Chiron Chronicles: 2200

[DarkCloud]

From: Chief of Intelligence Merian Delian DeWalt-O'Walt
To: High Academician Zakharov

Apologies sir, our seven operatives who were spread throuought the two factions, suddenly lost communications with our intelligence depot about two weeks ago, right before the latest round of heavy fighting started.

It is believed that outside communication was blocked off by both factions.

----
In the Believer Region:
University Probe Member "Elijah" (Marcus) Wessix-Xhon

...talking into his voice recorder

"The areas... mindworms are everywhere, fighting humans. Despite their efficiency... I do not think that the Cult can hold the line much longer.

Airplanes are flying overhead- whether they are 'observers' or piloted by the Cult is not a valid question... These 'observers' have shot at the Believing troops numerous times... but it cannot be proven that they are truly being operated by Pirate, or Morganite, Peacekeeper or some other faction's pilots... because of Morgan's policy of selling materials to the enemy... As far as I can make out, a Peacekeeping jet destroyed an ammo dump... probably in the idea that he could end the war by ruining the battle for the believers... Shoot! Cult is pushing forward again!

-Marcus Wessix-Xhon out.

(OOC: OOC means out of Context. It is used to talk about the story when you are in the story... to explain things)

[DarkCloud]

From: ******** [Cultist Territory- With addenums added in Pirate waters- Transmitted to a way-station in the University](Communication intercepted by Data Angels) (OOC: Argonaut, should ReZon have intercepted this?)
To: University Chief of Intelligence Merian Delian DeWalt-O'Walt

Morganite...
Univeristy forces red alert...
Nerve Gas disaster culprits are...
Accusations will wait until Z decides who to ally with if this war is truely happening.
... Government bases...
What follows is... true description... Edgar transmitted in Cultist territory... yesterday...
... Cult... allies... Believers... lost cause...
All involved...

[Argonaut]

OOC: ReZon isn't going after information down there I don't think. I haven't explained it all yet, because I have to wait until Roze gets back from the election so the two can meet. My plan is this: ReZon survived the gas disaster and induced a "near death" state afterwards. (He's the missing probe body from Techopolis Morgue) He believes it was a set-up by Roze to eliminate him, especially as she is now "seeing" Governor Harrington. He's going to get a little (read VERY) jealous.

Oh, and SHOULDN'T WE BE VOTING??????

Angel's Herald

Roze Arrives in Luxury at the Planetary Council Base

Roze arrived at Planetary Council Base today aboard the Nautalis Pirate Cruise Liner aboard which she took her vacation. Arriving with Governor David Harrington, the two will return aboard the D.A.S. Flagship Independence allowing the liner to resume it's normal course of action.

Roze made a private announcement at last night's celebrations ending the voyage, thanking her Nautilis Pirate Hosts for their hospitality and friendship.

[[LordLMP]]

OOC: Everybody mobilizing for war, just before the Planetary Governor elections... how nice :P
Kass, Believers has Syntehtic Fossil Fuel....maybe maybe i guess they still haven't fully Applied the technology....so you the Believers can bye Missile Weaponry from the Morganites, but be able to to produce its own ammunition....? Morganites into Air transports, so i would think they would be into aircrafts....... (sorry for jumping in before Mr. Prez says anything ) As for the Cruiser hulls, doubt the Pirates will sell some to the believers, especially after the Nessus Incident in Nessus Sea..... Spartans can be a source, but will be difficult for them to ship them to Believers, especially having a naval incident like we are having now which the Peacekeepers will join in soon First the Air Incident, then the Naval Incident.........

Darkcloud, why is it which "Marcus" said as nothing to do with the current situation at the Western Front? Old outdated information? predictions of the future? fiction within fiction?

Another thing, still wondering why a Pirate person was mentioned before in some confusing matter???

oh, it seems Santiego will be late in arriving to PCB :P

Athen Outpost

The Athen Outpost got into full alert after some recons detected the Spartans near Hawk of Chiron mobilizing. The Battle Dragon Division led by Colonel Rohrer is ready for war, if ever declared.

Task Force Drake, Third Fleet, Sea of Chiron

Commodore James continues to wait for his Task Force to pull of the formation ordered by Admiral Proudmoore. He can see the idea of it quite well. Once in position, the Spartans would have to change course or risk smacking into the Pirate ships...

[Kassiopeia]

OOC: I once thought it was OCC, (Out Chiron Chronicles), but the effect is the only important thing.
Well, Admiral Kellerman was just plain desperate at getting naval forces. Miriam has no plans of naval expansion for the time being.
Believers have Synth. FF? That's almost a surprise... Well, they aren't implementing the tech until now, only have a couple of prototypes ready, and are currently building more Impact then Missile weaponry. That is why they want to buy some Launchers, to refit them quickly into hardened Impact units.
But Miriam really wants jets! The last conflict pissed her off big time, to the PK's! And she is pissed off because their enemies can zoom around in their aerospace, without the Believer Air Force doing anything about it.
The Believers won't be doing anything with their alertness, as a faction at war they really can't raise their readiness
I just noticed that PCB has almost direct contact with Believing territory. I somehow remembered that it was somewhere near the Hive.
Oh, and do not get worried about the following. Miriam just playing around with ideas. I doubt the BDC would at any situation consider this! She's a crazy nut, but not a fool.
At least I hope so

Maximum encryption
From: Sister Miriam Godwinson
To: Believing Diplomatic Corps, Planetary Council Base delegation

I want you to make an ultra-secret situation assessment. Feed the the predictors a scenario where Believing forces take over the Council Base and take all except Spartan and Hive personnel hostage.
Also determine would any factions join in this operation, or would the invaders be overcome with all factions united.
Nothing of this message or the assessment is ever to leak to the public.

[DarkCloud]

OOC:

Originally posted by [LordLMP]

Darkcloud, why is it which "Marcus" said as nothing to do with the current situation at the Western Front? Old outdated information? predictions of the future? fiction within fiction?

It is a way to illustrate the confusion of the front... it is old, outdated information by about 5 days to a week.

Another thing, still wondering why a Pirate person was mentioned before in some confusing matter???

Marcus doesn't know what's going on.

oh, it seems Santiego will be late in arriving to PCB :P

[Mr. President]

OOC: The Morganites do manufacture and sell military technology (they have sold to the Cult) so the Believers could buy some things from them. Of course, it's not quite as good as the stuff the Spartans make, and it might be slightly more expensive. I was actually thinking about a little story along those lines, where the industrial and military sectors of the government clash over spending priorities and technology transfers.

Speaking of military hardware, here's a little something that appeared in my head a couple of days ago:
***
No-one had ever told Michelle Pellegrino what the W-M-D in the contractor's name stood for. Of course, she knew what it had meant on Earth (so long ago! It didn't feel like a hundred years), but had never registered the connotations relating to Josh de la Roca and his enormous factory compound.

Until today. Pellegrino stood in the shadow of the M-203 prototype, designated the "Nightmare". And an apt name it was. The vehicle was nearly twice the size of a standard armored personnel carrier, a little larger than an assault speeder. There were hints of World War III armor in it, but such comparisons were neutralized by the glittering silksteel exoskeleton and the seven-foot gatling laser mounted on the turret.

"The armor is triple-bonded silksteel and praesodymium inductor coils," de la Roca said. The Defense Minister was familiar with the latter. Based on an older design, the inductors generated a magnetic field that warped incoming shells and de-focused energy beams, reducing their ability to penetrate the armor. "The main weapon is neodymium-glass medium, maximum output 2.4 gigajoules per minute."

Pellegrino raised her eyebrows in approval. That was almost comparable to new-style chaos weaponry, which Morganite designers were racing desperately to duplicate. "Speed?"

"Top speed is 75 miles per hour." Much less than a speeder.

"Why would we want that?" Pellegrino enquired.

De la Roca smiled. "Because this thing could flatten a mountain if used properly. Speed is useful, but so is power. You can use this for support or to eliminate fortifications - bunkers, trenches, fences, perimeters... Plus the firepower, Minister, the firepower!"

The Defense Minister eyed the hulking vehicle for a moment. Then she said, "Commence combat testing at once. I have a feeling this thing might just earn a No Contract."
***
OOC: "No Contract" means that transfer of this technology to other factions is considered an act of treason. Trust the Morganites to express treason in economic phraseology.

Welcome to Alynzia! I look forward to reading your work.

[Guardian]

On the Eastern Continent...

PK forces are mobilizing. Increased activity along the Spartan border and in the Planetneck area. Significant naval forces approaching Planetneck...


On the Western Continent...

PK ground forces going on alert in the New Hope area. More aircraft being launched. Meanwhile, PK aircraft are chasing Spartan and Hive aircraft back across the Believer border. As they cross the border, the Peacekeepers show no intention of breaking off the chase...


U.N.S. Apollon II

The landing operation began at 06:20 local time.
The Marines from the Apollon landed first, and when they reported all clear, they were quickly followed by the formers and the colony pod. Meanwhile, the task force had received new orders. Captain Withfield's face momentarily turned to stone when she heard, whereupon a strange, eerie calm seemed to come over her, as if she had always known this would happen...

They were to immediately proceed towards Redemption Base at best speed...

They were going off to meet some Spartans...


[OOC: The Peacekeepers have just landed personnel and equipment for a new base at location 1, 89. The naval task force who made the "delivery" is moving out towards their new objective...]

[Kassiopeia]

Believing Radar Post, Far Jericho

The communications officer grabbed the microphone.

"Peacekeeper jets in pursuit of Spartan jets, come in. Disengage your pursuit and withdraw from Believing aerospace. Alter your course away from Believing territory or this will be considered an act of war. Come in, Peacekeeper jets."

[Guardian]

U.N. Thunder flight, in Believer territory, heading south fast...

Wing Commander Cilia Anderson heard the incoming transmission from the Believing Radar Post, but had no idea who was addressing her, as the Believer did not say. She assumed that it would be someone at the Far Jericho Radar Post because her systems told her they should have detected her by now...

She rolled her eyes at the Believer's words...

War, war, war... -is that all these people ever think about??

She keyed her transmit button and spoke in a firm voice...

"Unidentified speaker, this is U.N. Thunder lead, heading south in pursuit of Spartan aircraft. Sorry to be trespassing like this, but I can assure you we're not here to make war. We shall be leaving shortly."

While she said this, she was still heading south at high speed.
The border was already 20 kilometers behind her...

[Sprayber]

Spartan Command Bunker

The last of Bravo squadron was taxiing off the runway and heading for the hangers. Inside the command bunker the radar operator announced that the incoming PK jets had ignored the border and had continued across. The Spartan commander leaned back in his chair and sipped a cup of coffee. “Sir, the Believers are screaming for the Pks to turn around or there will be war.” The Spartan commander just smiled and let out a small chuckle. “Well, the Pks may ignore the Believers. And hell, they may even ignore us. But they damn well better not ignore the storm coming in from the south.” He turned around to look at his second in command. “Do you actually think that they believe that Bravo was going so fast solely because of them? Lieutenant, please advise the Believers to allow the Pks time enough to realize what is going on. And while your at it. You may want to suggest to the PK pilots to look out for the storm.” “Right away sir.” The Spartan commander took another sip from his coffee cup. “Damn, what a waste. This could have been something really interesting.”

To: Believer Outpost
From: Spartan Command Bunker

To the commander of Believer outpost. We advise you that situation should not get out of hand. We believe that PK planes will be forced to turn around very shortly due to extreme weather coming from the south. We do appreciate your invaluable service in tracking the Pk planes and request that you assist us in tracking their further movements.

To: PK Flight Squadron
From: Spartan Command Bunker

We suggest that you pay careful attention to a storm front to our south. It looks very nasty. Of course, if you would like to land at our airfield to avoid the storm. We could accommodate your aircraft.

[OOC: Remember those storms bouncing around Believer territory that will keep Miriam and Santiago from going together to the meeting. Well, it seems that fortune, or maybe divine intervention is on Sparta's side. ]

[Guardian]

[OOC: Ehhh... what in the world happened??
Did the Spartans engage some kind of hyperdrive and just skip 1000 kilometers of flight? Or did you whip out your towing cables and drag the PK jets all the way to Far Jericho without any of them noticing??
Nah, just kiddin.... I thought we were just crossing the border though, and I had no intention of chasing you all the way home... So... I guess what I'm saying is that if the Spartans are already back on the ground, then the Peacekeepers would be long gone by now... They're still up by the border somewhere, and much closer to New Hope than Far Jericho...

Oh, and by the way... Poor helicopters!!!!
If the jets are having trouble getting home in time, then those choppers are in a world of hurt... ]

[Mr. President]

Military Communique
Polymorphic Seal 4
From: Central Command
To: All Divisions and Units

Red alert. Hostile fire near Morgan Antimatter. Units X31 and K2 report immediately.
***
The Daily Industrialist
(Morgan Industries' First Newspaper, Bringing The News You Want For 100 Years)

Front page:

Chaos on the home front: The peaceful atmosphere aroung Morgan Antimatter was shattered early this morning as explosions rang and helicopters prowled the darkness...
***
"Take us down there." Sergeant Frank Palmer, 1st Airborne Brigade, pointed towards a smoking civilian rover. It was four in the morning, and he had been hauled from bed a couple of hours earlier to combat God only knew what.

The helicopter slowed, and descended towards the vehicle. Some of the insurgents had attempted to escape eastwards, but Palmer's Shadowball had stopped them in their tracks. A burnt-out wreck stood in the middle of a gray field, still smoking from hits by the chopper's particle impactor.

Sergeant Palmer and several armed men leaped down from the chopper, and he waved them towards the wreck. As one they advanced cautiously. Ten metres or so from the vehicle, Palmer realized there was no threat; in the helicopter's spotlight he saw the silhouettes of four figures, slumped in their seats. Quickly the soldiers covered the remaining ground.

The interior of the rover's remains were mangled beyond repair. Smoke still leaked from behind some of the control panels. The insurgents were burned as well, but Palmer could still make out their green overshirts and headbands. He cautiously peered at the driver's sleeve; the shoulder was stamped with a tree and sword logo.

"God damn it, who are these people?" Palmer muttered.

He ordered his men back to the chopper. The Special Forces had reported receiving enemy fire to the east of his position, and the 1st Airborne Brigade flew to support them.
***
OOC: I guess I am still playing after all.

I'm not implying Gaian or Cult involvement here. If I was a government, I might surmise a connection between these people and Provost Zakharov's gas incident...

[Kassiopeia]

Believing Radar Post, Far Jericho

The officer stared again at the weather report and again took the microphone.
"Peacekeeper flight. Incoming storm front. For your own sake disengage as soon as possible."
And then to the Spartan jets: "It appears God has maken His move for our behalf."

OOC: Do the Believers have AAA systems? Like guns, missiles?

[Guardian]

[OOC: Kass, I'd be surprised if they had nothing of the kind, but I suspect they wouldn't be too advanced... Anyway, I am going to assume that this whole storm thing came up at about the same time as those jets crossed the border... Also, since the storm is still south of Far Jericho, which is a thousand kilometers south of New Hope, there should be at least a few hours for the Peacekeepers to prepare for it...]


U.N. Thunder flight, 50 kilometers south of Believer border...

Cilia frowned at the Believer's words... Storm front? Where??
What was this? Some kind of bluff??

She hesitated for a few moments, then it started to sink in that it probably wasn't a bluff...
It was probably in the south... probably one of those storms bouncing around in Believer territory which nobody had quite figured out just yet... From what she'd heard, they were unpredictable enough for this morning's weather forecast to have missed one... -and it could be part of the reason why these Spartans were suddenly in such a hurry to get home...

Another 10 kilometers raced by within the time it took her to make her decision and inform the others of her plan...