CtP Fic no. 1

[PresidentMarcos]

Under the South Pacific
Indonesian Ocean Shelf
7:58 AM
July 3rd,
2023.



The huge beige-grey dome rose hundreds of metres aove the ocean floor. Made of the best advanced composites man could possibly manufacture, it was strong, and capable of resisting the pressure of the ocean at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Not only was the dome strong, it was light, and very buoyant...

So buoyant, in fact, that the miners had trouble keeping the dome on the bottom. They employed several hundreds of anchoring cable, as well as high power magnets, for this purpouse. And this was the mine's one weak point...

Inside the mine, in the main control room, Robinson began his work. Unbeknowst to his employers, the Oceanic Corporate Consortium, he was a member of the Gaia Movement. And he was here to destroy this mien cluster, and free Mother Earth from it's oppresion by these capitalist pigs. He found the mooring release controls...

Punching in several commands on the console, Robinson set a timer for 20 minutes...

More than enough time.

Robinson hurried out of the control room, into the transport bay...

He hopped into one of the submarines, and released the docking clamps. Within minutes, he was at the surface...

At the bottom of the ocean, the timer expired...

Power was cut from the nuclear reactors to the mooring magnets, and the mooring cables were released. The domes popped up with incredible force, and began floating upward.

The mines, meanwhile, deprieved of their protective domes, were crushed by the intense pressures prevalent at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

This mine cluster represented 75% of the Oceanic Consortium's resource gathering capabilities. The market was about to swing...
And with it would go the balance of power on Earth.

[Pave]

it and its

[PresidentMarcos]

Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia.
Corporate Consortium HQ
8:18 AM
July 3rd,
2023.


"Good morning," the speaker announced. "As you all know, you have been called here today because of urgent, pressing matters. Now, you shall find out what you were called here for. Barely 21 minutes ago, a member of an Ecotopian movement sabotaged our main mining cluster. He cut off power to the mooring magnets, causing the domes to float to the surface. You are all aware of the effects."

As if on cue, the big-screen monitor on the wall lit up with a cinematic. It began with a picture of a stick figure running, no, moving (it wasn't animated) up to a big red button. Then, the view switched to a picture of a grey dome floating up from a brown rectangle on a blue background. It was all very poorly done, and very crude looking, as well.

"Of course, this particular mine cluster represents 75% of our capabilities. For the time being, we are crippled. The Americans will have a stranglehold on the market for quite some time..."

Again, another cinematic began to play. It was in the same style. A stick figure wearing a flag-colored hat began to be surrounded by green rectangles with $s on them. The meaning of these rectangles was very obvious to the men in the room.

"...and our profits will plummet. We are in very deep trouble, gentlemen. The fate of the entire Pacific Adminstrative Consortium is at stake."

The speaker referred to the huge corporate republic which was made of Far East countries.

"Any suggestions, gentlemen?"

"Well, there is an area to the east of our mining areas that is shallower...it would be easier to remine there. Also, we do have a military..."

"No..."

"Let us cast a vote, then..."

[Mr. President]

I hate to split hairs, but Kuala Lumpur is actually in Malaysia.

Other than that

[PresidentMarcos]

And so, the ballots were passed out. On them, were two choices...

To fight...

To not to fight...

Each of the men were also handed ballpoint pens.

"Just fill in the bubbles," said the speaker.

Each man did so, and after a few minutes, it was finished.

Then, the executives held up their ballots.

Two of the executives didn't understand the question, a third drank the ink out of the ballpoint pen, and yet another stabbed himself to death with his by accident.

That left seven members who had voted...

Three of each choice...

It was a deadlock, and the fate of the world hung on the balance of the vote of a single executive.

As it was, he voted to fight.

The ballots were counted, and a decision was made to go to war with the North American Economic Consortium, an alliance made up of the U.S. and Canada.

Hostilities would commence on July 15th...