LizNES6: Fortune Favors The Brutal

Link to video.

For Immediate release to the Japanese public, from the Japanese Ministry of Communications.....

ooc: Protip - Put it in 720p.

Expect more Japanese Propaganda, once I figure this website out more..

ZeletDude said:

Link to video.

For Immediate release to the Japanese public, from the Japanese Ministry of Communications.....

ooc: Protip - Put it in 720p.

Expect more Japanese Propaganda, once I figure this website out more..

Click to expand...

Capitalist lie machines like youtube and facebook are blocked in the peoples republic. So I cannot witness your slander against my good name. Also I found a hair in my ramen. I will not stand for your sabotage Zeletdude.

To: Jamaica
From: Alaska

We are glad to formally recognize you today, and open our arms to any trade you may have in mind.

To: Somalia, Somaliland
From: Alaska

Hold out for another year, and help will be on the way good sirs.

Somewhere in Chernorussiya...
Armoured Intelligence Trailer 021, Attached to 8Th OSN VV "Rus" Unit

Leonid fiddled with his cigarette. It would be his sixth today. He was already past his self-imposed limit of three a day. Hard to quit smoking when cancer was no longer an issue. And these new blends were fantastic, the tobacco smooth and finely cut. Handling it was like touching silk, very pliable and great for rolling. Smoking it meant however he would have to step outside and although they were far away from any danger zone (according to reports from Command at least) his paranoid mind always imagined snipers patiently lying in bushes. Waiting for him. Maybe his two other comrades well, all sharing a smoke, talking about irrelevant crap like internet memes and then suddenly their lungs would be filling up with blood instead of smoke. He shuddered and put his cigarette in a tobacco holder.

Alexei was tracking the UAV feeds of insurgent controlled territory, pitifully small as it was. They didn't need more than three online at a time. The only trouble was discerning civilians from rebel messengers. Various data-mining algorithms were on it though, it would take a few more genetic iterations and neural network cycles to achieve an acceptable accuracy ratio as deemed appropriate by the Sociological and Psychological Warfare Division and the PR department under its umbrella. Alexei smiled at him.

"Want to go outside and have a smoke?"

"No. I'm good." he said shaking his head. The unpleasant thought of his head exploding like a melon crossed his mind again. He heard the rebels were trying to acquire anti-materiel rifles. It would only make an unseemly cosmetic dent on the armour of this thing but it would explode flesh very well.

"Where is Stanislav?" Alexei asked.

"Stan? Heh. That's what the Calis called him you know. During the war at least. Anyway he took a fist full of stimulants and then crashed like an pre-Collapse MiG to bed."

"Okay...wait, what? Stimulants, like derivatives of amphetamines and stuff? Dont those increase alertness and wire you up so bad that you gotta do stuff or explode?"

"Yeah, he is a very contradictory person. He gets primed when he takes sleeping pills and works all night before finally going to sleep around noon. Like a vampire werewolf almost."

"Vampire werewolf? That doesn't make sense. Like those Underworld movies a few centuries ago. So I can assume that's him who's howling outside when the moon is full?" Alexei said, probably referencing some obscure pre-Collapse pop culture thing. The old stereotype of techies having obscure fascinations was still strong, even today. Some things just don't change.

"Mhm...he said he recently realized why canines howl at the moon. Apparently it is because they want to screw it it, but cant reach so they yell at it, hoping it will come down."

"...goddamn. Do you feel comfortable sleeping around him?"

"Hell no. I sleep with a stun gun under my pillow. Rumors from Command have it that he's not right..." Leonid leaned in closer to Alexei "...you know, in the head." he said whispering and tapping two finger against his forehead.

Alexei shifted in his seat a little. "Really? How so?"

Moving away a little from him Leonid continued, but in a much lower voice. "Well, as it goes he is some kind of genius, a cryptographic messiah."

Alexei looked at him incredulously "Then what is he doing here in this trailer in the ass end of nowhere. Stan? Seriously? That guy will smoke, drink, ingest and screw anything in his line-of-sight. If there was a picture for the definition of an addictive personality, his would be it."

"Yes, yes, yes, but listen to me. Apparently one time, while on R&R in Moscow he and a local decided to hook-up as you would say" he said raising his eyebrows "on top of a building. Crazy as he was and probably the chick who was with him they figured to do it on a ledge for as I quote his words 'maximum danger zone copulation simulation'. Thing was, when they uh.." he paused, grasping for words "climaxed...she was uh overwhelmed by sensory overload, their orgasms being stronger whatnot and she let go of him. He tried to catch her, but alas gravity was stronger and quicker."

Stifling a laugh he replied "So basically he literally banged her brains out...to death?"

Leonid spread his hands and shrugged. "So it is told. Due to his usefulness they relegated him here, where he can still work techno-magic by accessing low orbital servers and presumably so he can do the least amount of damage to his surroundings."

"Meaning us. That's just great, revenge driven killers stalking us outside and a deranged lunatic ins..hold on what's this?" Alexei brought up his desktop on one of multiple screens mounted on the trailer walls.

Leonid swiveled in his chair to look at it. "Oh that...Stan stole or cracked or hacked one of the live feeds from the suits of Spetsnaz forces operating nearby. Likes to watch people. Yeah I know. Deal with it. Just run the program. You have to see this stuff to believe it."

The drones went on autopilot as all the screens now began patching into the cam feeds of the Spetsnaz. It seemed like they were mid-air. Being airdropped. But it wasn't right. They were too low. Parachutes should have already been opened. Way too low. Even for a HALO jump they were trained for. Just before they reached spitting distance of the building they were dropping on the distinctive sounds of parachute chords opening was heard and they landed, each with a significant impact. One even broke through the roof. Without a scratch. He detached the parachute and immediately went about his business of murdering people. Spetsnaz didn't waste time. Only people.

It seemed comical and unreal. Almost like a bad 20th century action B-movie. Yet engrossing. A movie so bad that it is good. He didn't even notice that Leonid went to the kitchen and returned with popcorn. Very fitting. At one point there must have been six guys firing at one of them and he casually dispatched them with his assault rifle. Only two remained when he ran out of ammo. Dropping his rifle he rushed over to them in what seemed like fast forward on a video recording to which Alexei loudly exclaimed with an archaic swear word. The commando then shoved his digitally pattered camouflaged hand inside the mouth of one of the guerrillas and ripped out his jawbone as easily as plucking a flower before grabbing another one and ramming it into his eyesockets.

The screams and carnage coming from all the live vids were bone chilling but both of them were focused on this one with the two brutalized men who were still alive somehow. The unnamed soldier only let out a short sigh before he stomped on the head of the jawless man producing the most sickening crushing sound Alexei & Leonid ever heard and uppercutting the now jawbone-for-eyes man in the head so hard that it separated from his body and went flying through a window.

"That's okay. I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway. Not with Mr. Proper Psycho in the back there." Alexei remarked.

Great video and story guys!

Otherwise, I find the lack of orders to be quite upsetting. Tomorrow is the hard deadline. Important nation or not, if you don't get them in to me by tomorrow, you'll be NPC'd.

The Mesopotamian Empire will be donating a total of 3,225,000 Mesopotamian Dinarii [3 EP] to the Red Crescent, the Red Cross's sister humanitarian organization, and suggests other respectable, intelligent nations of the world do so as well.

Ireland would love to mimic this donation however we have already finalized our budget, next year we shall set aside some funds to help support these two worth while organizations.

Shoot, I thought orders were due today, not yesterday.

Coming in ASAP.

Ample notice has been given to everyone. This is the hard deadline. No more orders will be accepted.

I will update as quickly as possible.

EDIT: Story bonuses will still be given out to any story posted before the update, whenever it comes.

Launch Site Alpha, 23 miles from Miami.

The recording staff hurried about along the beach, making last minute adjustments and preparations. A large entourage of assistants readied on standby, holding spare microphones, bottles of water, or speech cards.

It's a funny sight, the President admitted to himself. Like bees around a hive, droning around, finding some work to do.

To be frank, the oddest part of the adjustment to the office of President was the countless assistants who seemed to conjure every necessary responsibility for themselves to seem important in some fashion or another. Most of them were intern -- some political science, others in communications and videography -- and each was desperate for attention that would single them out from the crowd when it came time for hiring.

He smirked discretely at one young intern, his face alight with excitement, holding large cards with curt outlines of specific parts of his speech. He didn't need them -- he came up with the short lines himself -- but it was deemed necessary for such an event.

This was the launch of Operation Boone, the first manned space expedition in Dixie history. The occasion was monumental, in several areas; for technology, military, and patriotism, it was an event like none other.

The astronauts who formed the expedition were hand-picked on two criteria: their capabilities, and their charming good looks. The camera crews had already staged mock session of the astronauts boarding the capsule, to be used in the broadcasting before the launch takes place. With each astronaut about to become a hero, there was little room for careless selection here. Last night, the interviews had been filmed, with each astronaut confessing his patriotism for the Republic and the necessity of technology and advancement of the nation. Some of the lines were scripted; others, they spoke frankly. They'd done a damn good job of it, too; but then again, that's why they were chosen in the first place.

Not to say they couldn't handle the space expedition; to say that part of the operation was ignored is ridiculous. Their training has lasted many years. Two mock launches have already been successful, lifting unmanned satellites into a safe, relaxing orbit many miles above the Earth.

The President looks skyward for a moment, daydreaming of the endless possibilities that lay ahead, before an attendant waked him from this stupor. "Ready when you are, Mr. President."

For a moment, all that could be heard was the soft patter of waves upon the beach. After a brief time of reflection, the national anthem plays, and the President began to speak, the cameras consuming the footage.

​

"Friends, countrymen, I'm pleased to be reporting in from Launch Site Alpha, along a gorgeous spread of beach just south of Miami, Florida. Today is a momentous occasion, one that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. In a matter of minutes, our brave astronauts will embark upon a great expedition, one that will set our course into the stars above. For today marks the beginning of a new phase of human history that will impact us all for generations to come."

He pauses for a few seconds before continuing. "Centuries ago, in the Medieval period of history, a vast new continent slept, unexplored and ripe for adventure. Brave men crossed the great sea of uncertainty to fulfill their destiny and engrave their names upon the rock of human experience. Their journey was not one of misfortune, however. Imagine Cortez's delight, upon reaching the vast troves of gold that awaited him? Or Pizarro, who discovered a source of fortune unrivaled? They reaped the rewards of their trials, for they were the first to find them!"

The President looks skyward. "If you believe those riches were impressive, imagine the bounty that awaits us in the heavens. The riches of an entire planet, with its ores and minerals and sustainable agriculture, could be ours. This, however, is not a plan we can bear to fruition in a single mission; nor can we hope to race forward without the necessary preparations back home. This will be the toil of a generation, working together as neighbors and friends to see this realization through."

"I cannot promise those things we cannot yet obtain. I can, and will, promise the following, however: The Dixie Republic will reach the stars today, and henceforth shall be working towards our goal of a Dixie astronaut on the Moon!"

He turns to the ocean, the waves lazily lapping at his feet. "For now, though, let us remember this moment in time, where our three countrymen, our three friends, shall launch into a new era of Dixie history. Of human history."

The camera pans away, towards the vast ocean behind the President, signifying the vast new world they would soon experience. Today, those three heroes would be marching towards the last great adventure of human existence. Towards the unknown.

Towards the inevitable.

* * *

Mesopotamian Cosmonaughts shall be the first to the moon!

I always like your stories Dreadnought

- The Tigris and Euphrates rivers make habitable and productive one of the harshest environments in the world. The region has a continental subtropical climate, with average temperatures greater than 90 °F (32 °C) in summer and less than 50 °F (10 °C) in winter, as well as great diurnal variations. Precipitation is light in the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates but increases considerably at higher elevations in their source areas. In the higher elevations, where the rivers have their upper courses, winter winds are light and variable.

- While the lower reaches have been dammed for both irrigation and hydroelectricity for almost a century now, the upper reaches, primarily the Greater and Less Zag rivers, are not, with the exception of the ancient and out-dated Mosul dam.

'Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the switch to Hydroelectricity and the abandonment of fossil fuels.'

-Mesopotamian biographist and Green-technologies advocate Bourthirq Sankara

- In addition to the large volumes of cheap electricity (and therefore a distinct improvement in the quality of life for all peoples, great and small), the construction of a series of Hydro-Electric Dams along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the possibility of flood-damage caused to towns will be reduced, especially along the hilly northern-regions where snowmelt has been a problem for a millenia, it would also increase the acreage necessary for feeding the inhabitants of this harsh environment.

- You ask what would happen to the shipping and fishing industries along the rivers? Easy question. The Basra Canal, an artificial, that is man-made series of locks dug through the countryside all throughout the nation. Think of the Erie Canal, almost 300 years ago during the Manifest Destiny of the American Republic. Cities, towns and industries made great strides towards the future with the construction of this canal. The very same can happen for Mesopotamia, here, and now!

- Won't acres of arable land be destroyed or submerged by resevoir lakes when these dams are built? How will the displaced families be compensated? The families will be compensated with shares of the Hydro-Electricity industry, as well as small plots of lands in locations we feel will boom into growing communities. The plans will accomodate the for lost Acreage, insofar that we expect more Acres to be made arable (especially in the lower regions of the country) than than were lost from the creation of these resevoirs.

- What happens if one dam fails, near the snowmelt? Another easy one. A series of overflow ramps have also been constructed, which will divert the massive amounts of water first into the resevoir lakes above the dams, and then through the massive spillway/chutes that we have in the works.

- Don't canals get dirty and polluted? What will stop these from ruining the Mesopotamian countryside? As with all things mandated by the Mesopotamian government, pollutants must and will be kept to a strict minimum. All wastes will be disposed of properly in landfills, where artificial methane will be extracted afterwards.

Glad to see all these stories coming. The update is being worked on, with most of North and South America finished, along with most of Asia. 1 war has broken out so far, with the potential of getting pretty big. 1 war has ended, and another one continues with little sign of slowing down.

EDIT: If I remember, I'll update the first post tonight, with the links to the stories. And I completely forgot to update the war section of the first page. No point in doing it now though, I'll wait until after the update.

Alec Claymore, the Prime Minister of England, was pleased to see the war with Germany come to an end. He knew that England’s victory in this war would serve to carry the nation on to much greater things. Throughout the day after victory was announced, celebrations had nearly shut down the City of London. That night, as the city quieted down, the entire nation tuned into their televisions or radios to hear the Prime Minister give a victory speech, and announce where the nation would head in the future. The good people of Scotland also tuned in to hear the English leader speak. The Northumbrians preferred to tune in to the Scandinavian victory speech.

My fellow Brits, I stand before you today with glorious news! As I’m sure you all know, the glorious efforts of our nation have turned the roaring lion that was the Franco-Germanic Empire into a purring kitten. The brave forces of England and Scotland traveled across the channel to fight against the forces of tyranny and emerged victorious. For a time, it seemed almost as if England and Scotland were united once more. I encourage you all to thank our brave soldiers and veterans whenever you see them for their efforts, which will push England into a new golden age as her influence and power around the world rises. However, the English could have not done it without the efforts of the brave men and women of Scotland.

Over the course of the war, a movement that has dominated our country for a great deal of time found its way into Scotland, the movement commonly referred to as British Unionism. I myself am even a member of the Union Party which currently holds a majority in the English Parliament. Both Englishmen and Scotsmen alike have seen what the British can do when they stand united. That is why I stand before you not only as an Englishman, but as a Briton. We have seen what the British can achieve when they worked together for two short years; imagine what we Brits could do if we stood united as one nation. I dream of a day when I wake up, and I look out and see that the great Union Jack is flying over a British Parliament again.

I share this vision with many on our island. This is our moment. The last time the British were united they built an empire so vast and strong that it was said the Sun never sat on the British Empire. In England we have a king, not as a symbol of tyranny, but as symbol of unity as a common people. We invite the Scottish to share with this great idea with us, and may we form a British monarchy that will stand eternally by the grace of God, as a symbol of the unity of the British people for all the ages. Thank you, and goodnight.

@TLK, with Alec Claymore as PM of England, I think the time is right for the Dutch Republic to elect Christofoor De Vries

OOC: To be fair, I did that way back before the NES died because I never got to have fun with him in LizNES5.

It is largely inevitable that you are aware of the existence of the United Commonwealth of Scandinavia, up until recently known as the Nordic Imperium, and it is almost inevitable that you have some kind of opinion about the nation, its leaders, and the people who inhabit it. Firstly, allow me to disavow you of the mindset that the Scandinavians are all killing machines, marching in lockstep with their Emperor and vaguely fascist, authoritarian political elite. Secondly, allow me to enlighten you to the fact that Scandinavia is indeed a fascist state, by any definition that we would recognize such an entity. The people of Scandinavia, or at least, the Norse Imperium have always been attached to the idea of authoritarianism on a national level; it is heavily bred into every Scandinavian at an early age that the decadence, the self-serving quality, and ultimate willful ignorance and sloth of the pre-Plague world is what lead to its destruction. Therefore, it is also heavily beaten that it is the responsible of every upright citizen to resist the call of decadence, and uphold what the Scandinavians call the national dialectic. In other words, the heart and soul of the nation, its beliefs, values and ideology. Additionally, the Scandinavians believe with much conviction that the only healthy state for a nation to be in is war; it is believed that all nations are effectively in a constrained state of war against each other, and it is the responsibility of all nations to ensure the best interests of their citizenry by whatever means possible. Ergo, the military and armament programs by the Scandinavian government that so many nations decry as unethical and barbaric. The Scandinavians would return that it is unethical, barbaric, and hedonistic to disavow warfare out of the selfish desire for peace by any means necessary. In other words, the people of Scandinavia (those who we hear from, that is) believe that pacifism is an ideology of sloth that fears war out of self-serving cowardice, rather than aspires towards peace for the greater good. In the eyes of the Emperor, war has always had and will always have a purpose: the advancement of the national dialectic. Despite all this talk of politics and perception, we should attempt to establish some grounded facts about Scandinavia. In doing so, we will see the substance the perception and politics of the nation has. Below are some statistics as listed by the Imperial Bureau of Tourism:

• United Commonwealth of Scandinavia
• Government: Constitutional Monarchy
• Population: Approx. 20 million
• National Language: Nordic
• Colonial Possessions
• -Scandinavian Congo (Approx. 4 million)
• -Scandinavian Malagasy (Approx. 3 million)

Very quickly, we can see that some of these facts are not without dispute. Though it is not necessarily a fair opinion, if you asked a German what language people in the Imperial District of Norway spoke, he would say Norwegian. But the National Rikstag, and the Emperor, disagree. In fairness, "Nordic" is probably a legitimate language insofar as prior to the Plague, the languages spoken in Scandinavia (save for Finnish) almost all derived from Danish which ultimately was broken from German. Give or take the years after the Plague, and we see further linguistic uniformity as regional dialects and accents disappear. The resulting parlance is termed "Nordic". Why not Scandinavian? Our United Commonwealth of Scandinavia derives its political authority from the former Norse Imperium, the union between the states that emerged in the pre-Plague nations of Denmark and Norway, that was based around adherence to the "Norse Church" and a general idea of Scandinavian unity as the "Nordic peoples". Simply put, early post-Plague Scandinavians preferred to evoke the image of the Vikings and the Nords than their more recent, pacifistic and isolationist Swedish, Danish and Norwegian forebears.

Without entering an essay on the geopolitics and political ideology of the nation, we can speak briefly to its recent history. The "War of Norse Aggression" is regarded, probably rightly, in Scandinavia as a significant national victory. The dream of Scandinavian unity was quickly and finally achieved under the auspices of what the Scandinavians call the "Great Patriotic War of Scandinavian Unification", without a single shot having to be fired in aggression by the Imperial Army. More aptly, Germany's entrance to the war against Scandinavia allowed the powerful Scandinavian "Nordist" political and intellectual elite to turn the war of aggression and national unification enacted by the Norse Imperium into a defensive war in the name of Scandinavian solidarity. The struggle of the war, with such iconic events as the Battle of Aarhus and the destruction of the Jutland Peninsula, has in the ultimate victory allowed for a flowering of Nordist art and politics.


While on a national level, the people of Scandinavia are probably prepared to go to war at a minute's notice in the name of Nordic glory and the national dialectic, on an actual individual level the Scandinavian is essentially no different than any other person. Many Scandinavians are just as skeptical of their government's propaganda as any foreigner, though by and large they do tend to agree with the sentiments expressed by such political figures as Emperor Henric or the leaders of the Imperial Nordist Party. Every morning at eight, Scandinavians of every stripe can be seen riding the metro, taking the bus, or driving to work in offices that are little different than those in Franco-Germany, Japan, or the American Confederacy. In recent times, since the end of the war, Scandinavian politicians have done much to attempt to reinvent the image of Scandinavia at home and abroad. The victory in the war, and the formation of the Iron Compact, has essentially irrefutably established the United Commonwealth as a global power. To what extent that power is global is yet to be proved, but politically and culturally, now that the former Norse Imperium has established unquestionably its superiority and primacy in Scandinavia and the Baltic, it is time to become concerned with the world. With "the entire world watching" as it were, Scandinavians have rushed to build the image if not the essence of a nation striving forward into a bright new future. A bright new future, much to the chagrin of global liberals, that is just as fascist as the "dark past" of the early post-Plague years.
With a total population estimated at some twenty million, a robust (if slowly demobilizing economy) and possession of basically the only sites of historical importance that are above the Arctic Circle, the United Commonwealth of Scandinavia is a nation that succeeds on its own merits in terms of tourism. However, that is not enough for the Imperial Bureau of Tourism who advises travelers to:

... If at all possible, all tourists should take the opportunity to, while in any major city, take the metro down to the city square where nearly every Friday they can attend free of charge an Imperial Nordist rally. Such events are a demonstration of the patriotism and love all Scandinavians bear their country, and provide a clear example to all foreign nationals of just what they're missing by not embracing the spirit of Nordism.

It is the opinion of this author that the very last thing you want to do while in the United Commonwealth of Scandinavia is attend these rallies. Foreign witnesses attest that they are often an excuse for the youth to become illegally drunk, nationalist ideologues to become vociferous if not violent, and general mayhem to ensue. Despite this, we are ensured that such activities as "Throw the Kraut Down the Well" and "Shoot the Apple off the Ugric Nationalist's Head" are fun for the whole family by the Imperial Bureau of Tourism. Despite this, we concur with the "Tourist's Guide to Stockholm" when they advise the discerning, intellectual traveler to seek out a sermon at any of the Nordic churches in the city.

While arguably another arm of the Nordist intellectual complex, the Nordic Church is a far older, ultimately far calmer entity within the Commonwealth's complex political and ideological strata. Like the pre-Plague Catholic Church, except without all those dubious altar boys, the Nordic Church is the official religious denomination of the Imperial State. Its authority is largely ceremonial, even though the Emperor is technically Pontiff of Copenhagen, most of the actual religious authority is concentrated in the Archdiocese of Stockholm. Indeed, in recent years the Nordic Church has been something of a liberalizing influence in Nordic politics, much to the chagrin of the political elite, ergo the gradual separation of political and religious power in the Commonwealth. All that stands to change, however, with the elevation of a new Archdiocese in Stockholm and an internal reformation and reorganization of the Church.

Politically speaking, the United Commonwealth is fairly uniform. Its regional authorities, known as the Imperial Districts, are divided essentially along pre-Plague national boundaries, save for in Finland, where the Imperial State considers eastern Lappland and Finland's shore against the Gulf of Bothnia part of the Imperial District of Sweden. According to most foreign observers, this evinces the fundamental cultural and arguable racial oppression inherent in the Scandinavian government. Again, the Imperial State disagrees. Where foreigners see discord and inequality, Scandinavians (at least the ones who aren't Finnish) see a return to the natural order of things. Whether they will admit it or not, at the heart of many Nordist politicians' agendas is the essential return to the Scandinavian politics of the Kalmar Union: Danes, Swedes and Norwegians united in their desire to control everyone and everything else.

Despite this, the Nordists have done much to reclaim Finland's national figures as Scandinavian ones. Various statues of the famed pre-Plague general Mannerheim have survived the Plague years, and have been recently restored to their original condition by the Imperial District of Finland. Outfitted with new plaques, they read "Mannerheim, Hero of the Scandinavian People, Who Drove Back the Hated Russian".

I, for one, loved that, LoE. Very interesting. I'm looking forward to the other parts.

In terms of the update, schoolwork and real life have kept me busy, and will, at least through tonight. Best case scenario, it's updated tomorrow, worst case tomorrow.

One existing war has expanded quite a bit, two news wars have also erupted.

Now, with Easter coming up, I feel as though I should pre-plan out how things are going. As I said before, I'm going away on a trip that will last a few days, from April 3rd until at least Easter. That said, it would be highly unrealistic for me to promise another update before then. However, I would implore you to get your NPC diplomacy after this update done before I leave, that way you can send orders sometime before Easter, and have an update soon thereafter.