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Keepin an eye on them
Domestic RP/ Part 6
Six days of incessant assaults had passed, every attack testing the defenders determination, each attack thinning their lines.
The Vice President had never left his office in the Senate, the old building had never seen so much activity since the pre-War period, a contnous bustle of soldiers, engineers, government officials and so on, but he was still in his dedicated room, checking the situation every minute, convincing more men and women to die for the Confederate cause as the time went by. He was eating a simple radroach sandwich, standing on the side of his desk, checking his maps, dispatches and books, when again he was interrupted by a soldier: "Sir, they have arrived!"
"The President and his men are here?"
"No, not them, the mercenaries employed by the traitors"
"This is bad, really bad, how many there are of them?"
The problem isn't their numbers Sir, is their equip... "
The soldiers voice was cut short by a violent jolt of the Senate: cracks appeared all over the walls, the books in the shelves fell off, the windows broke, and the Vice President almost felt on the ground. Still stunned, he asked the soldier: "What was that?!"
"As I was saying, they have heavy weaponry with them, also about a couple of missile launchers, The outer defense lines are withdrawing from their positions."
The news obviously shocked Graves: "This damn traitors hired mercenaries with missile launchers?! This is terrible indeed. How much territory have we lost?"
"They have taken only the outer downtown for now, but they have settled their heavy weapons in the high grounds of the buildings they took, our soldiers are under heavy fire from above, in addition from weaponry they have no way to deal with, they can't hold long. The missile that struck us probably widely missed his target, and end up here."
This old boy take the hit like a champ eh? Apart from lucky shots, there just a few buildings close enough to attack the Senate directly, am I wrong?"
"No, Sir, only three are near enough to land precision attacks, but you are not gonna..."
The Vice President shutted the man before he could continue: "Very well, order all troops to fall back here, we'll have much better chances holding here now, than spreading our forces around the downtown l, and the soldiers will be less under the menace of constant bombing from nearby."
"Mr Vice President, you are right, but if our lines fall, we'll have nowhere to retreat further, the Senate and the city will be lost!"
"I am betting on what will give us the higher chances of success, I believe to be right."
Graves took a deep sigh, and watched outside the now-broken window of his office: the battle was enraging, the flashes of explosions could be seen, the noise of screams and shots could be heard, the stench of dead bodies could be smelled.
"I hope to be right..."
With the understanding of more powerful engines and mechanics. Orders were passed down to Union engineers to salvage any viable vehicle from the Union territory. Every museum that was left standing was picked clean for any tanks, plane or gun that could be put back into service. Along with the mainland America, the islands were picked clean of anything as well. As the Cuban remnants still had some rusting guns to pick up. With pressure of more and more states benign found, A stronger armed forces were considered needed to counter the union’s lower population.
Engineers salvage any usable vehicle throught union teritory
Climb Aboard the Republican Wagon Part 1: Protection First
Following the unification of Florida by the New American Republic many nearby areas see that joining the New American Republic is in their best interest rather then risking being absorbed by some other state such as a rumbered slavery society slightly north of Alabama. A place that is at least egalitarian of humans and anti human slavery is seen as a blessing. In the specific case of Mobile, Alabama and do to them being on the borders of the Republic its better to be apart of the Republic under a voluntarily joining rather then being invaded. Subsequently the leader of Mobile had sent a diplomat to propose a negotiation for Mobile joining the New American Republic. The proposal pushed by the diplomat was more then likely a big ask expanding segregation to ghouls on the Republican level, lowering taxes Nationally and giving the city state immediate Commonwealth Status as well as the claim of all of Alabama as part of its state. This was rebuked with a compromise of: allowing Commonwealths to choice to allow Ghoul Segregation however it will be enforced by Republican observers if its truly separate but equal as if not it will be going to the supreme court, allowing the goverment of Mobile to evolve to the Commonwealth of Alabama within the Republic however only claiming the southern half of the prewar borders as well as ensuring protection from attacks from the west and north. However, while negotiations succeeded and a new version was sent to Mobile the goverment accepted the annexation. However, while things seemed to great in Mobile its Ghoul minorities had been appalled by the fact the Republic accepted any offer keeping the ability of segregation on ghouls. This led to a major protest that almost turned into a riot leading to the New American Army being called into Mobile to keep the peace in the new Commonwealth. The President herself, Kaitie Frost of the Unionist Party in the Republic made a statement "While I personally disagree with with the politics of the Commonwealth of Alabama the fact of the matter is that its our place as the Republic to make sure each Commonwealth has their rights to choice. However, I promise to make sure that if they are going to have Segregation on Ghouls it must truly be Separate but Equal to ensure our Ghoul citizens have truly equal status as if not they will feel the full weight of the Republic on their goverment!"
Following this annexation the New American Republic gained 1763 people.
After heading around Florida they found themselves passing through the St. John river, coming upon the city of Jacksonville. Comign into a slip in the downtown area, they departed to meat with the new state.
Oppenheimer
With the dangerous power of atomic power having been proven evident by the great war. Many of its industrial uses for power has caught the attention of the Senate energy committee. Considering the large stockpile of nuclear material available within the Union.Combined with the fact no-one actually uses the stuff it's simply been growing in the national stockpile. It was decided that “An effective use of such material should be found in alternative to searching for a non-existent market.” Though some have hoped to sell of the large stockpile for more demanding materials, the simple lack of any faction that could use it has turned the committee’s decision.
Energy 8 Begins research
Old Friends Part 5: Hart Part 1
New York, Empire State Building
The Raider was dead before he hit the floor, the smoke still curled off the gun Simon Gray had fired. He set the gun down and slammed his fist against his desk.
"DAMNIT!" He yelled, the only ones to hear him were the bodyguards and the Enclave Operative posing as a Raider. He picked up the gun and walked over to one of his bodyguards.
"I want to build an empire from this broken husk of a world we were left. I want peace, pure and simple. But how can I do that when THESE GOONS IN POWER ARMOR KEEP TAKING MY LAND!?" By this point he had the gun under the jaw of the Enclave Operative, Nicholas. Then, with a manical grin and laugh, he pulled the gun away, turned around, and continued.
"I have gone through HELL to get to where I am now. I nearly lost my gang years ago, and my best friend betrayed me, abandoned me, left me. I managed to rebuild, unite the gangs of New York, and claw my way to the top of this world, and now this great new nation is under threat. You know. I chose New York for a reason. The Empire State, the city that never sleeps, the perfect place to begin building a new world." He turned to one of his guards and said,
"Inform the commanders, I want more forces deployed to the city of Hart. Tell them the town is to be secured, but if not, burn it to the ground. Oh, and clean that body" One guard rushed off, another grabbed the body of the dead Raider and dragged him away, and Simon turned to face Nicholas.
"Be grateful you weren't the one who had to deliver the news we lost War Chest." He pointed to the door and Nicholas left, sighing with relief as he did.
The City of Hart
It had once been known as Hartford, now it was a shadow of its former self. Like with previous settlements along the southern coast of New England, the Enclave had visited and aided them before moving on. The city had been under siege for a time, with no end in sight. The sight of a Vertibird bearing the symbol of the Enclave flying towards them was greatly appreciated. Commander Lebannault disembarked from the Vertibird, and looked around. Crows of civilians had gathered around the Vertibird, as had a few guards, but they all looked exhausted, tired from the siege, and likely not to last much longer. The head of the town, a man named Davis Harper, approached Lebannault and shook his hand, saying;
"Good to see your back Commander. It couldn't be at a better time." The mayor, along with his small contingent of bodyguards, escorted Lebannault to the walls of the settlement where they saw the landscape surrounding the town. It was all ashes and ruins, with Raiders lurking in the shadows or in camps, occasionally trading shots with guards on the walls.
"They pushed us out of our farms and we've been relying on the supplies left inside for months. I hate to say it, but without help, we won't survive another month." Lebannault's face sighed and looked down before looking back up at the Mayor.
"We've been dealing with these Raiders for a while now. We can help. I'll send the Vertibirds back to get reinforcements." The Mayor nodded and said,
"Thank you Commander." Just then, a guard on the wall yelled
"Raider inbound! He's got a flag of truce!" Lebannault and Mayor Harper looked over the walls and saw it was true. The Raider was wearing armor that was more uniform than the others, painted grey with a silver helmet, clearly a commander, not to mention the fact he had a group of less uniformly dressed Raiders with him. He cupped his hands over his mouth and said;
"Attention Settlement of Hart, by demand of Silverhawk Simon Gray, you have 24 hours to surrender or we will storm the city, burn it to the ground, and take all citizens into bondage." Lebannault looked over at the mayor, who nodded. Lebannault leaned over the wall and said,
"Tell your Silverhawk that this city is under the protection and jurisdiction of the Enclave!" The soldiers along the wall, upon hearing that, cheered. The Raider below glared and turned back to his lines. Lebannault headed back to where the Vertibirds had landed and said,
"Head back to Boston immediately. Inform President Winters that Hart is under siege and I have remained along with the contingent of Sentinels and others to aid in holding the city. Ask for reinforcement as soon as possible, the Raiders have said they will burn the city to the ground, and I don't want to see them follow through." The pilots nodded and took off, heading skyward.
"Let's hope they get back in time," he said as he headed towards the command center already being erected nearby, the sound of gunfire everywhere.
Engine go Brrr
The First Design Bureau, Innovacion, has achieved a breakthrough on the “combustion engine” project, as it is now known. While they have known the principle behind it’s workings, the wasteland has no oil, and they need to find something that will run the engines without requiring this extinct resource.
One day, the MRA brought them something they thought was of value. A “High School Chemistry, book 1” document. Through the book, they found out that oil and the food they ate and the clothes they wear are related, and indeed, it is possible to turn food into fuel. It took some tests, but they succeeded. The Soviets now have working engine blueprints, as well as the ability to fuel them.
However, the making of fuel is a delicate process, one that can not be done by artisans. Synchronized, industrial power is required. Thus, copying from old carcasses that cannot be recovered, the National Assembly passed the Factory Act, allowing the Federal Soviet the ability to construct two factories, for now, with the ability to request a widening of the legislation in the future.
1 Small Factory under construction, 14 RL days
Reassigning
With the work on the internal combustion engine done, personnel of the Innovacion design bureau are redirected towards another project: How do we use it? There are a multitude of possibilities. Powerful agricultural machines to massively increase output. Fast and reliable transports, shuttling people around with stunning efficiency. Terrifying mobile weapons of war, delivering destruction to the capitalists and liberating the peoples of the world.
A sub-Branch of the division stated that they can handle the civilian vehicles on their own: The majority should do military applications to defend the worker state. This... was accepted.
A beast made of steel, with an enormous gun and stunning speed. They were called Tanks, and many can be seen littered on the side of the road in photographs. They seem ti have been taken elsewhere, since not much can be seen around here. The small Mexican Army of the pre-war only operated antiquated systems. Still, they have something to work with.
Research of En4 starts
Expansion 35/Operation Containment
Following the genuinely bloodless acquisition of Pickens following a brief occupation by the 1st Unit, the final campaign to complete Operation Containment was quickly begun, with the 1st Unit leaving Pickens in the hands of the Securitate, Emmissariat and Functionariat as it began a steady eastern march. The province of York, so named for the pre-war town of York on recovered maps, was the final step to ensuring the rest of South Carolina would be cut off from the outside wasteland and left helpless before the awesome might of the United Prefectural Directorate. Vanguard elements, light infantry, rangers and cavalry, were quickly inserted into York, moving quickly to acquire as much information as possible on the sociopolitical scene and locate potential nodes of resistance against the Commissariat's advance. It was soon discovered that unlike the rest of the provinces previously annexed in Operation Containment, the province of York did not have a centralized proto-state with semi-control over it, but rather only a collection of independent settlements and small raider gangs. Not that none of them were attempting to establish such a state, as it one of the local settlements had rapidly accrued a collection of pre-war equipment and was eagerly attempting to subdue the other settlements beneath its banner through force. Emmissariat assets were soon deployed to inform the resisting settlements of the rapidly approaching 1st Unit and the disparity in firepower between them and it, as well as the Directorate's clear intent to annex the province. The local settlements, besides those already overrun by the militant settlement, were soon convinced that it would be better to join the Directorate rather than be conquered by fools with delusions of grandeur. The Emmissariat envoy to the militant settlement was hung after terms were delivered.
Records of Commissar Victoria Volkov
I have never seen the Emmissariat people ever this upset, although enraged seems more appropriate given how furious they seem to be. Apparently, those idiots who want to conquer the province by themselves decided to hang one of their diplomats after they delivered the Directorate's terms to them, so now the Emmissariat wants blood and I am obliged to give it to them. While Emmissariat agents began to stir up trouble in occupied settlements and encourage revolts, the 1st Unit deployed in force, with vanguard elements dispatched to harass the militia forces outside of their home town and the main force employed to batter aside attempts to prevent it from encircling the settlement. Despite external and internal attempts to break the siege, it continued and the militia force outside of the settlement was withered away from raids, ambushes and attempts to break the siege, eventually surrendering after losing most of its men and leadership. Inside the settlement, Emmissariat agents began stirring up the populace like they did with the occupied settlements, now in full rebellion, and found purchase since, militant or not, having your supposedly great militia get brushed aside in days and your home surrounded by very angry soldiers with big guns will make your civilians panic. When the first bombardment against the settlement's walls ended, it was all over, as the remaining militia mutinied and threw themselves at the mercy of the Commissariat while the civilians had to be stopped from outright hanging their leaders. The Securitate had the honor of that and, after a fast trial, found them guilty of breaking the laws of common decency and sense, or so I gathered, with the lot of them being strung up at the gallows.
[Losses: 39 Protectors, 1 Emissary, 72 Militia]
[Gains: 1,772 Pop]
Economic Reform
With the increase in the stability and the viability of the United Prefectural Directorate as a market economy, the Functionariat has dispatched a proposal to the Presidium for economic reform with a variety of different ideas for ensuring the health and sustainability of this proposed economic system. Firstly, the elimination of the bottlecap as an accepted form of currency, to be replaced by a newly minted series of coins containing precious metal and thus holding value. Secondly, the establishment of a central, government-run bank whose purpose would be to act as a source of loans for both private and public projects, a mint for the coins themselves and an institution capable of keeping the economy in check and running smoothly. Thirdly, a one-time grant of resources to certain individuals in the hopes of prompting the establishment of some form of civilian industry, which will produce consumer goods for consumption by the populace in exchange for the newly minted coins, which can then be used to purchase additional government resources for constructing additional factories. Fourthly, government employees will be paid in the newly minted coins, as well as plots of land for their own personal use, to farm, sell, etc. depending on their own preferences.
Keepin' an eye on them
Domestic RP/ Part 8/ Final
The soldier extracted his bayonet from the dead body of a mercenary: "We really showed them eh?"
Another one was inspecting the dead body of an officer, searching for some loot: "Yeah, we squashed those traitors as the scum they were!"
The first got near him: You know, Donald, you're wife gonna be sad now... "
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You see, one of those poor bastards really looked like the guy she sees every Tuesday..."
"Oh, shut up!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll find a new one in a matter of days!"
"Yup opened your stupid mouth one time too much, Bragg!"
The soldier got up and started chasing the other one, which escaped from him laughing: "You see Donald, if your shape was better maybe your wife wouldn't need to find replacements!"
"You are dead meat, you..."
"Soldiers, what is going on here?!" an officer appeared from the dust.
The two immediately snapped: "Nothing, Sir, just checking the traitors to see if anyone isn't dead."
"Leave them here agonizing, the President had requested the presence of all the army."
The three arrived in front of the ruins of the Senate, many men still removing bodies and rubble.
The President stood on a fallen column, his uniform tattered and dirty, the left arm bandaged after he received a bullet there. He looked tired, but still fierce: "Confederate soldiers! We have won! The traitors are dead! Today we celebrate our victory!"
The mass of soldiers cheered, many shot in the air, but the President asked for silence: "Today is a glorious day, but we cannot forget those that made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country, surely they made our ancestors proud. But losing such brave warriors is still a disgrace. Among them, we mourn Vice President Graves, a true hero, and a real example of our finest."
The soldiers mourned their comrades, while Lee II continued: "Here on the ruins of our Senate, and the dead bodies of our countrymen, I solemnly promise that I will do everything I can to ensure nothing like this happens again! Bureaucrats and elites have tried to seize the power and make their fanatic wiews came true, but your loyalty and courage have stopped them! Glory to the Army! Death to the traitors!"
The soldiers followed their leader: "Glory to the Army! Death to the traitors! Glory to the Army! Death to the traitors!".
Despite the traitors had failed in creating their ethnostate, their failed coup would still manage to radically change the NCS, just in a different way.
Official Construction Edict by the Presidium, the Functionariat and the Secretariat in Regards to the Prefectures of Hampton, Aiken, Walhalla, Pickens and York
In a new edict issued by the Industrial Bureau of the Secretariat of the United Prefectural Directorate on behalf of the Director and enacted by the Presidium, it has ordered that the following Prefectures are to construct roads networks in order to facilitate swift and efficient transportation of personnel, raw resources and manufactured goods between the Prefectures and ensure rapid compliance with and completion of the edicts issued by the Presidium.
[Constructing: Road Network, Completed 3/6/21]
[Resources Expended: 9 Concrete (9 Roads)]
Health Care Reform
The state of medical services in the United Prefectural Directorate is, at best, almost nonexistent beyond small, private affairs using scavenged Pre-War chems and dubious concoctions cooked up in haphazard chemistry stations to treat the sick and injured of the UPD. This state of affairs is plainly unacceptable, from both a moral and pragmatic perspective, and a number of functionaries and secretaries have stepped forward with a proposal, backed surprisingly by Commissar Samuel Palmer of the Commissariat. Speaking before the Presidium, the Commissar emphasized just how much the medical cadres and sections of the Commissariat contributed to the combat effectiveness of the soldiers under his command. Without them, his troops would have been much less effective and their expansion of the Directorate would have been nowhere near as timely. That the Directorate had come as far as it had without the same sort of treatment for its civilian population, its workers, farmers, mechanics and administrators, was perhaps nothing more than a divine miracle. By the end of his speech, the hearts of the Presidium had near-swelled to bursting with righteous indignation and passion, with the Director and Lieutenant Secretaries promising a swift enactment of the proposal.
In order to attend to the medical needs and health of its citizens, the United Prefectural Directorate has enacted the Universal Health Care Plan. Starting immediately, in every Prefecture, every Municipality would begin constructing a central hospital to tend to the inhabitants of each one, with each hospital logically being tailored to its needs and size. While at first these hospitals would be, by necessity, staffed by whatever preexisting medical amateurs these settlements had, they would be soon replaced by professionals trained by a medical academy and instructed in various medical fields by the finest of these amateur physicians, eventually building a truly professional core of doctors and physicians. To justify this immense expense, however, it has been decided that in order to partake in this program, the population must pay for it as is proper. To that end, they will pay a fee with the new currency earned from their occupations and delivered to the local Functionariat branch in their Municipalities. This medical tax will be small so as to not be unreasonable even for the least wealthy worker and farmer, but sufficient to ensure the overall economic viability of the program. Regrettable as it is to tax the people for so simple a thing as basic healthcare, everything required payment in the world.
Religious Organization in the United Prefectural Directorate
Being a land of many faiths, the United Prefectural Directorate has a great deal of religious hierarchies and organizations that may seem a little daunting at first glance. However, upon a second glance, they can be easily separated and neatly organized. For example, Traditionalist Christianity, or the New Orthodox Church in their own language, is fairly similar to pre-war churches. In every Municipality, the church is run by a dedicated Pastor, every Prefecture a Deacon and every District a Bishop. At the very top, is the Arch-Bishop, who is picked out from one of the Bishops by an election amongst his peers. Now, Reformist Christianity, being a semi-autonomous and heretical sect, has much of the same hierarchy and is still technically part of the New Orthodox Church, with its highest adherent being a Deacon, who amongst his flock is referred to as the Arch-Deacon. Azturism, by contrast, is definitely not part of the Christian hierarchy and its priests will certainly be irate if you think otherwise. Still, they have fairly similar organizations on paper. A Priest oversees the local temple of a Municipality, an Arch-Priest a Prefecture and a High Priest a District. They do not have a single head of faith, however, with their gathering of High Priests being a council who rule on religious matters. The Idolaters are where things get weird, since they do not organize themselves by the general hierarchies seen in other faiths, with the only recognizable priesthood being the Shrine Priests. Nominally all of them are equal, but generally the eldest tends to hold the most sway whenever enough of them get together for conversations. The Church of Atom has a similar structure, albeit with a nominal head named the High Confessor and the subordinate priesthood being the Confessors, who generally go by Father or Mother depending on gender. Generally decentralized, the Church of Atom's individual churches operate off of population rather than being organized by Municipality, Prefecture or District.
Heads of Faith
New Orthodox Church: Arch-Bishop Jeffrey Campbell
Reformist Christianity: Arch-Deacon Joseph Gladstone
Azturism: High Priest Council
Idolaters: Shrine Priest Reilly Hickson
Church of Atom: High Confessor Maria Bohr
Of Claimants and Adventurers, pt. 2
Much of what had once been Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, had been washed away by hurricanes in the early post-apocalypse. The only thing that managed to survive was the old post office - already a venerable old building built way back in the 1800s. The area was deserted until nearly 50 years after the bombs when a tribe moved into the area. They left the old building alone, and it remained unoccupied for another ten years when a trader from Halifax set up a trading post inside the old building. Eventually, a small town grew up around the trading post.
The town became known as Last Standing, in reference to the post office as the last standing building in the colony. Last Standing looked nothing like the old Sherbrooke; the houses were clustered closer together, built mostly of stone and mortar, with thatched roofs, though the wealthiest homes (cluster around the Old Post Office in what was known as the Clay District) were made of brick and had clay tiled roofs. The whole settlement was surrounded by a stone wall about eight feet high.
The town was only 2,000 strong, though bigger than even Dun Sinclair. Fortunately for Alexander Campbell, the town was nominally independent - though under the shadow of Halifax, the town was legally independent and self-governing. It had no military of its own, relying on a selection of mercenaries to man its walls.
This would prove to be its undoing. Shortly after crossing the Bridge from Dun Sinclair, Alexander sent a spy to the town, carrying a significant sum of money. The spy met with the leader of the mercenaries, offering a significant amount of gold for him to not resist Alexander's takeover, with the promise of more later. The mercenary captain took the money and promised to open the gates for him when he got there.
The leaders of the town caught wind of the plot and made an attempt to throw the mercenaries out of town. When Alexander and his forces arrived at the gates, the town was the site of a pitched battle between the mercenaries and the militias the mayor had raised. The militias were poorly armed and poorly trained, but the mercenaries weren't really that much better, and they had been caught flatfooted by the attack. Alexander found himself with the prospect of wading into a mess.
But, he wasn't about to be turned away, so wade into the mess he did. His Companions (as the only troops with horses) acted as a vanguard, charging through the gate and up the main street with Alexander at the lead. Mercenary and militia alike either fell before them or were scattered by the galloping horses and their sword-armed riders. The mercenaries and militiamen struggled in clumps all along Main Street, sometimes within shouting distance of each other. The Companions would charge into a clump, scatter it, slow down to regroup, then push forward, building up to a gallop again as they spotted the next clump of fighting.
Behind them, those minor noblemen that lacked a horse tried to keep up in their footsteps. By and large, their role was that of taking care of the stragglers, or finishing the job the cavalry had started. Behind them still followed the levies, the non-noble warriors and commoners that had joined up to seek their own glory. The contrast between the fortune-seeking battle-hardened mercenary vs. the poorly armed and poorly still trained farmers with their tunics and machetes would have been somewhat hilarious if anybody had been paying attention. That being said, even the farmers acquitted themselves well in what fighting the noblemen left for them.
After a final headlong charge through the remainder of the Hay District into the Clay District, Alexander managed to reach the Old Post Office, leaping off his horse and running up the steps. "Last Standing for Alexander!" he roared above the tumult. He raised his sword triumphantly in the air above him. "Victory!" His followers cheered.
That would be the last thing he ever said. A mercenary crossbowman, not knowing what was going on, took the opportunity to take a potshot at the would-be conqueror. The arrow struck him between the ribs and he collapsed to the ground. He died days later when an infection set in.
The Companions found themselves without a leader and without a purpose. They immediately began to argue over who should be leader, pausing only for a moment to bury Alexander and send word to Laird Campbell about his death. They were just ready to come to blows when the Laird Campbell showed up with his personal retinue to claim Last Standing for Clan Campbell. He ended the squabble (and any potential resistance) by promising them the lands they had fought to claim, just as members of Clan Campbell.
Unfortunately, the squabbling wasn't quite over...
Official Construction Edict by the Presidium, the Functionariat and the Secretariat in Regards to the Prefectures of Burgaw, Jacksonville, Salisbury, Highpoint, Asheville, Graham, Henderson, Winton, Conway and Hampton
In a new edict issued by the Industrial Bureau of the Secretariat of the United Prefectural Directorate on behalf of the Director and enacted by the Presidium, it has ordered that the following Prefectures are to undergo mechanization in their agricultural efforts in order to further supply the needs of the population of the United Prefectural Directorate, ensure ample foodstuffs for conversion into ethanol fuel and to increase the standard of living across the UPD. It is the plan of the government that with this edict, no citizen will ever suffer the scourge of starvation again.
[Constructing: Advanced Farms, Completed 3/18/21
Simple Farmsteads, Hampton, Completed 3/9/21]
[Resources Expended: 72 Scrap/27 Steel (9 Advanced Farms), 4 Scrap (Simple Farmsteads)]
Of Claimants and Adventurers, pt. 3
Bad luck, it would seem, was determined to follow this Adventurous Expedition.
As previously pointed out, Last Standing was not a Halifaxian protectorate and had resisted all attempts to be incorporated into that merchant republic's sphere of influence. About the same time that the late Alexander Campbell decided to strike out on his own, the Maritime Covenant (the technical name of the nation-state controlling Halifax) decided it was time to do something about this wayward child of theirs that was threatening their monopoly on trade in the region. A small portion of the Covenant's fleet, three cannon-armed corvettes and a hulk carrying a landing party was dispatched to the town several weeks after the Battle of Falling to secure the town's compliance, by force if necessary.
On the other side, the tribes of the Lakelands were incensed at the violation of what they considered their sovereign territory and the takeover of a town they had considered a friend and ally. A confederacy was quickly formed and the warriors gathered, and together they marched towards Last Standing. The Lakelanders would drive these invaders from their lands and liberate their ally from the clutches of a foreign invader.
Laird Campbell had already returned to New Alba when the ships were first sighted on the horizon. The Thane that had been left in charge of the town sent a desperate messenger back to New Alba, begging for aid from Clan Campbell. Meanwhile, the Companions and the newly-installed Campbell garrison prepared for a siege.
Laird Campbell took one look at the reports of what was coming after his little exclave on the mainland and decided that he wasn't going to get involved. "I cannae get their in time," he told the messenger. To him, at least, that seemed true - it would take several days at best to gather his forces together and make his way down to Last Standing, and by then the town would probably have fallen. He'd been willing to entertain the thought of more land, but he'd expected nobody would care about it - and now that they'd shown they did, he didn't want it.
The messenger, one of the Companions, was incensed that Laird Campbell would turn his back on his kin and his fellow New Albans so casually. He decided to take the drastic decision of appealing directly to the Ard Righ, going over Laird Campbell's head. If the Clan Leader wouldn't do something about it, maybe the High King would.
As a matter of fact, Morgan the Black was more than sympathetic to the plight of the Thane of Last Standing. This wasn't due to any altruism, necessarily (though Morgan did care about his fellow New Albans). Morgan simply saw an opportunity to grab power for himself and his office - the office of the Ard Righ. Part of the problem with the office of the High King was that the High Kingship - or, one could say, the Confederacy that the High King oversaw - was that it did not hold land for itself. The High King was allowed a certain portion of retainers furnished by contributions from the Clans, but otherwise maintained no standing force of its own. Morgan saw an opportunity to change this.
He called for his best and brightest warriors (numbering only 200) and sent them with the messenger to reinforce the Thane with the promise of more to come. Morgan's steward, James, was sent to marshall Clan Douglas' forces and prepare them for battle. In the meanwhile, Morgan wrote Laird Campbell a letter asking if he intended to defend his kin in Last Standing.
"Hell nah," Campbell replied. "Those dinnae be mah kin out there. They left the safety of New Alba and the Clan of their own free will and dinnae have ta right to call for help from the Campbell clan."
That was all Morgan needed to hear. That very same day he penned a proclamation claiming Last Standing as the property of the Ard Righ - not Clan Douglas, but the Ard Righ himself, whoever that may be. Then, before any of the clans even had a chance to understand what he was saying, he was out, leading the host of Clan Black (that he'd "lent" to the High Kingship) to relieve his new town.
Lee would be proud
Domestic RP/ Part 1
Bicentennial Park still carried the scars of the Glorious Battle of Nashville, as many now called it, some small craters had formed, and the radiation-resistant grass had been burned in many points. Many bodies littered the area, but they were all disposed of, to ensure the event could be celebrated.
An enormous crowd had formed to assist to the burial of Vice President Graves, many because they sincerely wanted to, some because there was no other alternative, partecipaton was compulsory.
The coffin was brought out of the Senate, where the corpse had rested for three days, in an especially made chapelle ardente, one carriers being nine other than the President, which wasn't a surprise for many. While Graves was in his slow last journey, the band played "The Wearing of the Grey" in a slow tone, a classic in government and military Confederate funerals.
Before the coffin could have his final rest, as tradition went, many gave their last salute to the Vice President from the podium, but the three that really couldn't be forgotten were the one of the President, of course, the one from Secretary Monroe, despite Graves despised him in life and Colonel Terry.
If you're confused, Colonel Terry was none other than the Sergeant that had barricaded himself and the last few men in the Senate, the only survivors of the attack. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel and received the highest Confederate decoration, the Order of Lee (the only one to receive it after the battle not posthumous, except for the President), but what really made him famous was pretty much just the fact that he was the highest ranking officer still alive in the Senate, he had became some sort of hero.
In his high uniform, he was quick but effective in glorificating the Vice President: "It was only his lead that saved us from utter annihilation, the Vice President gave his very own life on the lines with us common soldiers, not fearing a moment for his life, always only focused on protecting the NCS. I don't lie saying that I would have traded my life to save his own, he was an example for all of us.", how much of truth was in his statement was unknown, but it certainly managed to boost both his and the dead popularity (not to say that the latter had any use of that).
Monroe, as always, went with his religion: "Oh Lee, may you be blessed, please take our brother Graves in the heavens alongside you and our ancestors! He has proven more than worthy of that privilege! I am sure that your spirit was fighting on his side on the walls of the Senate, now let him rest with our forefathers."
The President was the one that talked less about the dead: "We have gathered here to remember John Graves, but also to remember why he is in a coffin and no longer with us. The traitorous bureaucrats and senators have plotted to seize the power and if Graves and many other didn't sacrifice themselves, they would have surely succeeded. Changes will be needed to ensure this never happens again. It will be a long way. But reflecting on the coffin of my friend has made me start this very first reforms, so even Graves can hear what we will do to ensure his death wasn't futile. The Senate has proven itself unloyal, and so many officials, so I will step in to ensure our safety, also this attack as left our armies crippled, so we will start new great recruitment calls. I know it's too late for you my friend, but your dream of a great NCS will come true!"
Too bad Graves couldn't hear all the kind words they had for him.
Old Friends Part 6: Hart Part 2
It had been three days since the attack had begun, since the Enclave forces had become reinforcements, holding the city of Hart as the three hundred Spartans had against Persia at Thermopylae. Each attack had cost the Raiders dearly, but the toll on the city militia and Enclave forces was beginning to mount. Now, it felt like the attacks were probing, trying to find a weak spot in the armor that guarded the city. Lebannault himself had taken to the frontlines on more than one occasion, fighting alongside the city militia and Enclave Sentinels, rallying them whenever the defense seemed lost. Now, it seemed like that time had finally come. A new wave of fresh Silverhawks struck against a gap in the wall, pushing back the defenders step by step. Lebannault again took to the front, and was shot in the arm. A group of city guards rushed him to safety, even as he struggled to break free and get back to the fight. The Sentinels fell back step by step, still firing from their great miniguns and gatling lasers, cutting down Raiders even as men around them fell. More guards rushed in, but it seemed like this might finally be it. Then, he heard it, faintly at first, so much so he thought he was passing out or dying, but then more clearly, and he saw others look up too. It was the sound of Vertibird engines. He looked up, and right before he was dragged into a medical facility, he saw them open fire on the Raiders below, not into their front lines, but their base camps. He saw the Raiders on the front lines withdraw, clearly seeing the battle was lost. Then he was carried into a medical facility and was unable to see how the battle unfolded. He passed out, and awoke with the face of President Winters hovering above him. Lebannault sat up and simply said,
"Did we win." Winters clenched his fists and said,
"Of all the irresponsible, dangerous, borderline insubordinate decisions you could have made........"
"Admit it, you're just glad I'm ok and that I helped save the settlement." Lebannault's attitude rapidly went down hill when he saw the President begin to tear up.
"That's not the point," Winters said, "I can't lose you Jack. I just can't. Do you get it you idiot?! I love you!" That drew the attention of several medical staff around them and their patients, who looked over. Winters looked around and realized what he had done, wiping the tears away he said,
"Sorry, we should really do this in private commander." Lebannault stood up, a little uneasily and said,
"Screw it, I'm done hiding," and kissed the President. Pulling away, he said,
"I love you too." Gasps were heard, and then just at that moment Silverhawk walked in.
"Excuse me. Sirs?" The kiss ended, and the three men stood there, somewhat awkwardly.
"Sirs, we managed to drive the Raiders back. The settlement is fully in our hands."
"Excellent Director," the President said, "and about what you, and I guess everyone else saw..." Silverhawk smiled and said,
"It's a part of who you are. And I kinda already knew." Winters looked over at Lebannault who raised his hands defensively,
"He figured it out on his own."
"Anyway, Commander, Mr. President, from intel I've received from my Operatives, the Silverhawks are crumbling. Our victories over them have convinced a lot of smaller raiders and tribes under their control to break free. They basically just have the town of Stamford and Long Island itself left under their control." Lebannault put his hands down and nodded, as did Winters.
"Let's end this war and this gang once and for all," Winters said.
Casualties:
Town Guards: 750
Silverhawks: 2,500
Enclave Personnel: 200
1,900 people integrated
Joseph: The Spades & The Diamonds
The stakes are the highest they have ever been for Joseph. But he has full confidence in his hand. He holds a 3, 5, 7, 9, and Queen of Spades. It’s a perfect flush. The game lies between Joseph and the newest hot shot on the Strip, Charles Estrada. Charles had not shown any signs of a good or bad hand throughout the game. Instead, Charles has remained silent, much to the annoyance of Joseph, especially as the only other sound in the room was the loud ticking of the grandfather clock. The pot was the biggest Joseph has seen yet; a whopping 5 million caps on the line. But Joseph has no worries. The game was already rigged. Jack and Olly both bailed earlier as they had planned with Joseph. Marked cards guaranteed Joseph a flush, no matter what Charles could pull off. After he wins the game, he’s split the pot with Jack and Olly. It was the gig they’ve had going for the past few months, and it’s worked out perfectly thus far. And Joseph knew it would work again.
Approaching the end of the game, it was time to reveal their hands. Joseph, fully confident in his victory, sets his cards down onto the table, revealing his flush of Spades. Charles, a cigar in his mouth, looks unimpressed at Joseph’s cards. “Well,” Joseph says, “Looks like I win again.” Charles takes a moment to place his cigar to the side before laying down his cards onto the table. Joseph’s heart sinks as he looks at something that he has never seen before in all his times of playing. In front of him sits an Ace, as King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10 of Diamonds. ’Impossible,’ Joseph thinks to himself, ’A royal straight flush.’ Charles smirks, “Such a shame, your flush was wasted on an impossible task to overcome.” Joseph shakes his head, he is in complete shock. He has never lost a game this big. . .never. It can’t be right, Joseph jumps from his seat in rage, “Liar! There’s no way you could’ve gotten that! You are a cheating bastard!” Charles laughs, “But you already tried to rig the game. You and your friends. Thought you could pull one over on me.” Joseph is stunned at how Charles managed to figure it out. He pulls out from his coat a 0.22 silenced pistol and aims it at the head of Charles, “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” Charles nods, “A dead man.” Joseph hears something behind him and turns to find himself facing a man that wasn’t there before. He could only make out a mask before a gunshot rings out, and he sees nothing but black.
Arcade Part I: Apophis
Chaos. That is what it has come to. It’s all that Arcade can see as he looks through the screens of the central computer in the Lucky 38. Cameras across New Vegas show the complete breakdown of order. Everything Operation Hearth had hoped to accomplish failed and spectacularly backfired in the worst way possible. Corruption and deceit had overtaken the Strip once again. Freeside and the New Sector have been consumed by gang-warfare and rampant crime. The Mojave was weakened, vulnerable to outside entities, and barely able to support itself as new bandits fill the void left by the absence of former groups like the Powder Gangers. And there isn’t much Arcade can do about it, and that tears him apart. With the Council dissolved and the Courier still gone, Arcade is left alone, with no support, no help, no one there to guide him. Except for Yes Man. But that doesn’t spur much inspiration or confidence in Arcade.
As he stares at the screens, a Securitron comes up to him, “Sir, there is important news from Goodsprings.” Arcade sighs, “What is it?” “Another attack,” The Securitron states, “Around seven estimated dead, another dozen injured.” Arcade closes his eyes and tries to contain himself as a mix of emotions threaten to surface up. “Dispatch a squad of Securitrons-“ Arcade is interrupted by Yes Man who beams, “I’m afraid that’s out of the realm of possibility! Our Securitrons are struggling as is to maintain order in the Mojave with these outbursts of attacks!” Arcade slams his fists against the computers, “I know!” Arcade takes a moment to breath and calm down, but it doesn’t help. Overwhelmed, Arcade turns to the Securitron, “Just. . .tell the Followers to get medics there.” The Securitron hurries away on its mission, leaving Arcade alone once again, where he completely breaks down, tears running down his face. There is no Courier here, no knight in shining armor, no savior of the wastes. Just one man left in a pit of chaos.
Liberal Loses Liberty
Expansion Post 1
The ignorance over the settlement of Liberal, Kansas could really only be described as an unwillingness to compete with another large power, but there seemed to be a weaker presence of the New Continental Army than usual. Perhaps it was only because this particular enclave was aligned with the NCA, an unofficial sect so to speak. Whatever it was, this pocket seemed to lose a lot more centralization than usual. Middle was not about to ignore this momentary display of weakness. The freedom of the territories surrounding Liberal has been a thorn in the side of Revolutionary Middleland for years.
The dark room became the object of focus yet again, the distant light from the bunker entrance fading into nothingness upon the closing of a heavy metal door. This was simplicity and anonymity in its purest form. Dreary and suspicious commissars listened to each others breathing. A single well-placed gunshot downed a young officer responsible for mismanaging a company of Middle's soldiers into total death during the previous siege on Oklahoma City. Since nobody else needed disciplinary action, the meeting could proceed. Lop Bop broke the silence as usual, asking of his confidants their plans for the seizure of Liberal and reunification of Kansas.
"Are we ready, comrades?"
"Most ready."
"Brilliant. Let us make Kansas whole again and box those Legion-types in."
No amount of material preparation could prepare the residents of Liberal for the maelstrom which awaited them. 5,000 well-armed soldiers marched southwards, supported by 80 hell cannons and 40 .50 cal machinegun carts. Red flags waved along the plains' horizon, fists pumping in the air as battle cries from Middle's soldiers filled the air. They picked a bad day to side with the New Continental Army. Lop Bop was not about to risk a two-front war. They died today. At high noon, marching feet trampled the dehydrated grasses to crusty oblivion. Men, women, and children closed in on houses with torches and abducted rural residents, torching anybody who tried to shoot back. Most of Liberal's power and population had been consolidated into a single and strong city-state in order to fend better against Middle, but their abandonment of the rural zones would later prove to be the source of their untimely demise.
A few companies diverted past the city itself, pulling off an encirclement that was first barely noticeable, but slowly constricting like a snake about to swallow its prey whole. Liberal, like Kansas City, had enough time to construct city walls. Time would test those fusions of wood and concrete. The brunt of Middle's army would align itself in the direct front of Liberal, taking any high ground possible. The thumping of blasting hell cannons filled the evening skies as explosions lobbed into random portions of the settlement, stirring chaos among the civilians. Rudimentary mortars fired back, and when combined with a few defective hell cannon shots, subdued the bombings to a slight degree. Rather than shelling the city center, some slight adjustments were made, and after several missed shots and casualties, the city walls came tumbling down.
As soon as the inner city was exposed, the brutal rattatat of the .50 calibers placed in an arch filled the air, easily cutting through whole mobs of civilians and soldier-defenders as they scrambled for cover. That, when combined with the automatic fire of Middle's infantrymen, meant a gory fate for the first line of defense.
Not long after the bodies piled up, the red flags filled the horizon once more. A single hand gesture from an indiscriminate commissar started a whole stampede of thousands, all charging towards the smoking city. Hundreds crammed through the blasted open walls, other threw ropes above the walls, others climbed haphazardly over rubble, others stopped in the middle of the fields to lay down covering fire. The defenders were overwhelmed, and Middle's flag was raised within the hour.
A fair amount of blueprints were discovered. A small factory was found in a heavily damaged state. It would be set to repair and transform into a coal-plane fuel plant. Middle would gain 2,450 people.
Middle the absolutely so quickly making items- maybe?
Domestic Post
This would be a very productive session for Revolutionary Middleland's economic interests. Three air force bases would be established in Cheyenne, Sioux Falls, and Oklahoma City. At least it wasn't like back in the times of throwing random resources in communal melting pots to produce lumpy steel to make pipe rifles. The new air force bases weren't that impressive, just fenced off hangars, repaired airfields, barracks, and similar small buildings. Revolutionary Middleland had constructed... a whopping emptiness. The political elite were still scratching their heads at how to disassemble and replicate the intricate parts of the Po-2 biplane, despite the fact that the craft was relatively simple.
When the production base was consoled and approached about the manufacturing of weaponized goods, there was a lack of effective response. The Middle shadow organization, so tightly wrapped in secrecy- had unknowingly stretched itself thin across factories, military regiments, and communal centers. That was the price to pay for ambitious leadership and nameless commanders. Internal security was impregnable, but there was no practical way to be everywhere at once. The newer factories had no effective staff running them, save for hastily-trained middlemen. In a society where mothers couldn't teach their children anything that society would not allow, a lack of strong political-based leadership sent three factories into a flurry of chaos. Production in these three halted, and a small fire started in one of them that had there not been a nearby water source, would have undone months of backbreaking human labor.
Middle would also attempt to upgrade resource production, but with no ambitious commissars to take on the task with their technical knowledge and the latest captured laborers still in re-education camps, the once surging agrarian 'economy' of Middleland began to stagnate. Lop Bop was furious, but rather than slaughtering essential officials, he demanded a solution.
Middle would consolidate all of his remaining intellectuals, and would begin an open-air educational program for a select few promising children/adolescents- in hopes of building a central facility later down the line to properly regulate said training. As of now, Middle would be focused on getting names on rosters and organization members the resources to teach.
Cape Charles, a small trading post along the Chesapeake bay. Garrisoned by a few soldiers and some permanent shops, the post was a small and lonely station. Only having been visited by a few maritime merchants its the farthest you could get from the Union. And the lone brig in the docks new this.
Though to Rick O’Connell, he smelt opportunity once again in the air. With the hopes of finding something within the bay he arrived at Cape Charles in hopes of getting something to sell to the Union. Standing on the deck of the Tyson with his brother-in-law Jonathan
Jonathan: “Well Rick, what do you think we can find out here. The ship took quite a loan to get us here”
Rick: “If you would let me start, we're right in the Chesapeake. Entrance to the capital of Ameri-”
Jonathan: “The former, nuked ruin capital”
Rick: “-ca... yes... maybe, but plenty of things to drag back to the Union and sell to the highest bidder can be found in the legendary capital wasteland”
Turning over a map of the local state of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The two looked at the marks on the map.
Rick: “I've talked to the locals and besides some airfield to the North east, there was a big battle up in what the maps called Adam Air base. Something that big has to have something good”
Jonathan: “And if we don't find anything good?”
Rick: “Then there are countless other ruins to search through, this is the frontier after all”
«12. . .2,6302,6312,6322,6332,6342,6352,636. . .2,8912,892»
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