The Chiron Chronicle 7: 2183

[Guardian]

U.N. News Network

Broadcasting live from outside U.N. Data Acquisition...


A pretty young blonde in a PK uniform is seen entering a makeshift stage that's been erected in a clearing between two rover groups. She looks tired but happy. The allied soldiers around her are in some disarray after partying all night, but you sense that they could still fight if they really needed to... After waving and smiling to her cheering comrades, the young blonde turns to face the Spartans in the distance. For a moment, she just stands there looking in their direction, then she steps forward and speaks in a clear, musical voice...

"Good morning, Spartans! -Or... perhaps is it not so good? In any case, I know there are at least a few of you over there who would really like to shoot me." She doesn't even blink, but pauses for a moment. Her voice is a little softer as she speaks the next sentence. "But you'd only be proving me right in doing so." She pauses again as if to let this thought sink in...
"I have never sought to deny you your freedom, or your right to choose your own way of life. Yet you have sought to deny me mine. In fact, you have sought to deny me my very life and the air that I breathe... -for no reason whatsoever - except the fact that my dreams are different from yours... " She pauses again and her voice drops to a low murmur. "-And you wonder why I hate you..."
"Now..."
Her voice is back to that clear, musical tone again. "To the best of my knowledge, nothing good or honorable has ever come out of Sparta. In fact, I know you and I see you only as a faction of murdering scumbags who have no honor and deserve no respect. Now, you're welcome to prove me wrong if you think you're able to. -But you can't do that by shooting me."

The young PK corporal seemed to stand taller as she spoke...

"Now... about the man you turned your backs on yesterday... yes, I do mean Mr. Weiss... You may call him a traitor all you like, but as far as I'm concerned, he is still a Spartan general and Sparta is still responsible for any and all atrocities committed by troops under his command. Weiss may have given the orders, but he did not commit the crimes. The men who did are still amongst you, and we will not forget that. The same goes for a certain general Von Halzburg who has conveniently passed away before he could be held accountable for anything. The people who took orders from this so-called traitor of yours and did his dirty deeds are still amongst you. Once again, we hold Sparta responsible. You all heard the list of charges brought against your general Weiss. We have an even longer list associated with Halzburg. However... the worst crimes here were committed not by the men who gave the orders, but by the people who followed those orders and turned them into action. Neither general can be held accountable for that. These aren't the crimes of a couple of rogue generals. These are crimes committed by Sparta herself and she will be held accountable. General Weiss will be tried for his part in it, but he will not be a scape goat."


The words of a corporal had just become official U.N. Policy...

[Argonaut]

OOC: DarkCloud, you want us to vote for you? As the faction leaders, or as University citizens? Which one is part of the Perfect Society group which the Data Angels and Cyborgs might benefit from?
U.N. Enforcement Base

The Data Angel Rover groups filed through the streets while people cheered all around them. These Peacekeepers certainly seemed enthusiastic about their Data Angel allies, despite the Angels actually being able to engage the Spartans directly. Apparently the old axiom " it's the thought that counts" goes along way here.

Most of the Angels took the opportunity to wave and join in the fun. All except one. A certain melancholy seargent sat glumly within the confines of his rover. He had not found his mysterious Peacekeeper love, and now it was too late. His only hope was to one day come back this way. He just hoped it wouldn't be to fight Spartans again when it happened.

[DarkCloud]

OOC: Please vote either as a University Citizen or an Author of the story, different votes mean different types of writing.

However, after Friday, for a week to 2 weeks I will not be able write for the Chiron Chronicle , but after that I should be able to write

[Guardian]

From: Commissioner Lal
To: Marshal Kessel

Marshal, about our meeting: You will be cleared to fly a single aircraft into U.N. Haven City at the first day of our meeting. The U.N. Air Force will come out to meet you at the border and you must follow the instructions of your escorts. Any additional Spartan aircraft must remain on their side of the border at all times. You may bring up to 10 people with you. However, none of them may be armed and the entire group has to stay with you at all times. We will take care of security for the duration of your stay with us.

About General Weiss... you say he is no longer a Spartan, but as I am sure you will know by now, our official view is that he is. Also, there is no death penalty under the U.N. Charter, so your advice to "be rid of him permanently" seems somewhat misplaced. Furthermore, be adviced that we still hold Sparta responsible for the actions of his troops. Weiss may have been the one who gave the orders, but others carried them out. These weren't the crimes of one man alone and we're not going to pretend that they were.
Sorry, but there is no easy way out of this mess.
We still have a long way to go...

[Guardian]

U.N. News Network

Today's headlines:

U.N. Task Force approaching Blast Rifle Crag

A U.N. task force will be arriving shortly in Blast Rifle Crag to begin the first peacekeeping operation on Chiron. The Peacekeeping Forces taking part in this operation include two reinforced infantry regiments of the U.N. Special Forces and a U.N. Naval group under Fleet Commander Evans. We were able to get the following comments from General Braddock...

Reporter: General, what exactly is the purpose of this operation?
Braddock: Well, this is a peacekeeping mission, which means that we're not looking to fight anybody. Basically, we're just going in there to keep an eye on things. Our forces are essentially observers in this context. Their job is to observe and report, but also to enforce the U.N. Charter and to secure safe passage for anyone with a legitimate business in the area.
Reporter: Are we expecting any trouble?
Braddock: No.
Reporter: Then why the Special Forces?
Braddock: Because they're the best qualified for the job.
Reporter: And what is their job?
Braddock: Like I said, they will observe and report, enforce the U.N. Charter and secure safe passage for all who have a legitimate business in the area.
Reporter: And how will they do that?
Braddock: What do you mean?
Reporter: I mean, may our forces use force to enforce the U.N. Charter or secure safe passage?
Braddock: Well, we shall certainly try to avoid that, but if necessary, yes, our forces may use force to defend themselves or to protect the innocent.
Reporter: -And to defend their rights under the U.N. Charter?
Braddock: If they are threatened, yes.
Reporter: So, it is possible then that this could turn into a military operation?
Braddock: It is a military operation.
Reporter: I mean, are we prepared to fight for Blast Rifle Crag?
Braddock: No, but we will fight to defend the principles of the U.N. Charter or to protect the innocent any time, anywhere, any way.
Reporter: Including next month in Blast Rifle Crag?
Braddock: If it comes to that, yes.
Reporter: So, are you prepared to send reinforcements to Blast Rifle Crag?
Braddock: Yes.
Reporter: How quickly can they get there.
Braddock: No comment.
Reporter: What if the Spartans get involved?
Braddock: Our forces are there on a legitimate peacekeeping mission under the U.N. Charter and as requested by governor Pontas. This has nothing to do with Sparta. However, any attempt to unjustly interfere with our mission will be considered a hostile act and appropriate measures will be taken.
Reporter: What kind of measures?
Braddock: Depends on the nature of the situation.
Reporter: But if our forces are attacked...
Braddock: If our forces are attacked by anyone for any reason, it will be considered an act of war.
Reporter: And we will respond accordingly?
Braddock: Yes.
Reporter: So, we won't be running from a fight then?
Braddock: There won't be any fights if we can help it.
Reporter: But IF there is a fight, we won't run from it.
Braddock: No, we won't. The U.N. is done running.
Reporter: But we're basically there to make sure people don't get hurt.
Braddock: That is correct.
Reporter: How do you interpret the term "legitimate business"?
Braddock: If your business there is not malicious in nature and does not violate the principles of the U.N. Charter, you have a legitimate business.
Reporter: Thank you general.

[Clear Skies]

OOC: I know this isn't a fantastic place to post this, but can I come back into the story now? GCSE pressure has receded whilst not having totally dissipated, so I should be able to post on a regular basis.

Any chance of my taking the Cyborgs back over?

[DarkCloud]

OOC: You are welcome to join again- I think Argonaut will be glad to give you back the Cyborgs.

[Sprayber]

To: Commissioner Lal
From: Marshal Kessel

I do not wish to get into an argument about Weiss being a Spartan or not. Normally he would have been executed for the crimes that he committed, but I know that you and your people wanted to bring him to justice in your courts. The only other option our courts had left was banishment. For Spartans, banishment is a fate worse than death. It means that Sparta has turned it's back on that person. It also signifies a shift in thinking away from the actions of that person. As for my soldiers. Do you wish for them all to be given to your courts? Many of them that participated are already dead. And others will have to be reminded what the true Spartan beliefs are. I am afraid that they have been too long under the influence of Weiss and Halzburg. But that is a burden that we here in Sparta must bear. From what I hear, some of your own soldiers have been influenced by officers that felt that they alone knew the better way. That is a burden that you and your people will have to bear. It will indeed be a long bitter struggle to achieve peace. But the alternative is war and I have had enough war in my life to last generations. My first taste of war was as a seventeen year old recruit back on Earth. I have been fighting ever since. Sparta was never supposed to be about war. But that is what we made it out to be. That is a burden our names will carry forever. Perhaps there is still time to change the course of time.

To: Commissioner Lal
From: Governor Pontas

We await the arrival of your forces and will have them sufficient provisions for their support. Is there any news on how the peace effort is proceeding?

[Natan]

From: Chairman Yang
To: Minister of Industry

Production orders for this year: continue work on defensive lines on Free Drone border and at planetneck. Continue work on the human genome project. Train two probe teams, two rover regiments, and one one rover artillery regiment. All of the rovers should be equipped with Nerve gas.

[Guardian]

U.N. Haven City

Cilia was rudely awakened by the klaxon. Before she had time to think, she was out of bed and getting dressed. By the time she started wondering what the hell was going on, she was already half dressed and would be out the door in less than 30 seconds. This wouldn't be a drill. There weren't any drills this close to the Spartan border. An alert was dead serious business. Some times, of course, it would eventually turn out not to be so serious after all, but it was never called a drill. Drills were for peacetime operations. Up here they were never at peace. They were much too close to Sparta...


Defense Line, north of Haven City

Commander Cooke was also wondering what the hell was going on. All around him, troops were rushing to man their battle stations. The entire defense line and all friendly troops in the area had just been placed on full alert...


U.N. Enforcement Base

General Braddock knew what was going on, and under different circumstances, it might have been called a drill. The U.N. military had learned about Kessel's upcoming visit to Haven City and were planning a little reception party... Now they were trying things out and fine tuning the details...


U.N. Missile Foil Defender, approaching Blast Rifle Crag

The task force was a flurry of activity these days. Missions were planned, equipment was checked and prepared, briefings were held... and it all seemed to be coming together nicely. The troops were sleeping right now, but in another couple of hours it would all start again. By the time they arrived in Blast Rifle Crag, the Peacekeepers would already have detailed knowledge of the base from all those hours they'd spent receiving briefings and studying maps. They'd know their way around from day 1, and it could only get better from there. Evans allowed himself a thin smile as he headed for his bunk and a few hours of sleep. They would arrive in Blast Rifle Crag the day after tomorrow. -And whoever was watching might be in for a little surprise or two...


U.N. Haven City

The air base was alive and aircraft were launched as fast as humanly possible. There was just enough time for one pair of jets to clear the runway and be gone before the next pair started. Cilia taxied into position and waited for her turn. Four wings of interceptors and two wings of penetrators were being launched for an extended border patrol mission. It seemed maybe a little over the top, but it was kind of fun to be part of these things. To sort of show some muscle. Maybe not so fun for the people who lived near the base though. This was a hell of racket going on in the middle of the night. As she was cleared for take-off and shoved her throttle full forward, she quietly wondered how the locals were taking it. Probably better than many would expect, she knew. She had overheard a conversation once at a local net cafe, where the owner had gotten tired of listening to the whining from a couple of guests. He had walked right up to their table and asked them in a polite but clipped and matter-of-factly kind of tone, "Which would you rather hear - the sound of freedom or the sound of Spartan jets dropping nerve gas in your heads?" That had silenced them...

With a thunderous, ear-splitting roar, another pair of jets took of from runway 29 and rose sharply into the starlit night sky, almost immediately turning north, towards the Spartan border...


Outside U.N. Data Acquisition, at dawn the next morning

A single rover was speeding north along the outer perimeter, apparently circling around the base to get to the north side. It flew the U.N. flag and the rover itself was clearly marked with the letters "MP"...


From: General Braddock
To: Colonel Christopher

Colonel, I am at a loss for words here, except to say that I am gravely disappointed in you.
While I fully understand your anger and frustration in the situation you describe, I really shouldn't have to tell you that the atrocities of an enemy - no matter how horrible - do not justify the same kind of behavior from our side. It is not up to you or me to determine who will or will not be protected by the U.N. Charter or by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...

As a matter of fact, the latter is quite specific about the point that

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

You have sworn to uphold these principles and to defend them with your life, and yet you take it upon yourself to determine that the Spartans are "not human" and so shall not be protected by the Charter. If that is truly how you feel, then you must have lost sight of what the Charter is all about and so I am afraid you are no longer fit to be a Peacekeeper. This leaves me no choice but to order a formal investigation of yourself and your unit. The MPs are on their way to your position even now, and I suggest you cooperate.


From: Commissioner Lal
To: Marshal Kessel

Sounds like your idea of what Sparta should be is pretty different from what Sparta has been. I wish you luck, and we shall help you any way we can, but do understand that we shall have to act upon what is, not what might have been.


From: Commissioner Lal
To: Governor Pontas

Kessel seems sincere about wanting peace and we shall meet soon in U.N. Haven City. I sincerely hope we shall make some progress there, but I will not hold my breath. More than that I cannot say at this time.

[Clear Skies]

OOC: Are the Gaians still free? I might be able to take them on too if that's ok...

Private Message - Standard Encryption
From: Prime Function Aki Zeta-5
To: Chairman Sheng-ji Yang

Chairman,
Your overtures of friendship do you great honour. However, I would again like to make a polite request that you decommission all of your chemical weaponry. I cannot condone any action which includes these horrific means of mass slaughter. Please do not expect any alliance between us to stand up if you should choose to use these barbaric weapons.
My ambassadors have nothing but good to say about you and your people, Chairman. Please do not let this one detail spoil our entire friendship.

Goodbye for now. I hope to hear from you soon.
In friendship,
Aki Zeta-5

Private Message - Maximum Encryption
From: Prime Function Aki Zeta-5
To: Datatech Sinder Roze

Dear Roze,
Greetings, my dear friend. I do hope you are in good health.
I am so glad to hear that our joint project, the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, is proceeding ahead of schedule. My congratulations to your coders and engineers.
I have heard that you are withdrawing your troops from the Peacekeeper/Spartan front. I was wondering whether my remaining troops could board transport with yours, as I have likewise decided to withdraw my military force, and currently none of my transports are within easy reach of the Eastern Bloc. I would of course reimburse you for the costs of passage.

All this talk of armies, troop movements, war...I wish this new world could be as peaceful and serene as it first was when seen from space...

Yours as ever,
Aki

Private Message - Standard Encryption
From: Prime Function Aki Zeta-5
To: Academician Prokhor Zakharov

Dear Academician,
Once again may I reiterate my horror at your lack of policing and, failing that, at your lack of condemnation of the actions of the terrorists who swear allegiance to the 'True University'. If such attacks on my people do not cease, and you continue to do nothing about them, then I will declare the Inspiration Point Agreement null and void, and you will be required to remove your armies from my territory.
Please, Academician, Prokhor, you must help to track down these criminals and punish them for their unforgivable crimes.

Yours,
Aki Zeta-5


Aki Zeta-5 sat back from her datapad and sighed. It was regrettable that such action had to be taken against the University, but too many of her citizens had been slaughtered by the radicalist groups. She swore there were connections to Zakharov somewhere, but every time she reached for them they wriggled from her grasp like mindworms fleeing a flame gun.
She exhaled slowly, closed her eyes, and let her mind achieve uplink with the Consciousness. Within seconds, she accessed the information held in the minds of those operatives working on the cases of the attacks. Nothing yet - only the most subtle hints of one of Zakharov's many political intrigues...

Taking another course amongst the swirling currents of pure thought that composed the Consciousness, she located the node that marked Werner Delta-Four. The technicians had done well - his uplink node had been disabled by the University, but his backup node was still operating...

Quickly, she downloaded all available information from him into storage for later analysis.
Just as she was about to leave his implants, a single piece of data caught her eye. She stowed it carefully in her own memory, not yet entirely sure of its import...

Soon, she was back at her desk in Alpha Prime, and her analysts had all the data they needed...

[Argonaut]

OOC: Welcome back SMAC Fanatic DarkCloud, sorry if it's late but my vote will go for as Data Angel operatives have tried to boost her support. They want someone on their side in charge of the University

***Private Message : Maximum Encryption***
To: Prime Function Aki Zeta-Five
From: Datajack Roze

Greetings Aki,
I am well thank you, and I hope you are also. It is good to hear that our work on the Hunter Seeker Algorithm is moving ahead so swiftly. Of course, much credit also goes to your technicians and coders as well. I would accuse you of modesty if I didn't know that such an idea was "illogical"
Aki, your troops most definetly are welcome to return with my forces on the transport fleet. There should be just enough room for everyone. And really Aki, reimbursment is not necessary. It is not a great expense for us, as the ships will be returning this way anyways. I'm sure the Data Angel soldiers will also benefit from your forces' company on the return voyage. The transports are still en-route, which gives you adequate time to remove your forces from the Planetneck back to U.N. Enforcement Base. I would offer to have the transports pick you up there, but I'm sure Chairman Yang would not be pleased by the presence of my forces in the area.
Another thing I wish to bring up with you. I'm sure you're aware of the elections currently taking place in the University. Well, I have been in contact with Sir Cloud who informs me that Candidate Xanderson is a part of his organization. I have pulled all the strings I can to send votes her way. Perhaps there are some strings that you could pull to do the same? It would be good to have a friend in charge there. Perhaps then we can move towards the peaceful world which we both dream of.

Roze

[Clear Skies]

OOC: Cyborgs swing as many of the votes as they can towards Candidate Celeste Delilah Anderson-Xanderson - Elaine Stuart-Lewinson's influence is proving very useful...

[Guardian]

[OOC: The Peacekeepers are not in any way involved in this election, but if you still want my vote, I too will vote for Xanderson. However, from what I've heard about "The Perfect Society", it sounds like we're gonna have some pretty major disagreements before too long... (The Peacekeepers don't know about them yet, otherwise we would already be having disagreements...) ]


***Top secret - Maximum Encryption***
From: General Braddock
To: Commissioner Lal

Commissioner, we now have Colonel Christopher in custody. He and his men were not too enthusiastic, but I think they will cooperate. Now, the next question is... Do we go public with this or not? Personally, I think we should. It may not be pleasant, but the alternative is even less pleasant to contemplate. Also, I do not think we could keep something like this hushed up forever even if we wanted to, and when this stuff hits the news, it will look even worse if we appear to have been witholding information.

[Clear Skies]

Lady Deirdre was halfway through her sleep cycle when one of her aides burst through the door unannounced. Mildly irritated at this breach in protocol, she sat up, rubbing the last cloying tendrils of sleep from her eyes, as her aide began her story.
"Lady Skye, our cryptanalysts have finally managed to decode that message that we intercepted. It is from the Believers to the Cult of Planet!"
Without another word, her aide produced a miniature Holo-Imager, and the unmistakable visage of the Unity's former Psych Chaplain coaslesced in the air. Miriam's voice was strident and full of passion, and Lady Deirdre recognised in the words the rhetoric used by Miriam on all UnBelievers.

"Prophet Cha Dawn," the image said, her voice full of scorn, "your religion is a lie. You must turn from your decadent ways and embrace the Way of the One True God, before His wrath descends upon you!
Planet may be sentient, but it is not omnicognizant; it may be massive, but it is not omnipresent; it may be powerful, but it is not omnipotent. The wrath which God will unleash upon you will be far more terrible than anything Planet could ever do to you.
Quickly, Prophet, come into the Light before it is too late!"

Deirdre sat back, her heart full of foreboding.
"I have heard this before. Miriam is preparing for one of her Crusades."
The Lady's jaw set and her resolve hardened. Suddenly she was no longer the botanist from the Unity, but the leader of the Gaian Federation, who had endured much.
"This new jihad must not be allowed to spread. Miriam's Vendetta will not be permitted to extend to us."
She tapped the quicklink on the arm of her sleepsuit, and spoke into it.
"Communications: Get me Sister Miriam Godwinson."
She swept from the room, leaving her aide standing shellshocked in her wake. Lindly dropped to her knees and sent a desperate prayer to Planet:
"Please, Planet, don't let Miriam declare war. Please..."