The Chiron Chronicle 6: 2182

[Natan]

quote: Originally posted by DarkCloud on 04-16-2001 09:06 PM OOC: Perhaps LMP can explain better- I think I have explained it as best I can. If you give 60% to tech you get 6 points with one plan The other plan- I forgot how it works, sorry oh well...

Could you walk me through how a player might use this system? Or, to be more specific, how many techs of what level do I get for a tech point? Do I really get six tech points at 60% tech every month?

and, so as not to make this post completely devoid of in character writing:

From: Chairman Shen-ji Yang of the Hive
To: The council

I would like to make my services available to the council as a mediator, in the hopes of bringing the devestating Spartan-Peacekeeper war to an end. I feel that do to my contacts in both factions I am well suited for the task, and the senseless war must come to an end.

[Sprayber]

Sensor Equipment House, somewhere near Commander's Keep:

General Kessel awoke with a major headache from the previous nights action. As the commander of the Military District of Inner Sparta, he was Santiago's point man with the governors of each base. Until ten days ago he had been the third most powerful person in the Spartan Federation. He had managed to side step the purge of the Junta. After all he had been at Santiago's side for nearly ten years. Now he was on the run. Apparently when Santiago wanted the whole Junta gone she did mean ALL. Last night some of Kell's death squads had searched the supply barracks at Ironholm just as Kessel and his squad of loyalists had finished setting up a secure comm channel. The resulting firefight had ended in the death of Kell's squad and three of Kessel's men. "What the hell was happening to Sparta? Great, now I'm talking to myself" Kessel got up to go search for some food in the mess room down the hall. After the action last night they had to find a new place to hold up. Somehow he had to find a new location. Somewhere that had a secure comm. channel. As much as he detested Von Helzburg, he was the only one that was in the same situation he was. Or at least he hoped Helzburg wasn't in with Santiago. Kessel needed an army. And the only army in Sparta that wasn't loyal to Santiago was Von Helzburg's.

Sparta Command:

General Kell was in a relatively good mood. After all Santiago depended upon him to run the government now. Without the Junta she had no one else to turn to for support. Kell had leaped at the opportunity presented to him by Santiago when he first arrived at Sparta Command. He was still wary about her timing though. In the middle of a war was not the time to go around changing things if they worked. But as long as she depended on him, Kell would not ask questions. Besides he had despised the Junta anyway. Kessel,Von Helzburg, Maltz and the rest of them had consistently blocked his ambitions since the last Hive war. True he was the only one to be granted an army all his own without full membership in the Junta. But the others had raised objections to that as well. Santiago in her wisdom had done it anyway. Now of course there was still the war with those cowardly Peacekeepers and their allies. And then there was General Von Helzburg with his army intact. The plan was to have one of his Kell's contacts inside the southern army to kill Von Helzburg when the appropriate time came. This did not happen however. So instead of a dead Helzburg, there was an army in the south that was not under his control. But he was not worried at the moment. He still had his blockade guardians at Janissary Rock. The Combine Army at Data Acquisition under Commander Weiss was somewhat of an unknown. But he knew Weiss to be a patriot. He would follow orders from Santiago. If worse came to worse, he would be ordered to destroy the base to avoid the allies from taking it back. That would mean losing the Combine Army but that didn't matter. What mattered was getting control of the Southern Army intact if possible. Kell had toyed with the idea of suggesting to Santiago to seek an end to the war. A smile spread across his face. Maybe offer up Von Helzburg and Weiss as bargaining chips. But he had decided only to hint at it instead of an outright suggestion. One could never tell about Santiago these days. The only thing that annoyed him in a significant way was Kessel. He had gotten away yet again. He was the only one that presented a meaningful threat to Santiago's power. The governors knew and even respected him. That was not good for Santiago, therefore not good for him. Kell made a mental note to double those searching for Kessel. He would enjoy killing him. Hopefully he would have the chance to do it personally. Now it was time to issue orders to those who would take them. Oopps, he ment relay Santiago's orders.

[OOC: Santiago does not know that Helzburg had been warned by the Governor Wilcox of War Outpost]

From: Colonel Santiago
To: Governor Wilcox of War Outpost

The Southern Army under General Von Helzburg is to be treated as a rebel army. You are to resist their attempt to enter the base. We do not have any reinforcements to offer you. If however, you have proof that General Von Helzburg is not in command and is indeed a prisoner. You have permission to take custody of him and make arrangements for his transport to Sparta Command.

From: Colonel Santiago
To: Commander Weiss

Commander, you are to resist any and all attempts by the allied powers to retake Data Acquisition. As a show of defiance you are to rename the base Ruby Ridge Memorial. No surrender Commander. No one gets out of Ruby Ridge Memorial alive. As a show of confidence that we have in you, I am promoting you to the rank of General. Do Not Become The First General In Spartan History To Surrender!!

From General Weiss
To: Colonel Santiago

Thank you Colonel for your confidence in my abilities, and I assure you that we will never surrender in the face of cowards like the Peacekeepers.
[This message has been edited by Sprayber (edited April 20, 2001).]

[Guardian]

U.N. Headquarters

Commissioner Pravin Lal studied Yang's message to the Council... So, the good chairman wanted to make peace between Spartans and Peacekeepers... Hmmmm... Interesting...
"the senseless war must come to an end", Yang had said.
Lal nodded. He could not disagree with that.
But... how do we explain this to the Spartans?
And... how can we make peace with the Spartans if we don't believe a word they say??


Aerial recon flight, near the pre-war border, north-west of U.N. Haven City

What the hell??!
Captain Cilia Anderson tried to take in what her sensors were telling her and found that she could only boggle at the concept... It seemed... 4 regiments of the Spartan main army were approaching the defense line, while the rest of the army appeared to be heading back up north towards War Outpost...

What's wrong with this picture??

The Spartans must be in more trouble than any of us realized...


Defense line, west of U.N. Haven City

Commander Cooke shook his head slowly as if trying to clear it... He had always thought the Spartans had to be kind of nutty, but never in his wildest dreams would he have suspected this...
The reserve forces originally under his command still had the surviving Frontal units with them. Together, they had pretty much turned into the U.N. main army... All in all, they had 14 regiments of rovers and 7 artillery units. They'd been sitting here for months now awaiting an attack by the Spartan main army which had not yet materialized... Their initial losses had mostly been replaced by now, so they were at near 100% strength... -And now the Spartans were coming their way with 4 regiments...

Looked like it might be time for a second Operation Fury...


U.N. Enforcement Base

Kyla Johnson was ready. And she had been for a couple of hours already. But... there were still a few more minutes remaining... Once again, she walked around the rover... her rover... then she got on board and started flipping switches on the weapons console...
Now a corporal, she had finished gunnery training at the top of her class just under a month ago. Her unit had been set up with the new Assault Rovers and now they were ready to roll out! Kyla had been assigned to the lead rover of the 1st Platoon, commanded by sergeant Gonzales. They had finished the complete systems check the day before so she knew the rover was ready for action. As the no. 1 gunner, Kyla was responsible for targeting systems and weapons. She had checked them all several times already and she knew they were good to go. But... for lack of anything better to do, she went through parts of it again...
Donning her helmet, she activated TADS, the Target Acquisition and Designation System and smiled as the system came online.
Come on, baby, light my fire...
When wearing this helmet, Kyla saw the world through the "eyes" of the rover, which were a series of sensors mounted on the turret and hull... Motion sensors, infrared cameras, range finders, zoom lenses... she had it all. She could see in the dark, she could detect hidden objects that were hot, cold or just happened to move half an inch at the wrong time, and she could zoom in to get "up close and personal" with distant targets. In the center of her vision were the targeting "crosshairs", indicating the point at which she was "aiming" at the moment. The targeting computer knew where she was looking and would handle the rest. All Kyla had to do was turn her head to place the crosshairs over her target and pull the trigger. Outside the rover, the missile launcher and gatling machine guns came alive, swinging from side to side and then zeroing in on a tree growing at the edge of the base...
"Be glad you're a tree", Kyla whispered... "If you'd been a Spartan, you would have been toast!"

Half an hour later, she was standing on top of the rover waving the blue and white flag to the cheering crowds as the new units paraded through the streets before leaving for the front. These were her people. These were her ideals, her hopes and dreams and her promises... this was what she was willing to fight for, possibly die for... To make a better world... And although she might have all hell ahead of her, Kyla Johnson was having the time of her life.

[This message has been edited by Guardian (edited April 18, 2001).]

[Guardian]

Defense line, west of U.N. Haven City

They were moving out!
14 rover units, supported by 7 artillery regiments, were in motion to catch the four Spartan units in a gigantic pincer movement. If they succeeded, the Spartans would be completely surrounded, blasted by the artillery and then attacked from all sides at once.
Not one of them would escape.


U.N. News Network
Special broadcast, on Spartan frequencies...

*Broadcast begins with the flag flying high and proud, etc... only, this time it is the Spartan flag... the camera zooms out and the picture expands to show that the flag is flown by a Spartan rover, flanked by other Spartan rovers... A fanfare is playing in the background as the rovers keep charging across the desert at top speed... then, suddenly, clouds start piling up in the sky above, it gets dark and the music turns into a funeral march... thunder and lightning split the darkness and the wind covers the camera lens with sand... darkness fills the screen for a while as the funeral march keeps playing, then, slowly, a new picture fades in... the Spartan flag is now a torn rag, covered in blood and dirt, lying on the ground being stepped on by Peacekeeping soldiers as they go marching by... they don't seem to even notice it... The camera follows the soldiers as they move away and disappear behind a wreck... then the camera zooms in on the flag again, or what's left of it, as it lies there abandoned and disgraced... the wind is slowly covering it with sand... the music slowly fades...*

*New scene: U.N. Data Acquisition... Spartan sentries keeping vigilant watch in all directions, waiting to be attacked by an enemy who can afford to let them wait...*

Voice: Spartan soldiers! Congratulations! You have won!
But... wait a minutes... this isn't right... Where's your big reward and ticket home? Where is the power and glory that you've all dreamed of??
Look around yourselves... and tell us, what do you see other than death and despair?

Is this your survival?
Is this your strength and courage?
Is this your power and glory?? And your honor?!?

Do you indeed have any of these things??

Think about it...

What are you fighting for ?

*New scenes: burnt and twisted bodies in the wreckages of U.N. SeaQuest... prisoners being used as human shields during the attack on the defense lines... hundreds of civillians gassed at Data Acquisition...*

Voice: There is no honor in any of this...

And indeed, the world sees you as murderers, not soldiers.

That's right: we think you're just a bunch criminals

We do not think you have what it takes to face us and win.
We do not think you have what it takes to survive.

In other words, we believe you have failed utterly and completely and that there's nothing left for you to fight for.

Pray you are better men than you appear...


Now... as a "greeting" to those of you who are currently trapped inside the base you now call Ruby Ridge Memorial... we're going to play a song for you... I don't know if any of you are old enough to remember Def Leppard, but here is a song of theirs called Paper Sun...

*New scene: As the song starts playing in the background, the screen is filled with more pictures of Spartan sentries on guard duty... How did the Peacekeepers get all these pictures from Data Acquisition? Why, probe teams, probably... anyway, some of the sentries appear kind of troubled...*

Does it hurt to remember
Does it help to forget
Do you know what you started...


*New scenes: TONS of mindworms slithering through the wilderness on the way somewhere... Peacekeeping Forces getting ready for an attack... aircraft taking off from some base somewhere... ships coming across the sea with equipment and supplies, including the picture of the missile that said "If you can read this, you're a lucky Spartan"... then more pictures from the devastated U.N. SeaQuest, and more gassed civillians at Data Acquisition...*

Do you still hear them screaming
And does the fear make you run
Is the anger inside of you
A gift from father to son

I don't believe in you
(You've come undone)
I don't believe in what you do
(This can't go on)...


*New scenes: Rover wrecks and bodies strewn across the desert... the wind is slowly covering them with sand... the picture of the Spartan flag lying in the dirt shows up again... *

There's not a reason why
There's nothing left to justify
There's nothing left inside

'Cause you're livin' on a paper sun
Blind to all the damage done
Livin' on a paper sun
Waiting for the time to turn
Livin' on a paper sun
You can't hide and you can't run
All your dreams have come undone
Livin' on a paper sun


(discontinuety)

[Sprayber]

Sparta Command:

General Kell was anxious when he walked into Saniago's office. What could be so important that she could not wait until the morning. "Sit down General Kell." Santiago motioned at a seat in front of her desk. "We have received an interesting proposal from Yang today." This got Kell's attention. "Has he agreed to resume the war against the Alliance?" "Not quite. He offers his assistance in ending the war between us and the Peacekeepers by peaceful means." Kell let out a laugh before Santiago could finish. "Is there something amusing General?" "Well, it's just the thought of Yang playing the peacemaker." When he sees that Santiago is not laughing, Kell straightens up a bit and clears his throat. "Sorry, Ma'am" "What do think of the offer General?" "Well, to be honest how can we refuse?" I believe that General Weiss is in a hopeless position at Data Acquisition, ah Ruby Ridge. I believe that he is loyal to you and will prove to be a valuable ally. One worth saving, if at all possible. And there is always the possibility that we could use him if the Peacekeepers demand some kind of concession." Santiago nods and simply says "I see". "And what about our situation with the Southern Army?" Kell looked uncomfortable as he began to speak "Helzburg could turn out to be a long term problem. My contacts that were supposed to eliminate him have not reported in, so it is reasonable to assume that they are dead." Kell paused for a second time before he continued. "We should try and lure Helzburg to Sparta Command. We might be able to use the peace as an excuse to get him up here. Maybe we could offer him to the Peacekeepers as an offering." "From your words General I am getting the impression that you are not convinced that we can win this war." Here was the moment that he had dreaded. "I am just looking at the facts that are presented to me. The main bulk of our army is under the command of General Helzburg. We have another force in Data, ah Ruby Ridge, that is behind enemy lines. Hope is not lost, but things might be better if we could concentrate on internal matter for the time being. We can always continue where we left off." Santiago studied a painting on the far wall depicting the first landers planting the Spartan banner in a field of fungas. "Perhaps you are right. I will contact Chairman Yang and get a clarification on his plan. Then we can proceed from there." Kell smiles at Santiago's compliment. "One more issue before you go General." "Yes ma'am" "What is the status of General Kessel?" The smile on Kell's face disappeared at the mention of Kessel's name. "I have doubled the amount of men looking for him. We will have him within the week." "Do I have to remind you of how dangerous he is? If he and Helzburg get together or if by some miracle Kessel is allowed to contact the outside world, he would present a serious threat to Sparta's security. Not to mention your health. Am I clear?" "Yes ma'am" "Good. Dismissed General."

From: Colonel Santiago
To: Chairman Yang

I am intrigued by your offer of mediation of an agreement that would bring peace to our continent. Before I could commit to any deal, I would like to hear more of what you have in mind. Also, we all are aware of the unjustified hatred the Peacekeepers hold for the Spartan people. I would need assurances that Lal can keep up his end of any agreement And I also would like assurances from you that you will follow through as well.

Blast Rifle Crag:

Commander Tran was furious that all his calls to Sparta Command had been ignored. Not even the pleading of Governor Pontas could get a response. This never would never have happened if General Kessel was still in power. Santiago must have written the base off as disloyal and would merely allow the unknown besiegers to take the base and do her dirty work. But he would not give her the satisfaction. He and the rest of his garrison will die before that happens. The irony was not lost on him as he went on with his inspection of the bases defenses. If something did not happen with the next week he feared that all would be lost.

Ruby Ridge Memorial:

General Weiss was not a happy man. It seemed like forever ago that he had taken Data Acquisition in what at the time was the triumph of his career. Now he was stuck in this bloody hell hole. And the great Santiago in her infinite wisdom had renamed the base. He suppressed the urge to laugh at the irony. He had joked with Helzburg that he wouldn't die in Data Acquisition. Now that it was Ruby Ridge Memorial, he was guaranteed to keep his promise. Santiago had promoted him to General. "Don't be the first Spartan general to surrender she said. Don't let anyone out alive she said." Weiss was beginning to wonder if Santiago was crazy or the rest of her officers were for following her. And these damn Peacekeepers keep blasting outdated music at them. Some of the veterans didn't mind. They said that they had heard worse while fighting in the Monsoon Jungle. Weiss's unit had never entered the The jungle. He was in this one and his glory had rapidly turned into a nightmare. "Lieutenant, put snipers on the walls. When a PK sticks his head where he can be seen, shoot it off." Let them show that on PK news.

Somewhere between Commanders Keep and Blast Rifle Grag:

The past few days had been pure hell. General Kessel and his band of loyalist had managed to steel a personal rover and avoid detection by Kell's death squad. But the going was slow and hard on the body. Kessel's men numbered only 20 now. But they all knew that if they could get to the Drone border than maybe they could cause trouble for Santiago. Kessel had wanted to go directly to the border, but Janissary Rock was a Santiago stronghold. Maybe if he could get into Blast Rifle Grag, he could take advantage of his friendship with Governor Pontas. Whatever the outcome, one thing was certain. Santiago would pay. And pay dearly.
[This message has been edited by Sprayber (edited April 19, 2001).]

[Natan]

From: Chairman Shen-ji Yang of the Hive
To: Colonel Santiago of the Spartans

**Encrypted**

Here is my offer: I will help to negotiate a peace favorable to you, in exchange for Doctrine: Air power. Afterwards, I would like to discuss the improvement of diplomatic relations between our factions. Quite frankly, Lal and his "Chiron Alliance" frighten me, and I would like to counterbalance them.

At Planetneck:

It was the usual bright twilight on planet caused by the second sun as the rovers moved across. A contingent of Yang security troops passed along with the convoy. From a small bush, a voice called out "Halt!" The peacekeepers came out from cover, guns trained on the security force. "We'll take it from here," they're leader shouted with confidence. The security troops turned over the unmarked rovers as planned, then went back to barracks to catch some sleep, and a berating from their commander for failure to spot the peacekeepers earlier. In a different situation, the mistake could have been their last.

[DarkCloud]

OOC:

Where is Argonaut?
Shouldnt SMAC be back by now?

You get
6 tech if your % is 60%
5 tech if your % is 50%
4 tech if your % to tech is 40%

a game-month: 40 days
But In real life 1 day= 7 or so game days (I think. It is hard to remember back when I originally made the rules.)

[Natan]

quote: Originally posted by DarkCloud on 04-18-2001 07:45 PM OOC: Where is Argonaut? Shouldnt SMAC be back by now? You get 6 tech if your % is 60% 5 tech if your % is 50% 4 tech if your % to tech is 40% a game-month: 40 days But In real life 1 day= 7 or so game days (I think. It is hard to remember back when I originally made the rules.)

So if my tech level was 50% then I could get a level five tech every six days? Or what else do I do with tech points? How do I trade them in for tech?

[Guardian]

[OOC: Ummm... shouldn't the above be sorted out in the discussion thread? This here is the story... ]

Planetneck

Commander Grafton wasn't sure what to think... His men had just escorted the convoy with the rovers out of the area, and by now they should be well underway to Humanity Base, where the rovers would be literally picked apart and inspected by PK technicians before anybody would try to use them. They still weren't sure about the Hive...


U.N. Data Acquisition
(The Peacekeepers do not recognize the new Spartan name...)

John Murdock slowly started moving again, crawling on his belly to stay out of sight... He'd been lying still for nearly half an hour after one of his buddies had stuck his head out a little too far and gotten himself killed by a Spartan sniper... Well, he thought to himself, at least we got their attention with that special broadcast... The next phase will be harder...


Elsewhere...

The ground was alive with mindworms as they kept slithering along, moving slowly but steadily... Some would soon be at their destinations, while others still had quite some distance to go. But... as they drew closer to their target, they would have roads to move on...


...and further south...

Kyla removed her helmet, stretched out and stiffled a yawn. It was time for a break. Maybe she should try to get some sleep while there was still time. Probably a good idea... Outside, it was a beautiful day with clear skies and the twin suns shining down upon the rovers as they sped north...


U.N. Headquarters

Commisioner Lal was talking to General Braddock on the Holo-Com...
The subject was chairman Yang's offer to serve as a mediator to help negotiate peace with the Spartans...

Braddock: I don't know what it is Yang is up to, but I do not trust him very much further than I could throw the Unity core...
Lal (nodding slightly): I know what you mean... (short pause) Nevertheless, we are Peacekeepers. We cannot reject such an offer. We have to at least hear what they have to offer...
Braddock (nodding his agreement): Granted. But I'm not so sure it will go much further than that...
Lal: That depends...
Braddock (nodding again): ...on what their idea of "peace" is...

Lal nods slowly and is momentarily lost in thought...


From: Commissioner Pravin Lal of the Peacekeepers
To: Chairman Sheng-ji Yang of the Hive

Chairman, we are ready to enter negotiations and will cooperate in any way we can to bring this unfortunate war to and end. How do you propose to handle this?

[Sprayber]

From: General Von Helzburg
To: Commander Hale

*encrypted*

Commander, you are to send the two XMsl Rover group from Sparta Command into the main thrust of the PK line. This is a probing action designed to find any weaknesses in the defensive line. If this message arrives as new information comes in you are to react accordingly. The Use of nerve gas is not authorized. Repeat. Use of nerve gas is not authorized. You are to back off to a safe distance to watch the outcome of the engagement. Do not allow any dissent in the ranks Commander. There are eyes watching.

Near PK defensive line:

Captain Drake could not believe his eyes has he read the text only message coming in from Commander Hale. What does he mean sending my men into the PK defensive line with only another unit of rovers. And not authorized to use nerve gas. The Commander sure as hell didn't have any problem with it in previous engagements. Drake knew, just like every other Spartan solider, that one day he would be called on to do something that would most likely mean his death. But never did he think that his superiors would tie his hands like they had done this day. As those thoughts crossed his mind Sergeant Knop, announced that Commander Hale and the two other rover units were pulling out to the Northwest. Another text message scrolled across Drake's screen. GOOD LUCK....... IT HAS BEEN A GOOD TOUR...... COMM. HALE

[OOC: Sorry for the confusion, Guardian. Hale doesn't see any PK's in the area. General Heltzburg just wants those two rover groups from Sparta Command gone. He does not trust their loyality to him. Probably for good reason. Instead of just having them killed by himself, he sends them off to be destroyed. As for Hale. Watch the outcome of the engagements were Helzburg's words. If I were Hale and had a suspicion that those two units were being sacrifaced I would try and get as far away from the area as possible. I'm not overly concerned about them though. If the story fits then don't worry about getting them. Just a thought. Maybe since Hale is a high ranking officer, maybe the PK's would like to capture him. Maybe this could be a way for the PK's to learn about the troubles in Sparta.]
[This message has been edited by Sprayber (edited April 19, 2001).]

[Guardian]

[OOC: Ummm... if commander Hale is to "back off to a safe distance to watch the outcome of the engagement" then he must have (or have access to) deep radar or some sensor array, right? Well, the Peacekeepers are flanking him (or trying to...) right now, so if he has long range sensors and they aren't all switched off, he should smell a rat any time now...]


North of the defense line

"Sir, sensors report that the Spartans are splitting up, sir! One group seems to be heading back up north!"
Commander Cooke frowned... If the Spartans had detected them, it would make sense for them to split up, but one group heading north?? What the hell...??!? Have the Spartans really lost their heads or are they trying to mess with ours?? Well, there was no time to ponder that now... he would assume that the surprise was down the drain and that the Spartans somehow knew he was coming even if their reaction made little sense to him at the time... "Let's watch them for a while and see what they do next", he ordered. "But get the artillery ready to fire, and let's see if we can arrange for some air to join this little party too! Maybe some of them will escape, but we'll give the rest of them a reception they won't forget any time soon." He allowed himself a thin smile as they kept speeding north...

[Natan]

From: Chairman Shen-ji Yang of the Hive
To: Colonel Santiago of the Spartans and Commisioner Pravin Lal of the Peacekeepers

I call upon both of you to effect an immediate cease fire, and to send me your starting positions for negotiations, including maps, to me via comm-link. Afterwards, we will discuss exact terms for peace. But the madness must stop, and now!

OOC: I really do need a good map of the territory under discussion, and Guardian, there are no problems with those rovers. Or at least, if there are, Yang didn't put them there.

[DarkCloud]

OOC:
You would get 5 tech points at 50% tech research to use to buy tech which cost as follows:

TECHLEVEL- COST
Level 1- 3 tech points
Level 2- 6 tech points
Level 3- 9 tech points
Level 4- 12 tech points
Level 5- 15 tech points
Level 6- 17 tech points
Level 7- 20 tech points

etc.

Plus at least one of the prequistices; hopefully two- except in the case of the Alien Conversation Techs as there are no aliens; but we can still use the techs and benefits.

[Guardian]

U.N. Headquarters

Commissioner Lal was not a happy man.
The reason was obvious to anyone who knew him, and to most who did not...


From: Commissioner Pravin Lal of the Peacekeepers
To: Chairman Yang of the Hive and Colonel Santiago of the Spartans

Chairman, I thank you for trying to bring this unfortunate conflict to an end. However, the Spartans are notorious for their "dirty" schemes, and we just plain do not believe that they are serious about these negotiations. From our point of view, it looks like they are merely trying to get us to lower our guard, which would only prove their point about our people being "naive and foolish"... I realize that I do not sound like myself in saying this, but alas, we have learned a thing or two from previous encounters with the Spartans. Consequently, I regret to inform you that a case fire will not be possible at this time. If the Spartans are sincere about wanting peace, they shall have to prove it to us first, because we are not going to take their word for it.

Colonel Santiago, I know you think I'm a weak minded fool with a short memory and an enormous capacity for self-delusion, but I still remember our first war... When you and your junta first decided to make war on our people, you made a public statement where you told your people that this war was necessary "to help our fellow humans in peril". You then proceeded to murder several thousand of the people you claimed to be "helping"... you also sent a personal message to me in which you stated that our people would never be at peace until you were drinking wine from my skull...
And when our people were out of your reach, you turned on Yang. For no reason whatsoever, other than "wanting blood". Yang and his people had done nothing to offend you in any way, but you just went ahead and slaughtered them by the thousands...
More recently, your people have deliberately caused a nuclear disaster at U.N. SeaQuest, which has caused tremendous damage and loss of life. Again, this was done for no reason, as these people had done nothing to threaten you. And the same goes for many of the people at Data Acquisition, whom you massacred with nerve gas.

Do you really think we're going to just forget about all of these things and call a cease fire simply because you ask us to? Sorry, but that's not going to happen. You Spartans have no honor, you have no integrity, and we simply have no reason whatsoever to believe that peace with you is even remotely possible under the present circumstances. This, of course, is most unfortunate and deeply regrettable, but that is how matters stand at the moment and you have nobody to blame for it but yourselves.

Change all this and we may have something to talk about.

Commissioner Pravin Lal


U.N. Humanity Base

Technicians were hard at work inspecting the newly arrived unmarked rovers. So far, they hadn't found anything wrong anywhere. As a matter of fact, the rovers appeared to be quite well made. One by one, the rovers were cleared and lined up "ready for use"...


North of the defense line

The pincer was closing! The two Spartan regiments who were still going south would have no chance whatsoever. The other two were running like crazy back up north and they just might get lucky... Commander Cooke's eyes burned as he stared at the computerized situation map on his screen. In another hour or so, those southbound Spartans would have the full attention of seven Peacekeeping artillery regiments, and that was just the beginning...


U.N. Haven City

The noise was deafening. A seemingly endless line of jets were taxiing onto the runways and taking off with thunderous roars. The U.N. Air Force was launching the largest air strike in human history on this planet. Their target: Those two Spartan regiments who were running back up north...


Somewhere south of Data Acquisition

Sergeant "Speedy" Gonzales was doing another one of his rounds, keeping himself informed, as he used to put it. As usual, he was pleased with what he found. Everything seemed to be working well here. Good. They'd need it all when it was time to go in there mixing it up with the Spartans...
 
He noticed that corporal Johnson was taking a nap again, and as he was passing, he couldn't help but stop and look at her for a few moments...  She just looked so peaceful and... cute... lying there curled up in her cramped sleeping quarters, breathing softly... "What are you doing here, Kyla?", he thought in a moment of un-military reflection. She really shouldn't be out here on a rover heading for the front... she should be living out her dreams somewhere nice and peaceful... to build... to create... something, anything but this! Yet, here she was, on a mission to crush, kill and destroy... and she would do it, and she would do it well... she wouldn't hesitate... and she wouldn't have it any other way... well, she would, but not under the present circumstances... Why? That was simple: Because she thinks that if we don't stand up to defend this world, the Spartans will destroy it.

It might be kind of un-military for a sergeant to be thinking that way, but he really wanted her to make it. No, he corrected himself, it's not un-military at all... not for a Peacekeeper... that is the difference between us and them... We love each other. We love everyone by default...

That is how we can hate the Spartans and not hate ourselves for it...

The rovers were still traveling north at full speed.
Pretty soon now... Kyla would be needing all her gunnery skills...

[Natan]

From: Chairman Shen-ji Yang of the Hive
To: Commissioner Pravin Lal of the peacekeepers

You have made a terrible and wicked decision. Your statement is what your young people might describe as a "cop-out." If you want peace, than stop the violence while keeping your forces on high alert. If necessary, a neutral peacekeeping force made up of forces from various neutral factions can be sent to patrol a DMZ while negotiations go on.