INES III: Storm Tapestry

Duke Iglesias smiled broadly. Everything had gone exactly as according to plan. Glasgow hadn’t been as confident, but here it was, their new Queen pushing the Atlantic’s borders farther than Victoria had ever dreamt. Of course, Victoria had been a good enough Queen to set Catherine in this position, but Catherine, not Victoria, would deliver what Iglesias had promised first when he ran for President, and then when he convinced his fellow nobles to join the Atlantic; when the time came, the Brazilians would be among the victors dividing up the spoils.

And what did it matter if there were a few others that rode the resulting wave. The Romans were good friends, and England had agreed to this whole wedding. Allies were needed, and they would be rewarded. Blacktyde in particular was a good man, and Iglesias felt he’d be an excellent Prime Minister. But, the wedding was at hand.



Iglesias did share one trait with his wife; he loved weddings, and this was the wedding of the century. Nobles from the Atlantic and England, as well as leading figures from Rome, Quebec, and the CWOH Commonwealth had all came out to see Iglesias’s pet project.



Throughout the ceremony, Iglesias could barely hold in his laughter. In two years, he had gone from President of a humiliated nation to a driving force in the premier world super power. But that would ruin the mode. For now, let the Queen enjoy her moment. And might as well let the King enjoy his hair.



The crowds were going wild. Everyone was celebrating the return to glory, no longer would they be known as a second rate power. And as they kissed, a new flag unfolded.



And as it unfolded, the crowds went wild.

Glory to the United Kingdom of the Atlantic

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna be dropping this. Maybe after the update.. but Jesus.

On that chipper note…

Update: 2057

Peaceful Events

The Confederation of United Archipelagos defected from the TUA to PADTA , closing down the United Americas headquarters in Havana with the intent of ending the waning organization for good. Such did not quite happen; there are still a number of alliance labs scattered through CWOH, the Atlantic, and Quebec. It seems next year there will be a mad dash to pilfer what can still be pilfered.

CWOH began improving the roadway system in annexed Canada.

A multistage coup took place in the capital of the Atlantic Kingdom, whereby Prime Minister Gates died and the neophyte but popular-in-Brazil Queen Catherine ended Victoria’s six year reign. For weeks rumors circled that the old monarch was dead, but then someone who looked very much like Victoria surfaced as a political refugee in Havana, much to the glee of the Atlantic-phobes in PADTA. Further leverage against the Atlantic Kingdom seemed to come as a number of rolling blackouts crisscrossed the East Coast, but no serious damage was done. Then a proclamation mid-year completed changed the political narrative.

In a grand ceremony, Queen Catherine married King William, head of the British monarchy. The United Kingdom of the Atlantic was declared with Lord Gabriel Blacktyde as PM. The new nation’s gargantuan domestic scene was all plaudits. Cities as widespread as Edinburgh, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and Perth erupted into drawn-out celebrations. Either talk of a proto-world state’s birth has enchanted millions, or there’s something in the water.

(United Kingdom and Atlantic Kingdom combined into United Kingdom of the Atlantic, + Atlantic approval rating)

Texas established a National Guard program. It is clear the nation is at a high level of military readiness.

The United Kingdom of the Atlantic began fortifying its Texan and Patagonian borders.

The manpower poor and land poor Confederation of United World Archipelagos found creative ways to expand its economy, copying Patagonian factory automation procedures and creating sovereign industry zones in the Guianas. Thanks to such programs, continued growth now seems sustainable if the Inca don’t get involved.

(+3 Archipelagic ASP)

CUWA launched a CWOH-eque spy hunt, but only came out of the operation with low level characters, not signs of a larger conspiracy.

The Patagonian government began efforts to train laid-off factory workers as electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc. The skilled labor creation plan is working, but not fast enough to reduce unrest.

Railroads and oil make the Kélen Toumani’s nation chug along, despite routine terrorist attacks. One of the criminals arrested, a British man, happened to have poems in his apartment. Poems. No wonder he did bad things.

(+1 USACS ASP)

Factory workers in the Roman Republic are being shuffled off to free university educations, replaced by clone drones. The integration of the amenable unfortunates into the economy has not brought profound growth, but it has kept industry running in the most dire of circumstances.

(See Military Events)

Fortifications in Sicily and the Italian boot were constructed.

Iran signed a peace with Russia, withdrawing from Astrakhan and the north Caucasus region, and, by the Treaty of Astana, annexing the other occupied zones. The Supreme Leader went on a tour of his Central Asia lands, spreading goodwill as far as Xinjiang and hastening the entire region’s economic integration.

(+1 Iranian ASP)

The Supreme Leader issued a fatwa against cloning. Rome, the Neo-European Union, and Nico Romano were named mercenaries of Shaytan—only Allah may create human life. War was declared on the science-devils. Part and parcel was an oil embargo on the NEU, which injured the economies of Paris and Rome before the first Iranian soldier set foot on European soil.

(-1 French ASP, -1 Roman ASP)

(See Military Events)

The Iranian military withdrew from Tibet.

Siam continued work on industrializing the countryside, bringing a level of wealth to the country through sweat and multinational tax incentives. Rising above its still patchy internet, Siam has become a significant exporter of automobiles, solar panels, and ironically enough, computer chips. An arrangement allowing Siam to import more oil from Iran, while momentarily superfluous (as Siam is a net exporter), gave investors confidence that the nation’s growth is sustainable.

(+1 Siamese ASP)

The Siamese Prime Minister President stepped down, replaced by development mastermind Yui Mongkut. While his economic policies were indeed effective, his multicultural initiatives were somewhat less so—ceding the largely non-Muslim east Javan island chain to the Jakarta government inspired some riots, and heavy handed propaganda aimed at assimilating the Chinese (“autonomy TOGETHER&#8221 only enraged citizens who had spent the last few years enduring the Siamese military’s utter disregard for civilian casualties. Photogenic moments of victorious irregulars going home could only work a limited amount of magic.

(-8 Siamese irregular divisions, -Siamese approval rating)

No serious unrest has been reported in the Proletarian Emperors newest prefectures of Manchuria and North Korea, though there are rumors that Japanese officials have seized the last of the independent estates. Internet regulations in the region seem to have been relaxed somewhat, though if Tokyo’s word is true, increasingly spotty coverage is due to Republican Chinese denial-of-service attacks.

(+Japanese approval rating)

The Japanese Home Islands are increasingly humming with productivity. Working, sleeping, and eating are the sole prescribed activities for laborers, and there are Slow Painful Death-Flavored rations ready for those not up to snuff. As the propaganda exhorts, “Only you can prevent another invasion!” Productivity is backed up by analog favoritism (which is catching on in Proletarian China as well). A theoretically major cyber-attack hit Japan, but there was little in the way of renewed economic damage or prole revolt. The Chinese Liberation Front’s opening move was rather lackluster.

(+1 Japanese ASP)

New fortifications are springing up in Sulawesi and the Philippines.

Iran turned Borneo over to Java.

Military Events

The last Brazilian rebel holdouts put up a good fight before being rounded up and executed. Lack of good Republican leadership had doomed the resistance.

(-3 Atlantic divisions)

Ethiopia made peace with the USACS, ceding away the areas that had mostly pledged themselves to the communists. While the Kélen Toumani crushed the pockets of unrest in his new territories, the ever-so-diminished Ethiopians desperately tried to fight against the Egyptian onslaught. However, without international intervention, they were just as doomed as the Brazil, and in a few months the young Ethiopian emperor announced his surrender, signing a document that officially turned the rest of the empire over to Egyptian Republic President Gahiji. However, when the time came for the ex-monarch to turn himself in, he disappeared, continuing a vanishing trend among leaders of conquered-by-Islam nations. Further, the speedy redeployment of Egyptian forces northward prevented much of the land from being effectively occupied, and in the Amharic countryside, a low-grade insurgency has sprung up. More internationally relevant, the ex-Ethiopian navy is organizing as a major pirate force along the Somali coast, and if something is not done soon, Indian Ocean trade will become far more costly.

(-3 Egyptian divisions, -6 Egyptian Republic Janissary divisions, -3 Egyptian groups, -1 USACS division, -Ethiopia)

Europe explodes. Barely metaphorically.

(See Spotlight)

(-17 German divisions, -5 German groups, -6 USACS divisions, +8 UASCS irregular divisions, -2 USACS groups, -3 USACS Queen’s Wrath groups, -4 Iranian divisions, -2 Iranian Republic Janissary divisions, -3 Iranian squadrons, -2 Iranian groups, -1 Siamese group, -2 Romanian divisions, -2 Romanian groups, -1 Ukrainian group, -4 Atlantic divisions, -9 Atlantic groups, -19 Roman divisions, -1 Roman Praetorian Guard division, -5 Roman squadrons, -13 Roman groups, -2 Roman ASP, -18 French divisions, -18 French groups, -2 French ASP)

The United Arab Republic of Egypt raced its military from Ethiopia to Israel, launching twin invasions, one from Africa and one from the Hijjaz. That first army stalled against the Suez Canal, as the sizable Israeli navy annihilated most of their Egyptian counterpart and helped prevent any crossing. The Hijazi invasion was more productive, though the well-equipped Israeli army drew blood in every retreat. By year’s end, the Sinai had fallen to a backhand column from the Asian side, with the Israelis being forced to withdraw before they could blow the canal, but the Egyptians are stalled by fierce resistance near Gaza and the Dead Sea. Except in the air, the Iranians were little help. Their Army of Iraq’s main goal was to avoid major confrontation, and it barely even captured Aleppo.

(-5 Egyptian divisions, -8 Egyptian Republic Janissary divisions, -7 Egyptian squadrons, -7 Egyptian groups, -1 Iranian division, -3 Iranian groups, -14 Israeli divisions, -3 Israeli squadrons, -5 Israeli groups, -1 Israeli ASP)

The Republic of China’s offer of negotiated surrender was insufficient for the increasingly professionalized Siamese army, which pushed over the Yangtze at three different places. Poi’s First Army crushed the free Chinese at Chengdu, while elements of the Fifth reached the Huang He. The Japanese contented themselves with a sustained napalm bombing campaign, while their Proletarian Chinese puppets moved forward only tentatively, stymied by the Fourth Assembly’s use of electrical disruption devices. Still, exotic weapons could only do so much; the Fourth Assembly’s ground forces were conclusively crushed. In October, the Siamese moved on Hainan, seizing the last bastion of Assembly resistance and discovering that the once mighty Ever Victorious Navy had been scuttled off the coast. The question now is of division: the Siamese control far more of China than the Treaty of Bangkok had allotted them.

(-6 Siamese divisions, -1 Siamese group, -2 Proletarian Chinese divisions, -2 Proletarian Chinese irregular divisions, -1 Japanese group, -Republican China)

Story Events

CWOH has tough decisions to make about future alliances.

(+5 CWOH divisions)

Intrigue in the Atlantic Kingdom has little intrigue babies.

(+Atlantic circumstantial bonus to coup success)

Austin has revolutionized warfare.

(+2 Texan Elite divisions)

Maybe frozen wastes are worth something.

(+5 Archipelagic squadrons)

The Red Bandits spearhead a mighty force.

(+5 USACS groups)

So many things will soon happen. Factories and minds may overflow.

(+1 UK Singularity Division level)

The enemies of Rome and London will break like corroded metal.

(+1 Roman M-HET level added in Neo-European Union Tech Pool)

Consul Nico Romano is Shaytan’s manifestation on Earth, but the Umma is invincible.

(+5 Iranian divisions)

Spotlight

“Europe is like a teakettle. Boil and it squeals.”
- The Kélen Toumani of the USACS

A great war began this year.

The Neo-European Union should have seen it coming, and to some extent, they did. The rebels in Spain found themselves up against a hammer of over six hundred thousand soldiers and a scalpel of technological precision that powered Iberia off with the seeming flick of a switch. Where the Union army brushed aside the enemy, ruining airbases to keep rebel planes on the ground, lights returned. The Atlantian Blacktyde and the Roman Consul would not be defeated through an uprising kicked off by terrified communist spies. The Europeans were science-devils, as Iranians said. African and Japanese mantras about work were baby cries before technology. The unmodified body was almost the least of the many machines that could be used to enforce human will.

The Union army, largely enhanced and cloned, had recaptured Madrid by the time LIARS and Iran came around. Not good enough. The sky blotted black with half again a hundred air groups. Union defenders could muster less than 50% that number. From London to Athens, ground turned to liquid as regular explosives mixed with flesh-eating bacteria and chemical agents, flattening buildings and drowning souls in vomit and bile. The Coliseum was wiped from existence; the Arc de Triomphe soon stood only in memory. Theoretically, it was LIARS policy to target military concentrations first, but in practice, raging hatred of capitalism meant that USACS war planners were just as happy to decimate defenseless towns. Indeed, it was better. Union soldiers didn’t cry as they died. Their hands just twitched for more ammo. They weren’t really capitalists. They weren’t really anything at all.

In the firestorm, invasions launched. The USACS pushed across the Straits of Gibraltar, seizing the Rock, and reliving Madrid to communist Iberian cheers. The Germans swept across the Rhine, or tried to, as almost a dozen divisions turned into zombies and had to be killed in camp fighting that pushed the attack until almost the end of the year. By then, the French had defenses in order, and Berlin’s army got nary halfway to Paris.

The Roman Republic was hit harder. Bypassing the thick coastal fortifications near Constantinople, Iranian commanders of the Army of the Jihad landed at Varna with the help of the Ukrainian and Romanian navies, then swept in a wavering line up the Danube, taking the anti-Romanian forts from behind and paving the way for Bucharest’s oversized army to cross the river and help out. Germany joined the feast once the mindless soldier problem was manageable, pushing into Croatia and snapping the Roman Republic in two.

But for Nico Romano, not all news was bad. Focused on securing the Straits, the LIARS navy had neglected the Mediterranean itself, and the Roman fleet had dispersed well enough to minimize damage from bombing raids. Constantinople was barely attacked, much less fallen; the Propontus was still secure, trapping two and a third enemy navies in the Black Sea. Iranian efforts to seize the Aegean islands were thusly met harshly—the Romans were on their own turf, the Aegean had long ago been fortified, and here, of all places, they weren’t even outnumbered that badly. The Supreme Leader had a few small islands and a host of casualties, but the Iranian Admiralty had no other presents to present.

At the end of the year, LIARS and Iranian gains looked surprisingly non-comprehensive. The front lines of Iberia were near the Pyrenees, no worse than a year before, while the German general advance across the Rhine had not been able to accomplish much beyond the bridges. Even in the Balkans, where Bosnians had greeted Iranians with cheers, Constantine’s city held out, as did much of hilly Greece. No clone factories had fallen into communist or Islamist hands. Most heartening, the Balt Confederacy had been a no-show to the whole war, refusing to take the side of carpet bombers, while Japan, preoccupied with China, didn’t move on Oceania. Siam did take the time to send some air groups to its LIARS allies, but one supposes they could have sent more.

Next year, the third great war in the history of the world may get much larger. PADTA has good reasons to support either side. But the war may shrink and split off. Undoubtedly, the United Kingdom of the Atlantic was the least hard-hit of the Union states, and Blacktyde might simply write off Paris and Romano, finding a LIARS peace and moving to more imperial games.

One fact seems clear. The United Kingdom of the Atlantic is much richer than USACS, and Queen Catherine’s great fleet could bring the war home to the Kélen Toumani, past his legendary Fortress Africa.

NPC Diplomacy

To: World
From: Inca Republic

We openly declare our alliance with the United Kingdom of the Atlantic. May the Sapa-Inca and the Queen live forever!

To: The Archipelagos
From: Inca Republic

We are the only great nation allowed to have an interest in the Guianas. Hand over your charming little factories posthaste.

To: United Kingdom of the Atlantic
From: France

We beg to be admitted as a Dominion of your glorious state!

To: LIARS
From: Balt Confederacy

This war is far too brutal for our tastes. We are dropping out of the alliance.

To: United Kingdom of the Atlantic
From: Israel

Grant us the status of an Autonomous Dominion (equal to Brazil) so we can merge our wars. You know that we can pull our weight.

Map is sad today.

Notes

They weren’t really zombies, but you can’t tell the difference.

Capt Lightning did not send orders.

Each player has a chance for a separate story bonus. (Here’s looking at you, United Kingdom of the Atlantic.)

One player sent me, in precisely the following order, Contingency Orders A, Contingency Orders C, Non-Contingency Orders, Contingency Orders B, and Last Minute Order Amendments. I really appreciate the enthusiasm, but the blob of relatively short PMs was considerably less helpful than one big one would have been.

Big thanks to Circuit for consistently sending orders and writing stories even though he says he’s very busy. Big thanks to TLK for sending orders on time even though he lost his internet and had to stay up really late.

See you later, bestshot9.

germanicus12, you have less UUs than you wanted because I needed to take an ASP out to create the design itself.

Lord of Elves, Proletarian China is your puppet, so you can send spending and other orders for them if you wish.

Neverwonagame3, none of your alternatives seemed to fit the actual situation exactly, so I mixed and matched.

EDIT: Stats up.

Didn't I say at the last minute that I was adding Electronic Warfare to the PADTA pool?

Patagonia didn't play ball, so you didn't tit-for-tat.

And may the world go out with a bang, not a whimper

Great update

From Confederation of World Archapeloges
To Inca Republic

There are terms on which we would be willing to relinquish our rights in the Guineas- they are not of infinite value. However, as regards to our right to them we will point out:

A- You chose to hold free elections in the Guineas.
B- The Guineas are a free state now, on your creation. They are free to make their own choices. You are a threat to their sovereignty.
C- You did not help the Guineas, and thus relinquished any rights of influence.

Offer us terms on which we relinquish our rights, and we will hear you out. But we will not submit to force.

To: The Archipelagos
From: Inca Republic

We would pay 2 ASP for safe transfer of the factories.

From: USACS
To: Anyone in the world that isn't a part of the Atlantic Kingdom

Want to unify, and feel the warm hug of the Kelen?

Want to convince a player, like Nuke did?

I've been asking everyone.

To: USACS
From: Ukraine

We would happily unify if you could guarantee your control over the Sea of Marmara.

OOC:
i- Imago, can you respond for Mexico in the PADTA Social group thread? I want to know what they think of my proposal.
ii- For the record, I think I know what Kozmos is planning. It is, however, OOC info and I haven't used it because of that.

EDIT: I might be able to guess it using just what I know IC, but I'm not sure so I won't.

Diplomacy:

TheLizardKing said:

From: USACS
To: Anyone in the world that isn't a part of the Atlantic Kingdom

Want to unify, and feel the warm hug of the Kelen?

Click to expand...

From Confederation of World Archapeloges
To USACS

Under the right terms we would be willing to accept union, but our terms are likely too harsh for you. For one thing, we would only be willing to accept a democratic union.

From Confederation of World Archapeloges
To Incan Republic

Agreed.

Stories:

The Mad Crier
Roland Castro was right to be anxious. MegaCorp had recently been pushed out of buisness after their failure to acquire ACT Systems, putting Roland's 30% share down the toilet. He was Foreign Minister and didn't have enough debt to become bankrupt, but he'd be lucky to keep his house by the end of the year. His real power was also dropping rapidly, as the Prime Minister took more and more interest in foreign affairs.

He knew that staying on his holiday in Florida was a very, very stupid idea under the circumstances. But his life was about to get considerably worse, and he wanted his children to be able to enjoy the last days of what would likely be their last proper holiday in Roland's lifetime, if not in theirs.

As he walked down the streets to his house, wondering how we was going to tell his wife, he heard a madman walking the streets. The madman's cry-

"Stories, stories, got to tell! Rush out stories! Get bonuses!"

He recognised the man- he'd met him back in Havana, and knew he was technically an Archapeloges citizen (Castro advocated seperate citizenships for each state, but had been overruled). Still, he had no idea what the heck was meant by it...

From the United Kingdom of the Atlantic
To Israel, France

We welcome you into the fold and protection of the System.

Official diplomatic cable to the Iranian Umma from Nico Romano


Link to video.

0/14 orders in. 36 hours until deadline. Here we go again.

Fiorella Conti was arguing with the Roman Consul. Few were able to do so without fearing for their lives. But Duce Consolare Conti was far too valuable and had been with the Consul far too long to fear for her life when arguing with the Consul. Only Nico Romano's mother could possibly compete with Conti in terms of time spent with him, and even then it was a close race. She had become more than a body guard.

"Dante Gallo is dead, Nico," she said, fire in her voice. "He was your best man. We tried our best to extract him from Iberia, but the African scum got to him first. Who could possibly replace him other than me?"

"The answer is no," Nico Romano replied, returning fire with fire. "I realize that you are a worthy replacement; you could probably surpass him in skill, in fact. But you are needed here in Rome, not out on the field. You will stay."

She stamped her foot. "Fighting is all I've known, Consul," she said, intentionally using Nico Romano's title instead of his first name, which had become the norm between the two in privacy. "I've been trained to fight. I've been augmented to fight." She took an aluminum pen container in her left hand and crushed it into a ball for effect, tossing it into a trash can beside Nico Romano's desk.

With a smirk, Nico Romano said, "You know that's coming out of your paycheck," he said. Conti lifted the corner of her lip and imitated a silent sarcastic laugh. "I'm aware of your cybernetic augmentations. I authorized them. In fact, I had input designing them. I know how you've been designed, and that's to protect me and command the Praetorian Guards, Duce Consolare Conti."

She hated the title. It was the highest title a Praetorian Guard could get; it was the title given to the command of the Praetorian Guard and the personal body guard of the Consul, two duties that went hand-in-hand. It also meant that she was stuck in Rome. "Give the title to someone else," Conti retorted.

"Alright," Nico Romano said. "Who? Who could possibly be more qualified to be Duce Consolare?" Conti opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and blushed. The smile on Nico Romano's face widened. He knew he had her, which only made her angrier. "That's what I thought."

Conti kicked the trash can. It hit the Roman flag behind Nico Romano's desk, bending on impact with the wall. "That's another item added to your bill," Nico Romano said.

She ignored the taunt. "I'm tired of being in Rome," she said. "Iranians and Germans are in Roman territory, and odds are the USACS will invade, either from France if the French can't hold or through Sicily. The Praetorians on the field will be more critical now than ever. They could make or break the war. How can I sit here in Rome when I should be out there, where the war is?"

"Isn't the war here in Rome, too? Haven't you noticed the Coliseum is gone?"

"Who hasn't?" she sneered. "But that's the duty of the Aeronautica Militare, not the Praetorian Guard. You know this."

"What if there's an attempt on my life? What about the hordes of Iranian and communist spies that are bound to be crawling into Rome?"

"They've been neutralized long ago. They can do you no harm. You know this."

"And who is responsible for this? Who has been running the Praetorian Guard personally since the beginning? And don't say it's me. Who is it, Fiorella?"

She glared at him defiantly, hoping that the red digital eye would intimidate him even slightly. It didn't. He looked straight into it. After the standoff, she sunk her head to her chest. "Me."

"That's right. You. You have the ability to communicate with every single Praetorian all over the world, personally. You are my key to the war. You are the driving force, Fiorella. Through you I am able to see it and understand immediately what is going on. And you're the only one who can argue with me honestly. And you are my body guard. You've been with me on this journey, through thick and thin. How could I possibly put you out on the field and risk losing you?"

When she heard this, Fiorella detected a human note that she never heard from the Roman Consul before. She allowed her software to analyze his facial expression, and could see something she had never seen before in the Consul... and the result slightly frightened her, for it was so unusual, so personal, and she was the cause. What's worse, her own emotion deep from within was responding. Nico Romano stood from his chair, and slowly approached her. Her heart rate increased, from both fear and the emotion she had tried so hard to repress. "Nico..."

Nico Romano had many affairs while he was Consul. A kiss from him had come to mean little, save for the power it could bring. Fiorella Conti had even assisted him, checking women for weapons, poison, and STDs. All of those affairs ended badly for the women, for Nico Romano never really cared for them; they were more a benefit of the job than a serious comitment. But when Nico Romano gently grabbed the back of her neck and brought their lips together, Fiorella Conti knew she was not kissing the Consul of the Roman Republic, but Nico Romano, and only Nico Romano, the man that she had spent so much time with, knew better than anyone else in the world... and had come to love as well.

He pulled away. "I can't fight this war without you," he said, multiple meanings loaded into the line.

She smiled. "Fine, you won't."