Imperium OffTopicum XIV

[Sonereal]

8,640 minutes since last update.

No ten minutes to spare.

 

[Robert Can't]

Yeah, in general you have a week to do orders but its just 6 days this time because I am leaving for the weekend - its really not that much difference.

You can in fact always send orders in right up until I do the hard lock.

 

[Robert Can't]

Locked Harder than a hard thing

 

[Robert Can't]

Autumn 2113
Turn 18

​

Spoiler :

World News!

Editor's Note

Though this summer saw an end to the food embargoes the crisis in Indonesia is as hot as ever in people's minds. Now with the Thai withdrawal the Republican Government in Indonesia is left without the major international backing it once had. Why the Thai government did not negotiate on behalf of the Republic in their peace treaty is unknown and this also throws the exact meaning of the Vientiane Memorandum. It would seem to refer to feminist Indonesia but could be interpreted as pro-Republican by nations which want to see an Indonesian Republic such as the Technocratic Union. Whatever the case these next few months could be interesting as the conflict has only be calmed - definitely not stopped.
The International Convention on Acceptable Tactics of War (ICATW) has been called up multiple times in the past few months. Many question its legitimacy as it was passed under the previous corrupt United Nations however it has been used both as a justification for Thai intervention in the Philippines and also to condemn the actions of the UAR in employing Chemical agents to assist their war against Russia. This has caused particular stir as a leaked memorandum from the German Embassy in Moscow revealed that an agreement had been reached between Germany and Russia at the dawn of the war stipulating that the war should be conducted in a gentlemanly fashion.

-Nathaniel Harcourt, Chief Editor

Chemical Weapons Deployed by the UAR - War Corespondent Sophie Darwin

This past month I have been reporting from the Russian lines in the area dubbed The Armenian Provisional Government and the regiment I have been along with has been fighting countless rearguard actions as the UAR forces continue to roll deeper into Russian Held territory. One may wonder how this sudden turn around was achieved. Well you need look no further than the Chemical Weapons that are being employed by the UAR. The weapon, believed to be the one who's development led to the PAU-NWAU war, causes intense drowsiness and has given the UAR a massive edge. Causalities on both sides have been minimal but many prisoners have been taken by the UAR. Most of the troops here on the front lines consider this practice to be bad sportsmanship and some wonder if it goes against the International Convention on Acceptable Tactics of War (2104).

Invasion of Philippines - International Relations Correspondent Finbar Hannigan

The Thai invasion of the Philippines was over quickly. The small non-militaristic nation was quickly suppressed and the search for their dictator was unfruitful. He was not found in his personal bunker nor in any of the other locations throughout the county where he was believed to be hiding. Questioning of officials led to even further mystery as it appears none of them know where he went either. Searches on all ships leaving the nation have become compulsory and it is hoped that if Takeshi Shiro is on the island then he will soon be captured and brought to justice.
Some outside commentators argue that this may have been a simple Land Grab by the Thai forces. A form of saber rattling after the peace in Indonesia which is already proving to be unsatisfactory and earning Thailand condemnation from many sources. While the Thai forces begin their occupation of the Philippines the Indonesian Republicans are left without support or backing.
As the President of the Indonesian Republic was giving a speech about the evacuation of Indonesians to Cambodia he was shot by a Feminist agent who was later captured and executed.

More Bombings in Egypt - International Relations Correspondent Micheal Sanford

As of last week a new attack was reported in Egypt. This attack occurred in Suez. Earlier in the month UAR intelligence was tipped off about an impending attack on the Railway again however there was no railway attack instead a massive series of explosions were set off at the Suez Canal blocking it until repairs can be made. The death toll is in the hundreds. Initial reports made it seem like the bombers were the same as those who have been organising the Cape to Cairo Bombing but it is now believed that these are two separate groups acting. Speculation is wide but many believe these to be Communists from African Warlord States.

Bringing Law to the Lawless - UN Special Correspondent Alice van Rompuy

Recent efforts have been made by multiple nations to take control of areas outside of current national boundaries. These areas - often referred to collectively as the Lawless Lands - take many forms. There is the Cursed Earth of South America, a lifeless desert where nothing lives. The Strontium Wastes of the North of the British Isles - a land populated by the mutant survivors of the Strontium-90 fallout. In India the Indian Strontium Zone is of a similar type but far larger in size and intensity of mutations. The Blood Delta in Nigeria is a harrowing reminder of the use of Orbital Platforms in the great war and all the land surrounding the boiling red river are uninhabitable due of intense heat, poisonous atmosphere and radiation. In the North the Ice Wastes remain colder than has been recorded in Human history and are thus nearly completely uninhabitable. The cities of Sarajevo and Washington are still impossible to enter - being the first targets of the war they had the most firepower unleashed upon them and it is altogether impossible to get anywhere near the cities before dying of one of the various bad things that surround it. Antarctica remains under UN protection and is one of the only places left in the entire world where an ecosystem remains.
The UQ has recently begun a program to take over the Strontium Wastes in Scotland but has thus far met fierce resistance from the mutant army led by Middenface McNulty and The Torso's Tyne and Weirdies.

 

[NinjaCow64]

The United Queendom of Great Britain is blaming the existence of Patriarchal oppression in Indonesia on intentional sabotage by undetected internalized misogyny in the Coalition High Command and actions of intentional sabotage by agents of the Patriarchy. A full investigation will take place into this incident, but rest assured, the French-British-Indonesian Coalition will not rest until Indonesia is once again united under a free and feminist state.

 

[christos200]

Republic of Philippines

- President Benigno Aquino of Philippines​

A Republican government has been formed in Philippines to take care temporarily of the country for half a year, when UN supervised elections shall be held. The head of state and government is Benigno Aquino, a known Republican activist who is center-right. The cabinet of his government has been filled with Republican Filipinos who are mainly center-right. So far, there is no Parliament and the Government has emergency executive powers. A Parliament shall be formed after the UN supervised elections.

The 300,000 Thai soldiers in Philippines will be responsible for the security of the country until a Filipino Army is formed. So far, 50,000 Filipinos from the ages of 18 to 28 have been called to service and shall be trained by the Thai army. Those soldiers shall form the core of the new Republican Army of Philippines. The search for Takeshi Shiro will also not stop and he shall be found, sooner or later.

 

[Robert Can't]

The following pamphlet has been widely circulated in the TU. It has caught significant traction in Kingston and a growing nationalist sentiment is establishing itself.

Spoiler :

CITIZENS OF TEXARKANA

A CALL TO ARMS​

For years our nation has been at war. It is a secret war, waged every day in the streets and over the airwaves. It is a war whose stakes are no less than the nation entire, that threatens to tear apart us and everything we stand for. But the enemy is not the regime in Vancouver, nor is it the Arabs, nor is it the Germans.

Texarkana's worst enemy is itself.​

We have many reasons to look back on our history with pride. But our proud hindsight has blinded us to our present shortfalls. What was once the greatest country on Earth is now the global leper, shunned by all continents and devoid of moral standing. We who once were known as the champions of fair play and free enterprise have become conniving imperialists, our government focused solely on exploitation and utterly disconnected from its own community. Over the past seven years we have witnessed our self-determination crumble away at—and into—the hands of the privileged few who will put our entire country to the sword rather than admit their incompetence. The Pan-American Union, formed to strengthen the continent, has succeeded only in fomenting disease, dissent, and diffidence, and under the leadership of Mayor Francis our society has become little different from the warlords we purport to have put down.

Before it is too late, before we lose all claim to our own destiny, we must rise up, rise up and demand an end to our abominable descent into social degeneracy and political irrelevance:


END THE WAR​

On 2106, the Pan-American Union launched an illegal war of aggression against the Northwestern American Union. What the government assured us would be a routine "police action" much like the war on the pirates and our violent annexation of Mexico has become the longest, bloodiest, and second-most-pointless conflict in our young nation's short history. The presence of United Arab forces on the front lines and threat of intervention by the German Empire and her allies should be a constant reminder that the so-called regional intervention is always on the verge of exploding into a world war. The following are key reasons why this debacle must immediately cease:

• St. Louis claimed the invasion was to seize chemical laboratories it charged were involved in the contamination of Japanese food imports, allegations proven false by the revelation that the sabotage was perpetrated by Indonesia. Our government refuses to admit its cause for war was wrong.
• St. Louis claimed it had clear evidence of operational chemical laboratories supervised by the United Arab Republic. Concrete evidence has never been made public, and alleged chemical sites seized by Pan-American forces have been utterly destroyed, preventing independent verification of their purpose.
• Our government violated a ceasefire in 2112, renewing the war despite overwhelming negative public opinion.
• St. Louis has spent seven years, billions of dollars, and thousands of lives lost on a war with no strategic direction, and that has made no substantive gains. Mayor Francis has admitted the campaign has only served to erode national security.
• Despite suspending offensive operations last year, St. Louis refuses to negotiate a formal end to the war.

Citizens of Texarkana deserve better than to throw their lives away on false pretenses. No longer should we consent to the sacrifice of our lives to the callous and selfish pride of our deceitful government. The war against Vancouver must end forthwith, and all territory unjustly seized returned, so that we may begin to redeem our international reputation.

ABOLISH THE MAYORNATE​

How can we claim to promote freedom abroad when our own government has failed to uphold the public good? Since taking power, Mayor Francis has acted not in accordance with Texark values, but in the interest of profit at any cost and with no regard to consequence. He has turned Texarkana from an international paragon into the world pariah, cruelly twisting the same enterprising philosophy of the late Mayor Hannegan that encouraged foreign intervention and the active promotion of global democracy, into a libertarian doctrine of greed and wilful blindness to truth and justice. How else can we explain our about-face in foreign affairs, our willingness to make peace with the murderous Japanese government even as it committed the most egregious affronts to human dignity since the last world war?

The Mayornate may have salvaged our country from the wreckage of the Cataclysm, but it has long outstayed its welcome. Regional governance has turned from aristocracy to dictatorial cronyism. No longer does Texark respond to the people's needs; through base and embarrassing propaganda it silences criticism and manufactures consent. Texarkana deserves a government that is representative and accountable; Mayor Francis and his ilk are neither.

DISSOLVE THE UNION​

Mayor Francis told us that the Pan-American Union would be an equal partnership of two states with mutual interests. Instead, Texarkana has been shackled to the will of the plutocratic Triumvirate in St. Louis. No sooner had the act of union been signed than the state agenda shifted radically into line with the Northern robber-barons. We slayed our values in the name of good business, only to shut ourselves out of the world market by abandoning the United Nations and walling ourselves off from the global village. We intensified our land-grab in Mexico even as the region developed a cohesive government; we continued punitive action against the Northwest without rhyme or reason; and we shamefully indulged in the overthrow and partition of the Oceanic empire for no other reason than because we could.

We should not be surprised by our transformation into warlords: the Triumvirate built their power on arms manufacturing. We have gone to war because it coaligns with their business interests. And so long as their military-industrial complex holds the lion's share of influence in government, we will go to war again and again; not because it is right, or necessary, but because it makes our overlords richer. And why have brave Texark troops borne the brunt of all our armed operations, while the Northerners sit about manning their war factories far behind the lines? Our blood lines their pockets.


This is not Texarkana! Any citizen with a modicum of self-respect will see for themself that the current system is insufferable. Francis spoke on behalf of us when he signed away our fate to St. Louis; now, we must speak for ourselves, with one voice, that we shall be pawns no longer.

Texarkana!
For the sake of your lives,
For the sake of your children,
For the sake of your nation's future,

RISE UP!​

 

[Civ'ed]

The AF has managed to intercept audio from a meeting between the Nama People's Union and Rhodesian Communists.

Spoiler :

Person 1: speaking in Nama to a third person Members of the RCP?
Person 2: Aye.
1: you realize our countries are at war.
2: I do.
1: more Nama
2: Well, anyway, we have a proposal.
1: Truly?
2: The AF cannot fall if it is surrounded by friends.
1: No.
2: So, if we cripple one of those friends, who happens to be fighting good Communists...
1: What would you have us do?
2: Cripple their infrastructure.
1: and you can't do this because...
2: Because the Rhodesians are watching us and presumably would know in advance.
1: I see.

We offer this up to the UAR for investigation, and offer any support we can give. any communist party in the AF hereby has its operation suspended until the Namib war is over, and the RCP is officially classed as terrorist.
We do have a mild problem with the use of chemical weapons however.

 

[Sonereal]

OOC: Is that my beloved Texarkana calling for freedom?

 

[Mathalamus]

the UAR did chemical attacks? then they must be punished. if the UN fails to punish them, then the UN doesnt deserve to exist.

(OOC: i could draft it, but Thorvald would just veto it or something if it didn't have the proper UN language.)

 

[Mathalamus]

Roman Empire surrenders

the Capitals of Constantinople and Ankara were taken. the Emperor abandoned us, making it safely to Berlin. our armies are smashed, our economy in ruins, and furter resistance is useless, but only creates more death. the Emperor radioed in, offering his support in our surrender to safeguard the lives of the civilians and the remaining Roman Army groups.

the Roman Empire surrenders to Russia, and hope they will be merciful.

 

[Tyo]

Russia hereby accepts Rome's surrender.

 

[mechaerik]

Pax Christi in regno Christi

EMERGENCY MEASURES REPEALED​

The war in Indonesia is over, with food imports restored. As such, the Emergency Measures have run their course, and are now repealed. Food rationing is no longer in effect. Civil governance shall be restored. Domestic media outlets will be released from their temporary obligations to the Order, and foreign ones will no longer be required to adhere to the stricter standards. The Gladius Christi's expanded powers are curtailed.

In addition, mobilization shall be scaled back to Class-4. Those of the Class-2 and Class-3 reserves are hereby discharged and allowed to return to civilian life.

-Grand Master Sorrentino​

 

[Mathalamus]

well, with me out of the game, ill have to wait a turn before rejoining.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

We do have a mild problem with the use of chemical weapons however.

Pish-tosh! Allow me to cite the relevant clause from the convention Rhodesia so presciently drafted:

Banning the use of chemical or biological agents such as mustard gas and anthrax

Now, certainly, if what we'd been developing was meant to kill people, of course we'd be hypocrites. But this agent does anything but. Indeed, it's not even comparable to tear gas: instead of making the subjects cough and hack their lungs out, it makes them happy, so happy that yes, admittedly, they tend to lose the will to fight, but that just means we can skip all that nasty business of shooting and dying. Extensive studies have identified no lasting physical or neurological damage, and a diluted form of the compound is sold as a consumer pharmaceutical.

Unless this has to do with that whole kerfuffle with the United African Confederacy over its lax drug laws, in which case we totally understand.


And of course we look forward to teaming up with Salisbury intelligence to put a stop to these terror campaigns (knew I shoulda got on those tracts sooner).

 

[Sonereal]

OOC: G'day everybody. No time for one of my long, overdramatic posts right now, so this is what's going on.

Texarkana is being reforged as the Texarkanan Technocratic Republic, with first elections schedule for next season, which Mayor Francis's happy ass not being on the ballot. The elections will open up who can run to more than just a small pool of candidates. I will explain the election process in a later post. Texarkana's color will be proper yellow.

Purple is the Republic of Canada and New England, which Math will be taking up residence in next turn. The Emperor, provided he doesn't somehow go missing between now and the Reorganization, will take the Homestead Act offer, get his application kicked upstairs, and be given an estate in Alberta to live out the rest of his life out of the political sphere.

Canada and the TTR will reform the Technocratic Union into a Technocratic Confederation. Each member state will have greater autonomy than the previous two unions. It is, in effective, a free trade zone still.

NWU is orange because dark green was an ugly color to work with making the map.

 

[KaiserElectric]

I haven't seen a government change this often since 1917. Are there any American Bolsheviks that want to go next?

 

[Tyo]

I haven't seen a government change this often since 1917. Are there any American Bolsheviks that want to go next?

...please?

 

[Sonereal]

I haven't seen a government change this often since 1917. Are there any American Bolsheviks that want to go next?

I think you're confusing name changes with actual government structure changes. As outlined before, the organization of the PAU was still a dual-system of American and Texarkanan systems operating roughly the same way on the local level, with the same electoral processes as before.

The transition into the TU wasn't a change in government, just policy and the way the government intended to approach the scientific community. The basic structures were still present. The only change was the creation of a few more federal level departments, which were transitory in nature in the first place.

 

[Mathalamus]

redacted