' footsteps and take up arms against their oppressors in other bases. It's a longshot, but I think we should take it.

[Flubber]

2245 to allen

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In the news tonight

A watchman with a nightstick dropped into 4Drilling Ground and quelled the so-called "Rebellion of the Demented Mayor". No Free Drone citizens were hurt although there are reports of some looters destroying some formers and crawlers during the brief period of unrest. Reports indicate that the citizenry were amused by gaian portrayals of them as an oppressed people.

Sea levels continue to drop across Planet as the Free Drones continue their long term strategy of utilization of the oceans. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the gaians are constructing additional spyships and sources indicate that it is felt that these methods will deny the gaians access to many Free Drone cities.

In the capital, the foreman reconvened the council of supervisors, ending a brief period of martial law necessary to deal with a number of outside threats. The foreman was quoted as saying that " our society is a democracy and barring extreme emergency it should always remain a democracy."

On the frontier tonight there are disturbing reports that the gaians appear to escalating the arms race to new and disturbing levels. Twenty gaian factories continue to rush to build the latest in gaian helicopters. The ministry of defence has issued a statement indicating that there is no cause for alarm and they are prepared to deal with the threat posed by the gaians. At home there are reports of new stronger anti-air defenses, increased interceptors, trained locusts and an increase in helicopter production . Analysts are refusing to speculate as to whether this is a sign of renewed hostilities or merely a show of force designed to dissuade attacks from the other side.


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At Air wing command

"Base we have spotted a gaian probeship, Request permission to engage . . ."

"Eagle one. . . request denied. Mark the coordinates and return to base. I repeat DO NOT ENGAGE."

[Tenchusatsu]

I'll finish the turn later
_______

Personal Log, Year 2245
Druid Tenchusatsu, First Advisor to Lady Deirdre Skye

Well, the rebel uprising at 4Drilling Grounds has been put to a quick end, and the Drones didn't even have to break a sweat. It's amazing how efficient their propaganda machine is and how well they keep their own people in the dark. You'd think that a Democracy would object to military generals violating the chain of command or prevent the threat of a coup d'etat, but all of their citizens continue to voice support for militarism and barbarianism. Just look at the intelligence reports of Song of Planet, where all of the captured citizens are starving and forced to work as Engineers for their captors. Yet not a single peep of this is seen on the Drone news media. I guess the Drones are just as much of a Democracy as the "People's Democratic Republic of North Korea" was back on Earth.

The only difference is that the Drones have real military might to back up their oppressive regime. Might makes right, I suppose.

Meanwhile, Gaia's Landing is now back in our control. Luckily we did not lose any more citizens than were already lost in the initial attack, and we are struggling to rebuild our Tree Farms before famine strikes. But for now, Gaia's Landing is no longer our capital; as of tomorrow, I will officially declare Mindworm Pass as our new capital. Not that this will come as any surprise to anyone on Planet.

Finally, I've ordered the restart of our research efforts, as well as the relocation of our Universal Translator project in Lucky Autumn. It warms my heart to see that our research capabilities remain strong, despite the rape of Gaia's Landing, and despite the loss of many tidal generators as a result of the Drones' impressive Solar Shade. In fact, some of our researchers report that when they turned on their computers, they found their previously incompleted work to have completed itself! That would explain why the research reports say that the next breakthrough will be in 0 years. Could it be that our computers and Net Nodes are somehow becoming alive and sentient?