The Chiron Chronicle 7: 2183

[Guardian]

[OOC: Okay, maybe I'd better slow down a little bit here, it's starting to look like I'm trying to take over the whole thread! However, as you may have noticed, I've been mostly into character building lately and not so much faction action, so I don't think I'm getting any unfair advantages... ]


U.N. Missile Foil Crusader, south of Planetneck

The Crusader was quietly moving north through the night, alone. The remaining ships in the task force were holding their stations further south. On land, the final shipment of rovers were being moved across the Planetneck under cover of the darkness, wary Hive soldiers from Yang's security forces escorting the convoy until they met the Peacekeepers who had been sent to receive them. Tensions were a little lower this time, but still very real. Here were two groups of people who could not afford to make any serious mistakes. Luckily, there weren't any. The goods were handed over and they all turned around and went back the way they had come, leaving a barren no mans land between them as before.

In the early hours of the next morning, a single ship appeared on the horizon south of the Hive troops guarding their side of the Planetneck. Once again, blinking lights delivered a message before the ship turned away and disappeared back out to sea...

GREETINGS TO HIVE SOLDIERS FROM SCABBY FOREIGN SEA DOGS... JUST THOUGHT WE'D COME BY AND SAY HELLO... NICE PLACE YOU'VE FOUND YOURSELVES, BUT IT'S PRETTY BORING TO JUST SIT HERE, ISN'T IT? ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND HAVE A NICE DAY... OH, AND BY THE WAY... WE'RE STILL PEACEKEEPERS...

Once again, as the ship turned and sped away, the recipients were left to ponder the meaning of this nonsense...


U.N. Missile Foil Defender, near Fossile Field Ridge

The U.N. task force was leaving the combined allied fleet and heading south to meet up with the troop transport. As he turned to take a final look at the fleet, Evans notice that the Data Angel ships were leaving as well, heading back to pick up their ground troops and bring them home. Issuing a string of orders, he brought the Defender up alongside the Data Angel flagship, with about a quarter of a mile between them. Once they were in position, the signalman flashed over a short message...

IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU ANGELS?

U.N. Headquarters

Aaron was just waking up, his last dream still fresh in his memory.
He had been with his sister again, for the first time in almost a full year...
It had all seemed so real... her sweet scent... that trusting, friendly look in her eyes... the familiar soothing tone of her voice as she spoke quietly about her inmost feelings... the soft warmth of her body as she hugged him...
He really needed to see her...


U.N. Data Acquisition

Kyla had already been up for a while.
She woke up an hour before dawn, feeling refreshed and ready for just about anything.

As the first sun rose, she was standing on top of her rover, facing the Spartans without showing the slightest hint of fear or uncertainty. She was dressed up in her parade ground uniform with no protection or battle gear, her true form easily identified now that she wore nothing big and bulky on top of it: a tall and relatively slender female with a little extra muscle, wearing her uniform as if she'd been born in it. Her hair was the only thing about her that didn't look 120% military. It was about shoulder length - well above regulation. Normally, she would have tied it up in her neck, but today it was flowing freely in the wind under her blue beret. She stood at ease with her feet a little over a foot apart. Her arms were folded across her chest and her expression was a study in defiance that might have made Santiago proud if the soldier wearing it had been a Spartan. She was not. It was almost as if every inch of her was saying, "I'm a Peacekeeper and I'm proud of it, and I'm not afraid of you bastards!"

Then, almost as an afterthought, a thin smile started spreading across her smooth face...
"I know something you don't."

[Argonaut]

Data Angel Task Force

"Captain, we have received a transmission from the U.N. Flagship sir. They want to know if there is anything they can do for us," reported the young lieutenant.

The Captain mused over this. The U.N. were certainly being increasingly friendly towards the Data Angels these days. He had scene U.N. news bulletins commending Data Angel support of the U.N. Apparently, despite recent tensions with the Pirates, the Data Angels still had one good friend in the East.

Transmit the following reply:

Just keep kicking Spartan butts if they get out of line. Let us know if you need anything. Hope to meet again soon, under better conditions.

Once it was confirmed that the message was recieved, the Data Angels began to pick up speed as they headed into open waters and began to make their way towards the rendezvous. Data Angel sailors made their way out towards the deck as the two smaller fleets pulled away, waving to their U.N. counterparts on the other ships.

Some Pirates saw the goodbyes too and joined in the celebration. It looked as if the war was really drawing to a close and their long wait on the seas together was over. People we're finally going home.

Outside U.N. Data Aquisition

He just had to find her. All around, his fellow Data Angels had begun prepping systems and organizing supplies. Rations and ammunition we're being distributed among the U.N. units who were remaining to keep up the vigil over the base. Amidst all the convusion, Rover pilot Michael Blaxall tried desperately to find the blond woman who had approached him the other day.

He hadn't known who she was, he still didn't, but she had come up to him and kissed him right on the spot, before continuing on her run. She had been back quite a bit lately, and was popular with all the Data Angel soldiers, both men and women. He hadn't gotten up the guts to talk to her yet, so he didn't even know her name or where to find her. But with the rovers moving out any time now, his window of opportunity was rapidly closing.

He had to find her, just to talk to her...He had too...

[Guardian]

Outside U.N. Data Acquisition

The newest unit of the U.N. Special Forces, the 8th Assault Rovers, had arrived along with two "regular" rover units and were getting ready to take over where the Data Angels were leaving. There was a flurry of activity in that area.

Nearby, Commander Grafton was paying the 6th Assault Rovers a little surprise visit.
As the commander came up to the front line, he noticed a young female soldier standing tall and proud on top of one of the rovers. She was in her parade ground uniform, defiantly facing the Spartans without the slightest trace of uncertainty. The commander stopped and stared at her for a moment, then turned to face the lieutenant in charge of this platoon. "Who is that?" The lieutenant's face broke out in an interesting smile as he gestured towards the girl on the rover. "That's corporal Johnson, sir. A gunner. Definitely a little nutty, but she's one of the best people we have."

"Hmmm..."
Intrigued, the commander just stood there watching her for a while.
And as he did, he got an idea...

[Natan]

Sparta Command

The Hive commander was starting to sweat as he sat enclosed in his computerized battle simulator. This was the first of three simulated military exercises against his Spartan counterparts. He had to hold a vital bridge over a river against a Spartan force of mechanized infantry and Battle Dragons. The terrain was mostly rolling, but the river valley was quite flat. He had set up a strong defense, taking the guns off about his rovers and emplacing them in defensive positions nearby and overlooking the bridge, and then using the hulls as armored personal carriers for long range infantry patrols which were scouting the area for Spartans. He also had a few infantry observation posts set up in the hills. But the Spartan commander had an even better plan. He had sent what seemed to be about 40% of his force right down the right bank of the river. The Hive commander's patrols and OPs had detected the movement of some units which appeared to be guarding his flanks, and a few more scouts, but even so, this left about 30% of the enemy force unaccounted for.
The Hive commander was thrown off, because he had to react to such a large force, but heknew that it could not be the real assault force because it was too small. If he fired his emplaced guns, then the Spartans' air forces would come down on his defensive positions. If he moved out some of his rover reserves from his position, and skirmished with the Spartans. Then he retreated the rover force, then opened fire with some of his anti-tank weapons near the bridge as the Spartans advanced. His own (simulated) rover force had taken a beating, but the Spartan one had suffered some losses and was now retreating, leaving the burning hulks of their lost battle dragons behind. Then, just as the commander was starting to relax, something new popped up on his screen. A simulated Spartan battle dragon group in the hilly ground on the right bank of the river had just blasted away one of his patrols in the hills. The destruction of the Hive force had been almost instantaeneous. The Hive commander had no idea how the force had arrived, since his forces still held the brige accross the river. The Spartan force kept moving, and the Hive commander detailed his other patrols to intercept them. They managed to make a dent in the force, but not to destory it or divert it from its mission. Nor was the heavy mortar barrage that the commander ordered down on the Spartans. One thing these patrols did give him though was a picture of where the force was heading - the bridge. It was approaching the bridge from the side. The Hive commander moved his rover force out to the threatened side, and ordered his recon forces on the other bank of the river to regroup and preemptively smash the Spartan main force which was licking its wounds some distance away. He ordered the remaining forces on the right side of the bank to do the same. Unfortunately, the ran into Spartan opposition and only the force on the left bank was able to participate in the attack.
The Hive forces closed in for the attack. At just that moment, the Spartan reconaissance force on the other hill was able to observe the Hive attack force, and warned the Spartan main force in the river valley, which was able to spread out and brace itself for the attack. Still, the assault was devestating. Missiles and rockets pounded the battle dragons, and a mortar barrage struck as well. The force suffered 40% attrition, and was eliminated as a fighting force by the roaming Hive APCs and their anti-rover rockets in the valley. At the same time, the Spartan force on the right bank of the river came charging accross the valley towards the bridge. The Hive rover force rushed towards them for the final climactic battle, and then . . . the Spartan air forces came roaring in over the now un-guarded right bank of the river and bombed the Hive rover task force into oblivion, then retreated back across the right bank of the river. The Spartan battle dragons were mopping up the remaining Hive defences when the Hive reconaissance force managed to race down the river valley, turn past the bridge, and offer some resistance. They were faster than the heavily armored battle dragons, and therefore better able to offer some resistance. Their infantry forces dismounted and tried to lie low with their rocket launchers, while the APC's fired off all of their guided anti-rover missiles as fast as they could before fire from the Spartan force brought them down. Failure, pure failure. The Spartan forces moved up, and their commander smiled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He tightened his grip on the controls, sent his forces to the bridge, and then . . . the bridge erupted in a montain of flame. Through superhuman effort, the hive artillery teams managing the dismounted rover guns had managed to turn their artillery pieces around and fire simoltaeneously at the bridge, destroying it completely. The two commanders, still sweating from the stress of the simulated battle, walked to the debriefing room to discuss the results with each other and with their colleagues.

[Guardian]

Outside U.N. Data Acquisition (north side)

Colonel Christopher was watching the Spartans at the northern gate from a distance, wondering if any of them had been there the day the rover came... Around him were the same men who had been with him that day up at the defense line.

How those recordings had ended up back in the hands of Lal & Co was a bit of a mystery to these men, but it didn't matter much now... The point wasn't how it had happened, the point was that it had. The cat was out of the bag. Now they had to decide what to do about it. They could probably get away with just blaming the Spartans, but it didn't seem right...

After a brief discussion, the colonel had his answer. Now the general would get his...


From: Colonel Christopher
To: General Braddock

Yes, I do know of this incident. As a matter of fact, it was my idea. Basically, I wanted to give the Spartans a small dose of their own medicine and see how they liked it. That rover was loaded by men under my command as we were cleaning up after the battle to plug the hole in the defense line north of Data Acquisition. The bodies in it were Spartans we killed in the battle. As you may recall, this happened shortly after the Spartan Combine Army had taken Data Acquisition, using nerve gas against children, raping and killing women and basically being Spartans. We were all well aware of this at the time of our attack on the Spartan units at the defense line, and it probably did make us do a few things that we normally wouldn't have done, including that thing with the rover. You know, it was my idea, but it wasn't at all hard to get the troops to go along with it. I guess we all felt that we did not violate the U.N. Charter because the enemy wasn't human. It also seemed very clear at the time that the Spartans only understand one language and the Commissioner simply doesn't speak it. In my opinion, we have yet to be proven wrong on either account.

[Sprayber]

[OOC: Pontas has decided that it would be better to be honest with Lal. No games, and no deceptions.]


****Level 4 Encryption****
To: Commissioner Lal
From: Governor Pontas

Your gesture of recognition is appreciated and rest assured that your troops will be welcomed here at Blast Rifle Crag. You must understand the circumstances in which I declared independence in the first place Commissioner. At the time I was under the impression that Colonel Santiago was in the middle of purging Junta members. At the time then General Kessel was among those listed as her enemies. Because of my ties to him, and our remote location, I believe this base was being sacrificed with the intent of being retaken in the future. When I found out that General Halzburg had been removed as well, I did not want to become stuck in the middle of a civil war. So instead of allowing the Alliance forces to take the base by force I opted for a second alternative, independence. To be honest, if I had known that General Kessel had taken over for Colonel Santiago I would have tried to wait it out. But as I have told the now Marshal Kessel, the time for going back has long since passed. When dealing with Marshal Kessel, you must understand that he is above all else a patriot. I do not believe that he sees the Peacekeepers as a threat. He believes that there can be coexistence between your two factions. He does however see some of your allies as very real dangers to Sparta. And If you believe anything, believe that he will do what is necessary to defend Sparta from all that try to hurt her. He has lost one country in his lifetime. He does not intend to see Sparta suffer the same fate. He has given me private assurances that Blast Rifle Crag will not be attacked. But he has also stated that if the base becomes a staging area for Alliance forces, he will consider it an act of aggression. That is why I asked for your troops. To lessen the reliance on other forces. I am grateful to the Pirates for entering my base peacefully in our time of need. But I feel that a larger force will be seen as a threat. I want Blast Rifle Crag to be neutral. To be a kind of place where everyone will be welcome. I have had some requests already from those who wish to see their families within Sparta, but have had to deny them for now. Perhaps later on this will change. When your forces arrive we will have things ready for them. Your commander will be given reports detailing events leading up to our declaration. It is rather interesting that a few weeks ago Marshal Kessel ordered a reorganization of base governments within Sparta. For a short time his bases will be more democratic than our own. An embarrassment that I hope to rectify soon. One more thing before you get back to your busy schedule. As you may have noticed, Marshal Kessel was for a long time a close friend of mine. In Sparta, friends are rare. Especially in government. If you care to look in your data bases you may find a certain former surgeon named Frans Marona. He lived in your U.N. High Commission. He was among the ones that stayed after it’s fall to Sparta, and survived the massacres later on. Him and his wife had two children. One before the war and one after. His second daughter grew up a Spartan, and married a Spartan officer. That officer was Marshal Kessel. Dr. Marona and his wife enjoyed relative safety because they contributed to the Spartan Medical Corp. They both died of natural causes after refusing to undergo rejuvenation treatments. The reason is that their daughter, Kessel’s wife, was killed by Hive soldiers during our long hostilities against each other. You should look for other prominate names such as Goldman, Hyde and Freed. All living in War Outpost and a few of them here in Blast Rifle Crag. The point of all this is that if there was ever a time that the Peacekeepers and Spartans can achieve peace. It is now. Peacekeeper influence is more widespread in Sparta than you may think. Reports suggest that Kessel has named a governor of Peacekeeper background to War Outpost. But be warned that there are still elements within Sparta from the old days. Again, I thank you for your recognition of Blast Rifle Crag, and rest easy that your forces will be treated with respect.

[Natan]

Sparta Command, debriefing room

The Hive commander and his opposite met with their respective delegations to discuss the results of the first exercise. The Spartan commander, also sweating from the stress of the exercise, stretched his hand out to greet the Hive commander. "Captain Jim Rooney," he said. The Hive commander looked at the hand for a moment of confusion, then shook it firmly, but said nothing. "What's your name?" the Spartan asked, somewhat timidly. The Hive commander replied with his 10 digit ID number, the only form of identification he possessed. The Spartan was somewhat shocked, but loked polite, said "pleased to meet you," and sat down to hear the most senior Spartan officer, who had just stood up from his place at the table, speak. "This were very interesting results," he said gravely. "Sixty percent casualty rate for both forces," and 70% attrition rate. It's part of a general trend we've seen in past wars, and a simulation of what we would expect in the next war - compelling ideologies, skillful propaganda, and strong societies will make the wars of today far bloodier than the wars of Earth. My colleagues and I also noted several interesting things in your strategies. Firstly, I would like to give praise to Major Henderson, for his brilliant strategy of splitting his force. Then I would like to praise the good major of the Hive for putting a force on the left bank of the river, and for the skill with which he dispatched the Spartan main force. I would like to apologize to him; we played a dirty trick. You had no way of knowing that we had installed amphibious gear on some of our rovers, which enabled them to reach the left bank unseen and without crossing the bridge. However, had you kept your rover guns mobile, you would not have lost the bridge. You should have kept the rovers in trenches on the slopes, but with their guns still on, to keep your firepower mobile. The Hive commander immediately objected. "If I had done that, I would not have been able to deploy my rovers with my infantry." The Spartan commander argued back. "That was your second mistake. You should have placed your infantry in OPs with anti-tank weapons, and left them camoflauged to conduct ambushes and call down mortar strikes, rather than seperating your firepower from your mobility and leaving your mobility open to OPFOR air power on the heights. This was the difference between your plan and Major Henderson's, his seperated his force but left each unit with the critical elements of battle, yours left some units with sufficient mobility but insufficient firepower, and others with the reverse. That said, your plan enabled you to destroy the Spartan main force, which Major Henderson had not deployed properly and did not make good use of, however, this was not your mission goal."

[[LordLMP]]

Safe Haven

Captain Svensgaard came back to his quarters from a Nautilus Council meeting. He gave the go ahead to various projects proposed at the meeting aswell strategical planning:

Nautilus Marines has been given two newly built air transports so they can be train in air drop operations. Its just one those things keep the marines flexible and to keep them busy. They didn't got a chance to be part of the war after all.

Nautilus Air Force will be getting some new Needlejet and Interceptor units in the 6 to 12 months as the Hive recently acquired Doctrine: Air Power its seems and other factions like the Spartans are starting to expand their air forces. He doesn't want to see the Nautilus Pirates to be behind in that area and leave its navy vulnerable to air strikes.

Nautilus Battle Dragons will be getting 5 new Battle Dragon units in the next year or so, with Silksteel armor and possibly Chaos weaponry. Sure the Pirates are not into ground warfare, but Svensgaard thinks its wise to have a elite mobile force to keep the Hive and Spartans busy in future wars. He does believe that the current peace will not last long and the Hive and Spartans are big threats to the Nautilus Pirates.

Nautilus Intelligence will expanding their influence with 5 more probe teams in the next indertimine amount of time. Friction is starting to build up again within the Chiron Alliance, so better to be ready.

Research and Development as completed Superstring Theory, but they still need to make an adequate prototype of the Chaos Weapon. So there is a prototype cruiser being planned, which will have the Chaos Gun and Silksteel armor. They will also be experimenting with neural grafting, which they are now reasearching with the help of information gathered from the Cyborgs. The Cruiser Prototype will be pack with a Deep Radar along with AAA capabilities. May take a few years or less for the cruiser to be successfully built, but once it is, will be the most advance naval unit on Chiron. This will of course be followed by series of upgrades of the Nautilus Navy.

The Nautilus Navy is still steadily expanding, acquiring 2-3 Cruisers per year, plus 2-5 Foils. The biggest fleet in the navy at the moment is the Third Fleet in Chiron Sea, followed by the Home and First Fleets.

Nautilus Diplomatic Corps will busy improving relations with the Free Drones, preventing any tensions with the Data Angels (They are an important ally which Svensgaard doesn't want to lose, despite his mishaps :P) and keep relations with the rest of alliance stablelized.

Nautilus Merchants are expanding more and more, especially the current state of relations with the Morganites and a surprising increase in Merchant Cruiser sales to the Peacekeepers. Branko, Chief of Intelligence, says they are currently researching Doctrine: Initiative and building some Cruiser prototypes, base on the Merchant Cruiser design. With the amount of Merchant Cruisers the Peacekeepers is getting, they can quickly have a fleet of Armed Merchant Cruisers (not as strong as real cruisers, but still have some advantages over foils). They are looking forward of the Global Trade Summit as they will be able to expanding existing trade routes and develop new trade deals with various factions aswell as being able to get into their markets.

After mentioning of Armed Merchant Cruisers, the Nautilus Privateers proposed to expand their little privateer force with some AMCs. They already recently acquired two new foils, but they are still not adequate enough to be successful. Svensgaard argues that the Privateers don't need to expand, as their silly trade war with the Morganites as ended and there is no one else to raid. What about the Spartans and Hive the Privateer commander (Commodore Drake) argues? They barely have any naval trade, theres no point. Besides, nautilus resources are better elsewhere.

The small Nautilus Psi Corp as proposed to try to breed a isle of the deep, as we have the tech to do so now. They also suggest to increase relations with the Gaians and make a similar arrangements as we have done with the Data Angels and Free Drones. The Gaians help train Pirate empaths/telepaths and the Pirates help the Gaians establish/expand their naval force. Svensgaard considers it and seems to be a good idea, as it would also imporve ties with Planetmind, who is oddly quiet, yet still alive. He allows the Psi Corp to do their project of breeding a Isle of the Deep while he will try to make some arrangement with the Gaians.

The rest of the meeting was mainly about strategy, reorganized unit positions and so on.........

Blast Rifle Crag

Colonel Rohrer as received orders today from Nautilus of the sea to withdraw three Battle Dragon back to Free Drone territory via the Upland wastes. Once there, they are suppose to help the Free Drones with their defence against the Hive or the Spartans, under the Free Drone banner like before. The remaining three Battle Dragons are to stay and continue defending Blast Rifle Crag under the command of Commander Thorn. Well, it fun while it lasted being in Blast Rifle Crag. The place will still be properly defended by the Gaian Force, the three Battle Dragons and some Peacekeeper units which will arrive soon. The only worry about the orders are that they may get into some problems with the Spartan Blockade Guardians, as they need to traverse across Spartan territory to get back into the Upland Wastes.

To: Admiral Proudmoore, Third Fleet
From: Nautilus of the Sea

You are to disengage the ships guarding the entrances of the Spartan Channel, but some ships should still patrol near the entrances just incase the Spartan Fleet decides to poke their heads out. The remainder of the ships are to patrol around the Fossil Ridge and Blast Rifle Range areas.

To: Planetary Council
From: IPTF Planning Committee, appointed by the council

We have discussed on how to organize the IPTF and the units needed to patrol a DMZ between the Peacekeepers and the Spartans. We figure that the IPTF would need about 10-15 units to patrol athe DMZ. We also need to chose a commander to lead this task force. We request the Council to choose a leader and the units that will be part of the IPTF.

(OOC: IPTF - Interfactional Peacekeeping Task Force. So, people, nominate who should be leading the Task Force and vote on it. Also place bids on which units that will be assigned to the Task force. )

*******************

To: General Braddock
From: General Kane of Hive

I have a proposal General. Our units, called Kane's Hive by some of your people, are not operating in full strength due to a shortage of manpower and lack of maintenance. Half of them are currently at U.N. Disaster Relief refitting with missile weaponry and some plasma armor, which i thank you for. I have already sent ordered to disband our Infantry unit to recover our losses, but we are still shorthanded. Could the Peacekeepers assign some soldiers to replace the rest of the losses? They will have to operate under Hive structure and discipline which I try to maintain. Also wonder if you can assign some of the Rovers from Hive to us? If, will surely cover our losses from the war.

I know we are not official part of the Peacekeepers as we wish to stay independent, but we are allies and friends. We would appreciate it and we will help defend Peacekeeper territory against any threat.

General Kane of Hive

(OOC: what i am trying to do is to make them like a big mercenary force. instead of getting money, which would be a dishonor and would make them as lowe lifes which they don't want, they help anyone that is willing to cover their losses with manpower and equipment. They will become known more and more as Kane's Hive. ALso try to have them stay in a 7 rover units size. :P thats full strength to them. May get them involve in different things, they may even eventually get back home welcomely, without brainwash)

[Sprayber]

Sparta Command

Kessel sat in his office inside the Command Nexus. The walls were opaque so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by the techs that walked back and forth from station to station monitoring events inside and outside of Sparta. It had been a very long day of waiting for the news from the med labs about the condition of Santiago. He had managed to get away long enough to check up on the situation at Ruby Ridge Memorial, and grab a bite to eat in the mess hall. Halfway back to the med lab he had decided to go back down to his office instead. He personally couldn’t do anything and there was no sense in not getting anything done. The confrontation with Santiago on the news that she had arranged to have a child had been a tense one. That day Kessel had seen just how bad Santiago’s health had been. The doctors were in the process of delivering Santiago’s two children at this very moment. Afterward she would be placed in the rejuvenation tanks for at least three months. Even that long of a session held no promise of good health. If she made it through it she would then be placed in a cryocell until the doctors could determine exactly what needed to be done. Santiago had already left instructions on what to do if things did not go as planned. And also what the names of her son and daughter would be called. It had been agreed that their identity be kept a secrete until they reached adulthood or Santiago came out of cyrosleep. A soft beep startled Kessel from his thoughts. “Yes” “Sir. The doctors have informed me that they require your presence in Med Lab 1.” “Inform them that I will be there shortly Lieutenant” “Yes sir” Kessel got up and walked out the door of his office and through the Ops center of the Command Nexus.

Kessel walked through the door of the Med Lab and passed the four guards assigned to Santiago. Kessel rounded a corner and came up on the form of Santiago laying on a table. Dr. Hopper walked up behind Kessel and without waiting to be asked he started to talk. “The Colonel is only resting. She has had a hard time today.” “What about the children?” “They are in the next room resting as well. The female is considerably weaker than the male child. So much so that standard doctrine would be to save resources and allow the child do die.” Dr. Hopper let is last statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “As the chief medical officer in the room it would normally be my decision. But this is a special case.” Kessel turned around to face the doctor. “Santiago would not be pleased to be the subject of special attention. You and I both know that. But this I think is a unique situation. Do everything possible for the child.” Kessel walked into the room where the two infants rested. The female did indeed look very small compared to the strong looking male. He could not resist the temptation to look for familiar features on the child. For now he did not see any. “Corporal” The female medtech turned to address the senior officer. “Yes sir.” “When you get the time I want you to do a complete DNA work up on these two” Kessel motioned towards the infants laying inside the glass chambers. “Show no one the results. Bring them directly to me. I will leave one of my guards here with you to assist in getting up to my office.” “Yes sir. Right away. Kessel turned around and again looked at the two infants lying there so helpless. In a soft voice Kessel began to speak. "Hello there Leonidas and Angelina. Welcome to Chiron and to the Spartan Federation."

Ruby Ridge Memorial. {Data Acq}

"General Weiss, you have been charged with multiple charges of insubordination and crimes against the Spartan people. Do you have anything to say before you are sentenced?" "All that I have to say is that for these past months I have been held in a cryocell in direct violation of my rank and position. The actions of Commander Gunther and his gang of traitors will not be forgotten. You may kill me, but you cannot kill my spirit. And you cannot take away my Spartan honor." The judge on the screen shifted in his seat and looked at the other panel of judges. "Very well. It is the verdict of the Military Tribunal that you General Weiss did disobey a direct order from your superior and that you willingly committed crimes against the Spartan Federation and it's people. Further more it has been found that you conspired with the late General Von Halzburg to overthrow the legitimate and rightful government of the Spartan Federation. Your sentence is as follows. You are to be stripped of all rank and privileges in the Spartan Army. You are to be taken off the rolls of the Spartan Militia and it's supporting institutions, and you will banished from the Spartan Federation where no citizen may provide fire or shelter for you under penalty of death. You will be bound by the hands and lead out beyond the perimeter of the base that you are currently at. Commander Gunther, you are to take charge of this prisoner and execute the will of the tribunal." With that, the judge pounded the ceremonial hammer and declared the proceedings over. The following day Spartan soldiers gathered along the top of the outer wall and formed up along the top. Soldiers gathered in a long line on either side of a path from the door of the detention center to the main gate. High up on top of the wall a long figure stood up with a drum and began to beat on it in a steady rhythm. Commander Gunther and a security detail escorted Weiss down the long path to the wall. As they passed by, each soldier performed an about face that symbolized the Federation turning it's back on the traitor. The procession passed through the gates and headed out towards the PK lines. PK soldiers began to tense up as some tried to get a better view of what was going on and others got ready for possible trouble. After some fair distance was covered, Commander Gunther gave the order to halt. The procession stopped and Gunther proceeded to take off the hood that covered Weiss's head. "According to the ruling of the Military Tribunal you are officially banished from the Spartan Federation. Never again will you feel the honor and pride of a being a Spartan. Now begone from our sight." And with those words Weiss became only the second person in Spartan history to be banished. The drummer on the wall abruptly stopped drumming, turned and stepped down from his perch. The Spartans on the wall performed an about face and presented their backs to the banished general. Gunther and company had already turned around and began to walk back to the gates. By this time a squad of PK soldiers had made their way up to the bound prisoner. They found a sign that hung around the mans neck. It simply read. ----I am a traitor. I have no home---- The only identifying mark on the man's fatigues was a name patch that read Weiss.

To: Commissioner Lal
From: Marshal Kessel

By now you must know that you have in your possession former General Weiss. He is no longer a Spartan so you may do with him as you like. His kind is of no value to Sparta any longer. My advise is to be rid of him permanently. If not, be prepared to face the possibility that he will come back to haunt us all at a later date.

[Sprayber]

To: Datajack Sinder Roze
From: Governor Pontas

Greetings Datajack Roze. I am Governor Pontas of Blast Rifle Crag. I have wanted to talk to you for a while now, but as you may or may not know I have been rather busy with internal matters concerning our recent independence. I would just like to inform you that our base is open to your faction whenever you may need a port or stopover. I hope to hear from you soon when your busy schedule allows it. I also look forward to seeing Data Angel citizens walking the streets along with other faction citizens.

To: Aki Zeta-5
From: Governor Pontas

Greetings. I am Governor Pontas of Blast Rifle Crag. I am contacting you on behalf of the citizens of Blast Rifle Crag in order to extend an invitation to your faction. This is an open base and all factions are invited to take advantage of our facilities. I look forward to hearing from you when you schedule permits it. Until then I bid you farewell.

Sparta Command

Kessel was sitting in his public office when a beep from his comm station broke his concentration on some deployment reports. “Sir. There is a report coming in from the Blockade Guardians near Blast Rifle Crag. It is text only, as to insure secrecy.” “Very well. Forward it to my station. I will read it here.” “Yes sir.” Kessel turned around and waited for the message to begin to come up. As soon as it finished loading, he began the decryption program. After he had finished the text of the message scrolled out in from of him.

--Pontas contacting Angels and Cyborgs. Pontas ensuring open and neutral nature of BRC. Pirate force departing base en route towards the north. Size cannot be determined at this time. Small force has stayed behind. No update on PK force that is expected to arrive. May have an opportunity to get closer to Pontas but will move cautiously. Will contact again at usual time-

Kessel keyed in the command to encrypt the message and sent it down to his file archive in the Command Nexus. He leaned back in his chair for a minute and then reached for his intercom button. “Lieutenant, issue an order to Commander Dover to shadow the units leaving the Blast Rifle Crag area. Under no circumstances is he to come within weapons range. Just let the Pirates know that we know they are there.” “Right away sir”

[OOC: Kessel would most difinitly have someone on the inside at Blast Rifle Crag. He just likes to know what is going on]

[Argonaut]

***Private Message : Standard Encryption***
To: Governor Pontas
From: Datajack Roze

Greetings Governor, and congratulations on your newly won independance. I am glad you were able to achieve your freedom without needless bloodshed as well.

I must admit I had my concerns with your declaration, especially with the situation with the Spartans still being less than amicable. I did not agree with Captain Svensgaard's commitment of the Alliance to this move, as it seemed likely to provoke the Spartan Federation into conflict. However, things have worked out for the best and I would like to assure you that you now have Data Angel support.

I would also like to thank you for your kind invitation. I'm sure it won't be too long before Data Angel Netz-Cafes start popping up in your base, as these Internet/Coffee shops have proved quite popular here on the Chiron Continent, as well as in U.N. and Pirate bases. Your people are similarly welcome to travel to Data Angel territory, although I must request that you provide travellers with seperate Blast Rifle Crag identification documents that meet modern security standards. I'm sure you understand our concern, as we would not want Spartan spies lurking in our bases, especially after the U.N. SeaQuest incident. If you desire, my people would be capable of assisting you in this process. Let me know.

Roze

***Private Message : Standard Encryption***
To: Governor Pontas
From: Prime Function Aki Zeta-Five

Greetings Governor,

Perhaps it is time to consider a promotion? We thank you for your kind invitation, and would like to offer you a similar invite to Conciousness territory. Your people will be more than welcome.

[Guardian]

From: Commissioner Lal
To: Governor Pontas

Greetings again Governor, and thank you for sharing your insights with us. I am afraid we do not fully share your optimism in regards to the prospect of peace with the Spartan Federation. Hopefully, this will change over time. As far as we are concerned, the most serious threat to Sparta is Spartans themselves, as it is the actions of their own people under their own banner that have turned so many people against them. 65 years ago, we had a very real chance to achieve a peaceful coexistance on the Eastern Continent. Now I am afraid there are very few people left on our side who truely believe that this is possible. It seems to me that we're merely trying to turn a hot war into a cold one. Apparently even that is not going too well at the moment, so we're really not expecting much. Hopefully, we can stop the killing and keep it from starting again, but that alone is not peace.


From: U.N. Ambassador Isabella Fuentes
To: Planetary Council

On behalf of the U.N. Peacekeepers, I wish to submit the following footnote to the current agenda:

If the U.N. Peacekeepers are not fit to serve as Peacekeepers,
we do not know of anyone that is.

We have no further comments to the agenda.


U.N. Enforcement Base

General Braddock was not a happy man. That Colonel Christopher was way out of line.
And it could not be ignored. Something would have to be done...
-And now General Kane wanted PK soldiers assigned to his units. Well, there was no doubt that they needed reinforcements, but it was still a difficult request. Even if the Peacekeeping Forces wanted to, they could not simply assign soldiers to Kane's Hive. They would have to call for volunteers, and it might be a little tricky to get people to volunteer for Hive duty... but yeah, sure, they could give it a shot. As for the rovers, that should be somewhat easier to arrange... Chairman Yang might be less than pleased, but he should not be surprised...


From: General Braddock
To: General Kane

I'll see what I can do. The rovers will probably be the easiest part. The men will likely take a bit longer, as we'll have to call for volunteers and might have to train them first. How many do you need?


Outside U.N. Data Acquisition

The preparations were almost finished. In another couple of hours, everybody on this side of the base would begin to find out what Commander Grafton's idea was all about. However, as they were going about applying the finishing touches, something came up...

Over by the defensive perimeter, Spartan soldiers were gathering on top of the wall as if preparing for some kind of ceremony. High up on top of the wall a long figure stood up with a drum and began to beat on it in a steady rhythm. The gate slowly opened, revealing two rows of soldiers flanking a path from the gate to somewhere inside the base...

What the...?!?
Kyla had absolutely no idea what to make of this, but it didn't look like an attack... Could be some sort of diversion though... she couldn't tell... there was just no way to know. She was making her way back to her rover, just in case. It wasn't her watch, but she should be there all the same... She frowned. These Spartans sure had a way of making her feel uneasy... For a while, nothing much seemed to happen, and this lasted long enough for Kyla to reach her rover, get on board and take up position next to Alex Kensington in the gunner's compartment. He appeared to have things more or less under control, but was obviously glad to have her with him.

"What have we got?", she asked in a clipped voice as she moved into position and picked up her helmet. "Nothing much... -yet..." Kensington sounded relatively calm and confident, although puzzled... "Apart from the drummer guy, they all seem to be waiting for something... -or someone..."

She got her helmet on and zoomed in to have a look for herself. Sure enough. They were all just standing there... apparently waiting...

Then things started to happen... Over by the gate, a small group was moving down the path flanked by the soldiers, and as they passed, each soldier performed and about face, turning his back on the processsion. At the very front of the small procession was a hooded figure who's hands were tied, obviously some kind of prisoner... What the hell was this?? Were the Spartans about to carry out an execution right under her nose or something?? Who was this guy?? She kept watching as the procession passed through the gates and headed out towards the PK lines. She was vaguely aware of the increased tension amongst her comrades as the Spartans approached their lines, but she ignored it and kept watching the Spartans. Suddenly, the procession stopped and the officer who was obviously in charge of this little circus stepped forward and removed the hood from the prisoner's head. She frowned. This head looked familiar... The officer spoke a couple of clipped sentences and abruptly turned his back on the prisoner. At that same moment, the rest of the group also turned around and started walking back towards the still open gate. The steady drumbeat abruptly ended, and as she looked back up on the wall, she was somewhat startled to see that every Spartan up there had his back turned in her direction. As the Spartans left their prisoner and headed back inside the base, a squad of PK soldiers started moving forward.

Now what in the world could possibly be going on??

As she watched, the PK squad rapidly fanned out and surrounded the lone figure, who was then approached by two of them. They looked puzzled at first, but then she saw a flicker of recognition on the face of one of them, quickly followed by a look of anger. Uh, oh... this didn't look too good... Without really knowing what she was doing or why, she excused herself and slipped back out of her station, making her way out of the rover and heading forward at a run. As she did, a cheer went up along the line and somebody behind her yelled something. It sounded like "Go get'em Johnson!" She momentarily smiled a little, but her smile quickly faded as she approached the bound stranger. The man was now surrounded by another small group, and this new group didn't seem to like him any better than the ones who had just left him out here. The PK soldiers recognized her immediately and stepped aside as she came up, as if offering their "prize" to her. Apart from the malicious, angry sneer on the man's face, the first thing she noticed was the sign he wore around his neck. "I am a traitor. I have no home." The she noticed the name patch and momentarily froze in shock... "Weiss".

Now she knew where she had seen this face before... In the files that had been distributed on most wanted criminals! Damn! She obviously should have paid closer attention to those files. She should have recognized him immediately. It didn't seem to matter much now, but she made a mental note to go through the files again as soon as possible. Now... He hadn't been sneering like this on the picture, but there was no doubt about it... this was the great Spartan General Weiss, former commander of the Combine Army.

Something inside her exploded. Something infinitely hot and infinitely cold. The power was overwhelming, threatening to hurl her over the edge of a deep, dark pit where she knew she would have no control whatsoever. She couldn't let it happen. She had to stay focused. Had to control her anger. She momentarily closed her eyes... it would have looked like she merely blinked if she hadn't gasped with the effort... I'm a Peacekeeper...

She made it... -but just barely...
As she walked the last few steps, her expression rapidly changed from curiosity and puzzlement to recognition, then from shock and horror to anger and hate, then there was a flash of uncontrollable rage followed by unimaginable torment and suffering... and just as she seemed about to lose all control, she somehow regained it, and it was as if all emotion just drained away and her face turned to stone.
But only for a moment.
Then the anger came back, and the hatred, and the icy cold rage.
But this time she could control it, if only just barely...
She walked right up to the man the Spartans now called a traitor and just stood there glaring at him for a few long moments. Without even flinching, he stood his ground and glared back at her. Infuriated, she drove her knee up between his legs, hard. That brought him down. As he bent over and collapsed to the ground gasping in pain, she backed up a couple of steps and stayed put for what seemed like an eternity. The others stirred slightly, but relaxed when they saw that she had no intention of striking again. "Oooh, I'm sorry", she muttered, her tone making it all too clear that she was anything BUT sorry... She waited for the Spartan to catch his breath and start to get up, then she moved up and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him up painfully and forcing him to face her, forcing him closer... until their faces were mere inches apart. When she finally spoke, her voice was a low, menacing hiss. Her otherwise beautiful face was a twisted mask of anger and hate and her eyes seemed more lethal than the weapons of her companions. Dark slits that cursed him to the soul.
"Well, hello there", she hissed. "Mr. great Spartan General".
"Not so great now, are you?" She let out a hollow chuckle. "You were never great." Pausing to let her statement sink in, she tightened her grip around the man's neck. "You couldn't break through the defense line without prisoners as human shields and a 50 to 1 numerical advantage? You couldn't even take this base without using nerve gas against children! Why? Were you afraid that they were going to kick your ass and defeat your puny excuses for soldiers without even fighting them? You're not great, you're pathetic!" She paused again for a moment... "You were never great..." A strange, eerie resemblance of a smile started spreading on her face... "Now... it seems you're not a general anymore either. According to your friends over there", she gestured towards the Spartans still on the wall, "you're not even a Spartan anymore!" She grinned."Can't get much lower than that, can you?" Her voice dropped even lower. "Oh yes, you can... You're Weiss... You're not a man... You're a creep!"
As she spat out the final sentence, she abruptly let go of his neck and pushed him away. Almost as abruptly, her mood changed as she straightened before him and the anger and hate in her expression was partially replaced by pride. When she spoke again, her voice was loud and firm and she sounded far more proud than angry... "I am Corporal Kyla Johnson of the U.N. Special Forces. Under article 105 of the U.N. Charter, I am placing you under arrest on the charges of crimes against humanity, violation of the U.N. Charter, and of every military code that I can think of!"

Then she stepped away and did not look at him again. Holding her nose, she turned to face her comrades and spoke even louder. "Now will someone please get this stinking bag of filth out of my sight before he makes me sick to my stomach?" There were fresh cheers. As the little party made their way back towards the PK lines, even the slowest ones finally realized what had just happened, and the crowd went wild. Sergeant Gonzales came out and gave her a high five and everyone was screaming and yelling on top of each other. "We got him! We got him! We really got the scumbag!" MPs came up to take care of the prisoner, while the rest of them broke out into a spontaneous victory celebration. It would be a long night for the Spartans who didn't like PK & allied parties...


Later that night, as she was talking to a group of Data Angels who had somehow found the time to come over and join the party, Commander Grafton suddenly walked up beside her. Somewhat startled, she straightened to salute, but the commander simply handed her a big fat U.N. document and gestured towards the makeshift stage that had been erected in a clearing between two rover groups. "Go ahead and let'em have it!" Then he was lost in the crowd.

As she made her way onto the stage, another cheer went up - and another as a group of MPs appeared with a prisoner. Weiss.

Grafton had planned something slightly different, but the equipment did come in handy. Powerful loudspeakers had been placed around the area, so when Kyla picked up the microphone and started speaking, it would be hard for anybody on this side of the base not to hear what she had to say...

The big, fat document she had been given was the list of charges brought against Weiss by the U.N. Criminal Tribunal. It took her almost 45 minutes to read it. When she was finished, a song was played. It was an ancient country classic...

I fought the law and the law won...

[Sprayber]

Face to Face

To: Commissioner Lal
From: Marshal Kessel

Commissioner, I am disturbed over the lack of progress in the peace negotiations. I understand your concerns but this going back and forth with messages is getting us nowhere. I have come to the conclusion that face to face talks are the only way. Since I am sure that there is no way that you can come to Sparta. I am offering, at great personal risk here at home, to travel to a Continental PK base of your choice. I would prefer it be UN Haven City since it is so close to the Spartan border but the location is not of prime importance. I will bring along at least two of my aides and we will abide by whatever security measures that your officers deem necessary, as long as they are reasonable. By doing this I am violating one of the main tenants of Spartan political life in that I am leaving Sparta Command at a time of uncertain fortune. I can assure you that in ordinary circumstances that I would not. But these are not ordinary times. At this moment I am the sole leader of the combined Spartan forces. I could abandon peace and with focused leadership launch a new campaign. But that is not what is best for Sparta. The alternative will lead us both into oblivion. A week ago I looked into the face of a child. Tradition and doctrine demanded that the weak must make way for the strong. But for the life of me I could not make the decision to end her existence so that her stronger brother may benefit from extra resources. Time is not on our side. Other factions may very well be hopeful that we do not find a way through the dark. If Sparta must fight against the world than she will so with honor and tenacity. But I would very much like for that to be avoided.


Addition of to message---
Furthermore the Spartan Federation is prepared to scrap the proposed multifactional peacekeeping force in exchange for each of the sides simply establishing border posts along the prewar border. These posts would be built at intervals along the border and each post would be manned by both armies. Outside forces should not be allowed. The number of stationed troops could be limited to certain types of units only. Bunkers would be banned within a certain zone(distance from border to be determined by a joint commission) This would prohibit a bunker mentality from developing along the border. Sensors would of course be allowed by both sides. Construction of said sensors would be done with the full knowledge of the other side.

[OOC: Time to meet face to face. Man to Man. Faction to Faction. Of course Lal should have an advantage shouldn't he. I mean Kessel is just an old general trying to play politician. ]

[Guardian]

From: Commissioner Lal
To: Marshal Kessel

Sparta fighting with honor would be something new, but for some reason I am inclined to believe you. It shall be as you ask. We shall meet in U.N. Haven City. Unfortunately, the "bunker mentality" already exists and I doubt that it will change anytime soon, but the defense line is well south of the border. I shall contact you again soon...


Defense line, north of U.N. Haven City

General Braddock and his followers would have a great day when they learned about Kessel's upcoming visit to Haven City. This section of the defense line was truely formidable, with bunkers and fortifications laid out as far as the eye could see. Everything was carefully calculated and set up with lines of sight and overlapping fields of fire. The "Northern Guard" task force was still in the area and most of the U.N. Air Force was currently based at Haven City. An area spanning over thousands of square kilometers had been transformed into one gigantic fortress, and the concentration of forces here was higher than anywhere else on Planet - even in Sparta...
Travelling north along the roads from Haven City kind of made you wonder what planet you were on and if this could really be U.N. territory. Almost immediately upon leaving the city, you would enter a strange, eerie no-man's land where silence and the military ruled supreme. Every few miles, there would be signs warning you about the hostile border ahead, that you were now only so and so far from Sparta, etc. The symbols used in conjunction with the word "Sparta" pretty much spoke for themselves. Mostly, there would be skulls and crossed bones, occasionally a swastika or the twin lightnings of the SS...

This was how Sparta was seen by her neighbours...

[DarkCloud]

(OOC: could everyone please vote for who they wish to be the University's new leader;
note. Zakharov gets 3 votes as he is already leading the University, but the other
votes are up to the members of the story...)

(elections in the University are yearly... strange but true...
Votes are due in 3 days time- 6-11-01)

(DarkCloud votes for Zakharov)
(VOTES: [What a vote for each candidate means]
Zakharov- 4 [Inner-University Stories]
VonClant- 0 [Potential for war]
Xanderson- 0 [Potential for more tradeories with UN, Spartans, Pirates, etc.])

The University Sun-Governor
Who?

Elections are coming this year, it is unknown who will win the election for Head Academican;
here's the rundown on the prime candidates:

Head Academican Prokhor Zakharov-

He has the skills, he has the mettle. He has led the University through three major wars
and won marvelous concessions for us. He has proven that he can lead.

He promises to continue his policy of non-interference in other factions' policies and
refuses to talk with the leaders of other factions unless the talks pretain to the University.

Former Assistant Academican: Lawrence Rawley VonClant-Reynolds-

Former assistance to ex-Head Academican Eustace Veran Clairvont-Clairveux, Lawrence
has a varied political background, but maintains a distinct Anti-Cyborg stance.
He claims that if he is elected, he will forcibly deport all cyborgs living in the
University due to their "potential for disorder"

Celeste Delilah Anderson-Xanderson (Member in several major trading corporations)-

She does not have much experience, but she wishes to change how the University reacts
to other factions, she embraces them with open arms and wishes for there to be
free-trade, diplomacy and interactions between all factions.

She is looking to install University diplomats in all other factions' bases so as to
help quell wars and quarrels.

She also wishes to talk with the leaders of other factions and enter into a new
International Cosmopolitan University era with free information exchange and
trade.

To: The Leader
From: 'Kommandant' Reya Hollis-Keyson
Subject: Candidate Nominee

We have now made a bold move, attempting to install a member of The Perfect Society
as the Head Academican of the University- if elected, the new member's policies will begin
to remodel the University into what we wish it to be.

Hopefully our Morganite brothers will oust CEO Nwandbudike Morgan and install one of
our members as their leaders.

It is only a matter of time before The Perfect Society blossoms into its full potenital
and being.

To: Sir Pong
From: Dr. Kyle Fitzben
Subject: Concerns

I have heard that "The Perfect Society" does not consider health as important as
trade or research; I will have you know that Health is more important than both.

Health is more important because people's lives are at stake, and without the proper
preventive means, the people will die.

Therefore, I ask that "The Perfect Society" retools its programs to better accomadate
health in their policy plans.

To: Dr. Kyle Fitzben
From: Sir Pong
Subject: RE:Concerns

I am sorry Dr, but the Society believes that health follows research and trade.
Thus, it is secondary, when we discover advances they will be applied, but only to a level
where it incorporates survival of the most important members of society and not the
un-traders and un-researchers.

The others in our society are but the scum on the sole of our proverbial boots.

To: Sir Pong
From: Dr. Kyle Fitzben
Subject: RE:RE:Concerns

I am sorry you feel like that, Pong.
But I must give you my letter of resignation now, for I do not feel that "The Perfect Society"
is attempting to attain perfection and protection of all peoples.

-apologies.

-Dr. Fitzben