Update 4: November 2013 48 Weeks Since Invasion
Corruption Threshold: 3,200
Update Soundtrack:
Mos Def’s Mathematics and
Edwin Starr’s War
Bryansk is another one of those oversized towns that never deserved this. The Horse has enjoyed the more leisurely pace; his ears are upright and attentive. The Wanderer has done plenty of reconnaissance here, he knows damn well that there is nothing alive in the city. He had seen his share of abandoned food, not that much of it would be good, it’s been almost a year…
The realization blindsides him, the man who sees everything, The Eye of Providence himself. A whole year has nearly passed since the invasion.
Some dry goods though, he can hope for that much.
He has faith in this world, he can see people, humans and aliens alike, bringing the light of civilization to this world again. They give him faith.
Inside Bryansk the Wanderer soon finds a GAZelle, not a very attractive option, but an upgrade from the Horse, he could travel further at least. He has to at least get out and inspect his find, the keys are in the sunguard and the engine turns over with ease.
The horse has a frightened look in his eyes, like he doesn’t know if he can make it in Russia on his own.
“I understand buddy,” the Wanderer pulls a sugar cube out of his bag and offers it to the horse. Cube is, perhaps, an exaggeration. The lump of sugar collapses into deformity before the Horse accepts it, warily.
“I don’t think I could make it without you either.”
The pair move further into the city to inspect what can still be looted. When both have filled themselves on the wild plants that have grown out of gardens the Wanderer toasts a warm Stolichnaya, at the horse, he thinks for a second of what to toast.
All of the sudden it is clear to him, isn’t this some sort of American Holiday? He had heard that.
“Happy Thanksgiving buddy.”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you too.”
The Wanderer is prone to fits of sanity, he suspects that he will soon question the Mr. Ed shenanigans he just saw and heard, but for now he just throws back the vodka and smiles. He ties the horse up and prepares to sleep in one of the abandoned homes.
Sometimes it is hard to sleep, voices call out from everywhere, horses talking to him, the walls wondering why he keeps leaving places. Minsk was nice, they say, good people. Why not stay there?
Why Wander?
What are you doing?
Where?
The walls will not shut up.
Finally the Wanderer pulls off his helmet, sometimes it is best to just let the voices outside lull him to sleep. Not conducive to his sanity mind you, he knows it will have him saying strange things in the company of strangers for months, what he had learned about the Script Kiddies, the Lilin, Epsilon Squadron, all the others with their operations a whole world away from wherever he would wander next, but he tells them these strange stories about distant peoples, leaving everyone he speaks to wondering if it is even true.
But the Wanderer knows that these stories alone are true. These are the stories of a planet in Rebirth. These stories must be true, because it is these stories alone that give him hope.
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In the Amazon, more Human technologies were unlocked with the study of Jets.
In the Nazca area the technicians were able to make out an extremely advanced farm, this farm may also possess, what they believe is a homing beacon to direct ships in.
The Neter, who have grown strange lately as they begin to adopt the Lilin lifestyle have repeatedly asked Qarinah to be sent to colonize Nazca, they claim they are the best qualified to work the homing beacon and that they are willing to adapt as fully to the Lilin as they need to or to bring as many Lilin as were needed to maintain trust between the settlements, they will require reliable transport across the continent first though.
The Belo Monte Dam was found, though it was not yet completed. The Hyperspanner that was sent with some technicians and a group of Soldiers to secure and repair the site proved instrumental in completing the electrical systems. The Lilin now have a source of electricity.
The Militia set as police were able to solve the corruption problems, the dealers seem to have fled town in terror.
The Succubi in Sapporo had apparently intercepted a series of human computer codes out of Beijing. The city has been taken over by a Sentient AI of hybridized code who regulates internet access, electricity, a Mind Control Ray and public transportation in that city. The messages that were sent out were seeds, trying to generate similar electronic awareness in other cities.
When informed of this threat, the Succubi were horrified.
The work of the Computers and Uplinks with the Neter were able to discover that Giza was still very much secured, but the electronic systems could not be contacted. Although Satellite photos showed that the base is still held by the Neter and no immediate threats, recent unconfirmed reports suggest a last minute attack may have been staged.
When it was clear that the base could not be contacted electronically the technicians began looking through the log of transmissions off of the Public Satellites to Giza. The code had been bounced around many frequencies, what the technicians were able to decipher safely was that it seemed to be a version of the Mr. Smiley Virus, a human attack program. It lacks the AI coding of the Rafiki attack programs, but it is still quite a hazard. This one had multiple self repair sequences, which was fortunate, because when the technicians first got the signal it was in Tourliski.
The coding had been very damaged by the translation, the self repair sequences must have been running full throttle to deal with it, by the time it hit its target it would have needed every ounce of computing power and bandwidth just to keep itself afloat. The virus had self destructed inside the mainframes of every single piece of Neter Electronics at Giza. The Pyramids were not affected, but the Neter continue to search for a reliable computer or uplink. Not even their ships are operational.
From Tourliski the coding went back to Spanish, bounced off of some other satellite from some computer in Medelin, again the translation was sloppy, the Virus took multiple paths, from here, both Iranian and Russian Computers were involved, but all of it was just bouncing away from one source trying to hide itself as it prepared it’s attack on Giza.
There were a number of false leads; the virus was well developed to avoid tracking with the self repair files copying versions of the virus from every possible source. But in the end the technicians are pretty sure that the Virus originated from Alexandria. They are not completely sure, and there are a couple of other possibilities, but senior technicians insist that was only the virus copying files in it’s first round of self repairs, copying files from all of the Mr. Smiley viruses in the network, the senior staff is quite certain that the source is Alexandria, a city recently taken over by the Script Kiddies. Machu Picchu has rewarded the Lilin with 2 Plasma Rifles for this information.
1,189 new civilians were recruited into the Lilin this turn, as well as a Neter Soldier retreating from the Yucatan Penninsula, who arrived in an ET APC.
4 Computers were lost to viruses, senior officers note that this could have been avoided if the satellite was launched, though it would take 2 Fuel and 2 Economy.
Support sent to the Dolphins was able to sink the Knights of Mordor’s remaining
Naval Crafts, ending their piracy… for now.
(+4 Reputation, +1,189 Population, +1 Militia, +2 Plasma Rifles, +1 ET APC, -3 Fuel, +Belo Monte Dam, +Power Plant, -4 Computers)
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In Okinawa the Yankee Suns recruited a huge number of people into their organization, membership rosters are full from Akita to Kyoto, and much of Japan has come under their control. 4,567 new recruits are taxing the efficiency of the Yankee Suns as many veteran members are forced to do endless orientation seminars instead of helping the organization produce anything. On the other hand, once they are trained, these new recruits will vastly increase the power and reach of the Yankee Suns.
Rafiki Command Group 3.82 found themselves slightly better equipped to keep back the militias this turn but they were overrun by British militias who had Tourliski air support. Stonehenge is no longer under their control.
The first military unit was teleported this turn and was able to easily reprogram GSM-8BR on site.
There was a cyberattack against GSM-8BR almost immediately, although it fizzled out, the technicians claim it would take a long time to track the code, but it had a lot of structural similarities to a virus associated with the Giza Attacks.
The base was then intruded by a physical attack. A group of Human militia, although many wore slave collars, charged at the base before quickly retreating all the way back to Taldykorgan, without the ET APC that brought them there.
That ET APC, although the fighters of the Yankee Suns saw it put up quite a shoddy performance and perform a number of tactical errors, was able to defeat them and take control of the base. The identity of the attackers was never radioed back to Okinawa.
8 Fuel was found scattered across Western Japan, although it has not been recovered yet. There is also a Satellite in a Sony Plant in Matsue. None of this could be recovered remotely.
The flight to Giza was confronted by some fire over Syria, A Group of Puumon’s fired Plasma Rifles at the Squadron and the truth is that those things don’t even need to hit your Jet to melt your fuselage. The squadron elected to ignore the target and continue their mission.
In Giza it was discovered that the Neter base was still secured, in fact the arrival of the Okinawan jets was treated with some suspicion, especially since radio contact could not be made. The Neter at least seemed willing to hold fire until they had confirmed a threat. The Squadron Landed and the first thing that the guards had asked them was “Are you from Alexandria? Are you with those Script Kiddies?”
The Computers were not working, they discovered after the Neter had confirmed that these Humans were in fact members of the Yankee Suns there at the request of Kneph in Machu Picchu. But the officers did have a printed out copy of a intercepted diplomatic transmission requesting the assistance of the Script Kiddies, so that the Alexandrians could mount a full assault on Giza. The officers at Giza continue to fortify their position and are training Human soldiers from the nearby peoples to use weapons and to defend this land from an invasion that the Neter see as inevitable.
The Japanese Tabloid Industry has bloomed back into life in Kyoto, where many of the magazines speculate on the possible romance between the Empress and the ever Dashing Black Jet Finnegin of the Yankee Suns, with whom she has been reportedly spending a lot of time in “state meetings”. The Empress’s PR representative insists that these are merely silly rumors, although she respects the man very much as should all Yankee Suns.
The electronic assistance provided to the Knights of Mordor built a virus, but that virus was not able to penetrate the defenses of Easter Island. The Knights have also lost their remaining Naval Crafts.
The ET Uplinks suggested, and it was confirmed when troops arrived, that the base in the Philippines was abandoned. In the Uplinks of that base the soldiers discovered a 1,800 page manifesto attributed to “We the people, Anonymous,” and “All Authors,” which detailed the plans of the human inmates pretty clearly.
In this base the Humans were being trained for their potential as ET Pilots. The Rafiki had been quite impressed with the human operation of Jets and wished to cultivate Human Pilots of their own. Mind Control Rays were used both to indoctrinate the humans and to teach them the operation of the craft, this is standard procedure during a Rafiki invasion, it is the beginning of the assimilation of a Race.
The Humans had risen up, murdered everyone on the base, and stolen three groups of Fighters in order to “go forth and create a futuristic utopia, in the spirit of this volume,” as the Manifesto so eloquently put it.
With regards to the origin of the uprising the book is unclear, how the security protocols were disengaged months ago, none of this is explained in the Manifesto. The only hint is the dedication, “To He Who Wanders, May he set free all the Prisoners.” 4 working ET Fighters remain at the base, along with a Mind Control Ray and 5 ET Uplinks.
Uki was the base of operations for the Yakuza since the invasion, it was well defended with 4 Soldiers, though they only were proficient with firearms and had not yet figured out the firing mechanisms of lasers.
They still put up a fierce resistance, and the member of the Empress’s guard was lost along with a Soldier from Akita. Plasma Weapons were more than enough to deal with these troops and with a few blasts from the cannons of the APC the battle was over and the Yakuza were no more. The Yankee Suns now control most of Japan. 5 Firearms were recovered from Uki along with 6 Broken Human Computers.
Following a Rafiki lead the ET Uplinks focused on Hainan, where they found an ET Large Craft that no one had been able to salvage, and a stockpile of Plasma Weapons that had been dismissed as too dangerous to scavenge based on their explosive properties.
The Succubi of Sapporo have targeted viruses against the Yankee Suns, crippling 5 other Computers.
Scavengers in Kyoto recovered a Plasma Rifle and 4 Computers.
(+1 Economic Level, +5 Reputation, +4,567 Population, +3 Militia, -5 Lasers, +4 Plasma Rifles, +4 ET Fighters, +1 Mind Control Ray, -1 Fuel, +5 ET Uplinks, -1 Computer)
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1,803 new citizens were able to pass the various exams that have been set up to control population size as the Economy grew from the previous population. In order for the Economy to grow further though, Shrimpy warns, they must obtain a reliable source of civilian electricity to power the industries as they grow. These new recruits brought 5 Fuel with them, although 2 were left at the gate due to the lack of a Fuel Depot.
Corruption was almost completely eradicated in this small monarchy with the adoption of a universal code of laws, and a judiciary system to enforce them. The laws are egalitarian and just, and the people have responded well to them, as they fit along Shrimpese customs as they have existed for decades.
The investigations into local human groups revealed that in Malakal a group of humans are attempting to resurrect South Sudan, in Bunia the Human group calls themselves the Totalitarian Republic of Shaba. Gabon has been taken over by the ONEP, the national oil workers union. Mogidishu remains held by Al Shabaab, an extremist anarchist militia.
A soldier was added to the Peak base, further improving the strength of this small monarchy, but the funds were not available last turn to add a second soldier.
The massive growth of hunting as a profession has caused many of the hunters to desire to form a sort of trade union, where they can train and gather apprentices and divide up hunting fields to avoid overhunting. They understand this may go against Princess Boundless’s ruling about fraternization, and they have asked for her thoughts on a Hunter’s Guild.
The work of the Computers and Uplinks with the Neter were able to discover that Giza was still very much secured, although the electronic systems could not be contacted. Although satellite photos showed that the base was still held by the Neter and no immediate threats, recent unconfirmed reports have suggested that a last minute attack may have occurred.
When it was clear that the base could not be contacted electronically the technicians began looking through the log of transmissions off of the Public Satellites to Giza. The code had been bounced around many frequencies, what the technicians were able to decipher safely was that it seemed to be a version of the Mr. Smiley Virus, a human attack program. It lacks the AI coding of the Rafiki attack programs, but it is still quite a hazard. This one had multiple self repair sequences, which was fortunate, because when the technicians first got the signal it was in Tourliski.
The coding had been very damaged by the translation, the self repair sequences must have been running full throttle to deal with it, by the time it hit its target it would have needed every ounce of computing power and bandwidth just to keep itself afloat. The virus had self destructed inside the mainframes of every single piece of Neter Electronics at Giza. The Pyramids were not affected, but the Neter continue to search for a reliable computer or uplink. Not even their ships are operational.
There were a number of false leads; it might not be possible to determine the true source.
Some Lilin posters on a pro-Neter internet forum have proposed that it was the Alexandria University in Egypt who perpetrated the attacks, but there is no way to be sure. Also undermining those rumors are the reports that Alexandria has recently been taken over by the Script Kiddies.
Scavengers who had been exploring in an attempt to locate new spaces to expand Peak Base stumbled upon what used to be an Alien base on the Mountain. A Teleporter has been discovered in Peak Base.
(+1 Economic Level, +2 Reputation, +1,803 Population, +1 Soldier, +1 Plasma Rifle, +1 Fuel, +Courthouse, +Teleporter)
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In Gabarone the Debeers Corporation found the Debswana headquarters, where many employees were happy to see the return of order and joined the group immediately.
The Botswana Telecommunications Company had 5 Computers, which more than made up for the 3 lost to Rafiki viruses. The eggheads claim that repairing the satellite with the Hyperspanner and then launching it would help avert this problem.
With their newly researched Plasma Weapons the soldiers of DeBeers obliterated what little resistance they encountered. They were able to scavenge 3 Human Tanks from a military base in Lohatla along with 3 Fuel.
5 Automobiles and 8 Computers were found in Springbok.
Louis Trichard Airbase was also secured, along with its 4 Squadrons of Jets, a Fuel Depot, and 8 Fuel.
The massive new holdings have meant that the population of DeBeers administration has grown massively, 1,848 new civilians have been brought into the faction.
The scientists at DeBeers have asked that a Laboratory be constructed, so that they can have a place to focus their research on these many necessary discoveries.
(+2 Reputation, +1,848 Population, +1 Soldier, +3 Tanks, +4 Jets, +Gabarone, +Louis Thrichard Airbase, +Fuel Depot, +5 Automobiles, +7 Fuel, +10 Computers)
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The troops of the Yucatan Penninsula were not nearly as well equipped as Los Communado had been, many of their civilians had also fled south, where they had been lured by the decadent lifestyles of the Lilin.
The Airstrikes softened up the defenses, and the ET APC and laser armed troops moved in. The soldier from Veracruz was lost in the battle, but the forces of the Vanguard were able to obliterate the defenses. Chitzen Itza was found to be the site of a Neter Laboratory which is now under control of the Nitros. There was also an ET Fighter left behind by the Neter.
Veracruz has pledged their allegiance to the Vanguard, and as a result they did not take their part of the cut.
The Gulf Cartel has also been almost completely assimilated into the Vanguard. Some of the businessmen of this organization have started to complain about the presence of another Cartel with trafficking corridors in Western Mexico, their shipments come in through Puerto Vallarta. The connections further down the line in Austin, or further up the supply chain in Medelin would both be very enthusiastic to see this problem dealt with. 1,672 new civilians now serve support roles for the Vanguard.
The Uplinks coordinated with Rafiki Command Group 3.82 and did a lot of damage to the high tech weapons of the hooligans. They were rewarded with the technology behind Mind Control Rays. Unfortunately this help was not enough to save the Rafiki and they were overrun by the militias, who had Tourliski air support.
The Power Plants in Mexico City can now be repaired, with the acquisition of a Hyperspanner from Veracruz.
(+1 Economic Level, +2 Reputation, +1,672 Population, +3 Soldiers, +3 Lasers, +1 Naval Craft, +1 ET Fighter, -1 Fuel, +Veracruz, +Chitzen Itza, +Laboratory, +Hyperspanner)
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In Rio the technologies behind their ET APC and their Plasma Rifles were uncovered through trade.
The technicians were not able to take control of GSM-8BR, there were apparently already soldiers on site who cut the power when they recognized the symptoms of a remote access Trojan.
In Giza the Army of the Script Kiddies waited until they had seen the foreign jets leave with an all clear signal to Machu Picchu and the others, although nothing could be done with the Uplinks on site as they had all previously been destroyed by the viruses.
The First Militia was destroyed in combat with the Neter, and the second retreated back to Alexandria because of their inferior discipline. The first of the new laser troops was able to defeat one of the entrenched Neter defenders, but was shattered by a flanking maneuver. The second of the new Laser troops was able to clean up the remaining forces.
The Power Plants and Farms in Giza are now under the control of the Script Kiddies; a group calling themselves Al Shabaab out of Mogidishu are tormented by hunger and are extremely interested in securing a supply of food, if the Script Kiddies can help. 2,072 new members joined this turn, but some fear that the Script Kiddies might just be a happy go lucky front for a sinister military regime. This has slowed recruitment. 4 Computers were lost to viruses.
Natal has a group of Leelah in it, they seem uninterestered in diplomacy and only amass larger and larger armies. They do not have the means to reach the encampments.
Montevideo is being run in an egalitarian fashion by a group of young Revolutionaries who have taken up the name of the Tupamaros.
Racial tensions in Brasilia have died down with the mass exile of anti-human Puumons. The mayor has taken a strong stand against that sort of thing.
There is a squadron of Nalese Fighter Pilots, Delta Squadron, in Canindeyu District in Paraguay. The Nalese have a Hyperspanner. They have resisted attempts at diplomacy though, claiming that they prefer independence.
Closer to their new holdings in Africa the group has discovered a Neter Commune in Mecca. These Neter are outraged by the attack on the Pyramids. Machu Picchu has declared a crusade against the Script Kiddies.
(+1 Economic Level, +4 Reputation, +2,072 Population, +1 Soldier, +1 Militia, +Giza, +Power Plant, +Farm (5), -4 Computers)