The Unonian Curtain

Roleplay Library
1

Like any typical summer day in Provinsk, the high noontime sun would give way to storms as they cascaded from the Uliveru Mountains, moving eastward and eventually continuing to Lake Miiyu or dying out over the Burdek Lowlands in Listonia. It didn’t always used to be that way, however. At one time, Provinsk was fairly dry during the summer months, but as the Pax slowly scorched their own lands, the surrounding climate changed, and, coupled with irrigation patterns, land around Provinsk became pleasanter and more favorable to farming. Gone were the days where Provinsk accumulated its wealth by being a major trading hub in Yasteria. Instead, Provinsk could sustain itself, but this actually accelerated its need to stay connected to the Vekaiyun State, as the city became even more covetous toward invaders.

Of course, who really cares all that much for history these days, anyway?

Returning to present-day, the loud, slightly ominous bells of the Cathedral of St. Yalastruvi in Provinsk rang out, signaling the end of mass. Appearing from the crowd was Ikrisia Levinile, Premier of Vekaiyu, somewhat surrounded by an entourage of close officers and some security. Stepping outside from the tall barrel-vaulted ceiling of the church was almost a disappointment… almost, as the sacred portraits and painted heavens were a bit too opulent for a cloudless blue sky. Nevertheless, she wasn’t there to admire the art, but to partake in mass, meditate on the mysteries of her faith, and offer herself in communion. It was what a Vekaiyun did on Sunday, and in an effort to connect with her people, she routinely did so publicly.

“Premier Levinile!” a voiced called out.

She looked to her right and noticed Yensey Nekuslovi, the individual who was honored at the charity auction a few days prior. She waited for him to come up to him, and was quick to wave off her guards.

“So nice to see you at our church. Well, I just wanted to say… thank you for the auction and bringing together individuals to raise money for a worthy cause. I really appreciate that, and I’m certain others do too.”

She shrugged. “I did nothing. What was done that night was the work of all who felt a need to help those in need.” She continued to walk toward her car as he followed.

“You are still in Provinsk. There is much to see in this town - may I… I mean, if it is okay with you and your crew, show you some sights you might miss in your journeys?”

“I’m afraid I have unfinished business in Provinsk,” she replied. “Don’t think of me as brash or unkind, but my schedule does not permit such activities. I would… for lack of a better phrase, move on, Nekuslovi.”

“You have time for one dinner, perhaps tonight?”

Ikrisia grimaced. “Another time.”

“Tomorrow night, then?” He paused. “It is, after all, another time.”

Biting her lip, Ikrisia gave a slight nod. “Very well, Nekuslovi. I have your card. You will be notified of the time and place. Then I’m afraid it is back to Eldura for me.”

She climbed into the back seat of her car and closed the door. The tinted glass of her window prevented anyone from peeking through, but she could see the figures near her car quite clearly. She focused on one in particular, attempting to read them and understand just what they wanted. Next stop: Mount Isleboyay, a peak in the Uliveru Mountain Range.

2

Center for Air and Space Defense, Southern Campus, just outside of Provinsk

Ikrisia, along with several high-ranking Vekaiyun military officers, sat comfortably in an underground room and focused on a presentation. Like most of the Southern Campus, it was jutted directly next to the mountain in a rather secluded spot, known but rarely spoke about, heavily defended, yet routinely ignored by Vekaiyun media. Built during the reign of Sevala McEva, the campus was fairly advanced and was built with a mind that hostile entities would one day view it as a potential target. Time passed, and an ever-shifting political climate took eyes off the campus, but security did not skip a beat, requiring all present to identify through the proper channels, even a well-known Premier was not immune to such treatment.

Participants were seated at a long table. In front of them were two windows showing a much more interesting room full of various control decks lined with lit and unlit buttons, and video screens that flicked to dozens of vantage points. Between the two windows was a presentation already in progress.

“All present, please pay close attention to this slide. You don’t need to understand the graphs, but what this tells us is based on our knowledge of Gaussian current laws, we can make modifications to the Pax Canon technology… shape it, control it, and even modify it.” He switched to the next slide. “What was missing from our initial assessment was making sense of the electron density of the plasma beam, but we figured that out when we applied a modified Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution and, by probability, significantly reduced misfires to the point where they are a non-issue, preventable up to the point of user error. But we wanted more. Magnetism was our answer.”

He switched to the next slide. “Our first task was to add a burst to this device, something that would trigger a significant electromagnetic pulse in order to render all advanced communication in the selected area completely useless. Much to what our theory seemed to indicate, this can be done without firing a shot, so to speak. The rays emitted from the canons are invisible to the naked eye, that is, no apparent physical damage is seen and, due to their ultra-high frequency, are difficult to detect. These canons, named VC-2 to differentiate the VC-1 Pax Canon technology, is a modification of said technology. But, this is much different than the standard bang-bang cowboy approach. When lined up in increments of approximately 75 kilometers, these devices can form a continuous flow of energy across a predefined border. Such a border would have devastating consequences on any neighboring nation. If provoked, such a strong magnetic burst would render most technology useless.”

Kral Commodore Nevikalu turned to Ikrisia, then to the officer giving the presentation. “Istrovi General Relestroviyey… is there any way we can see this in action?”

“We have tested this in small areas and have demonstrated unprecedented success, sir. We are ready for large-scale testing, but we are… limited in our targets, as you might understand.”

“Maybe we can stick one of these things on a vessel and sail it out to some island nation.”

Ikrisia held up a hand. “No, please no. I don’t want any surprises with this technology. We’re not going to be doing that. Small scale testing is sufficient provided it is safe.”

“It is very safe, milady. And for the sake of the illustration, yes, one could mount this on a naval vessel, sail it out, produce a burst, and sail back, provided they are absolutely sure of their target. Obviously the effect is much more efficient the more canons one has pointed in the direction of the target. Think of it as a comb through some hair. If a comb has one strand, it will create a small disturbance. More teeth to the comb significantly impacts the results.”

“I see,” Ikrisia replied. “I expect more tests to be done on this technology before we implement it. You will understand my caution in this endeavor. This isn’t something to be taken lightly, especially with our weapon in The Levenasi.”

“Of course, milady. With respect to that, we wish to demonstrate this technology immediately to you. Are you available this week?”

Ikrisia nodded. “I am more than willing to view that project in action. It’s been seven years since we implemented that, and my patience wears thin.”

3

“Madam,” the DIEIS (Department of Internal and External Intelligence and Security) agent asked Premier Cecilia as she read the report.

“As far as I can tell from this report, Vekaiyu is simply doing a lot of military buildup, especially along the coast. I want our forces on standby. If another nation asks why, have our Ministry of State just tell them that we are doing extensive training exercises,” she said. “I just hope things don’t deteoriate our relations with Vekaiyu. We are already having problems with discussing numerous issues with them. And don’t remind of my brother’s infatuation with Ikrisia. I’m just glad he’s not writing love letters to her. The last thing anyone wants is for her to slap him with a restraining order and calling him a stalker. I don’t have to tell you what sort of image that would send to everyone, esepically with the new changes we’re making to the Royal Constitution,” she replied as she sat the papers down on her desk.

“Yes, ma’am,” the agent said.

“Dismissed,” she said. The agent saluted her and after she returned the salute he left. She sighed a bit as she heard the cry of one of her children from the nursery.

“Well, I could use a break anyhow,” she said as she got up to deal with an important, yet probably messy, issue.

4

Comona Islands, Wey-Yu Industries

“Sir,” huffed a rather sweaty man in a button up shirt, tie, and slacks. He stood before his boss and presented a manila folder.

“Speak,” said the felidae, sitting at his desk in a high-rise building overlooking the company airport on the island.

The underling straightened himself and started, “Sir, we have military activity on-going in the region of the Gulf of Itur. Our analysts are saying that our oil rig, the Oenotropae, is at risk of potential military action.”

“And?” asked the rather uninterested cheetah-like figure.

“Sir?” he questioned before resuming, “The Vulshanians and Vekaiyuns might get into a fight with our holdings at risk.”

“Greg, you worry too much,” he replied in a soothing manner, “Our rig is well within the industry standards, and we have it within international waters. Far from the borders of either nation. In accordance to a rather understood law, oil rigs are not permanent locations. They are instead, by law, classified as ships. The Oenotropae is registered to us, as we have no need to deal with pesky taxes and regulations that other nations have in place.”

“What about inspections?” Greg inquired.

“If the rig were registered under lets say, the Vulshanians, inspections would take weeks since it is within their regs. However, since it is a foreign ship, they can only spend a few hours inspecting a foreign ship in international waters. I highly doubt they will find out anything out of the ordinary.”

“But what about the VexGen facility underneath it? If word gets out about our efforts there…” said the man before the interruption.

“Greg, the facility is entirely separate from the rig itself. There is no possible way they would want to dive down to a sprawling complex hidden underneath, which is without a doubt, the largest oil drilling rig in the world. Our Bio-Weapons research on the Reavers will continue without a hitch.”

5

En Route to Provinsk

“No no, Kilastayey, I have heard of your work before - a head of state is not that isolated from the works of her people, of course. I did study to be a chemist before I was even involved in the Vekaiyun government. I… liken myself to be a curious observer of the field of study these days, however, and nothing more.”

The middle-aged vulpine male flashed a smile, half-turned into a grimace. “I am convinced that thorium is the future of this world, and I have no doubt people will come to know our energy as the eighth wonder of the world. The fact that you also believe this notion to be true gives me hope and determination.” The gentleman, Yuso Kilastayey, wore an all-black three piece suit complete with black gloves. He jostled slightly as the limousine carrying the two slowed and took a left-hand turn.

Ikrisia, on the other hand, wore a white blazer emblazoned with flags of the Vekaiyun Union and Vekaiyu on the lapels. Her outfit was completed with a white skirt, black hosiery, and white shoes. “We already use it in our power plants, so I would not see otherwise.”

“But the trick is to reduce cost… which I believe you are proposing?”

She smiled. “Research performed by your people indicated thorium reserves buried underneath Leni Atoll. I remember that, but I also remember you informed me that mining would require too much time and too much money, as the deposits were buried deep in the side of the atoll.”

He reached for a glass. “Yes, I do recall that. Enough deposits to completely change the energy industry. But it’s complicated now that the government is involved.”

“Not quite. See, I have a weapon to test, and I believe it is quite capable to give you quick access to those deposits. Let’s say this scenario plays out correctly and it works. Your corporation has the ability to mine said materials with far greater efficiency than the government, I would hope. Your company gains total access to those deposits, but it must sell deposits at ten percent overhead to Vekaiyu and the Union - a discount for your countrymen. The rest… do with as you please.”

Kilastayey shook his head. “Nothing lower than twenty percent overhead. Otherwise the operation is infeasible for our interests.” He smiled. “Twenty percent is very generous on my end. Extremely generous even. That is an unprecedented discount… as charity to my people.”

“Anyone who is willing to go that generous as you proclaim would be willing to go a bit further. I understand. Perhaps you need to actually see this process in action before making such a decision. I will provide a means for you to see it in action.”

“On a ship?”

“Heavens, no. We will issue a craft ban up to the test - this may get rather violent.”

Kilastayey furrowed his brow. “Is there anything you can tell me about this weapon?”

Ikrisia smirked. “I do not believe you have the proper clearance for such knowledge, Kilastayey. All you need to do is re-scan the aftermath.”

6

Val looked through his touchscreen device, sifting through and reading the news across the globe. He sat there muttering, “Civil War in the Tolorian Empire nearing an end, pirates hijack a oil tanker, plane carrying an ambassador missing, and I think there is something interesting.”

He stopped on a certain article…

— Begin quote from ____

Iliskalu: Vekaiyu Has Claimed Leni Atoll
Reporting from the V3 Network in Vekaiyu, Ankya Ilusi

Eldura - Speaking on behalf of the immediate Vekaiyun government, Vekaiyun Minister of the Interior Vanse Iliskalu informed V3 News of a recent Vekaiyun acquisition: a seemingly meaningless stretch of land surrounded by ocean. The island, identified as Leni Atoll, is strategically located in the middle of the expansive Ocean Pacifica, though by all accounts the island is far too small and too volatile to be used in any capacity.

“We are simply jumping at an opportunity,” Iliskalu said in front of cameras. “It is a rather inauspicious place, and a gamble at the very least. This is merely an announcement, and I would advise any and all craft to avoid it and surrounding areas at all costs. Normally we do not publicly announce such things, but we are operating in good spirits and wish to demonstrate our trust among all nations of Urth.”

Leni Atoll is recently-formed island resulting from volcanic activity as the Niguri Fault Line continues to move westward, forming ridges in the ocean floor. The island is reportedly unstable due to the volcanic activity, so it remains a mystery as to why Vekaiyu has claimed this small landmass.

— End quote

“Interesting,” grunted Val, “What could possibly be there? Military purpose doesn’t make sense, island is too small and way the fuck out of the way. Minerals are possible, but what about the mineral surveys? The only thing that the Veks got a hardon for is Thorium for their nuclear program. Something is not right though.”

He sat there for several minutes, staring at the screen. Finally cutting the stillness, Val picked up his cellphone and dialed a number. Several minutes went by with a constant buzzing tone until a voice came on, “'Ello?”

“Hanley, I need you to buy a couple of stocks in the Vekaiyun stock market.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Thorium and anything related to thorium.”

“Jeeze Boss, don’t 'cha think that’s a little out there? I mean, no recent discoveries are being made in the Gulf of Itur, and I heard of no whispers in the market. And that’s coming from someone whose fingers are in everyone’s pie.”

“Call it a hunch of mine. Plus I could use the extra money to buy some property in the Tolorian area after the Veridian Empire absorbs it.”

7

Along the Sculiski Waterfront, Provinsk Business District

Large buildings hugged the Sculiski River as it flowed through the large city of Provinsk. The river added to the beauty of the city at night, as the lit offices and streetlights glistened on the slightly choppy water. It was especially peaceful along the waterfront, where vegetation along the river, between buildings, and in concrete plantings along the path added a certain natural charm and seemed to make the iron fence separating the river from the walkway a little less abrasive.

Benches and tables lined particular areas of the waterfront, especially where restaurants - still open, of course - were lined. Most passer-byes chose to ignore the restaurants and simply walked past them, either enjoying the cool night breeze off the water or traveling elsewhere to places only they would know.

Ikrisia smiled as the two sat down at one of the various tables. While she almost certainly would have attracted attention in uniform, she chose to dress more inconspicuously for this meeting, wearing a black dress with hosiery of red and black complete with black shoes. She used a blue hoodie to keep the night air at bay, and to draw less attention to herself. In other words, she appeared as a typical citizen of Provinsk at night. “You will… understand that I do not normally dine with individuals like this. It is nice, this way. It feels less forced.”

Yensey Nekuslovi, on the other hand, wore a white and black pinstripe shirt complete with a red tie, black pants, and black shoes. A typical Provinskian professional, it seemed. “I figured you’d like it.”

“Why is that?”

He shrugged. “I assumed you’d like something different, you know, something that better connects you with the people. I can’t think of any other way to do that than to actually be surrounded by them and not in some kind of production.”

Ikrisia nodded and looked at her bowl of kikale. “Often the best moments are those that do not seem contrived or rehearsed… candidly, of course.”

“No need to worry, Premier Levinile,” he said with a slight laugh. “I don’t have a camera on me. I’m not of the press, just a scientist who has an interest for the culture around him.”

“Very well. And… it’s Ikrisia. You do not need to refer to me by my title.”

“Then Ikrisia it is. I hate to sound cliche, but I’ve always liked that name - it’s an ancient name, an early Christian name that means pure-hearted. Yeah, pure-hearted and, taken from the Old Unonian dialect, it’s meant to be taken in the sense of reverence for the Almighty, like, pure because it is desired by the Almighty.” He paused. “Ah, let me know if I’m talking too much… Ikrisia.”

Ikrisia scoffed. “No, it’s fine. Yensey is… a pagan-turned-Christian name, right?” She waited for him to nod. “Interesting. Have you always lived here?”

“In Provinsk? Yes. I’ve gotten used to the city and never really had a reason to leave it. Nearly everything I need is here. We have a winning baseball team now - you remember the Powers went to the playoffs last year?”

“Vaguely. I don’t really follow baseball. But… I do hear it is nice. I have never been to a game though, so most of what I understand of it comes from hear-say.”

“Perhaps you’d like go to a game while you’re still here? We still have a good team, and the team has heart. It’s pretty easy to become a fan.”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately I am rather busy. I do not know how long I will be in this city. And, there will be a time when I must go back to Eldura… as I said prior, I am very busy and have a very limited schedule.”

He grimaced and scratched the back of his head. “I’d be willing to join you, if you’d like for someone to come along.”

“I couldn’t ask that of you.”

He shrugged. “I can move stuff around at work. Take up some vacation days, use some stopgaps for conferences. It’s particularly slow at work these days - just in the middle of several projects is all.”

“What are you working on?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Well, it’s more of a collaboration now, but we’re designing a low molecular weight deuterated polyethylene shield that will work as a radiation absorbent. We’ve filed a patent on the idea and have enough supporting evidence, but we have made strides since then. See, the trick is to bulk up the formula with protons, and I’ve finished up a process to easily deuterate a polyethylene coating. It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to scale up.” He paused. “What about you? Anything you are working on that is of superior importance?”

Ikrisia bit her lip. “I’m afraid there is little I can talk about, unfortunately. Everyone requires the time of a premier, it seems.”

“I can respect that.” He paused again. “Ikrisia, I’ve only known you for a short time, but work and titles aside, I’d like to get to know you more. What I’m trying to say is I’m not asking for the time of a premier, I’m… asking for the time of Ikrisia. The fact that you are our premier is daunting, but it’s not the reason I want to know you more. I like you for who you are.”

She flashed a half-smile. “But that’s the thing. You don’t know who I am.”

“Then allow me to get to know you.” He looked into her eyes.

“You seem rather adamant, Nekuslovi.”

“You may call me Yensey… candidly, of course.” He winked at her.

Ikrisia smiled. “You really want to know more about me, eh? You’re not just… wanting to know about some law or some covert project? Help via a treaty or establish diplomatic relations? You’re not some kind of candidate running in the Kivreskov, are you?”

“I’m asking as myself to spend time with someone like yourself. That’s all. If you’ve… got too much paperwork, or can’t spare a moment because you’re too busy for meetings, then I understand. It was nice knowing you. But if you can shake time out of that schedule and open up just a little bit, see where this goes, and want something that’s unrehearsed and spontaneous, I’m willing to give it a chance.”

“I… I think I would like that, actually. I’ve… never done this, so please understand.”

“You’re doing fine. Just be yourself.”

8

Hidden VexGen Pharmaceuticals Facility, several miles below the “Oenotropae.”

Miss Thanopolis stood in the observation deck, watching pale and graying bodies shuffle in the room below. Looking over case-notes, she began reiterating to her colleagues hired by VexGen Pharmaceuticals, a common name in the field of medicine. A very little known fact was that VexGen was one of the many shell companies that answered to Wey-Yu Industries.

The human continued, “Lesions such as ulcers, peeling skin, abscesses, and open wounds are present. Their graying to blackening skin is indicative of Reavers, or so the Dwarves of Morag’Bal has entitled to these creatures. Their diet is purely carnivorous, however, certain cases have been noted when women were cornered and used as a form of reproduction.”

“Regarding their urges to reproduce, since bodily fluids are contagious, what happens to the female in such cases?” asked one of the VexGen scientists.

“Good question,” exclaimed the project manager, “It is not fully confirmed, but the best approximation would be within the span of a year. This is concluded from the report on Page 142, with an After Action Report from a recovery team sent by the dwarves. A dwarven 24 year old by the name of Jarella was considered missing. A commoner as easily distinguished by the lack of a last name. After a year of her disappearance, a recovery team looking for artifacts or possible ways to recover lost territory has stumbled across a breeding farm. Jarella was confirmed to be one of the breeders.”

“And the report says grotesque deformities?” asked a collegue.

“Yes, excessive weight gain to retain nutrients from the laborious breeding procedure. Around 7 times the original weight at the end of the transformation. Reports also state that the size increases over age incrementally, as stated when they came across a 70 year old breeder that dwarfed the younger ones.”

At this point, a few of the scientists looked in disbelief as they began to observe each other until finally focusing on the lead scientist who continued, “It is also proven that the body of the breeder changes significantly in terms of reproductive systems, now instead of one pregnancy lasting the span of several months, they can attain multiple pregnancies to keep up the numerical advantage as considered normal with Reavers.”

Now one of the male scientists stifled an attempt to puke his lunch, a cucumber veggie Panini consumed less than 20 minutes ago. “Now, let us move to the next observation platform to demonstrate the brood mother,” Miss Thanopolis said, her heels clacking on the floor as the other scientists were being brought up to speed on the project.

“Now as you can see, the broodmother currently weighs in at 673 pounds,” she said as reinforced shutters revealed a broodmother in full restraints on the floor several stories below in a contained arena. Scarring was evident on the visible sections of its body, which was pointed out by a scientist.

“What has caused the scarring?” a female asked.

“Glad to answer that. We have recovered bodily fluids and fetuses at various stages of growth during the development of the broodmother.”

“Development?”

Miss Thanopolis smiled pleasantly while looking at the questioning professionals, “As noted in the reports and trade made with the dwarves, no broodmothers were included, as it was too laborious and risky to transport, let alone capture a live subject. So we had to resort to ‘participants’ who would undergo the transformation. They only accept females, obviously, who would be fed bodily fluids containing the virus. Most die during the procedure of ingesting said fluids if they were not eviscerated for a quick lunch, and mathematical experts put the odds of producing a fully functional breeder at 10,000 to 1.”

“Wait, most die during the procedure? You’ve been sacrificing women to these things for trial and error?” questioned a clothed scientist.

“Yes, we have obtained undesirables of society to promote our research, especially into breeders. By undesirables, I mean drifters, vagrants, and those serving life sentences in prison. Or were serving to be correct. Now we have formulated a proper procedure to produce breeders if need be, which drastically improves the odds.”

The gathering of scientists looked at each other. Their psychological profiling was stringent enough to only accept those who were amenable to such, extreme measures. But this was more than an act of extremes.

One scientist questioned, “So hold on, how does the act of reproduction happen?”

A rather unnatural smile appeared on Miss Thanopolis’ face as she answered with a cheery disposition, “Forcey Fun Times, or as most people would like to call it, rape. It’s a procedure done by at the very least, six adult male Reavers. Sometimes it grows larger in participants depending upon the size and age of the broodmother. Five to hold down the future host of their children, one to commit the act of intercourse.”

She turned around and motioned to the oversized female from the observation deck, “Susan here, needed twenty just to hold her down. While the line behind her grew considerably. The session lasted six hours, twenty minutes, and fourteen seconds. An average of five minutes and nine seconds each for every male that had intercourse.”

“Now, that’s it. We will move onto the next segment of our tour,” she stated. The leader’s heels clicking on the floors as the party followed.

9

Zone 84B, The Levinasi

The veritable forest that was The Levinasi is the largest yet is also the least populated state in Vekaiyu. The state’s rolling hills covered with forested groves and sparse roads made it rather easy for the Vekaiyun government to hide projects. Ikrisia, being a former test subject from a project based in the Levinasi, knew all too well of how things could easily be forgotten among the millions of trees.

Ikrisia however, had not forgotten this particular project since it was revealed to her while during a stay at Ygelhiym Castle in the Iliesa Province, some 5-6 years ago. The project, named Esuyuye Rishavu or Steel Seraph, had its foundations laid out in 1997, but was still in development from as far back as when Ikrisia was Kral Commodore of Vekaiyu. Still, the project had intrigued her. A large vessel, capable of flight via magnetism, armed with enough firepower to shape the landscape of the planet. It was intriguing as it was concerning. Ikrisia, shaped by her experiences from a past government that was out of control with itself, was aware of the implications this vehicle meant.

She walked into a rather large control room atop a tower, used to coordinate a launch of this vehicle one day. The room was abuzz as various specialists went through another barrage of tests, but their noisy discourse was silenced when they noticed the Premier and her entorage enter their facilities. All stood to attention.

“At ease,” Ikrisia remarked. She was quickly greeted by Lur Commodore Psikiri, the individual she had selected to take over the project when she gained control of Vekaiyu. The commodore, who came from a long line of military men and women, was in full military dress uniform and was more than ready for a test launch.

“Premier Levinile… welcome to the last round of testing prior to launch. You’ll see that the steel seraph through the front window is ready for your command. I must admit, the name is befitting of the project, Premier Levinile. A seraph, continuously singing praises of Vekaiyun order, floating above in the heavens, ready to strike at a moment’s notice with judgment most complete. It strikes with fire, which purifies the landscape around it.”

Ikrisia was mildly impressed with the commodore’s metaphor. She flashed a smile as to not dim his efforts. “You have been briefed on the orders and have read them thoroughly?”

He nodded. As Ikrisia walked around the control room, he followed her closely behind. “Indeed, milady. We will await your command to launch. Once that occurs, we will set into motion a series of events. A flight path will be followed to keep this vehicle flying over sparsely populated areas. Clearance has been granted for us to fly over Savenchorbund, which offers the most direct path to Leni Atoll. Fighter escorts will join and leave us from two designated locations - The Levinasi, southern Isklevyu. The Second Roaming Fleet will be placed on alert if needed. Once we are in flight, we will coordinate to institute a craft ban of 500 kilimeters , which will be issued by the Vekaiyun government. Once we arrive at the designated location, we will fire a short test fire burst in order to assess firing capabilities. A second burst will be fired at 20% acceleration from particle chamber A. Our modeling calculations indicate this burst should wipe out the island, but will change the terrain around it to possibly upend the urth around it. After the test, we will analyze the situation and return to our location here.”

Ikrisia grimaced. “Just ensure you understand all protocol. What you have described is an idyllic situation. Events are hardly idyllic anymore.”

“Of course, milady. We are ready to undertake any and all scenarios. Close contact will be established with the high command of the Vekaiyun military and Vekaiyun government at all times.”

“It is extremely important that this testing is successful, Psikiri. Should the this test compromise the safety of this nation in any way, we will not hesitate to scrap this project and leave it to the forests of The Levinasi.”

“Of… course, milady. Allow me to begin our tour of the ship and the grounds.”

10

Several kilometers away from Zone 84B, The Levinasi

Not really wanting to be a part of the celebration or get in the way of their planning, Ikrisia moved her entourage to a nearby outpost several kilometers from the launch point. The outpost, common among bases scattered in The Levinasi, was well-furnished and monitored by a small group of soldiers - perfect for her to watch as the sun began to set over the forested wilderness before her.

Engines fired over the horizon, disturbing the peace around them. Birds rustled nearby and flew away from the noise. As the massive ship began its ascent, Ikrisia watched with fearful curiosity - she knew what such a technology meant, and knew that, should this test prove successful, it would change the dynamics of the entire planet. Despite her fears, her demeanor remained impassive, even as the outpost shivered from the great rumbling of the ship continuing its ascent.

Of course, Ikrisia and many other top governmental and military individuals gave their blessings to the crew prior to leaving the confines. This was before a bishop gave his blessings to the vessel and crew before they boarded, of course. Perhaps the words of a bishop lit a fire in the soul of the captain of the vessel, Lur Commodore Psikiri, who seemed entirely optimistic of their voyage. The crew provided a final salute before boarding. After that, Ikrisia and her crew left.

The rumbling from the ground began to subside as the massive behemoth began to fly east by southeast, heading for the small island, and soon to be joined by a squadron of fighter escorts. It wouldn’t be long now. “There is no turning back now,” Ikrisia thought.

“Care for a drink, milady?”

She looked over at the Minister of the Interior Vanse Iliskalu. “No, there is no time for that. We should return to Provinsk… for the time being. We need to be close to the controls, so to speak, to ensure nothing goes awry. Make certain that all top channels of the government are on alert. It will not be long before this is known to the public in some regard. We will be ready.”

11

Several Hours Later…

A lone Veridian RP-3C Albatross was flying over calm waters, two of it’s outboard engines shut down to conserve fuel. Several men were inside looking at the instruments, checking for signals that could be picked up. The plane and it’s crew were part of an international joint force squadron between the Free Pacific States and the Veridian Empire. It’s original goal was to monitor the waters surrounding the Pax.

One air member at the instrument shouted, “Sir! We got something!”

The commanding officer aboard walked over, past several occupied computers. He looked on the screen and noticed a very abnormal signal. He asked, “It could only be Pax. We don’t hear that much EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference) from any regular craft.”

“Sir,” said the airman again, “Signal is growing…”

“Shit, source it and send the detail over to Airman Riten. Riten!”

“Yes Sir?” shouted the other airman.

“Get ready to send a message. Priority Message Romeo Echo Delta. I want this sent to SIGINT back home and sent to the Free Pacific States!” yelled the commanding officer.

“Sir?” questioned the first airman, “Signal is still growing, I can only source it to the vicinity of Leni Atoll…”

12

Summer Governmental Retreat, Provinsk

Ikrisia and a team of her generals, governmental officials, and elbow-rubbers were gathered in a large room covered with windows exposing the beautiful Vekaiyun fauna around them. In front of them was a fireplace, along with various holographic screens showing real-time video of the control bridge of The Inured, Vekaiyu’s first Class I gunship. Beyond the view of the bridge was a picturesque look into Leni Atoll, the small wasteland of an island in the middle of Pacifica. The island, while dead, was alive with activity, oozing lava and alight with fire, charring the organic matter before them.

“We await your command, Premier Ikrisia Levinile,” Lur Commodore Psikiri said, speaking from the bridge of the ship.

Ikrisia looked forlornly at the screen. “Fire when ready,” she replied impassively.

The massive floating ship, already powered up after a fourteen minute charge, aimed directly at the small island. In an instant, a flash of light illuminated the bridge, flashing a bright white, followed by an impressive bass surge caused by a delay in light-to-sound velocities. The loud sound took the bridge off by surprise, but all fears subsided when vision returned. The view from the bridge showed a morphed landscape. Instead of a small island, a large, prominent crescent appeared, perhaps stretching several kilometers, was in view. Choppy waves proclaimed the aftershock of the test, the water sloshing back and forth after the initial shock.

“Test at 10% completed,” Psikiri relayed to the feed, which had finally stopped buzzing. “Leni Atoll is completely changed. Large crescent island is visible, along with a smaller island to the south. Waves may prove problematic to craft outside of the 500 km range, but it will not be catastrophic.”

Kral Commodore Nevikalu leaned over to Levinile. “Have anything else you’d like to try out? Maybe with more force?”

“Not at this time. The test was successful, let us leave it at that.”

13

East Malaysian Intelligence Agency - HQ
Eastrovia, East Malaysia

As a low-level data operative Agent Blue-59J got the worst shifts but he didn’t complain that much because the pay was pretty good but today was another boring day. He was close to a promotion he hoped but in a society of protectionist and being a human meant he had to work twice as hard to get anywhere. Looking around to make sure no one had noticed he was day dreaming a little and he continued to process the satellite data, which his responsibility was to double check already processed data to make sure of no errors.

It never took him long to double check the data as the majority of the time the only minor things were not caught but as he was about to finish processing a data batch he seen something was off with one of the images. It was a day time image with a higher than expected thermal signature so he called up the last week of satellite data to his workstation to review for that area of a nondescript uninhabited island. Everything was looking good until he seen the island which prompted him to call his commanding officer, which he was hoping would lead him to the promotion he desired.

Imperial Palace - Empress’ Office
Eastrovia, East Malaysia

Empress Jung was reviewing the images on her tablet, “I see, very interesting.” She said writing some notes on her legal pad, “did you find out anything else Director Pink?”

“It’s not nuclear, I have reports of some rough seas from some of our flagged ships, but as far as who and what type of weapon… that will take more time – which I can invest the resources if I need to,” Director Pink said as she started to work that out on her tablet.

“At this time… I don’t think we need to but please keep an eye out for anything suspicious.” Empress Jung said as she as still writing down some notes, which Director Pink thought was very odd.

“If you don’t mind but can I speak freely?” This caused Empress Jung to pause and she dropped her pen then nodded to her. “Is there something I should be made aware of Glendale? I am the Chief Intelligence Office after all.”

This caused Empress Jung to smile, “at this time I would like you to be unaware of it and monitor the area for anything else suspicious.”

Director Pink raised an eyebrow and sighed, “I look forward to learn more once you decided to release it but next time let me know something so I can do something before the gossip starts.”

“I’m, confident in your abilities to take control of it,” Empress Jung stood up and gestured towards the door, “Don’t worry Pink, I have the situation under control and no one would move against us. We have more important things to worry about but please keep an eye out for anything else,” she said as she walked her out of the office with her, “but in the meantime I have a meeting with President Lloyd.”

[hr]
OOC: I just wanted to posty :stuck_out_tongue:
Seriously, involved yet non-involved posting helps me showcase the new East Malaysia.

14

Unidentified Sector, The Levinasi

“And that’s when I decided to leave home and start life anew,” Yensey Nekuslovi continued as they walked through a forested grove of The Levinasi, on a trail that hugged a nearby brook. They were completely alone aside from the comforts of nature. “I didn’t really want to join the military, and I didn’t feel it was my place. I felt I should have moved on for other things. You know, take that scholarship and apply for mechanical engineering.”

“But you deal with plastics, do you not?” asked Ikrisia.

“Yeah, but that’s another story. I sort of switched majors. Luckily today I’ve patched up relations with my family, but it’ll never be the same, you know?” He waited for her to respond. “Well, perhaps not - I shouldn’t assume. I only really know what I’ve read when it comes to your life. You know, come to think of it, I remember reading a report from three years ago that tried to point out inconsistencies in your history.”

“Of course they did.”

Yensey frowned. “So how about you?”

“Oh, my story’s nothing interesting.” They continued to walk along the path, the forest rather quiet for a forest. The more they walked, the more the silence became a bother. “You really want to know?”

“Sure, give it a shot.” He paused. “You trust me, right? Try me.”

“Very well. I was an experiment. My father was an uneducated freedom fighter in Listonia and gave me up for a Maxist program that promised a better life for impoverished children. So they turned us into super-soldiers, made us fight across various battlefields, and hoped to turn is into generals and commanders later in life. But we overcame the scientists that enslaved us and assumed hidden identities to keep our histories hidden. I changed my name to sound similar to an individual who enrolled in Eldura Univeristy who had died several months prior.” She paused and looked up a bit to gather her thoughts. “I met some very special people while in that predicament. I… miss some of them… dearly. The rest you probably know.”

“Come now,” he said as he gripped her hand, to which she responded in kind. “That seems a little interesting, at least.”

Ikrisia smiled weakly. “I… don’t really know my parents all that well. I have met my father, and I admire him, but I’m so detached from him…”

“You can’t just meet him or talk to him? If the Vekaiyun people knew who your father was, that’d be huge. People would want to know everything about him. I’d love to meet him, personally.”

“It’s more complicated than that. Trust me.”

“I, well… don’t know what to say, exactly.”

“Just believe me. Please. If through this entire journey, all that amounts from it is you believe my words, that will be enough for me. I… tell you these things because I have told no one else this. It’s different.”

“Oh, and if I tell someone else this information, you’ll have me killed?”

She smiled. “We’ll go through the proper channels, loss of citizenship, yada yada yada, suddenly you’re on the evening news with a rope around your neck.”

He laughed. “You’re dark.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, I like that. It’s… real, right?”

15

Cape Hope, Veridian Empire

Karl McMahon sat with five other leaders of the soon to be union. The table was made of a thick slab of wood, one of the rarest in the world, and enough to make the richest of men desire it. Karl spoke, fingers interlaced, “So we have evidence that our neighbors are testing new weapons with the likes we have never seen before.”

The representative from Toloria, a man in satin white uniform of a general, asked, “So the Pax are expanding and flexing their muscle?”

Yvette Blackburn, recently nominated leader of Genosha, added, “Not really. Look at the location which the testing happened. It happened within the vicinity of Leni Atoll. And only after the Vekaiyun State has announced a no-go zone around it. They are hiding something.”

Jonas T’savimba, a massive Pantera Leo, wore a simple officer’s uniform. The famed leader of the National Army for a Free Oynenyua disappeared for months on end. It wasn’t until recently did the large figure return to the spotlight. He was called forth after a massive manhunt for him to lead Oynenyua to a future of prosperity and peace. Reports say that he was found at his home, trying to live a simple life. He answered the calls of his people.

Jonas spoke up, “So it is the Vekaiyuns then. My main worries is if we are capable of combating such a thing, if it is indeed a weapon.”

“Oh it is a weapon,” said a felidae in a casual business suit as he walked into the meeting room. Every head in the room turned except for Karl’s.

McMahon introduced the cheetah figure to the rest of the members, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Valintino Saarbac, CEO and Co-Founder of Wey-Yu Industries. I’m sure Jonas is quite familiar with him.”

“Ah, yes,” said Jonas, oblivious to the mastermind that orchestrated his kidnapping and brainwashing. The lion just smiled and raised his cigar in acknowledgement. Wey-Yu Industries was crucial in the efforts for NAFO to gain control of Oynenyua, or what is left of it. Training, funding, and supplying was all thanks to the corporation.

“Jonas, how goes buddy?” asked Val, presenting a smile akin to a shark when it meets it’s next meal. He was glad that the brainwashing methods worked.

“It goes, we are looking forward to the rifles and uniforms for distribution. The training from the advisors are also very much appreciated.”

“All right people, less chit chat, more focusing on the weapon we have in front of us,” interrupted Karl McMahon,“It gives off a massive electromagnetic signal, which means it’s EM based, as obvious as I can get. But our main topic is forming our nations to represent one massive power…”

16

An Official Telegram to the Vekaiyun Union, South Hills, Laiatan, Free Pacific States, Listonia, Pax, and multiple other states capable of producing WMDs

— Begin quote from ____

A Formal Invitation to the Reviewing Weapons of Mass Destruction Testing Committee

In light of the recent event at Leni Atoll, the Veridian Empire extends an invitation to all nations capable of of producing and using Weapons of Mass Destruction. The definition of a Weapon of Mass Destruction is as, “a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere.”

In this committee we seek a political agreement across multiple actors on how WMD testing should be enacted, along with safety protocols. Along with a full briefing on future events that will only be specified in the committee. The Committee shall take place in Cape Hope, the southernmost city on the main island.

Armed Security for each delegation is permitted, up to twenty each. The committee will take place inside the Century Plaza, a 55 Story high skyscraper, hosted by Wey-Yu Industries. Room accommodations and food will be provided for the delegation and it’s respective security team. As a reminder, it is worth noting that a significant portion of the citizenry openly carry firearms such as handguns. A full security briefing will be sent to any participating nation.

The Veridian Empire thanks you for your time and looks forward to hearing from each nation.

— End quote

17

After discussing several points of the proposal with members of the Vekaiyun Government and Vekaiyun Armed Forces in order to ensure her point would be congruent with their abilities and desires, Ikrisia set about writing a reply to all representatives included in the email string.

— Begin quote from ____


Premier of Vekaiyu
Ikrisia Levinile

To whom it may concern with respect to the The Veridian Empire and all representatives included in this mail string,

The Vekaiyun Union (a union which encompasses the state of Listonia) has a spotless reputation when it comes to testing any weapon created by our acumen. Our latest test did not result in the known loss of any lives, which is a testament to our importance on safety and well-being of all sentient beings and their environments.

Furthermore, The Vekaiyun Union rejects the definition outlined under the premise of this meeting. The seemingly purposeful exclusion of nonhuman sentient beings is unusual and may be a clerical error, but nevertheless reveals mindset that will likely be ill-received by other nations which contain a significant population of nonhuman individuals.

The ability of The Vekaiyun Union to safely test novel and innovative weapons is unrivaled. It is to this end that Vekaiyu recommends a screening process to be overseen by a committee based in The Vekaiyun Union. This committee would be able to assess safety involved in tests provided they are adequately informed of the technology and the means in which it will be used. The Vekaiyun Union will maintain non-disclosure of technology and processes in order to preserve secrecy. While it is indeed an arduous and difficult position to undertake, The Vekaiyun Union holds treaties to several states included in this string and would therefore be in prime position to assist all nations with optimum safety.

With best,
Ikrisia Levinile
Premier of Vekaiyu

— End quote

18

Capital District, Minsk

“Madam President, yelled Aleksander Nigmatulin, Deputy Minister of Defense. Madam President, you must look at this right now.”

“I am very busy at the moment preparing for the speech to Parliament, Mr. Deputy Minister”, replies the President. “Can this wait until after the speech?”

“I am afraid not Madam President. This is a very urgent letter I bring you straight from the Minister of Defense himself.”

“Alright then. If it must be that important, hand it over.”

The President looks closely at the telegram.

“This is terrible news indeed”, says President Matinova after reading the telegram. “So you mean to tell me, that the Vekaiyu Union, one of the greatest nations in the world, is testing a possible Weapon of Mass Destruction?”

“I am afraid so Madam President”, replies the Deputy Minister. "What do you want our response to be.

The President looks off into the distance and then says. “Summon the Minister of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and all of the Joint Chiefs to my office immediately. Tell the Parliament that I will be a while. Send out a message to the bases in Grodno, Vitebsk, and Mogilev to be on high alert and finally, close down the border.”

“Yes Madam President”, responds the Deputy Minister while walking out of the office.

The President sits back down at her desk. “Who would have thought that at a time like this, this would begin. Respublika Bielarus isn’t prepared if this weapon is unleashed upon us. We will have to take drastic measures.”

19

To the Vekaiyun Nations and the rest in the Telegram Chain

— Begin quote from ____

In Response to the Vekaiyun Union’s Declination of the Invitation

It is with regret that a clerical error has indeed, happened with our previous telegram to other nations in an effort to convene a committee. As such, the proper definition of a Weapon of Mass Destruction is as follows.

“A nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of beings or cause great damage to being-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere.”

The goal of the Committee is not to set an oversight of highly educated and well experienced individuals, but rather concrete guidelines that will set an international standard towards testing of nuclear weapons. The Guidelines is not to dictate what can or cannot be used, only to ensure that improper and dangerous testing is not acceptable, and subject to scrutiny by other nations.

It is also with deep regret that the Vekaiyun Union, the foremost in safety and productivity of weapons testing, declined the invitation. It was with great hope that the Veridian Empire would host such a reputable nation in the talks for their wisdom in this subject. It is still with hope that the Vekaiyun Union will amend this decision and attend the talks.

— End quote

20

Presidential Mountain Palace, Undisclosed Location

“I believe we are all here”, says President Matinova. “I have called this emergency meeting to discuss the recent news about the Vekaiyu Union’s decision to build weapons, which could possibly be Weapons of Mass Destruction. As my most trusted advisors, I have come to you before anyone else. So, what do you believe our plan should be?”

“Madam President”, says Anton Yishyakin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “I believe that our response should be more diplomatic for many reasons. The first of which is the Respublika Bielarus is in no state for a possible war against the Union. The second reason being that the Vekaiyu Union is not anywhere close to the immediate area of Respublika Bielarus, so we should not feel threatened.”

“That is preposterous”, shouts Tatiana Ananchin, Chief of Staff of Border Troops. “If you do not recall out history Mr. Yishyakin, the last time that Respublika Bielarus was involved in a true war, our enemy came from far away and nearly devastated our country. While I do agree that we should be diplomatic in our response, I do not believe we should underestimate the ability of the Union. Madam President, I believe it is our safest bet to close the border for a while, allow Border Troops to sit on 24/7 watch, and keep the Army on high guard. That is just my opinion on the matter.”

“While I do agree with my counterparts on the matter, I think we need to be a little calmer”, says Minister of Defense Kolya Asmantov. “We do not even know at this time that the Union is trying to build a weapon that would A. Attack our region and B. Attack other regions. I agree with Tatiana that we must keep our borders closed and the Army should be on high guard as they always are, but we mustn’t go to far Madam President.”

Everyone looks at the Chief of Staff of the Marine Corp, Sasha Antonin. “Everything that each of you have said makes sense. But I think we do not need to rush into anything. The Vekaiyu Union has always been a strong ally and supporter of Respublika Bielarus, there is no doubt. So, if they made this weapon, which we don’t even know if it is a WMD, why would they hurt us? I think we need to just calm down a little but still remain on some level of alert, a DEFCON 4 if you will.”

The Looks now turn the President Matinova “I agree with all of you, but especially with Sasha. So here is what we will do. Set the state of alert to DEFCON 4, and let the people know that it has happened. Do not tell them why, but let them know. Tatiana, I want your border guards at the border by midnight, no later. Mr. Vishyakin, put the Navy on a medium level alert, roughly a DEFCON 3. And Sasha, keep the Marines informed and make sure they are prepared for anything. In the meantime, I am going to call all my political advisors to the Presidential Palace for a meeting in regards to this issue, and we will formulate a plan. Dismissed.”

While all of the Joint Chiefs are walking out, the President soon says. “Sasha, I would like to have a word with you if you have the time.”

“Of course Madam President”, responds Sasha.

“I want to thank you for what you said Sasha. You were a true diplomat”, responds the President. “Between you and me, I think Tatiana and Anton are war prone.”

“It may be so that they are, but it is just a trying time right now. There is no need to thank me Madam President. I just said what I thought needed to be said. Anyone would have done it”, responds Sasha.

“It is definitely a trying time. We will need to watch and see what happens. I just hope you are right on this Sasha”, the President says.

“So do I Madam President, so do I.” Responds Sasha.

As Sasha walks to leave the President says “Oh and one more thing Sasha, please call me Slava, not Madam President.”

Now alone in the President Mountain Palace’s Oval Office the President looks out the window and sees the beauty of our country. She then says to herself “What if this is just like when we were invaded so many years ago? Our enemy then used a weapon that devastated our capital city. Vekaiyu has always been a friend to us and we must keep that in mind. We must not overstep our boundaries, if we do, it could mean war.”